“If you let me, I’ll never leave your side, cara mia,” I promised her, while my fingers ghosted over her skin. Once she seemed settled, and content I kissed her with every ounce of love that I had accumulated for her—and she returned it. There was need, and frustration, and love all mixed into one and I took it all.
I would take everything she had to give me.
nine
When she woke up I turned her to me, speaking quietly as I let my fingers trace her skin. She was playful today, and I was grateful to see this side of her again. It wasn’t long before the worry started to etch into her face—unemployed again; I suppose I couldn’t blame her.
"You could always come work at the new restaurant. I'd be honored to have you by my side—you're a wonderful cook and they could learn from you. Besides if they get outta place, you'll just give 'em your right hook. I think you'd be an amazing addition.” I arched a brow, hoping she’d take the bait.
"I'd be willing to consider it. But perhaps you should show me the building first?" Thank the fucking stars, we were in business. This girl was going to be mine. I agreed but then remembered I had something else to take care of. I thought back to the way she was last night. The thought of her being so crushed, so vulnerable—Mrs. Genovese was high on my shit list, and she wasn’t getting away with this shit for a second time. I didn’t snap out of it until Gabriella’s body was pressing against mine. Was she on top of me? Madonn, the fuckin’ girl was feeling playful alright.
I twisted my fingers in her long locks of hair, while I teased her mouth with my tongue. She always tasted sweet, and the taste alone was enough to drive me crazy. She sat up and her hands began to slide down my body, past my stomach and suddenly cloud nine was making another reprieve.
The things this girl did to me—fuck, if there was anything else like it in the world someone would have to show me fucking proof. When she finished bringing me to the stars and back she teasingly licked her fingers, her eyes blurry with lust.
“Fuckin’ Christ, cara mia. What are you tryna do to me, huh?” I watched her with lazy eyes, my body fighting the urge to fall back asleep. I wanted to show her a good time, and I knew exactly what would work. I needed to show her just how dedicated I was to this—I need to take her to my family.
"How about we spend the day together? Let me treat you the way I should have from the beginning," I murmured.
"I might agree to that. As long as you tell me I can trust you. I'm not up for any more surprises from you, capisce?" Fuck, I loved when she got like this. That was the beautiful, fiery girl that never let me fuck with her.
"My hand to god. Nothing but a beautiful day with a beautiful girl.”
"Maybe you should go clean up?"
"Only if you're coming with me!" I smirked and tossed her over my shoulder, running towards the bathroom.
"Michael put me down!" I ignored her and brought her into the bathroom. I turned the water on and quickly undressed us. I picked her back up and carried her in with me, holding her body tightly to mine.
My eyes found hers and I paused for a moment, trying to figure out what I wanted to say.
"I am sorry, Brie. I don't know how many times I can say it.”
"I know, Michael. I know.” I spent the next hour worshipping every fucking inch of that girl’s skin. I didn’t let her out until her body quivered over and over. I didn’t want to let her go until I showed her just how good I could make her feel—and when I was done, she was more than aware. When we returned to her room she asked over and over where we were going, but I wouldn’t say. I couldn’t give her a chance to say no. She got dressed in an adorable blue dress and I couldn’t help but stare at her. If I knew she would say yes I would’ve dropped to one knee right then and there.
About half an hour into our drive she started to realize where we were heading and I could see that she was excited about it. It was always funny to me how little people traveled to the city when it was so fuckin’ close to us.
"What are we going to New York for?”
"You'll see when we get there, cara mia. Be patient, eh?" I turned to wink at her, before focusing back on the road ahead.
"Fine. Then while we're driving, tell me about you. I didn't get to stalk you for a month, so you have the advantage.” Little minx had a point, I definitely knew way more about her. But this was part of love, right? I had to let her in.
"Fair enough. You know I grew up in Philly with my parents; they had the restaurant as far back as I can remember. I'm an only child but I have a lot of cousins. Dad had three brothers and two sisters, mom had four sisters. All of my aunts and uncles are still very much alive—though I haven't seen them since the funeral. They contact me every now and then—it's just been difficult, y'know? I have two degrees—one in business, one in information security. I also have a minor in music theory—Mom always said instruments bring the ladies," I paused for a moment, grinning at the thought. ”I play piano best, but I've had formal training in Violin, upright bass, and the sax. I actually use to play piano in the restaurant when we were busier—Mom would sing.” I hadn’t thought about it in so long, it took me a moment to continue. My mother had a beautiful voice, and I could barely remember the sound anymore.
"Go on.” She was smiling, her hand was resting on my thigh.
"I played football and ran track in high school, I went to prom with my cousin, and I played Danny Zuko in our high school production of "Grease". I use to have a cat named Sinatra, but he ran away—"
"WAIT A MINUTE! Don't try to skip over that. You were Danny Zuko in "Grease"!?" She yelled, almost causing me to let go of the wheel.
"Yeah yeah, shut it. I looked awesome in that leather jacket.” It was the truth—that costume had gotten me a ton of girls.
"You'll have to show me sometime. Wanna hear something pretty funny? I was Rizzo in my high school production.” I had almost forgotten about it—high school seemed like ages ago at this point.
"Rizzo was always my favorite anyway. Never took any shit from anybody!" We spoke a little more after that but otherwise the drive was quiet, and peaceful.
"Alright, we're here—tell me what's going on!" she yelled when we got into the city, the excitement was more than obvious.
"We're going to visit my family. It's my cousin Alice's 18th birthday—whole family is throwing a big thing in my Uncle's backyard.” In 3-2-1…
"Uh, WHAT?! You're taking me to meet your WHOLE family!? MICHAEL A WARNING WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE!" I groaned and pulled the car over to the side of the road, deciding she would need a little pep-talk before we got any further.
"Gabriella, look at me," I murmured, turning so that she could face me. ”I don't want to half-ass this. I told you I wanted to prove myself to you, and treat you the way I would've had things been normal. My family was a big part of my life before all of this, and had I met you before all of this ugliness—I would've insisted on you meeting them. They're going to love you, bambina. You're perfect, and they'll see that. I just want to show you the real me.” My fingers slid over her cheek, though my eyes watched hers carefully. When she nodded I blew out a breath of relief.
"That's my girl," I smirked and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
My Zio Frankie lived in Prospect Park South which roughly translated into “a nice fucking neighborhood”. When I turned onto the street I easily spotted their familiar home. I parked us a few houses down and got Gabriella out, giving her a little squeeze. ”You'll be fine!"
The closer we got to the house the more she was freezing up. Thankfully, I knew just how to loosen her right up. I reached over and slapped her ass playfully, waggling my eyebrows after.
"Hey!" she yelled.
"Got you to relax, didn't it?" I winked and slid my hand to the small of her back. As we got closer I could see my aunt standing on the porch—she still looked the same; beautiful and gentle. She was my Zio’s everything.
"Oh my god! MICHAEL IS THAT YOU?" she yelled, running down the st
airs quickly. She ran to me and hugged me tightly.
"Hi Zia Elena. It's been a long time; this is my girlfriend, Gabriella," I mentioned, pulling away so that I could point out Gabriella.
"Hand to god, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Don't tell Alice that. Come come, sweetheart let me look at you," she said as she pulled Brie into a tight embrace. My zia was a great judge of character, if she liked you—you would know it instantly. If not… well shit, let’s just say you better stay out of her way.
"You better protect her from your cousins, Micky, they're like a bunch of wolves!" she laughed, but I knew there was some sincerity to that remark—my cousins really were a bunch of dogs.
"Come eat! I made baked ziti, meatballs, chicken marsala, ravioli, and I got steaks grillin' in the back with ya Zio Frankie!" Always cookin’ enough food for the whole neighborhood.
"Nah you don't, El, I'm right here. Michael you son of a bitch bring ya ass over here and hug your Uncle! You ungrateful little shit! Where you been all this time?" There was the man of the hour, my Zio Frank. Frankie looked so much like my dad that it took me a second to respond, which meant Frankie had a chance to open his big fat fuckin’ mouth.
"Who's the bambina, huh? Been too busy knockin' this one up to visit your family?" Fuckin’ Lord help me.
"Hey Zio Frankie. I haven't been knockin' any one up! This is my girlfriend, Gabriella.” Ya schmuck. I hugged him tightly and winced as he grabbed the back of my neck, his tone dark.
"Don't you ever try to pull that shit ever again. Your father would be rollin' in his grave if he knew you had been so distant from your family. You're here now and I expect that you'll be around a lot more often. Especially with this little birdy here.”
"Hand to god, she's almost as beautiful as my fucking wife!" Yeah, I knew she was. Thankfully, he finally let me go. Brie mumbled a quiet thank you, her cheeks burning red.
"And shy to boot? You better watch her back there. Ya know how Danny and Angelo can be, bless their fucking hearts. They're dogs, ya hear me? Fuckin' savages, always got another comare around here!" Wasn’t that the truth. Growing up these guys constantly had girls comin’ in and out of here—always stirrin’ up trouble. The older they got, the slicker they thought they were. Animals.
The second I got through the fence everyone was sayin’ my name—but I couldn’t blame them. When my parents were still alive I saw my family at least every few weeks, if not more. I hadn’t come around here in close to a year now—and I was going to have to pay for it. I was embraced over and over, only vaguely aware of who was touching me. I didn’t fully pay attention until I heard my cousin Danny’s voice way too close to Brie.
"Who's this beautiful girl?"
"Danny, this is my girlfriend Gabriella. Brie, this is Frankie's son—and my cousin, Danny.” And here it came. He was hugging her way too tight and if I didn’t know any better—was this fucker smelling her? I pulled Gabriella away slapped the side of Danny’s head, my voice harsh.
"Where are ya fuckin' manners, cuzzo? Stop breathin' on her like that.”
"It's nice to meet you, Danny.” God she was too fuckin’ nice. These guys would eat her up if I didn’t keep her close to me.
"Likewise, tesoro. You get bored; you come find me, eh?" Fuckin’ horndog. I shook my head and tightened my arm around her, reminding her that he was only the beginning of it. Seconds later my cousin Alice bounced over to us, all smiles.
"Hi! I'm Alice, the only normal cousin Michael has.” She grinned and hugged Brie tightly—she was affectionate like her mother. For the next few hours my girl was passed around like bread at a Sunday dinner. Everyone wanted to know who she was and plug her for information on me. My zia Elena stuffed us to the brim with food and then the dancing began. Once the party was wrapping up we said our goodbyes and Brie exchanged numbers with the ladies. It had all gone well, and if I was honest with myself it felt good to see everyone again. Brie was repairing me, even if she wasn’t trying to. She was constantly breathing life into my lungs—opening my eyes to a world of color again. She slept on the drive home, leaving me to my thoughts. When we finally arrived I carried her upstairs, and into her room. I didn’t stop until I reached the bedroom and had her body underneath mine.
Everything was fast, passionate and perfect. I had her dress up around her hips and before she could even begin to argue with me I was feeling heaven, hell and everything in between. I couldn’t get the way Danny was looking at her out of my head. I knew I was being a fucking caveman but right now I needed her and madonn, she was willingly giving herself to me. It was over faster than it began, and I suddenly realized just how embarrassing this all was. I had planned to bring her home and rock her fucking world—damn.
"I had planned to make love to you all night. I don't know what just happened," I frowned, shaking my head.
"Michael. Please don't sound like you regret that… it was… it was great.” Her cheeks were flushed and suddenly I found myself smirking.
"Great, huh? Let's go for incredible.”
ten
The next few weeks were hectic, beautiful, and difficult. She had been coming to the restaurant with me almost every day and things were coming out well. Brie was a natural at all of this stuff, not that I was surprised. All of the licenses had finally gone through, including my liquor license and I was ordering things like crazy. Brie took over as my right hand lady and we were a force to be fuckin’ reckoned with. She hired a perfect staff, and spent countless hours training them. I had gotten an apartment near hers but I’m not sure why I even bothered since we stayed together every night. I was getting everything I wanted and I thanked the Lord every fucking day that she gave me a second chance.
Every night I fell asleep next to the love of my life and I never knew just how fuckin’ perfect that could be. Every single time I put my hands on her I felt like I was on fire—she did that to me. I kept wondering when was the right time to ask her to marry me, but I couldn’t push it—I knew it was too soon.
My family had been incredibly involved in the business since the party. Elena, Frankie and Alice showed up all the time offering whatever help they could. Usually I was over the moon to see them, but Zio Frankie loved getting under my skin.
"What's the matter with you, knucklehead? You dense or somethin?" He had been sitting at one of the cushioned bar stools, while me and my girl worked behind the bar.
"What do you mean?" I sighed, raising my head to look at him.
"You think because you're hot shit you ain't gotta pay homage, boy? Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Lou Prima—fuck even Tony Bennett, though the asshole changed his last name. You can't have an authentic Italian restaurant and not show off what we're proud of, ya hearin' me? That's part of your culture, son. God, what do you see in this shithead, Gabriella?" Frankie grinned and winked at her, ignoring me all together.
"Can't I have something that's my own? That's what every Italian restaurant does, zio! Huge, crappy posters of all "the greats" isn’t a requirement! Everyone knows who they are already! They don't need to come in here to know those guys existed! They come in here to taste real, authentic, Italian food and that's what I'm giving them! Lay off me, old man," I snapped and set a glass in front of him, pouring a little bourbon in.
"Alright, alright. You little know it all. At least tell me someone's going to use the piano and it's not just fuckin' decoration or some shit!" Frankie arched a brow, knocking back half of the glass afterwards.
"Actually," Brie spoke up, a grin forming on my face. ”Michael is going to play on Wednesday and Friday nights. And occasionally we're going to have different musicians come in—we'll have themed nights with special dishes, and only a limited amount of tables.” Brie had been ecstatic about the idea of me performing in the restaurant—but I was nervous. I knew it was a good move, and I knew I had to stop avoiding things that reminded me of my parents but shit, this was a big fuckin’ step.
"That's more like it. You two finish up, I gotta get
back to Elena.” He finished the drink and got up, heading out the door without another word.
"God, he's the worst of all of them, you know that?" I groaned and wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning against her.
"Stop it. You know they just want to you to be successful. Your parents would be so proud of you Michael.”
"I wish you could have met them," I sighed, thinking of my mother. She would’ve loved everything about Brie, including that no-bullshit attitude my mother harbored herself. My father would’ve been knockin’ me upside the head for not puttin’ a ring on her yet. ”They would've loved you like their own.”
Once we were finished I grabbed my girl by the hand and pulled her outside, locking the door behind us.
"You bitch.”
This bitch had to be kidding me. My eyes singled in on the widow, and could I just say—she looked fuckin’ disgusting. Dirty lookin’ hair, loose nasty sweat pants, shitty lookin’ sneakers and a plain white shirt. Looks like she had gotten busted after all.
"I have you to thank, right?! Pissy cause you lost your job so you had to get back at me? We were fuckin’ even, you whore. Who do you think you are, you little cunt! I was ARRESTED. Most of the estate was cleaned out as "illegally earned funds". Every dollar we had left I had to use for my bail. I spent two weeks in a cell, you insolent little bitch. All so that you could be my husband's slut?" Her words were erratic sounding and I could sense this was going nowhere good. I gripped Brie tightly to my side, but continued to watch her silently.
"I never slept with him. Not once. And the only person at fault for this is you.” I loved my little spitfire but now wasn’t the time to piss this crazy bitch off.
Russo: His Untold Story (Blacklisted Book 3) Page 8
