Chapter 19: Chapter 19

After Gino had handed me a plate of mozerella salad, Dario and Giovanna got up and together disappeared past me out of the living room.

I forced myself not to look after them and shoved fork after fork into my mouth while my eyes kept falling to Nicolo, who was just angrily explaining to his father that he was fed up with school and would rather work with Gino.

Enzo denied it several times and when Nicolo suddenly slammed the table with all his might and threw nasty insults at his father in Italian, Gino grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and shoved him violently to the ground.

"I'm warning you!" he yelled at him and I looked wide-eyed at Nicolo, who was only slowly getting up again. "Don't forget who's sitting here in front of you and don't act like a little bastard!"

Gino's look was so aggressive that I was really starting to get scared for Nicolo, which probably happened to Enzo as well.

"Gino", he addressed his eldest son and stood up. "Let me handle this. You do your work."

Enzo put his hand on Gino's back soothingly while Nicolo sat back down at the table and stared stubbornly at nothing.

"Dad, you have to show him limits!", Gino now started to discuss, but when Enzo gave him a warning look, Gino fell silent immediately and quickly walked past the table into the hallway. The situation slowly relaxed again, but then I suddenly heard the front door and thought about whether he had actually forgotten me.

"I'm very sorry, Ludovica," Enzo apologized to me, speaking rather wistfully. "Since my wife died, my boys are very full of themselves. It's harder to raise them than being a mafia boss. Believe me," he explained, laughing at the end of his sentence with a sad expression.

Nicolo didn't seem to overhear our conversation as he was now back in his headphones and tapping away on his cell phone.

"I can hardly believe that I'm part of one of the most dangerous mafia families," I suddenly burst out and I didn't even know why I said that.

When Enzo's eyes met mine, confused, I widened my eyes and played with my fingers nervously. "Well, I didn't mean that in a bad way. It's just that you two fight about school and have a nice salad together in the evening while you read the newspaper calmly."

Enzo couldn't help but grin, which made me smile apologetically as well.

"Did you think we'd drink whiskey and polish our machine guns at the dinner table?" he asked, beginning to be amused by my ignorance and I nodded slightly, which made him laugh even more.

"Oh, everything was better before," he smiled and leaned closer to me. "As soon as you're at the top, there are other people who do your dirty work. It's like that in every situation in life. All I really have to do is make sure that our enemies keep their feet still and our friends get enough of our earnings. Otherwise I drink Coffee and mess with this bum."

He hit Nicolo lightly on the shoulder, who then took off his headphones and looked questioningly at his father.

"Go upstairs and do your homework," he instructed and Nicolo immediately stood up, only to pause for a moment afterwards.

"Scusa, papà," he respectfully apologized to his father and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he too disappeared from the living room, leaving only me and Enzo behind.

"So mafia life is actually quite peaceful," I summarized his words, but his facial expression suddenly became thoughtful.

"For me, yes, but my sons still have to prove themselves and they really don't have it easy in the world out there. Especially not with their last name. If you've achieved a lot, you've also got a lot of envy and the more envious, the more danger. That's exactly why I wanted Gino to have someone like you. Someone to take care of him. It wasn't the fine Italian way of forcing you, but that's the way it goes with us," he said calmly and slowly got up from the table , while I heard the front door behind me.

"Please try to overlook his bad sides. You won't regret it," he whispered softly and shortly thereafter I felt a hand on my shoulder, from which I winced slightly.

"Are you coming?" Gino asked and immediately I got up to walk towards Enzo after Gino after a smile.

We left the villa in silence and after taking a seat in a black Porsche I looked over at him thoughtfully.

I couldn't understand why a few days ago he wanted to sell me by force and seemed so friendly today. Was it really just because of the engagement, or would I see his bad side again soon?

"You okay?" I heard him ask in the silence and only then realized that I had been staring at him thoughtfully the whole time.

"Yes," I said immediately, turning my face to the window to take one last look at the villa before we drove through the darkness.

My thoughts also carried me to Enzo, who had threatened me yesterday that he would put me under the ground if I said no, and I understood more and more that family was everything to them. Since I was to be Gino's wife, they were nice and went with him normally. Of course it would all be different if Gino rejected me. Then I'd be a whore again, out of place in the kitchen, if I were still alive at all.

I got more and more entangled in this chaos in my head and then I got panicked that it would all come out with Dario. Then it would be over, because he certainly had no intention of marrying me. Why should he? He had a beautiful woman by his side and yet he slept with me.

"This doesn't make any sense!" I snapped, my eyes widening in disbelief when I realized I'd said it out loud.

"What do you mean?" Gino wanted to know immediately and I shook my head while nervously turning to face him.

"I was just thinking out loud. Nothing important," I babbled, but he didn't let up.

"Tell me," he demanded, glancing over at me, which quickly made me think of something idiotic.

"Well, if you consider that time is relative, then every moment is different for everyone. Well, an hour can feel like 5 minutes to me, but you feel like a whole day," I grumbled and got one from him Glance as if I didn't have all the cups in the cupboard anymore.

"I understand," he said and I looked at him questioningly.

"For real?"

"Yes," he laughed, and pulled into the club's parking lot. "This conversation lasted a few seconds and I feel like I've aged years. You'd best do what I took you to do inside and otherwise shut up."

Charming as always!

I gave him a warning look, but he skillfully ignored me and got out of the car, which I then did the same.

If only I had listened to him.

Gino preceded me to the club's lighted entrance, where he briefly greeted the two bouncers and disappeared inside.

I really had trouble keeping up with him, but that was probably due to my bad memories of the place. On the one hand hell, on the other hand the place where I had my first time.

"You know what you have to do?" he said when we got to the cloakroom door and I nodded, although I had no idea what he expected of me now.

He kissed my cheek and walked down the darkened hallway with his phone in hand while I watched him go, only turning to the door when he was out of sight.

Completely overwhelmed, I pushed the handle down and saw several girls, who were totally intimidated by me, sitting on the stools in front of the mirror.

"Ciao," I greeted her and cleared my throat to close the door behind me and look at her.

All three of them were probably my age and looked way too overdone. The clothes were short, the make-up was thick and they looked at me expectantly with wide eyes.

"So," I mumbled awkwardly, feeling absolutely silly having to tell them that sex with old guys was now a part of their lives. "You should just take it easy."

I hardly believed myself what I was saying and their questioning faces didn't make it any easier for me either, until the one with the light hair suddenly stood up and crossed her arms demonstratively.

"Who do you think you are, to be able to tell me who I have to fuck with?" she snapped back and I was about to say something when she followed up. "Do you think you're something special because you're here with Gino today? A few days ago he was still fucking with me, so don't worry and don't waste my time!"

She walked past me outside and I looked after her in shock before turning to the other two.

"Yeah, um," I mumbled, suddenly overcome by the thought that I was feeling something close to jealousy. It was only very light and hardly noticeable, but it was there and that's exactly what made me incredibly angry. "Just do what Gino asks!"

I looked back and forth between the two and after they nodded shyly, I quickly walked out of the cloakroom and down the darkened hallway, arriving back at the large room where I had been sitting at the bar before.

The music was pounding in my ears and it was just as dark as last time. The neon lights kept dazzling and the cigarette smoke was unbearable.

I ignored all of this and looked around for Gino, whom I spotted on the edge of one of the armchairs, chatting with other men and smoking a cigarette. Of course, the stupid cow from the cloakroom sat with him, but that didn't bother me. After all, I didn't want him and should be glad his attention wasn't on me.

It was probably not jealousy, but rather my pride that was making me uncomfortable.

"A red wine," I said to the woman behind the bar, sitting down on one of the stools. A man next to me suddenly turned around and I stared at him with wide eyes in disbelief.

"Do we know each other?" he said in a slurred voice and I was glad that he didn't recognize me. He was the pig that held me captive on his hip and wanted to take me to a room with his friend.

"No," I replied immediately, turning quickly in the other direction to take my glass and drain it in one gulp.

"One more, please," I smiled and the waitress, suddenly annoyed, put the whole bottle in front of me. "Thank you!" I murmured and poured myself another glass. I was about to start it when I suddenly felt two hands slowly gripping my hips and froze in my movement.

"Buona sera, bella donna (hello beautiful lady)", Gino whispered in my ear and then kissed down my neck, which was way too much for me at the moment. I didn't want to be near him, but I allowed it, if only because I was afraid of the consequences.

"Buona serata," I replied quietly, turning in his direction so that his lips left my neck and he let go of my hips as well.

"Have you talked to the girls?" he asked, sitting down on one of the stools next to me as he pulled a packet of white powder out of his pocket.

I stared at the package with wide eyes and could hardly believe that he would just take drugs now, but I couldn't think about it for a long time. He lifted my chin, looked at me expectantly and immediately I nodded and then carefully freed myself from his grip.

"Very good," he said contentedly and ordered a whiskey while spreading some of the white powder on the counter.

"Gino?" I spoke to him, looking back and forth between him and the white stuff until his eyes met mine and I took a deep breath. "Please don't take this."

I hoped he would listen to me because I knew only one thing about cocaine - it made you awake and aggressive. At least that's what Filippo used to say.

"You're so sweet!" He pinched my cheek in amusement and then, despite my request, gulped down the stuff, causing me to turn to my glass of wine in frustration and briefly stare down the hallway, where the two shy girls from the cloakroom were just walking into the room.

They both looked at me for help, but I didn't move and was shocked that one was heading straight for me, but she ran past me and straight to the old geezer who had almost taken my virginity.

I watched the two of them briefly before Gino grabbed my neck and without any warning placed his lips on mine. He pushed his tongue into my mouth demandingly, grasped my waist with both hands and lifted me up without any problems, so that I had to sit spread-legged on his lap.

"You're drinking red wine and there's music playing. Romance enough if you ask me," he breathed between kisses and I was about to free myself from his grip when he put his hand back on my neck and held me in that position.

"Gino," I tried to address him somehow, but he suddenly pushed his hand under my dress and I looked around the room, overwhelmed.

Nobody seemed to pay any attention to us, but I was so ashamed that I almost went nuts.

"You're so innocent," Gino breathed, breaking away from my lips to look deep into my eyes while his one hand still fixed my neck and the other slowly stroking towards my middle.

"Please, not here," I begged and immediately his grip on my neck tightened again while he reached my panties under my dress and immediately yanked them aside with two fingers.

"Fuck," he whispered, still staring excitedly into my eyes. "Why do you say no when you're so wet and willing at the same time?"

Was?

I could hardly believe myself that I was wet right now, especially not because I was so uncomfortable with everything. But Gino also looked hot and knew exactly how to kiss a woman to make her willing.

I held my breath in shock at all this and only let it out again when I suddenly felt his fingers in me, then embarrassed I hide my face in the crook of his neck and I couldn't resist a low moan. It felt too good for that.

"Oh, baby," he whispered excitedly, cupped my neck again and then put his lips on mine again. It was damn good to be able to kiss him because that was something Dario wouldn't let me.

.Dario!

As soon as he twirled into my mind, I jumped up from Gino's lap in a panic and adjusted my dress to glare at him.

"I said not here! I'm your fiancee, not a whore!"

I didn't know why, but just thinking about Dario made me act more confident. Although I knew that I certainly couldn't delay it much longer, or rather, Gino wouldn't let me get away with it much longer, but as long as there were still excuses, I used them.

"It's okay. The night is still young," he grinned amusedly, probably already sure of my devotion, which gave me an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach when I thought about lying in bed alone with him later.

He got up from his stool, gave me a charming wink and if I had known what was going to happen that night, I would have feigned an upset stomach at the latest and let me drive home immediately.