Amore (9 page)

“Mama was on the phone with me, Lucciola,” he smiled.

“Oh?” Eve frowned. He shot Mirabella a wink and she cut her eyes at him unimpressed.

“I brought your coffee,” she told him in a dry tone. Now she was pissed. He glanced over to see the mug on the nightstand. Steam swirled up and the aroma made his mouth water.

“Thank you, my beautiful wife,” he said.

The compliment softened her frown. Mirabella leaned in closer. She kissed his shoulder. “Spend a little time with them this morning okay? I need a break,” she sighed. She put Gianni on the bed. He settled on the pillow without complaint. “I’m going to go shower,” she waved him off and went into the bathroom. Giovanni had to give credit to his wife. She made sure he found time for all that was important. Gino eased out of his arms and started to jump on the bed. Gianni stood and began to jump with him.

“Gino needs a spanking, Papa. Mama told him no jumping!” Eve huffed. “Look at him. He’s a bad boy.” Eve stuck her tongue out at her brother. The boys plopped down laughing, and stood and began to jump again. Giovanni kissed his daughter and hugged her. She began to tell him about her swim adventure. Resigned to the morning of father duties he listened. After a check of his watch he knew the time would cost him. Santo returned today.

He needed to be ready to receive him.

**

“Sveglia!”
Lorenzo smacked Marietta on the ass. The pain jolted her awake. Her head lifted from the pillow. She tried to swing at him but he was off the bed and out of her reach. “What time does your friend arrive today,
cara
?” he grinned.

“That hurt!” she said. She rubbed the sting out of her warmed left buttock. Lorenzo moistened his lips with eyes glued to her ass. He buttoned his shirt. His gaze lingered on the lower half of her body as if trying to decide on temptation.

“We made a baby last night. I feel it!” he grabbed his dick and tugged it at her. God her body hurt. He wasn’t great in the beginning, but after he showered and joined her in bed, her tiger had returned. Her pussy hurt so bad she found it hard to close her legs. Marietta rolled over laughing. She stretched her arms above her head so her breasts lifted, nipples peaked, and her belly flattened. She parted her thighs in a suggestive manner. She didn’t mind a little discomfort with her morning loving, just as long as she had more of him.

“Do you want to try again to be sure?” she teased.

The offer put a sly smile to his mouth. She knew he was tempted. He paused and then blinked out of his lust. “Later. Definitely later,” he said and walked way from the bed.

Marietta rose on her elbows. “What time is it? Come back to bed now. I’m serious. I’m sick of this, Lo. You owe me more time.”

“Can’t. I want to meet with Carlo first thing. Need to straighten something out with him. And plus I have a few calls to make before Dominic wakes and is riding my ass.”

Marietta turned over and pulled the sheet to cover her nudity. “I thought you would take me to the airport to pick up Shae?”

“Send a car for her.” Lorenzo replied.

“She’s flying into Napoli!” Marietta shouted. “The girl has never been out of the States. I need to meet her there.”

“Don’t bust my balls!” He threw up his hand and walked away. Marietta watched him march around the room in search of something. He was dressed except for his shoes. He turned and went to the dresser drawer.

“Wait!” she yelped. He ignored her. He found a pair of socks in the bottom drawer instead of opening the top one. Her heart started beating again. She watched him put on his socks and shoes and tried to mask her discomfort. How could she have been so careless as to leave her pills in the top drawer?

“I’ll tell Renaldo to take you to Napoli. Gio and I have business to tend to here. Santo arrives today. It’s a very important day. Gio needs me.”

“Oh? Santo’s out of prison?” she asked.

“Been out for a week. The motherfucker has disrespected Gio by not coming sooner,” Lorenzo grumbled.

“You know we leave for Milano this evening. Will I see you before?” she asked.

“Ring Villa Rosso when you return from picking up your friend. I’ll meet her and you can give me my afternoon snack,” he winked.

Marietta threw her pillow at him. He stood, grabbed his watch from the dresser and walked out. As soon as the door closed she bolted from the bed, rushing to the dresser. With him gone the past few weeks she’d been careless. She pulled open the top drawer and there on top of her undergarments was her pack of birth control pills. She quickly took one and swallowed the pill dry. Marietta closed her eyes and exhaled. She tried on numerous times to muster the courage to explain to Lorenzo the reasons why she wouldn’t be a good mother. But he’d never listen. It was easier to pretend for now.

She looked down at the pills and felt the stab of regret. How could she deny her sweetheart the only thing he’d ever asked of her? Lorenzo was her world. There had to be a compromise. But what? She prayed with everything in her she’d find the strength to make him understand.

Fabiana’s

Milano – Italy

“Ciao a tutti!”
Catalina greeted her staff. She passed her coat off to Mateo. He kissed her on both cheeks and fell in step at her side. Though the hour was very early her staff was up and bustling. Mirabella would arrive that evening, and possibly stop by before the office closed. Though if Giovanni was with her, Catalina doubted it. Everything had to be perfect just in case. “Sorry I’m late. There was traffic. Have Kyra and Jamie arrived yet?”

“Um, no. But, Catalina, I must tell you—”

“When they arrive I want them both brought to me immediately. Renaldo has rented a place for Kyra here. With the success of her shoe line the Donna wants her working between Milano and Sorrento for the rest of the year. Send flowers as a house present. No! No! Send flowers and a nice bottle of champagne. Oh! I think Jamie is staying at the
Pierre Milano
. Make sure he, um, she has a bottle of champagne too.”

“
Signora
Catalina,
per favore
… I must tell you—”

Two men with racks of clothes came down the hall at full speed. Catalina sidestepped a near collision
. “
Minchia!”
Catalina shook her fist at the man to her left. “Watch where the fuck you are going! What is the damn hurry?”

“Scusi signora, Catalina. Scusi!”
The man stammered
. Catalina marched off with the toss of her hair. She headed for Mirabella’s office. “I’m still not sure if the Donna wants to feature the new red bottoms Kyra designed in the show, or the platforms that Jamie recommends. We must decide that soon. I need the girls’ shoe sizes to make sure they are fitted and rehearsed
. Mio Dio!
Let’s not have Zenobia trip over herself in the finale! I could see it now. Marietta would blame me for it.”

“Signora!”
Mateo grabbed her arm to stop her.

Catalina paused and looked at the men when they crashed the dress rack into a few mannequins. She groaned in her throat. “Is this place the zoo? Get it under damn control, Mateo! Or fire them! He nearly ran me over.”

“Sí, Signora,
but—”

“Now that I’ve had time to think about it, all of this may be too much overkill.” She gestured to the decorative red scarves and extra lighting on the floor. “We don’t want to look gaudy for Mirabella.”

“Sí!”
Mateo replied.

“I shouldn’t have listened to Marietta. We have Fabiana’s and Mirabella’s lines on the same runway. What should distinguish the two? And the platform shoes are too flashy. It’ll take away from the clothes… too much! I think I made a mistake.”

“Signora!”

“Yes, Mateo, I’m right here! What is it?” Catalina asked. Mateo pointed. She and her men glanced to the glass doors of Mirabella’s office. A man paced. His hands in his trouser pockets and his head bowed she didn’t recognize him immediately. He was taller than Dominic and dressed in a tailored dark suit.

“It’s what I wanted to say to you.
Signor
Armando Mancini is here,” Mateo began. “He arrived just a few minutes ago. I didn’t know where to take him, so I brought him to the Donna’s office.”

Catalina glanced back to the hired men that followed her everywhere. Both tensed at the sight of Mancini. She found it even more peculiar that Armando would show up without his entourage. Men like him and her brother had to be shadowed by guns constantly. It was a matter of safety. Armando had arrived alone.

“It’s fine, everyone. I’ll deal with him,” said Catalina.

The men disobeyed her and marched straight into the office. Catalina hurried after them. The last thing she needed was her brother’s men making a scene and embarrassing her in front of Armando Mancini, or worse her staff. The people working for her were out of America and France. Many only half-believed in the Mafia. All of them were tense with anticipation over who and what the Battaglias were.

“Wait! Wait!” she said through clenched teeth. She was too late. When her brother’s men stormed inside the office, Catalina barely arrived behind them. Armando looked up with not a hint of fear in his eyes.

One of the men demanded his reason for the visit. The other circled Armando and stopped directly behind him. It was Umberto, an enforcer with the temper of Carlo and the cunning of Dominic. Umberto parted his blazer to reveal his gun in his pants. Catalina saw the anger and heard the threat in their tones.

“He’s here to see me!” she announced. “Enough of this. Get out. To the door. Now! It’s a private family matter. I requested the meeting with Don Mancini.”

The men exchanged looks. Catalina shoved Umberto in the chest—the taller of the two. “Go! Go now! Just to the door. It won’t be a long meeting. Go!”

They heard her wishes and obeyed. Not before they both gave Armando a warning glare. Catalina shook her head. She waited until the door closed to turn and look upon her visitor. “Are you insane? Coming here uninvited?”

“Aren’t I family?”

“No,” Catalina frowned. Armando’s gaze pierced her. He had very compelling brown eyes ringed with dark lashes. Dominic had those bedroom eyes. It was the first time she saw that in common with both of the men. She had to look away from his piercing stare. Men like Armando could see through a woman’s curiosity to her hidden interests. Of course she had none. It just felt weird.

She went to the desk and pretended to straighten some things there. “I will tell Marietta that you came by and have her call you.”

“Catalina? I am here to see you,” he said.

“You what?” she glanced back at him with surprise. Again she was taken with his physical appearance. His hair was combed back from his face, tucked behind his ears. Silky and black it dusted his shoulder. She didn’t know much about him. As a little girl she had little access to him, and as a woman even less. However, she’d have to be blind not to be affected by his fearlessness. Deep down Catalina always craved men of power. It was why she constantly tried to encourage Dominic to achieve higher ranking with her brother. And a
consigliere
was as high and respected as they come. But a
consigliere
was no Don.

As he flipped back his jacket to slip his hand in his pocket, he raised the line of his trouser leg to draw her gaze to his feet. Jamie once told her that she could tell a lot about a man by his shoe size. Armando Mancini had an impressive shoe size. He stepped toward her. His aftershave greeted her and drew her eyes back to his. Secretly she inhaled the spice and tried to name the scent. His gaze swept her and the perusal felt intimate. Nervous, because of the attention, Catalina glanced back to the glass doors to see if the men noticed.

Today and every day she worked at Fabiana’s, she wore red. That’s what House of Fabiana’s was about, the color scarlet. And the dress flattered her curves. She knew this. She’d chosen the garment for Dominic, but Armando smiled as if she dressed that morning for him.

“
La piccoletta.
My how you’ve grown,” Armando said.
“Bellisima!
You are one beautiful woman.
”

“Why do you want to see me?” she asked again. The man made her pressure rise by the minute. She was actually beginning to sweat.

“I’m here about my sisters. They have a birthday coming soon. No? It’s just a few days from now.” Armando walked around Catalina toward the desk in the room. Behind it was a wall portrait. It was a very striking image of Mirabella and Fabiana posed back to back. He stared up at the portrait for a moment. “Interesting painting. Never had the pleasure of meeting the other woman, her partner. What was her name?”

“Fabiana. They were the dynamic duo. Gio had this painted for Mirabella over two years ago when he opened her boutique in Milano.”

“She is beautiful, as is Mirabella,” Armando said.

“You aren’t invited,” Catalina informed him. “To the party. You aren’t invited.”

“Oh but I am,” he corrected her and cast his gaze her way. “Marietta extended the invitation.”

“She did? No she didn’t!” Catalina said. “Gio would never allow it.”