Chapter 17

GIOVANNI

“ J esus.” My arm shot out to grab Nova as she tripped over her own feet.

She slapped my arm away. “I don’t need your help.”

“Are you sure, cause I’ve seen newborn calves with better walking skills than you?”

If I didn’t know any better I’d say she’d spent all night drinking with my dad and uncle. It was easier to get them up the stairs to bed, then it was to get her down the hallway. My room was less than a hundred feet away – I could see my door from here – and this was the third time she’d tripped over her own feet.

“It’s not my fault.” Nova whined. “These shoes suck.”

I disagreed, those strappy heels looked hot on her. Those shoes were going to stay right where they were when I fucked her tonight. There was something about a naked girl in heels that got me going. Add in a messy bun and I was done.

“Seriously,” Nova kicked her leg out, causing my eyes to trickle up her calf to the top of her thigh where the slit in the white chiffon material ended.

Fuck me. I might also have to leave that dress on when I fuck her. She looked like a tempting angel waiting to be defiled. The only thing I’d been able to think about when I saw her in that outfit, was bending her over while I fisted the pile of curls on the top of her head.

“Whoever designed these things hates feet and wants to see them suffer.”

“Oh stop complaining. Do you know how many girls would kill for those shoes?”

I didn’t, but Kendall was excited to find them in Nova’s size. Fashion wasn’t really my thing. Brand names didn’t mean shit. Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, or Walmart. They all tore the same.

“Well, they don’t have to walk in them with something shoved up their ass.” Nova sneered up at me.

My brow arched, “you wanna walk in them with something bigger in your ass?”

The butt plug she currently had in was the smallest size I had.

The blades of hatred she shot my way made me smirk. She wouldn’t be complaining if she knew what else would be in her ass by the end of the night. My dick was a lot bigger than that butt plug.

“Now come on,” I held out my arm for her to hold onto. “Our guests are waiting.”

“They’re your guests.” Rejecting my help, she lifted her chin, took a step and fumbled.

I shook my head. “You got this?”

“Yes, I got this.” She hissed back at me. “I know how to walk in heels.”

“You sure about that because the last five minutes would say otherwise?”

She gave me a dirty look and headed down the stairs.

I followed close behind, ready to grab her when she went face first down the steps. I don’t know if it was stubbornness or her deep seeded need to prove me wrong, but Nova suddenly became graceful. She glided along and stopped at the bottom of the stairs to smile back at me.

“See?”

“Congratulations.” I sighed. “You have the walking skills of a toddler.”

The smile fell off her face, “you know what?”

“What?” I challenged.

“I hope you step on a Lego tonight.” She sang and walked to the left.

That was just mean.

“That’s the wrong way.” I pointed to the right. “The parlor is this way.”

Nova stopped, looked at the hall I was pointing to and lifted her chin. “I knew that.”

Snarky little bitch strutted right past me. I couldn’t help but smirk at the glare on her face. The hatred running through her veins was thick and palatable in the air. If she could kill me right now, she would. She sure as shit tried to when I bent her over to insert that plug. And I had the wounds to prove it.

“Just so you know...” she said when I snickered and followed. “You haven’t won anything.”

I gave her a mocking frown. “It’s cute that you think that.”

I won everything.

Not only was she dressed up like a virgin sacrifice that I desperately wanted to devour, but Nova was about to be escorted into a room full of people and introduced as my fiancé. Something that I was oddly looking forward to doing. A week ago I would’ve dreaded this, but now, I wanted to publicly lay my claim on her. So, why couldn’t I give her the ring?

I once again held out my arm, “shall we?”

This time Nova accepted my offer and looped her arm in mine.

We made it down one hallway before her attitude came back.

“How’s your hand?”

My gaze dipped down to the imprint of her teeth sitting between my forefinger and thumb. “My hand is fine.”

What Nova saw as battle wounds, I saw as something else. Every motherfucker who shook my hand would see her mark on me. A mark that I would proudly display. If this wasn’t such a formal affair I’d roll up my sleeves so everyone could see the scratches on my arm too.

“How’s your ass?”

“My ass is fine.”

The way she growled that through gritted teeth would say otherwise.

“Excellent.”

Out of all the victories I had over Novalee Ford, this one was my favorite. Every time her hips shifted, my dick twitched. I wasn’t just escorting her, I was inside her. Little miss attitude would have to sit through dinner feeling me in her ass. Every hand she shook or person she talked to, I would be right there constantly on her mind.

Nova may look the part of an elegant wife, but under that mouthwatering dress was the dirty little vixen I’d be using hard. And no one would know. My dick was hard just thinking about it.

We stepped up to the parlor’s closed double doors. “Here we are.”

This dinner was for us just as much as it was for Aldo. Romeo had a similar meeting for his betrothal to Kendall. Since Nova wasn’t Italian, this was more important for us than it was for them. In order for the marriage to be accepted, Nova needed to be officially introduced to the ‘family’. And once she was, there would be no turning back. As soon as we stepped through those doors, my contract with her would be bound in blood.

Did I really want to do this?

The muffled sounds of conversation coming from the other side caused my eyes to drop down to Nova’s left hand. I stared at her empty ring finger and thought about the box in my pocket. There were certain expectations that everyone in that room would have. One of which was a ring.

I slipped my hand in my pocket and fingered the small velvet box sitting inside. It was just a ring. What was the big deal? I should give it to her and move on. But it wasn’t just a ring. It was my mother’s ring. And Nova was a Ford. My mother loved her children. She doted on us. How could I give her ring to the sister of the man who killed her oldest son? How could I defile Atlas’s name like that?

Nova huffed out a sigh. “Are we going to stand out here all day?”

“No,” I cleared my throat. “Let’s get this over with.”

She didn’t need a ring to be introduced. If anyone had a problem with that, they could fuck off.

Pulling my hand out of my pocket, I grabbed the door handle, but Nova stopped me before I could open the door.

“Give me a minute.”

“For what?”

“I just need a minute, okay.”

What was her problem? “It’s just dinner.”

She rolled her eyes up to mine. “No it’s not.”

No it wasn’t.

“We could leave and go somewhere else.” Nova suggested. “There’s a great food truck by the diner.”

“We can’t go to a food truck.”

“Why not?”

“Because we can’t.”

“Yes, we can.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that easy.”

“Yes, it is. We just leave. I do it all the time.”

I had to admit, it was tempting to blow everyone off, but I wasn’t her. My commitment was to the family. It was all I ever wanted. Right?

“Come on Gio, you don’t have to do everything your father tells you to.”

I tipped my head down at her. “You think I’m doing this because my dad told me to?”

“Isn’t that why you do anything that you do? He’s the reason we’re in this situation.”

Is that what she thought? “The only person you have to blame for your situation is your brother. So, put a fucking smile on your face and play nice with our guests before I decide to punish you for your little trip today.”

“You can’t be mad at me for going to see Kato. He’s my brother.”

Yes I fucking could. “I hope you enjoyed your visit, because you won’t be having another one anytime soon.”

Honestly, I was more pissed off that she asked Atlee to take her than anything else. Nova was mine. If she needed something, she should come to me.

Daggers of rage sparked through Nova’s hazel eyes. “Kato is ten times the man you’ll ever be. He gave up his life for us.”

“No, he gave up his life for your sister. You were just left behind to clean up the mess.”

Out of all things that I could hate Kato Ford for, this should be last on my list. That didn’t stop me from wanting to drive down to the prison and punch him in the face. He abandoned Nova. Her sister abandoned her. They left her alone to clean up their mess, and yet she still stuck up for them.

“I hate you.”

“Good.” I hissed and opened the door.

The rich scent of cigar smoke tinted the air as we stepped in the room. The crowd wasn’t high in numbers as much as it was power. There were maybe fifteen people total, a few of whom looked our way. But for the most part everyone carried on with their conversations. And why wouldn’t they? The men in this room were higher level Capos. They handled our soldiers and reported directly to the boss.

A few of them I knew, like Vincent Vitali who was standing next to the bar with my father and Aldo. He ran things for us in New Orleans. Johnny the Fish – who got his name for his preferred method of disposal – was seated in one of the armchairs in the middle of the room. Across from him seated in another chair was someone I had never met, but based on the scar cutting across his left eye, I assumed he was Nico Lombardi. He took care of our Texas interests.

Every single man in here had more respect from my father than I did. His own son. The bastard didn’t even look my way when we walked in.

“Wow,” Nova’s eyes scanned the area. “There’s a lot of testosterone in this room.”

Aside from her, the only other women here were Vincent’s wife Mary-Alice, and Kendall and Alex Fiore, both of whom looked about as pleased to be here as Nova was. While I wasn’t fond of the way Nico was eyeing her up, I did enjoy how Nova stepped in closer to me and tightened her hold on my arm.

“The only testosterone you have to worry about is mine.”

I pulled her off to the right, away from my uncle’s prying eyes. He had also noticed us and I didn’t like that look on his face. The problem was no matter which way I went there was someone else I didn’t want to talk to or have eyeballing Nova. There were assholes to the left, horny pricks on the left, and cocky motherfuckers in the center of the room. Nova’s suggestion to take off was looking better and better.

There was one safe way to go.

Turning my head, I looked over to where Alex and Kendall were standing. Kendall was leaning back against the wall looking bored while her sister glared after her father who was coming our way.

Shit.

“Giovanni.” I rolled my shoulders back as Antonio Fiore walked up. “I see you got your father home.”

Giving his hand a firm shake, I nodded. “I did.”

Wrangling those two wasn’t easy, but I did it. Honestly, I was shocked they weren’t still drunk.

“And who is this beauty?” His attention turned to Nova.

“Antonio,” I tipped my head at Nova. “I’d like to introduce you to my fiancé, Novalee.”

I didn’t want to introduce her to any of these men, let alone like it. if I had it my way I’d keep her locked in my room all to myself, but that wasn’t an option. That didn’t mean I couldn’t stake my claim.

“Ah, yes the rude girl.” His judgmental gaze trickled down her length. “Has your sister found her own mode of transportation yet?”

What the hell was he talking about?

“Have you figured out how to clean your own house yet?” Nova shot back at him.

“I see you’ve learned how to clean yourself up.”

“Hey!” Nova pointed at him before I could intercede and stop the argument. “You caught me on a bad day.”

I had no idea what was happening, or how they knew each other, I just knew I had to get her away before she said something stupid.

“You seem to have a lot of bad days. Perhaps this evening will be better?”

“Well Antonio, I have a metal egg shoved up my ass, so, I don’t see that happening. But thanks anyway?”

And there’s her big mouth.

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Antonio’s brow knit. “Pardon me? Did you say you have something up your ass?”

“Yup,” Nova nodded. “Right up there.”

Not only did she confirm that there was something in her ass, but she pumped her fist to mimic the motion.

“Don’t worry,” she waved her hand. “I’m sure you’ll see it when Gio decides to spank me. Apparently, he likes an audience.”

That spanking was coming sooner rather than later.

There was no way to save this introduction, so I didn’t even try. I just shook my head and pulled Nova away.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Do you mean besides the thing in my ass?”

She better lose that attitude. “Do you want me to punish you?”

“You already stuck something up my ass, what more can you do?”

Oh, there was a lot more I could do. “Keep up with the attitude and you’ll find out real fast.”

I steered Nova to the back of the room where Atlee was sitting on a couch. Given what she just said to his dad, that was probably the only safe place to take her.

“Pfft,” She snorted. “What are you going to do, spank me in front of all these people?”

“Yes.” I stated flatly.

I assumed the lack of smart mouthed response meant she didn’t want to press her luck. Although the upturned nose and lifted chin she gave me, weren’t helping her cause.

I looked over to the far right corner where Romeo, Saul, and Ronan Mikhailov were puffing on cigars. Russian bastard wasn’t stupid. He stood back and took everything in. I could see his blue eyes wandering around the room. Not out of paranoia, it was caution.

Not that I could blame him. The Mancini’s relationship with the Russians was shaky at best. As far as my father was concerned they could all rot in hell. Two days ago, I was right there with him. Now, I wasn’t so sure they were responsible for my mother’s death.

My eyes narrowed on my uncle as he barked out a laugh and slapped his hand on my father’s back. “ Si raccoglie ciò che si semina .”

“What?”

I looked down at Nova’s curled lip. “What?”

“If you’re going to glare at people and mutter in a foreign language, the least you could do is speak up. So, I can really not understand what you’re saying.”

Atlee raised his arms when we joined him. “ Salve bella .”

“Don’t you start.” Nova warned him.

“I need a drink.” I let go of Nova’s arm and went for the decanter of scotch sitting on the table next to Atlee.

Atlee watched me down my first drink then cocked a brow at Nova. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I have no idea.” Nova said and plopped down next to him. “It’s not like he has something shoved up his ass.”

“Keep it up.” I downed a second shot and poured another. “And I’ll shove something else in your ass.”

“I have no idea what you two are talking about, but I am intrigued.” Atlee sat back and pressed his finger against his chin. “Tell me more about your anal problems.”

Nova opened her mouth and I pointed at her, “don’t.”

“Oh someone’s in a bad mood.” Atlee said. “Your fiancé wouldn’t be causing trouble now, would she?”

“Of course she fucking is.” I grumbled.

“Really?” Atlee tipped his head and smiled at Nova.

What the hell was he so fucking happy about?

“So, what I’m hearing is that Nova isn’t listening to you?” Atlee tsked. “That’s not good girl behavior.”

I gave him a dirty look. What the fuck was wrong with him, and why did Nova roll her eyes like that?

“I didn’t disobey him.”

“But you didn’t obey him either.” Atlee argued.

Nova crossed her arms. “He didn’t give me any orders. So…”

“Ah,” Atlee cut her off. “I didn’t specify orders. I believe the stipulation was you had to play good girl, and it doesn’t sound like you’ve been very good.”

Good girl? What the fuck were they arguing about?

“And who clarifies what counts as good?” Nova shot back at him.

“Gio does.”

Why was I being dragged into this? Whatever this was. I should punch Atlee. That would make me feel better. I didn’t like this inside argument bullshit they had going on.

“Uh huh,” Nova shook her head. “I didn’t agree to that.”

“Sorry,” Atlee shrugged. “It’s too late to make stipulations now.”

Stipulations for what? “Somebody better tell me what is going on, right fucking now!”

“You didn’t tell him about the bet?” Atlee asked Nova, who rolled her eyes in response.

“What fucking bet?” I barked out.

I knew what kind of bets Atlee made, and he was not going to play that game with my girl.

“Oh calm down.” He reassured when my fists balled. “ It’s nothing like that. Nova has to play good girl for you for twenty-four hours.”

“For me?”

He nodded, “that’s right.”

“Really?” I looked over at Nova as she huffed out a sigh.

This bet might not be so bad. Of course that all depended on what Atlee was up to.

“What happens if she doesn’t play good girl?”

“She has to call me sir for a week.”

Over my dead body. I’d fucking kill him before I ever let that happen. The good girl part however… that was something I could get behind. The only question was how seriously Nova was taking it. There was one way to find out.

“Come here.” I pointed at the ground in front of me.

Nova was the most bullheaded, stubborn person I’d ever met. She’d rather dig her own grave than admit she was wrong. I didn’t see her as the type who liked losing bets. But which stubborn streak would win? The one that didn’t want to lose, or the one that wanted me to fuck off?

To my surprise, Nova grumbled under her breath then hesitantly pushed herself off the couch and slowly shuffled over. She was not happy about it, but she obeyed.

Interesting. What else would she do? How far would she go?

“Apologize,” I ordered.

Her eyes snapped up to mine. “For what?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I shrugged.

I just wanted to see if she would do it.

Her chest lifted with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry.”

Fuck me. She did it.

A whole twenty-four hours to do whatever I want. The possibilities flooded through my mind. Suddenly dinner didn’t seem so daunting. By the time I was done with her…

“Now, kiss me,” I tapped my cheek. “Right here.”

My dick twitched when Nova grumbled under her breath and lifted up on her tip toes to press her lips to my cheek.

I smirked down at her while she glared up at me.

This was going to be fun.

All my amazement died when the door opened and the Barones walked in.

Fuck.