by Serena Light
Getting under the covers, she turned off her own lamp, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. Exhaling, she shuffled onto her side, and moved closer to Salvatore, placing a hand against his bare side before putting her forehead to his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for having you worried," She murmured quietly, unconsciously rubbing her thumb over his side.
She heard him inhale before shuffling so that he lay on his back, a hand enveloping hers before he placed an arm beneath her head, pulling her into his side and causing her to rest her head over his chest.
"Just don't do it again," Salvatore told her softly, his voice sounding just as exhausted as she felt.
He felt her grab for his hand in the dark, before feeling around for a second and fumbling with his fingers. His eyebrow furrowed in the darkness as he was about to ask what she was doing before she spoke.
"I promise," She hooked her pinkie finger through his and gave it a gentle squeeze; the Mafia boss couldn't help but chuckle at her antics and found himself placing a kiss on the top of her head.
Chapter IX: Monogamy
Salvatore entered their bedroom at 9:30 p.m., thinking to find Nicole working on something, but instead, he found her dressed in a golden sequence bustier crop top with a high-waisted leather skirt, leaning over her vanity to apply her make up.
"Going somewhere?"
"We're going out to a club," Nicole informed, applying on her mascara.
"Who is we?" Salvatore pulled off his blazer and the button-up beneath, having decided on a suit and lay it out on the bench.
"Just a couple of people from work," She stepped away from the mirror, looking at the golden shimmer eye makeup and red lipstick. "Want to join?"
"No, I have work," Her husband shook his head before making his way into the washroom to shower.
"Of course you do," Nicole found herself muttering under breath as she sat down to pull on her heels.
She fixed her appearance in the mirror, gently ruffling her hair to add more volume before grabbing her clutch, ensuring to have her phone with her. Walking towards the washroom, she knocked on the door, wanting to inform Salvatore that she was leaving.
"Yeah?" He called from inside.
"I'm leaving!" She exclaimed from the other side.
"OK,"
Making her way out the room, she ruffled Persephone's fur before stepping out. Taking the Range Rover, she told her guards that she needed to pick up a few friends before they would go to the club.
Once they picked up her friends and arrived at the club and waited for the two boys to arrive. It was a group of four: two boys and two girls, along with Nicole's guards which her friends learned not to ask about. Eventually, they found themselves standing in the long and congested line, Arlo behind Nicole as she was typing on her phone, informing her father that she was out and would call him tomorrow morning. She had been so engrossed in the screen that people calling out in indignation had her jump and lookup.
"What? What happened?" She looked up at the disbelief and infuriation on people's faces, having missed whatever got them so prickly.
"Some asshole just walked past the line and the bouncers let him in without a glance," Arlo bristled. "And he had a group of four other guys with him,"
"Damn,"
It took some while for them to get in, but they knew they were nearing the entrance when the bass music bled out from the opening, and finally, after a long and agonizing wait, the bouncers stamped their wrists before allowing them inside. Nicole far too excited to be going in to notice anything else.
Two steps in and their voices were drowned out. They had to scream to be heard and the read hallway added a very exotic touch with the music thumping through them. Stepping into the club, they found themselves on a balcony with a flight of stairs leading up to VIP and a flight of stairs going down to the dance floor and bar. Her other friend grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her down, the music shattering her eardrums with an ocean of people dancing.
Finding a place to sit, Arlo and the other guy went to get them some shots, everyone downing them before having a second round. They sat for a while, laughing and talking, but then Elisa insisted on dancing once she downed her martini. Taking hold of Lucio's hand, Nicole watched with an amused smile as she pulled him after her, the boy flushing a deep red.
"Wanna dance?" Arlo yelled over the music.
"Sure," She nodded, momentarily catching sight of her guard bringing his wrist up to speak into the device on his sleeve.
Leading her to the dance floor, Nicole allowed herself to get lost in the music, enjoying the vibrations through her body and the beat of the song, the lights shifting from one color to the next and the people around her all lost in the sensation.
While dancing, her gaze shifted up to the VIP balcony, thinking she saw Marco leaning against the railing, but when she blinked he was gone, the confusion having her stop dancing and blankly staring up at the balcony before someone behind her tapped her shoulder. Turning around, she found Arlo looking at her with a questioning gaze, dancing with his eyes wide and breathing erratically. It had momentarily occurred to her to ask him where he had gone off to, but instead, she shook her head before allowing herself to get lost in the music once more.
She had been so completely enraptured with the music that she never noticed him moving closer until he wrapped his arms around her waist, Nicole's eyes snapping open when he pulled her flush against him, trying to pull away, she realized his grip was tighter than expected, in her panic, she slapped him across the face, his grip not loosening as she yelled at him to let her go. Just as she was going to kick him, someone pulled him off, causing the man to cry out before Salvatore was standing over his fallen figure and Nicole stood to watch in shock, jumping back when a hand wound around her wrist, turning back to see Marco looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
Turning back to her husband, she found security taking Arlo away, as he screamed and thrashed against them, and then his gaze was on her.
Salvatore wore a two-piece black slim fit suit with a black button-up whose first two buttons had been left open. Slipping his hands into her slacks he walked towards her and Nicole had to resist the urge to cower away, but gave a startled jump when he leaned towards her ear.
"Are you alright?" He asked her before pulling back so that their noses were almost touching. Looking at him in momentary surprise, she swallowed before nodding in confirmation. "Come on," He cocked his head towards the stairs and she sighed, knowing they were going home.
Nodding, she followed after him and Marco, both men talking to each other as she was about to head out the door, before Salvatore's guard Matteo stopped her.
"Ma'am, this way," He gestured up the steps, looking up she found the Regnante brothers at the top, both of them standing with their hands in their slacks pockets and looking at her.
Walking up the steps a thought suddenly occurred to Nicole as they entered the VIP lounge.
"I thought you said you had business?" Nicole tugged at Salvatore's sleeve, her husband looking back at her.
"I do,"
"Then what are you doing in the nightclub?" She asked, aware of the amused smile playing across Marco's lips.
"This is my nightclub," He told her, his wife looking at him in confusion.
"Yours?"
"This and eleven others,"
"You own a dozen nightclubs?"
"Yes," He took hold of her hand and turned it so her palm was facing up, showing her the letter 'R' stamped on her wrist before he put forward his singlet ring with a matching R on it. "This is my nightclub and I am here on business,"
Letting her go he walked ahead, leaving her to stand there gaping in silence with Marco chuckling beside her.
The VIP lounge was like a miniature, but a sophisticated version of what was downstairs. The floor was black marble with the furniture white. To her left, they were divided into booths separated by white curtains which could cover the front as well to make it secluded and
private, whereas to her right there were sofas and couches without partitions. There was a dance floor up ahead with a bar to its right. The music was loud enough to be heard till up here, but not enough to deafen them.
"Want a drink?" Marco asked before gesturing her to sit down on one of the white sofas to her right as she watched her husband disappear behind one of the white curtains furthest away.
"Sure," She nodded and settled down beside him, a waitress coming and putting down two drinks for them, the younger Regnante giving her a flirtatious smile while Nicole busied herself with looking around at the limited crowd around her. "So, your brother not only runs a Mafia, but he is also the CEO of a multi-million incorporate and owns a dozen nightclubs?"
"No, he is the CEO of a multi-billion incorporate, the Boss of the world’s most ruthless Mafia, and the owner of the twelve most popular and most frequented nightclubs,"
"Right, right, my mistake," Nicole took a sip of her drink. "God forbid he ever settle on one thing,"
"God forbid," Marco agreed, clinking his glass to hers.
"What about you though?"
"What about me?"
"What do you do?" Nicole asked, turning to be facing him. "I mean Serafina owns her own photo gallery, Arsenio is a pilot, and your brother is clinically insane, what about you?"
"Well, I am learning to be clinically insane," He sighed, chuckling at the deadpanned look his sister-in-law was giving him. "It means I am Salvatore's protégé and heir. Although, that is until you push out a little sucker."
Nicole couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.
"You're not infertile by any chance are you?" He inquired as she stared at him in shock.
"No!"
"Damn it," The younger brother sighed. "There goes my plan of being the first adoptive Regnante becoming the Mafia Boss. Although I wonder if Salvatore is infertile,"
"Adopted?"
"Yeah. Arsenio and I are adopted." Marco took a sip of his drink. "Well, Arsenio was dad's nephew whom he raised and then adopted him, but I was an outsider."
"What about Salv-"
"-Oh, Salvatore and Serafina are Arcangelo and Rosalie's biological children,"
They began talking about various things since Nicole decided to change the topic, both of them having one drink and then another until they both were a hysterical and giggling mess. The two were falling on one another, and laughing at the most absurd topics until they saw the curtains drawn open as two men stepped out and walked away followed by Salvatore making his way to them.
The moment he sat down before them, the two pressed their lips together and tried to keep a composed face, that is until he counted the glasses on the table and looked up at them, causing them to burst into a fit of giggles.
Sighing, the Mafia Boss asked the waitress for a glass of scotch as she went to retrieve one.
He allowed his brother and wife to fall to the floor in their laughter, which brought about another laughing fit as he calmly drank the scotch, shaking his head at them before downing the drink.
"Come on, let's go," He stood from his place, leaving money on the tabletop before helping Nicole and Marco up.
Marco had to be taken down by Manuel while Salvatore had an arm wrapped around Nicole's waist, his wife giggling at absolutely nothing while he helped her down the stairs and into the car. When they had finally arrived at the estate, the Mafia Boss had to carry his wife upstairs, that is until she pulled away saying she could do it just fine on her own and that he was radiating too much heat for her.
Letting her down, he watched her make her way into their bedroom as he followed.
Getting changed into a t-shirt and shorts, he lay back in bed, waiting for Nicole to come and sleep so he could turn off the lights. He had been reading his book when the bed gave a bounce beneath him before a sudden weight settled on his stomach.
Looking up, he found Nicole sitting above him in a black lace bustier crop top and lace shorts, giggling and smiling before taking the book from his hands.
"What do you need a book for when you have me?" She inquired with a grin and leaned down so that their noses almost touched.
"Books don't smell like alcohol." He husband stated, folding his hands behind his head and watched her giggle. "What are you doing?"
"Seducing you," Nicole stated bluntly and ran her finger down his chest before slipping them under his shirt. "So that you want me,"
"Just because I don't say or I don't react doesn't mean that I don't think you anything less of stunning, nor does it mean that I don't desire you." He spoke in almost a whisper, Nicole looking down up at him as he took her hands out from beneath his shirt. "The reason I don't react to all these impulses, Nicole..." He trailed, placing a hand against her bare side as he watched her suck in a breath, fear, and panic rising in her throat as he noticed her tense.
"It's because you get frightened," He sighed and removed his hand from her side to cup her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone. "You don't see yourself, but I see the fear in your eyes as clear as day, and I don't want to do anything to scare you, because as your husband, I promised to protect you, even if it is from myself,"
"I hope you never tell yourself that you must slip off your dress to feel loved or to be beautiful or to have worth because your beauty is not just skin deep it is so much more than that." He told her softly, placing a kiss on her forehead, as she stared at him in confusion, her eyes glazed with the alcohol before she let out a sudden gasp when he shifted and turned them over, having her lying on the bed beside him.
She stared up in confusion as he leaned over her and turned off the lamp before settling on his own side.
"Now sleep," He told her, turning off his own lamp. "Because you won't remember any of this come morning,"
He was right, in the morning she didn't remember much besides the burning in her throat as she threw up, Salvatore behind her with her hair gathered and rubbing her back. Once she had settled down and showered, he had breakfast brought up for both her and Marco, his younger brother finding his way into the room and then having proceeded to claim the bed, only allowing Nicole to lay down beside him, both of them nursing their hangovers.
Salvatore would have stayed and taken care of them if he didn't have a matter waiting for him downstairs. So ensuring that they ate, he got dressed before giving them both medicine to settle their headaches.
It wasn't until after lunch did Salvatore get done, his uncle's words ringing in his head.
"Talk to her, Salvi," His father's best friend laughed when he told him everything. "She just wants to talk,"
"Where are they?" He asked one of the guards, who informed him they were in the sunroom.
The doors swung open for him as he entered, seeing his brother and wife laughing at something, both of them looking much better with Marco having showered and changed into denim jeans with a grey t-shirt while Nicole sat in printed yellow sundress and pumps, her hair left open and framing her face.
"Feeling better?" He asked the two as they nodded.
"Much," Marco grinned while Nicole avoided meeting his gaze and instead sipped her coffee.
"Nicole," Salvatore called out to her as she looked up. "Come, walk with me," He cocked his head towards the door as she followed when he began walking.
Leading her out the estate and towards the back garden, both of them walked side by side in silence.
"You look better," He spoke up first as Nicole had been fidgeting with her fingers.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I feel better,"
"No, as in your clothes," Salvatore specified. "Sometimes when you're wearing something, you look like you don't want to wear it and are forced into it, but the sundress and pumps are very becoming on you,"
"Well...thank you," Nicole spoke slowly, not entirely certain if she should take it as a compliment or insult.
"And if you..." He trailed, momentarily stopping to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Move your hair away, one can actually admire you wholly."
"Oh, okay," She touched the strand he had tucked away before they continued walking in silence once more.
"My family says I should talk to you," He revealed finally.
"About what?"
"About us, I suppose. Our marriage,"
"What about it?"
"Well, we've been married a little over three months now, and we don't really talk, we're still strangers to each other, and well, they want us to get to know one another," Salvatore informed. "I'm going to be honest with you, Nicole,"
"I didn't think I'd ever be married, or even if I was, it wouldn't have been through a deal," He spoke calmly. "But regardless of it all, I am more of a monogamous man, like if I'm married to you, then I'll be married to you for the rest of my life - no matter how long or short it may be. So I believe it is accurately portrayed when it said that we don't know each other."
"And I'll like to change that, if you are alright with it," He exhaled, looking at her from the corner of his eyes as Nicole had to stop herself from grinning at how awkward he was getting, causing her to realize that he is just as human as she.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Nicole couldn't help the smile on her face as she folded her hands behind her and leaned forward to look at him.
"Well..." Salvatore trailed, scratching at his nape in thought. "We could start off with...having lunch together during weekdays, given how our workplaces are at walking distance from each other and we both have the lunch break at the same time. We could get together and just...talk,"
"We can do that," She nodded. "How about we take Sundays just for ourselves?"
"Sundays..." He pulled a face, knowing he was typically working on those days, but straightened to see the inquisition on Nicole's expression. "I'll have to get back to you on that,"
"Okay, how about Saturdays?"
"Ah, I'm working on all days of the week,"
"In that case, I think it’s best that you start taking one day off,"
"And what would I do on that one day?"
"Couples activities?"
"Like?"
"I don't know, we can Google it," Nicole suggested as they walked.