Home > Obsession A Mafia Romance(68)

Obsession A Mafia Romance(68)
Author: J.L. Beck

All the thoughts swirl and weigh heavily on my shoulders. Grabbing onto the marble counter just to have something to hang onto, I count back from ten in my mind. By the time I reach zero, I’m a sliver less likely to have a full-on mental breakdown. The door to the bedroom creaks open, and I step out of the bathroom just in time to see Matteo walking into my room, his dark hair is slicked back, and the suit he wears clings to his body like a second skin. He looks every bit as evil as I know he is.

“My dear, you look so beautiful.” He reaches for my hand and brings it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the skin. I do my best not to tug from his grasp.

“Thank you, you look great as well.”

Dropping my hand, he smiles, his eyes twinkling with appreciation. “I wanted to let you know that I’m very proud of you. I didn’t think you would do it, but like always, you surprise me.”

He’s referring to my breakup with Zane. Great, now he wants to talk about it.

“It had to happen, it was him or my obligation to the family, and I wasn’t going to choose some man over you. You’re the only family I have, and the last thing I want to be is a disappointment.” I bat my eyes for effect and watch as the mask on his face melts away like a chocolate bar sitting on steaming hot pavement.

“You could never disappoint me. You have Castro blood running through your veins. It’s not in us to do such a thing.” I almost snort at his response but suppress it at the last second, and instead, cover it up with a massive smile.

“Shall we get to the party?” I ask in an overly excited tone.

“We shall.” He smiles down at me, and I try not to sink deeper into the uneasiness that’s pooling around my feet. As we descend the stairs, people cheer, and I realize then that the festivities have already started. My eyes collide with Alberto’s dark ones. He’s waiting at the end of the stairs for us. I can see the desire rolling off of him in waves.

He thinks he has a chance, a shot at being with me. He doesn’t know shit. My father passes me off to him, and I take his arm in mine, ignoring the churning in my gut that his touch brings. Matteo dismisses me and starts chatting with two men that look to be of some importance.

“You look absolutely divine,” Alberto murmurs into the shell of my ear as he guides me through the maze of people. I recognize a few faces from the previous welcome home party, but none of the names from that night stuck, so all over again, I feel lost in a sea of unknown faces. It’s even worse this time because Zane isn’t here.

My chest tightens at the thought of him, and it feels like someone is using my heart as a damn stress ball.

“Look how excited everyone is to see us together.” Alberto tightens his hold on me, almost as if he’s trying to show everyone how possessive he is. “I can’t wait to make you my wife and solidify our stronghold over the west. No one will think to try and fight us.”

I don’t dare tell him the only thing he’s going to be looking forward to is his death because then that would ruin the surprise. Smiling up at him because there are so many wandering eyes, and I need to continue to play the part, I let him walk me through the double French doors and outside. The garden has been transformed into a party area with a buffet, tables, and chairs.

The space is decorated with fresh cut roses, tea lights, and string lights that hang above the entire area. They twinkle like stars and give the place a more intimate and elegant feel. It’s beautiful, breathtaking, and I kind of hate that Matteo put something as great as this together. A man as evil as him, shouldn’t be allowed to come up with such beautiful things.

Alberto and I take our seats at the head table, a flute of wine is shoved into my hands, and I take tiny sips of it as I’m forced to endure small talk with my father’s guests.

“I can’t wait to fuck you raw,” Alberto leans over halfway through the dinner and whispers into my ear.

I feel disgust slither through me and all the way to the tips of my toes. This is the worst part of playing this game. Making those around you assume that you care and are interested.

“I can’t wait either,” I say, placing a hand on his thigh beneath the table. His eyes flash with primal hunger, and I know all I’m doing is taunting the beast inside the cage.

The night drags on and on, and after some time, Alberto disappears, maybe he’s screwing someone else, or maybe he’s talking with some of Matteo’s men. I don’t know. I should probably be worried, considering that he’s been gone awhile, and this is our engagement party, but I’m not. If anything, I’m thankful for his absence.

It’s one less person I have to pretend that I give a fuck to. Some guests linger, but many leave after dinner, which is exactly what I’m planning to do right now. If I’m going to escape, it has to be tonight. Since Matteo is busy smoking cigars and drinking bourbon with his buddies, he won’t even realize that I’ve slipped away.

I’ll never get a more perfect moment than this evening. As I glance down at my half-eaten plate of food, my eyes catch on the shiny knife blade. Weapon. You need a weapon, Dove, my brain screams. Lifting my eyes, I look around suspiciously to see if anyone is watching me before I grab the knife and tuck it blade side down into the side of my dress, beneath my armpit. No one should see it there, and I’ll be able to make it up to the room without incident.

Pushing away from the table, I meander back into the house and toward the grand staircase. My foot has just barely touched the bottom step when a hand wraps around my arm and tugs me backward. Turning to face the owner of said hand, a gasp catches in my throat.

“Where are you going, Ms. Castro?” One of Matteo’s guards asks. He’s smiling, but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes, he looks more like a tiger smiling at its prey.

“To my room. Is that okay, or would you like to interrupt my father and his colleagues to see if he would be okay with that?” I pin him with a glare, trying not to show my fear or trembling lips and tug my arm out of his grasp. His fake smile slips away, and he looks a little mortified, his cheeks turning crimson, probably because he’s never been talked to like that by a woman before.

“Go on,” he says without another word, and I force myself to walk up the steps, instead of running like I want to. With my heart racing out of my chest, I reach the top step and bound down the hall, almost falling over my own feet in the process. Reaching the door, I twist the knob and push it open. Slipping inside, I close the door, and the darkness of the room surrounds me. I sigh, but that sigh is soon swallowed by an almost scream when the bedroom light comes on, and Alberto’s hulking frame comes into view.

“Hello, my soon to be bride,” he murmurs. I swallow the fear of being alone with him down and force air into my lungs.

All you’re doing is acting… give an Oscar-worthy performance.

Crossing the space between us, I sashay my hips and smile at him while batting my eyes as if I’m interested. I don’t know the first thing about being seductive, but I’m pretty sure my attempt is working because Alberto’s smile widens as he gets up from the bed. His jacket has already been removed, the white button up shirt he’s wearing is pulled out and wrinkled. His hands move to his dress slacks, undoing his belt, we meet in the middle of the room.

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