La Dolce Vita: Romantic Suspense (Battaglia Mafia Series Book 7)

by Sienna Mynx

  "I loved it. I wanted to marry JR." Mirabella grinned.

  "Eewww... well wait, hold on a second."

  “What?” Mirabella frowned.

  “You sorta did."

  "Very funny!" she threw her pillow at Marietta.

  They both laughed, and Gianni whined. Mirabella had to pat him on the back. "All seriousness how do you feel about this house, about our grandparents?"

  "I guess okay."

  "I want to tell you everything. There is so much to talk about. I don't know where to begin."

  "We aren't in a hurry," Marietta set the book aside. "Just tell me about them."

  Mirabella got up from the bed and went over and sat next to her sister. She touched her curly hair. "They would have loved you. I see why Mama couldn't leave you behind and went to find you."

  "Yeah, I wish she had."

  "You coming here, it's her dream. I think she is up in heaven with Me-Ma and Granddaddy smiling at us." Mirabella said.

  "I feel so free here. Relaxed."

  "Loved?" Mirabella asked.

  Marietta looked at her. "I've felt loved since I found you,"

  Mirabella smiled.

  "What is it you want to tell me?" Marietta asked.

  "That I'm not perfect."

  "No kidding."

  Mirabella laughed.

  "I did something once that I'm not proud of. A sin. One of the biggest in my life. When Granddaddy learned of it, it broke his heart. I have never spoken of the past until tonight. Never even thought of it. Never told Fabiana about it. Only my therapist in New York. It's the real reason why Granddaddy had a heart attack. The reason why I've never come back here."

  "How did you make the mistake?"

  "I fell for the wrong man. When I tried to end it, things were already far out of control. Granddaddy found me and him arguing and got in the middle of it. He had a heart attack."

  "That doesn't sound like your fault."

  "It feels like it," Mirabella said. "And you don't know why we argued. What I..."

  Marietta took her hand and squeezed it. "I don't need to know. Shhh. Miss Princess. Trust me, the first time I saw you, I knew you weren’t perfect. We all have our pasts. Our mistakes. Our secrets. Not every one of them is meant to be told."

  Mirabella smiled.

  "The thing is you are as close to perfection as I've ever seen. I like that. It's like you are my better half. You have a good heart, a trusting heart. That's why King B is nuts about you. He doesn't have one. You fill in that space for him."

  "Must you insult my husband?" Mirabella asked. “It’s getting old. Before I understood, he wasn’t very kind or welcoming. But now? Gio has been very sweet to you. Stop it right now.”

  "Hey, I’m sorry. It’s just a teasing joke between us. I really don’t mean anything by it.”

  "Doesn't sound that way to me. It sounds like you do mean it."

  “Mira, seriously. I’m sorry. Okay. Don't get me started on what is wrong with Lorenzo. I talk about his raggedy ass the same way. But, hey, I’ll stop. Okay?”

  Mirabella shrugged off her irritation.

  “What I meant to say is that we all look to you for strength, and that's because out of all of us, you are the strongest. I'm just happy that I found you. So I can truly feel whole."

  "Thank you!" she hugged her again.

  "Keep your secret. Or tell me later. Let's not focus on your mistakes, not now. We have so much to be grateful for."

  "I am grateful."

  "Now. Let's go downstairs and play some more music. Drink some of that lemonade, and eat as many cookies as we can swallow until your belly is as fat as mine."

  "We can't wake the house," Mirabella said.

  "We'll be quiet. C'mon." Marietta stood.

  Mirabella stood. She looked at her sister with such pure love she had to hug her again. "I'm so glad we came."

  "Me too."

  ***

  "Wait! Wait! Wait!" Rosetta laughed.

  Catalina turned halfway to her room. Of course, their escorts were ahead of them. She glanced back to see that Rosetta had come out of her shoe. She was on her knees in a couture designer dress crawling toward the door. Apparently, the drinks and partying with Jamie had totally wiped out her cousin. Catalina shook her head smiling.

  "Would you come on!" she said in a loud whisper. They were at one of the most prestigious hotels in France. They couldn't be caught disturbing guests. Rosetta dropped flat on the ground and howled with laughter. Catalina threw her hands up. She hurried to her cousin and reached down to help her stand. "Get up. Get up!"

  "I can't," Rosetta laughed. "My legs don't work!"

  "Oh good grief, stop this. It's embarrassing--" Catalina lost her footing and went down hard. She landed on her side. Rosetta flopped over like a fish, flapping her arms and legs and laughing hysterically. Catalina pulled down her skirt, afraid that the men sent to protect them got a view of her private area. She sat up to yell at Rosetta but saw she had rolled several feet away in laughter. Despite her aggravation, Catalina's smile soon turned to laughter. Jamie was a heavy drinker and a partier. The night was spent bar hopping and a little dancing. Rosetta had never done either. It was like her eyes were opened to a whole new world. Catalina watched her cousin dance like a wild woman and shake every curl in her hair. She drank champagne and mixed drinks. Rosetta drank anything Jamie had sent over to them. And before long men were all over Rosetta. She must have rubbed and danced all over four different guys.

  "Che palle! That's enough. You're coming to my room." Catalina picked up her purse and stood. The men just watched, unsure what to say or do.

  "Can you get her please?" Catalina asked.

  Raffaele, one of the guards, helped Rosetta stand, but the girl’s legs were like jelly. He made the mistake of scooping her up into his strong arms. Rosetta seized the moment and kissed him. Catalina’s eyes stretched, and so did the guard’s. He didn't refuse the kiss, however.

  "Bring her to my room. I'll take care of her tonight."

  Catalina stopped to pick up Rosetta’s shoes and then followed them to her room door. She opened the door so Rosetta could be carried in. Her cousin whispered in his ear and kissed his face before the guard put her down on the chaise. Catalina dropped her things at the door and bid the men goodnight. She knew that they would take shifts. Which meant there would always be one posted outside of the door at all hours.

  "Catalina?" Rosetta said between giggles.

  "Sleep it off. You stay in my suite tonight." Catalina said.

  "I want to talk." Rosetta sat up. Catalina began to remove her earrings. "Tonight was so much fun. Like the best time I've ever had."

  Catalina looked back at her cousin.

  "You have no idea what it’s like. Never going anywhere. Never seeing anything or meeting new people. Like that man-woman. What's her name?"

  "Jamie, and don't call her that. She won't like it. She's a woman."

  "I've never seen one before. I heard that Mario's cousin was one. It lives in Spain. I heard it wears dresses and high heels, but never seen one before."

  "Jamie is not some animal in the zoo. She's a person. And she had surgery to make her a woman. She is all woman." Catalina said.

  "Oh? Okay, so he doesn't have a... a thing? You know. Cock?"

  "A dick? No. Stop it. Is everything a joke?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I’m just happy we aren’t fighting again.”

  “We are fighting. You’re too drunk to notice.”

  Rosetta grinned. "Do you remember when you were eight, and you had a party in Mondello?"

  "I had several parties in Mondello."

  "You got a pink three-wheel motorbike. All you had to do was press the pedal and drive it around. Remember? It was made for the beach. So pretty."

  "I remember. Mia madre was nervous about letting us ride the thing. Domi had to ride me on it so she could see it was safe." Catalina sat down on the sofa across from her cousin.

  "That was the f
irst time I felt it. Jealous. I never had a party as big as yours. And the gifts. Everyone just loved you so much."

  "Vito loves you," Catalina said.

  "Oh yes. I know Papa does. It's not what I mean. You were special. Different from the rest of us. We all could see it."

  Catalina stared at her. "Want to know what I remember the most about that birthday?"

  Rosetta nodded that she did.

  "I remember when you and our cousin Adeline put dirt in the tank of the bike. I saw you do it. You put dirt in the tank, and it wouldn't start. The motorbike never worked right again after that."

  "You saw us?" Rosetta frowned.

  Catalina nodded.

  "Why didn't you tell on us?" Rosetta asked.

  "Because you were my cousins and I wanted you to like me. If I told on you, I knew you would stop pretending that you did. I let you ride the bike. I tried to share everything with you guys, but you never let me in. You never gave me a chance." Catalina rolled her eyes. "I was spoiled, but I had no friends. Just family. And you were my family."

  "I'm sorry," Rosetta said.

  Before Catalina could speak, the phone in her room rang. Rosetta smiled and dropped back. "Tell Domi I said hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! And I'm going to go out there and kiss Raffaele again. I could tell he liked it."

  "Don't you dare!" Catalina smiled. She got up and went to her room. She picked up the phone and closed the door so Rosetta couldn't hear.

  "Hello?"

  "Miss me?" Dominic said.

  "Yes!" she said and sat on the bed. "I miss you sooooo much. Tonight is going to be hard."

  "You in bed?" he asked. It sounded like he was outdoors on the phone.

  "Yes, where are you?"

  "Chianti. Sitting on the terrace and looking at the stars."

  "Oh, thinking of me?" she asked.

  "Always," he said.

  She smiled.

  "Have you heard?" Domi asked.

  "Heard what?"

  "Armando gave a press conference to tell the world that Mirabella and Marietta are his sisters," Domi said. "I'm sure the press will be vultures in Paris."

  "He did what?"

  "You prepared to handle it? Should I come?" he asked.

  "No. No. I can handle it. I just can't believe he had the balls to do it."

  "Eh, doesn't matter. Gio and I knew it would come to this."

  "Oh," Catalina said. She held the phone and thought of the call she got earlier from Armando. Her heart sank.

  "Domi? I don't think we should wait." She laid back on the bed.

  "Wait for what?"

  "For kids. I think after we are married in November we should start trying for a family right away."

  "Hello? Is this my Catalina?"

  She laughed. "I'm serious."

  "And why the change of heart?"

  "I dunno. The world is so crazy now. Nothing is as it is promised. I don't want to miss out on anything. Especially our love. We've waited so long to be together. We need to start our family. It needs to be a priority."

  "Ah, I agree. You make me so happy, Catalina."

  "Not as happy as you make me," she said.

  "Close your eyes."

  She did as he requested.

  "You have on too many clothes," Dominic said. "Don't you?"

  "Yes. Should I take them off?"

  "Let me," he began. "First your shoes. The ones with the straps at the ankles. Tiny little buckles of gold. I'll start with the left foot. And then right. They’re off, and my hands are rubbing your slender ankle, caressing the bottom of your foot."

  Catalina relaxed, and from beneath her lashes, she saw her Domi. Beautiful, strong, and focused on loving her. He stood like a shadow at the foot of the bed. Her foot raised in his hand. Her body unwinding the tension she carried from her day just from his touch. Since she began traveling it was a common routine between them. The nights he'd make love to her over the phone. She loved those nights the most.

  "Your legs are so soft, bambina. Your skin feels like silk in my hands. My fingers want to go further; past your knees, past your thighs, but I'm commanding myself to take my time. I stop at your knees. I want these apart, but your skirt stops me. It's tight around the hips and thighs. The zipper is to the back. Turn to your side for me," he said. "I'll take it off you."

  Catalina kicked off her shoes. She turned to her side and lowered the zipper to her dress. But in her heart of hearts, it was Dominic who did so. She started to push the skirt down her hips.

  "I'm easing it down, but I can't stop looking at your ass. Can I touch you?"

  "Yes," she said, and her lids fluttered. She shivered as his phantom touch glided down her ass. She could hear his breathing deepen through the phone. She was wet. Her sex was steamy. She held her breath and summoned patience.

  "My lips are soft, but your ass is softer. They brush the left half, and I have to stop to rub my cheek across it. I wish I had shaved this morning. Because I didn't, and the tiny hairs of my mustache and along my jaw, prickle and tickle you. Is that okay, bambina?"

  "Yes," she managed to say.

  "Mmm, I can't stop there. I want more. Be patient with me. I miss my woman," Dominic said. "I squeeze these fat cheeks and part them. Do you feel my breath wash over your sweetness? Do you?"

  "Yes," she whimpered. "I taste you. Right there. In your forbidden zone. Raise up on your knees a bit, open up for me to taste more. Good girl."

  Catalina was flat to her tummy. She raised on her knees and used her hand to stroke her kitty while she listened to his husky instruction.

  "Pink, wet, just like I want it. You didn't bother with underwear. But you wore your garter belt. The straps go over the mounds of your ass and fasten to your stockings. Always wear your garters. That's our rule. Right, Catalina?"

  "Yes, Domi. I always wear them. It's our rule."

  "My tongue swipes down from one hole to the next. It's sweetest in the center. So I plunge there. Licking your wetness, tasting your honey."

  "Domi..." she sighed as she stroked her clitoris and rolled her hips. "Oh, Domi."

  "Turn over for me, Catalina."

  She did right before she reached a climax. Her pelvis was so tight, and her vagina so hot she felt cramps.

  "Now, part your legs, the way I would. Nice and slow," he instructed. "I want to see your pussy from this angle. I want to see the lips spread like the opening petals of a flower. I want to see what belongs to me. Only me."

  Catalina parted her knees.

  "Now you're mine," he said.

  "What about my blouse, my bra..."

  "Shhh, I love your breasts, but I love your pussy more," Dominic said.

  She understood his request. Her hand eased over her crotch. There was no point in hiding how turned on she was. He knew. Domi always knew.

  "You have my permission to touch it," he said.

  Catalina didn't tell him she had been feeling herself since the game began. It would be her single act of defiance. She couldn't help it. She needed to be touched when she heard him speak like this. Her fingers rubbed the lips of her sex, and then her middle finger stroked. Her head bobbed backward. Her heart skittered and threatened to stop beating. And next came his voice as a soft whisper, so close she could swear his lips were pressed against her ear.

  "Will you touch it for me?" he asked.

  "Yes,"

  "Rub it for me?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  "Then give me two fingers and put them in for me, nice and slow."

  She pushed her fingers inside of her. Her body bowed off the bed. "Oh, Domi," she said with an edge of a sob in her voice. She withdrew and then stroked deep again.

  "Pull out and lick them for me. Just as I would."

  She did as he asked.

  "Now rub them over that tender spot. You know where" he said.

  "Ohmygoodness!" she let go a short throaty groan. She used a two-finger swirling stroke of her clit, and it sent shockingly strong pangs of pleasure up through her
pelvis. Her moist, sensitive, knob of flesh between the lips of her vagina, seemed to swell from the friction. Catalina drew her knees up and dropped the phone. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and let go a deep cry of pleasure as her inner walls got steamy, hot and wet, and her release came without warning.

  She turned over grunting and wheezing as her mind blinked out and her body took over. Pleasure owned her. She kept going and going until there was nothing left of her. Finally, she came to her senses. She reached for the phone. "Domi? Domi?"

  "I'm here," he said in the calmest voice.

  "I wish you were," she sighed in the middle of convulsing in the most cataclysmic of ways.

  "Last trip, Catalina. Promise me. After this no more leaving. You're mine."

  "I'm yours, Domi. I swear it on my life."

  "Good night," he said.

  "Night," she said and smiled. She kissed the phone--not once, but twice. Catalina lay on the bed covers bottomless for what felt like an eternity. She eventually got up and went to the bathroom. She washed up and changed into a hotel robe. When she walked back out of the room, she found Rosetta had fallen off the chaise and curled up on the floor. She was snoring. Catalina stared at her cousin and smiled. She had a good time with her that evening. Maybe Mirabella knew what she was talking about. Maybe she and her cousin would eventually have their own relationship.

  She went to the closet and got out a blanket and extra pillows. She put the pillow under Rosetta's head and covered her on the floor. Whenever her cousin woke, she'd find her room right across the hall. Catalina returned to the bedroom in the suite and eased under the covers. Her life felt perfect. It was perfect. And she was so grateful.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jean Paul Gautier

  Paris, France

  Catalina brushed her teeth when she heard voices outside of her bedroom door. She put on her robe and left the bathroom with the toothbrush in her mouth. Rosetta was signing for the delivery of breakfast. Catalina frowned and stared at her cousin as she escorted the delivery person to the door in nothing but her panties and the blouse from her designer dress, that barely reached the curve of her hips. She lingered at the door and said a few words to the man who had a deep blush over his face. Catalina knew the brazen display wasn't for him. She was teasing Raffaele or Paolo, whomever it was that stood outside to guard them. Catalina shook her head.