by Serena Light
Walking further into the room, she touched one of the flowers with the gentlest of touch as she gasped at the beauty of it all.
"How much do you remember of last night?" Arcangelo's voice followed the opening of the door.
Rosalie's heart jumped into her throat as she stood with her back toward him, not trusting her voice not to quiver if she answered. In the next second, she felt his warmth and his perfume at her back as he leaned close to her ear.
"By your lack of response, I'll have to assume you don't remember much." He whispered as a gasp escaped her as she felt his lips brush the skin of her neck, his fingers enclosing around her elbow.
"I-I-I...I remember pieces of it." She admitted meekly, turning around and trying to create distance between them; her heart feeling like a jackhammer against her bones, causing her to fear that it would jump out of her.
"Well, pieces of memory aren't enough." Arcangelo shook his head with a devious smirk as he neared her, forcing her to step back from him. "For you see, I want you to remember last night, exactly the way I can recall it." He resumed as she continued to distance herself from him, but a surprised sound escaping her at finding the desk at her back, and in an instant Arcangelo had her trapped between the wooden surface and his daunting frame.
Rosalie's senses heightened as she noticed the way he was looking at her. His eyes dark with an emotion she couldn't recognize, her lips gently parted as he looked her up and down, his gaze darting across her face as if though he were committing it to memory.
"Do you know what you did to me last night?" He asked her huskily, his voice lowering an octave as Rosalie felt pleasurable shivers course through her.
A sudden gasp escaped her as she felt his warm hands at her sides, gently caressing her through the fabric of her clothes. A guttural sound forced its way out of her throat as she felt his finger brush the hem of her sweater, the tips lightly grazing the subtle skin of her stomach, forcing her to clench. A shaky breath escaped her as she couldn't tear her gaze away from Arcangelo's darkening eyes, his warm hand finding their way beneath her shirt and flattening against her hips.
"You enjoyed yourself immensely last night," Arcangelo growled as he inched closer to her, their breaths mingling together. "You loved the way your hand felt against my bare skin, you just couldn't stop yourself from exploring."
Another gasp escaped her at the way he spoke lowly into her ear, sending liquid warmth down her spine.
"Want to know how close we were?" He asked her breathily, a soft whimper escaping Rosalie as she threw back her head. Her fingers finding Arcangelo's shoulders as he pressed himself flushed against her, pushing her into the table.
"There wasn't space between us at all." He enlightened as he ran the tip of his nose down her neck, gently poking out his tongue to taste her skin, forcing her to clinch the fabric of his black blazer beneath her hands as warmth pooled between her legs as he leaned in closer, placing a tentative kiss against her neck.
"You woke up in the middle of the night and forced me to take off my shirt." Arcangelo resumed as he trailed his hands higher up her sides.
"Ah." Rosalie managed at last as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer as her fingers tugged at the strands of hair on his nape. "Arcangelo," She moaned as she couldn't handle his ministrations.
A deep rumble came from his chest as she moaned his name, Arcangelo's lips latching onto the skin of her neck as he trailed kisses along the length of it. Marking her wherever he found exposed skin, gently nibbling.
"You have no idea how much you excited me last night, princess." He growled as he pulled away from her neck, causing her to whine at the lack of his warmth, a shiver passing through her as his fingers found the waistband of her jeans, caressing the skin with feather-light touches.
Arcangelo's gaze narrowed in on her lips, noticing how tempting and pink they were, slightly parted as she tried to even out her erratic breathing. Noticing the direction of her gaze, Rosalie poked out her tongue to wet the skin of her lips, another rumble rising in his throat at the action.
"Stop that, princess, before I kiss you." He spoke huskily, his fingers hooking themselves into her belt loops. The prospect of his lips against hers was just so tempting to Rosalie that she couldn't help but bite her lower lip, noticing how his eyes darkened like storm clouds as a shadow fell over his expression.
"Kiss me." Rosalie moaned breathily, pulling herself closer to him as Arcangelo's gaze snapped up to her's, noticing the brightness of her lips, her eyes dilated with anticipation and her heart beat rapid against him.
"Your compliance is making me want to do all sorts of sinful things to you, princess." He admitted against the skin of her neck.
A guttural sound escaped from her throat as she threw back her head. His kisses traveling across the skin of her neck as he nibbled lightly, eliciting a small moan from her.
The sound had him freeze for a moment before he grabbed hold of her hands, pinning them to the table as his assault on her neck grew more rushed, more demanding, eliciting the same response almost all the time. He seemed to find satisfaction in the way she was reacting to him, her mind muddled and her willpower gone with the wind.
Their hearts raced in their chests as heat radiated from their bodies. Everything was buzzing around them, the air, their skin, their contact. It was all so exciting and thrilling. The blood surged through their veins and their minds couldn't comprehend nor keep up with what they were feeling and what their bodies demanded, yearned for.
Suddenly, he kissed along the length of her neck, followed by his lips against her jaw and cheek before he came in contact with the corner of her mouth. Pulling away at the contact, he looked at Rosalie's half-lidded eyes, and flushed cheeks as her chest heaved with her heavy breaths. He waited a moment, giving her a chance to reconsider her request, but when it never came Arcangelo couldn't help the surge of arousal that flowed over him.
"Close your eyes, princess." He spoke gruffly, his voice husky and rough, demanding even. And Rosalie would be damned if she didn't like what it did to her.
Listening to his instructions she closed her eyes, waiting for him to do something as Arcangelo's eyes darted across her features, taking everything in. The way her hair grew a shade lighter in the winter sunlight, her porcelain skin glimmering almost, her cheeks painted a rosy pink with her eyelashes touching the top of her cheeks. Her lips were plump and inviting, parted slightly as her chest heaved with her heavy breaths. Arcangelo's mind was reeling with the feeling raging inside him as he felt her heat against him, the soft brush of skin every now and then with the way her breath fanned against his skin.
Suddenly his grip loosened around her wrist before he leaned down and molded his lips to hers. A satisfied growl escaped him at the way she responded by pushing herself closer to him, her fingers slipping into his hair and kissing back with just as much vigor and intensity he claimed her with as he cupped her face into his palms.
Chapter XII: Truth behind the Mask
A laugh tore through Rosalie as she ran behind the two little children who giggled hysterically, both of them scurrying away from her. Their footsteps and joy echoing off the walls of the barely inhabited estate.
Christmas was just a couple of days away and Arcangelo had given most - if not all - of his staff a holiday to go and enjoy the occasion with their families. She can remember the unease that had overcome every face as they were informed that the Boss wanted to meet with them in the gardens. It was frigid, everyone was bundled in jackets and scarves and mittens as their shuffled to keep warm, all of them amassed and standing shoulder to shoulder, reveling in the heat radiated by everyone.
She can even recall the shock and joy the men and women had when Arcangelo told them to go home and enjoy Christmas with their families. Instant murmuring had broken out as the Mafia Boss bid them a Merry Christmas and took his leave.
Before heading home, the people came and thanked him as he gave them a nonchalant wave, t
elling them to leave and get home before the weather got colder.
And now here they were, Rosalie, Arcangelo, Arsenio and Claudia with just a handful of men who had said that they did not have families to return to. It would later come to light that Arcangelo had insisted that they take the holiday regardless, but the men refused.
The only other time Rosalie had seen the estate so desolate and quiet was at 5 a.m. in the morning when she had run out of Arcangelo's bedroom.
Speaking of Arcangelo and her...
"Rosalie! Catch us!" Claudia yelled over her shoulder, jolting the older girl out of her reverie as she tried to get them, her ribs making it difficult for her to run at full speed and therefore giving the children an advantage.
They ran her across the ground floor of the south wing before running towards the east one, and up one flight of stairs then another. Heaving and out of breath, they giggled breathlessly as they ran down the hall, Rosalie close at their heel as she made a grab for them just as Arsenio was twisting open the door, sending all three of them toppling into the room with shrieks of surprise. All of them fell to the floor in an unceremonious heap, momentarily dazed before bursting into a fit of laughter at their antics.
Chuckling, all three looked up at the room, their mouths falling open with their eyes popping out of their heads. It looked rather comical with the three sprawled over one another, openly gawking with bulging eyes.
The room before them was drowned in wrapped gifts of various sizes, some wrappings repeated, but the multitude and abundance of colors were dizzying. Every single surface was covered in gifts; the room looked as if though it was devoid of furniture and only housed presents.
"Kids, get off the floor before you all catch a cold." Arcangelo's voice called from their right as they turned in the direction, seeing him standing in pinstriped black slacks and black button up whose sleeves he'd rolled up to expose his firm and muscled forearms, a couple of papers in his hands as his eyes darted over the contents.
Scurrying to their feet the two kids rushed to their uncle, clutching onto the fabric of his pants and tugging to grab his attention as he hummed in response, flipping the page but not tearing his gaze away from him.
"Uncle..." Claudia called out with wide doe eyes shimmering with excitement. "Are these all for us?" Arsenio nodding to her statement as he was in too much shock to say anything.
"No, baby, these gifts are for the people that work for me and their families." He informed gently, looking down at her with a soft smile. "You know, as a thank you for all that they have done for me."
Rosalie's heart melted in her chest as she took in this altruistic act. Pushing herself off the floor, she dusted off her woolen dress as she noticed the petulant expression on little Claudia's face as she stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest.
"But-!"
"Hey," Arcangelo intervened gently, crouching down before her. "Baby, these gifts are for a lot more people than just you. But don't worry, I have gifts for you two as well."
Instantly their eyes lit up as their uncle chuckled at them.
"Would you like one now?" He asked Claudia in a secretive whisper as she gasped and nodded vigorously; looking like Christmas had come early. "Alright,"
"Hey there, peanut," A new voice suddenly came from their right. All of them glancing up to take in the blonde haired, green-eyed and freckle-faced man standing in the doorway of the walk-in closet, wearing denim jeans with a white t-shirt under his black leather jacket. "Did you miss me?"
"Daddy!" Claudia squealed in joy as she flew towards her father who picked her up, throwing her in the air with an ecstatic laugh before holding her close to him, closing his eyes as he reveled in the familiarity of holding her tiny body again.
"Oh, I missed your angelic little face around the house." He admitted as he leaned back to look at the beautiful face of his daughter.
"Hello, uncle!" Arsenio waved from the feet of his surrogate father, holding his hand in his tiny one.
"Hey there, buddy," Vincent exclaimed with a broad grin as he approached the two. "Hope you two had fun, she didn't bother you too much did she?"
"No! We played so much with Rosalie! We had a lot of fun!" The 6-year-old revealed.
"That's awesome, little man!" He enthused, resulting in a chuckle from Arcangelo.
"Okay, kids, can you two go and play in your rooms because the adults have to sort out these gifts now," Arcangelo informed as Vincent was lowering Claudia to the floor.
"Alright," The two youngsters spoke simultaneously, heading towards the door before Arsenio stopped, looking back at the two men after taking a quick glance in Rosalie's direction. "Does Rosalie have to stay as well?"
"Only if she wants to, buddy," Arcangelo revealed as the little boy turned towards her expectantly.
"I think...I'll help them out with the sorting." She informed uncertainly, glancing up to catch Vincent giving her an appreciative grin as Arcangelo didn't turn towards her, his eyes fixated on the parchment in his hands.
Since they kissed, neither one of them had been able to confront the other, either avoiding each other and steering clear of any occasions that would force them to interact, or simply holing up to avoid any awkward encounters. Maybe due to that very reason Rosalie opted to help, knowing that they would have to talk sooner or later, or maybe she just wanted to see how long this little game of avoidance could last.
"Thank you for helping us, Rosalie," Vincent stated as he removed his jacket, letting it fall at their feet as there was no other place to put it.
"Okay, so what we have to do is very simple," Arcangelo spoke up before she could respond, not addressing anyone in particular as he skimmed through the text. "We just separate the gifts which have identical wrappings, since those are of one particular family, and if you find one which is solo, then keep that separate as well since it's for one of the men downstairs. Sound good?"
"Sound good to me, boss." The other man stated with a shrug as Rosalie nodded.
"I'm not your boss anymore, Vinnie." Arcangelo scoffed as he folded the pages.
"That's right, you're my annoying best friend, Ango." He grinned as he ruffled Arcangelo's hair, forcing a disgruntled sound out of him as he pushed away his hand.
"Fuck you, man. You know how long it takes to fix my hair."
Vincent guffawed as Rosalie watched the two interact with amusement.
"Alright, let's set to work then."
With that said the three of them played the game of matching the parcel, looking for the identical pairs and separating them from the rest as they went about it for a while in silence. Moving around the room, Rosalie found herself nearing Vincent who was standing in the middle of the room, holding a square box with pastel green wrapping, looking for its twin.
"Vinnie, here," Arcangelo called out from across the room as he held the twin in hand, tossing it to Vincent who caught it in his arms, separating the two.
Soon, they all started calling out one another's name as they handed over the matching gifts, the sound of the names being the only conversation going on for a while until Vincent suddenly chuckled at something. Enlightening the two that this exact moment reminded him of 2-years-ago, when he and Arcangelo were sorting gifts with Romeo, Marcello, and Lorenzo and how they all just couldn't get the job done because they were too busy cracking jokes or flirting with one another to actually do something.
Rosalie watched as a laugh tore through Arcangelo, his eyes lighting up with mirth at the memory as he threw his head back, a hand on his stomach as he shook with the laughter.
"Oh! I remember." He laughed out as he wiped away a tear that had formed. "I swear, man, if anyone heard us, they'd have assumed we were all gay."
"We'd only be gay for each other, though." Vincent pointed out as he picked up another gift at his feet, looking around for the other one.
"Touche."
"So, I take it you guys have known each other long?" Rosalie inquired nonchalantly from one side of the room.
Despite knowing that these five guys grew up together, she was interested in hearing it from them.
"Long?" Arcangelo scoffed from the center. "We basically grew up together."
And like that, the two men went into an account of how it all started: with Arcangelo stealing Vincent's bike when he was no more than Arsenio's age. Rosalie found herself laughing at a couple of the stories they retold or cringing at some. Next thing she knew, they were all talking about their childhoods and their funny memories. And without anyone realizing it, they had separated all the gifts, standing in the center of the room as Rosalie had her head on Arcangelo's chest a hand on his shoulder with the other clutching her stomach with all their laughing, his arm wrapped around her waist with Vincent beside them as the three were recovering from a hysterical fit.
Once they calmed down, Arcangelo looked down at her as she glanced up, both of their eyes shining with mirth before they realized how they were holding each other. Rosalie's cheeks flushed a deep red as he cleared his throat, untangling themselves from one another.
"Man, I'm famished!" Vincent exclaimed either not having noticed the tension between the two or deliberately ignoring it. "Ango, what's for dinner?"
"I have no idea." He admitted, running a hand through his hair. "The maids who are here are mostly for cleaning, the entire cooking staff has gone back home."
"Alright. What I got from all that was pizza. You up for it?"
"Only if you pay, Moretti."
"30/70."
"No, forget it. I'm not paying for 70%"
"I was going to suggest you pay 30, but alright, if you insist."
"Vincent."
"Alright! Alright! 50/50."
"Deal."
"I'll order."
"I'll get the kids," Arcangelo stated as Vincent left to make the call, both of them leaving Rosalie to stand there awkwardly.
Noticing the pages on the table, she went over to them, fingering them as she glanced at the contents, seeing a list of names she did not recognize. It wasn't until she read a couple of familiar names did she come to the conclusion that this was a list of all the people that worked for Arcangelo. Not only that, but it also contained the names of their fiancés or wives or husbands as well as their kids. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a distinguished pattern beside the staffs' names, the pieces clicking into places that every gift was wrapped and separated according to the family members of his household.