by Gina Whitney
“His door opened and I heard the girl walk out, but instead of leaving, she came into the bathroom. The light was off, but she came in and closed the door behind her. I stood in the middle of the bathroom, not sure what to do. I didn’t want to frighten her, and I worried what she’d think of finding me in there with the lights off. So I just stood there, waiting for her to do something, hoping she’d open the door and walk out. But then I heard her sniffle. I remember wondering if she had a cold or if she’d been crying, but I didn’t have to guess long before a soft hiccup came from her. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know why she was crying, but I was too scared to do anything. The lights were still off and the room was pitch black, so if I’d said something, it would’ve frightened her. I hated knowing she’d locked herself in the dark to cry.”
“What did you do?”
“I waited a few minutes, although it felt like forever, and then made a little bit of noise. Soft enough to let her know she wasn’t alone, but not enough to make her scream or scare her. She heard it, though, and became really quiet. I couldn’t even hear her breathe. I knew she must’ve been waiting to see if she could hear it again, probably thinking it was all in her head. I didn’t want her flicking on the light and seeing me there, so I took a chance and whispered to her.”
“What did you say?” I pressed further, wanting him to know he had my full attention.
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but something along the lines of ‘don’t freak out.’ I was fifteen and probably just as scared as she was, so I’m sure she heard it in my voice. She didn’t say anything back to me, but I heard her move around. I thought she was going to leave or turn on the light, so I said something else. I told her who I was and made up a story about how I was just leaving the bathroom when she came in. I didn’t want her thinking I was some weird kid hiding out in the dark in the middle of the night.” He stopped and a short, rumbling chuckle rolled through his chest. “Yet that’s exactly what I was—a loner who hid in a dark room to keep from being caught by Nico’s flavor of the night.”
“I’m sure you weren’t a loner, Stefan. I have a hard time believing that.”
“Well, believe it, babe. That was actually the first time I’d ever been alone with a girl. Back then, I was too busy with my nose in a book to deal with women. I loved going around the city and looking at the buildings, wondering what it would be like to have one of my own. And at home, I’d look through real estate ads, finding buildings that were reduced in price and plan to own them one day.”
“So you’ve always loved property—real estate?”
“I guess. But I think it was more than that. I think I loved the idea of who owned them, the men sitting behind a desk on the top floor. I wanted the view of the city, to be on top. And to me, real estate is how I’d get it—the power. Owning a building instead of writing a check to someone else each month for a lease. I hated the idea of borrowing something. I wanted to own it.”
“And that was more important to you than women?” I couldn’t believe that we’d spent months together, that I’d married this man, and yet I never knew these things about him.
Another vibration of laughter ran through my back, and I could only image the smile on his lips that matched it. “Kind of. There was this one girl that had caught my eye, but I never did anything about it. I didn’t think I was her type, so I just sat back and admired her from a distance. She was always surrounded by people, and seemed so in control of everything around her. I had a feeling she would chew me up and spit me out.”
“Did you ever talk to her?”
“No. She didn’t even know I existed. So I came up with a foolproof plan. I would study my ass off, go to college, get my degree in real estate, and come back. I’d show her that I was worthy of her, and make her fall in love with me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, considering I wasn’t exactly in the mood to discuss with him another woman he’d been in love with, so I threw him another question to keep him open and honest with me. “You can’t possibly expect me to believe that you didn’t have girls chasing after you. I’m sure you were a looker even back in your pubescent days, and you were a Giannotti. That had to mean something to the girls back then.”
“Oh, I had girls chasing me. I just didn’t pay them any attention. They weren’t the one who’d caught my eye, so I didn’t have any interest in them. I had no desire to be alone with any of them, which is why being trapped in that bathroom with Nico’s girl was uncomfortable for me.”
“What happened with her? Why was she crying?”
“When I asked her if she was okay, she started to cry harder and told me if I was anything like my brother then I wouldn’t understand. I had no idea what that meant. I just stood still in the dark and waited for something. I wasn’t even sure what it was…maybe for her to leave, or to start talking again. I don’t know. But I knew I hated the sound of her crying. Without being able to see, all I was left with was my hearing, and her sniffles and quiet sobs ate at me until I did something about it. I felt around for the roll of toilet paper and pulled some off before slowly making my way to her. It was so odd because I didn’t even know what she looked like. I didn’t know if she was tall or short, big or small. So trying to hand her the wad of paper was hard, not knowing where her hands were or even her face. All I had to go on were the noises of her crying.”
I closed my eyes, picturing the scene he painted as if I were there, witnessing it for myself. I felt everything as he explained it, and it left me wanting to hold the younger version of him. I wanted to give him some comfort. But more than that, hearing how big his heart was, even back then, it made me fall in love with him even more.
“Once I made it to her, she fell into my chest and wrapped her arms around me while she cried. I was frozen. I had no idea what to do. So I held her and waited until she’d gotten it all out. By the time she was done crying, we were sitting on the floor with my back against the door. She apologized, and I told her she had nothing to be sorry for. I wanted to ask her again what had happened, but worried that it would only make her crying start all over. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that by this point, I kind of wondered if she was crazy. I’d heard stories about some women crying after sex, so I just kind of figured that’s what it was. It wasn’t until she started talking when I realized it was more than that. And that my brother wasn’t someone to look up to. It was the night that changed how I saw him.”
“Why? What happened?”
He took in a deep breath before continuing, and I could tell it was hard on him. “I guess Nico only cared about himself. Which I knew to be true in the real world, but I guess it was like that in the bedroom as well. She never went into detail about it, but from what I understood, he didn’t care about the girl’s pleasure. He didn’t care if they enjoyed it or got off. I remember thinking it was a shitty thing to do, but I didn’t understand why it would’ve made her cry like that.”
“And that made you look at him differently?” It didn’t really make sense to me.
“Not really. I mean, I thought it was shitty, but at the point, I’d never been with a girl before, so I couldn’t really understand it. But I felt bad for her, and made up my mind right then and there that whenever I had sex, I would make sure whoever I was with enjoyed it as much as I did.”
“Well, I don’t know about anyone else before me, but I can honestly say you go above and beyond at making sure I enjoy it,” I teased, wiggling against him. “So what was it then that made you stop looking up to him like you were?”
He grew quiet, and that could only mean one thing.
“You had sex with her that night, didn’t you?” I tried to sound nonchalant about it, pretending like it didn’t bother me. And really, it didn’t. We weren’t virgins when we met, so I knew there had to have been women before me. Just like he knew there were men before him. After all, when I’d met him, I’d kind of gone through half the block, and he knew it. But it didn’t matter tha
t we were both aware of previous lovers, it didn’t mean I wanted to hear about his.
He laughed and said, “If that’s what you want to call it. I felt so bad for her that she hadn’t gotten off, and I felt inspired in the dark bathroom. It was a bunch of elbows and knees, definitely worthy of a comedy show. And I was kind of limited on what I could do. It didn’t matter if she used a condom with my brother or not, there was no way in hell I was going to put my face where his dick was. So that was out of the question. I knew I couldn’t fuck her into an orgasm, because let’s face it, it was my first time and even I knew what to expect from that. I’d never fingered anyone before, but Nico had enough magazines and porn in his room that had taught me a thing or two. So I went with that. At least she wasn’t shy about telling me what she wanted, and in the end, she was happy.”
“Did she know you were a virgin?”
“Yeah…she figured it out. She said she wanted to thank me for listening to her, and for making her feel better. Her way of thanking me was taking that embarrassing label away,” he said through his soft laughter.
“Let me guess…you two became fuck buddies. Oh, no. Wait. You started fucking all the girls after they left your brother’s room.”
He grew still and quiet, and I knew I’d struck a nerve. But before I could turn around in the water and face him, he leaned his head against mine and released his exhale in my ear. “No. I never saw her again. And after that night, I made sure not to be anywhere near his room when he had company. I didn’t want to hear him, and I especially didn’t want to see the women leave his room.”
“Why?” Something in his tone told me this was serious.
“When we were done, I flipped on the light so we could find our clothes. It was the first time I got to see her. And it’s something I’ll never get out of my mind.” He paused, and I waited patiently for his next words, knowing I couldn’t push him. “Her neck was purple, like she’d been strangled. And her entire body was riddled in red marks. She looked abused.”
I gasped but didn’t turn around, not wanting him to see the horror on my face. “Your brother beat her?”
“I asked her about it, and she denied it. She just said he liked it rough. At first, I thought she was telling me that he’d forced her, but she said it was consensual. It disgusted me, and it made me never be able to look at him the same way again. And I was never able to bring myself to look at the women who left his room, either, for fear they were just as battered-looking as her.”
I waited a moment to gather my thoughts. Starting this conversation, I had no idea this is where it would lead. “But you’re rough with me.”
He sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist, locking his fingers together over my stomach. “Yes, but you know I don’t like to see marks on you. And I’m only rough because you like it. And when I’m with you, it’s my number one goal to bring you pleasure.”
“So you don’t like to be rough?”
“I won’t lie…I was a young, naïve kid when that happened. I didn’t understand the high that comes with fucking, or what it was like to feel a pussy squeeze my cock with each slap on the ass. I like the feel of being in control, and knowing that whom I’m with is responding to everything I do, even if it goes against what I’d always thought. But I never left those kinds of marks on anyone. The only time I’ve ever gone too far was with you not too long ago. The last time you really provoked me after I’d had a bad day. I hated seeing what I’d done to you. I beat myself up over it all night. You probably don’t remember, but I was really quiet. It brought back too many bad memories, even after you tried to tell me you were okay.”
“The last time we were together before…before Zeke?” I thought back to that night, to the intensity of our fucking, and remembered in vivid detail how silent and withdrawn he’d gotten.
“Yeah. You left my bed with scratches and marks that I knew would bruise, and the next time I saw you…God,” he swore with a heavy exhale. His body had gone rigid behind me, and I knew the kinds of things that ran through his mind.
I leaned out of his embrace to give myself room to turn around, needing to face him. I needed to see his eyes. Gently, I reached up and cupped his cheeks, spreading bubbles all over his face. “You’ve never gone too far with me, Stefan. Do you hear me? I know when you’re having a bad day, and I’ve selfishly used that in my favor to get what I want. But that’s just it…it’s what I want. I love everything you give me. The slow times, the hard time, the easy times…and yes, the rough times.” I waited until I noticed acknowledgment in his eyes before saying anything else. “I always thought you were so quiet that night because of what was going on with Matty. The debt. I found out about it the next day, and thought your unease from the night before was about that.”
He shook his head against my palms. “No. I was never worried about that. I told you then that I would take care of it. But your stubborn ass wouldn’t listen to me. I never once felt any concern over your brother or his debt. I was mad at myself for making you bleed.”
I pressed my lips to his, tasting the champagne and chocolate from earlier. “One of these days, I’m going to have your baby growing in my stomach. It’ll more than likely give me stretch marks, make me throw up until I have nothing left in me, cause my feet to swell until I can’t wear shoes…and then, rip me open on its way into the world. I’ll bleed then.”
His eyes lit up like a thousand candles at the mention of me having his baby.
“There will be plenty of times in our life where I’ll bleed, and I’ll find a way to blame you each and every time. But the difference is that it’s not done maliciously. It’s not done out of hate or for selfish reasons. It’s love. And I’ll bleed love for you every day of my life.”
“But that’s not the way it should go, Tesoro. I should be the one bleeding for you.”
“Nah…you can fight for me. Make others bleed in the name of love.”
A wicked smile consumed his lips, and I knew his mind had gone to Antonio Carrara. It was no secret that he wanted to make him pay for touching me that night in the club. It didn’t matter that it was planned or that I’d egged him on. All Stefan saw was another man’s hands on his wife, and that was punishable by death in his book.
“I bet that girl you were in love with back in the day is wishing she’d paid attention to you now, huh? You should tell me who it is so I can flaunt my happily ever after in her face.” I began to gently stroke his erection beneath the water as I stared into his deep brown eyes.
A growl rolled through his chest as he became even harder in my hand. “Oh, believe me, she knows who I am now. And she loves my cock. Can’t get enough of it.” He smiled while I quirked an eyebrow at him, daring him to continue. “In fact, I have it on good authority that she wants more of it right now.”
I froze, frantically trying to make sense of his words. I knew what I got from them, but didn’t want to assume. Did he just say…?
“And I think it’s time to get her back to her new bed so I can give it to her.” He reached behind me and pulled the plug in the drain before standing, not even bothering to rinse the bubbles from his body. His hard dick bobbed in front of my face, calling to me, causing me to lick my lips in anticipation.
“I’m going to need you to be a little clearer about this girl…”
He grabbed my hands and pulled me up. “You see, she was the daughter of this other boss. My father knew hers, but we’d never officially met. She may have been two years younger than me, but she was way out of my league. Not to mention, she was really busy raising her younger brother because her mom had passed away. She had a lot going on, and I didn’t want to get in the way. I would’ve only been wasting her time. But I knew, without a doubt, that if I got my shit together and came back with something to offer her, she’d be mine.”
I stared up at him—at his smile, his eyes, the love etched into his expression—and knew beyond a doubt that I was the luckiest girl in the world. He never needed anything to of
fer me other than his love. That’s all I needed. All I wanted. Everything else was just icing on the cake.
And I’d work every damn day at proving that to him.
One Month Later…
I finished adding the last trinket of my mother’s to the bookshelf and turned around to look at my finished office. It felt like a dream as I took in the windowed walls, the large oak desk, the leather couches on the far end, and the framed pictures on the wall. One month ago, I had no idea where my life was headed, but today…today I stood on top of the world.
A sigh escaped me as I thought back to how I’d gotten here. I felt like I’d spent my whole life fighting, proving myself to others. I wanted to be seen for me, for people to respect me and not just the daughter of Gene Albanese. And even though that’s what I wanted, I never truly believed it would ever happen. Not in this life, at least.
But Stefan gave that to me. There would still be those people that saw me as Stefan Giannotti’s wife, but at least they saw me. He didn’t hide me out in our condo, keep me barefoot in the kitchen like most wives in this world. No. He made sure I was by his side…in everything. He even took me with him and listened to my advice when finding the perfect building for our offices.
Yes…our offices.
This was the legitimate side of his dealings, and he made sure I was a part of it. He ran his real estate firm in his office, while I worked the accounting side in mine. He didn’t give me a small office in the back of a bar where I worked on the books, or met with me at home to discuss the finances. He gave me my own space—a real space—to work alongside him. He made it very clear the business was to be dealt with in the office, and not at home. And I couldn’t argue with that.
Thinking of Stefan, I opened my door and stared across the hall at the large, oak door with the shiny gold nameplate on the door that read, “Stefan Giannotti.” Even here I wasn’t too far from him, and I loved it.
I walked across the hall and opened his door, not bothering to knock. Stefan had a known rule on this floor with the associates that they were not to bother him unless it was needed, and if so, his door was never to be opened without permission. Everyone thought of him as a ruthless a boss, but I knew the truth. In the short amount of time we’d been in the building, he’d had me in every corner of his office. He put the rule in place to keep from being interrupted while “meeting” with me. The thought brought a smile to my face.
