I tried closing the door, but Martin’s strong hands stopped me.
“I missed you. Let me in,” he said.
I let the door go, withdrew inside, and switched the light on.
“Martin, goddamn it, I’ll call security!” I yelled.
My ex stood in the door, very still, staring angrily at something behind me. I turned around, and my heart nearly burst. Slowly, calmly, Massimo rose from the couch and started walking to the door.
“I can’t understand a word of what you’re saying, but Laura seems to want you out of here,” he said, stopping a few inches from Martin. “Should I repeat it to you, so that you understand? Maybe you’ll get it in English.”
Martin tensed and, keeping his eyes pinned on the Man in Black, replied in a low growl, “See you around, Laura. Let’s keep in touch.” He turned away and went to the elevator.
As soon as he left, the Man in Black turned around and faced me. I wasn’t sure if this was really happening. Fear and anger struggled for dominance with happiness and relief in my head. He was here, alive and well! For a long while, we stood like that, staring at each other. The tension between us was unbearable.
“Where the fuck have you been!?” I bellowed suddenly, slapping Massimo in the face, hard. “Do you have an idea, you goddamn egomaniac, what I’ve been through? You think I love fainting out of fear every fucking day? How could you leave me like that? Jesus!”
Resigned and exhausted, I collapsed to the floor, my back sliding down the wall.
“You look breathtaking, baby girl,” he said, trying to lift me in his arms. “That hair…”
“Don’t touch me! You won’t touch me ever again if you don’t explain yourself to me right now!”
My screaming made Massimo stand straighter. He loomed over me, looking more beautiful than I remembered. He was wearing dark pants and a dark long-sleeved shirt, emphasizing his perfectly toned body. Even now, furious at him, I couldn’t not notice how extremely attractive he was. I knew he was a wild animal, ready to pounce, and that the attack would come anytime now.
I wasn’t wrong. Massimo bent over and grabbed me by the arms, standing me up, and slipped his hand under my belly, throwing me over his shoulder, so I dangled head-down from his back.
My resistance and screaming wouldn’t do me any good, so I just surrendered, waiting for his next move. He went through the door to the bedroom and threw me on the bed, quickly pressing his body to mine, blocking any movement I might have tried.
“You met with him even though I told you you weren’t permitted. You know that I’ll kill this man only to make him stop seeing you?”
I kept quiet. I didn’t want to open my mouth, knowing that if I did, I would say more than I wanted. It was late. I was tired and hungry, and this whole situation was simply too much.
“I’m talking to you, Laura.”
“I hear you, but I don’t want to talk to you,” I said quietly.
“That’s even better. The last thing I’m in a mood for is difficult conversations,” Massimo replied, and brutally pushed his tongue into my mouth.
I wanted to shove him away, but as soon as I felt his taste and his scent, all the days spent without him flashed before my eyes. What I could remember above all was the sadness and the pain.
“Sixteen,” I whispered without breaking the kiss.
Massimo stopped and looked at me quizzically.
“Sixteen,” I repeated. “That’s how many days you owe me, don Massimo.”
He smiled and ripped his shirt off with one fluid move. The dimmed light coming from the living room illuminated his naked chest, revealing fresh wounds, some still with bandages on them.
“Oh my God, Massimo,” I breathed, squirming from under him. “What happened?”
I softly touched his body, as if trying to magically heal his injuries.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything, but not today. Okay? I need you to be well rested, fed, and above all—sober. You’re very thin, Laura,” he said then, caressing my body, tightly wrapped in black fabric. “I’m getting the impression you’re not feeling too comfortable in those clothes.” He rolled me over to my belly.
Slowly, he unzipped the skirt and pulled it down my thighs, throwing it to the floor. He did the same with the top, and a moment later I was left only in my lace underwear.
Massimo watched me, unbuckling his belt. I studied him as he did it, recalling the drastic scene I had been part of in the airplane.
“This is a new set, isn’t it?” he asked, pulling off his pants and boxers. “I don’t like it. You should take it off.”
I kept my eyes on him, taking off my bra. For the first time, I saw his manhood when it wasn’t erect yet. His thick, heavy cock was slowly rising as I got rid of my underwear. Even in this form, it was wonderful—I couldn’t stop thinking about how it would feel inside me.
Lying naked in bed, I lifted my arms above my head in a gesture of submission.
“Come to me,” I said, spreading my legs.
Massimo snatched my foot out of the air and raised it to his lips, kissing my toes and slowly lowering himself to the mattress.
His tongue descended down my inner thigh, finally reaching the end. Massimo raised his eyes and shot me a glance, buzzing with desire. His stare told me this wasn’t going to be one of those romantic nights.
“You’re mine,” he growled, sinking his tongue into me. He licked me greedily, reaching all the most sensitive spots. I writhed and squirmed, knowing that my orgasm would come very soon.
“No, stop,” I said, putting my hands on his head. “Come here, come inside. I need to feel you.”
Without hesitation, Massimo obeyed my order, sliding into me hard and fast, making both our bodies race together, like my heart was racing in my chest. He fucked me passionately, wrapping his arms around me tightly and kissing me deeply, taking my breath away. Suddenly, a wave of ecstasy spread through my body. I dug my nails into his back, moving them down, all the way to his buttocks, leaving trails of red. The pain I caused him was the final straw—his hot seed spilled inside me. We started and came almost simultaneously. Tears poured down my cheeks. I was so relieved. This is really happening, I thought, huddling against him.
“Hey, baby girl, what’s going on?” Massimo asked, getting off me.
I didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. I only rolled over, facing him, and hugged him tightly, hiding in his arms. He stroked my hair and kissed the tears away until I fell asleep.
I woke up as rays of the sun penetrated the drapes, illuminating the room. With my eyes half-closed, I reached to the other side of the bed. He was still there. I shot a glance at him and… jumped to my feet, screaming. The sheets were all blood-spattered, and Massimo was deathly still.
“Massimo!” I shook him, crying, and rolled him over. He opened his eyes, appearing disoriented. I collapsed back to the mattress, relieved. He took a drowsy look around and trailed a hand across his torso, wiping away the blood.
“It’s nothing, darling. The stitches must have broken,” he said, sitting up with a smile. “I didn’t feel a thing. But we have to get cleaned up. We look like we’ve murdered someone,” he added with amusement, running his clean hand through his hair.
“It’s not funny,” I snapped, and went to the bathroom.
I didn’t need to wait long for him to join me. This time I was the one who washed him, gently stripping off the bloodied patches. When I was finished, I reached for a first-aid kit and applied new ones.
“You need to see a doctor,” I said in a commanding voice.
Massimo shot me a warm, uncharacteristically submissive look.
“I’ll do whatever you want, but first we need to have breakfast. Your fasting has come to an end,” he said, stepping out of the bathtub and placing a kiss on my forehead.
I went to the fridge to look for something to eat, but the only things inside were wine, water, and some juices. The Man in Black went over, leaning his face over my shoulder
, looking inside the empty fridge.
“Well, today’s menu is rather limited,” he said.
“I haven’t been hungry lately. But there’s a grocery store downstairs. I bet you’d like to feel like an ordinary human being for a change. Go get us something to eat. I’ll make you a list and prepare breakfast,” I said, shutting the fridge door.
Massimo took a step back and leaned over the kitchen table.
“As in: do grocery shopping?” he asked, frowning.
“Yes, don Massimo. Groceries. Butter, bread, bacon, and eggs. Breakfast.”
With a chuckle, the Man in Black left the kitchen, calling out as he went, “Write me a list.”
After telling him how to reach the store, which was located in the same building, about a dozen feet from the main entrance, I watched him get into the elevator.
I suspected it would take him more time than it should, but less than I needed to get myself made up. I rushed to the bathroom, combed my hair, applied some quick makeup—one of those “I have no makeup on, that’s just how I look every morning” things—put on a tracksuit and sat on the couch.
Massimo returned faster than I thought, without using the intercom.
“When did you get to Poland?” I asked as soon as he came back.
He hesitated, glancing at me.
“Breakfast first, talk later, Laura. I’m not going anywhere. Not without you, anyway.”
He put the groceries on the table and walked over to me.
“You make breakfast, baby girl, okay? I know next to nothing about cooking. Meanwhile, I’ll need to use your laptop.”
I pushed myself to my feet and headed to the kitchen.
“You’re in luck. I love to cook and I’m pretty good at it,” I said, and got to work.
In thirty minutes, we were sitting on the soft rug in the living room, having an all-American breakfast.
“Okay, Massimo. I’ve waited long enough. Talk!” I said, putting my fork down.
The Man in Black leaned against the couch and took a deep breath.
“Ask away,” he said, pinning me with his icy stare.
“How long have you been in Poland?” I asked.
“Since yesterday morning.”
“Have you been here while I was out?”
“Yes. When you left with Olga. Around three in the afternoon.”
“How do you know the code and how many keys are there to this apartment?”
“I came up with it myself. It’s my year of birth. Only the two of us have the keys.”
Nineteen eighty-six. He was only thirty-two. I got back to my interrogation. It was more important than his age.
“Have your people been here since I got here?”
Massimo crossed his arms on his chest, smiling. “Of course. You didn’t think I’d leave you alone, did you?”
I had known the answer to that question, even if only subconsciously. That feeling of being watched constantly—it hadn’t come out of nowhere.
“How about yesterday? Did you send people to follow me?”
“No. I’ve followed you myself, Laura. I’ve been to all those places, including your ex-boyfriend’s apartment. I can tell you this: when you got into his car at the club, I was this close to shooting the guy dead.”
Massimo’s gaze was cold and deathly serious. “Let’s clear something up. Either you stop seeing him at all, or I get rid of him.”
I knew negotiating wouldn’t get me anywhere, but hundreds of hours of training on how to manipulate people didn’t go to waste—I knew how to spin this.
“I’m just surprised you see him as a rival,” I said impassively. “I didn’t think you’d be afraid of any competition. Especially after I saw those photos, he’s definitely not of any interest to me. Envy is weakness. You only feel it when you know your rival’s worthy. So, at least as good as you, or even better.” I faced him and kissed him softly. “I didn’t think you had weaknesses.”
The Man in Black sat still in silence, playing with his cup of tea.
“You know what, Laura? You’re right. I can accept an argument if it’s rational. What do you suggest?”
“What do I suggest?” I repeated his words. “Nothing. That part of my life is behind me. I don’t care if Martin feels otherwise. He can keep pestering me. I don’t care. Besides, just like you, I never forgive disloyalty. Oh, and while we’re talking about him: What did you put into his drink on my birthday?”
Massimo set down his cup and sent me a discomfited look.
“What? You thought I wouldn’t find out? That’s why you forbade me to talk to him? So I wouldn’t learn the truth?” I hissed, my teeth suddenly clenched.
“What counts is that he cheated on you. Not everyone feels the need to do that under the influence of what he got. It wasn’t a roofie or MDMA. It was simply something that made the alcohol work faster. We only wanted him to get drunk quicker than normal. I won’t lie to you. I had my hand in that. But he didn’t go after you as soon as you ran away. I did slow him down, of course. But, just think—how much would that have changed? Would you really like the whole situation to have played out differently?”
He rose from the floor and took a seat on the sofa.
“Sometimes I get the impression you forget who I am. I can change for you, when I’m with you, but I won’t change for everybody else. If I want something, I get it. I would have kidnapped you that day or some other one. It was just a matter of time and methods.”
His words made me angry. I knew he would have done what he wanted, but the knowledge that I had nothing to say about any of that was making me furious.
“You really want to dwell on the past? We can’t change it now,” he said, leaning toward me and squinting slightly.
“You’re right,” I conceded.
“What about Naples?” I asked, screwing my eyes shut at the thought of the words I had heard weeks ago. “The TV said you were dead.”
Massimo stretched out on the sofa, leaning back. He studied me for a while, as if trying to gauge just how much of the truth I’d be able to bear. Finally, he started talking.
“When I left our hotel room, I went to reception. I wanted to give you some time to make your decision. Crossing the hall, I noticed Anna stepping into the car of her half brother. I knew that if don Emilio was here, something must have happened—”
I interrupted him. “What do you mean, don?”
“Emilio is the head of the family in Naples. Western Italy is their turf. After what she said when we met her, and knowing her character, I knew Anna was up to no good. I had to leave you. I knew she wasn’t expecting that. And if she wanted to get you by going after me, I needed to mess up her plan. So I got back to the yacht and went to Sicily from there. In order to keep appearances up, I ordered one of the women from the staff at the Titan to join me. She put on your clothes and went home with me. Then we went to Naples. I’ve been planning to meet Emilio for weeks. We run some businesses together—”
“Wait,” I cut in. “You dated another capo’s sister? You can do that?”
Massimo laughed and took a sip of tea.
“Why not? Besides, I thought it a great idea at the time. The potential merger of two major families guaranteed peace for a long time, not to mention total dominance in most of Italy. You see, Laura, you have it all wrong. The Mafia is a company. A corporation. Like every business, mergers and acquisitions play a big part of our activity. The difference is that they’re a bit more brutal than in normal companies. I’ve had a good education. I’m well prepared to run our business. I was taught diplomacy, and I resort to violence only when I have no other choice. That’s why my family is one of the most powerful and wealthiest Italian mobs in the entire world.”
“The world?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yes. We run our business in Russia, Great Britain, the US… well, to be honest, it would be easier to say where we don’t run any business.” The pride he took in his work was evident from the way he spoke.
“All right, but going back to what happened in Naples…” I said.
“Anna knew about my meeting with her brother. She was the one who suggested it in the first place back in the spring. I couldn’t refuse only because we weren’t together anymore. Emilio would feel disrespected, and I couldn’t have that. So I went to the meeting spot, accompanied by Mario and several people who I ordered to stay in the cars. The negotiations didn’t turn out to be as easy as I would have liked. Besides, I knew Emilio wasn’t telling me everything. When we decided we wouldn’t be able to reach an agreement, I left the building. Emilio followed me, spewing threats and calling me names. Saying that I’ve treated his sister badly and disrespected her, making her abort her unborn child. And then he said the most hated word. The one word in our business that always leads to something bad. Vendetta, or bloody vengeance.”
“What?” I exclaimed, shocked. “Isn’t that a thing only in movies?”
“Unfortunately not. The Cosa Nostra works like that. If you kill a member of a family or betray them, the entire organization is entitled to hunt you down. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get it across to him that it was a lie. Talking any further would take us nowhere. If not for the place and time of our meeting, it would have played out then and there. But Emilio is not stupid. He needed it done as soon as possible. When we drove to the airport, two Range Rovers blocked our way. Emilio’s people stepped out. He was there, too. There was a shootout and he died. I think I got him. Then the Carabinieri arrived and Mario and I had to hunker down for a while. Wait until it all blew over. The cars we left were registered to one of my companies. The police only spilled the bare minimum of information, but the damned hacks wrote about the incident anyway, killing me instead of Emilio.”
I was breathing loudly, staring at Massimo. Listening to him felt like watching a gangster movie. I didn’t know if with my weak heart I’d have made a good mobster’s wife, but one thing was certain—I was madly in love with the man facing me.
“Just so you know, Laura—there was no pregnancy and no unborn babies. I’m very cautious with those things.”
365 Days Page 19