by SL Perrine
“Gianna, you injure me. You’re my wife, and this was our marital bed, was it not?”
“Yes, but that was a decade ago, my love. You’ve moved on, clearly more taken by the stiff competition.” She sneered and tried to walk past him to the door. Gianna was not in the frame of mind to deal with Giovanni.
His hand reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. “You’re just going to walk out on me? I don’t think so, not when I carved out time in my schedule to visit my marital bed.” His eyes gazed down at the still drawn comforter. The sheets and blankets neatly laying on top as if no one had slept in it.
“Please, Gio. You have no interest in a bed with me in it. We both know that.” She pulled her arm, trying to release his grasp, but he held firm. “Gio. Let me go.”
“But, darling. What if I said your tryst with the help has made me realize how much I care for you? Knowing you were in the arms of another has made me see the error of my ways.”
Gianna’s eyes grew wide. Her pulse quickened, and her heart raced in her chest. “Why would you care after all this time?”
“I don’t. Not really. That begs to answer the question, why shouldn’t I take you right now? To prove my contempt?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Of course, I would. You have a fabulous ass, Gia. I wouldn’t mind plundering it. For old time sake. To prove to you I have the upper hand here and not you, and that if you don’t let me, your Manny is as good as gone.”
“You, sick bastard. Giovanni, you can’t do this. You have Matteo, literally, on hands and knees for you whenever you want. Why can’t I have a side-board to pleasure myself with? I have needs too.”
“You do. That’s why I’m here. To help you with those needs.” Gianna saw his hand begin to pull the belt open at his waist. She pulled harder against him and started to cry out.
“Gio, don’t do this. You're spiteful. You can’t…” She became frantic, tried to think of the time Anthony was going to pick up Mila. She couldn’t come home to her father forcing himself on her. The bedroom door was still open, and she could be back at any minute. She looked out the door and silently hoped Anthony hadn’t left yet, or that Nico would be in the house somewhere.
“Come now, darling. Surely you miss my touch.” He pulled her to him; his lips caressed the side of her neck.
He moaned once, and where she would have once felt something from this man, there was only revulsion. She lifted her leg and landed a blow to his groin with her knee. His reaction was immediate. His hand reached out moving swiftly across her face. Her head flew, hair splayed out covering her when she fell to the floor, her hands landing hard on the carpet. He grabbed her by the head, taking in a fistful of hair and pulled Gianna onto her knees.
“I think my dear wife owes me a little favor.” She watched as he continued to open his pants while bringing her to him.
The heat on her face was nothing compared to the disgust of having to perform the kind of sexual act he was insinuating. If he had taken her, fucked her bloody, she could have hidden her mind away to it; retreated until it was over, and she could forget it. What he was now insinuating made her ill.
“Gio, please.” Her words came out as a whispered plea.
“Oh, now she begs. Did you beg the help like that when you asked him to take you to bed? Did you suck him down, Gia? You disgust me.” He stopped and pulled the zipper of his pants back up and tossed her to the floor.
Gianna watched her husband through her hair, which covered her face and body shielding her from Giovanni like a protective blanket. He buttoned his pants and spit on her as he walked out of the room.
Once he was in the hallway he looked back over his shoulder at her. “Clean yourself up, before my daughter sees you like this.”
Gianna listened as Giovanni moved toward the stairs. The thumping feet of her child runs up them, and she hears as Mila greets her father with so much enthusiasm it makes her cringe.
“Papa, I’m back. I want to tell you and mamma all about my sleepover.”
“Come with me, piccolo. Your mother is still getting ready.”
More footsteps make Gianna sit up and wipe the tears from her face. The welt across her face will be harder to heal with her emotions so elevated. She must calm her nerves before she can see to it. Until then she chastises herself for not using the magic in her to fight him off. If she had expected such an attack, she could have been prepared. Until he struck, she had believed him to be all bark and no bite. Now she knew the truth. He would stop at nothing to be the one in control of every situation.
“Damn him.”
“Gia?” the door moved open, and Anthony stepped inside her bedroom. Gianna was on the floor with her hair cascading around her; he couldn’t see her face, so he crossed the room, kneeled beside her, and attempted to brush the hair out of his way. “Gia?”
Gianna smacked his hand away. “Go away, Jax,” she ordered.
“Gia, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Anthony pressed in a concerned voice.
“I said go away!” she screamed as she whipped her head about to glare at him, her hair falling so he could see her.
A large, red welt in the shape of a man’s hand stood out against her smooth, olive colored skin. A look of pure, animalistic fury contorted Anthony’s face, and Gianna shrank from him.
“I’m going to kill that motherfucker,” Anthony snarled as he got to his feet.
“Jax, wait. No!” he heard Gianna call after him as he exited the room with murderous intent.
Reaching the landing, Anthony bypassed the steps in a leap and landed at the bottom of the staircase in a full run. He never paused to consider the feat, un-magically augmented, would have broken another man’s ankle or leg. He barreled through the double doors into the library and traversed the great room at speed. As he navigated the halls, Anthony began to draw power into his body from the air around him.
The energy was audibly crackling through his body when he reached the end of the hall leading to the dining room. He slowed to a walk, so he could gauge where Giovanni was in the room before he entered. Mila’s voice from inside forced him to pull up short. What was she doing here? He hadn’t picked her up from the D’Angelo’s. He came to a stop, knelt, and released the stored energy into the marble tile of the hall. The house rumbled in protest as it distributed the power throughout the foundation. Taking a deep breath, Anthony entered the dining room.
“Ah, Mr. Jackson,” Giovanni called to him with a cheerful wave from the end of the table as he entered the hall. “Look, Mila, Anthony has decided to join us for dinner.”
“Hi, Jax!” Mila calls while launching herself from her chair in his direction.
Anthony kneels to accept the brunt of Mila’s affection as she barrels into him at full speed. “I had so much fun with Tina and her friends at the slumber party!” she proclaims as the two share a hug. “We played games, went swimming, watched movies, ate popcorn, candy, and stayed up late telling ghost stories!”
Anthony throws a look at Giovanni over Mila’s shoulder as he returns her embrace. Moretti frowns in displeasure at his daughter’s show of affection. “I’m happy to hear that, Mila,” Anthony says as he releases her. “Hopefully you can do it again soon.”
“Oh, I will. Tina told me the Rossi’s are planning another party next month, and they nominated me to host the month after.”
“I bet yours will be the greatest one of all.”
“It sure will! I already have some great ideas in the works.”
Giovanni clears his throat. “Mila, please take your seat.”
“Yes, papa,” Mila replies as she returns to her place at the table.
“Please, join us for dinner, Mr. Jackson,” Giovanni gestures to a seat near him.
“No, thank you, Mr. Moretti. I was just hoping to have a word with you before dinner.”
“You got my message, then?”
“Loud and clear, sir.”
“So, please, tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I don’t think our conversation should take place in front of Mila. I’m sure the context of such would be too violent for her age.”
“Somehow, I concur, which is why I had her brought home early.”
“It does my heart good to see how you shield your daughter from the evils of this world. Other men would take the coward’s way out and allow her to remain oblivious.”
“Papa?” Mila interjects as her eyes dart uncertainly between her father and Anthony.
“Yes, I would hate for my daughter to bear witness to the evil that men do.”
“So, another time, then?” Anthony asks.
“Indubitably.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Good. Please see your way off the premises before morning.”
“Papa?” Mila asks again. “What’s going on?”
“Mr. Jackson is leaving our employ,” her father replies.
“But, why?”
“This is a grown-up decision, not one that I feel necessary to share with my daughter.”
“No!” Mila screams and sweeps the plate aside that chef has just placed before her. “He’s my Manny, and you can’t fire him!”
Giovanni is about to chastise his daughter when almost everything around the room begins vibrating. Anthony looks around briefly before focusing on Giovanni. When he notices how he’s staring at his daughter, Anthony redirects his sight. Mila is shaking in place, her little fists balled at her sides as tears tumble across her cheeks.
“Mila, calm yourself,” Giovanni says placatingly.
“No, papa. You will rethink your position on this matter.”
Chapter 13
The house shook. Either from her anger or someone else’s, but Gianna wiped the cold water she splashed on her face and realized the surge of power was coming from elsewhere in the house. Not from her. With bare feet, she ran down the stairs and raced to the dining room.
“Look, Mila, your mother, has joined us for dinner. You don’t want to upset mamma, do you?” Gianna watched Giovanni as he tried to calm an obviously angered Mila.
“What is going on?” She moved past Anthony, to avoid mentioning the power emanating from her daughter. “Earthquake. Mila, do you feel it? What are you supposed to do when there is an earthquake?”
Mila turns her face to look at her mother, her face is red, and tears are falling. “Sorry, mamma. Papa fired Jax,” she whispered to her mother.
“Well, I can understand how that may upset you. However, Mila, you must understand, what is happening is not normal. There are rules. You must possess control at all times.”
“Like Jax did when he didn’t fight with Papa?”
“Jax?” She turned and gave him a sympathetic look. She couldn’t think of what he felt at that moment. She needed to calm her daughter, or things were going to get very bad. She would deal with the fallout from a human finding out what they were, but not then. Not until Mila was calm and in control of her emotions.
“Mila, listen to me,” she knelt next to her daughter and whispered low. “Jax is in the room. We are going to have to explain this odd anomaly. You must stop.”
“No, we don’t. He has magic too, mama. That’s why he’s the perfect Manny. We don’t have to explain anything.” Mila whispered back at her causing Gianna’s heart to drop into the pit of her stomach.
“He has…?” He lied to her. She stood and looked at Giovanni and Anthony. She’d had enough of the lies and the games. She would regret it later, but she threw her power out at her husband, and he sailed from his seat to the wall next to the patio doors, pinned three feet off the floor.
“Momma?”
“Yes, Mila. It’s time. Time, you knew. I’m so very sorry you have to witness this, but you started it.”
“What? How did I start it?”
“You won’t show control. So, I must demonstrate.”
“Gia?” Anthony started to move from where he stood.
“No, Jax. Please stay there. I’m teaching my daughter and my husband a valuable lesson.”
“What the hell kind of lesson is this?” Giovanni yelled. He remained pinned but in no distress. Gianna wasn’t trying to hurt him, merely kill two birds or three with one stone.
“To practice control, we must be able to control our emotions. Mila, are you paying attention?” Gianna moved around the table, so she was across from her daughter, but her back was to Giovanni. She couldn’t look at him, or this wasn’t going to work.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” Without moving her arm this time Anthony flew against another wall.
“Mamma? What are you doing?”
“Calm yourself.” She sat down at the table, crossed her legs, then picked up a cup of coffee.”
“Ok, Gianna. You have proven your point. Let us down.”
Gianna ignored her husband and leaned on her elbows over the table. “Mila, you cannot do things like shake the world, just because everyone around you knows what you are, or because they are what you are. We had no idea Jax was a witch. What if I did not want him to know about us? Or about you? What you are should remain hidden from people for your protection. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“You may not have a tantrum and shake the house simply because you have the ability. Now, taking away something you desire is a lesson in life. You don’t always get what you want. However, your father is on the wall, because he took that something away, or someone,” she gave an apologetic look to Anthony and continued, “because he was having his own sort of tantrum. Adults do that. I’m having one now, but neither of them is hurting. I’m simply showing you a lesson of control.”
“So, why is Jax on the wall. What’s he done?”
“Mila, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t allow that question because it’s not the concern of a child. However, since this is a lesson, I shall tell you.” She leaned back and sipped coffee once more. “Mr. Jackson has kept something of importance from me. Now, yes, I didn’t tell him about our status; however, we have far more important reasons for not divulging that information. He also knows why it would have been important to me. Had he shared, I may have as well, but now we will never know.”
She looked at Anthony and back to her daughter. “So, have you learned your lesson?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. That does not excuse you from lessons after dinner. I expect you to be ready as usual. Now, for your next lesson, since the gentlemen are cooperating so nicely, we might as well use them for one more thing.”
“Gianna! I forbid you from doing this.”
“Gio, we shall discuss things as soon as our daughter learns something.” Gianna marveled at the fact that Anthony was staying so compliant. He either realized his transgression and was sorry, or he had learned the lesson in control as well. Gianna looked back at Mila.
“I’m going to let them go,” she picked up the coffee again and looked at Anthony. She knew he understood what was about to happen. He had plenty of time to catch himself. “Catch them, now.” She told her daughter quickly and released both men from the wall.
Anthony floated down to the floor, while Giovanni landed flat on his face. He grunted in pain, the mortal pain he wouldn’t be able to heal himself from because, no matter how much he thought he knew of her, he didn’t think she possessed that gift, but she knew he didn’t have it. Something that came in handy when she needed to heal from the pain while allowing her bruises to remain. Letting the monster believe he had bested her.
Anthony stood on his feet and smoothed his clothes while Giovanni struggled to stand.
“Sorry, Papa. I guess I need to practice my reflexes.”
“I suppose you do.” He groaned.
Mila stood from the table. “I’m a little tired now. May I be excused?”
“Yes, my darling, you may. Also, perhaps you have had enough lessons for today.”
“Thank you, mamma,” she moved to exit the dining room and stopped to lo
ok at her father. “Oh, and Jax?”
Giovanni breathed deep and glared at his wife. “He may stay on as your Manny.”
“Thank you. Jax, I’ll see you in the morning.”
The smile on her face was so broad Gianna couldn’t believe her husband had been so cruel that he would have taken Anthony away from her simply because Gianna had slept with him. He shouldn’t have cared. Unless…no he couldn’t possibly know Gianna had feelings for the man. Because if she could not hide them from Giovanni, then she wouldn’t be able to hide them from Anthony. The fact that he stormed into the dining room to defend her honor made her not want to protect her feelings anymore. However, if Giovanni’s behavior were any indication of what he was capable of, she’d keep her feelings to herself to spare Anthony any misfortune.
“You care to explain that little outburst, wife?” Giovanni planted his sore body in a chair.
“Like I said, I was teaching her a lesson. Control.”
“How is it you managed that?”
“I’d like to know that myself?” Anthony moved slightly forward but not by much.
They had only gotten a glimpse of Gianna’s power, but she couldn’t let either of them know how much power she had at her disposal.
“It was nothing. A store of energy. I haven’t used my magic for so long it was begging for release. I doubt I’d be able to do it again.” She stood and pushed the chair in. “I think I’ll take my dinner in my room. Gentleman if you’ll excuse me.” The tile was cool against her feet. Her skin still stung, the welt still obvious on her face. She turned to her husband, tucked her hair behind her ear and let him observe the evidence of his touch on her skin disappear. She could show him that much. “I appreciate you attempting to defend me, Jax. However, pain rarely means anything to me. Gio, don’t piss off your daughter anymore. I hate cleaning up after you. Good night.”
The carpet felt better under her feet. She loved to move them over the soft fibers. For a moment she was able to forget the fact that Anthony deceived her. Sure, she’d kept the information about her family from Anthony, but she had a child to protect. Had he shared that with her, she would have as well. She thought they connected in some real way. Then she remembered his words when she left his room.