Page 22 of Mafia’s Dirty Secret

“What’s all this?” she asked with a delighted laugh.

“It’s what you can usually get at a theater. I hate theaters, personally, but love the food you can get at them. I don’t indulge in junk food often, but when I do, I want the good stuff.” He gave a dramatic wave at the shelves on the trolley and she laughed again.

Chips, dip, nachos with nacho cheese, hotdogs with every kind of topping imaginable, candy, cakes, brownies, and quite a few other things waiting to be decadently consumed. Her eyes locked on the melted nacho cheese and the nachos, and she looked up at him. “I’d like those first, please.”

“I had a feeling you might.” He stacked warm nachos into a bowl and handed her a cup of the melted cheese. “And to drink?”

She saw beer, white wine, and juice. “I’ll have the white wine, please.”

“Good choice.” The glass became frosted as he poured a little of the wine into it, and she took it. The wine was crisp and fruity, a nice taste to go with her snack.

“I like that.” She saw he put the bottle back into a bucket of ice and was glad it would stay cold. She did like that taste. What she liked even more was the feeling it gave her. “Right, so I’ve chosen this movie.”

“A thriller. Good choice.” He nodded, filled a bowl with popcorn, grabbed a cup of nacho cheese, and sat down with her. He also had a hotdog with chili and coleslaw on it. She decided she might have one of those next, it smelled so good.

She put the movie on, and the lights dimmed down. She looked over to see he had another remote control. “Thrillers are best in the dark.”

“I think so too,” she smirked at him and leaned over to nudge him. “Thank you.”

He turned his face, kissed her forehead tenderly, and winked at her. “Don’t mention it.”

The movie was over an hour long, and they managed to get through quite a few of the treats on the trolley before it was over. She excused herself after the first movie and went to the bathroom. It was nice to be with him, she thought when she finished and washed her hands. She checked her face and hair, and realized, it didn’t matter. They were watching movies in the dark.

When she made it back in, she saw he had an old British comedy movie on the screen, ready to go. She hadn’t heard of the men that made it, but he said it was funny, so she gave it a chance. This time, she leaned into him where he rested against the arm of the couch. Her back was pressed into the couch, and her head rested against his right shoulder. His arm went around her easily, as it was something he did often.

She was aware of nothing but his body for the first ten minutes, of the flat plane of his stomach where her hand rested over his white t-shirt. His jean-covered thigh pressed into hers, and his face was just there, above hers. All she’d have to do was look up, and he could kiss her. This was nice though, the simple act of watching a movie together was really nice. It felt… normal.

And normal wasn’t something she experienced often. Some greedy little part of her wanted to make this moment last forever. She clasped her arm around him a little tighter and settled in. She could hear his heartbeat, and for a moment, she forgot to pay attention to the movie. She listened to that strong thud.

The sound filled her head, strong and steady, over and over. It was a healthy sound that told her he was alive and happy she was here. When her hand clenched over his stomach involuntarily, his heartbeat picked up but soon calmed down. He was just as aware of her as she was of him that sound told her. Her eyes had closed, but she wasn’t aware of it, and she drifted off.

She’d been tired when the new nurse showed up, but with a full belly, and so much comfort around her, against her, she just… drifted.

“I’m going to take you up to my bed, Marie. Is that alright with you?” He’d moved and picked her up before she could even make a sound.

“What? We’re watching a movie, aren’t we?” She was confused but didn’t protest. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let her head settle against his shoulder.

“It’s over, sweetheart. You’re tired and need some rest.” Matteo moved up the stairs without even breaking a sweat, despite her weight in his arms. He moved down a long hallway, all the way to the end, where an open door waited.

He carried her to the bed, then turned a bedside lamp on. “I bought you a nightgown and some pajamas, I wasn’t sure which you’d prefer. Or if you’d want to stay the night, but just in case…”

He let his words trail off and she knew he’d said a lot more than he’d spoken. She could still leave if she wanted to, his words told her, or she could stay. Anything that happened was purely up to her.

“I’ll take the nightgown, please.” She might have been dead to the world five minutes ago, but she was fully awake now. She was in his bedroom, his private domain.

It was a small room, but still larger than her own bedroom. There was a large oak dresser towards one side of the room, a closet with two doors, a floor mirror, and the four-poster bed that she now sat on. It was covered with an emerald green fleece blanket that was the softest thing she’d ever felt and dark green sheets. Two pillows on each side made a fluffy backrest as he brought the nightgown to her.

She’d thought maybe he would buy her a sexy nightgown, something exotic, but more than likely uncomfortable. Instead, he bought a cotton gown, with an empire waist. It was soft, comfortable, yet somehow sensual, even though it was virginal white. She liked it and thanked him for it.

“There’s a screen just there, that you can change behind if you want.” He pointed into a dark corner and she saw the screen there.

She took the gown, thanked him again, and went to change behind the black silk screen. She took off everything she had on and put on the nightgown. The straps were adjustable, so she fiddled with them until they supported her breasts perfectly. She had no idea what she looked like, but she didn’t care.

She was nervous, she’d never slept in a man’s bed before, or with a man or anything else with a man. This was all new to her, and she didn’t know the rules, but Matteo didn’t seem to notice, or mind, her lack of knowledge. With one last deep breath, she left the screen and found Matteo in the bed.

He had on a pair of black pajama bottoms and a black tank top. The impression was sensual, far more than she thought men could be. He looked at her with a faint smile on his face, and her heart skipped a beat. She was really about to do this. With a faint smile of her own, she got into the bed and pulled the covers over her body.

“Everything alright?” he asked and turned to face her.