Angelo’s head snapped in Cesare’s direction, and a vicious, angry fire filled his eyes. “Who in the fuck do you think you are talking to?” he snapped in Italian. “You shut your fucking mouth until I tell you to speak!”
Cesare paused, seemingly stunned by Angelo’s words. A dark anger fell over his face right before he snapped his mouth shut and nodded his head.
Both of their attention was directed to Anastacia when she began to clap her hands. She smiled and shook her head as a dark laughter fell from her lips. “Wow,” she laughed. “Look at you, Angelo Salerno.” She shivered in mock fear. “The big bad mafia boss ‘shut your mouth until I tell you to speak’ he says. You’re scary, I’m frightened. I’m sure Cesare is, too.” Frowning, she shook her head. “It’s just so surprising how far you’ve come, considering where you came from. Because if I am remembering correctly, you came from the same place he did,” she pointed to Cesare, “yet you have the audacity to stand here and disrespect him in such a manner. The man who stood with you in many battles in Italy. The man who assisted you in building your empire from day fucking one. So I’m just confused as to who the fuck you think you’re talking to, Angelo.”
With a furrowed brow, she rubbed her forehead in disgust and clenched her jaw tightly. “And never mind what you said to me, the woman you claim to love so much. I truly welcome you to say something else, please. Insult me again, yell at your best friend and brother again, too. I’m actually begging you to do it. Because the more you say, the less I love you. And I am desperately—desperately—looking forward to the day when loving you is a distant memory.” When Angelo said nothing, Anastacia nodded. “That’s exactly what I thought. I’m going to lie down.”
Cesare quickly walked over to her and assisted her down from the counter. Without uttering another word, Anastacia left the kitchen. Once she was gone, Cesare turned to leave out the side door.
“I’m going for a walk.”
“Cesare,” Angelo called after his friend. When Cesare turned to face him, Angelo sighed. “I apologize, brother. I shouldn’t have used such a tone with you. Please except my apology and my word when I say that it won’t happen again.”
Cesare remained quiet for a moment before a frown fell over his face. “Do you remember what you said to me when we started the Salerno organization in the living room of my apartment? You looked at me and said, ‘We will finally have something that is ours, Cesare. No more being treated like lap dogs, no more disrespect, and no more taking orders from dictators like Luchini.’ That was the day I told you I had your back. We didn’t meet Bruno until four years after we started, and Alessandro didn’t come on board until after we made our first million. Just you and I, working hard to take over New York.”
“Yes, my friend,” Angelo said with a nod, “I remember this.”
“Do you?” Cesare asked. He narrowed his cold, angry eyes on him. “I have earned and deserve your respect, Angelo. The manner in which you just spoke to me is identical to the way Paolo used to speak to us. I am not a boy anymore, and I am not your lap dog. I will retire and be on my way before I let you or anyone else disrespect me. Understood?”
“Yes,” Angelo answered, setting his pride aside for the moment.
“Very well then. I forgive you and thank you for your apology.”
He turned to leave again, but Angelo called out to him once more.
“What?” he asked.
Angelo sighed once more. “Just tell me you didn’t … Cesare, you said you wouldn’t.”
“And I didn’t.” Closing his eyes, Cesare released a long, drawn out breath. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love her, Angelo.” He looked up at him with a pained expression. “I tried so hard to keep my promise to you, but I couldn’t. I’ve loved Anastacia from the first moment I saw her, and it’s never stopped. She left me one night over twenty years ago, and I’ve been waiting for her ever since.” He sighed sadly. “She is coming back to me now, I can feel it. And I’m not going to stop her … not even for you. I love her too much. And should I ever get the chance, I will asked her to be my wife.”
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the house.
The image of Anastacia walking down the aisle to Cesare flashed through his mind and made his stomach turn. A rush of pure fear shot through his body at the thought of losing her—really losing her—to Cesare. Never again would he be able to hold her, kiss her, or tell her he loved her. That, he couldn’t let happen. Loosing Anastacia was not an option. Just the thought caused him physical pain.
Turning quickly, he walked out of the kitchen to search for Anastacia. Just as he neared the only closed guest room door his cell phone rang.
“Shit,” he muttered, glancing at the screen. It was Nathan; he had to answer it. “Hello.”
“Hey Pop.”
“Is everything all right, son?” he asked. Nathan still hadn’t told him why they’d left Russia so abruptly in the middle of the night. “Is Carterina well?”
“Yeah, Pop, she’s fine. Apparently I’m in trouble, though … Whatever,” he mumbled.
Angelo didn’t even ask.
“Anyway, we’re landing in about thirty minutes. Carterina’s been trying to call her mother but she can’t get an answer. We really need to talk to her before we get there. It is important.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Hold on, I’m in the room.” Angelo heard a door close. “Pop, can you hear me?” Nathan asked quietly.
“Yes I can.”
“Carterina’s going to kill me for this, but I need to tell you so you can warn Anastacia.”
Angelo frowned. “What is it?”
“It’s about—” Other voices entered the background. “Babe!” Nathan exclaimed, his voice cracking nervously. “Hey, babe, what took you so long? Is everything okay?”
He heard more mumbling then a struggle with the phone.
“Why are you acting so nervous, Nathan?”
“It’s nothing, babe …”
“Don’t lie me. You only call me babe when you’re being an ass or lying. Who’s on the phone?”
“It’s just Pop, I promise.”
“Daddy Angelo? You told him, didn’t you? Give me the phone!”
“Carter!”
“I told you we tell my mother first, Nathan Salerno,” she chided, then she put the phone to her ear. “Hello. Daddy Angelo?”
When her voice came over the phone, Angelo released a long breath of relief and closed his eyes. For the moment everything else was forgotten, and his focus zeroed in on the young woman that had become his little girl the moment she’d sat with him in his office and told him her story. Feeling himself becoming misty, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He hadn’t known how worried he’d been until this very moment.
“Daddy Angelo? Are you there?”
“Yes, sweetheart, Daddy Angelo’s here.”
She gasped, and Angelo knew that tears were gathering in her beautiful doe eyes.
“Hi,” she cried. “I miss you so much. I can’t wait to get home and tell you all about how horrible it was. He kept me in this weird room, locked up for four days, and I felt like I was in a prison.”
“Tell me all about it, child.”
Looking over to the closed door, Angelo turned and walked away from it. He went into the living room instead and sat down to listen to his daughter-in-law speak about her horrible experience of meeting her biological father.
~*~
Anastacia sat in the middle of her bed, admittedly waiting for someone to walk through the door. She didn’t know who she wanted it to be, but she knew she wanted someone. She wanted Angelo to walk through the door and apologize to her for being an ass. And she wanted Cesare to walk through the door so he could hold her and make her smile again … and because she missed him. She had only been away from him for mere minutes and she missed him. He was so funny and sweet. She just felt … lighter whenever he was around.
She fell back on her bed
with a frustrated groan. “Why me?” she cried in her native tongue. “This is so fucking confusing.”
Which was why she chose to just not think about it. She decided she’d just lie in her room until Carterina called her again.
She had only been lying down for a second when there was a slight knock on her window. Confused, and slightly worried, she sat up. Who the hell would be knocking on my window?
Standing up from her bed, she slowly walked to the window. When she opened the curtains a smile instantly spread across her face. She quickly unlocked the windows and pulled them apart.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
Cesare gave her a handsome, boyish smile and bit his bottom lip.
“What?” she laughed softly.
“Nothing,” he said, walking closer to her window. In order to be near him, Anastacia sat on the window ledge. “I just wanted to see you, that’s all. Are you okay?”
With her head cocked to the side, she shrugged. “I’ve been better.”
He nodded. “Well, for what it’s worth, I had a great time on our first date today.”
Anastacia’s brow furrowed even as a smile spread across her face. “Our date? What date?”
“Our date, in the kitchen. You remember, right? It was just a few minutes ago …”
She laughed. “Cesare, that was not a date.”
“Not only was that a date, Anabelle, it was the best I’ve ever been on.”
“It was?” she asked, arching one perfectly shaped eyebrow.
His sly, crooked smile gave her butterflies. “Of course. I didn’t have to get dressed, had good food, good laughs, and a beautiful woman. You have to admit it, Anabelle, it was pretty damn good. I never thought dating in my forties would be so perfect.”
She laughed softly. Well, he had a point. The date—yes, date—was perfect. She had the best day with him, even though it started and ended a little rocky.
“It was perfect, Cesare. I loved every minute of it.”
Smiling, he reached behind his back. When his hand came back around he was holding a red rose. “I am pleased you enjoyed our time.”
He handed her the rose, and she accepted it with a bright smile on her face. “Thank you, Cesare.”
“Thank you, Anastacia. One rose for our first date. On our second date, you get two.” In a show of strength, Cesare gripped the window ledge and lifted himself up, sitting on the ledge next to Anastacia. “So what do you say, Anabelle. May I take you on a second date?”
As if I could say no to him. Instead of answering with words, Anastacia captured his lips in a sweet, passionate kiss. God, I love him. I love him so very much.
His fingers sunk into her hair and he deepened the kiss. “Anastacia,” he sighed as he kissed her breathless. “Mia amore.”
His sensual mouth journeyed to her neck and she moaned, completely lost in the moment. Her head fell back to allow him to continue as she laced her fingers into his soft hair. “Cesare, mon chéri,” she sighed.
Abruptly he pulled back from the kiss and repositioned his body on the ledge. Before Anastacia could catch her breath, he pulled her into his lap and kissed her hard. Anastacia was at a loss for words. She was lucky she had taken her pain medicine before this because his hold around her body was tight, possessive,
His mouth returned to her neck and he kissed her hard just as his hand slowly slipped into her panties. The contact caused Anastacia to release a surprised gasped. His fingers immediately began moving inside of her in the most amazing way.
Her entire body tensed up as she inhaled a sharp breath and slammed her hand into the wall behind him. Holy shit! “Cesare,” she exclaimed in a loud moan.
It felt as if a series of fireworks were shooting throughout her body. She didn’t know if it was because of the excitement of doing this in a window, or just because Cesare was incredible with his hands, but she had never felt anything like it. Anastacia slipped her free hand into her bottoms, pressing it over his as if to hold him in place. Her hips bucked against his hand in a vigorous motion even as his mouth continued its masterful assault on her neck.
“Oui, mon amour, veuillez ne pas arrêter!” she cried as the sensations began to intensify. “Oh, mon amour, il se sent tellement bon …”
She was trying her very best not to be too loud, but she was no longer even aware of her own voice. It was as if all of her senses were zeroed in on what he was doing with his hand! The moment her orgasm was about to hit her she begged him to kiss her, knowing without a doubt that she’d scream. Cesare pressed his mouth against hers just as the orgasm overtook her body, making her release a cry into his mouth while the sensations rocked her entire body.
Cesare didn’t cease the movement of his fingers until she calmed some. Breathing heavily, Anastacia rested her head on his shoulder. She moaned when he continued to massage her softly through several little aftershocks of the orgasm he’d just given her.
Oh dear God … She could not believe that had just happened, and felt only the slightest twinge of guilt that Angelo was in the other room. His hand left her now soaking panties—that she would have to change—and move around to palm her behind.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far.”
Neither did she, but she did not hate that it had.
“Don’t apologize,” she whispered as she hugged closer to him. “I enjoyed it …” God did she enjoy it! “The only downfall is that you’re in need, and we have no time.”
She was more than aware of Cesare’s current state of arousal. She’d love nothing more than to make love to him right in this moment, but they couldn’t. It was still too soon for that. Hell, she wasn’t even supposed to do what they’d just done, but resisting temptation had never really been one of Anastacia’s strong suits.
Cesare interrupted her thought with a chuckle, and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll be fine, my love. I believe I must do a bit more courting before we get there. When I make love to you again, it will be in an exotic, romantic location of your choosing. There I will wine and dine you, and treat you like the stunning queen you are.”
Gazing lovingly into his eyes, Anastacia touched his face gently. “You’re such a kind and gentle man, Cesare. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
She laughed softly. “You’re sweet, my love, but you and I both know that I am far from being a sweetheart.”
He frowned. “Nonsense, Anabelle. You’re my sweetheart. Always have been, and always will be.”
The soft smile on her face gave his heart much joy. It satisfied him even more to know that he was the one that had put it there. His Anabelle—his perfect, beautiful Anabelle—was coming back to him after all of these years. Waiting for her had been the hardest task, but he’d had many things to keep him busy, such as building S.O. from the ground up with Angelo, and being a single father to his two boys. Both work and parenting made his wait for the love of his life bearable. When she’d first came back he knew he couldn’t just attack, he couldn’t come on too strong, so he’d waited. Their past was not an easy one to get past, he knew she needed time to adjust, needed time to get to know her wonderful daughter. Cesare enjoyed watching how being a mother to Carterina changed Anastacia for the better. He would have loved nothing more than to share the experience with her and talk her through it, but he’d known it wasn’t possible because Angelo had already made his way back in. It hurt Cesare, but he wasn’t worried. His father had always told him that a man knew when they met the woman they were supposed to spend the rest of their life with, they just knew. And Cesare knew from the moment he first saw her sitting in Luchini’s car as he was guarding the gate at their estate. She hadn’t noticed him, but he’d noticed her. He never cared that she became involved with Angelo because he’d always known that one day she’d be his, only his. Did he wish it had happened sooner? No. He had no regrets. All love stories were different, and they were different for
a reason. His and Anastacia’s would soon be seeing it’s happily ever after. Then he’d spend the rest of his life making her happy.
Chapter 13: The exes. . .
Anastacia strolled out of her bedroom fighting to contain the smile on her face. Cesare always did this. He always made her feel like everything in her world was right, even though she felt like shit. Plus, she couldn’t get her mind off of what had happened on the window ledge.
She bit her lip again, still fighting to stifle her smile. He was so amazing, and unpredictable in the most exciting ways. He was honestly too good to be true.
“Oh my God!” Anastacia exclaimed, immediately stopping when she nearly collided with Angelo. “Jesus Christ, Angelo!” She placed her hand to her heart. “Announce yourself. You can’t just sneak up on people like that.”
“I’m sorry, you’re usually not this jumpy.” His voice sounded as if he were surprised she could be caught off guard.
Anastacia wanted to roll her eyes but she didn’t. People and their idiotic, as well as unrealistic, expectations of her pissed her off. “I was thinking. Am I not allowed to think?”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Ana.”
“I’m just saying I’m a human being, too, you know.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment; he simply stared at her until it made her feel uncomfortable.
Placing her hands on her hips, she huffed. “What?” she asked sharply.
“You changed,” he stated, voicing what he had just noticed.
She shrugged. “So what? It’s just another pair of pajamas.” For some reason she didn’t feel like wearing any clothes today. She had freshened up and changed from her purple pajama set to her pink. It was just as big, and she looked just as messy. It was perfect.
“Where is Cesare?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
She frowned. “How the hell am I supposed to know, Angelo? Go look for him yourself.”
Today was not the appropriate day for her and Cesare to let anyone know they were officially dating. There was too much going on. They’d both agreed to wait. Cesare had gone back outside to finish his walk after they’d sat and talked for a little while more.
Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War Page 23