by Serena Light
"Salvatore, it's so good to see you!" She enthused, her hand grasping his forearms as he gave her a polite smile in response, having promised to be nice.
"Likewise, Chiara,"
"Oh, I have so much to share with you!"
"That's lovely, but before you do, would it be alright if I meet everyone?"
"Yes, yes, of course," The girl grinned, bouncing on her feet. "I'll join you,"
"I see," Salvatore took a step back to hold out his hand to Nicole. The young girl's eyes finally catching sight of her as she stepped forward with her husband's arm wrapped around her waist. "Chiara, I'd like you to meet my wife, Nicole. Nicole this is Chiara Esposito-"
"-Let me guess," She halted Salvatore, enjoying the shock across the girl's face at the sight of them. "Isabella and Mattia's daughter,"
"Yes,"
"Oh, your parents are absolutely lovely people," Nicole smiled, holding out her hand to the girl. "Pleasure meeting you,"
"Likewise..." Chiara spoke uncomfortably. "Wife, you said?"
"Wife," She confirmed. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I think I see Diego and his missus,"
With that, the two went around meeting the rest of the people, hugging the parents and wishing them a Merry Christmas, Nicole getting caught up in a conversation with Rosalie as Salvatore was pulled away by Arsenio.
"Oh, that's a beautiful necklace," Rosalie gushed at her daughter-in-law as Nicole touched the delicate rubies around her neck. "A gift from Salvatore?"
"Yes," She couldn't help but chuckle, everyone being well aware of his exquisite taste.
"And you two are matching today, how come?"
"I told Salvatore I could only wear this necklace if I wore this dress and he had no choice but for us to be matching if he wanted me to utilize the gifts he gets me."
"Smart girl," Rosalie smiled, impressed. "Now go on, interact with everyone."
Nodding to her mother-in-law, Nicole went and settled down beside Serafina, cooing at Michele who was in her arm, before she began to interact with everyone.
It hadn't even been an hour since they were here and people were laughing and joking, glasses of champagnes passed around to the adults as they all enjoyed each other's company. Glancing up from her drink, Nicole looked around for her husband, finding him standing by the hearth, warming his hands with the other holding a champagne glass, the girl, Chiara standing near him and nodding to whatever he was saying.
Sitting straight, Nicole excused herself, catching sight of someone before tapping his shoulder, not tearing her gaze away from her husband.
"Who is she?" She asked, jerking her head towards the two and taking a sip of her drink.
"Chiara Esposito, 21, a law student at a local university. Given that our Salvatore studied law as well, she comes to him for 'help' regarding various laws and regulations she's studying," Marco informed her, drinking his own champagne. "Has had a crush on our dear old Salvi since she was 19, and makes it a point to come home for every holiday just for the chance of seeing him. The girl has been trying to seduce our Mafia boss there in hopes to one day be his wife, despite the 7 year age difference."
"Can I kill her?" Nicole asked nonchalantly, as if though she were talking about the beauty of everything before her.
"Not in public." The youngest Regnante informed. "Although, who's to say she didn't die of natural cause, like, say, asphyxiation caused by poison?"
"Where's Arsenio?"
"There," He pointed towards the stairs as Nicole grinned, placing a kiss on his cheek and walking over to the eldest of the 4. Looping her arm through his, she led him away from the people he was talking to as he looked at her in confusion.
"What?" Arsenio asked, downing the remainder of his drink.
"You got poison?"
"Depends on which sort,"
"The sort which causes asphyxiation or anything that would seem natural,"
"Planning on killing Chiara?"
"Am I that transparent?" Nicole asked, surprised as to how he knew her intentions.
"No, you Lombardi's are predictable," Arsenio flicked her nose as she jumped back, looking at him in indignation. "And you're his wife; you're bound to get irrationally jealous,"
"Irrational?" Nicole demanded, resting her hands on her hips and looking at him with a raised eyebrow as the oldest gave her their signature cocky smirk.
"He's just expanding her horizons,"
"Next she'll be expanding her legs,"
"Not unless Salvatore is happy with what you're giving him," He chuckled, putting his glass down on the surface of the piano, Nicole remaining quiet and keeping a neutral expression to not give away her thoughts. "He is happy, isn't he?"
"Of course," Nicole scoffed, feeling the panic rise in her chest before she turned away and walked towards Serafina who was standing before her husband, her daughter in hand.
"I need a way to kill someone," She told them nonchalantly, pulling faces at the little girl in Serafina's hold.
"Chiara?" Alessio and Serafina asked in sync with raised eyebrows.
"Marco suggested poison, Arsenio won't give me any, so now I've come to you,"
"Hades," The couple stated again, Nicole looking at them in confusion. "Hades is trained to kill on command, let the hound loose on the bitch," Serafina stated, smiling at her daughter.
"He only follows Salvatore's command," Nicole whined, realizing it would have been a great plan.
"Then no idea," Alessio shrugged.
"Dad!" She called in a sing-song voice, finding Arcangelo standing beneath the dining room arch, talking to his friends Vincent, Romeo, Lorenzo, and Marcello.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"How do I get away with killing someone?"
"On Christmas?" Marcello questioned flabbergasted.
"Chiara?" Lorenzo questioned.
"Tried poison?" Vincent chimed.
"Choke the life out of that bitch," Romeo grinned, Nicole looking from one person to another as they all spoke.
"Well, I tried the poison, but Arsenio doesn't have the one I need. Yes, on Christmas, and I can't choke that bitch since she won't fucking leave my husband,"
"Shoot her," Arcangelo shrugged, sipping from his glass.
"Too evident," Nicole grimaced.
"Frostbite," A voice spoke from behind them, everyone turning in the direction to see Rosalie standing there with an amused smile, greeting a passer-by with a nod of her head. "It's one of the coldest days in Italian history with the temperature being well below 0 degrees Celsius. Drop a bucket of water on her, ensure a turmoil of confusion, toss her out the back door, lock all the doors, cover the windows and turn on blasting music and watch her freeze to death. By the time someone realizes she's missing, she'll have hypothermia, and by the time they get her to the hospital, she might just die,"
Everyone looked at her with shock, their mouths open to see the innocent looking doctor with the dimpled smile giving them a foolproof way to murder.
"What? When I get bored I often plot out ways of murdering people without getting caught," Rosalie shrugged innocently.
"Okay, that's hot," Her husband stated, handing the glass to one of the men around him before closing the distance between them in 2 big strides, cupping her face and planting a firm kiss on her lips.
"Nicole!" A voice called out to her, forcing her to look in the direction of Marco making his way towards her, grabbing hold of her arm and dragging her towards the entrance door. "Go see off the Ricci's,"
"The Ricci's-?" She began to question in confusion before putting on a broad smile to the see the couple before her. "Oh! Won't you stay for dinner?"
"No, dear," The wife chuckled. "We promised my sister we'll be there for dinner,"
Just then, Salvatore was shoved towards Nicole, sending her stumbling before she steadied herself, the two looking at one another in confusion before smiling at the Ricci's.
"Leaving so soon, Mr. Ricci?" Salvatore questioned politely, helping the wife with her coat as Nicole
handed them their scarves.
"Yeah, we have a dinner reservation."
"It was lovely having you two,"
"It was great fun being here," The couple assured as Salvatore pulled open the door, both him and Nicole standing in the doorway and waving to them.
"Nicole!" Someone hissed behind her as she looked behind her, seeing the Regnante's all pointing up.
Looking up, she was momentarily surprised to see the mistletoe above her head before looking back at her in-laws, all of them discreetly pointing towards the lounge, turning in the direction, she found young Chiara leaning against the archway, looking her husband up and down. A devious smirk overcame Nicole's lips at their insinuation.
"Salvatore," She redirected his attention to her as he turned towards her, raising an eyebrow when she wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling herself to him and fiddling with the buttons on his red silk shirt. "Look up,"
Glancing up, realization lit his face at the sight of the mistletoe.
"Well, will you look at that," He mused, wrapping his arms around her. "What was the tradition again?"
"Let me remind you," His wife grinned, leaning up to press her lips to his as he smiled against her mouth, kissing back.
"Now I remember," Salvatore chuckled, his lips brushing hers with every word as she smiled at him when she rubbed his thumb over her jaw.
"Close the door, will ya'," Arsenio's voice called from the dining room. "It's bloody freezing!"
Pulling away from one another, Salvatore closed the door, leaning down to place another kiss on her lips as she instantly responded.
"I still have to mingle with guests," He groaned in annoyance. "And all I want is to be alone with you,"
"What do you think I'm going through?" Nicole murmured into his mouth. "It's getting so bad, I've started calling it Salvatore-withdrawal."
Her husband chuckled, placing a kiss against her forehead before leaving her to stand in the foyer. Nicole looking up to see the shattered look across Chiara's expression, her face pale with her grip tightening on the champagne glass, looking as if though she just watched her parents get killed before her.
Biting her lip, she tried to hide the grin on her face as she walked by her and towards the Regnante's who all stood near the kitchen, smirking or grinning as she high-fived Marco and Arsenio.
"Death by Mistletoe," She grinned, hugging Serafina. "Who would have thought?"
The siblings shrugged self-assured, before they all looked at one another's faces, bursting in a fit of laughter at their actions.
Dinner was lavish; people enjoyed themselves and laughter rung throughout the house. The two little girls squealed at their Christmas gifts with the two 5-month-old babies more fascinated by the wrapping than the actual gifts. Soon people began to leave and go home, them all saying their farewells and wishing them a merry Christmas. Eventually it was just the Regnante's left; all of them collapsing on the sofas, the men had their wives nestled into their sides as the twins had been put to sleep, Aurora and Irene sitting at the foot of their grandparent's feet.
They all talked for a while, laughing and retelling memories before finally, they all decided to stay the night.
Salvatore's room at his parents' house was the epitome of masculine, with a full padded wall behind his bed with the rest being a dark blue, two skylights over the platform bed which had grey sheets this time around. Black and white pictures lining the wall and a study table opposite the bed accompanied by a bookshelf with windows to the left. A door leading towards the joined bath at the right with wooden wardrobes inside that still had some of his clothes.
Nicole giggled at something as her husband led her inside, her drink finally having gotten to her head.
She watched Salvatore empty his pockets and hang his blazer on the back of the chair before he went and settled on the bed, his back against the padded wall, his arms folded behind his head as he looked at her with a smirk.
"He had a deal," He told his wife who stood at the foot of the bed.
"Did we?"
"Yes, we did,"
Nicole couldn't help but chuckle, knowing exactly what deal they had. Turning towards the door, she locked it before turning back to face her husband and opened up her elegant bun to allow her hair to fall over her shoulders in gentle waves.
Salvatore didn't move from his place, but his eyes never wandered from her either.
She felt a lot more confident given that she was intoxicated and didn't care much for shyness at this point, but generally; she couldn't even bring herself to look at Salvatore, much too embarrassed and scared.
Reaching back, Nicole unzipped the dress, her husband watching how it went slack around her figure before pooling down to her ankles. Clenching his jaw, his eyes drank in her beautiful figure standing before him in black lace, her smooth skin contrasted against the dark of her lingerie.
Giggling, she bit her lip and stood at the foot of the bed, close enough to smell her perfume, but not quite in arms reach.
Since the week they spent together, they both had felt an incurable need, growing frustrated with every day that passed. It took quite some time for Nicole to be comfortable with taking off her clothes before Salvatore, but she couldn't bring herself to be completely naked before him, nor was she comfortable with him touching her anywhere intimate.
There were days where Salvatore wanted her, and then there were days where he needed her. But regardless of what he desired, he never pushed her, knowing she was scared and it would take time, but sometimes, he had to get away from her to curb his mind from her body.
Throwing his feet over the edge, Nicole watched him beckon her forward. Walking towards him, she stood between his legs, smiling down at him with her eyes glazed with the alcohol she had consumed.
Salvatore placed his hands against her hips, gently sliding them over her legs and her sides as she shivered, grabbing onto his shoulders at the sensation that oozed through her. He looked up at her a moment, before placing kisses across her stomach, Nicole gasping at the feel before squealing when he pulled her onto the bed and under him.
Chapter XX: Kicking snow in January
The movie played on mute with the colors of the scene infiltrating the room and illuminating it in a dim glow, every other source of brightness extinguished at 11:50 p.m.
Nicole lay on her side, her head propped up on her elbow and ignoring the movie she had chosen and instead admired the sleeping figure of her husband.
Salvatore lay on his back beside her, his right arm placed on his chest with his left hand dangling off the bed, his gaze gently tilted away from her with his usually styled black hair an unruly mess. Hesitantly, she reached out to him, running the back of her hand down his prickly jaw, smiling when he didn't stir from his sleep, realizing his sleeping habits were developing.
Christmas had been an exhausting expenditure, New Years was full of drinks and parties, and then in the first week of January, they had gone to visit her parents who had been hosting a little get together. Nicole had to constantly watch Salvatore; afraid he just might snap someone's neck and drink his champagne like nothing happened. He had later told her that he didn't like the crowd her parents had invited, and she didn't say anything, given that half of them were her side of the family – people her husband had never met before but didn't like an ounce.
No soon had January arrived, Salvatore was catching up with work, Christmas and New Year's had been a business set back, constantly attending meetings, drowning in paperwork, but worst of all, he had been traveling nonstop for the past two weeks and just this afternoon he had returned from California.
Nicole had made an effort to greet him upon his return, but once she saw how horrible he looked, she had placed a kiss on his cheek and told him to go to bed. Salvatore didn't struggle, didn't even bother changing out of his clothes and crashed on the mattress, instantly falling asleep.
For that very reason, she didn't want to wake him but knew it was safer to wake him with her ha
nds than suffer to the abrupt wakeup call people had planned.
Biting her lip, Nicole ran her hand through his hair, always taken aback by how silky his tresses actually were.
"Salvatore?" She called out to him gently, placing a kiss on his cheek as his eyes moved behind their lids. "Wake up, baby,"
"Is it time to get up?" He slurred, having difficulty opening his eyes, having gone almost two entire weeks without sleep.
"No, no it's not time to get up," Nicole murmured, placing a kiss on his brow and combing her fingers through his hair. "But it’s better if you wake up,"
"Why?" Her husband groaned, shifting to be on his stomach and turning his gaze away from her, wanting to sleep again. "I don't want to wake up,"
"I know, baby, I know," Nicole sighed, massaging the back of his head. "But you have to,"
"No,"
"Come on, don't be unreasonable on your birthday,"
"What?" Salvatore turned towards her, cracking open an eye as he tried to blink away the bleariness.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Nicole giggled, placing a kiss on his forehead.
Just as she said that, their bedroom door burst open as Piero, Alberto, Marco, and Stephan, Russo, Fransisco, and a couple more people pooled into his room. His best friend in the center holding a red velvet cake as they all sang Happy Birthday to him.
Nicole couldn't help but laugh before getting out of bed and joined them in their festivities, people holding back their laughter when he groaned and cocooned himself in the duvet.
Someone behind them popped a party popper, sending confetti all over them as her husband couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
Soon everyone was surrounding him, his phone ringing nonstop as he attended to the birthday wishes, thanking everyone before calling his twin sister to wish her a happy birthday. Everyone enjoying the scrumptious three-layered red velvet cake, the guys all taking a bit of the frosting and smearing it all over his face, Salvatore struggling against them but eventually ending with a creamy white face, half-heartedly glaring at his friends before laughing at their antics.