When their eyes met, Anastacia’s looked confused as she gazed at Carter’s pain-masked face. ”Carterina, I thought—”
“Is it because of me?” Carter cut her off. “Are you leaving because this wasn’t like you thought it would be? I wasn’t who you’d thought I’d be?” Pain, sadness, and heartbreak laced each of Carter’s words. She willed herself to stop feeling hurt—her mother was giving her exactly what she had asked for—but she couldn’t. She didn’t want Anastacia to leave, and she felt stupid, and weak, and naive because of it.
“Carter—”
“It’s because I yelled at you, right?” Tears made their way to the surface of her eyes and overflowed down her face. Shit! “I put up too much of a fight, and now you don’t think I’m worth it?”
“Carter, that’s not true.”
“Isn’t it true? You want leave until I ask you to be a mother to me? After I’ve lived nearly twenty-three years without you in my life, I should be the one to call you when I need a mother,” Carter spat.
“Carterina, I just wanted to give you time.”
“Twenty-two years isn’t enough time?” she yelled. “I don’t have the right to be pissed that you show up out of nowhere claiming to have been looking for me—after I lived on my own for five years!”
Remorse filled Anastacia’s eyes. “I’m sorry—”
“And then you give up after I show a little reluctance because I don’t even know who you are! It’s just ‘Oh, Carterina doesn’t like me, so I’ll go.’”
“Carterina, listen to me for a moment!”
Carter waved her off. “Fine. If you want to leave, then go! But don’t expect to me to call you.” Carter stood up quickly from the table, ready to leave so Anastacia wouldn’t see any more of her tears. Yes, she may have told her mother to leave, but she hadn’t really meant it! She had hoped that Anastacia would fight for her and prove over time that she wanted to be a part of her life—but no. At the first sign of reluctance from the daughter she abandoned, she was right out the damn door.
Anastacia caught Carter’s arm before she retreated. When she turned Carter around, she saw that her daughter’s face was drenched in tears.
“What do you want?” Carter cried unable to hide her devastation. Dammit! She was crying like a damn toddler getting left at daycare for the first time. Maybe she should have handled things better. She shouldn’t have yelled or told her that she didn’t need her, when the truth was—Carter did need and want her mother . . . desperately.
Anastacia immediately pulled Carter to her and wrapped her arms around her protectively. She poured every bit of motherly love she had into their embrace, and it overwhelmed Carter. It was something she’d never experienced before. She had never known the love of the woman who had brought her into the world until this moment in her arms. Soon Carter was weeping, curling close to her as Anastacia held Carter close, cooing soft sentiments into her hair.
She kissed Carter’s forehead. “Shhh . . . I’m so sorry, baby girl. Please don’t cry. I don’t want to leave you. I just don’t want to force you to let me into your life. I want to be a part of it—desperately—but I can’t force this if I want it to be real. I loved your father, but honestly, I don’t want you to let me in for his sake. I want it to be because you want to know me. Because you want a mother and daughter relationship . . .”
“I do,” Carter confessed. ”I want you in my life. I need a mother, but I’m scared,” she whispered.
Anastacia cupped her face. ”Why would you fear me?”
“I spent years convincing myself that you didn’t want me. I told myself I would never meet you. That you didn’t want to see me. The person you are in my head is someone I can’t trust. I’m afraid to get to know you because I know that you could hurt me worse than I’ve ever been hurt before, and I just can’t take any more hurt.”
Anastacia wiped the tears from her eyes. “Carterina Anastacia Stone, I have loved you since the first time I heard your heartbeat. Let me prove that I’m not that god-awful woman in your head. I want to stay. I want to be in your life, but only if you want me to be. If you don’t want me, I’ll just continue to watch you from afar. I promise you won’t even know I’m there.”
“I don’t want that,” Carter whispered. She looked into her mother’s eyes and spoke the words she hoped she wouldn’t regret later. ”I want you to stay. Mom . . . will you stay? Please?”
A warm smile spread across Anastacia’s face. “I would love to, my perfect baby girl.” She hugged Carter so tightly that Carter couldn’t breathe for a moment. “I’m afraid, too,” she confessed. “But we will navigate through this together, okay? We will take it slow.”
“Okay,” Carter said with a small smile.
Her response brought a big smile to Anastacia’s face. “Yes?” she asked happily.
Carter laughed softly and nodded her head. “Yes. I want to get to know my mother.”
Anastacia squeezed Carter tighter and kissed her face repeatedly until Carter giggled and scrunched her face, trying to dodge her mother’s kisses. “Forgive me, please. I’ve just dreamed of holding you like this for so long. I don’t mean to go all ‘proud parent’ on you, but I am so proud of you,” Anastacia said through her kisses.
Going “proud parent” was something Carter had accused her father of doing all the time. After all that her mother had told her, Carter wasn’t surprised that Anastacia knew that.
Carter laughed softly. “Why are you proud of me?” she asked, still trying to dodge her mother’s kisses. “I’ve done nothing.”
Anastacia gave her an “Are you serious?” look. “Carterina, you’ve grown to be such a smart and ambitious young woman. You completed high school and college coursework before you were sixteen and earned a diploma in business. You can handle the shit out of a knife, your killing skills are as terrifying as your father’s, you’re oddly sweet—which you didn’t get from me or your father,” —her mother leaned in like she was telling a secret—“and you’re marrying The Russian! Do you know that there are still people who don’t even know that “The Russian” and Nathan Salerno are the same person?”
Carter laughed. “Idiots,” she said with a wicked smile.
The wickedness in her mother’s smile matched hers. “Are you aware that you have the entire Salerno crime family by the balls?”
Carter gasped and let out shocked laughter. “I do not!”
“Yes, you do.” Anastacia nodded, and a mischievous smile spread across her face “But don’t you worry, baby girl. Mama will show you how to use all of this power you have acquired the right way.”
Carter laughed and shook her head. “You’re evil.” Carter mimicked her mother’s evil smile. “And I think I like it.”
Anastacia then did something that widened Carter’s smile. She tossed her head back and laughed. Her father was right. They did have the same laugh.
6
Angelo & Ana
All was quiet in the house now that the six twenty something’s had retired to get some much needed rest. It had been a trying day, but Angelo, Cesare, Alessandro, and Bruno were all behind on their work, so sleep— even though necessary— would have to wait. They sat in the living area, discussing upcoming events and deals taking place in the Salerno Empire.
Angelo leaned forward to look closely at the documents in his hand. They had a huge deal coming up, plus they had to get things in order for the next years Senate election. Angelo needed to secure his guy’s win at the fundraiser he was planning at one of his Manhattan hotels. He still had to tell his son that his and Carter’s presence at the event was imperative. They had plenty of time to pull themselves together, and Angelo was positive they would be married by then and could attend the event as husband and wife.
He smiled at the thought. He still couldn’t believe his little boy was soon going to be a married man. He silently prayed that Nathan’s experience with marriage would be better than his was— he knew it would be. Unlike Angelo, Nathan
was in love with the woman he would marry. Angelo found love in his heart for Anya eventually, but their abrupt marriage had had absolutely nothing to do with love and everything to do with getting his son to America. Angelo’s heart had always belonged to one woman— and still did till this day. And that fact pissed him the fuck off.
He shook his head, trying to redirect his thoughts back to the work at hand, not Anastacia. He refused to think about her, even though he still wondered why Anastacia had only communicated with Kyle, Mikilo, Dante, Lucca, and Nathan these past few days. No one else, just them. She had assisted them in making arrangements for Carter to be brought here after the doctor cleared her, refusing any help Angelo offered. She had assisted them— and the movers— with the arrangement of the house, once again pushing Angelo completely out of the process. She had even stayed with Nathan and Carter for every night of Carter’s recovery, whereas everyone else, including himself, had traveled back and forth from New York— except for tonight.
Angelo knew why she was being so aloof these past few days. She was pissed.
He had uncovered a large portion of the mystery that was Anastacia Stone many years ago. This was what she did when she was upset with him. She acted as if he didn’t exist. The length of time she stayed away from him was dependent upon how pissed she was— and whether or not she wanted to fight about it. Angelo didn’t know why she wouldn’t just fight with him and get it over with. He hadn’t seen the woman in years, for God’s sake! What the hell could he have done to piss her off? Whatever it was, he was ready for her to make it clear because he had a few things to be pissed about, too.
“Angelo, focus!”
Angelo snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his brother in confusion. “What?” he asked, confused about what he had missed.
Alessandro leveled a glare at Angelo. “Look, little brother, I don’t know where the hell your head is right now, but I’m about two seconds from forgetting that you’re the boss and jamming my foot up your ass if you don’t pay attention to this shit! I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get some sleep tonight if you don’t mind!”
Angelo delivered an answering glare to his asshole big brother. Everyone thought he was so calm and laid back, but that was only because they hadn’t pissed him off enough. Sometimes it seemed like Angelo was the only one who could manage to do that. Angelo gritted his teeth. “Will someone kindly tell me what I missed? It seems we should hurry and finish before big brother gets too cranky and has another little bitch fit,” Angelo bit out through his clenched teeth.
“Fuck you, Angelo,” Alessandro said, leaning back in his seat “You say we need to catch up on work, and we agree. Then you spend the entire conversation with your head in the damn clouds! And we all know what the hell you’re thinking about, or should I say whom.”
Angelo snorted and waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t know shit, Alessandro. Shut the fuck up.”
Alessandro raised an eyebrow. “Don’t I, little brother?” He chuckled derisively and nodded. “Well, it’s nice to see she still has a firm grip on your balls after fourteen years. Jesus Christ, Angelo. Even Cesare can keep his shit together with her around, and he fucked the crazy bitch, too!”
Angelo began to stand from his seat. “You mother—”
“Angelo, Alessandro, please spare us your nightly routine for tonight,” Bruno said with an exasperated sigh, still looking at the papers in his hand. “The last thing we need is the two biggest men in the room at each other’s throats. You two need to quit bickering every time we have to work a little late. Your mother must be doing backflips in her grave hearing the way you two talk to each other,” he said in a half-teasing tone. He raised his eyes from the papers and looked at them. “But if you two must fight … my money’s on Angelo. No offense, Alessandro, but Angelo’s bigger, and he throws a better right hook,” he said with a sly smile.
Cesare’s deep chuckle filled the room. “Shut up, Bruno,” he said through a chuckle. “But you two should listen to the clown. Stop arguing and be good little boys. We have far too much to do. No time for the Allie and Angie show,” he teased.
Bruno laughed. “That was good,” he muttered through a laugh. “Allie and Angie,” he repeated, still laughing softly.
“One of you tell this idiot to shut the fuck up before I jam my fist down his throat,” Angelo spat.
“I wouldn’t have to say shit if you’d keep your mind on our work and off Anastacia Stone’s ass!” Alessandro countered.
“But why not? Anastacia Stone has such a great ass …”
Every eye in the room snapped in the direction of the French-accented, pouting, female voice. Anastacia stood in the entrance to the living room. She wore a form-fitting black shirt and a pair of drool-worthy black shorts. She stood there with her hands on her hips and a evil smile on her face. Turning her back toward them, she palmed her ass with a slap, and turned her head to look down, as if examining it.
“I mean, I’m not in my twenties anymore, but I’m pretty sure my ass still is.” She turned to them with a wicked smile. “I aged fucking well, didn’t I?” She looked at Alessandro. “What do you think, Alessandro?” She turned, gripped her behind, and squeezed both cheeks. Alessandro swallowed hard and shifted in his seat. Anastacia smirked and shook her head. “See what I mean? You can’t get mad at Angelo because he can’t stop focusing on my ass. You seem to have a problem taking your eyes off it as well. I mean, come on, Alessandro. Can you blame him? It’s been about fourteen years since I last let him spank me,” she said with a shrug and a devious smile, her cold hazel eyes looking directly at Angelo.
Angelo took a deep breath and shifted in his seat as the memories of the many times he had spanked Anastacia’s perfect ass flooded his mind. Shit, he could feel himself hardening just from the memory. God, he hated her.
Bruno chuckled, “You were always funny, Anastacia,” he said. “I would say your ass was about twenty-five or twenty-six. Either way, it’s quite an ass.” Bruno wiggled his eye brows.
Anastacia didn’t laugh— not genuinely at least— but there was amusement in her eyes. “Always a pleasure, Bruno,” she said with a nod.
“Damn, you haven’t changed a bit, Anastacia,” Bruno said, looking at her hungrily, the way many men did. Anastacia stared at him blankly. “Oh yes, I believe congratulations are in order …”
Anastacia frowned. “Congratulations for what?” she asked, confused.
Bruno smiled brightly. “Well, on the baby girl, of course. I would have gotten you a bunch of pink shit, but I didn’t know,” he said with shrug. “Nobody did, apparently.”
“Apparently,” Anastacia repeated “Based on the welcome my baby girl received from the Salerno Family, I’d say it was a good thing I kept her a secret,” Anastacia said, her tone full of antipathy as she narrowed her icy stare on Angelo.
Angelo sat up in his seat, ready for the fight about to take place. “That’s not fair, Anastacia. They thought she was you,” Angelo said calmly.
“Then they’re stupid motherfuckers,” she snapped.
“How the hell where they supposed to know that there was a young woman alive that looked exactly like you Anastacia?” Angelo asked, quickly becoming irritated with her.
“They were supposed to know when the boys told them she was my daughter!”
“Not one person who knows you, who’s ever been in the same room with you for an hour, would ever have thought you would have a child, Ana!”
“Well, that just shows how little you fuckers know, doesn’t it?!”
“How the hell where they supposed to know she was your daughter and not you? The queen of multiple personalities!”
“I may be the queen of multiple fucking personalities, but one thing remains constant about Anastacia Stone and everybody knows it. Those dumb fucks should have known it wasn’t me when they were still breathing after they pulled out their goddamn guns!” Anastacia yelled, her tone becoming icier with each word. “I should have kil
led them all when the first tear fell from her eyes!”
“You were the one that caused those tears, Anastacia!” Angelo yelled back. He knew he couldn’t back down. Letting Anastacia get the upper hand in a fight like this was not something he would do. Anastacia Stone crushed weak men, and Angelo was not a weak man. “You didn’t even leave the child a picture! She didn’t know what to expect— and neither did we! The only visual she had of you was her reflection!”
Anastacia’s body tensed with rage. He knew she was about to blow. Anastacia’s anger was like a tornado, forceful and destroying everything in its path. “I. Had. Plans.” Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides “I had everything planned! I knew how I wanted my baby to meet me. I had everything ready for her eighteenth fucking birthday when she would be ready. But you,”— she pointed at Angelo—”ruined everything!”
Angelo shot up from his seat. “Me?”
“Yes, you!” she shouted. Angelo could have sworn her eyes turned black every time her anger reached a certain level, but he still maintained eye contact. “You don’t know shit about what Robert and I went through, or why he could barely mention me to our daughter! I did everything, including staying away from my baby, to make sure she was safe. To make sure nothing in this fucked up world could touch her, but then out of nowhere, your shit made it to her fucking door step while she was sleeping in her father’s goddamn bed!”
“You wait one motherfucking minute, Ana! I had no idea Mitchell had lost his damn mind! I had no idea he wanted me dead!”
“Bullshit, Angelo! I told you! I fucking told you seventeen years ago to kill that son of a bitch and bury his worthless ass right next to his piece of shit father!” she yelled.
Anastacia was seething. Angelo knew the only reason she wasn’t breaking anything right now was because somewhere behind all of that aggression, she still had a bit of control over herself. He should end this fight right now, but the fact that she was blaming him filled him with outrage. How could she bring up that conversation when she knew why he didn’t listen to her? “How could you bring that up, Anastacia? It was the honorable thing to do out of loyalty to his father!”
Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess Page 10