by Lux Miller
I grab her arm gently and lead her out of the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind me. “Noemi, are you trying to tell me you like somebody?”
She bites her bottom lip slightly and looks at the floor, a curtain of hair obscuring her face. “Noemi…”
She peeks up at me through her hair and nods. “I think so, but… I’m not really good with this kind of stuff. I mean, I’ve had boyfriends. Very discreetly of course, because my father would have murdered anyone who thought they had a remote chance of dating me.”
I can’t help but chuckle as the very real truth in her statement hovers in the air. I nudge her gently, “Do I know him?”
She looks around, refusing to meet my gaze, which tells me everything I need to know. I grab her arms gently and stop her from walking away from me. “Noemi, does the guy know? Or is this just some little crush you’re harboring for a cute guy?”
She twists her face up, but still refuses to answer the question. “So, you think this guy is cute, but he doesn’t know… and judging by your refusal to divulge any details, I’d hazard a guess that it’s someone you shouldn’t like. Noemi… please tell me it isn’t an associate? Because that’s just asking for trouble…”
Her face shoots up so fast, that I know immediately that I’ve hit the nail on the head. I shake my head at her so fast, that I’m worried it might pop off my neck. “Bad idea, Noemi… you think your father would have turned into a homicidal maniac over you liking a guy? Have you met Luca? He’s fucking crazy when it comes to protecting you. Dante’s not much better. If you put the two of them in the same room and they find out their baby sister has the hots for a man sworn into their service, they’re going to go berserk.”
Noemi nods and grabs my hands, squeezing them tightly, her voice quiet as she responds, “I know. Which is why I haven’t said anything… or acted on it.”
I squeeze her hands back, “Acted on it? You’re seventeen! You better not have acted on it.”
She sighs and shakes her head, her hair whipping back and forth quickly. “I haven’t! Besides, it’s not like I’m a virgin, Emily. I’ve had sex before. More than once, in fact. My brothers aren’t the only sexual beings in this house.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Not in this house, I hope?”
She giggles and wiggles her head back and forth again, “Good grief, no! The walls in this house are so thin, that you can hear everything that goes on.” She looks at me pointedly. “I don’t have the kind of courage that you and Luca do… or even Dante for that matter. Trust me, I’m sure our poor mother has heard enough of the boys to scar her for life. It was back when I was still in school. There’s ways to do things in the hallways where you don’t get caught. Besides, I was actually quite popular at school. You’d be surprised how many boys find a mafia princess irresistible…”
I hold my hand up in front of her face, “Let’s just pretend you didn’t tell me that. Because if Luca knows I know all that, he’s going to hold me just as accountable for not knowing. And that’s not something he needs to know. Noemi, you shouldn’t even be getting close enough to the men to develop a crush on any of them, anyway…”
She just shrugs at me and rolls her eyes. “It’s not like I fell head over ass for the guy the first time I saw him. It developed organically over time. Lots of time, in fact…”
Our hushed whispers are interrupted by the deep, rumbling voice of Kyle as he pokes his head up from the staircase. He shakes his surfer-blond hair out of his face as he turns his gaze on us. “You two ladies ready to go do some shopping? Mike and I are ready to go whenever you are. “
I nod at Kyle and flash him the most patient smile I can muster at the moment. “Yeah, Kyle… just trying to catch up on the daily gossip. You know how us silly girls can be…”
He flashes a brilliant smile at us full of impossibly straight, white teeth and nods with a chuckle. “Yes ma’am. Just holler at us when you’re ready.” He brushes his long bangs out of his face and motions back down the stairs. “I’ll be down there in the kitchen. Mike’s got the car pulled around already with the air going so it won’t feel like a sauna in there. It already feels like summer outside.”
I groan and run my hand down my face. “Yuck. That’s of the few problems with living in the South. It’s either forty degrees outside or sweat dripping places it shouldn’t hot. Thank you, Kyle.”
He bows his head curtly and turns his back to us as he walks down the hallway, whistling as he walks.
I turn back to Noemi and ask in a hushed whisper, “Isn’t this little crush thing of yours one of the exact reasons your brother hired him to be your shadow-guard in the first place? To prevent you from getting close enough to any of the men for there to be an issue?”
Noemi sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, her bright blue eyes flashing with defiance. My mouth drops open as I follow her gaze down the hallway to where Kyle just disappeared back down the staircase. I bring my left hand up to cover my mouth in an attempt to hide my surprise. “Noemi, no… no, no, no… please tell me it isn’t…”
SIX
It’s been an interesting two weeks as the entire family prepares for Noemi’s eighteenth birthday celebration. Caterers have been hired, an enormous cake takes up half of the formal living room, and there is an enormous swan carved out of ice on the counter in the kitchen. Right now, there are a hundred people downstairs that I’ve never met before, and Noemi is pacing back and forth in front of the mirror, freaking out.
She hated every dress we encountered on our trip to the mall, so I convinced her to let Royce design something custom for her. He’s also designing my dress. Luca insisted since he has Royce on retainer and let’s face it, the man’s designs are unlike anything available off the rack. It costs a pretty penny for Royce to make his elaborate creations, but they’re always flawlessly structured and gorgeously unique.
It’s having two dresses to deliver that has Royce running behind as he sits behind a curtain, hand-beading Noemi’s gown. Well, I say gown lightly. It’s a two-piece number in the hottest pink known to man with delicate glass beads adorning almost every surface. At least, it will once Royce finishes it. My dress is laid on the bed, but I refuse to get dressed until the birthday girl can get dressed.
“I am so sorry, baby girl. I should have rushed these damn beads. Only twenty more to go though and it will be ahhhh-maaaaaaazing.”
I glance at Noemi who has stopped her pacing, standing with her hands on her hips in the middle of her bedroom. If we weren’t nearing a timing crisis, it would be funny the way she’s dressed in demure underwear and hooker heels, but she’s due downstairs at her party in fifteen minutes. If Royce doesn’t finish the beading on her dress, she may hyperventilate. I’ve already had to talk her down off the ledge twice so far. Granted, I can’t really criticize her attire right now since I’m wearing about the same.
I refused to get dressed before her and after arguing over it for a good twenty minutes, I won the argument. So here I am, as half-dressed as she is. I’m standing here, tapping my foot, hoping that this adhesive contraption that Royce swears will hold up my boobs doesn’t fail. Because if it does, whatever guests are downstairs are going to get an eyeful of what little boobage I was blessed with. I’m much more confident that my ass will stay under wraps, but I believe Royce when he tells me he has magic hands. He personally sewed my dress, so that does give a bit more faith in it than if it’d come off the rack.
“Done!” Noemi and I both look up in surprise as Royce announces that he’s finished her dress a full five minutes ahead of schedule. We jump into action, shimmying the skin-tight underskirt up her legs. It’s high-waisted and stops just below her chest. Royce puts what will become the bodice up to her chest and pulls it around her and warns her, “Now be still if you don’t want to get an invisible tattoo. I am a master with a needle and thread, but if you squirm, you’re going to get poked.”
Noemi’s eyes widen at me in horror. I chuckle and nod at her, then put m
y finger over her lips gently. “Have I ever had anything aside from glowing reviews to tell you about this man?” Noemi shakes his her head, then gasps as she realizes she’s moving and stops. I chuckle and smile. “Just trust him. He’s never steered me wrong, and he was dressing me to be on Luca’s arm at frou-frou charity functions with big-time investors with a lot of money. He’s a genius.”
Noemi swallows and closes her eyes, barely breathing as she tries to be perfectly still. I smile and walk over to Noemi’s bed where my own dress is laid out. I’ve practiced with the top several times over the last week, and I’m still not a hundred percent sure I have it figured out. I pick up the sheer lace top and hold it up to my body, twisting it the way Royce has shown me to do half a dozen times. I gather the fabric at my sides and carefully pull it up and over my breasts, tying the delicately embroidered yellow lace behind my neck. I exhale in triumph as it stays in place, the adhesive bra cleverly hidden beneath the sheer fabric.
I turn around and grab the absolutely tiniest pair of shorts I’ve ever seen. I wriggle my body and contort myself into all kinds of positions as I tug the shorts on. They cling to my body like a second skin and would be completely whorish if not for the gorgeous lace skirt that matches the top laid out on the bed still. I pick it up and gently finger the lace The amount of detail put into this garment is incredible, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Royce. I pull the skirt on and check my reflection in the mirror. The faint yellow hue of the lace pops against my honey skin, and if I wasn’t standing here staring at my reflection, I’d never believe that the girl in the mirror is me.
I turn around and face Noemi and Royce. He’s helped her into her own skirt which is a poofy concoction of tulle and beads that’s fitting for a princess. “Are you sure this isn’t too… I don’t know, revealing?”
Royce rolls his eyes at me and blows out a frustrated breath. “Girlfriend, have you seen that sweet little body you’re rocking? It would be a crime not to show it off… and besides, you technically aren’t showing any leg, the strip of skin you’re showing on your midriff is about two inches wide, and I’ve seen more cleavage at the grocery store. Your boyfriend… might need a bib, but that’s because he’s a fucking horndog who can’t get enough of you, not because you’re advertising anything for free. And gah…” He claps giddily as he gives me a once-over, “...I knew that yellow would be just phenomenal on you… mmm hmm. You and the princess are going to make tongues wag…”
I know I’m blushing as I feel the heat creeping up my face. I motion to the hooker heels that are Noemi’s feet and laugh. “Can you make it down the stairs in those?” She shrugs and looks at me with a defiant grin on her face. “I’ll just get Kyle to help me downstairs…”
She narrows her eyes at me, and it feels like a direct challenge. I narrow my eyes back, and she glances down at my left hand, then at Royce. He holds both hands up in front of him. “I think I hear my mother calling my cell phone. I’d better be going now…”
He’s out of that room so fast that I swear my head spins. As soon as Royce clears the doorway, Noemi wheels on me. “Spill it…”
I give a noncommittal shrug, but my subconscious is guilty as hell. I can feel my thumb on my left hand stroking the bare finger where I wear my ring in the privacy of our bedroom, but never where Luca’s men or his mother might see it. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Noemi. For someone that’s been so incredibly sheltered, she’s very perceptive. “So, I was right… it is more…”
I open my mouth to deny it, but she already suspects. And if I know her, she’s going to dig for information until she finds it, anyway. Considering all she’d have to do is open the bedside table drawer in our bedroom, she’s not far from sleuthing out the truth anyway. I level my gaze at her, “You have to swear you won’t tell anyone…” She crosses her arms over her chest with a grunt, “Who else knows?”
I tick off my fingers as I name who knows so far, “Uh… me, Luca… Mike… you...and Dante. And, well… Kyle probably knows. It was his idea.”
She pouts at me. “Dante knows?!? Why’d you tell Dante you’re engaged and not me?”
I sigh heavily and wince. She’s so close to the truth, but there’s no point in dangling the fruit just out of her reach. “Noemi, Luca and I aren’t engaged…”
She taps her foot on the floor, and I can tell she doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. I cross the room to her and take both of her hands in mine. I catch her gaze and give her the most sincere look I can muster. “Really, we’re not.”
She nods her head at my left hand. “Then, why do you play with your ring finger every time he’s mentioned? You’re acting like you’re used to having a ring there, but I’ve never seen you with a ring. So, what’s with that? Is it a nervous habit?”
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth, then sigh. “I guess there’s no point in keeping you in the dark any longer…”
Instantly, her eyes drop to my stomach, and I quickly shake my head. “Oh, hell no. That’s not going to happen any time soon. I’m on the pill. There’s not going to be any babies for a long time, if ever…”
Noemi frowns. “If you’re not engaged… and you’re not pregnant… what’s such a big secret that you’re keeping it from almost everyone? What could possibly be going on between you and Luca that you don’t want anyone knowing about?”
“Come with me,” I murmur and walk out of her room. Unsurprisingly, she follows me without question into the bedroom I share with Luca. I walk over to my bed and grab hold of the bedside table drawer, then glance over my shoulder at her. “Swear it again, Noemi… you can’t tell anybody…”
She nods, a concerned look creeping up onto her face. I pull the drawer open and sigh, stepping out of the way. She brushes beside me and peers into the drawer. Then she glances back over her shoulder. “All I see in here is jewelry boxes.”
I nod at her and motion haphazardly at the drawer with my hand. “Open them. Both of them…”
She picks up the small boxes where Luca and I store our wedding bands and cracks open the one with mine inside. She narrows her eyes at the box, then looks at me. “Okay, my brother got you a pretty ring. Well, a really pretty ring. I’ll say he has phenomenal taste. In fact, he has better taste than I do.”
I nod, laughing nervously and point at the second box, “Royce has phenomenal taste. He told me he picked mine. He just followed Luca’s instructions on sizes and metals. Then Luca ordered his own so that they would match.”
She narrows her eyes at the box as her fingers brush over the delicate details of the interwoven bands that make up my wedding ring. “He did a good job… wait, they?”
I nod and point at the second box, “He has one too, Noemi…”
Her mouth drops open slightly as she opens the box and nearly drops both. Her gaze shoots up to mine as confirmation is presented right before her. Her voice is shrill as she squeals, “You’re married?!?”
She stares at me incredulously as I flick my hand back and forth in the symbol for ‘cut it out’ then hold my finger to my lips. I nod again. She snaps both boxes closed and drops them into the bedside table. “For how long?”
I shrug, fiddling with the lace on my dress. “A couple weeks. It was kinda a quickie thing when he was released from jail. It wasn’t something we exactly planned… it just happened…”
Noemi rolls her eyes and wags her finger at me, “You don’t accidentally get married unless you’re shit-faced drunk or Britney Spears. And those kinds of marriages get annulled so fast, it’s like they never ever happened… oh...my...God… does Momma know?”
I look at her guiltily, and her eyes get as wide as saucers. “She’s going to kill Luca when she finds out. Did you at least get married in the church?”
I open my mouth to answer her, but she shakes her head quickly, “What am I asking?!? Of course, you didn’t! You couldn’t… you’re not Catholic, unless you did it in a… no, Luca would never do that.”
I chuckle and grab both of
her hands. “We got married at the courthouse. Old man Hoskins did the ceremony. It’s not exactly a real marriage, Noemi…”
She plops one hand on her hip, “Did you consummate it?”
Blushing, I nod. “Well, uh, yeah… but it wasn’t like we hadn’t already had sex before we exchanged vows. It was just a formality to go with the piece of paper that makes us legally married. I wore flip-flops for the ceremony for fuck’s sake.”
She looks at me like I’m feeding her the biggest line of bullshit she’s ever seen. “Emily, you consummated it… it’s a real marriage. Oh, my God… Luca’s married… you swear you’re not pregnant?!?”
I slap my hand to my forehead and nod. “I swear, Noemi. Luca doesn’t want kids.”
She shakes her head. “Then why’d you rush it? Why not get engaged and have a proper Catholic wedding in the church?”
I look down at the floor, and she exhales shakily, “Oh… does this have to do with Luca’s arrest?”
