Salvatore: A Mafia Romance

by T. O. Smith

  But not a single fucking soul had visited me. Every fucking charge I had been slapped with, every fucking thing I dealt with inside of that prison, every fucking thing I did up until that moment they cuffed my arms behind my back in the hospital and carted me off to jail, I did for family.

  Because you were supposed to do everything for family.

  But my family hadn’t done the same fucking thing for me.

  “Oh, amore.” Salvatore said softly as he slid open the glass shower door, stepping in still in his suit, his eyes sad as his eyes met my red-rimmed, tear filled ones.

  Wordlessly, he sat down next to me and drew me onto his lap, tightly wrapping his arms around me. I curled up against his chest, silent tears sliding down my cheeks. “Ashley informed me you got a phone call.” He softly spoke up.

  I nodded. “My mom called.” I admitted, my voice hoarse from crying so much.

  “And what did she have to say, mia bellissimo?” He asked softly.

  “Just the same lies that she always spews.” I informed him, my voice dripping acid as I spoke, suddenly so angry that I wanted to hit something.

  I quickly stood up and turned the shower off before I stepped out, wrapping a towel around me tightly as I quickly strode out into the bedroom, away from Salvatore and his comfort.

  "Tesoro, do not pull away from me right now.” Salvatore warned gently. “You need to talk, amore.”

  “I don’t need to fucking talk about a damn thing, Salvatore.” I snarled as I stormed towards the closet to get dressed. “What I need to do is get the fuck out of here before I explode.”

  His hand latched around my arm, and he spun me around to face him, roughly pushing me back against the wall. My breath left me in a whoosh of air as my back connected with the wall, my eyes latching onto his dark ones as I nervously swallowed. His eyes flashed dangerously, but he held himself in check, not hurting me.

  “I’ve had a very long fucking day, mia moglie, and I would really appreciate it if you would just fucking talk to me.” He snapped down at me. “I haven’t done a damn thing to you, tesoro, to deserve the attitude.” He reminded me.

  “I wouldn’t even be in half of the shit that I’m in now had you not fucking forged my name on a goddamn marriage certificate!” I shouted up at him, angry tears sliding down my cheeks.

  “I’m trying to protect you, Sasha!” He roared back down at me, his eyes blazing with rage.

  “How?!” I screamed at him as I shoved at his chest, but he was too strong and large for me to move. “I’ve had more threats against my fucking life in the past week than I have in the past four years, and let me tell you, the past four fucking years were fucking hell! I didn’t ask for this shit, Salvatore! I asked you for a fucking job - that was it! I agreed to your stupid fucking contract, and I had no plans on breaking that! I didn’t ask for a fucking marriage, and I certainly didn’t ask for the fucking mafia’s protection!”

  He stayed silent, running his eyes over my face, and when he spoke again, his voice was much calmer, all while I was still seething inside.

  “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, piccolo?” He asked gently as he reached up and gently cradled my face in his hands. My anger dissolved, leaving behind the shattered part of me that I didn’t – never – wanted him to see. “You were absolutely content with our marriage a few hours ago. What happened during that phone call?”

  “My family failed me, Salvatore.” I reminded him brokenly. He rubbed his thumbs over my damp cheeks. “I don’t want to belong to another family just for the same thing to happen to me again.”

  He leaned down and slanted his lips across mine, and I moaned softly as I curved my body into his. He groaned quietly, his hands sliding down until he gripped the edge of my towel, unraveling it from my body. I shivered as his wet clothes pressed against me, but that feeling soon disappeared as he ran his hands over my curves, lighting my skin on fire with his gentle touch.

  “I will never betray you, mia moglie, and neither will the mafia.” He assured me softly. “You have to trust me - trust the famiglia.”

  I didn’t get a chance to respond before he scooped me up in his arms and deposited me on the bed. He quickly stripped out of his clothes, and I watched him hungrily as he exposed his beautiful body to me.

  He slid onto the bed and moved over me, leaning down so his lips could mold with mine. I quickly flipped us over so that he was on his back, and I was straddling him. His hands gripped my hips tightly, a small smile tilting his lips.

  “You look so fucking beautiful, piccolo.” He breathed, running his eyes over me, lighting my skin on fire with his sensual look.

  He lifted me easily and slid me over his hardened member. I moaned and dug my nails into his chest, making him groan softly.

  For hours, we made love to each other until I was too spent and exhausted to continue anymore.

  ✣ ✣ ✣

  When I woke up, the bed beside me was empty, but I could smell something that smelt like chicken alfredo wafting up the stairs into the bedroom, so I could only assume that Salvatore was cooking dinner.

  I slowly slid out of bed, wincing at the discomfort that flared through my body.

  Fucking hell, that man really knew what he was doing.

  I slid on a pair of Salvatore’s sweatpants and one of my own t-shirts, stuffing my feet into my house slippers before I meandered down the stairs and into the kitchen. Sure enough, I found my husband at the stove, stirring pasta in a pot. Ashley was sitting at the bar, watching him with hungry, seductive eyes.

  A wave of possessiveness rushed through me, and I walked over to Salvatore, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek.

  He set the wooden spoon on the counter and turned to me with a small smile, instantly drawing me into his arms. “Sleep well?” He asked me gently.

  “Incredibly well.” I admitted.

  He tucked some of my messy hair behind my ear. “Sore?” He asked quietly.

  I shrugged. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Go sit on the couch.” He gently instructed. “Dinner is almost done, and Vincent should be here soon. He finished his business deal a lot earlier than planned, so he’s coming to get Ashley tonight.”

  I nodded. I shuffled into the living room and settled on the couch as I flicked on the TV, turning on a random comedy show. Ashley stepped into the living room and took a seat on one of the armchairs.

  It took her thirty seconds to speak up.

  “You’re lucky, you know?” She asked me quietly.

  I just arched an eyebrow at her. She sighed. “Women all around the world would kill for a Bianchi man, and you secured him so easily. From what I gathered from your conversation, this marriage isn’t even what you wanted in the first place.”

  “Spit it out.” I snarled at her, not liking the tone of her voice nor the direction that she was headed with her little monologue.

  “Salvatore will go to the ends of the world to protect those that he loves, and he does love you, Sasha.” She told me.

  “One, our relationship is none of your fucking concern.” I snapped at her. “Two, we’ve known each other for a week at most. There’s no fucking way he loves me.” I tilted my head to the side the slightest bit. “So, what the fuck is the point of this conversation?” I asked her.

  “Cheating on and playing Salvatore was one of the worst mistakes I ever made, Sasha, and if you fuck up even once, just know, I swear I will be there to pick up the pieces. I won’t make the same mistake with him again.”

  I jumped off of the couch and sent a right hook against her face before I really even registered what I was doing. She shrieked in pain just as Vincent stepped into the living room. I was seething with rage.

  How dare she think she could move in on what was mine?

  I leaned in close to her as I grabbed a fist full of her hair and dragged her head around to face me. “I’m not a bitch you want to fucking cross, Ashley.” I snarled softly. She flinched. “And I’m wa
rning you now, that if you ever look at my fucking husband in any kind of way that I deem is inappropriate, I’ll do more than black your fucking eye, you got me?”

  I roughly shoved her away from me and stood back up to my full height, my eyes instantly meeting Salvatore’s over the back of the chair. A smirk twitched at his lips, and I knew he had every word of what I had said to Ashley.

  “Possessive, amore?” He asked softly, coming around to draw me into his arms.

  I blushed, making him laugh softly. He pressed his lips to the top of my head as I dug my face into his chest. “Don’t worry, mia moglie, if another man dared to make any kind of move on you, I would probably put a bullet through his skull.” He informed me.

  “A bit excessive, isn’t it?” I asked him.

  He shook his head as he let his dark eyes meet mine, that dangerous gleam glinting in them. “You’re mine, tesoro. I’m never letting you go.” He tilted my chin up so I was forced to meet his eyes. “Not even if you’re doing your damnest to get rid of me. You’re stuck with me, piccolo."

  I liked the sound of that a hell of a lot more than I should have.

  S E V E N

  I tiredly rolled over with a grunt when the alarm clock went off, groaning in agitation. Salvatore chuckled softly next to me. “Mia amore, you asked for this job.” He reminded me gently.

  I also didn’t have a man that liked to wake me up at all hours of the night for sex when I got hired.

  “I don’t want it anymore.” I grumbled tiredly as I pulled the blanket over my head, just wanting to go back to sleep.

  “Come on, tesoro, it’s Friday, and then you can spend the rest of the weekend sleeping.” He reminded me.

  I released an angry huff and sat up. Instantly, my stomach began churning, and I gagged, jumping out of bed and rushing to the bathroom. I collapsed in front of the toilet right on time as I emptied the contents of my stomach. Salvatore was next to me instantly, holding my hair out of my face as I clutched the toilet for dear life as I dry heaved and then got sick again.

  When I was sure I wasn’t going to throw up anymore, I sat down on my ass on the floor, reaching forward to flush the toilet. Salvatore ran his eyes over my face worriedly. “Mia moglie, I think you need to see a doctor.” He informed me.

  “I feel fine.” I grumbled.

  And I really did. My throat felt extremely raw from getting sick, but I otherwise felt fine.

  His eyebrows slightly pulled together in confusion. With a slight shake of his head, he got up off of the floor and walked over to the bathroom sink, pulling open one of the drawers he used to store his deodorant and other toiletries.

  I watched as he pulled out a box, and he turned to me, holding it out. “You need to take one of these.” He informed me.

  I slowly took the box from him, my eyes widening at the pregnancy tests sitting in my hands. I snapped my eyes up to him. “B-but we haven’t even been married a month, and my period isn’t late -” I stuttered out, but he cut me off.

  I had been told by three specialists that I couldn’t have a baby. There was no way that I could be pregnant.

  "Bellissimo, just take one – please.” He added at the end.

  Clenching my jaw, I reluctantly nodded, watching as he strode out of the bathroom, gently shutting the door behind him to give me privacy. I stared down at the box in my hands, watching as it trembled in my grip. I swallowed hard, standing up so I could take the test.

  I couldn’t be pregnant.

  But the possibility that a miracle might have happened was terrifying.

  I brushed my teeth while I waited for the result to pop up. I was pacing the floor of the bathroom when Salvatore stepped back in, and his eyes met mine. He slowly slid his eyes over to the test and picked it up. He looked up at me, his eyes cautious.

  "Amore, do not panic.” He began. My heart began to rapidly beat in my chest. “You’re pregnant.”

  “No, no, no.” I choked out, staring at the test in his hands as if he might suddenly laugh and tell me he was joking.

  "Piccolo, the test very clearly says pregnant.” He informed me. “We’re going to the doctor before we go into the office.”

  Fear like no other settled in my gut. I couldn’t be pregnant. I had been told from a young age that I couldn’t get pregnant due to having so many cysts on my ovaries. So, I’d been on birth control to try to reduce the amount of cysts before I had been locked up, but I hadn’t bothered getting back on birth control even though Salvatore and I hadn’t been using protection.

  I had been told by three different specialists that it wasn’t possible.

  That test had to be false.

  ✣ ✣ ✣

  The test wasn’t false.

  I stared up at the little blimp on the screen, my bottom lip trembling. Salvatore was sitting next to me, holding my hand in his, rubbing soothing circles on my palm with his thumb. “I don’t understand how this is possible.” I finally choked out.

  “Your midwife will discuss all of this in detail with you once I’ve done what I need to do here.” The ultrasound technician gently assured me.

  "Amore, don’t look so shocked.” Salvatore said gently, reaching up to run his fingertips down my cheek. “We haven’t been careful since day one.” He reminded me.

  I didn’t bother to respond as I continued to stare at the screen. It was still too early to hear a heartbeat, but there was a human being growing inside of me.

  I was going to be a fucking mom.

  When we got back to the room, my midwife was already waiting on me. “Take a seat, sweetheart.” She told me gently.

  I sat down on the cot, clenching my hands tightly in my lap. “This can’t be possible.” I uttered before she could speak again.

  “Mrs. Bianchi, you are definitely pregnant.” She assured me. I shook my head at her, still trying to wrap my head around it all. “Why are you finding this hard to grasp?” She asked me.

  “I was told by three different specialists that I can’t have kids.” I informed her. Salvatore snapped his eyes to the side of my face, but I didn’t look at him. “Something about too many cysts on my ovaries. They all told me there was no chance, and if I ever did become pregnant, they said I was at risk of losing it before the first trimester even finished.”

  My hand fluttered to my belly, my chest tightening at the thought of losing something that I had already somehow grown attached to after seeing it on that screen for the very first time.

  “Do you work, Mrs. Bianchi?” She asked me.

  “She’s my personal assistant as of right now, but she won’t be after today.” Salvatore spoke up, taking a seat behind me and adjusting himself so that I was settled between his legs.

  “You are the father, I presume?” The midwife asked.

  Salvatore nodded, holding his hand out to her. “Salvatore Bianchi.” He informed her. “Sasha’s husband.”

  After the midwife shook his hand, she looked at me. “Mrs. Bianchi, it’s probably in your best interest to stop working and to just take everything as easy as possible just to be on the safe side. Your pregnancy seems to be going great so far, and your cervix is completely closed, but I would rather take extra precautions.”

  ✣ ✣ ✣

  “You’re awfully quiet, piccolo.” Salvatore commented on the ride home as I continued to silently stare out the window.

  I just kept my mouth closed. I couldn’t exactly be mad at him. I mean, we hadn’t used protection, but then again, I never thought I could have kids. I was always told I couldn’t.

  I never wanted kids, and now I was pregnant, and I couldn’t even bring myself to try to resent the baby.

  I actually wanted it,

  "Amore, keeping everything that you’re feeling bottled up inside won’t make you feel better.” Salvatore told me softly.

  “Salvatore, I forced myself to detest the thought of ever having children because I was told three times that it was physically impossible.” I swallowed hard as I placed my hand ov
er my still flat belly, biting down hard on my bottom lip as tears sprang to my eyes. “But I ended up pregnant, and we’ve only been married a month.”

  His hand settled over my thigh, and he squeezed gently, drawing my attention over to him. “Tesoro, forgive me, but I’m still not understanding why you’re so upset.”

  I looked down at my belly that was slowly growing a life, even though you couldn’t tell yet. “My life is currently in danger. Even if Pops hasn’t made any kind of move lately, I know he’s just laying low, waiting for the right time to strike and take his revenge for my betrayal.” A tear trickled down my cheek. “Salvatore, what if I can’t protect this baby? I hated this pregnancy when I first took that test, but since I saw the baby on the ultrasound screen, I just - Salvatore, I’m terrified.” I finally choked out.

  He pulled over onto the side of the road and threw his car in park, turning in his seat to face me. He gently grabbed my face in his hands, brushing away some of my tears as he did so. “Mia bella, I will continue to protect both you and nostro bambino with my life.” He swore, and somehow, I knew he was speaking about the baby. “The famiglia nor I will allow anything to happen to either of you, especially since you are now incinta.”

  My lips twitched with a small smile. Salvatore had a bad habit of switching between English and Italian when he was passionate about something.

  “A lot of Italian there.” I murmured, reaching up to run my fingertips over his chiseled jaw.

  "Mi dispiace, amore." He murmured, turning his head to press his lips to my palm. I had been around him long enough to know that he had just told me he was sorry.

  He leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to my forehead before he sat back in his seat and pulled the car smoothly back into traffic.