Beyond Forgiving: A Dark Mafia Captive Romance (The Underworld Book 2)
Page 8
I took her to the statue. We head to get into a boat to get there. Once we got out of said boat, I said, “Follow me. I know about a shortcut to skip the line.”
There was a line of people by the statue, waiting for their turn to get inside it. The sun was nice and the weather was cooperating to make the day look even better. It was fall, but the temperature was not too cold yet.
Gloria stopped and said, “Wait, I want to see the front of the statue,” she said.
Oh, that’s right. I didn’t remember to show her the front of it, which needed no line to get to.
“Okay, sure.”
She followed me to the front of the stature. It looked beautiful. Nice piece of French design and engineering. They didn’t make statues like this one anymore.
She admired the statue, and in the distance, I saw a man taking photos of some tourists. I thought about asking Gloria if she wanted to take some too, but a barrier between us impeded me from doing so. This all still felt so odd.
She continued to admire the statue, and I made a decision. Awkward or not, I needed to do yet another thing to make up for what happened last night.
“Gloria…”
She turned her head to me, her eyes always so beautiful. She was a striking woman, and I was beginning to think… I was kind of liking her more than I already did.
“Do you want to take some pictures? There is a guy over there that will take some for you.”
“Oh,” she said, looking a bit lost. “I think I would like that.”
She headed over to the guy, and I followed her. Phew, that was easier than I thought it would be. But then she turned around and asked, “Aren’t they too expensive?”
I was a bit taken aback by her question. She worried about something like that? Gloria really was being nice and considerate. Could I ever forgive myself for what happened last night?
“No, it… would be nothing for me, Gloria. I have the money.”
She didn’t have much money with her. My father confiscated all their family wealth. If they hadn’t accepted that condition, they wouldn’t be alive right now.
She looked surprised. I imagined the price for taking the photos meant a lot to her. In her former life, she would have been able to pay for them herself, but now… things were different.
“Thanks, Basilio,” she said before talking to the guy taking the photos.
He smiled and she got in position. He readied the big camera that looked awkward, and took the photos, the machine making a weird noise as it processed each photo. There were more and more portable cameras coming out in the market, but this guy here still used this old version. I heard cameras like that one were quite expensive back in the day.
Photos were getting cheaper too, but they were still a rich people thing. Not many people could afford them. No wonder Gloria asked if she was okay with me paying for her photos.
As she took her photos - and she didn’t appear she wanted to take many of them - I felt a growing need to go there and be with her. I knew she wouldn’t want me in her photos, and so I decided to keep my mouth shut, remaining where I was. The last thing I needed was to give her another reason to hate me.
She finished taking the photos, and the guy with the camera handed them to her. I paid him and we walked back to where we had seen the line to get into the statue. She looked and admired each of her photos, almost forgetting about me.
“You like them?” I asked.
She stopped in her tracks and looked up, her eyes finding mine. I could still feel the fear in her, but it was weaker now. Spending some time alone with her was working, and maybe, by doing more things like this, she would change her opinion about me a little.
Well, that wasn’t something I could have high expectations for, and so I kept them low. Very, very low.
She parted her lips and said, “Thanks again, Basilio. These are nice shots. I like them.”
I gave her a small smile. “Tell me if you want to take photos inside the head of the statue. You can have a great view of the city from up there.”
We were walking again toward the statue when she said, “I’d like that.”
Alright, things were developing, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about them. It was nice that she wasn’t hating me right now to the point of ignoring me, but it was all… still a bit too sudden?
I didn’t know. I was just doing my best here. I wished I could just let her go and be done with it, but such a thing was just not possible.
We got inside the head of the statue, after taking the aforementioned shortcut.
She placed her hands on one of the holes of the statue, and looked out at the city. Indeed, the view was beautiful, and I could see some buildings I recognized from up here. She stayed like that, just admiring the city for a couple of seconds until she turned, and her face looked better than it had ever been before this very moment.
“So, do you like the view?”
She gave me a very shy smile, and then said, “It’s great. It’s beautiful.”
She walked toward the man taking photos, and I waited until her photos were taken. I paid for them, as I said I would, and then we walked out of the statue.
Gloria looked stunning on those photos, and I wished things hadn’t started so badly between us. Maybe this moment wouldn’t be feeling so awkward right now, then.
We got inside the boat that took us here, and then back to the car. From there, I drove her back to the mansion. My guards followed us, as they should, and everything happened as planned.
But one question remained, and I was wondering if I would be able to answer it soon.
✽ ✽ ✽
Gloria
When he told me he wanted to take me out, I was incredulous. The guy from the family that destroyed mine now seemed worried and concerned about me. I met him that day and I thought he was the worst human being to ever walk this world - not including his dad in such an equation, of course.
And he made me so frightened of him that day I thought I would never go with him anywhere. He was a brute, but I couldn’t deny that he was different now. He wasn’t drunk, for starters, and that was a good thing.
I was only wondering when he was going to become a savage once more and hurt me. As a Calabrese, he would never become a good person. He just couldn’t. It wasn’t in his nature.
The sun was shining outside, and this was a good day to go to the swimming pool. I knew it was Fall and all, but the current weather was still a good reason to swim a little. I knew I didn’t have anyone to go with right now, but that wasn’t going to stop me.
I put on a bikini and headed to the swimming pool. Maybe, if Taziana wasn’t a Calabrese, she could be a friend of mine, but I didn’t think such a thing was ever going to happen. It just wouldn’t. She was one of them.
I walked to the swimming pool and found Taziana and her son playing outside, very far away from me. That was great. I didn’t want them to see me in a bikini right now. The mansion was big enough to make solitary moments like this one very frequent.
I got to the pool and felt calm, the water shifting so slowly. There was nobody in the vicinity - not even in one of the windows, looking down at me. It all felt and looked great, not to mention how pristine the water looked as well.
I doubted anyone had used this swimming pool often since it was made. A pity, really.
I didn’t have to apply sunscreen on. The sun wasn’t that hot and I reminded myself again that it was Fall. No need to worry about my skin right now.
I sat down and dipped my feet into the water. It was warm and so inviting. I wished I could make use of this swimming pool more often, but with now being Fall and the coming Winter, that was set to become a hard thing to do.
I could almost forget about my troubles right now, and I was wondering when Gino would come here. He said it wouldn’t take him too long. I just hoped nothing bad happened to him. Our family was already destroyed.
Chapter 10
Lingering Thoughts
Basilio
The gentle sound of water splashing caught my attention. I was in my bedroom, sitting at my desk and studying some of my plans to push forward the Calabrese influence in the city, and the least I expected right now was to learn that someone was in the swimming pool.
I knew we had had cold days so far in this Fall season, but I didn’t think anyone would go in there today. The thought just didn’t cross my mind. I thought we were all worried about our plans for our family in this city. Even Paolo was focused on them and being less of an asshole. He was actually helping me now.
I went to the window. Curiosity made me want to find out who was in the water right now. That was when my eyes found none other than Gloria, who… looked so stunning she made me feel paralyzed.
I stood like an idiot just behind the curtains, watching. She was swimming from end to end in the pool, and she appeared to be having a good time. Seeing her like that warmed my heart. I was glad she was having a great time right now. She went through a lot before being forced to come here with me.
She said she would be my wife, but I could sense she didn’t make that decision willingly. She didn’t really want to marry me. That was okay, for now. I would need to continue being nice in order to convince her. I wasn’t such a bad man - not to women, at least.
She looked so nimble and athletic as she swam. What’s more, she appeared to be happy. For the first time since we got here, she was happy.
She kind of felt that way when I took her out, but today was different. She didn’t have to contain her joy. Gloria was in her natural environment, and she didn’t have anyone in her vicinity to worry her. I was sure she could almost forget she was being held captive.
Gloria’s body was so different from most women. She had big breasts and an ass that made my cock swell. I wouldn’t force anything on her, but right now, I was wishing she was my girlfriend and that I could make love with her.
The way she kept on swimming showed me how stunning her body was. She had such impressive curves, and I was sure I looked like an idiot right now. A fool that was acting as if he had never seen a woman before...
But there was a big difference. She was just more beautiful than all the women I had before in my life. I had a couple of girlfriends. I was 25 and women fell easily for me, so I had the required experience to know what it was that I was truly feeling right now.
And my current feeling was much different from anything I had before. It was powerful, as if I had just found the woman of my life. But how could that be? I made her so frightened of me that night that I couldn’t forget every detail. Couldn’t erase Gloria pissing herself because I was mad…
And it wasn’t just her skin, curves, breasts and ass that made me want her right now, but also her angelic face. She wore a pair of very dark sunglasses, but I could still perceive her eyes. I had seen them many times before. Her oval face and full lips made her look so perfect.
I knew everyone had things about their bodies they would like to change, but in her case, it was different. Gloria also didn’t seem to have gone through any kind of physical surgery to make her body and face look better. She was just naturally beautiful.
I also couldn’t stop staring at her hair. It shone so brightly under the light of the sun. It was black like mine, but it shone nonetheless. I wished I could touch and feel her hair, but I knew such a thing wouldn’t happen at this moment because I wouldn’t go down there. Gloria would never forgive me for all the bad things my family and I did.
My thoughts were only one right now. I wished I could have her in my bed, making love with her. But it just… wouldn’t happen. Too much bad shit happened between us...
✽ ✽ ✽
Gloria
I got out of the swimming pool and took a shower. They had a couple of shower rooms by the pool. This place really was complete and had everything I could wish for. No wonder I didn’t feel like having to buy anything here in New York.
I toweled myself dry and walked back into the mansion. I was glad nobody saw me in a bikini. I didn’t know what I would have felt otherwise.
I got to my bedroom, put on new clothes and walked out. I didn’t have a specific destination in mind. I just wanted to take a walk and be anywhere that wasn’t my bedroom. I felt I tended to spend too many hours in there and forget I could go to other places in here. I didn’t like the possibility of seeing Basilio or Paolo, but in these last few days, they tended to keep to themselves.
I turned right and continued walking through some rooms. I went through the library, the kitchen, and another room I didn’t know what it was used for. There were just so many unused spaces in this mansion. It was almost like they made it for more people.
Well, if that was the case, I was hoping they were going to take a very long time to populate it.
When I was going to turn left, I heard the sounds of someone grunting. I quickly headed over to where they were coming from. My first thought was that someone was struggling and fighting with a criminal.
But I calmed down as soon as I read a sign by the entrance of the room the grunts were coming from. The gym. Someone was working out. Strange. I didn’t come near here often, but I never noticed someone using the gym before.
That didn’t really mean anything, though. The mansion was huge and I probably never was nearby when someone was working out in it.
I peeped into the room; I didn’t want anyone finding out I was spying on him or her. That was when I found none other than Basilio, who was using a machine to work his back and arms.
And… wow.
I never saw him without his suit on, and I didn’t think he looked so stunning. He was very muscular and masculine. I had seen some men shirtless before, but even though he still wore a sleeveless shirt, I could see that his body was very well-built.
But I reminded myself I shouldn’t be having feelings like that one for him. He was my captor. He was keeping me locked in here, even if now he was trying to be nicer.
I couldn’t deny, though, that I was having a feeling for him I didn’t like. I never had a boyfriend. Never dated. I was 23 years old and thought I should have done something to fix that. But that was easier said than done. I preferred to live as my current self. It wasn’t like I really felt like I needed someone to complete my life.
I kind of hated myself right now for having this feeling for him. Why was I feeling so aroused for a man that treated me so badly not a couple of days ago? He was a Calabrese and he was never going to be a good man. That much I knew.
But as a woman, I also couldn’t deny he looked so handsome right now. He had a body to make many men envious of him, and he was lifting so much weight. I almost thought about what it would be like if he were to pick me up right now and carry me to my bed...
I shook that thought away. I couldn’t be having something like that in my mind right now. I was betraying the memory of my dad and uncle by thinking in such a manner about him. Basilio was an asshole, even if he was such a striking man.
I sighed. His muscles, toned pectorals, abs, and biceps were all making me feel so turned on right now. It was the kind of feeling I didn’t have any control over, and maybe, right now, I should just leave and pretend I never saw him wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts.
He was listening to some music and couldn’t see me. No mirror was going to reflect to his eyes my head while I spied on him. That relieved me. The last thing I wanted right now was him finding out I was here.
Well, since I was going to marry him and one day I was going to be pregnant, maybe I could at least cherish his body for what it was. That would be a good thing… right? At this point, I thought it could be, but I didn’t really know. My mind would most likely be assaulted by memories of what his family did and was doing to mine, ruining everything.
I took one good last look at him as he used a machine to work the muscles of his legs, and then turned. That was when I found none other than Paolo, who appeared to have been watching me this whole time.
I was going to walk past him when he gripped my arm and said, “If you are lucky, he won’t beat you up too badly.”
His smirk grew, and I shook my arm free and walked away. I tried to ignore what he just told me, but doing so was almost impossible. There he was, reminding me of the true nature of his brother.
Maybe I should be thankful to him he did that. Basilio was no nice man, and if I didn’t do everything he wished of me, he could beat me up like he almost did that night.