AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He led me to the dance floor with a protective hand on my arm, and as we began to dance, I smiled up at him.
“Thank you for saving me from the nosy gossips.”
“My pleasure. You looked like you needed it and, anyhow, I wanted to dance with my baby sister tonight.”
As I let the music wash over me, I felt a sense of reassurance flow through me. I could be myself with him and didn’t have to pretend to be something I was not. I always felt comfortable around Jacob, and I was glad that he was here tonight.
“You look very pretty in your dress,” remarked Jacob, interrupting my thoughts.
I looked down at myself. “Rafael bought it for me.”
Jacob looked intensely into my eyes, and regarding me, he asked, “Is he good to you, Jess?”
I nodded. “Yes, he is.”
Jacob let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad,” he breathed into my hair as he drew me closer into his hold.
I was glad as well. Not just for myself, but also for Jacob’s sake—because I knew if Rafael ever did anything to me, Jacob would try to kill him, and then Jacob would be killed himself for going against the Consigliere of the Società. The mere thought of that made me shudder.
Jacob looked down at me. “Are you cold?”
“No, I’m okay now that I’m with you.”
When the song finished, Rafael approached, giving a piercing look to Jacob and then looking more softly at me.
“Dance with me, Jessica.”
I stood on tiptoes to give Jacob a small kiss on his cheek, murmuring, “I’ll be okay, Jake.”
Jacob gave a small nod to me and then glared at Rafael before stalking off.
I relaxed into Rafael’s hold, his embrace making me feel safe despite the acute interest directed toward us by the other people present.
Mafia women had little to fill their days apart from gossip, and a newly married couple was a topic ripe for their curiosity. They would be wondering how I was finding married life and how I was being treated by my husband and my in-laws. They would even speculate how the sex was with my new husband—if he was gentle with me, or if he let his dark side out in the bedroom.
Of course, no one would say anything like that to my face, but I knew that no topic was off-limits for the Mafia wives: I was part of the Società, which meant that my life was not off-limits for their curiosity or for their gossip. It was the same as when Emanuel Santino had thought he could defile me—simply because I was part of the Società and he had been the boss.
As I danced with Rafael, I knew that every nervous glance I gave would have everyone wondering about how Rafael treated me behind closed doors. I was probably failing miserably tonight because I knew that I couldn’t carry off the aura of a composed person totally in control of her emotions.
As if sensing my discomfort, Rafael leaned down and said in a low voice into my ear. “You’ve been amazingly strong tonight. You’ve been a success.”
I looked at him in surprise. “I feel like a complete fraud. I’m just waiting with dread for everyone to find out the real me.”
“You are my wife now, Jessica. If anyone ever does or says anything to hurt you ever again, they’ll pay for it.” He spoke harshly, and I knew he meant every word.
Perhaps he was right. After all, this dress had made me feel a little less nervous, so maybe being a Santino wife would help me feel more poised and in control over time. Maybe it was a case of fake it until I make it—although I didn’t know if I’d ever make it as a confident and self-assured Mafia wife. How could I when I knew that I could never be free from my demons?
At that moment, my mother bustled up to me. “Jessica, what on earth are you wearing?” she inquired abruptly, without any greeting.
“Good evening to you too, Casmundina,” sighed Rafael.
“It’s a new dress, Mother.”
“I can see that. But it is certainly not one of the dresses I bought for your new role as Rafael’s wife. It’s ratherblandand what on earth is that washed-out color?”
“It’s called lilac,” interrupted Rafael sharply. “AndIbought it formywife.”
“Oh, I see. It’s just that in Jessica’s new position everyone will be expecting her to dress a certain way, but I don’t think this dress meets those expectations. I did purchase Jessica a number of suitable dresses for occasions such as this evening. Did you not see the fuchsia sequined ballgown that I chose for her? I would have thought that would have been perfect—”
