Becoming his Mistress: A Zanetti Famiglia Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

I hear the door open, knowing that it’s Lenora who has found me, followed me, just as I knew that she would.

  Her lips touch the center of my back before her hands slide around my waist. She doesn’t explore, doesn’t search for my cock and fist it like I wish she would. She knows something isn’t right with me, though. It isn’t either.

  She trusts me, too much. She loves me, too much. She needs me, too much. Everything is too fucking much. I thought that I could do this, juggle the both of them until I was able to get rid of Wynter. I’m not so sure now.

  I’ve been married a total of three days and I’m already feeling way too fucking overwhelmed by everything. I’m anxious to get Wynter gone before Lenora finds out. I’m ready to get the lies over and done with, to get on with my life, my life with Lenora.

  “Talk to me, Carlo,” she breathes against my spine.

  I hum, taking another drag, ignoring her question as I look across the water. It’s too dark to actually see anything, but the sounds of its movement cause me to calm slightly.

  “Something’s changed. Is it me? Did I say something to upset you?” she asks, her voice too goddamn sweet for me.

  Grunting, I turn around to face her. Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek and run my thumb across the underside of her eye. Licking my lips, I buy myself another second of time. Explaining shit to her, it’s not something I’ll ever be prepared to do, but I need to give her part of myself, just not all of me.

  “I’m just stressed about work,” I finally admit.

  “The casino?” she asks naively.

  I hum again, moving my hand down her neck, then skimming my fingers down her waist until I grip her hip. Tugging her closer to me, I turn her until she’s against the brick wall, right next to the door.

  “Carlo,” she whispers.

  Dipping my chin, my lips touch hers. My cock is still hard from getting her off just moments ago. I don’t know that I’ll ever not be hard for her, anyway. I’m drawn to her like I’ve never been drawn to another. It’s goddamn terrifying, but it’s also exhilarating.

  “I manage more than a casino, tesoro. And you were right to question its legality. I should have told you before I moved you in here, but no, it’s not a legal establishment, neither is what else happens in there.”

  Coming clean to her this way, it means a hell of a lot. She’s my lover, but she could turn on me at any moment and I have no doubt that when she finds out that I’m married, she will. I would if I were her.

  If she ever fucked someone else, I would be vindictive as fuck, I already know that about myself. I’m taking a chance with this information, not only on my own life and freedom but also the famiglia’s.

  “More?” she asks, looking so fucking innocent as she stares into my eyes.

  I nod. “More. I won’t go into detail, but Lenora, I’m not a good man.”

  She smiles, shaking her head then surprises the shit out of me when she rises to her toes and touches her lips to mine.

  “You’re so good, Carlo. Better than any man I’ve ever known. Your cousins love you, you’re so good to me, I still think I’m living a dream, and just, I can see it in your eyes. You’re guarded, but sweetheart, you’re good.”

  If a man could die from sugar overload, in this moment, I would be dead. Deciding not to argue with her about how fucking wrong she is, I slide my hand down her thighs and pick her up. I don’t carry her all the way into the bedroom, I can’t wait that long to be inside of her again.

  Setting her down on the arm of the sofa, I dip my chin and she spreads for me just as my silent request demands. Her pussy is exposed, glistening and needy for more than the orgasm I just gave her.

  “Aching, tesoro?” I ask as I use my finger to slide through her slit, gathering wetness, then I swirl her clit.

  Lenora arches her back, spreading her legs even wider for me. “Always, Carlo. God, I can’t get enough of you,” she moans.

  I grunt, feeling and thinking the exact same fucking way. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about another woman. If this is the way that Gavino feels about Luciana, I understand every single fucking thing that he did for her.

  Everything.

  I would kill for her, to protect her, to protect us—to protect this.

  Aligning my cock with her center, I slowly sink inside of her, burying myself to the hilt. Lenora lifts her legs, wrapping them around my waist and squeezes her thighs together, pulling me closer.

  Raising my arm, I wrap my fingers around her shoulder, and the other around her waist. Unable to look away from her green eyes, just like a few hours ago, I fuck her face-to-face.

  I need to see her, to see that it is her I’m inside of.

  I need her to know that I see her, just her, then maybe when she finds out the truth, she won’t be so hurt. It’s a lie I tell myself over and over again as I pull out and sink back inside of her heat.

  Her lips part and I hear her gasp, just as I feel her cunt flutter around me. Lowering my head, I touch my lips to hers, swallowing her sobs as her body climbs higher and higher toward her release. When it crashes through her, I watch in fascination as she comes.

  It’s more than beautiful, it’s fucking spectacular.

  Only when she’s finished, do I focus on chasing my own climax. When I come, I bury myself deep inside of her and fill her body with my release, my entire body trembling. Wishing that I could keep her always.

  “I love you,” Lenora pants.

  Guilt fills my entire body at her admission.

  I nod, touching my lips to hers, unable to say the words back. I may feel them, but I can’t allow it—not until I’m free.

  One day I’ll be free to tell her, one day I’ll be able to explore everything there could be between us, but today is not that day, and neither is tomorrow.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ELENORA

  Walking into work the next day, I can’t help but feel a bit lonely. Finally, I have Carlo back and now I have to spend the entire day away from him. I don’t want to. All I wanted to do was close down for the day, write a note on the door, say that I was sick, and stay in bed curled around Carlo.

  This morning he didn’t leave before six, instead he stayed wrapped around my body and fucked me on my side, his warm chest pressed against my back, his fingers playing my clit and we stayed that way until we both came, until it was absolutely necessary for both of us to get up and get ready for work.

  Then, surprising the shit out of me, he did the dishes from last night as I dressed as quickly as possible. With the dishes done, I then watched as he donned his three-piece suit from the wardrobe that was delivered a few days ago.

  I tried not to notice that everything delivered were work suits, and nothing personal. He didn’t have any jeans, not even athletic shorts to work out in. The whole thing felt—off. It still does.

  It’s Tuesday, which seems like the beginning of the week, but I can’t help but feel excited about it. Arlo didn’t promise he was coming home tonight, but I know that he will. He missed me as much as I missed him. I bite the corner of my lip as I set up for the morning. I am so ridiculously obsessed with Arlo, it’s comical.

  Around lunch, I’m wiping down my counter, cleaning the fingerprints from my last customer when the door opens. Plastering on my work smile, I see a woman that I recognize walk through the door.

  “Hello again,” I call.

  The woman’s eyes meet mine. They’re colder than they were a few days ago, which is surprising because they were pretty damn cold back then. She tilts her head to the side, her fingers touching the French silk negligée, but her focus is on me and only me.

  “Oh, how was your wedding?” I ask.

  She smiles, then slowly walks toward me. “It was fantastic,” she purrs.

  I notice that she’s dripping in diamonds. Her ears, her throat, her finger and then her wrist. It’s as if every part of her that could don a diamond, is. It’s a little gaudy for my taste, but who am I to judge?

 
Reaching up, I rub the diamond earring at my ear. Her eyes flash, I see it, her face turns red for a brief moment and then it’s gone.

  “My husband couldn’t keep his hands off of me,” she mentions. I watch as her finger makes circles against the glass counter that I just cleaned. I hum, my eyes flicking from her finger to her face. “Oh yeah, he took me in the limo on the way to the reception. Right there, with the driver in the front seat and everything. He demanded I just lift up my dress and ride him right there. I swear I still feel him between my thighs. He just cannot keep from being inside of me.” She grins.

  I clear my throat, feeling a bit unnerved. Owning a lingerie store causes people to think that you’re much more open than you are. In fact, I hear so much about people’s sex lives, so much more than I ever desired to know. But even this is a little over the top.

  “That sounds like a dream come true,” I fakely gush.

  Her smile widens and she nods. “That being said, I think I need something else to wrap up the gorgeous package that is me, what do you have that’s new and extra naughty?”

  The gleam in her eye isn’t quite delightfully wicked, it’s more, deceitfully wicked. I don’t like her, not at all. I can’t quite put my finger on it though, but for the next hour, I cater to this woman.

  She tries on more than I would prefer and for whatever reason, shows every option to me. In the end, she only buys one outfit, the least expensive one that I have in the store.

  When she leaves, I feel completely drained. The rest of the afternoon goes by quickly, the shop filling with customers on a heavy rotation. I’m thankful for the distractions and by the time I close up shop, I realize that I haven’t heard from Arlo all day long.

  Rushing over to my phone, I send him a text when I see that he hasn’t messaged me at all. Closing my eyes, I open them again and decide to just send him the message.

  Are you coming home for dinner tonight?

  I bite my thumbnail, waiting for him to respond. My mind has been spinning, whirling with his confession of his career not being legal. I didn’t miss the part where he said that the casino wasn’t the only illegal thing he did or the fact that he didn’t elaborate.

  When he doesn’t read or immediately answer, I decide to go about my evening closing routine.

  Routines.

  I’m pathetically predictable. Every day, I do the same thing, the same way and that includes closing down my shop. Once I’ve finished counting out, I put everything but my starting till in a bank bag and lock it up in my safe to take to the bank deposit drop at the end of the week.

  There’s a knock on the back door and I jump. Closing my safe, I make my way toward the back of the store. Nobody except the mail delivery man comes to this door and his deliveries are at noon every single day, on the dot.

  A thrill shimmies throughout my entire spine at the idea of Carlo unable to wait until I’m home from work for the day that he had to come here to see me. Turning the handle, I yank the door open. A scream dies in my throat at the sight in front of me.

  A man, huge, bigger than I’ve ever seen before in my life, crowds my door, forcing me to scramble backward. His black eyes meet mine and he slams the door closed, taking another menacing step in my direction. It’s then that I recognize him from the other day, along with his meaty hand at his side.

  My feet misstep and I fall to my ass. Looking up at him, I whimper.

  “Please, take whatever you want. Please don’t hurt me,” I beg.

  He tilts his head to the side, then he crouches down in front of me. I hold my breath when he reaches out, cupping my cheek with his meaty paw. His eyes roam mine and he grins, showing me his yellowing teeth.

  “You know you’re much prettier than I thought you would be. I waited a few days, but unfortunately, orders are orders,” he grunts. “Bet that cunt’s sweet as pie, too.”

  I gasp. “Please,” I whimper. “No.”

  “Not today, sweet cheeks, but don’t think that I won’t come back. I will. I’m going to tear you up too,” he laughs.

  Before I can say anything else, he lifts his hand. I see a butt of a gun and I open my mouth to scream before everything goes completely dark.

  I moan, rolling onto my back, and blink. It’s dark, my entire shop is so dark that with my loss of bearings, I don’t even attempt to stand. Instead, I crawl toward the front, where I know my phone should hopefully still be sitting on the counter.

  My head pounds where the man hit me with his gun. I moan and groan the entire distance from the back of the shop to the front. Looking around, I sink to my ass when I see what’s become of my store. Every piece of inventory that I own is piled on the floor.

  Reaching for a piece of white lace, I whimper when I see that it’s in small pieces. They’ve been shredded, French silk, delicate lace, everything is in pieces. Tears stream down my cheeks as I hold the fabric against my chest. Lowering my head, I’m unable to control my sobbing.

  “What the fuck?” Carlo’s voice shouts.

  Lifting my face, I turn around to look up at him and the tears take over with a vengeance. His blue eyes focus on me and he makes his way toward me in two quick strides. He crouches down in front of me, but unlike the scary beast that was here earlier, he doesn’t scare the shit out of me.

  “Someone came in the back. He was huge. He hit me with the butt of his gun,” I say through trembling lips.

  “You didn’t know him?” he barks.

  Shaking my head, I moan when it aches. Dropping the fabric, I cup the side of my head and cringe at the feeling of the large goose egg that is now part of me.

  “Merda,” he curses. “Let’s get you home, get you settled,” he murmurs.

  I don’t protest, I can’t. My entire body hurts and my head feels like it’s going to explode. Carlo doesn’t allow me to walk, instead he scoops me up in his arms and carries me out to his car. I wait for him to gather my things and lock up, all the while my eyes never leave him. He has his phone pressed to his ear the entire time.

  Once the shop is locked up, he makes his way toward the car, wrenching the driver’s door open and sinking down next to me. I bite the corner of my lip as he starts the engine. Then before he eases into traffic, I feel his fingers wrap around my thigh and he squeezes gently.

  ARLO

  I don’t breathe until we’re back at our place. When I was locking up her shop, I called Gavino to see if he’d heard of anyone targeting the famiglia. He assured me everything has been quiet. I can’t shake the feeling that this, whatever happened, it doesn’t have anything to do with Lenora, and everything to do with me.

  “You need to eat something,” I instruct.

  Lenora lifts her gaze to me. Her eyes look fucking haunted and I hate that shit. She shrugs her shoulder, curling in a small ball in the corner of the sofa. She looks fucking traumatized. Maybe she’s not as strong as I thought she was. If a little gun butt to the head sends her this far into herself, maybe she isn’t the woman I need.

  I second guess my affection for her.

  I second guess everything.

  “I’m not hungry,” she says.

  Walking over to her, I sink down on the cushion next to her. “Tell me, tesoro, what has you so upset.”

  She slowly turns her head toward me, her eyes finding mine and they look goddamn haunted. “Everything I worked for, Carlo. Every single thing that I worked for is shredded and piled into the middle of my shop,” she whispers.

  Lifting my arm, I slide it across her shoulders and pull her against my body. “I’m sorry. I’ll replace your stock.”

  “What? No,” she protests.

  Turning, I press my lips to the top of her head. “It’s my job, as your man,” I state.

  She doesn’t say anything, instead she leans against me and we sit in silence for at least an hour. I rub small circles against her bare shoulder, enjoying her sweet softness as she melts against my side. I need to leave soon. I have to check the casino, check-in with Mia, and deal with my
wife, but right now I have to ensure that Lenora is okay, first.

  Whoever did this to her, I know without a doubt that this will not be the end of it. This was nothing more than a warning, a show of force.

  Leaning my head back against the sofa, I think about my meeting with the commissioner earlier. It didn’t take much for him to agree to our plan. Just a deal for unlimited use of our women.

  Salvatore wrote the agreement, and it is now iron clad. He can come to the casino, have his pick of available call girls, then have his way with them. He may not abuse them in any way and everything must be consensual, the normal contract that men have with the women stands.

  Men will do almost anything to get their desires met. His desire is sex with a young woman, willing and eager. Apparently, his wife isn’t so much meeting his physical desires anymore. I can understand that, considering I have no desire to fuck my own wife myself.

  Lenora whimpers against me. Clearing my throat, I remove myself from next to her. Finding a blanket, I cover her up. Watching her for a moment, I wish that I could stay here next to her for the rest of the evening. I wish that I could wake up next to her, but I can’t.

  Walking out of the apartment is the hardest thing I’ve done to date. She needs me to stay, I know that, but the casino, the call girls, the famiglia and my wife, await me.

  The casino is my first stop. Mia is waiting in reception for me, in her usual spot. “Glad you could join me,” she grins.

  “How are the men?” I ask.

  She shrugs a shoulder. “Doing very well. Now, talk to me about when I should expect this first auction.”

  “You agree to it?” I ask.

  Mia tilts her head to the side, her brow lifting. “I guess I shouldn’t. Women’s rights and all of that, but I’m not really one to make a statement about those things, am I?”

  “I suppose not, considering you run call girls.” I grin.

  “Isn’t the term these days, matchmaker?” she asks with a laugh.

  I snort. “Not even close and you know it.”