It gave Elio great pleasure to reply, “I think you mean your sister’s casino, and yes, I am very much enjoying beating the house.”
Through the spies he paid within the Espositos’ inner circle, he knew Rico’s handing over of the casinos to Siena had been something that had seriously pissed Mattia off. Control of the casinos was entirely hers. Over the years, Lorenzo had gifted his wife and each of his sons numerous businesses and assets to launder money through, but that was all small-fry compared to what was now in Siena’s hands.
Soon, it would all be Elio’s. All of it. The wheels he’d put in motion were turning faster by the day.
“When it comes to the family businesses, everything belongs to everyone.” There was a slight edge in Mattia’s reply.
“Sure, but say, for example, your sister decided, once the legalities of your father’s estate have been finalised, to gift or transfer the casinos to someone outside of the family, there would be nothing you could do to stop her.”
Mattia’s playing chips were given to him. He nodded acknowledgement to the croupier, then nodded a tight smileto Elio. “I wouldn’t need to stop her. Siena’s an Esposito. She knows where her loyalties lie.”
Elio laughed and placed his stake. “For sure. And now I, too, am a part of the great Esposito family, and you have my loyalty, too.”
“I do not doubt it, but when it comes to reciprocal loyalty, I feel obliged to warn you that if you lay a finger on my sister, all loyalty will be thrown out of the window.”
Ah, so this was why Mattia had come to the casino.
“I take it you’re talking about the bruise on your sister’s forehead?” The bruise Siena had deliberately made no effort to cover up. “If so, forget it – she did it to herself by headbutting me.”
And one day, he would forgive himself for causing her pain when he’d thrust into her.
Intellectually, he knew there was nothing to forgive. He hadn’t known. She’d made the choice to keep her virginity a secret from him. It didn’t stop the rancid feeling that had been pecking at his guts the whole day.
“So she said.”
“Is she a liar?”
“No. But she is hot-tempered. I would hate to think a man could only handle her by using violence against her.”
“Then you have nothing to fear from me. If anything, I should be asking for protection from her. Your sister is a wildcat.” A wildcat who reacted to fear by fighting.
Mattia’s chuckle at this was rueful and slightly sympathetic. “You wanted to marry the wildcat. The consequences are yours to live with.” The faint amusement in his voice faded. “But if you hurt her in any way, I will kill you. Understood?”
“I have a sister of my own. If any man hurt her, I would kill him with my bare hands. So yes, I understand you.”
“Good. Shall we finish up here and sit at the bar for a while? We have business to discuss.”
* * *
Siena was looking at one of the vast number of monitors watching every aspect of the casino from multiple angles. She didn’t know why, but it made her antsy to see her brother and new husband chatting at a high table close to the bar. That Stefano was with them only added to her angst. She didn’t know which man she hated the most, Elio or Stefano. One of them she’d dreamed of marrying; the other she’d actually gone ahead and married. She wouldn’t spit on either of them if they were on fire.
She’d long ago learned to mask her loathing of Stefano to everyone but Stefano, but for Elio there would never be a need to wear a mask, not for him, not for anyone.
There was no need for her to be hiding away in the security hub. It was painful to admit that that was what she was doing. Hiding away. Usually, she spent her time in her casinos floating around, being visible, satisfying herself that everything was being run with the assured professionalism she demanded of all her staff.
It was Elio’s presence making her hide away. Dread and excitement were playing havoc in her stomach. There was no doubt in her mind that he intended to hang around until she was ready to go home.
There would be no sneaking into the marital bedroom and praying he was asleep as she’d planned when she’d left his villa that morning. She was going to have to suffer his wish for sex with her again.
She wished the excitement in her belly at this prospect wasn’t as strong as the dread.
Could what they’d done even be called sex? He’s been inside her, but only very briefly. As soon as he’d realised she was a virgin, it had come to an end.
What she needed to do, she decided, was bore him. If Elio was being truthful that breaking her sexually wasn’t on his to-do list, then she could simply lie there and wait for it to be over. If he wanted her to take him in her mouth again, then fine. She’d done it once, and it hadn’t been unpleasant. She could do it again if necessary, and this time she’d be sure to affect an air of boredom while she did it. He had the trophy wife he’d craved. If she proved boring to have sex with, he’d soon look elsewhere.
Suddenly feeling better in herself now she had a new plan of action, Siena decided she might as well call it a night. Staying here was only delaying the inevitable. The sooner they returned to his villa, the sooner it would be over with.
Grabbing her handbag, she called out a goodnight to the staff working the monitors and slipped out of the security hub.
