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Dino

Dino

I t was as good as I knew it would be.

I wake up the next morning and the first thing I want to do is go back to her. Has she behaved down there? Part of me hopes she has, so I can bring her up to spend the rest of her life in my bedroom.

Part of me hopes she has done something bad, so I have an excuse to punish her for misbehaving. That’s something that lingered in my head last night after I left her.

I lay in my bed, reliving the moment I sat at my desk and left her in place. She stayed there purely because I told her to. She is the perfect submissive wife. A spark of brat to her, though, in the way she fought me verbally, the way she tried to call for help on the study phone.

As if any help is coming for her. The police would note the address and call me. No one would turn up here. The only authorities that ever come here are the Feds and by the time they get wind of her, I’ll have her on side for good. Or dead.

She doesn’t know she only has two options now we’re married. Stay with me or get whacked. If Ricardo gets hold of her now, the wedding vows have been exchanged, he’ll torture and then kill her. That’s the guy he is.

I won’t let that happen. I will protect her, keep her safe. She belongs to me. That means she doesn’t run. She doesn’t try to escape. I can’t let her. She still doesn’t seem to get the danger she’s in.

I sit up and wonder what will happen once Ricardo is dead. I will be Capo dei Capi and the Beluccis will grovel at my feet to keep their name alive. Maybe I’ll let them, maybe not. One thing for sure, Ricardo will not survive this, not after what he’s done to my wife.

I shower, and my cock hardens under the water. I can’t help thinking about what happened last night. It comes to me in snapshots. Her bent over. My hand on her ass. My tongue down there. Her choking on my cock. All the things that make me happy.

It’s not often I’m happy. I spend so much time concentrating on business; I get little time for pleasure. That’s going to change. Maybe I’ll even become a family man, the one thing I never thought I’d be.

I refuse to jerk myself off. That’s her role now, not mine. It might be the first thing I make her do before she gets to have breakfast. Depends on how well she behaved last night and how well she behaves this morning.

I dry myself off. No gym this morning. She will be my workout later on. Food first. Then her. I get dressed. It doesn’t take long. Most of my wardrobe comprises identical suits.

Each time I’m in Rome, I get measured for another couple. Gino near the Forum is the best tailor in the world. He handles all my clothes. I never need to shop anywhere else. Maybe I’ll take another trip there soon, make it a honeymoon for us while I’m at it. She’ll probably like Rome.

I run a hand through my hair. Will she like it?

How much do I actually know about her?

I realize it isn’t very much. I’ll fix that at breakfast too. Time to get to know her properly. I make a couple of calls. I need to know where Ricardo is if I’m going to deal with him.

When I get to my study, Corrado is waiting for me, notepad in his hand. “Morning,” he says. “How’s married life treating you?”

“Slept alone,” I reply.

“That’s marriage.” He laughs and I manage a smile in return.

“Going to check on her in a minute,” I say, taking my seat. “I want you to find whatever rock Ricardo is hiding under and toss it over.”

“You want him whacked?”

“I won’t ask you to take out a made man. It’s for me to resolve this.”

“Don Belucci won’t be happy.”

“I don’t doubt it but by the time he gets moving I should have heard from Rose’s father.”

“You’re sure he’ll get in touch?”

“I’m sure. Tell the kitchen to prepare for two this morning and let me know as soon as you have something.”

“Will do.”

I get to my feet, but Corrado coughs as I’m putting my hands on the bookcase. “Something else?” I ask him.

“Attempted break in last night.”

I turn to face him, raising my eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

“Security team took him out.”

“And? ”

“Looks like Don Belucci hired him to get the chip.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He had blueprints for the place, safe marked on it.”

“He actually had the blueprints on him? What is it, amateur hour?”

Corrado shakes his head. “I think it’s the Don’s way of sending you a warning.”

“Warning? Warning me about what?”

“That he knows you’ve got the chip, and he will not stop until he gets it.”

“He knows the rules. It’s no use on its own. He’d need Rose as well.”

“I think that’s the warning. I reckon he’s going to snatch her.”

“Ricardo tried that, and it didn’t work out so well for him.”

“He’s still alive. Just be careful for a while, Dino. A cornered family can lash out and they know how close you’re getting to the top job.”

“I’ll bear it in mind.” I pull on the book and the secret door slides open. At once, Rose bursts out. She’s clawing at my face and screaming. Corrado dashes over, but I wave him away. I get hold of her wrists and set her on her feet. “What the fuck?” I say, shoving her into the chair behind her. “You still trying to escape?”

She glares at me. “You took advantage of me last night.”

“Takes two to tango, Rose.” I wave Corrado off, and he heads out the door with a smile on his face. I know what he’s thinking. She’s got the right amount of fire in her to be Capo dei Capi’s daughter. “If you behave, you can come to breakfast with me.”

“And if I don’t behave, I go back there? I’m not an animal, Dino. You can’t keep me like some kind of zoo exhibit. I’m a fucking person.”

“You lashed out like an animal just now.”

“I’m sick of being down there. You can’t keep me locked in the basement. I hate it. There’s no air.”

“All right, I’ll do you a deal. You come to breakfast with me and sit politely and answer my questions. Do that and be a good girl and you won’t ever have to stay in the basement again.”

“You promise?” She looks at me like she doesn’t believe me.

“As long as you behave.”

“All right,” she says after a moment’s thought. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Hungry?”

“Maybe.”

I take her through to the dining room. The food’s been laid out for us. Bowl of fruit. Coffee. Orange juice. Bacon and eggs. Salad. She grabs a heap of bacon and the ketchup and piles her plate high. I take my coffee and sit back in the chair opposite her.

I’ve picked the seat by the window. I want to see if she tries to run for the open door. If she does, she won’t get far. I’ve got all the staff on alert and the door to the street is locked up tight. Lucky thing too, if we had an attempted break in last night.

“Don Belucci is after the chip,” I say as I put my mug down.

She looks up at me from a mouthful of bacon, chewing quickly. “So?”

“Tell me about the chip.”

“I’ve told you everything already.”

“Tell me again. From the beginning. ”

“When I turned eighteen, my father gave me a letter my mom had left behind.”

“Why didn’t she give it to you herself?”

“Because she got cancer and died years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

She picks up a glass and drinks the juice inside. She sets it down again and shrugs. “It was a long time ago.”

“What did the letter say?”

“It said she’d set a nest egg aside for me in a safe deposit box.”

“Which had the chip in?”

She nods. “I went to open the box and there was nothing in it but the chip. I asked my father about it but he said it was nothing to do with him.”

“So what did you do with the chip?”

“I tried to cash it in at the casino, but they told me I had to be twenty-one to go in. Dad wouldn’t go for me, so I just held onto it.”

“And you’ve no idea where it came from, right?”

“Right.”

I sit back in my chair, and suddenly it makes sense. Her father put it in the box. He’s a son of a bitch to keep her in the dark about what it means, though. “Where is your father now?”

“No idea. He left me a note to say he’s away for a couple of days.”

“And you’re not worried?”

She grabs more bacon before answering. “He does it a lot. He’ll be back soon and then he’ll call the police when he sees I’m missing.”

“You’re not missing. You’re here.”

“Kidnapped by you.”

“For your own safety,” I say, pointing at her. “When I removed you from Ricardo’s possession, you know what would have happened if I’d let you go home?”

“Let me guess. He’d have killed me.”

“I had no choice. It was my protection or death and I will not let you die.”

She wrinkles her nose as she looks at me. “You care about me?”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t.”

“Bullshit. You married me so you could become Capo dei Capi. You already told me that.”

I get some food for myself. What can I say to her? She’s right. I only married her because she was means to an ends. Now the deed is done, I know there’s more to it than that. I want to keep her even after I’ve achieved my goal. I have no intention of giving her up anymore.

Corrado disagrees with my choice. Last night before I went to bed, I sat in the smoking room with him. We had cigars on the go in front of the fireplace, both of us lost in thought for a while. He turned to me and told me I was in danger if I kept her. It was as if he’d read my mind. “I was just thinking that,” I told him.

“She’s a target for the rival families,” he continued.

“Not if I’m Capo dei Capi. She’ll be untouchable.”

“If you get the post.”

“I have the chip. I married her. What else do I need to do?”

We lapsed back into silence. “I’ve no choice,” I told him when I was done with my cigar. “Let her go now and she’ll be a target because of her father. The Beluccis will try to bring him out of hiding by torturing her. I have to keep her. It’s the only way she’ll be safe, under my protection.”

“Hope you know what you’re taking on,” he said as I left the smoking room .

I look at her as she eats and wonder exactly what I’m taking on. “Tell me about yourself,” I say, sitting back in my chair.