I'D LIKE TO think that the thought of Alex buying me was so completely outrageous that it made no sense whatsoever.

Unfortunately, it did make sense. It made complete sense.

Although I'd known Alex all of my life, when he finally succumbed to my seductions, he became wicked possessive. Combine this with my family's unadulterated support of our relationship...I mean, what responsible family would condone a 19 going on 20 year old college student dating a 38 or 39 year old lawyer?

My landlord's reaction was more on point; yes, Alex is too old for me. This relationship is too intense for me. I should have known from the beginning that something was up.

Wouldn't even surprise me if he had a hand in my disappearing trust.

"Is everything alright, babe?"

I looked up at him. We were having breakfast on the patio. He was dressed for work, while I was still in my robe and nightgown. "Sure. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem far away. How'd you sleep?"

"When I did sleep, I slept fine. Why?"

"No reason." He studied me. "I talked to Sean last night."

Uh huh. Trying to see what I know, are you? I play it cool. "You did? How is he? Or can I ask that? I'm still trying to figure out this whole disavowed thing."

He took a sip of his coffee and narrowed his eyes a scootch. "Being disavowed from the firm does not mean you've been disavowed from your family, Siobhan. He's fine. He wanted me to give you his love."

No, it doesn't, but it's sweet of him to lie like that. "That's nice. I appreciate that."

He smiled back, then downed the rest of his coffee. "Well baby, I'm off. Have fun with Molly." He got up, leaned over, and kissed me. "Be good."

"I'm always good."

He ran his hand through my hair and gave me a kiss on the top of the head. "I mean good as is used in the plain meaning of the word. "

"I know. And I repeat. I'm always good."

"We'll see." With that he left the kitchen and the condo.

I don't know if the buying thing was literal or it was figurative, but it's never wise to stay with a man who perceives you as chattel. So I decided it was time to leave. Go back to the Midwest, get my bearings, figure out my future. Alone. By myself. Without anyone else.

Anyway, I waited fifteen minutes, then ran upstairs, got dressed, and packed my bags. I had bought a seat on a 10 am flight back to Chicago.

Once I got to Chicago, I wasn't going back to South Bend; instead, I was going to crash with my fellow disavowed brother, Jack. If I was sure of one thing, it was that Alex would stay away from me there. Jack was a Federal Prosecutor. Alex may or may not be mobbed up, but nobody smart wants to attract any government attention.

Next, I called Molly and cancelled on her while insinuating that I was pregnant (I'm always so nauseous in the mornings...do you think?). Then I left the townhouse and headed down Central Park West a few blocks before hailing a taxi."

"LaGuardia," I told the driver. "Take the Triborough."

He grunted an acknowledgment, took off like a shot, and then turned into Central Park.

"Dude. I said LaGuardia. Why are we in the Park?"

The driver ignored me, stopped at a sidewalk, and jumped out of the car and a fairly impressive jog.

Since this wasn't normal taxi driver behavior, I moved to get out, too. Sadly, there were no door handles with which to open the doors.

So. It's like that, is it? I got my phone out to call the police when a new tax driver appeared and slid into the driver's seat. He was accompanied by two men, one of whom got into the front passenger seat; the other one opened the back door and slid in next to me.

"How you doing, Miss McIver?" said the large man now sitting next to me. "May I borrow your phone?"

I smiled at him. So Alex knows about me going to Chicago. "I am well," I told him and handed over my phone. "How are you on this fine day?"

He pocketed my phone. "I am very well. I thank you for asking."

Poor guy had obviously not gotten the notice that the Mob had now assimilated. In fact, he looked like he was straight out of Sopranos central casting. Kind of smelled like it too; he had a combination of old man smell with cigars and sweat that was positively rank.

I discretely covered my nose and began breathing through my mouth.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" he said, doing the man spread which force me up against the door.

"It is," I agreed. "It's a great day to fly." I noticed that the cab had pulled out on 5th and was now heading downtown. "We're not going to LaGuardia, are we?"

"No, we are not. It's too nice of a day here in New York City, Isn't it, Paully? Too nice of a day to leave."

"That it is, Vinnie, that it is," said the guy in the front whose name I gathered was Paully.

"You know, I knew your father, Ms. McIver," said the guy sitting next to me, a.k.a. Vinnie. "Good man, he was. May he rest in peace."

"Thank you," I replied. "Did you know him personally or through business?"

"Business. Your old man got me off a first degree murder charge. Your old man..." He paused and shook his head in fond memory, "I even had the body chopped up in the trunk and the axe in the back seat, and he still got me off."

I smiled fondly. "Daddy did have a way with a jury," I replied, then snapped my fingers. "I remember you! You totally chopped up those two longshoremen! I drafted one of your Motions in Limine!"

"You did?" He patted my knee. "How about that? Small world."

"Right? Daddy used the whole fruit of the poisonous tree on you." I paused then added, "You know, he got roughed up by the cops who pulled you over because of that?"

"I did not," said Vinnie with a frown. "That is surely not right."

"The system makes the rules then gets pissed off when you tell them they got to follow them." I sighed. "It's bullshit."

"I agree wholeheartedly. Don't you agree, Paully?"

"I do. I do," said Paully.

I looked out the window. We were headed downtown, so I had my suspicions, but still. "So, Vinnie, where are you taking me?"

"Mr. Cosetino has asked us to escort you to the club downtown. He wants you to have lunch with him."

"Isn't it early for lunch?"

"A little," smiled Vinnie. I gather Mob enforcement did not come with dental. "They'll be having drinks beforehand, though. Don't you worry."

"You have completely reassured me. I will not worry."

Vinnie smiled down at me. "So Miss McIver, I gotta ask. Why you going out to LaGuardia?"

"I had planned to go to Chicago. I miss my brother and I thought I'd like to go see him."

"Chicago is a beautiful town," said Paully from up front. "I did a couple of jobs out there. If I couldn't live in New York, I'd live in Chicago. Amazing architecture. Some of the most beautiful buildings in the world."

"I agree," I said. "I actually like Chicago better than New York. But I think it's because I'm Midwestern."

"Did you get to take the architectural boat tour?" Paully asked me. "It's a wonderful way to see all those magnificent buildings."

"Paully's got a thing for architecture," explained Vinnie.

"I can tell. I have been on the tour. It's a beautiful way to see Chicago." I shifted in my seat. "You know, even talking about it makes me kind of homesick. How much would it cost for me to get you guys to turn this thing around and take me to LaGuardia?"

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Vinnie replied good-naturedly. "New York does take some getting used to. But I'm sure once you and Mr. Cosetino get married, you'll settle down and get to appreciate it."

"You're right, Vinnie. I probably haven't given it that much of a chance."

He nodded amicably. "It's good of you to admit that, Miss McIver. I can tell you're a good girl. Can't you tell that, Paully?"

"I surely can."

"And you know, Mr. Cosetino, he loves you so much," continued Vinnie. "Love is a beautiful thing."

"I agree, Vinnie," I told him. "I think love is awesome."

"Mr. Cosetino just wants what's best for you," said Paully. "He worries."

"That he does," agreed Vinnie. "He worries quite a bit. The man worries."

"Wow. I'd never seen that side of Alex. I appreciate the insight."

"That's what we're here for, Miss McIver," said Vinnie. "L'amour che muove il sole e l'atre stelle."

"The love that moves the sun and other stars," I translated. "Vinnie, you are a romantic."

"I am. I can't help it. I love seeing you two kids in love."

"He is, Miss McIver," agreed Paully. "You should see how he bawled during P.S. I love you."

"That movie was beautiful, Paully. " Vinnie sniffed. "It showed the triumph of love over the finality of death. It was f-ing beautiful. Whoops, I apologize for the language, Miss McIver."

"You're very sensitive," I remarked.

"I am." He sniffed again.

I got a tissue out of my purse and handed it to him. He thanked me and blotted under his eyes.

The cab pulled over at a brownstone in Chelsea. I recognized it immediately. Club McIver. It was the McIver Group's onsite housing for outside counsel brought in to assist on New York cases. It had been in the family for generations.

"We're here," said Vinnie, carefully pocketing the tissue. "Now, Miss McIver, you're not going to run, right?"

"Why would I run?" I asked. "I embrace this opportunity to see my family and to lunch with Alex."

"You see, Paully. No trouble at all."

"I see, I see," said Paully.

"Now, Paully's going to open the door and escort you inside. I have to say, Miss McIver, that I've enjoyed our time together."

"I am too, Vinnie. I'm glad you didn't get the needle for butchering those longshoremen."

He grinned his brown toothed grin. "I appreciate that, Miss McIver. I truly do. Until we meet again."

Paully opened the door, escorted me into the building, and walked with me past other family members prepping for trial or discussing business over coffee, into the club dining room. Sitting at a round table in the back was Uncle Leland, Uncle Dan, Sean, and Alex.

"There she is," said Alex, with that big smile of his he gets when he busts me on something. "Molly said you weren't feeling well. Is that why you wanted to go to Chicago?"

I sat down in between him and Leland. The waiter scooted in my chair for me, dropped my napkin in my lap, and poured me coffee."No. It was more because you bought me."

"I knew you heard me," he replied, putting an arm around my chair. "You could have just asked me, you know."

"I can't imagine any situation where buying me was an acceptable action."

He kept the smile but the anger raged in his eyes. "Tell her," Alex said to Sean. "Now."

Sean cleared his throat. "Siobhan, it's like this. About six years ago, the firm had some financial difficulties. It was a combination of the recession, some bad investments, and some defaults...then the banks wanted an accounting..."

Leland snorted. "Please. You don't need to go that far into it. Siobhan, the firm needed money, and Alex gifted it to us, contingent on a wedding to you." He looked around the table. "There. Done. Does this satisfy you, Alexander?"

"Depends on if it satisfies Siobhan."

I took a sip of my coffee and turned to Leland. "So you used me as collateral?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds, little sister," interjected Sean.

"I don't know, Sean. It sounds bad." I stared at him and added, "You know it's void against public policy, right? As much as you want to, you can't sell girls."

"We didn't really sell you, per se," muttered Sean. "Think of it as an arranged marriage."

"That's exactly what it is," huffed Leland. "We contracted a marriage for you. God knows it's probably the only way you will get married."

"Sure sounds like selling to me."I took another sip of my coffee, sat down my cup, and looked at Alex. "So what's in it for me?"

Alex half smiled. "That's my little pragmatist."

"I'm just saying. I want to know what's in it for me. " I turned to Leland. "I'm good with bearer bonds and uncut diamonds. They can even be blood diamonds."

Leland's eyes grew so large they looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "You want to know what's in it for you, you ungrateful..."

"Softly, Leland," Alex interrupted in his dangerous whisper. "Remember who you're talking to."

Leland glowered but didn't speak. I smiled at him and gestured at the waiter for more coffee."What? I think it's a legitimate question. You kicked me out a couple of days ago. What do I owe you?"

Leland moved towards me like he wanted to hit me, but Uncle Daniel jumped in. "Siobhan, your anger is perfectly understandable. All I ask is that you think of the support staff. Thousands of people will lose their jobs if you refuse this marriage."

"Not my problem." I stretched my fingers and popped my knuckles. "Your institution is vile, you're bad people, and it should all crash and burn."

Leland reached over and grabbed my wrist. "We can make you, you ungrateful little bitch."

That was all it took. Before I even knew what exactly it was I was doing, much less account for my actions, I picked up the knife at my place setting and plunged it into Leland's chest.

Howling in pain, Leland fell out of his seat. Alex lunged for me, but since I was still holding on to the knife I fell out of his reach and on top of Leland. "Goddammit, this knife is stuck on something... can't be your heart, Leland, because I know you don't got one - "

"Enough, Siobhan."  Alex pulled me off Leland. "Calm down, baby. Calm down."

I looked behind me. Uncle Dan was busy trying to stop Uncle Leland from bleeding out, and Sean was on the phone. Alex was shoving me towards the door. "Let me go, Alex! I need to kill Leland!" 

"No, you don't." One moment we were outside; the next, we were in the car. "Calm down."

"I don't want to calm down!" I tried to open the opposite door, but the child lock was on. "I want to kill Leland... and then after that, Sean. I'm killing Sean. Sorry, I know you like him, but he's gotta go... "

"Siobhan. Calm down." He gave me a shake. "Calm down, or you're going to the doctor."

"He... you... sold! They sold me!" Something crumbled inside me. "Alex, they sold me."

"I know." He pushed my hair out of my face. "Calm down and I'll tell you about what happened."

I stared at him. "How could they?"

"It's... your brothers made some bad investments. Then there was the crash." He reached into the small refrigerator behind the front seats and got out an orange juice. "Do you know who J. J. Elliot is?"

I nodded. Elliot was a billionaire perv. Everyone knew he liked young girls. Really young girls. My heart sped up. "No."

Alex nodded. "Yes. Pat saw it as a way out of their financial problems. Sell Elliot a percentage of the firm... and you."

My stomach heaved. "How'd you find out?"

"Sean called me. He was trying to stop it." He lifted my chin and looked me in the eye. "I came that night with $25 million in cash and another $250 million in other assets and contracted with the firm so that Elliot wouldn't able to touch you."

Ice. Everything was ice. I wanted to break into little pieces and melt out of existence. "Alex..."

"I wasn't about to let my best friend's little sister be forced into prostitution," Alex murmured, "not when I could do something about it... I mean, you were family to me, too. I couldn't... I know it's fast, Siobhan... " His voice trailed off and he lifted my face. "Siobhan, name it. Whatever you want, I'll do for you. I just want you to be happy. Whatever it takes."

I looked into his deep brown eyes -actually a little wet with tears - and I realized that I loved him. Whatever I felt for Donnelly paled in comparison to how I felt about him. I really loved him.

"Oh, alright. I guess I can marry you... but I'm going to want a big ring. Something obnoxiously huge, that can be seen by satellite."

 He smiled and kissed my temple, my cheek. "I know. A big, big ring."

I pushed him back. "You know I'm going to be expensive, right?"

"I wouldn't have expected anything else."

"And could you do me a favor? Maybe kill Leland? I'm not sure that i got that knife all the way through... "

Instead of answering he kissed me long and deep, his tongue teasing mine. A voice deep down inside me screamed that this was all wrong, but when a man kisses you like that... plus a big, big, diamond? I sighed, content. Everything would all work out.

Didn't it always?

_____ * _____ * _____ * _____ * _____

Mix together a big diamond ring, the promise of a ton of money, and some really good kissing, and what do you got? You got a girl that's suddenly okay with being sold by her brothers to keep their law firm afloat. C'mon, Siobhan. Be better.

Thank you so much for taking time to read Siobhan's story! I look forward to your comments, and if you liked it, please remember to vote!

©Copyright Liz Charnes May 2018

This work is protected by copyright and cannot be copied or used in any way without my express consent. Please don't steal it. Thank you!