Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2071116.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Fandom:
      Shameless_(US)
  Relationship:
      Ian_Gallagher/Mickey_Milkovich, Ian_Gallagher_&_Mickey_Milkovich, Mandy
      Milkovich/Mickey_Milkovich
  Character:
      Ian_Gallagher, Mickey_Milkovich, Mandy_Milkovich
  Additional Tags:
      Song_fic, i_guess, A.U.gust, safe_sex, Explicit_Sexual_Content, boom_-
      Freeform
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-08-03 Words: 6625
****** Crazy in Love ******
by merrabeth
Summary
     anonymous said:
     Prompt for youuuuu- i love your writing so i thought you would be the
     perfect one to do this.... but i was wondering if you could write a
     Fic related to the song 'Crazy in love' not the beyonce one,the one
     from fifty shades of grey trailer? i'm such a tricky basturd
Notes
     If you've yet to watch the trailer, I'd suggest doing so because that
     version of the song is just incredible and I'm like waiting for the
     full version to come out and yes. Goodness.
See the end of the work for more notes
Mandy was proud, to say the least, about many things. For starters, she sat now
in an office behind her desk, looking at her boss give an announcement for a
fancy party his brother was throwing- black tie event, he said.
Yes, she’d done it. She’d escaped the south side. Her second proudest moment
rivaled between Mickey tagging along with her and her getting a well paying job
at the Harold Washington Library as the secretary of the Deputy Commissioner.
As he spoke, ruffling his red hair, she was going to go with the second, for
now. Her boss, Ian Gallagher, was quite charismatic. She was sure if she’d met
him before she left the south side, they’d be best friends. They were pretty
close to that already, as close as a boss and secretary could be. And she
wasn’t going to deny that he was surprisingly attractive for a ginger. You’d
have to be fairly close to see the faint freckles that must have faded over
time. And his hair was a fiery orange, great to compliment his hazel eyes
(though she swore, from afar, they were green). And she was sure she didn’t
have a type, but she wasn’t opposed to lean, muscular guys like him.
It must have been a family trait, she soon realized, when she met Ian’s
brother, Lip- the Head Commissioner. He was a sandy blond with blue eyes that
stood out against his slightly tanned skin. And though he wasn’t as fit, it
seemed he could have his way with her…if only he wasn’t already dating someone.
“Hey, Mands,” Ian brought Mandy from her thoughts to find he’d made his way
over from his office, where he’d been standing and making his announcement, to
her cubicle. He leaned against the opening with his fists in his pockets.
“Uh, hey, Ian.” It was always surprising how laid back everyone was here. Sure,
it was only the head library for the city of Chicago, but the professionalism
seemed to bypass the amount of tattoos a person had, or, in Mandy’s case, the
nose ring she had. And she felt kind of embarrassed to believe that she’d been
expected to call everyone by their last name- as if that’s what grown-ups did
in middle class. “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go that dinner Lip’s throwing.” His voice was
calm along with his composure.
“I’m not sure I have anything fancy enough for something like that, actually.”
She looked down to her current attire- a black skirt of questionable length and
¾ length sleeve shirt with various splatters of colors- and looked back to him
as if to say “exhibit A”.
Ian laughed and raised his eyebrows as if to say “good point”. “You’ve been
working here, what, six months. And you haven’t went shopping to buy yourself
something nice?”
She shrugged. “Never had to- until now, I guess.”
She watched as Ian reflected her gesture. “Well, it’s on Saturday…maybe you
could find something before then.” His voice held a great amount of hope, like
he wanted her to go. It was enough to make her smile and laugh.
“Yeah. Ok, sure. You gonna be my escort, then?”
“I’d be glad to.”
For some reason, that sense of pride came back.
===============================================================================
 
Mickey was done with the whole thing before it started. He came home from work,
parked himself on his couch and took a long breath of relief as the tension
from the day’s work at the roofer company he’d been lucky to get hired to. But
he wasn’t enjoying his blissful silence for two minutes before his phone
vibrated in his pocket. He contemplated letting it ring until whoever it was
hung up, but he knew many people didn’t talk to him voluntarily, so it must’ve
been his sister. Lo and behold, when he checked the caller ID, it read Mandy’s
name.
“What?!” he yelled into the phone.
“I don’t have time for your shit, assface. I need your help.” Though her words
were urgent, her voice was calm.
“With what?” he asked, taking things down a notch. He was still irritated.
“I need you to come shopping with me for the-“
“No!” he interrupted sternly. “Fuck no!” Where did she get off, asking him to
do something like that? “I’m gay but I’m not a fuckin’ flamer.”
“Doesn’t matter; you’re a good judge whether you like it or not.” It was silent
as she paused. “And besides, I don’t have anyone else to help me.”
“Aren’t there bitches at stores that help you with that kinda shit?” He could
feel himself failing already.
“They’ll lie to their dead grandmother if I buy shit. You know that.” He could
hear her make some odd noises before she whined clearly. “Please, Mickey? This
is important.”
He rolled his eyes, completely defeated. “Fuck, fine. Fine!” He sighed. “What
is this for, anyways, and why isn’t your current collection good enough.”
“My boss’s brother is having a black tie dinner event shit thing. I need a
fancy dress.”
He examined the phone as if it was Mandy herself in the flesh before he brought
it back to his ear. “Since when did you want t’ go to shit like that?”
“Since my boss insist that I go. He’s going to escort me.”
“You’re not fuckin’ him, are you?” He heard the small gasp on her end.
“No! Fuck, Mickey. Can’t a guy be nice to me, for fuck’s sake?” She paused
again, and he just knew she was contemplating it. “But I wouldn’t mind climbin’
him like tree.”
He cringed, berating himself for not cutting her off when he could. “Good to
know. I’m gonna go now.” 
===============================================================================
Mickey began to regret his decision the minute they walked into the Macy’s in
downtown Chicago, blocks away from her job. It wasn’t so much the store
selections that had him folding inwards, though going into the massive
department store with marble floors and pillars that had to cost more than his
current apartment was a bit off-putting. Maybe it was the rooms where he’d sit,
the rooms so clean they made him seem dirty. Or the ladies that worked there,
handing her dresses and trying to make conversation as they waited for Mandy to
exit stage-left with various gowns on. Maybe it was because he never knew what
true kindness was that set him off. They’d ask questions, like, is she your
girlfriend (which, around the fourth store, he started replying with, “Yeah, I
mail-ordered a chick that looks like me to bang” and roll his eyes as they’d
understand his sarcasm and give a small laugh) or if he needed to find
something as well as they eyed him up and down, their eyes lingering on his
knuckle tattoos. By the time they were done at each store, he was exhausted.
Saturday couldn’t come around soon enough. Both could agree with that
statement. Mandy had actually been just as tired (she secretly felt she had
more to complain about since it took her so long to find the right dress).
Mickey sat on her couch and watched the television as she got ready. They’d
bought this condo together, when they first left. It was in the Near North
neighborhood, close to a questionable part of town, which is why they were able
to afford it (the realtor had informed them the neighborhood was “renovating”).
But after a year of working with the roofing company, Mickey was out, buying
his own place (the apartment was down the street, but neither mentioned it). He
spent many a-weekends there, however, when he wasn’t going to the club with her
or some random co-worker that felt like putting an effort in befriending him.
He sat on her couch, once again, completely engrossed in the re-run of Law &
Order when he heard the familiar buzz.
“Shit!” Mandy hissed as she ran from her room clad in only her bra and
underwear. She peeked out her window and ducked back in. “He’s here early! I
haven’t even gotten dressed yet!”
“Clearly,” Mickey scoffed, bringing his bottle of beer to his lips.
She glared him down as she ran back to her room. The bell buzzed again before
she called to Mickey. “Let him up.”
With an over exaggerated groan, he got up and went to the speaker. “She says
you’re early,” he blared into the speaker.
“Let him up, asshole!” she yelled.
With a sigh, he leaned against the button labeled “door”. With a number of
seconds- which was surprising since they were on the 4th floor- there was a
knock at the door. When he opened the door, he felt himself perk up a bit. He
wasn’t sure if it was obvious to the gorgeous man in front of him, but he’s
sure if he stayed there, it would be.
Mickey watched his lips curl up into a smile. “Uh…” the red head stammered,
“Does Mandy Milkovich live here?”
“Nah,” Mickey stated, as if he wasn’t in a daze a moment before. “Not anymore.
I killed her about ten seconds ago.”
His heart fluttered to the beat and sound of his laugh as he looked down as he
checked himself. Mickey could reassure the beautiful man if he had any doubts
if he looked fine- because he looked hot. The black tux he wore did well to
outline the muscles underneath. Mickey never thought he’d fantasize about a
ginger James Bond type, but in that moment he was fighting back the urge to
grab hold of his black tie and drag him in.
“I’m Ian,” he introduced. “I’m Mandy’s boss; I told her I’d escort her to the
dinner.”
Mickey nodded before finally stepping back, gesturing for Ian to enter. As the
tall ginger walked through the door, Mickey made light of the new position to
check Ian out fully. The guy was lean naturally, Mickey guessed, given the
build and muscles he had regardless. He snapped his eyes up in time when Ian
turned back.
“Your name?”
“Mickey. I’m her brother.” When Ian nodded, he signaled for Ian to take a seat
on the couch. He did so, and Mickey wondered how the sight of him unbuttoning
his jacket could look so sexy. There was a miniscule part of him that hoped he
wouldn’t stop with just unbuttoning the jacket. “So, you work at a,
uh…library?” Mickey asked, completely unconvinced that this god could be
working in something so common.
“Yeah, uh, I’m Deputy Commissioner.”
“Ah, so you shelve the important books then?” He smiled when he heard that
beautiful sound again. When Ian looked around, then back to where Mandy’s room
must be, his heart stopped for a second. “You…you don’t plan to, uh…” for some
reason, he couldn’t get the words ‘fuck her’ out, maybe because it would be too
painful to imagine.
But Ian understood where Mickey was going. “Oh, no. It’s strictly a plutonic
relationship followed by friendly company.” Though Ian’s words seemed genuine,
Mickey eyed him suspiciously. “I wonder why she didn’t offer to invite you,” he
said, changing the subject. “I mean, I’m sure I made it clear anyone was
invited.”
Mickey chewed at his bottom lip. “Well, she’s nervous as it is. Besides, I
don’t think I’d last long around those pretentious fucks- no offense,” he
quickly added as Ian smiled understandingly. “But, c’mon, man. Look at me.”
And then it happened. Ian’s eyes roamed, openly and blatantly scanning over the
length of Mickey’s body, as he licked his lip before taking in a deep breath.
“Trust me,” his voice had dropped an octave. When those hazel eyes found their
way back to Mickey’s he smiled. “I am.”
Holy fucking shit, Mickey thought to himself as he drew in a shaky breath. He
forced himself to look away, looking back at the television.
The clack of heels on the hardwood floor stirred them both. Then came the
excited shrill of Mandy’s voice. “Ok, I’m ready.”
Mickey stood the same time Ian did and turned to face Mandy. “Woah,” they
uttered simultaneously.
Mickey knew they’d made a good choice going with one-strap gown. It hugged her
torso and made a long flow-y skirt that shimmered a bit. She’d retired the nose
ring for the night but wore rhinestone earrings to match the gem on her waist.
Half of her hair was pinned up and the rest fell like black subtle waves down
her back.
“You look incredible,” Ian complimented. “Am I allowed to say that?” Mandy
grinned.
“How should I know? I skipped the sexual harassment seminar-probably shouldn’t
have told you that.” He walked over and gave her a hug. “You’re lookin’ pretty
hot yourself,” she complimented back.
He laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was covered in the seminar.”  He took a
step back for another look. “And it seems like you had no trouble finding a
dress.”
“Yeah. Mickey helped me,” she nodded to her brother who’d taken a stance of
protection with his arms crossed over her chest, though something in him
questioned which one he was protecting. “He’s a pretty decent judge of
character.”
Ian bit at his bottom lip as he smiled. “What do you think of me, so far?”
Mickey eyed him, unsure of his actions but did his best to seem confident. “I’d
have to do a further inspection.” There was only so far he could teeter before
Mandy figured it out.
“We should be leaving,” Mandy suggested. Ian nodded in agreement and allowed
her to drag him towards the door. “Don’t fuck with my shit, Mickey. I swear to
God,” she threatened over her shoulder.
Ian turned back at the door, a smile Mickey was sure was supposed to be
seductive (spoiler: it worked). “It was nice meeting you.”
Mickey nodded and sunk back into the couch when the door closed. “Holy shit,”
he muttered under his breath.
===============================================================================
 
“Are you man- hunting tonight?” Mandy asked, stretched out over her brother’s
lap. “That’s , like, the third time this week. When did your sex drive kick
in?”
Since your boss came struttin’ in here with his stupid muscles and sexy smiles
and stupid eyes. Fuck him. Can I? Can he fuck me? Fuck. Mickey shrugged. “I
dunno. I’m man-strating.” It was the Friday after Ian had came over with his
tux. Since then, Mickey’s had a growing number of fantasies featuring Ian; he’s
sure he’s gotten off once or twice just to the thought of all that lied under
that suit- that’s when he turned into a sex-crazed teenage boy all over again.
Twice this week so far he’s been at his favorite gay bar, picking up a quick
fuck just to get his mind off the ginger man he actually wanted. But he wasn’t
sure how long he could keep this up. There was something that scared him about
doing this, like maybe he’d forget about ever wanting Ian.
“Well, you can count me out of your horn-fest,” Mandy said. “There’s a strange
amount of straight dudes at gay bars.”
“Wasn’t gonna ask you to come anyways, bitch,” Mickey mumbled, loud enough for
Mandy to hear. In response, she swung her arm to smack him in the face.
“Douchebag,” she mumbled back before she sat up.
“Have fun eating dick!” she called as he closed the door. He rolled his eyes as
her cackles were muffled.
There were many benefits to their new location. One that Mickey appreciated at
the moment was how close to Boystown they were. His favorite club was artfully
called “The Closet” (and, admittedly, that was the only one he really knew
about). It was Gay and Lesbian bar, which suited Mickey enough since he never
stayed long enough to see drunk Lesbos make out or anything of the sort.
He was greeted with the same atmosphere: people laughing, dancing, drinking,
having fun and enjoying the high of being free. That’s what had drawn Mickey to
this place- the freedom. Before he’d even come out, he’d venture over here a
few times, but not nearly as often as he did once he moved out and trudged
along with Mandy. He gave a small smile, taking an empty seat at the bar and
glanced around before ordering a beer. The music blared, but it wasn’t
obnoxious to the point where his bones rattled to the beat of the bass. And
there were men with suits, probably coming by after a day at the office or
whatever. He always came appropriately dressed, but sometimes- even with the
sense of freedom- he felt this was the place where he didn’t belong.
“Mickey Milkovich,” he heard a voice call to him. It was fairly close, but when
he turned around in his stool, he wasn’t expecting to get an eye full of the
red head so quickly.
“Hey,” Mickey answered, checking out Ian and his choice of attire on this
Friday night. He wore a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to
the elbow, neatly tucked into dark wash jeans all ending with black sneakers.
With a smirk, he teased, “What, is it casual Friday?”
Ian shrugged, closing in to lean against the bar next to where Mickey sat. He
was the closest Mickey’s sure he’s ever been. “Not all of us get the luxury of
going home before we can have fun.”
Mickey squinted his eyes, a smile threatening to splay on his lips. “You don’t
even know what I do.”
“I could guess.” He paused as his eyes studied his arms. “Probably some type of
manual labor.”
Mickey nodded. “I’m good with my hands.” It wasn’t intentional, but he played
off the double meaning in his words; and Ian seemed to notice, as well. “You’re
gay,” he stated with no hint in uncertainty.
“What, is it not obvious?”
“Does Mandy know?” He watched Ian took in a deep breath and slid a bit closer;
Mickey’s breath bitched.
“I believe the saying goes, ‘What they don’t know, won’t hurt ‘em’, right?” The
way Ian’s eyes lingered on Mickey’s lip made it obvious that Ian wasn’t looking
to talk about anything but them at this moment. “Here’s the thing, Mick,” Ian
sighed and stood a bit straighter. “After last Saturday, to put it frankly,
you’re all I can think about.” His eyes bore into Mickey’s, searching for
something; Mickey wasn’t sure what, though.
Fuck, me too,Mickey wanted to say. But even Ian couldn’t get him to sound that
needy. “So, what are you gonna do about it?” By now, the roar of the music was
dull, like a humming sound in his ears; he was suddenly aware of the lights
that flashed around them, they way they played with the red head’s features
when they passed over his face.
“We could start by gettin’ outta here.” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for
Mickey’s response.
Mickey nodded hastily, not having time to care for the amount of bitchiness
that made him feel because he was smiling like he’d won some grand prize.
Mickey didn’t have rules he set for himself, but they were things he did on his
own protocol. And he was breaking all those protocols with Ian. One, he usually
hooked up with guys in the bathroom or in the alley in the dark of the night.
But here he was, in Ian’s Crysler for fuck’s sake heading to his fucking place
god dammit. He watched the city lights flash by as they inched closer and
closer. His heart raced, and he found himself fidgeting just to make noise over
the sound of his racing heart. He found Ian’s work ID in one of the cup holders
and he picked it up, curious to know more about his sister’s boss.
“Ian Gallagher,” Mickey read off. He knew he could get used to saying that
name: Gallagher. And from the ID he found he was a year older, yet he seemed to
have his life in order more than Mickey did at the age of 25-
What the fuck was he doing? Why was he in his car? Why was he on his way to
Ian’s house to fuck? What in the actual fuck was he doing? None of these
questions helped to soothe his heart. He continued to look outside at the
unfamiliar scenery: Lincoln Park. Of course this guy would be by the Gold
Coast…actually it wasn’t that far off from where he and Mandy currently lived,
but still, Mickey could picture his home now.
He glanced over. “Why do you look so fuckin’ smug?”
“There’s a difference between smug and confident.” He gave Mickey a “confident”
smile before turning back to the road.
“Enlighten me.” The talking helped; it gave himself something to do.
“Well, I’m confident we’ll have fun tonight.” His voice was low and sultry, and
Mickey gave a quick thought as to how much longer the ride was.
Ian parked in front of a building that shined bright from the lights in the
lobby. The lobby was absolutely huge compared to anything Mickey’s ever seen.
He scanned the place in awe as Ian lead the way to the elevators. Once they
were on, a freckled finger pressed the button with the number 10 and it lit up
red before the doors closed. Given the size of the elevator, it felt stuffy,
and Mickey swore he could suffocate on the amount of sexual attraction between
them. He tried to match his breathing with Ian’s but felt his breath was shaky.
It seemed like eternity and a half before the slight ding indicated they’re
made it to Ian’s floor.
The hall was long, and it looked similarly to a hotel rather than a place that
people lived on a regular basis. When Ian opened the door, Mickey followed. He
didn’t bother to turn the switch on as he turned around, promptly pinning his
body to the smaller man’s as the door slammed shut. His lips were dangerously
close. By instinct, Mickey uttered, “Don’t” as he felt the breath of Ian’s lips
on his. But as Ian began to back away, Mickey grabbed hold of him, pulling him
in and pressing their lips together with an amount of urgency he didn’t even
know he possessed.
It was like something switched off in both of them as the red head was quick to
gain the power. He grabbed Mickey’s wrist and pinned them to the door above his
head as he deepened the kiss, pulling out a struggled groan out of the dark
haired boy. Mickey bucked up against Ian as he grew harder; Ian met his
attempts at contact by grinding down hard. Mickey acquiesced for only so long
before the need to be naked pushed him forward. He tried to free his hands from
Ian’s grasp but he would let up.
Ian was insistent to take things slow, it seemed. He continued to kiss and lick
and bite at the older man’s mouth as he slid his hands down the length of those
arms until they met his chest. He popped open each button of his black shirt,
one by one until it was finally open. He slid his hands around the boy’s waist,
and Mickey could feel his skin burn beneath his touch and arched towards it,
wanting more. They continued their dance with each other’s tongue as Ian pulled
him off the door and led him blindly to a bed room. Once they were in, he
shoved hard, exerting an amount of force that knocked Mickey onto the bed
beneath him. He watched as Ian crawled onto the bed, his eyes clouded over with
lust and his eyes gone black.
Could you hurry the fuck up? Mickey wanted to growl, but his tongue was stuck
as Ian towered over him, pushing him down into the mattress and spreading his
legs. His lips traveled down his jaw, to his neck, and meeting to his ear,
biting the skin under- he was rewarded with a quiet moan from Mickey. The sound
made him twitch in his already unbearable tight jeans, so he ground down,
craving the contact their clothes were keeping them from. As he sucked on
Mickey’s neck, he worked off his shirt and molded their torsos together. Ian
groaned as he felt the smaller man clench his abdomen as their hips kept
moving. Fuck going slow.
Ian made a burning trail as he kissed down Mickey’s body. He watched as the red
haired man moved further and further down his body. They met eyes as Ian undid
Mickey’s pants. Mickey lifted his hips to help as Ian pulled them down and off,
his erection springing out of its bonds. It took no time then for Ian to wrap
his mouth around him, his tongue laving at the underside.
“Oh, fuck,”Mickey gasped and squeezed his eyes shut, the warmth and wetness of
Ian’s mouth practically sending him over the edge with one movement. He combed
his fingers through Ian’s hair, his tatted fingers getting lost in the fiery
strands, as he tried to calm himself down a bit. His skin burned all over as
Ian’s head bobbed up and down, and he was sure he never felt this good in so
long.
“Ian,” he choked out, and licked his dry lips and to say it again. His
movements were getting faster and Mickey’s grip on Ian’s head got tighter. He
didn’t want it to end here, but the coil in his stomach was tightening and he
was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop it.
Just at that moment, seconds away from blowing, Ian pulled off with a pop and
gripped down on the base. Mickey sighed out a shaky breath before opening his
eyes to see Ian was leaning over him again. Not bothering to take break eye
contact, he leaned over, feeling over his night stand and fumbling through the
drawer before he pulled something out and tossed it on the bed next to Mickey’s
head. Ian looked down between their bodies and rubbed at Mickey’s thigh,
motioning for him to open up. Mickey did so and Ian settled between them still
looking at Mickey. He held those blue eyes as if he was under a trance and
blindly lubed up his finger. The man beneath him gasped as he ghosted over his
hole, but it wasn’t until he breached Mickey’s entrance that the trance had
been broken. He slid all the way in. Once he was to the last knuckle, Mickey
closed his eyes and let his head fall back to the mattress.
Soon there were two fingers in, scissoring Mickey open. His arm flew to wrap
around Ian’s shoulder once he found his prostate. With an evil smile, Ian added
a third finger and aimed them all that bundle of nerves in the older man. It
was different watching Mickey inch towards the precipice from down his body, to
exactly over it. From this angle, Ian could enjoy the view as Mickey panted in
his face, his eyebrows furrowed and his teeth attacking his bottom lip as he
tried to stay quiet. He felt it first in the way his knees drew up and began to
tighten around his waist; then it was the breathing, how Mickey would intake a
breath, then intake another as if he was about to sneeze or go under water.
When Ian felt the tight heat of Mickey clench around his fingers, he pulled
out.
Mickey finally opened his eyes, dazed and a bit irritated.
“Hurry up,” he growled.
Ian’s chuckle sent a shudder through Mickey’s body. “What’s the rush?” he
asked, pressing their foreheads together before Mickey ran his fingers through
Ian’s hair and brought their lips together again. It didn’t take long for the
kiss to become breathless pants against each other, and Ian nodded. He back
away and kicked off his jeans, tossing them to the floor. Mickey licked his
lips as he looked at the body he fantasized about. He didn’t even look real,
straight from his muscled shoulders following down to his hard torso and
further down to his painfully erect cock. Fuck, it was better than Mickey had
fantasized of, and his breath hitched at the fact that he was able to see the
real thing.
“See somethin’ you like?” Ian asked playfully with an eyebrow raised.
Mickey sat up and kneeled before the taller man. He placed his hands at the
back of Ian’s neck, watching a moment before one hand traveled down the plain
of his body. The other hand pulled Ian forward as they kissed, something Mickey
was getting addicted to by the minute. The traveling hand found its way Ian’s
heavy erection. He swallowed every groan and hiss as he tugged at it. His pace
went faster as the kiss deepened and Ian dragged his teeth on Mickey’s full
bottom lip.
Without warning, Ian swatted Mickey’s hand away and grabbed the back of his
thighs to lay him down flat on the mattress again. He grabbed a condom that had
been placed next to the lube and tore it open. He rolled it on and squirted a
generous amount on the length. As he slickened his erection he asked, “Ready?”
“Fuck yeah.” He grabbed on to Ian’s shoulders as he bent over, looking to where
he was guiding his cock.
Ian stopped when the head was in, closing his eyes to help himself not implode
as Mickey clenched around him. Once he’d relaxed, he slid in, unstopping. When
he was buried in deep, he steadied himself on his knees and forearms resting on
either side of Mickey’s head.
Mickey grunted at being so full, and he, admittedly, needed a few seconds to
adjust to the pleasure and the burning sensation. He couldn’t even imagine how
this would have felt if he hadn’t fucked those two other guys earlier this
week. But the thought quickly fleeted when Ian pulled almost all the way out
before slamming home. Mickey’s jaw went slack though a sound didn’t come out.
He’d been minding his noises before, but he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to
control them now.
The pace started slow, agonizingly and teasingly slow. One of Mickey’s hands
felt its way down Ian’s strong back. He gripped at Ian’s hip, forcing him to
push back in quicker to meet his trust. After the silent command, Ian gave a
pretty hard thrust that knocked the breath out of Mickey.
“You can do better than that,” Mickey taunted, his words breathy and hoarse. He
lifted his legs to wrap around Ian’s waist and dig his heels into the small of
his back.
“Fuck,” Ian growled out before he gripped the headboard with one hand and
Mickey’s hip with the other. Mickey brought the hand on Ian’s hip to grip at
the hairs on the back of his neck. Checking his grip on the headboard, he
pulled out and slammed back in, starting a new rhythm.
Mickey laughed out as Ian jackhammered into him. But his laughs quickly turned
to whines and moans as he felt the familiar coiling in his stomach. It built
up, dragging along its merry way as to have been pushed off twice. He closed
his eyes tight enough to see stars as Ian angled his hips to thrust right at
his prostate.
“Oh fuck, oh shi- Ian! Shit!” His nails bit into the skin of his back as he
went faster. He let go of the rail and sat up, gripped at Mickey’s hips tightly
as he mercilessly pounded into him. He could feel his orgasm at the bottom of
his spine. This wouldn’t last much longer, so he went back down breathing in
each other’s air as he wrapped his fingers around Mickey’s leaking cock. His
tugs matched the speed of his hips and Mickey grabbed onto the headboard as he
arched his back, jaw slack with no noise to escape, shooting ropes of come as
his orgasm tumbled over.
Ian thrust through it, relishing in the feel of Mickey squeezing around his
dick. “Oh, fuck fuck, Mickey, fuck!” Ian exclaimed as he came then, shooting
his load into the condom.
Mickey looked down at where they were connected. He sighed in contentment as
his head fell back. Just a few more minutes and he could worry about everything
else. He felt Ian’s fingers caressing at his face and he met those green eyes.
They shared yet another kiss and he sighed again. Ok, maybe a few more minutes
after that…
Ian finally pulled out despite Mickey’s feeble audible noises of protest. He
let go of the unbreakable grip he’d had around Ian’s body and let the red head
roll over next to him. After tying up the condom and tossing it in the small
can he had next to his bed, he plucked a few tissues and handed them to Mickey
wordlessly. He wiped off the cum before it could dry, though he still felt the
need for a shower.
“That was…” Mickey trailed off, not finding a word good enough to describe it.
“Yeah,” Ian agreed. He turned onto his side to look at Mickey. “You alright?”
Mickey snorted. “S’ not the first time I had a dick up my ass, Gallagher.”
“No, I mean…the other thing.”
Mickey looked confused. What other thing was there? But then it donned on him
that Ian was talking about the whole ‘no/regret’ type of thing. “Oh. Nah, man.
I’m good…actually more than good,” he admitted a bit shyly.
Ian shrugged. “I just know how tough it can be for south sides.” He stared at
the sheets between them.
“How would you know?” Mickey tried to meet Ian’s eyes.
“I’ve spent some time over there- it’s not important.” He sighed, raising his
head then. “But that whole homophobia shit is everywhere, like, small minded
people can be rich, too, y’now?”
Mickey could tell Ian was hinting at something deep, and there were butterflies
in his stomach to think he was being so open and honest. The scary part is that
he should have been scared. Had he met Ian a few years earlier, things would be
so different; Mickey would be so different. He didn’t know how to respond, he
wanted to, though. But Ian perked up quickly.
“I think we should take a shower,” Ian suggested in a low voice. “And maybe
make out a bit until I can fuck you against the wall.” He raised his eyebrow
again like before, waiting for Mickey’s approval.
Mickey smiled and nodded as he got up, his legs still a bit shaky.
===============================================================================
 
Mickey awoke the next day to an arm around him and a body behind his back. His
vision cleared to make out the freckles and he smiled, knowing it was Ian that
was draped behind him. The clock on Ian’s nightstand read 12:20 pm. He’d
figured they’d end up sleeping in since they’d gone at it four times in a
single night. He sat up, making sure not to jostle Ian too much as got free. He
grabbed the first pair of boxers he could find on the floor (they were Ian’s)
and slipped them on. He walked out the room, met by a window angled perfectly
to get an incredible amount of sunlight in. He explored the areas he never got
to see the night before. Everything looked so elegant- nothing fancy or over
the stop (sure, some of the furniture in there could have been greatly priced,
but it didn’t lookthat way).
When he made his way back to Ian’s room, he took his opportunity to examine him
in the light of day. The freckles were easily recognizable, scattered on his
body opposed to his face. But, God, his face. Was he really 25? There was
something so innocent about him about the way his cheek bones were set to make
him look so young.
Mickey’s phone rang before he could continue. He scrambled to fish it out of
his pockets, but finally did. With an irritated tone, he answered.
“What?” He whispered harshly.
“You there, Mickey?” Mandy asked. “Where the fuck are you? You’re not at home.”
“Congratulations, your vision is 20/20,” he snapped, leaving the room and
closing the door.
“What’s up your ass? Or, better yet, don’t tell me. I’m guessin’ you got laid
last night.”
Four times, he fought the urge to reply. “Yeah, and?”
“You slept over the guy’s house?”
“Yeah.” It was silent.
“Should I leave then?” Mandy guessed.
“Oh, I would think so.”
“Fine , jerk-off. See ya later.”
He ended the called.
“That Mandy?”
The voice behind him made him jump. “Gallagher, you can’t sneak up on people
like that,” Mickey threatened with no real tenacity. He thought back to an
earlier issue. “Does she seriously not know you’re gay?”
Ian shook his head. “Never came up.” Like that was a great answer.
“Well, I think she’s under the impression that she has a shot with you.” A pang
of guilt struck through him. She’d be devastated to find out.
Ian laughed at that. “Nah, I’m not the Gallagher she wants.” At Mickey’s
confused expression, he explained. “My brother, Lip. Yeah, he’s the Head
Commissioner. Mandy’s totally got her eye set on him.”
Mickey only felt slightly comforted. He followed Ian into the kitchen. “Last
night was fun,” he started.
Ian smiled as he poured coffee beans into the paper. “Told you. I was confident
of it.”
Mickey rolled his eyes but smirked. “No, you’re still a smug little shit.”
“Is this the part where we make awkward conversation till the coffee’s done,
then I hand you a cup and send you on your merry way?” Mickey wasn’t sure if it
was the sound of disappointment that pained Mickey or the fact that he didn’t
want that to be the case. “’Cause I don’t wanna do that,” Ian concluded,
looking up at Mickey through his lashes.
Me neither, Mickey thought. It was a scary two words to say; just as scary as
“I’m gay”. But he plucked up some courage. “Me neither,” he said through a
shaky breath. With Ian, he’d gone against his traditional ways. It wasn’t
enough for him to be openly gay, to some extent, but somehow Ian’d managed to
drag him into a world where things are possible, like maybe Mickey could have a
relationship.
He sees Ian and can see, almost vividly, a world in which they met years
before; when Mickey was a survivalist beyond all other things; before the time
when he got sick of hiding and living a lie; before the time where he saw his
sister and thought “We can make it out of here” and actually doing so. He can
imagine the Ian that stands here right now as he would in that few years prior
pushing Mickey to his limits, managing to drag him to this point all over
again.
“So, I could make this coffee and we could sit and talk?” Ian’s voice sounded
so excited at the idea. “I’d like to get to know you, if that’s ok?” There he
goes again, waiting for Mickey’s approval. He smiles because he’d like to get
to know Ian and the reason for why he acts the way he does, or how he’s able to
say the right things as if he’s known Mickey his whole life and all his
struggles.
Lookin’ so crazy, your love’s got me lookin’
Got me lookin’ so crazy, your love
Mickey nodded, the hope in Ian’s eyes spreading through his body. “Ok.”
Uh-oh, uh-oh, uhoh, oh no no…
End Notes
     Good? Bad? lemme know
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their work!
The walls have ears.❞
Gigi's pressed her lips together in an unpleasent pouth, knowing that Lina was
right. She'd always had the habit of speaking without thinking in the
consequences of her words first, if the wrong person heard her, it could mean
war. That was the price of being born in a world of blood and crime, they
weren't free, they weren't safe, not even in her own home. Traitors were
everywhere.
❝I'm sorry, Rosie.❞ — Giullia says in an apologetic tone — ❝But  I just can't
get over the fact that pappa sold you like a horse to be ridden whenever
Luciano wants.❞
That made her blush instantly, but Lina didn't have time to reply. She heard
the door being pushed open and turned to see Filippo standing right behind her.
The girl sighs, it was obvious that the boy had heard them, and that only made
her cheeks blush even harder, as if it was possible.
 ❝So it's true.❞ — the boy states —❝Pappa sold you to Luciano.❞
❝He didn't sell me.❞ — Lina corrected her brother — ❝He just gave him my hand
in marriage.❞
❝It's basically the same.❞ — Gigi replied.
Filippo walked to her, slipped his hands around her waist and pressed his face
against her stomach, embracing her in a warm hug.
❝I don't want you to go.❞ — he whipers in a low and sad tone — ❝Please don't
go.❞
I wish I could, she thought to helself, but said nothing. She wanted to tell
him she would stay with them forever, that she would never leave, but she
couldn't lie to him.
❝Don't worry, Lippi, I'm not leaving this house anytime soon.❞
The boy smiled at her, his tiny hands falling from her waist, the sadness
desapering from his little face. That made Rosellina think of how much she
would miss his sweet innocent smile.
 ❝Come catch me Lina.❞ — he left the room running, in the process, he knocked
Giullia out of the bed, who fell on her butt on the floor. She growled, with
the brown locks falling down on her face.
      The youngest girl stood and ran after him. Lina let out a groan of
frustration, thinking that heir mother would certainly not be pleased, and
balancing herself over the high heeled shoes Teresa had forced her to wear and
followed them both. She decended the stairs as fast as she could, but Lippi was
still ahead, he was too fast. And so was Giullia, who defied Mrs. Castellini by
refusing to wear heels, putting on slippers instead. The boy entered
the corridor that led to the west side of the mansion, and she felt and urge to
tell him to stop, Alfonzo had probably already arrived, and his office was in
that part of the house. They would all be in serious trouble if they were
caught, their father insisted in his saying that Filippo was his heir,
therefore he should act like it, he should act like a man.
As the eldest daughter, her brother and sister were under her responsability,
but how could Lina make a boy act like a man? But either way, she had to try to
talk some sense into him or he would be punished for it later, so she prayed
that he would listen to her for at least once in his life. As soon as the door
Alfonzo's office went through her peripheral vision, she saw four men standing
leaving the room. Her heart beat quickened, she forced her feet to stop moving
and parted her lips to gasp for air. Gigi still managed to skid and stop, but
Lippi was not so lucky. Her baby brother collided with one of them, most people
would have been in the very least unbalanced with the amount of shock caused by
the speed, but the man didn't even move.
     She held her breath, Giullia swallowed hard, standing beside her. Lina
kept her gaze on her future husband. It was him, if had to be him. He held
Lippi with his hands, preventing him to fall, helping him stabilize. That made
her wonder how many people he had killed with those same hands which he was
holding her brother with.
❝Filippo.❞ — she called him, terror filling her voice — ❝Come over here.❞
Rosellina soon pulled herself together, trying to hide her terror. They all
turned their attencions towards her, including Charlie. His brown eyes examined
her from head to toe, lingering on the neckline of her pink gown. His hands
fell from Lippi's shoulders, and the boy walked up to his sisters. Despite the
truce between Brooklyn and New York, the alliance would be sealed with the
wedding, until then, they were still enemies. 
❝So you're Luciano.❞ — Gigi stated, looking at him in the same way he had
looked at her sister.
     Lippi wrinkled his nose in a sign of displeasure, then he growled angrily
and stepped foward.
❝Leave Lina alone! You can't have her.❞ — he threatened.
      The man standing next to Charlie slipped his left hand inside his jacket,
the outline of his gun was visible in the tissue. He was probably one of her
fiancée's bodyguard, although the girl failed to understand why he needed one.
❝No, Fiore.❞ — he said simply — ❝It's all rights.❞
     Rosellina shivered at the deep sound of his voice. Pushing her brother
behind her, she approached Steve, thinking carefully about her next move. The
engagement was a deal, an alliance that could be easily broken if Charlie did
not like her, and start the war all over again. She had to make him like her,
or else Alfonzo would be furious. Unfortunately, her siblings weren't making
things easier.
 ❝Lippi.❞ — she said softly — ❝These men are our guests in this house, and this
is not how we treat.❞
❝He's not a guest.❞ — Filippo talked back, staring angrily at Charlie — ❝He
wants to take you away, Lina.❞
❝Well this is what a call a reception.❞ — one of the men standing next to
Charlie Luciano joked. Lina found herself slightly shocked after realizing how
young he looked, probably not much older than herself.
❝Benny, please don't start.❞ — another one advised, he was not very tall and
that made him look more friendly, and less intimidating than the others.
❝The Castellinis ain't known for their hospitality.❞ — Charlie added, coldly.
Filippo hadn't calmed down, and comment only increased his anger. He ran
quickly to her fiancée and kicked him hard in the shin, the beak of his shoe
shocking against the bone. Even though he was strong, Lina was sure Charlie had
felt that. He frowned, trying not to lose his patience, but it was the girl who
lost it. She pushed the boy behind her again, Lippi gripped the hem of her
skirt firmly, his little fingers fightening around the fabric.
❝This is very good.❞ — the man, Benny as they called him, laughed loudly,
amused by the situation — ❝I'm glad AR asked me to come.❞
❝You mean he told youse to come.❞ — Charlie corrected him, without taking his
eyes from Lina.
But she didn't dare stare back, he was nothing she expected him to be, he
wasn't fat or bald. In fact he was somewhat handsome, or at least he had a
certain charm. However, Rosellina knew that cruelty would often hide behind a
pretty face, she skipped a heartbeat at the simple thought of so. His analyzing
and calculating look on her body made her shiver slightly. Charlie made her
look like a little girl, even tough he was only a few years older than her.
❝I apologize.❞ — she gathered all the strength she had in herself to make her
voice sound calm — ❝My brother didn't mean to be disrespectful.❞
❝Lippi shouldn't be forced to apologize to them. ❞ — Gigi spoke, and even after
earning a piercing gaze from her sister, she continued — ❝This is our house, it
not our fault that they're standing on our hallway.❞
❝Giullia!❞ — Lina's voice echoed through the hall — ❝Take Lippi upstairs, now.❞
She grabbed Filippo's hand and dragged him with her. That made the girl think
that her first meeting with her future husband couldn't have been worse.
Turning back to Charlie and men, she looked at them. The others were smiling,
but the man kept his face as still as stone, not showing any emotions.
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, when she realized she was alone with the
four of them, so she decided to be as polite as possible, not to anger her
fiancée.
❝I apologize for the scene again, they were just ...❞ — she struggled to find a
word that wouldn't sound rude.
❝Protecting you.❞ — he added and Lina nodded — ❝ These are my partners, Meyer
Lansky, Benny Siegel and my bodyguard Fiore_Borghini.❞
They two first smiled at her, and politely, she  returned the kind gesture. She
was relieved that none of them had dared approach her. Given the presentations,
it's time to go, she thinks to herself.
❝I must go now, I'm sorry again.❞ — Lina took one last look at Charlie before
leaving.
She turned around and walked away like a true lady, even her mother would have
been proud of her. From behind, Charlie still stood there, staring at her.
Chapter End Notes
     plus cher¹ — dearest
***** Flowers & Beasts *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                        
(  NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK CITY, 1919  )
 
 
     Later that night, Rosellina stood in front of the mirror, watching the
reflection of her mother fixing her gown for the millionth time, it was not the
one she had chosen for the occasion in Atlantic City. And of course it had been
Alfonzo's idea. If it was up to her, she'd wear something a bit more decent, or
at least less revealing. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't feel
comfortable in that gown, she hated it, she hated the fact that it looked
perfect on her. To make things worst her breasts filled totally the neckline.
and the tissue molded around the curves of her body. Lina felt strange just by
looking at herself in the mirror.
❝I can't wear this, mamma.❞ — the girl whispered, with her cheeks flushed red
— ❝It makes me look like a whore.❞
❝Don't be ridiculous, cara mia¹.❞ — Teresa replied, faking a smile — ❝Whores
can't pay for a dress as expensive as this one.❞
     The woman wore a simple, but elegant dark blue gown, it was a little above
the knees, but the stockings looked respectable. That made Lina wish she could
wear something like it, but she couldn't. It had been hed father's orders and
as always, she would obey him.
❝You look like a grown woman, a very beautiful one.❞ — her mother spoke again,
proudfully — ❝I'm sure your fiancé will be quite pleased.❞
     Lina doubted that very much, Charlie had been with many attractive and
experienced women, and she was just a little girl, counting only seventeen
years old. Truth be told, the dress seemed more like Alfonzo's obvious and
desperate attempt to make her more desirable for her future husband. The
thought of so made her blush and lower her eyes.
❝Keep your head up.❞ — her mother stroked her brown hair that fell loose above
her shoulders — ❝Arnold Rothstein called you the greatest beauty of Brooklyn,
you must do justice to that. You have to show them that you are the most
beautiful woman of the entire state of New York, after all Charlie knows almost
all of them.❞
❝Mamma, please.❞ — her tone was pleading.
❝You have too do it.❞ — Teresa replied sadly — ❝Don't worry, it will only be
for a few hours. Your father will introduce you to Charlie and and then we'll
all head to the dining room.❞
     She'd already told the girl the same thing a dozen times. For a moment
Lina felt an urge take her mother's hand and ask for the woman to go with her,
but she had to do it alone. When she stood in front of the living room, the
girl felt as if her heart could stop at any moment. To make the process harder
than it was, Giullia wasn't there. That was the room her father used for his
meeting with his associates and other members of the mafia, women weren't
allowed in there. Alfonzo had only made an expection for his daughter, because
he wanted to parade her around. Standing in front of the dark wooden door, for
a moment, she seriously considered to fleeing from there. The room was filled
with the most powerful and dangerous men in the state, and she was to stand
there among them. A lonely little lamb surrounded by wild wolves. Lina shooked
her head, she couldn't act like that, she couldn't behave like a child, she
couldn't show them fear. She opened the door and slipped inside, without the
courage to face anyone, after sighing heavily, she raised her head, — as her
mother had instructed her —, and confronted them all. The laughter ceased
immediately, nervousness took hold of her. Her father was looking at her with
the most satisfied expression she had ever seen in his face , but it was
Charlie's stare upon her body that truly scared Lina. She swallowed hard, the
girl was not used to receiving that much attention. She scanned the faces
around.
     Besides Charlie and his entourage, there was Mr. Rothstein, and every male
member of her family. Even her mother's favorite nephew, her cousin Dante
Venetti, — to whom Lina held no particular sympathy. Danny, as they called him,
was the most selfish, vicious and cruel person she knew. For some reason, her
father had considered him as a husband for her, before he choose Charlie. Dante
had been the first one to congradulate her when Alfonzo announced the
engagement, pressing a kiss in her cheek and smiling at her wickedly and if he
silently said that she deserved to be married to a man as brute and
bloodthirsty as Charlie Luciano. As a child, she'd always be forced to play
with him because no one else would, and everytime Rose did it, she would go
back home with a bruise or a bleeding cut. But now that they were no longer
children, she could notice that Dante looked at her diffently. Like a man
looked at a woman, that sent shivers down her spine.
     Lippi was also there, who was wearing a black suit like all the others.
His sister could see that he wanted to go to me and give her some comfort, but
they both knew their father wouldn't let him. Alfonzo Castellini turned to her
and put his hand on her back, taking her to the center of the place, making her
go through the shame of being exposed in front of all of them.
❝This is my daughter, Rosellina.❞ — Alfonzo introduced her to them, his chest
swollen with pride.
     Her own father introduced her to her fiancé as a salesman presented his
best merchandise to a customer. Lina knew that in their world, a marriage was
an alliance taken very seriously, and there were no way out of it for her. She
reminded herself that a mobster's wife was not quite different from a
prostitute. Their main function was to warm the bed of a man at night, the only
difference being the fact that wives were forced the bear them heirs and they
didn't get payed for their services. Charlie continued to stare at Lina as if
it was the first time he saw her. Thank God, apparently he hadn't mentioned
their disastrous encounter earlier that day.
❝Well, I did not exaggerate, did I?❞ — her father asked, after a moment of
silence.
     That only increased her shame, the way Dante eyed her was disgusting and
repulsive. With only eighteen and he had been introduced to the business
recently, and that only made him worst than he already was. Impossible to get
along with.
❝No, you didn't exaggerate.❞ — Charlie replied in a monotomus tone, but it
seemed to be enough to please her father.
     Soon after, Lina felt a small hand tightening firmly around hers, she
looked down and saw Lippi beside her, his face twisted in a bored expression.
No one had noticed that, only her fiancé who watched her silently. Their eyes
met for a second, before he turned away. She found herself intimidated by his
deep dark eyes. His gaze was cold and calculating expression was uninterested,
that ridiculous dress hadn't been enough to arouse him. A strange feeling of
disappointment took over her, but she quickly swept it away, thinking that she
should be grateful for it. That only proved that he saw her a little girl, and
not was a grown woman.
❝Maybe we should leave them alone for a few minutes.❞ — Arnold Rothstein said.
      Rosellina looked at the man, barely taking time to hide her shock and
fear. Lucky certainly noticed, but he didn't seem to care. He knew she feared
being alone with him.
❝Right, let's give them some privacy❞ — her father agreed.
     Mr. Rothstein gave Charlie a suggestive look, before heading out. Lina
didn't understand what that meant, and she felt it was better so. All men left
the room, leaving only her, Charlie and Lippi.
❝Filippo!❞ — their father's sharp voice echoed through the place — ❝Get out of
there, now!❞
     The boy looked at his sister and reluctantly released her hand and left,
but not before casting her fiancé a look too hateful for a child of his young
age. The heavy door closed behind them, the two of them were completely alone
for the first time. God, Lina had to control herself, her heart beated so fast
that she feared he would hear it. The man looked outside the window, ignoring
her presence in the room.
 ❝Did youse choose to wear this dress?❞ — she jumped slightly at the sudden
sound of his voice, it was deep, dangerous and somewhat very enticing to her
ears.
❝My father choose it.❞ — Charlie's jaw tensed at her answer to his question,
and he took a deep breath.
      She couldn't tell what he was thinking, and that made her more fearful.
He put his hand inside his coat and took out a small black velvet box. That was
the moment many women dreamed of their entire lives, but she felt nothing when
Charlie opened the box and took out an engagement ring. Lina couldn't avoid
frowning, the stone in the center was not the traditional diamond, but an
emerald that matched the color of her eyes. She wondered if he had choosed it
himself. The embarrassment between them melted in the moment he reached out for
her hand, and she realized it was the first time they touched. His fingers
bushed her skin in a gentle way, so delicately that Lina suspected he was
afraid the little girl would break if he was too rough on her. Charlie slipped
the ring on her right finger. The emerald contrasted with her sun-kissed skin,
it was beautiful yes, but it was nothing more than a proof of her fiancé's hold
over her.
❝Thank you.❞ — she whispered, looking directly into his eyes.
     Charlie's face remainded impassive but she couldn't say the same for his
eyes. They glowed in fury, that made her legs tremble with fear. Was it her
fault? Had she said something that made him angry? Was the alliance to be
broken? If that was the case, he wouldn't have put the ring on her finger.
Luciano offered her his arm, and Rosellina accepted it politely. Together, they
left the room and headed towards the dining room, where everyone waited for
them.
     She separated from him and walked quickly to Teresa and Giullia. Her
sister stared at the wedding ring with an annoyed look in her eyes.
Her expression was twisted in disgust, and it seemed that she was about to drop
an inconvinient comment about it in front of all the guests, but luckily, she
managed to control herself.
 ❝It's done.❞ — Gigi says bitterly, but in a low tone — ❝Now there's no going
back.❞
     Lina was about to reply when the employees served their dishes.
Gigi picked up her fork and started eating. The girl intended to say something,
but what could she possible say to her? Giullia had spoke the truth. She was
now officially engaged to Charlie Luciano, and in one year, she would be
married to him. The countdown had begun.
 
 
 
===============================================================================
 
 
 
     After dinner, the men went into the lounge to drink, smoke, and talk
business, while the women retired to the their rooms. If she could, Lina would
have ran to her room the minute they finished eating dessert, but her father's
look made it clear that if she did that, she would have to pay for it later.
She was the bride, the center of all the attention, therefore she had the
obligation of keeping her fiancé and his friends company. During dinner, while
pretending to be interested in a conversation with Dante's young wife Vanessa,
Rosellina was struck with the strange feeling of being observed by someone. She
turned discreetly and saw Charlie with his dark eyes on her, like a predator
marking his prey. Although she was desperately afraid of it, she coulen't help
but to noticed that his gaze was filled with malice, he looked at her in the
same way Dante did, the way older men eyes looked at women. Expect there was
something else glowing in his eyes, anger and hatred. The second emotion seemed
to increase as he looked away from her and turned to Alfonzo. After this, he
got caught up in a conversation with Al Capone, one of his business partners, a
mobster from Chicago. Lina sighed quietly, she had just discovered that her
future husband hated her father and would consequently, he hated her as well.
Now she was sure that her marriage would be a living hell, Pappa couldn't have
chosen a better suitor, she thought to herself. She felt exhausted, all she
wanted was her soft bed and warm covers, although Lina doubted she would sleep
much that. Luciano's hateful eyes and the thought of what he could do to her
were sure to haunt the girl for the rest of the evening. 
     She crossed the hallway and climbed the stairs, opened the door of her
room and hurried inside, taking off the gold bracelet and the pearl earrings.
She honestly didn't understand why her mother had made wear all that jewelry,
the dress and the ring would have been enough for her. Lina lowered her gaze to
the engagement ring on her finger, her parents would have a temper tantrum if
they found out she had a shower while wearing it, but the girl didn't really
care. She got rid of her golden heels and removed her clothes, before slipping
under the falling water and trying to relax. It didn't work her muscles were
tense, her mind was agitated. She was still trying to digest everything that
had happened in that damned dinner. Her fiancé had stared at her the whole
night, but when time came to say goodbye and leave, Charlie had barely looked
at her. That made her more confused than ever. Lina put on her nightgown and
laid in bed, in hopes of having a peaceful night of sleep. However, the moment
she placed her head on the pillow, reality struck her once more,the fact that
she was to marry a criminal and a bloodthirsty murderer, the loss of freedom,
her own mother's submission to all of that, the pressure of the marriage.
She put her hands on her forehead and took a deep breath trying to calm down.
She felt so disposable, a pawn in her father's games, but she would not weep
over it, she would not be week. She forbade herself from crying. Lina rolled
over in bed once again, she'd been laying there for a while already, by her
accounts, almost 40 minutes. Which meant it was past midnight, but she still
couldn't sleep, fearing how much her life would change once she married him.
The girl sighed heavily, thinking it would be a long sleepless night. She threw
on her robe and tiptoed her way out of the room, the house was silent, but not
dark. During times of war with their enemies, there had been several attempts
of attack at the Castellini Mansion. Her father thought it good to keep the
lights on at even at night, that way they would be able to get to the secret
passages that led outside the house.
     She decended the stairs and for an unknown reason, she took the hallway
that led to the lounge, where their guests from New York where still reunited.
When she turned the corridor, Lina came across an a very intriguing, — if not
hilarious —, scene. Giullia was kneeling in front of the large wooden door,
staring into the lounge through the lock. The youngest girl wore nothing but
her light blue nightgown and her brown hair fell loose on her shoulders. Gigi
turned suddenly when she noticed someone standing a few feet for her, luckily
it had been a silent movement. The expression on he face softened once she saw
her older sister looking back at her.
❝Who's still in there?❞ — she questioned in a low tone, worried they would hear
them.
❝Most of the guests are gone.❞ — Giullia whispered back moving away from the
lock and allowing Lina to look inside — ❝And Pappa is in his study talking
business with Mr. Rothstein, which leaves only Lucky and his entourage.❞
     She had a perfect view of the men in the room. There were several
armchairs around the fireplace. Charlie was leaning against the marble edge of
it, standing, with a glass of whiskey in hand. His partners Benny sat with a
predatory smile on his face, Meyer and the guard, Fiore, were also sitting
beside him. She noticed her sister was right, Alfonzo and Arnold were absent.
❝It could be worse, you know.❞ — Benjamin Siegel adressed Charlie — ❝She could
be ugly, but man, your little fiancé is gorgeous. That face, that, hair, that
body, and specially, those eyes...❞ — he let out a whistle.
❝She's barely more than a child.❞ — Charlie replies simply.
 Rosellina feels indignation raising in her chest at his words, but she
struggles to ignore it. She isn't able to understand why she still cares about
what he thinks of her.
❝She didn't look like a child to me, and even if she did, you two will be
married in one year, a lot could happen.❞ — Benny continued the provocation,
this time turning to Meyer Lansky — ❝Ain't I right, Meyer?❞
❝I can't tell, I didn't get chance to take a closer look at her.❞ — the man
answered his question— ❝Looks aren't everything you know, the beauty that comes
from inside counts more.❞ 
❝How 'bout you, Fiore?❞ — he asked the guard.
     Fiore's eyes widened, in a terrified way to how suddenly he'd been
included in that conversarion. He looked briefly at his boss, and then lowered
his gaze, before saying:
❝She's... fine❞ — he spoke as respectfully as he could and then shrugged,
pretending not to be interested.
     Bugsy Siegel laughed out loud.
❝Fuck, Charlie!❞ — the boy exclaimed, grinning — ❝Did you threaten to castrate
any man who looked at her? She ain't even married to you yet!❞
❝She's mine.❞ — Charlie replied calmly, and Lina felt a shiver run through all
her body at how possessive the sentence sounded.
❝Right, but you remember she's gonna stay here in Brooklyn for a whole year,
while you'll be away dealing with business.❞ — Benny's tone was suggestive
— ❝Who knows what could happen, maybe Alfonzo has eunuchs to guard Rosellina.
Unless of course you plan to threaten every single one of his men, but you
can't cut off all those cocks.❞
❝I'll do what has to be done.❞ — Charlie stated in a ominous tone, before
turning to Fiore — ❝Bring me those two idiots who were designated to protect
Rosellina.❞
     The bodyguard nodded and left the room. Five minutes after, he returned
with Romero_Bertolli and Dante Venetti, her guards. The last one was apparently
upset for having to obey the orders of a member of the New York Gang. Her
father and Arnold Rothstein came soon after.
❝What's the meaning of this.❞ — Alfonzo asked in displeasure.
❝I just wanted to have a word with your men.❞ — Charles answered — ❝After all,
they were chosen to what's mine.❞
❝You have nothing to worry about.❞ — the man assures him — ❝Romero is a
reliable soldier, he has proved his loyalty several times. He's working for me
for almost two decades.❞
❝But still.❞ — Charlie insisted — ❝I would like to take cares of it
personally.❞
     That hadn't been a very careful move, it was the closest thing to a public
insult her father had ever received. Alfonzo's jaw contracted slightly,
unpleased and humiliated for being so easily contested. However, the man still
nodded, giving permission for Luciano to proceed.
❝I heard you very good with blades.❞ — Lucky adressed Romero.
❝Not as good as you, I've heard❞ — the guard replied politely — ❝But in this
territory, I'm the best in what I do.❞
❝Are you married?❞ — her fiancé continues the interrogation.
❝For twenty-three years.❞ — he admitted.
❝That's a long time.❞ — Bugsy declared, before anyone could — ❝Maybe young
Rosellina is prettier than your old wife.❞
     From the hole in the lock, Lina saw Romero's hand moved quickly to his
holster were he kept his gun. Everyone saw it, God, that would end badly. But
the man seemed to control himself.
❝I've known Lina since she was a baby, I was there the day she was born, she's
a child.❞
❝She won't be a child forever.❞ — Charlie stated.
❝She'll always be a child to me, and I'm faithful to my wife.❞ — the guard said
and turned to Benny — ❝And the next time you insult my wife, I will kill you.❞
❝You can even try.❞ — Benjamin leaned over with a shark smile in his face
— ❝But I doubt you will.❞
     Arnold Rothstein cast a stern look at his youngest protegé, and that was
enough to shut him up, but it did not diminish his smile. Chatlie nodded,
placing his empty glass on top of the small table, before saying:
❝I believe youse are a good choice, Romero.❞ — Charles said
     But when he turned to Dante, and Lina saw the mask of civility that
falling appart, revealing a dangerous man with a bloosthirsty look on his eyes.
He approached Dante slowly, and when he was so close enough, her cousin lowered
his face, avoiding the older man's piercing stare, it was clear that he wanted
to keep his arrogant expression on, the truth was, he was nothing more than a
coward, a little kitten trying to intimidate a ferocious lion.
❝Dante is a member of my family.❞ — her father defended as if the simple
thought of it was ridiculous — ❝Lina and him grew up together. Do you really
think he has any interest in my daughter?❞
❝I saw the way youse looked at her earlier today.❞ — his voice was calm, but
she couldn't say the same for his eyes. They seemed to be on fire.
❝Like the sweetest piece of cake you would love to bite.❞ — Benny teased, and
Dante's fearful eyes flashed towards her father, asking him for help.
❝If I hear that youse were alone with, that you touched her with your filthy
hands, or that you even looked at her...❞ — Lucky spoke in a threatning tone
— ❝I swear that even if I can't kill youse, I' will take much pleasure in
making you bleed and suffer in the most painful ways possible.❞
     Dante swallowed hard at his words, but of course he was too proudful to
show his fear, and too stupid to think before speaking. One careless word could
lead to his eminent death.
❝You're not a member of our gang.❞ — Dante started — ❝No one would tell you
anything, even if I raped her.❞
     Before Lina could blink, Charlie's hand was on Danny's arm, holding
tightly in a painful grip. Her cousin struggled and cursed him. With his the
free hand, her fiancé drew a knife, from inside his jacket.
❝We have to go.❞ — Lina whispered to Gigi, but her sister didn't seem to
listen. 
     Charlie's  head turned to her father. Dante was not one of his men and
Brooklyn was not his territory. He needed Alfonzo's permission, italians valued
their honor. Rosellina realized her father didn't mean to help him, she slipped
her hands through Giullia's eyes, blocking the youngest girl's vision. The
moment Alfonzo nodded at him, her fiancé took the blade down, cutting off
Dante's finger. Blood gushed from the wound and the boy let out a loud cry in
pain, Charlie stood next to smiling at the sight in a cruel way. When she
noticed her legs were already moving, running away from that door with the
other girl by her side, thanking God for the fact of Danny's screaming muffled
their loud and heavy steps. They didn't stop until they reached Lina's bedroom.
Only then her knees gave out, she fell on the floor, with an heavy breathing,
quickened heartbeat and tears running down her cheeks. Her sister in the other
hand, didn't cry for rarely cried, she only embraced Lina, caressing her brown
locks.
 He's a monster, she thought to herself, still sobbing. A monster that would be
her husband one day, sooner than she wished. And then all Lina saw was him,
standing next to Dante smiling with blood all over his face. Her vision is
turved by the tears, but once again, she lowered her gaze to the engagement
ring on her finger, feeling the emerald heavier than ever.
 
Chapter End Notes
     cara mia¹ — my darling
***** A Bleeding Bride *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                        
 ( NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK CITY, 1920 )
 
 
                                                                               
     She opened her eyes carefully, taking time for her green orbes to get used
to the light. Her body started to wake slowly. It was a sunny day in the entire
city, and the weather was very hot that day, even hotter than usual. At that
time of the year, Lina felt like spending the whole day in her bathtub,
relaxing her body, but she doubted her mother would allow such a thing.
Teresa's personal stylist had found some time in her schedule to head over to
the Castellini Mansion and help Rosellina with her wedding gown. That day was a
very special day,— as her mother had said —, it was not only her birthday, but
also the final try on before the ceremony that would take place in the next
morning . It was strange to think of how fast the last year had passed, it was
now 11th of January of 1920 and the girl had just turned eighteen years old.
One more day, and she would be his forever, the awareness of that woke her up
completely.
     Lina jumped out of the bed, heading towards the bathroom to do her morning
hygiene. She chose to wear a blue, long-sleeved dress, made of silk, it kept
her body free and fresh to endure the heat inside the house. She stared at
herself in the mirror, uselessly to put a smile on her face, she sighed. Her
eighteenth birthday was a day worthy of happiness and celebration, but it was
just a reminder of how close her marriage to Charlie was, only one more day to
go. Her bedroom's door was opened her mother and came in smiling, not one of
her fake forced smiles, but a true smile of genuine joy. 
❝Happy birthday, cara¹.❞ — Teresa said, and the girl noticed she was holding
two light-blue boxes in her hands, that she placed on her daughter's nightstand
— ❝The one on top is from me and your father, the other belongs to Charlie.
Open it quick, the stylist will be here soon.❞
     Rosellina was not surprised by that, she had never seen her fiancé again
after that night. But he would always send her gifts in special occasions as if
they were a normal happy couple, it would be no different in her birthday. The
gifts were always exuberant dresses, expensive jewelries and fur coats, that
she doubted he had chosen himself. That time, he had sent her another
lovely necklace, with a heart-shaped and a dark blue gem, it felt cold and
heavy, like a chain around her neck. However Lina stared at her reflection in
the mirror, and she allowed herself to smile, after all that could be the last
birthday she'd spend with her family, with her mother and her siblings, she
wanted to keep that day in her mind, and remember it as a happy memory. Even
though they would be only a few minutes away from each other, the moment she
said the vows, she'd be Charlie's wife, and a wife belongs with her husband.
     A few minutes later, her mother barged in with Madame Jeunet and the young
assistant, — whom, if Lina recalled, was named Margaret Schroeder —, at her
side. 
❝Happy birthday, Miss Castellini.❞ — Margaret said kindly with her melodious
voice and once again, the bride forced herself to smile.
❝One day until the wedding, if I'm well informed.❞ — Madame Jeunet spoke with a
strangely exaggerated excitement, and Lina lowered her head slightly at that,
there was one day left until she was locked up in a golden cage for the rest of
her life — ❝Let us begin then.❞
Rosellina sighed heavily, before nodding.
 
 
 
===============================================================================
 
 
 
❝What did you think of the dress?❞ — Lina asked Gigi as soon as the women left
her bedroom.
❝Honestly...❞ — she started — ❝It looked so perfect in you, but it's too good
for you fiancé, he doesn't deserve all of that.❞
❝Giullia please don't start.❞ — Lina begged, she knew precisely where that
conversation would lead them. 
❝I still think you should run away.❞ — it was the thousandth time her sister
mentioned the same subject, she had been talking about it for weeks now.
❝You know I don't have a chance of running away.❞ — she stated — ❝Pappa would
never allow it, he would hunt me down, find me and then drag me back to the
altar.❞
❝But you can't marry him!❞
❝What choice do I have?!❞ — Lina questioned in a defeated tone — ❝I don't want
to spend the rest of my life running, and plus, I would never leave you and
Lippi.❞
❝You are truly willing to sacrifice yourself, aren't you?❞ — her silence was an
answer to her sister's question — ❝I promise I won't say a word about it ever
again, it your choice. But you know how I feel about this marriage and you know
I'll never forgive father or mother for what they're forcing you to do.❞
Giullia approached her sister slowly, with her eyes on the sea-blue gemstone
hanging around Rosellina's neck.
❝Is it from Charlie?❞ — Gigi asked, watched the girl nod, and then twisted her
face in a disgusted expression.
    However, Lina knew she had liked it, it was a rare piece, with delicate and
luxurious design, worthy of a princess, probably more beautiful and expensive
many necklaces from the gigantic jewelry collection of their mother. 
❝I have to admit, your fiancé has a good taste in jewelry.❞ — Gigi commented
reluctantly — ❝Even though I doubt he chose it himself.❞
❝I never thought he would to send me something so... Expensive.❞ — it was the
only word she found to describe the jewel, she could probably buy a car or a
property with that gift.
❝It must be some sort of apology.❞ — Giullia replied sour tone — ❝For every
time he most likely cheated on you with some whore this past year.❞
 ❝It could be.❞ — that was all she could say.
      Lina wad still a little stunned by such a majestic gift. All the others
she had received were equally beautiful, but she felt as if there were
something special about that necklace. The girl saw it as a gentle gesture, a
sign of goodwill from Charlie, maybe he was trying to make that marriage of
theirs work. Or maybe it was just a jewel, a stone with no meaning at all.
Anyway, she would know soon. The wedding would be held in the Castellini
Mansion's vast gardens. From the window in her room, she could see the
employees coming and going, working on the final preparations for the ceremony.
Since they began the construcions, Rosellina had not even set foot on that part
of the house, the only thing she got to choose was her dress. The flowers,
decorations, guests, that was all up to her parents. They hadn't allowed her to
do anything, it was as if weren't her even wedding. As her father said, all she
had to do was put on the dress, memorize her vows and say the "I do", she had
no saying in anything else. Not that she cared anyway, she just wanted that all
to be over.
 ❝We have to go.❞ — she said, turning to her sister — ❝The guests will be here
soon, and mamma will kill me if I'm not there to repection.❞
❝Fine then.❞ — Giullia snorted — ❝Let the torture begin, the sooner we get it
done with, the better for us.❞
     Lina let out a soft chuckle, she had no doubt her sister was right, her
bridal shower was sure to be a torture. But according to her mother, it was
necessary, traditions had to be preserved. So, Teresa invited all the female
members of both the Castellini and the Venetti families, and also the wives and
daughters of all the members of the mafia's highest ranking. It was all in
order to lecture the bride in matters marriage, and prepare her for what would
follow after the ceremony, her wedding night. Usually Giullia wouldn't be
allowed to attend the reunion for she was only sixteen and considered too
young, — not that she wanted to anyway —, but she insisted in staying with her
sister, and Rosellina was grateful for that. She was sure she wouldn't stand
doing it alone. But as always the joy didn't last long, Lina suddenly realized
that Gigi was nearly a grown woman now, and she was beautiful, she even
attracted the attention of some of her father's men. Alfonzo's counsellers and
partners had not been happy to hear of her engagement with Charlie Luciano,
since they all expected to marry one of theirs sons to her, hoping they would
fall into her father's good graces. What if the man decided to give Giullia
away to one of them? She didn't even want to think of that.
     The girl shook her head, and pushed the thought away from her mind. When
she reached the last step of the stairs, she saw Fiore_Borghini standing in
front of her, with a blank expression on his face. He seemed just as calm as
usual, so quiet that she could barely notice him there. Sometimes it was easy
to forget that even though Charlie was away, he had left hound behind, to
reassure her "protection". In others words, to guard his property. Rosellina
walked straight pass him.
     She could hear the voices of her mother and sister, arguing about what
dress Giullia would wear for the bridal shower. She went to the door and turned
the golden knob, Dorotia_Bordozzi was on the other side. Although it wad hard
to believe father's youngest sister, she was twenty-five, same age as Charlie.
Dottie smiled apologetically.
❝Sorry, it appears I'm early.❞
❝I't alright, aunt.❞ — Rosellina gave a kind look — ❝I'm very glad to see you.❞
     She moved away slightly, making room for the older woman to slip inside,
and then closed the door. Lina liked Dottie and spending a few minutes with
her, didn't bother her. She wore a pretty black dress, that made the girl
remember that the woman's husband, Mario Bordozzi, had died almost five months
ago. Her aunt marriage had never been a happy one, but, as tradition dictated,
Dorotia had to wear black clothing for a year as a sign mourning. The woman had
a son from the union, three year-old Emilio, and since the boy was too young to
take his dead father's place and assume his business, it was her aunt Dottie
controlled everything. In the next moment Lina caught herself wishing that she
would be as lucky as her, guilt hit her imediately. Even though her bond to her
future husband was nothing more than an arranged marriage, she wasn't capable
of wishing for anyone's death. Rosellina looked to the side and saw Fiore still
standing there, leaning against the wall.
❝Could you wait outside, please.❞ — she asked, feeling uncomforbatle to know
that his eyes tracked her every move — ❝Unless you wish to attend the bridal
shower as well.❞
     The girl watched him blush slightly, before putting his unreadable
expression back on and nodding, and then left without saying anything. Dorotia
kept her eyes on him, until the closed the door of suite.
❝Your husband sent his own guard to protect you?❞ — her aunt questioned.
❝He's not my husband, yet.❞ — And if I can help it, he'll never be, she thought
to herself.
     Dottie sat on the couch, and she sat beside her.
❝You don't seem well.❞ — Lina stated, looking into the woman's eyes — ❝What
happened? It it something with Emilio?❞
❝Your father wants me to be married again.❞
❝But already?!❞ — she asked, shocked by that — ❝It's hasn't even been a year
since...❞
     The girl couldn't finish the sentence.
❝Alfonzo thinks I'm to young to remain unmarried for the reast of my life.❞ —
the woman sighed heavily — ❝He believes I need a husband to protect me and my
son needs a father to raise him.❞
❝Can't you refuse to marry again?❞ — Lina asked her.
❝I've been trying, but your father can be very persisting when he wants to.❞
      They both knew how things worked, unlike men, the mafia's society thought
women were the frail and weak, therefore they needed protection from the
outside world.
❝I'm sorry.❞ — that was all Lina could say in that moment — ❝But if it gives
you any comfort, I'm basically in the same situation.❞
❝You know, I've met Mr. Luciano before.❞ — Dorotia said, and bit her lower lip
— ❝He had business with Mario, so he would visit us constantly whenever I saw
him, he would always seem so...❞
❝Menacing? Murderous?❞ — she suggested.
❝Always serious, and rarely smiles, but still there is something so inticing.❞
     Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of her sister and
mother. Giullia wore a pink dress, and her brown locks were swept up on an updo
and adorned with hairpins, allowing them to see her beautiful face. Slowly, the
guests began to fill the hall. Lina received every sort of wedding gifts, from
dazzling jewelries to very seductive nightgowns. But the most embarrassing and
revealing gift, had been the one she received from her other aunt Antonella.
Her father had many sisters, but from all of them, that woman was certainly her
least favorite. The piece was short that it barely covered the her thights, all
made of white silk and lace, and the panties were smaller than anything she had
ever seen before. She blushed innocently.
     A choir of appreciative whispers and suggestive chuckles echoed around
her. Lina could barely hide her shock at the lingerie. From the corner of her
eyes, she saw Giullia curse under her breath and discreetly roll her brown
eyes.
❝This is for your wedding night, my dear niece.❞ — Antonella had a malicious
glow in her eyes — ❝I'm sure Charlie will like it. And you must always do your
best to please him, right?❞
      She added, smirking mockingly, and Rosellina forced her lips to twist in
a half smile:
❝Yes, Aunt Nella, thank you.❞ — she placed the piece back carefully back in the
box, barely controlling her urge to cover it from her sight. Her stomach turned
and she soon regretted eaten so much for breakfast earlier that morning.
     Situation soon worsened when the other women began to speak of their
experiences during their wedding nights.
❝I was so embarrassed in the presentation of the blood stained sheets.❞ — her
cousin, Maddalena, spoke.
❝Blood stained sheets?❞ — Lina asked without understanding, and the smile that
Antonella have her after that, was disturbing.
❝Your mother didn't tell you?❞ — the woman questioned — ❝It's a tradition in
the italian mafia, that has been proudfully preserved for many generations.❞ —
her eyes didn't leave Lina's for a second — ❝The morning after the couple's
wedding night, the women of the family head to their room to collect the sheets
and present it to their families and the guests. It is a proof the marriage was
consummated and the bride was pure.❞
     Rosellina froze.
❝That's such a barbaric tradition.❞ — Giullia frowned, turning to their mother
— ❝Mamma, you can't allow this.❞
❝It's not up to me.❞ — Teresa said simply.
❝Your mother is right.❞ — Antonella spoke again — ❝We've all been through it,
traditions cannot be broken. And as far as I know, you father always protected
your virtue and reputation, there is nothing to fear. The sheets will prove
your honor.❞
     Giullia threw a disgusted look at their aunt, probably killing the woman
in her thoughts. But Rosellina didn't even notice that, all could think was
that the tradition meant that she would definitely be forced to share a bed
with Charlie Luciano.
 
Chapter End Notes
     cara¹ — dear
***** The Unwanted Wedding *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                        

(  NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK CITY, 1920 )
 
 
 
      Rosellina at her own reflection in the mirror. Madame Jeunet had done a
good job, the dress was beautiful, it fitted her perfectly, molding itself
around her slim, but curvy silhouette. Her dark hair was down, curly, and
adorned with a lovely hair tiara Teresa had placed carefully on the back of her
head, very one she had worn in her wedding with Alfonzo. She's a grown woman
now, a beautiful one, and nobody could deny that, not even the girl herself.
But anyway, she still didn't care.  Lina didn't want to draw men's attention
wherever she passed, in fact she preferred the time were she was just a child
who would unnoticed at the eyes of everyone. At least she was at peace back
then, there was no responsability, no marriage, no Charlie Luciano. It was all
just peace, calmness and innocence.
❝You look ravishing, Lina.❞ — Aunt Antonella was there again, unfortunately
— ❝You'll make Luciano mad with lust, I'm sure of it.❞
     The girl certainly failed to keep her face expressionless at the woman's
comment, as she had inicialy planned. Noticing that, her mother quickly stepped
in:
❝Maybe we should give the girls some time alone, don't you think Antonella?❞
      Lina let out a sigh in relief, when the door was closed. Her younger
sister stood behind her, snorting and occasionally looking out the window. She
wore a light pink dress, the color her mother had chosen for the bridesmaids,
Giullia, Dorotia and Vanessa. The last one though, was not accepted easily by
the bride. Rosellina had nothing against her, but she was Dante's wife, so it
was difficult for her to trust that girl. She knew her cousin still hadn't
forgotten the incident that happened nearly a year ago, and Lina feared he
would be stupid enough to attempt something against her or Charlie during the
wedding ceremony, or the party that would follow after it.
     She could hear the of the conversations, eventual laughter of guests and
strange sound the room through the opened window.
❝What is that noise?❞ — she asked, slightly bothered by it.
❝The guests and their guards putting their guns in a box.❞ — Giullia spoke,
turning around to face her — ❝Of course they have others hidden somewhere, only
a fool would give up all his weapons.❞
❝I'm certain there won't be any need for them to use their guns.❞ — Lina tried
to reassure herself — ❝This marriage is supposed to represent peace between
them, they wouldn't be here if they wanted war.❞
❝There have been marriages that ended up in massive murder. ❞ — Gigi replied
calmly, in the strangest way she could — ❝But in this case both Pappa and
Rothstein need this alliance and they won't risk destroying it, not while Nucky
Thompson still represents a mutual threat for them.❞
     Rosellina turned around and stared at her in disbelief:
❝That's very comforting.❞ — the irony in her voice was obvious.
     Giullia turned away from the window, approached Lina and wrapped her
around the older girl's slim waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.
❝There is still time, you know.❞ — Gigi said in a low tone, fearing someone
would hear them — ❝You could still run away.❞
❝No, it's too late now.❞
❝It's only too late when you say "I do", until then we still have time.❞
❝If I leave, you can be sure there will be war, the gangs would kill each other
in retaliation.❞ — she stated, sighing — ❝And not only would I put so many
lives in danger, I would also have to live with their blood on my hands.❞
 ❝I've you seen the crowd outside? Fuck, all of our guests have blood on their
hands! Most of them actually deserve to die.❞
❝You think I give a shit about these people?!❞ — her sister's eyes widened,
surprised by her words — ❝I don't! But what about you, Lippi and all the other
innocents that can get caught up in a crossfire?❞
     Giullia opened her mouth to reply the statement, but the sound of someone
knocking on the door, interrumpted her, Dorotia and Vanessa walked in, followed
by Teresa.
❝Lina, you look so gorgeous.❞ — Dottie smiled gently at her.
     Tecnically, only single women were allowed to be bridesmaids, but they had
opened an exception for the two women.
❝Giullia.❞ — her mother called the girl, who had just sat in an armchair near
the window— ❝Let's join the guests in the gardens, the girls need to talk to
your sister in private.❞
❝I'm not going anywhere.❞ — she replied sharply — ❝I'm not leaving Lina.❞
     Teresa knew was impossible to get Giullia out of there, so she simply
turned and left the room, closing the door.
❝What is it that you want to talk to me about?❞
❝You wedding night.❞ — Dottie gave her an apologetic smile.
     Vanessa lowered her eyes, blushing at the mention of so, and that made
Lina realize how young she was. Only two years difference between them, so
young and forced to marry a man as cruel and violent as Dante Venetti, it was
no secret what he would do to her. And then there was Dorotia, who lived a
unhappy marriage and lost her husband months ago. How could her parents sent
them to lecture her? How was that suppose to appease her fear? 
 ❝We're sorry about this, Lina.❞ — Dottie started — ❝But your mother wants to
make sure you know what is expected of you.❞
❝What is expected of her?!❞ — Giullia growled, still sitting behind them.
❝Charlie will claim your body tonight, as it is his right and duty.❞ —
Vanessa's words didn't pacify her uneasiness — ❝But it could be worse, at least
he is young and very handsome.❞
     That didn't help much, for sure. Charlie was very handsome, yes, that was
something she could not deny, but that didn't change the fact that Lina was
terrified of what would happen later that night, the consumation of the
marriage. He didn't look like a gentle lover, and as far as the girl knew, his
reputation with women was not so good, — not that anyone could expect anything
different, since most of the women he would get involved with were cheap
prostitutes and common showgirls.
❝Charlie will know what to do, just follow his lead and obey him.❞ — Dottie
advised, smiling sadly.
❝And don't try to fight him.❞ — Vanessa warned her — ❝It would only make things
worse, and it also hurts more.❞
     Rosellina swallowed hard, nervous.
❝I'm very sorry dear, we're not doing a good job, are we?❞ — Dorotia questioned
her.
 ❝Maybe we should have intived one od Charlie's whores.❞ — Giullia spoke
loudly, her face red with anger — ❝I'm sure they know his preferences very
well.❞
❝Mrs. Darmody is here.❞ — Vanessa said suddenly, and she blushed, realizing
what she had just said — ❝I... I mean... It's just a rumor, no one can prove
it's true.❞
 ❝Who is that?❞ — Lina asked in awe.
❝Gillian Darmody.❞ — the girl answered her shyly — ❝Everyone says she's
Charlie's mistress, I'm sorry Lina, I thought you knew.❞
❝He invited his girlfriend to our wedding?❞
❝She's not his girlfriend, she's just a whore.❞ — Vanessa corrected, but didn't
make things better. If she was truly "just a whore", her fiancé wouldn't have
invited her.
     How dared he humiliate her in that way? How could he find the courage to
invite his whore to the ceremony? How could he flaunt that woman to her guests,
in her house? Rosellina sat on the chair of her vanity and rubbed her temple
softly, she felt sick, dizzy, disgusted, disrespected, diminished. Tears
quickly fill her eyes, turving her vision.
❝Oh come on, Lina.❞ — Giullia approached her, and stroke her hair kindly,
trying to comfort her — ❝Your not gonna cry for that son of a bitch, he's not
worth it, you can't let him get to you.❞
❝Gigi is right, you're gonna ruin your makeup.❞ — Dottie handed her a white
handkerchief.
      She blinked a few times, struggling to regain control of herself. Lina
knew she couldn't afford to be weak now.
❝I think you two have done enough, you should both leave, now.❞ — her little
sister turned abruptly the women behind them.
Dorotia and Vanessa uttered apologies, before leaving the room. And Giullia
turned back to her:
❝If he hurts you... if he even dreams of hurting you, I'll take one of his guns
and put a bullet in his head, I swear to God, I will.❞
❝He survived Salvatore Maranzano's men, he's a gangster, a fighter and a
murderer. There's nothing you can do to protect me from him, he wouldn kill you
if you tried.❞
❝I would do anything for you, Rose.❞ — Giullia declared.
     In the edge of tears, she wrapped Gigi in a hug.
❝You'll always be my little sister, and I'll always protect you, always.❞
❝I can't believe, you're gonna have to move in with Charlie.❞
❝He'll be my husband, we're supposed to live together.❞ — Lina stated sadly
— ❝But you're more than welcome to visit me, if pappaallows it of course.❞
❝He will, he'll love to get rid of me for some time.❞ — she chuckled.
    Their mother walked into the room and scanned their faces, but did not say
a word about it.
❝It's time, cara.❞
     Giullia stepped away from the girl, and gave her one last look and left.
Teresa approached her, holding a white lace garter and asked:
❝Do you want help putting it on?❞
     She shook her head, lifting her dress and sliding it on her upper thigh,
later that day during the party, Charlie would have to remove it with his teeth
and throw it to a group of gatheted bachelors, it was tradition. Lina stood,
smoothing her dress, before taking the bouquet of red tulips her mother handed
her.
❝I'm ready, mamma, let's go.❞
     The woman  opened the door and waited for her to pass. Lina walked towards
the main staircase. At the top of the stairs, Teresa kissed her on the
forehead, and whispered encouraging words in her ear. Slowly, she descended the
stairs, trying not to trip over the fabric layers of the dress. Her heart was
pounding heavily when she got to the last step. From that distance, she could
see the garden. The day was fresh and sunny, dozens of tables were spreed
through the perimeter, the guest chatted and giggled joyfully. The front of the
garden was occupied by the huge white pavilion where the wedding ceremony would
be held, there was a red carpet covered with white rose petals, that formed the
path that would lead her to the place. Alfonzo, was there, waiting for his
daughter. He straightened up when he saw her, the man smiled genuinely,
offering her his arm in a polite way.
 ❝You look beautiful, like a princess.❞ — he paused for a second — ❝That will
soon become a queen.❞
❝Thanks, pappa. ❞ — she smiled faintly.
❝Be a good wife, Rosellina.❞ — Alfonzo asked — ❝Charlie is a powerful man, and
he will be even more powerful man once he takes Rothstein's place. Make me
proud, my child, make our family proud.❞
     She only nodded briefly, she was far too nervous to formulate any
sentence. Lina stood beside her father, who squeezed her hand tightly, in an
almost affectionate way. We went to the main entrance and the music started to
play: a string quartet and a piano, but she could barely hear it. She was too
focused on the beating of her heart ringing in her ears, and the rings became
even louder when her eyes met his. Charlie looked tall and imposing in his
suit, white shirt and black bowtie, and his groomsmen were dressed in a similar
away. His dark eyes were on her, that made Lina shudder with nervousness.
Perhaps it would have been better if she had chosen to weat a veil, she was
sure that even from that far he could still see her blushing.
     The walk seemed to stretch for miles, her legs were shaky, which made
every step was an utter torture. She was only able to walk properly because her
father was leading her, her whole body was trembling of fear, hesitation, and
uncertainty. But she refused herself to be weak, holding her head high to the
face the guests that looked at her in a challenging way, as if they were
testing her. They all wanted to know if she was strong enough to marry a
renowned gangster such as Lucky Luciano.
     Rosellina tried to focus her eyes on anything, anything but Charlie, even
though she could feel his gaze burning on her. The nuptial march stopped when
they reached the altar, Alfonzo placed her hands on her fiancé's, whose eyes
seemed to burn up with emotion, an emotion she could not identify. He squeezed
her fingers lightly, and Lina stepped on the altar to stand beside him. She
didn't dare meet his gaze. The priest, in his white frock, greeted us, and all
the guests sat down to the opening prayer of the ceremony. A few minutes passed
and the priest I finished the Bible prayer, and by then her legs could barely
support the weight of her body. The man announced the wedding rite and all the
guests rose from their chairs.
❝Salvatore and Rosellina.❞ — he turned to them — ❝Have you come here freely and
without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage? Will you love
and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives.❞
❝I do.❞ — Charlie's deep voice echoed through the pavilion.
❝I do.❞ — she spoke loudly, doing her best to make her voice sound steady.
❝Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and
declare your consent before God and his Church.❞
Charles clasped her hands, his skin was warm against hers. They faced each
other and she had no choice but to look up into his eyes.
❝I, Salvatore Lucania take you, Rosellina Castellini to be my wife. I promise
to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will
love you and honor you all the days of my life.❞
     Charlie picked up the ring off the small red cushion.
❝Rosellina, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.❞
      He slipped the ring onto her finger, ehite gold and diamonds. What was
meant as a sign of love and devotion for other couples was nothing but a
testament of his ownership on her. A daily reminder of the golden cage she’d be
trapped in for the rest of her life. Until death tear us part wasn’t an empty
promise for her. From that day on, Lina was his until the end of her life. Then
it was her turn to say the words and slip the ring onto his finger, for a
moment, she felt as if she couldn't do it. Her hands were so shaky that Charlie
had to steady her hand and help her. Hopefully nobody noticed, only Bugsy, —
who being one of Luciano's groomsmen, stood closely behind them —, his keen
eyes rested on the couple.
     Rosellina knew she should have run when she still had the chance, just as
Giullia advised her. Now, fleeing was no longer an option, nor was a divorce.
Death was the only acceptable end to a marriage in their world. Even if she
still managed to escape Charlie and his henchmen's watchful eyes, breaking the
alliance would mean war. There was nothing Alfonzo could say or do that would
prevent Charlie and his gang to avenge the humiliation of such an insult
towards them.
❝You may kiss the bride.❞ — the priest said.
      She raised her head, knowing that all eyes were on her, waiting for a
sign of weakness. Her father would be furious if she let her terror show, and
the enemies of her family could use it against them. But Lina had grown up in a
world where a perfect mask was the only protection afforded to women, so she
had no trouble forcing her face into a emotionless expression. No one knew just
how much she wanted to from that place, that life, that world. No one, but
Charlie, she couldn't hide it from him. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking and his
grip on her hands tightened. As her gaze met his the endless darkness of his
orbes, she could tell that he knew. How often had he instilled fear in others?
Recognizing it was probably a second nature to him.
     He bent down to bridge the ten inches of difference between the two of
them. There was no sign of hesitation, fear or doubt on his face, her lips
trembled against his. Her first kiss, if it could even be called that. His eyes
bored into her, before pulling back, he brought his head closer to her ears. He
let out a soft, low whisper, that Rosellina was sure would forever echo in her
mind:
❝You are mine.❞
 
Chapter End Notes
     Updating as fast as I could, because I love you all so much <3, guys
     I'm very sorry for not being able to answer your comments : ) I've
     been so busy, serioualy, I only have time to log in and post. But I
     do read them all, and I promise I'll do my best to answer back.
     Thanks for your support guys.
***** Be My Daddy *****
 
 
 ( NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK CITY, 1920 )
 
 
     That wedding was a farse, how could they not see it? She hated that, she
hated them. Hypocrites, Giullia thought to herself, watching the mobster's
trophy wives gather around Lina, — with fake smiles painted all over their
faces —, congratulating her joyfully and gazing enviously at her diamond ring,
some of them even risked giving her tips for the wedding night. That made the
girl want to spit out a few offensive words at those women, but her mother's
firm grip on her forearm stopped her from saying anything. So she only sighed,
taking a glass of champagne to her lips, calmly tasting the liquid on her
tongue. It was her third glass, or maybe the fourth, not she cared anyway.
Giullia was sure her parents would be pleased by that, but she did a good job
ignoring Teresa's disaproving looks, smiling and taking another sip.
❝Don't you think you've had enough?❞ — she heard a familiar voice ring behind
her, and turned just in time to face the most unpleasant sight.
❝Don't you think that's none of your fucking business?❞ — she replied rudely,
for some reason, that appeared to only increase the young man's cocky smirk.
❝You've got quite a mouth on you, brat.❞ — he said, and she raised an eyebrow,
looking insulted by his words— ❝Cursing is not an attractive quality on young
girls such as yourself, you know?But you're lucky I like it on you.❞
    Benjamin_Siegel was his name, — if she recalled —, one of her brother-in-
law's associates, who had spent the whole party staring at her from across the
dinner table. Giullia pretended not to notice that, and she ignored him
everytime he tried to engage a conversation with her. She did her best to avoid
him, focusing her attention on Rosellina, who sat right beside her. But when
Charlie took her sister to the dance floor, Gigi was left alone. She quickly
got up to her feet, trying to get to a dark corner of the gardens, where no one
would notice her. However, Benny stopped her before she could even get close to
the place. And now, the two of them were face to face.
❝Who the fuck do you think you are?❞ — Giullia raised the tone of her voice, if
it wasn't for the music, everyone would have heard her loud and clear — ❝My
daddy?❞
❝I could be.❞ — he licked his lips, leaning slowly towards her — ❝May I have
this dance?❞
    The request made her wish she could slap that stupid smirk off his face. It
was Lina who had to tolerate them, now that she was married to Charlie, but
Giullia didn't have to put up to any of them. She felt her stomach turn, and
stared at him in disgust. Looking at him in that way, he almost seemed like the
normal young man in his early twenties that he was, and not a impulsive
gangster and cruel murderer everyone knew he was. However, the girl suspected
that was only a mask he used to cover up his true, nothing more than a
disguise, a trick to drawn women towards him. Perhaps it worked with the
others, but it wouldn't work with her. Or at least that's what she thought,
until she noticed her father's gaze upon them. The warning look in the man's
eyes said that she would certainly be punished later, if she did anything to
embarrass her family.
     Giullia couldn't care less about that. She wasn't afraid of her father, or
what he could do to her, not anymore. Honestly, she felt a great urge to tell
Benny to go fuck himself and kick him in the area that was located a few inches
below his abdomen. But despite all, it was her sister's wedding, Rosellina was
scared and nervous enough, she wouldn't make things worse. But before she could
do or say anything, Benny slipped his arms around her thin waist, pressing
their bodies together. The sweet warmth of his body quickly spread through the
tissue of her dress, heating up her skin. They were close, closer than what was
considered "appropriate".Nervousness overcame her in seconds, but Giullia
forced a stern expression in her face. She hated the way her body seemed to
react to him.
❝Are you alright?❞ — Ben asked, making her lift her face and look directly into
his dangerous dark brown eyes — ❝Looks like you've lost your confidence, huh?❞
     The girl caught herself wishing she could slap him, in less than five
minutes spent in his company. Instead, she only turned her eyes away from
his, focusing her attention on the guests dancing around us, that only widened
Benny's arrogant smile, who leaned towards her once again:
 ❝Come on, give me a smile.❞ — the boy whispered in a very seductive way — ❝You
look beautiful, Giullia, but the bored look on your face doesn't seem to match
the color of your dress.❞
     That made her decide to ignore Benny for the rest of the dance, hoping
that her body would do the same, but that idiot kept pressing their bodies
together closer and closer at each time, his fingertips into her hips.
Giullia wanted to kiss him, not just because she knew her father would be
furious, but also because as much as she wished she could deny it, her
attraction towards him was more than obvious. He smelled deliciously, of
cigarettes, liquor and something more that she couldn't identify, an enticing
male scent. Gigi sighed, how could she be so easily affected by him? That boy
was just a arrogant idiot, no different from the other members of the Mob, but
at least she could still blame it on the alcohol. It had to be the effect of
the many glasses of champagne she had consumed earlier, It's the only
reasonable explanation, she thought to herself.  And also, many of the girls in
her class had stated that it was normal to feel an attraction towards an older
and more experienced person, even though he was no more than five years older
than her, — being twenty-two —, he was definitely far more experienced than a
girl who was seventeen, but never kissed anyone in her life. She knew she had
to get away from him as fast as she could. Unfortunately, Bugsy Siegel seemed
determined in driving her insane, after their first dance, he managed to steal
her for two more songs. She couldn't help reacting at his proximity. And
Giullia had the strange feeling that he was completely aware of what he was
doing to her. However, she couldn't ask Benny to stop, without admiting that
his touch was affecting her, but also, a small part of her didn't want him to
stop.
     It was almost midnight when the music ended and people started yelling,
and a loud chorus quickly spread around them, echoing through the gardens. It
was time for the consumation of the wedding, the groom and the bride to retire
to their room, and truly became husband and wife. Giullia turned her gaze to
Lina, who could barely hide her panic. She stood helplessly and watched as her
sister got up and took Charlie's hand, and before Gigi could do anything, the
man was already taking her away, followed by a crowd of men screaming
obscenities.
     The girl felt her blood boil with anger, she moved away from Benny, with
the intention of running to Rosellina and helping her. But her mother suddenly
appeared behind her and held her wrist, stopping her once again.
❝Enough, Giullia.❞ — Teresa hummed discreetly — ❝Control yourself, don't make a
scene.❞
     Isn't this the woman who's suppose to love and care for us? Instead
she watched the scene in silence, without a spark of compassion and unwilling
to do anything to stop that. Gigi walked away from her, disgusted by her and by
everyone around her. Alfonzo was next to Arnold Rothstein, whom different from
the others, was calm and very silent. However the_other_man beside them,  —
whose name she didn't seem to recall —, stood and shouted at the top of his
lungs something that sounded like:
❝We wanna see the blood on the fucking sheets, Charlie!❞
      If she was a man, she would have certainly attacked him, without thinking
twice. Unfortunately, God had chosen to make her a woman, for obvious reasons.
All Giullia could do was curse them lowly under her breath and kill them slowly
in her mind, Fuck the italian mafia, to hell with their stupid traditions, she
thought to herself. That was it, she'd had enough, she couldn't stand to look
into those people's faces anymore, hear their voices or even feel their
presence around her. Giullia turned around and headed inside the house quickly,
decided to get to her bedroom as fast as she could, instead of staying in the
party. But before she could head down the hallway towards her room, two boys
stood in her way. They were the sons of one of her father's henchmen, they
weren’t much older than her, maybe two or three years her senior. But according
to tradition, young boys tend to get soft if they're not toughened up soon,
therefore, they were considered old enough to be introduced to business and
iniciated into the mafia. Not wanting to cause any more trouble that night,
Gigi tried calmly to sidestep them, but those two idiots insisted in blocking
the passage.
❝Get the fuck out of my way!❞
❝Don't be rude, girl.❞ — the boy spat the last word as if it was a curse, as if
the fact that she was born a female, was an horrible crime against human race
— ❝You mother never taught you how to behave like a lady?❞
❝Maybe we should teach her one or two things about good manners.❞ — the other
one said, taking a step forward and staring at her from head to toe, that made
her shrug in disgust.
     And only then Giullia realized the mistake she had made. The whole house
was empty, all the guards were in gardens, prepared to defend her family in
case of a sudden attack. Even if she screamed for help,  the music would the to
loud for anyone to hear her. She was all alone with those fucking freaks, and
only God knew what they planned to do with her. No, she thought to herself, I'd
rather die than let any of these idiots lay a hand on me. The girl would never
accept to go down without a good fight first.
 ❝Or...❞ — a familiar voice echoed right behind them — ❝You two fuckers could
just turn around and get the fuck out of here, before I lose it, and decide to
fill your skulls with bullet holes.❞
     She heard the sound of a gun cocking behind them , and felt her entire
body freeze with fear, that sound never failed to make her uncomfortable. But
she wasn't the only one, both boys stared at Benny, their eyes widened and
fearful. Everyone knew what Benny Siegel was capable of, if they were smart
enough, they would take hia advise. A part of Giullia wished they didn't, the
cruel and selfish part that wanted to see them bleed.
 ❝I don't wanna have to say it twice.❞
     And he didn't, before he could even finish the sentence, they had already
disappeared from the hallway, trembling slightly and stumbling on their own
feet. Fucking cowards, the girl thought to herself. 
 ❝You're alright?❞ — he asked putting the weapon back on his vest, and
approaching her carefully.
     The tone on voice had changed drastically and suddenly, Giullia noticed.
What was before demanding and threatning while adressing the two boys, had
shifted while adressing the girl in front of him. It was now something very
unlike him, calm, sweet, almost concerned. Almost, she thought, while raising
her head to glare at him:
❝I was just fine, before you showed up.❞
❝Why you gotta be like that for?❞ — he questioned, sounding upset — ❝You should
be thanking me, I just saved your ass, literally.❞
❝I didn't ask for you help! I could have perfectly saved myself, I just needed
some more time.❞
 ❝A simple "thank you" would be nice, and I'm sure it wouldn't kill you.❞ —
Benny stated, taking one step closer to her — ❝Even though there are many other
ways you could show your gratitude towards me.❞
     Only then Giullia noticed how close he was, their lips only a few inches
apart from each other. And she for a moment, she wondered if he tasted the same
way he smelled, of expensive illegal liquor and Malboro cigarettes. She was
confused, she found herself wanting to hit him, just as much as she wanted to
kiss him. Her head was turning, her hands were sweating, her stomach was
fluttering and her heart was a mess of feelings, things she had never felt or
experienced before. But, oh , she wanted to. She wanted to touch, and taste,
and feel in a way she had never wanted before. The man cupped her face in his
large hands, his thumbs caressing the skin of her red-flushed cheeks, feeling
her melt and hearing her sigh under his kind touch. His thumb moved closer to
her mouth, brushing lightly and gently against her softness of her lips.
❝Remember what you said earlier today, whike we were still at the party?❞ — he
asked lowly, his eyes locked on hers — ❝I want you to say it again...❞
❝Say what?❞ — she questioned him with false confusion, smiling innocently, even
though she had a slight idea of what he meant by that.
❝You know what, Giullia, don't play games with me.❞ — the young man sounded
impatient, almost desperate — ❝Come on, say it for me, say it now!❞
     The demanding tone was back on, and for a second, Giullia thought she
shouldn't have liked the sound of it, as much as she did. The sentence hadn't
been a request, it had been a command. In a normal situation, she wouldn't
hesitate in slapping him just by trying to dictate her. However, in that
moment, she found his authoritarian ways extremely alluring. So surprisingly
enough, she obeyed him without complaining, knowing she would certainly regret
it in the morning, but fuck it.
❝Daddy...❞
     Before she could even finish the sentence, his lips parted minimally as he
leaned closer, his hands flew straight to her hips, pulling her towards him and
gripping so hard Gigi was sure it would leave a bruise. But at the same time,
Benny's touch was strangely protective, as if the girl in his arms was
something precious and valuable. She digged her nails into the tissue that
covered his broad forearms, clutching at his jacket and struggling for more
contact. Finally, he pressed their lips together and slipped his tongue into
her warm wet mouth, tasting her.  Giullia felt as if her body was on fire,
melting itself in an blazed heat. She opened her mouth, trying to absorb more
of it, more of him, and give more of herself in return. So Ben took his left
hand to the back of her neck, while sucking on her tongue passionately. The
delicous warmth between her thighs, made the girl press her legs together,
making her unconsciously bite his lips. Benny growled and moaned softly, not of
pain, but of pure desire.
     The strange sound cause her to step back, frightened and embarrassed by
it, seeming to regain conscious of her actions, for Ben's misfortune. His hands
were still on her waist, not allowing her to get away from him completely. He
used his thumb to make to caress her cheeks once again. He's almost
irresistable looking like that, his breath heavy, his lips swollen, his hair
desheveled. So very tempting, so very wrong.
      And Giullia always liked to play with forbiddance.
***** A Little Death *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
( NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK CITY, 1920 )
 
                               "Touch me, yeah 
                         I want you to touch me there 
                       Make me feel like I am breathing 
                             Feel like I am human 
                          Dancing through the night 
                             A vodka and a sprite 
                         A glimpse of the silhouettes 
                        A night that they never forget"
                      A Little Death — The Neighbourhood
                                        
                                                                               
 
     Her entire body tensed as soon as she heard the sound of the white wooden
door closing behind her. They were now alone, utterly and completely alone. And
the moment she had been fearing for a whole party, had finally arrived. Lina's
eyes fell on the king-size bed, covered by white silk sheets, waiting to be
stained by her blood. She could feel Charlie's piercing gaze burning on her
back, but she didn't dare turn and face him. Rosellina sighed uncomfortably,
even though she still wore her wedding dress, she felt almost naked under his
look. His dark eyes travelled mercilessly throughout her body, making her blush
at the quite unfamiliar feeling of exposure, — it was still strange to her to
be looked at by a man. From the corner of her eyes, she watched remove his
jacket and throw it on the armchair near the window, then roll up his sleeves
and run a hand through his dark brown curls. Charlie approached her slowly,
like a hunter surrounding his prey, waiting for the perceft moment to attack
and claim his prize. He positioned himself behind her, his fingers wandered
through her back for a few seconds, taking his time to unfasten the buttons of
her dress, before turning the girl to him in a quick movement, forcing her to
look into his dark orbes. She gasped, and braced herself for what would come
next. Surprisingly, he didn't strike, push or hurt her in anyway. Instead his
hands moved up to the side of her arms, caressing her bare skin in a kind way.
She found out that even though his touch was somehow rough, it was also warm
and welcoming, and not cold and rude as she had thought it would be. His large
calloused hands hadn't been made to be gentle, yet his possessive gentleness
was delightful. 
      However, that was not enough to calm her down, she couldn't simply forget
the fact that the man was a cold-hearted criminal, just like all the members of
the mafia. Lina wouldn't be fooled by kind gestures, there was no love between
them, their marriage was nothing more than an agreement, an alliance, ink on
paper, and it would never be anything other than that. 
     Although she was suprised at how tender he was, since he could simply rip
off her clothes and claim her in whichever way he wanted. No one would say a
word about it, Charlie was her husband, she belonged to him, to be taken as he
wished. Rosellina's posture remained rigid, as hard and cold as stone statue.
The man must have noticed that, due to how unpleased he seemed. What was he
expecting?, Lina wondered, For me to spread my legs and give myself to him
willingly. No, she was his wife, to whom he had sworn sacred vows. She was not
Gillian Darmody, or any of the other whores he had fucked, and he had to accept
that. She wanted more, she deserved more.
❝You don't have to be afraid of me.❞ — his deep voice echoed through the place
— ❝I ain't no monster.❞
     Lina was unsure if weather that had been a joke or not, but if it was
meant to calm her, it certainly didn't work. In an a stupid and unconscious
movement, she took a few steps back, moving away from him and nearly stumbling
at the hem of her dress. Charlie clenched his jaw and sucked in a breath, as if
he was trying to control himself. He moved closer to her once again, pulling
down her dress quickly, and allowing it to fall to the around her. The girl
blushed even harder while stepping out of it, feeling the fire in his eyes burn
against her skin. She stood in front of him wearing nothing but her lingerie, a
white lace bandeau and silk slip shorts. He took his time to admire her, his
eyes marking every inch of her as his own, and then reaching out to touch her.
But Rosellina stepped back before he could, once again.
 ❝Don't do that.❞ — the sentence was serious and warning, as if he was
lecturing as stubborn child — ❝Listen, I don't expect youse to love me, but you
will obey me! Otherwise, there will be consequences.❞
❝Are you threatning me, husband?❞ — she regretted saying those words as soon as
they left her lips, but it was too late then.
❝Are you questioning me, woman?!❞ — he sounded surprised, shocked even, as if
no one had ever dared do such a thing before. Charlie's tone was intimidating
for sure, and it scared Lina more than she expected, but she refused to be
cowed by him, maybe it was stupid to fight him. But she didn't care, she was
determined not to be frail submissive woman who bows to all her husband's
wishes, she wouldn't show him weakness, she wouldn't beg for his mercy. 
❝Maybe I am.❞ — the answer was low, but he had heard her loud and clear.
     He slipped his around her waist and pulled her towards him, pressing her
body against his, feeling the heat between them. Then, he brought his free hand
closer to her face, as Lina shut her green eyes, and prepared herself for the
sharp blow, but she opened them again, when she felt his fingertips slowly
tracing a line on her left cheek. 
 ❝No, I'm not gonna hit youse, stupid little girl. We're still in your home,
your father's territory.❞ — Charles stated, still caressing her face — ❝Your
not completely mine, yet.❞
     He leaned down slightly, to collide his lips on hers, exploring her mouth
with his tongue as his hands explored her body. Lina digged her nails into his
musceled forearms, tasting the alcohol on his mouth, her tongue searching for
his shyly, uncertain of what to do. She sensed a strange sensation, a
fluttering in her belly, a pleasant shiver down her spine. Charlie's lips left
hers, falling to her neck, kissing, sucking, licking and biting. The girl
closed her eyes, as a loud moan came out of her mouth. No, she struggled to
keep control of her senses. He was a monster, a murderer, she had to hate him,
but fuck! That man was ruining her plans, it was difficult to hate him when he
was touching her in that way. His rough hands gropping her bare curves and his
wet tongue devouring the exposed skin of her neck, all with such and
affectionate possession. Lina thought she should feel ashamed by the moans and
sighs that escaped her mouth, and by the delicious tingling in the sweet spot
between her thighs. But she was completely immersed in her husband's
affections, too confused to think. She unbuttoned his shirt with urge, freeing
the man from it, and quickly removing his suspendors.
     He had a strong build, — she realized, while admiring his bare chest
—, her shaky hands sliding through her husband's muscles, softly trailling his
scars with her fingertips and feeling him shiver under her delicate touch.
Charlie was not so broad though, he was a little more lanky, with an tall and
elegant appearance. But, oh, he was bigger in other places. Or at least that
was what she realized, when she felt his hardened cock poking her belly.
     Rosellina let out a sonorous cry, throwing her head back as the man's lips
fell once again, pressing smooth kisses down her neckline, between her
breasts. Her lace bandeau brassiere was soon torn into small pieces and thrown
in some corner of the room. He sneaked his hands lower, until he reached her
ass and lift her up, forcing Lina to wrap her legs tightly around his waist.
The girl lowered her eyes to see that her chest was perfectly positioned in
front of his head, giving Charles a free access to her breasts. He circled one
of her nipples with his warm tongue, sucking on it lightly, making her slip her
hands through his hair, pulling his curls and pushing his face against her
chest. Her nipple left his mouth in a wet pop, Charlie didn't even give her
time to gasp for breath. Instead he laid her calmly on the mattress, before
climbing on top of her, his lips met hers with fierce hunger. She felt him
growing harder and larger against her crotch, and she proceded to caress him,
reaching a hand to caress his hard-rock cock whilst stroking his hair. Lina's
body shuddered completely at the feeling of skin brushing skin. They broke the
kiss, and the man took the chance to look at her once more, her disheveled
hair, her bruised hips, her swollen lips. 
 ❝So fucking perfect.❞ — the sentence sounded more like a moan, and her cheeks
flushed red under his gaze — ❝I wonder if you're this gorgeous when you're
squirming in pleasure.❞
     With that, he grabbed her ass and pulled her down to the edge of the bed,
kneeling in front of her, using his hands to spread her legs. He slid her white
underwear slowly down her thighs and lut of her body. Rosellina swallowed hard
and felt her muscles tense when the placed his head between her legs. What is
he doing?, she questioned herself, but gave up the pursue for an answer as soon
as sensed Charlie's hot breath against her moist cunt. His warm tongue ventured
throughout the girl's soft wet folds, circling and sucking her clit as Lina
moaned, closing her eyes and throwing her head back at the inexplicable
sensation of pure ecstasy. He removed his mouth from her and ran a finger down
her entrance deliciously, drawing small circles on her cunt. She felt herself
ascending to heaven when he inserted two digits inside her, she spread her legs
a little further, in an attempt of allowing him to go deeper. She knew that in
that position, she was completely exposed to him. She knew Charles could see
and feel every inch of her, he could feel her tighness squeezing him, her
wetness soaking him, her chest moving up and down with her heavy breath,
her knuckles tightening around the bed sheet. He increased the speed of his
movements, sinking into her core once more, her hips grinding against his hand.
The man, — her man, she reminded herself —, removed his fingers from her and
brought them to his mouth, licking them slowly. Lina let out a unpleased sigh
at the feeling of emptiness, as Charlie stood, pulling down his pants along
with his underwear. She stared at him in awe, with an embarassed expression on
her face, gazing upon male nakedness for the first time, he let out a soft
chuckle, amused by her innocence. Rosellina was quite insecure, and fearful on
what would happen next, he was big, even bigger than she had expected. Which
meant he wouldn't slip inside as easily as his fingers, it would be certainly
painful, very painful. She tensed again. 
❝Don't worry, it's all rights.❞ — he touched her left cheek gently — ❝I swer
I'll tries not to hurt youse too bad.❞
     Her husband leaned over her, placing his arms in each side of her head,
pushing his lips against hers. Her heart beated so hard and fast she feared he
could hear it.  But even if he didn't, he would still know, he could almost
smell the fear in her. Lina was sure he was familiar with such, he had probably
seen it uncountable times, in the eyes of all the people he had killed and
tortured. She knew who he was, what he had done, but that wasn't stopping her
from wanting him more than she had ever wanted anyone her entire life. No, it
was more than just a desire, it was a need, she needed him. So she swallowed
back the fear, she would have him, no matter how much it hurt, she would be
his. He rubbed the glowing tip of his cock down her entrance, his tongue
caressing hers, his grip on her waist tight. Rosellina shut her eyes at the
feeling of him between her legs. He explored her mouth with demand, urge and
loving violence, soon she could taste the liquor on his tongue. Charles pressed
her body against the mattress, feeling her hardened nipples scrape his bare
chest, that made her lips twist into a smile, — but not any smile, a seductive,
teasing smile, one she had never given to anyone before. That only inflamed his
desire for her, his chest rose and fell tirelessly, his eyes seemed to burn
with lust, his pulse was ever-increasing. He used his fingers to circle her
clit once more, hearing her silky voice groan softly in his ear. Lina had lost
all her pride and modesty, she threw her head back, moaning loudly, clutching
the fabric of the white sheets as if her own life relied on them. Charlie
lifted his head to gaze upon her, his dark devilish orbes watched her with
a pleasant expression, opening a pretencious smirk afterwards. 
     She wanted him, and he knew it.
     The girl didn't blush or lower her eyes as he had thought he would,
instead she stared right back at him. She was no longer ashamed of the burning
desire, the growing need, the wild fire melting their bodies, the heat of their
limbs entwined as one. It felt so good, it seemed so right. But the pleasure
was quickly replaced by pain as Charlie entered her slowly, growling in pure
bliss, while Lina shut her greenish eyeballs and bit her lower lip, trying not
to cry out with the hint of ache in her core, the strange feeling of being torn
apart in the inside. God, it was far more painful that she had been told it
would be, that she had thought it would be. He pushed his hips a little
further, putting his length fully into her. Charlie didn't move for a while,
enjoying her tightness around his cock, he leaned over and pressed gentle
kisses on her face, decending to her nipples. It was more than obvious that he
was doing his best to control his true instincts, almost just as obvious as the
painful expression on her face. Lina slipped her fingers through his curls,
burying her head in the curve of his neck, scratching his back as he started
pounding into her. However, his movements were slow, as if he was holding back.
Even with all the pain, she found a moment to feel disappointed by that. She
didn't want him to hold back, she was more than sure that he had never done so
with the other women he had been with, and Rosellina was determined to prove
herself better than all of them. She interlaced her legs around him, raising
her hips to met his thrusts, in an attempt to encourage him to quicken the
speed. That caused the man to move faster, but still delicately. He whispered
all sorts of things in Lina's ear, things that would make any respectable lady
flinch in horror, but made her whine in delight. After a few minutes, she could
already feel the pain dissipating as Charlie moaned against her breasts,
sucking them with devotion, he filled her completely, making her feel whole,
she could feel his cock pulse inside as her walls tightened around him. Lina
inhaled deeply when his thumb that was still squeezed her clit, making her
squirm beneath him.
❝Charlie...❞ — she whimpered, placing her hand in her husband's chest — ❝I want
to...❞
     The sentence was never finished, because she had no idea how to say it,
instead she showed him what was it that she wanted to do. She simply pushed him
on his back, forcing him to lay on the mattress, before climbing on top of him.
The girl didn't understand why, but she had felt a sudden need of doing it, of
being in control. She sat on him, ignoring the small lapse of ache between her
legs, she was starting to get accustomed to the feeling of an intruder inside
her womanhood. Even the pain, was no longer so intense, it was now no more than
a bearable discomfort. She looked into his eyes, obviously not knowing what to
do, and Charles seemed to read the message quickly. He gripped her hips
tightly, digging his nails into her flesh and calmly pulling her down, filling
her again. Lina moved leisurely, first to the sides, then up and down, — with
his grip on her, guiding her gently. He trembled underneath her and called her
name in a low groan. The man put both hands on the girl's waist, controlling
the speed with which she rose and fell upon him. Lina could feel herself
getting more slippery, in each movement he would slid into her more easily than
before. Their loud moans echoed through the room, but all she could hear is the
sound of him penetrating her, her skin slapping against his, her breasts
swinging up and down on his face. His hands tightened on her ass while the
other one tangled her brown locks. She didn't know how or when he sat and took
her nipples on his mouth, all she knew was that he sucked on them with a
brusqueness and ferocity, marking her, claiming her as his own. Rosellina's
fingers tucked into the skin of his back, pushing her hips down, her core
swallowing more and more of his cock. Her muscles compressed his manhood, he
removed his lips from her tits and let out a hoarse groan. She pushed herself
back down, faster, deeper and harder, until she came on top of him, moaning so
loudly that the entire mansion had probably heard her. It didn't take long for
Charles to release his seed into her, muffling his cry in her mouth. Both
bodies fell on the mattress, she closed her eyes and tried to soften her heavy
breath. Charlie's around her slack sweaty body, his manly scent dominating her
senses and she still vibrating in ecstasy from the orgasm. 
    Rosellina looked down, to see the white silk sheets, now blood-stained red.
 
 
 
===============================================================================
 
 
 
     When morning came she was alone in the king-size bed, Lina opened her eyes
to face the ceiling. She could hear someone moving around the room. Charlie,
she thought and so her mind was quickly invaded with the memories of what had
happened in the previous night. The ceremony, the following party, the
consumation of the wedding. Salvatore Lucania, her husband, she felt heat
rising to her cheeks, blushing at the simple thought of so. How could she have
given herself to him so easily? What had gotten into her? Since when did she
found him so difficult to resist? There are so many questions, but no
reasonable answer to any one of them. Rosellina placed her hand on her head,
felling it spin. That was a small reminder of the several glasses of champagne
she had in during the festivities, in a desperate attempt to muster up courage
and prepare herself to have her innocence taken. However, during the act, she
didn't seem to be in need of any sort of encouragement. She watched Charlie
turn in a sudden movement, apparently noticing her. For a moment, the girl
wished she could plunge under the covers and remain there forever, only to
never have to look into her husband's eyes again. Staring away from his dark
orbes, her look fell upon his figure, his water-soaked curls, his elegant build
covered by nothing more than his trousers and wife-beater, the red scratch
marks on his strong forearms and broad shoulders, — that had most certainly
been caused by her sharp nails. Rosellina had seen completely naked in the
other night, yet she couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable to see him in that
way. Her embarassment could be considered more than evident. I must get used to
it, she thought to herself silently, We are married now, I will see him like
this many more times. 
❝Good you're awake.❞ — the sound of his voice woke her from her thoughts, he
walked over to her with his shirt in hands and an unreadable expression on his
face — ❝The women will be here soon to gather the bloody sheets and present
them to the guests. Their all downstairs, waiting for the show to starts, let's
make sure they get a good show.❞
     With that, he leaned over her slowly and carefully, covering his lips with
hers and before she could even notice, Lina found herself opening her mouth to
let his tongue in. She slipped a hand through his dark curls, stroking them
kindly, deepening the kiss. He pulled back and moved away from her, smiling
wickedky and fixing his hair. She stood up carefully — due to the soreness
between her legs —, walking towards the bathroom as naked as the day she was
born, feeling Charlie's shameless and ruthless gaze upon her body. Rosellina
bathed quickly and wrapped a clean white towel around, leaving the bathroom to
find Charles fully dressed, sitting by the armchair.
      She's taken aback by her own image reflected on the mirror, her hair was
a mess, there were bruises on her hips in the form of hands, and red marks on
her neck, breats and upper thighs. The girl, — no, the woman she was now —
sighed heavily. It was a rather hot morning, but she would still have to wear
an up-neck long-sleeved dress to hide her husband's imprinting on her, from the
eyes of curious gossips. The sheets are more than enough, she thought, reaching
the hairbrush to smooth down the wild brown locks with a silly smile playing on
her lips.
     She remembered Charlie's touch on her skin, his mouth on hers, his manhood
inside her. Heat rose to her cheeks, painting them in a soft shade of crimson.
❝I love it when you blush, you knows? it's like you enjoy torturing me with
your innocence. ❞ — he approached her by behind, resting both his hands in
waist and burying his nose in the back of her neck, to inhale her sweet scent —
 ❝I've never wanted any woman, like I want you❞ — Charles confessed in a low
whisper, causing her to open a large joyful smile at the sudden revelation — ❝I
can't wait to fuck youse again.❞
     He walked away, disappearing through the entrance and closing the heavy
door behind. He hadn't noticed, but Lina's smile fadded imediately after the
last sentence, and her face carried a sorrowful expression. Tears filled her
eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. Rosellina felt stupid for a moment,
was she expecting? That he would say he loved her? She couldn't let herself be
fooled, there had been no feelings in occurred between them in the previous
night. It desire, temptation, arousal, only that. Her husband hadn't made love
to her, he just fucked her, — like he said himself. Don't get her wrong, she
didn't think that one night would change Lucky Luciano. But the way he had
spoke to her, as if she was one of the many women he had been with, it made her
feel like some roadside whore and nothing more. Lina was hurt and it was her
own fault, she had given him leave to do such, to give her false hope. She had
been foolish enough to think that they could have a happy marriage, that they
could build a long lasting relationship between them, based on trust, mutual
respect and maybe even true faithful love. But the woman was now determined to
make sure it was the first and last time it happened. 
     The presentation of the sheets passed like a blur before her. As soon as
Lina set foot in the dining hall, all eyes were on her, she was the center of
all the attention. The wives and young daughters of the mafia crowded around
her, making it impossible for the brunette to take one step without being
followed by the large group of women. She was unable to see her mother and
sister amongst the comotion, and couldn't ignore the embarrassing questions
asked by the guests. But she put a fake smile on her face and answered them all
politely, knowing it was a necessary evil. When the sheets were finally set
over the large dining table, she took advantage of that moment of distraction
to sneak up close to her siblings who stood near the door, without anyone
noticing her. Filippo hugged his sister tightly, and looked at her with teary
brown eyes, before releasing her and walking up to their father. 
❝Are you okay?❞ — Giullia asked, her voice filled with concern — ❝He didn't
hurt, did he? If he did, I swear...❞
❝I'm a little sore but I'm fine, he didn't hurt me.❞ — Not physically at least,
she thought, but choose not to speak.
❝Remember, you can't let do that, you can't let him treat you like a whore. ❞ —
the younger girl advised — ❝You deserve better, you are better.❞
 ❝I won't, I promise.❞
❝I can't believe your gonna have to move into his house, I'll have no one to
advocate me whenever I misbehave.❞ — Gigi opened a sad smile — ❝How long will
you two be on honeymoon?❞
 ❝Only one week, Charlie has business to deal with here.❞ — Lina watched her
sister twist her face in an expression of anguish — ❝But as soon as we come
back, I'll ask pappa to allow you to spend a few days with me on the house.❞
❝I'm sure he'll love to get rid of me for some time.❞ — both girls grinned at
that.
      Gigi wrapped and squeezed her in to a comforting embrance, so tight that
Lina lost her breath for a few seconds, before pulling back. It was the gesture
that made her realize was happening, she was leaving, she was leaving for good.
The place she grew up in, her parents, her siblings, her everything. All to
start a new life beside her husband, and leave her old one behind. Of course,
for some people it probably seemed like an overreaction, after all it wasn't
like she was departing from the country or even the state, she was just moving
out from Brooklyn to New York City. However, she was a Lucania now, no longer a
member of the Castellini family. And if it was Charlie's will that she should
never see them again, Lina would have to obey him.
❝Promise you'll call me whenever you can.❞ — Giullia pleaded, holding her
hands — ❝An entire week alone with Luciano sounds too dangerous, if I don't
wear from you for more than one day, no one will stop me from catching the
first flight to the Caribbeans.❞
❝I don't doubt that for a second, but I don't think Charlie would appreciate it
much. Nor would pappa.❞ — the younger girl snorted at the statement — ❝You need
to stop defying him, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me.❞
❝Fine.❞ — Gigi let out a defeated sigh — ❝I'll be on my best behaviour, I'll be
a good girl.❞
     Rosellina raised an eyebrow at that, suspicious of her, but spoke none of
it. She could no longer hold on a fake smile when it came to bid goodbye to her
father, becaude he had shown himself unworthy of even that. Now that, she was
free of him, she didn't have to pretend anymore. Alfonzo kissed her forehead,
giving her a proud grin, but in return he only received a cold look from her.
She moved away from the man without saying a word, and hugged her mother.
Teresa showed herself more tender than usual, and she stroked her daughter's
hair and whispered to her:
 ❝I wish things had happened differently.❞ — the sorrow in her eyes was more
than visible — ❝But it gives me peace to know you won't end up like me, beside
Charles, you have a chance of happiness and true love, don't let it waste.❞
❝What do mean, mamma?❞
❝Oh, bambina, you still have so much to learn. ❞ — Teresa stroked her cheeks
gently — ❝Haven't you seen it?❞
 ❝Seen what, mamma?❞ — Rosellina looked very puzzled.
❝The way he looks at you❞ — she stated as if it was more than obvious in the
eyes of everyone — ❝As if he could take a bullet right in the chest for you, as
if he could lay down his own life for yours. And that is something no other
woman will ever get from him, only his wife, only you.❞
    She turned her look at Charlie, who stood a few feet from them, having an
apparently quite entertaining chat with a redhead, but his eyes were on her.
❝But I warn you dearest, it will be very hard, I'll have to be strong.❞ — the
woman continued — ❝Love isn't always easy, but it can, if it's worth it.❞
     Teresa placed a kiss in her left cheek and walked away, leaving Lina
behind, more confused than ever with her words. What had she meant by all that?
She didn't have time to reflect on the matter, before she could, the woman
noticed her husband standing next to her. One of his hands were possessively
placed around her small waist, as if he was claiming his domain, protecting
what belonged to him. She sighed, she would have to do her best to get used to
that dominating and jealous side of him.
      Time passed far too quickly, suddenly she found herself in the car,
waving at her siblings through the window. Tears blurred her vision as they
crossed the gates of the Castellini Mansion, they silently fell off her eyes
and ran across her cheeks. For the first time she allowed herself to cry with
the thought of leaving her life behind, her world behind. She felt a hand in
her shoulder, it was Charlie, staring at her with a kind sympathetic look.
 ❝Don't be like that, youse can visit them whenever you want.❞ 
❝You don't understand.❞ — she wiped her tears — ❝They were all I had, all I've
ever known, and know...It's like a part of me is being ripped apart and burned
away.❞
     Afterwards, Lina turned her eyes to the landscape and Charles kept his
eyes on the road, a few minutes later, they were inside the international
airport.
❝We're gonna take a private flight.❞ — he revealed casually, as if that didn't
cost a fortune and watched her widen her eyes — ❝It wasn't me, it was a demand
from AR, he thinks it's safest for the both of us. We've been having some
trouble with the rival gangs and we can't risk being attacked. Do I have to
remind you of what sort of man you married?❞
     She choose not to answer the question, knowing she didn't have to.
Rosellina would never forget who he was, because he would never allow her to do
so, he would forever remind her of it. He was a gangster, a mobster, a
criminal, a murderer. Alfonzo Castellini always said, in the heart of a
mafioso, there is only place for one true love, the Mafia. Salvatore Lucania
was a cruel ruthless man, and he had already made it clear that no one would
ever change him. What if she couldn't make him love her? She was alone now,
away from her home, stripped from safety and defense. Rosellina remembered what
he had said to her during their wedding night, that he wouldn't hurt her
because she wasn't completelt his. But now, she was his to do with whatever he
desired. Lina bit her lower lip, tensed, forcing herseld not to quake with
fear. What if Charlie proved himself just as violent in life, as he was in
business? Now she knew her honeymoon would truly be a matter of life or death.
Chapter End Notes
     Heyyyyy! Guess who's back? Guys, I'm really sorry but it's just been
     impossible for me to write. Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I'm here now and
     I promise this time I'm gonna stay. Hope you liked it, comment and
     tell what you think. Criticism and suggestions are always welcome.
     bambina¹ — a young girl/child
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