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Nicolo
When my cousin, Enzo, first told me that I was expected to go through with the arranged marriage my grandfather had approved when I was twelve, I was good with it. Whatever the family required of me, I would do. But that was before I met Brazen. When I remembered her being the young girl in my father’s basement, my heart warmed. I had been in love with the fantasy of this woman since I was a kid. After our night together, I knew I never wanted to let her go.
When Enzo confirmed who I was being tethered to, I was elated, but I couldn’t reveal those feelings to anyone. My family would think I was soft, and they might try to take her away from me. Knowing them like I did, they would make another relative keep up the bargain. I had way too many single cousins to take that chance. That’s one of the bad things about being from a large Italian family. There was always someone else to take your place, should you fail at your task.
Speaking of failure, one of the guys sent to help me here in The States, Tino, failed at his position, and I needed to speak with Enzo about replacing him. The asshole needed to be reminded who I was. These guys seemed to think that because I was an educated man, I was less of a threat. I still had DeLuca blood running through my veins. It would do them all good to remember that. I think I sent a good reminder when Tino opened his mouth about my betrothed.
“Nicolo, come on in here and have a drink with us. Let’s celebrate your engagement,” Rico, my longtime friend stated.
I smiled and went into the backroom of the restaurant that my cousin ran. It was our unofficial hangout where we conducted not so legal business. I accepted the shot of whiskey and clinked my glass to Rico’s. Before I could raise up the glass to my lips, I heard Tino’s annoying voice. We called him Johnny Lip after a character in a mob movie we loved as a kid. He grated on my last nerve. He always had. I told Enzo not to send him here with me, but he didn’t listen. Now, I had to deal with his stupidity. You know, that guy who constantly runs his mouth and can never back it up? That was Tino.
“I saw that chick Enzo’s got you promised to. You’re gonna need the whole bottle. What did you do to your cousin to get stuck with that mulignan chick? If he was going to stick you with an eggplant, he could have at least given you a nice looking one. You got stuck with a pig.”
“What the fuck did you just say?”
“I’m sorry, man, but have you seen that girl? She’s fat.”
My fucking brain short circuited in that moment. Nobody talked about my Brazen like that. She was gorgeous, and if he couldn’t see it, that was his problem. However, where he went wrong was voicing his unsolicited opinion to me about the woman I loved.
My hand tightened on the glass in my hand, as my blood boiled. I took the glass and smashed it against Johnny Lip’s jaw. He tried to talk, but I put my fist through his mouth, causing teeth to fly across the room. Tino fell to the floor in a heap. I jumped on top of him and pounded his jaw until it caved in. The feeling of bone shattering under the weight of my fist fueled me. Blood flew into my eye, making it burn, but that didn’t stop me. I continued to smash his stupid face until Rico and Gio pulled me off the bastard.
“Fuck you, Tino!” I said, as I flexed my hand. “If you ever dare to say anything else about my wife, I will kill you and spread your body parts across the globe. In fact, if you see her, you’d better turn your fucking head and go the other way. I won’t tolerate disrespect of my wife from anyone.”
I was unhinged and needed to pull myself together. I pulled out of Rico’s grasp and went into the bathroom to clean up. My fucking hand was killing me, but I had an engagement party to attend and a proposal to make. When I returned to the room, Rico was helping Tino stand. He had a bag of ice pressed on his jaw that was hanging onto his face by a thread.
The next time that bastard even thought about Simone, he better remember the pain he is in now. I swear if he even looks at her wrong, I will not hesitate to keep my promise. He had the nerve to glare at me as he hobbled out of the room. If I wasn’t running late, I would finish him now. I would have to take care of that asshole later, or he was going to be a problem. First, I needed Enzo to sign off on it.
Later that night, I got down on one knee and proposed marriage to the one woman that has been on my mind for decades. She had no idea the feelings I had for her. Even as a twelve-year-old, I knew there was something special about her. The way she showed no fear made such an impression on me that I couldn’t let her go. Now, at thirty-five, life had come full circle. In just a few weeks, I would make her mine forever. All I had to do was get to know her and make her fall in love with me.
She was on her way to my place, and I couldn’t sit still. When I get my Brazen underneath me again, I am going to make sure she never wants another man ever again. The knock on the door made me jump into action. I crossed the room and snatched the door open, anticipating seeing the woman of my dreams. Instead, there stood a tragic nightmare. Zelda, a chick I made the mistake of fucking once, was standing there looking at me expectantly.
“What the fuck are you doing at my door?”
“Can I come in?”
She smiled and ran her hand over her body like I would acquiesce just because she had a model frame. She had no idea that I preferred women with a bit of meat on their bones. Zelda had just been a means to an end. The night we got together, I was drunk and horny. She was ready and willing. I fucked up. I broke a cardinal rule, never shit where you eat. The bitch worked at my firm, and I couldn’t fire her because she would sue me.
“Hell, no!”
“Then why did you open the door?”
“Because he was expecting me.”
Simone appeared from out of nowhere, moving around Zelda to stand by my side. I had never been more relieved to see a woman in all my life. She wrapped one arm around my waist while glaring down at the interloper. I quickly wrapped my arm around my lady’s waist, trying to suppress the electric current running through my body.
“Who the hell are you?” Zelda had the nerve to demand.
“Naw, it doesn’t work like that. You need to tell me who the hell you are and why you’re knocking on this door at 2AM.”
“This is Zelda. She works at the firm,” I added, hoping to disarm the upcoming drama that was playing out.
“Oh, so you’re not going to tell her the best part? Then I will. He and I were an item.”
I was beginning to sweat, but when I looked over at Brazen, I found her stone faced. That bit of news didn’t even faze my girl. She stood tall and proud beside me. Not even raising an eyebrow. She might not have anything to say, but I felt compelled to defend myself.
“That’s a lie, and you know it. I smashed once and was out. You’re the one who won’t let it go.”
I looked down at Simone so she would know I was telling the truth. There was no way I wanted to start our marriage out with lies. She had to know she could trust me.
