Chapter 19

NOVALEE

T he food was amazing. Italians knew how to make sauces, which I may not have been eating with the correct things based on some of the looks I received. The guy I thought to be Gio’s uncle seemed personally offended when I sprinkled some of the salsa-looking stuff over some pasta.

He grimaced and waved his hand at me. “ Giovanni, cosa ci fa lei alla bruschetta .”

I had no idea what he said, but according to Gio I was eating the salsa stuff wrong. It was meant to be paired with bread, which was some of the best bread I’d ever had. Why no one was filling up on that I had no idea. Mind you no one else had their napkin tucked into their shirt either.

By the way, that wasn’t an easy task to complete with a plunging neckline. I got a few strange looks for that too, but if they wanted to stain their fancy clothes, that was their problem. I was not paying the dry cleaning bill for this dress.

Almost everyone spoke in Italian, which was annoying. I did manage to catch a few things however. That guy was indeed Gio’s uncle, Aldo. There was mention of Russians, a mantra or metra, whatever that was, and Atlee’s other sister’s name was Alex, and she was in love with someone named Myles. Neither her father nor brother were very happy about that. Of course that meant she had my full support, which again, neither of the men in her family were happy about.

I believe Atlee’s dad’s exact words were, “don’t talk to my daughter.”

It was like he thought I was a bad influence or something.

Aside from that, and the annoyance of not being able to understand what half the people in this room were saying, the night wasn’t a complete loss.

Atlee had apparently convinced Maw Maw that I had a weekend catering job, so I wouldn’t have to worry about permanent confinement when I went home. The food was delicious, Gio seemed to be extra on edge, and that Carissa girl spilled her wine when he fed me the salsa bread stuff. So all in all it wasn’t a bad dinner.

I did find a few things strange. Like how Atlee’s sister Kendall wasn’t seated with the rest of her family. Instead she was next to Romeo. There were armed men positioned throughout the room. A couple of whom were focused on one guy with blue eyes, who did not look Italian at all. And, Gio kept glaring at his uncle like he wanted to kill him when no one was looking.

Not that I was paying much attention to him. I was too busy having my own bitchy stare down with Darry’s mom, which I may or may not have instigated. It started off innocent. I look over and secretly hate her for how good she made that black cocktail dress look. Then I’d start wondering how Gio could be interested in me when he had someone like that, and my lip—due to no fault of my own—would morph into a sneer.

What was it with the girls who had C names? Carissa Barone. Cindy Fassbender, and Channing Tatum. Okay, he wasn’t a girl, but he was pretty.

My sneer deepened as Carissa lifted a wine glass to her lips.

Ugh, she even drank like some hoity toity princess.

What did Gio see in her? Sure, she had perfect hair and classic good looks, with a body that women paid thousands to achieve. But did she have morals? Her husband was right there and she was eye funking my boyfriend.

Then again, Gio didn’t really have morals either so maybe they were the perfect pair? She probably liked all of his sick games. Did he shove something in her ass and cut his name into her too?

Ugh, bitch.

“Nova,” Gio nudged me with his elbow.

“What,” I snapped.

Asshole. Thinking he can go around branding other girls. Why did that bother me?

His brow lifted in an arch. “My father asked you a question.”

He did? How long was I glaring at Mrs. Robinson?

Because I wasn’t rude, I wiped the sneer off my face and gave Gio’s dad a smile. “Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts.”

My murderous, wanting to shove someone’s face in their plate of pasta thoughts.

“Typical woman, is she not, Cesare.” Gio’s uncle chuckled.

Typical? Did he think women walked around daydreaming all the time? I kind of did, but that was beside the point.

“Yes,” Cesare nodded, then asked me, “I was wondering what your plans were after graduation?”

“Plans?”

“Yes. Where will you be going to college?”

That was funny. “I’m not going to college.”

His brows pulled together as if that was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “Why not?”

“Because I’m a waitress at a Texan diner run by a man who’s never been to Texas.”

He stared at me for a second before saying, “I don’t know what that means.”

“Have you ever been in the mood for a bowl of pulled pork gumbo?”

Gio’s dad wasn’t the only one to grimace.

“That’s what that means.” I said. “I’ll never make enough in tips to afford college.”

“Why would you need to afford it? You’re Giovanni’s future bride. Your education is paid for.”

Hold up. I didn’t ask him to do that. Nor did I want him to do that. “I can’t accept that.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

There was no point in arguing. If there was one thing I knew about Cesare Mancini, it was that he was going to do what he wanted to do, which in this case was give me a better education. There goes my dreams of broken lawn furniture and celebrations with boxes of wine. Why did all the Mancini’s have to be demanding assholes? Crap, Maw Maw was going to love them, wasn’t she?

“You excel at chemistry, perhaps you should pursue something in that field?”

How the hell did he know what I excelled at?

“Be careful with that one,” Gio’s uncle wagged his finger at his nephew. “Smart women can be a handful.”

“Trust me, I know.” Gio grumbled while giving me a side eye.

I don’t know what he was complaining about. I’d been on pretty good behaviour considering.

“Intelligence can be a good thing.” Cesare said. “If it’s directed in the right way.”

To which Gio’s uncle argued, “the only thing a woman needs to be focused on is her husband and her children.”

Where the hell did this guy come from? The eighteen hundreds? “You know, some men chose to stay at home with the kids nowadays.”

Aldo swung his gaze my way. “Those aren’t men.”

Wow, so he was a misogynistic prick. “And what is your idea of a man?”

“Nova,” Gio warned.

“It’s alright.” Aldo waved him off. “This is the problem with your generation. There is no idea of what a man or woman is. There is only the roles nature intended.”

Uh huh? “And what is that exactly?”

“Well, a man provides for and protects his family, and a woman serves the man.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Take Kendall,” Aldo lifted his hand and waved down the table to where she was seated. “She takes pride in her appearance, is obedient and knows her place. She will make a dutiful wife.”

My gaze narrowed when both Romeo and Kendall rolled their eyes.

Wait a minute… was Kendall supposed to marry Romeo? How was the possible? I hadn’t seen them say a single word to each other all night. Even Gio and I talked and we hated each other.

“You will need to be broken in.”

Broken in? What was I, a horse? “You know, for someone who has all these opinions on marriage, I don’t see a wife sitting beside you.”

The table went quiet as all eyes turned on me. Suddenly I was seven-years-old again, having my artwork judged by teachers. Apparently drawing a bear having a snack was a big no no. Sure, the snack was a person, but in my defence Kato should’ve never let me watch that movie.

I waited for one of the Mancini men to say something to me. That didn’t happen. Instead they spoke to each other as if I wasn’t there.

Gio’s uncle looked at his dad. “I thought you said she would make a good wife?”

“She will.” Cesare insisted.

To which the uncle rebutted, “good wives are obedient.”

“Giovanni, will teach her.”

I couldn’t hold back the snort, which made Gio, his dad, and his uncle all swing their eyes my way. None of them were impressed, but come on. What exactly was Gio going to teach me? How to be obedient? I wasn’t a dog.

“I’ve known girls like you. In fact you remind me of one I met a couple of years ago.” The uncle wagged his finger at me. “She had a lot of spirit like you. Do you know what all that attitude got her?”

“A cool catchphrase and a starring role in a reality tv show?”

“It got her smart mouth full of cock.”

I don’t think I’d wanted to hit anyone as much as I wanted to hit this guy right now. But I chose to take the higher road.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m nothing like that girl.” I leaned back and gave him a sweet smile. “I’d have bit it off.”

The uncle braced his forearms on the table and leaned in. “You should be careful how you talk to me.”

Gio squeezed my thigh and gave me a shut the fuck up look, but it was too late. The words were already coming out of my mouth.

“I’m sorry, do I need to use smaller words?”

I had barely finished speaking when Gio’s hand shot out and grabbed the back of my neck. His fingers dug into my flesh as he twisted my head to look at him.

“Apologise.”

I couldn’t tell if he was angry or worried. Either way, I couldn’t bring myself to spit out an apology. Not to that guy. He didn’t deserve shit from me.

“This is not the time to test me, Gattina .”

Something about the way his uncle was watching us led me to believe that I wasn’t the only one under scrutiny. That didn’t mean I would give in. Even obedient girls had a breaking point.

Staring directly into Gio’s blazing green orbs, I stood my ground and tightly clamped my lips shut.

Next thing I knew, I was ripped out of my chair and tossed over his lap.

I squealed and spat out a, “what…” before his palm cracked off my ass, cutting me off.

This wasn’t like the other times Gio had spanked me. This was hard, mean and felt almost urgent. Each swat he gave me landed harder than the one before it. Again, and again, and again, his hand came down.

It was humiliating, and not because of what he was doing, but because that thing in my butt vibrated each of his hits through my pussy. My ass was on fire, and mortification warmed my chest while the coil of tension in my core wound tighter. It was a very confusing concoction.

I heard Atlee chuckle while someone else said, “Cesare, you didn’t tell me this was dinner and a show.”

Thankfully, my humiliation didn’t last long. I got maybe ten smacks before Gio lifted me up to sit on his lap.

“Now apologize.” He once again ordered.

If his hand didn’t slip under the slit in my dress and graze up my thigh, I might’ve refused. The threat of his fingers inches away from my pussy was enough to make me huff out, “I’m sorry.”

“Good girl.” Gio said and kissed my cheek.

Oof, that hurt. Especially when his uncle grinned back at me.

“Look at that.” He picked up his glass of wine and tipped it my way. “You might make a good wife after all.”

Oh, fuck him.

I wanted to push Gio’s hand up a little higher while simultaneously jumping across the table to smash my plate on the side of his uncle’s head. I did neither of course. I just sat there and stewed in my angry desire.

“That’s it?” Blue eyes chimed in. “That was barely a spanking. I bet her ass isn’t even red.”

Well, I officially hated that guy.

“Don’t,” Gio warned when I opened my mouth. “Or Ronan will get the show he wants.”

Ugh, this dinner sucked.

“Fine.” I huffed. “Am I allowed to go to the bathroom, sir. ”

Sarcastic or not, Gio seemed to like my use of the word sir.

“I suppose.” He sang, then added in a hushed voice, “don’t even think about taking that plug out of your ass.”

There went that plan. At least I’d be able to escape this room of assholes for a few minutes. Without another word, I got up and walked out of the room.

It probably would’ve been a good idea to ask for directions before leaving, but I managed to find a bathroom. It took me ten minutes, but I still found it. Once I was safely behind a closed door, I let out a long breath and took a minute to collect my thoughts.

I’d met some assholes in my life but Gio’s uncle beat them all. God I hated him. I think I hated him more than I did Gio, and that was saying a lot. How was I supposed to make it through the rest of dinner while seeing his smug face?

“You made quite the spectacle of yourself.”

I had an idea of who was talking before I looked up to see Carissa walking through the door.

Great, now I have this bitch to deal with.

“Did you come to check out the competition?”

“You think you’re competition?” Her mouth twisted in a mocking frown. “Bless your heart.”

She did not just say that.

“You are not competition honey.” I couldn’t help but cock a brow at the way she rolled her eyes over me. “You’re a passing fling that Gio will get bored of.”

Alright, I guess we were doing this. “If I’m a passing fling, and he’s going to marry me, then what were you? Oh, wait, you’re the whore who’s cheating on her husband. Does he know about your little obsession.”

“How dare you.” She scoffed, all insulted. “I am not obsessed.”

“I think you are.” Did she not understand the definition of obsession? Because I was pretty sure eye fucking another man while sitting next to your husband classified as obsessed.

“Who do you think you are?” She took a few forceful steps closer. “You’re just a little girl pretending to be a woman.”

“And Gio is a little boy pretending to be a man.” She’d have to come up with something better than that.

“You don’t know anything about him.”

“And you do?” I shot back.

I’m sure she knew how well-endowed he was, which for some reason pissed me off, but she was highly overestimating their relationship.

“Of course I do.” She slapped her hand on her chest and said, “I, am the woman he’s loved for four years.”

Hold on. Did she just say four years? Gio was only eighteen.

“You started sleeping with him when he was fourteen?”

This sick bitch.

“So what?” Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I made him a man.”

“No, there’s a word for that. It’s called grooming.”

No wonder Gio didn’t want Darry to know. How do you tell someone their mother’s a pedophile? Was that why Gio was the way that he was? Did she fuck him up?

“You’ll never understand our love.”

Well, she got that right.

“Gio is mine.” She jabbed her finger into my chest. “And I’ll be damned if I let a piece of trailer trash like you take him away.”

I looked down at her finger then smiled up at her. “You’re right, I am trailer trash.”

That’s when my trailer trash fist slammed right into her pretty little face.