FEDERICO

I pat Elenora as she coughs, choking on the cake she was eating. I glare over at Gabriel who smirks back at me. Elenora pushes my hand away and Gabriel seizes the moment to hand her a drink. Fucking asshole.

"God, you really are the devil, how can you do that to your own cousin, he's your family!" Elenora glare is mixed with disgust.

I give her an indifferent stare and shrug. "We were sixteen, he dumped her and she came to me crying."

"What about bro code?"

Gabriel laughs at her logic. "Right? Rico had come to the states to visit for the summer. We all hung out, got along well. Too well it seems. Angela and I had a fight one night, but I went to tell her I fucked up and found him going down on her in her car."

"I was trying to make her feel better."

"How disgustingly chivalrous of you." Elenora attempts to get off my lap but I keep a firm hold of her.

"Rico did me a favor, Nora," Gabriel says even though his eyes say different.

"So the fact that they stayed in contact this whole time doesn't bother you?"

Gabriel shrugs. "You never forget your first love. We started 'dating' or more like became boyfriend and girlfriend when we were thirteen; but that was a long time ago. And from what I hear she hasn't done much with her life, which is a shame. She had goals of becoming a Kindergarten teacher; she always loved kids."

He leans back on the couch sighing. "Her life went to shit for a while; going in and out of treatment centers. Then she seemed okay for a while, but never had that drive to go after her dreams anymore. As long as she's happy, who am I to judge?"

"Excuse me, I need to go use the bathroom." Elenora stands, but I hold onto her hand.

"Why?" I mentally berate myself for sounding so stupid.

"I guess I could puke all over you, and to be honest, that would make me feel a helluva lot better." Her appearance does look sickly under the fluorescent lighting.

I shift her off of my lap and she walks toward the hallway.

Gabriel stands, too. "I'm going to go see if she's alright. And since you're into double dipping, I want to see how many times I can get Nora to come before the night ends."

I react out of instinct as I launch myself towards him, tackling him to the ground and reign down punches on him.

He blocks a punch and connects with a hit of his own on the side of my head. We struggle getting position over each other, trading blows and cursing at each other, but I push away from him at one point.

"You fucking ruined her, asshole!" Gabriel shouts before he lands a couple of punches, but I retaliate by kicking and knocking him to the ground.

"It was you who ruined her, fucking own up to it!" I hit him a couple more times before we are pulled apart. I shove Domani away who's holding me around my chest and pull my gun on Gabriel. The succession of several guns unholstering echoes in the room. Many are aimed at me, but the same amount, if not more, are pointed at Gabriel.

"Rico, stop this!" Zia Rosetta shouts, pushing her way through the crowd. Serafina is sobbing somewhere behind me.

"You know you took advantage of her," Gabriel seethes.

"We both know what really happened, Gabe."

He glances around and then his eyes settle on someone behind me. I don't have to turn around to know who it is from the smirk on his face. "Maybe I'll get the chance to return the favor, cuz, and take your girl. Nora doesn't seem like she'll need much convincing."

I cock my gun. "Stay away from her."

"Yeah, I don't think so." He grins back at me and I feel myself slipping into the edge of darkness that I know I can't come back from. But then Elenora's face appears in front of me.

"Get out of the way, Elenora." I shift my eyes back to Gabriel.

"Rico, you shoot, you hit me; they shoot, they hit me." My jaw ticks from the anger I'm straining to contain.

She takes a step closer to me, putting herself in a dangerous position. "Look at me, Rico." Her hands pull my face to look at her. My eyes meet her determined eyes. "Let's go, please."

I lower my gun as I keep staring at her. I lean my head against hers, breathing in and exhaling, and my anger begins to dissipate.

Gabriel begins chuckling. "Damn, who would have thought we'd see the day when the big, bad Federico Di—"

I pull away from Elenora. "Shut him up, or I will!"

Renzo pulls Gabriel back, but that doesn't stop Gabriel from goading me. "I can't wait to find out for myself how she got you under her spell." He grins and I start moving forward, but Elenora grabs onto my arm.

"Get him out of here!" Zia Rosetta shouts and other men move in to help Renzo take Gabriel out of the room.

"I don't care who she is or what she means to you or the family Rico! You better make sure you take care of your shit before I do it for you!" Gabriel shouts over his shoulder before he's finally pulled out of the room.

I grab Elenora's hand, leading her towards the stairs. "We're leaving."

"Wait, Rico." She tries to pull her hand from mine, but I tighten my grip. "Rico! We can't leave like this."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's your cousin's birthday and she's upset watching you two fight." She turns back and makes her way through the crowd of people. I call out to her and then I see where she is heading when she stops to hug Serafina.

I make my way over to them and catch Elenora asking if she enjoyed her birthday despite the fighting of her cousins.

"I did." Serafina glares at me. "You better not do anything stupid with Nora, and take care of her, cuz."

The corner of my mouth lifts when she smiles. "I didn't mean to ruin your birthday, Sera."

She sighs before she hugs me and I hug her in return after a moment. Serafina laughs as she pulls away. "You suck at giving hugs. And you didn't ruin my birthday. You know I don't like Gabriel and I barely tolerate Renzo."

Elenora insists on saying goodbye to my Zia's as well as some other people she met, before I pull her away. "You don't have to say goodbye to the whole fucking world, Elenora."

The ride back is quiet, until she looks over at me. "Where are we going?"

"The hotel, you're staying with me, tonight."

"Yeah, I don't think so. I prefer my own bed instead of your bodily fluid saturated one."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying not to lose my patience.

"Please take me to my apartment."

"No."

"No?" She repeats. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean, it's not happening, not gonna go your way, forgettah about it, clear enough?"

"Rico—"

"Enough, Elenora!" I shout and she shrinks back in her seat, staying silent for the rest of the drive. I welcome the distraction of my phone when it rings. Since she speaks Italian, I keep my responses brief and vague.

After I finish with the call, I lean forward and instruct the driver to make a change of plans. He nods and I clap his shoulder before I sit back.

"Where are we?"

"My hotel."

A few staff greets me even though I don't respond, while I answer a few emails and texts, before we step into the elevator.

After a moment, Elenora lets out a deep sigh. "Did you know the close button in the elevator was put in as a 'placebo effect' to make riders believe they had some control?"

I keep my focus on my phone as she continues spouting off nonsense.

"Cookie Monster's real name from Sesame Street is Sid. Doesn't have the same effect, does it?"

Huh, I had no idea.

"Ketchup was once sold and used as medicine. Bet you won't guess what for?" She waits a beat or two, to see if I'll respond. "No guesses? Well, it was to treat diarrhea and indigestion. Crazy, right?"

I lift my gaze from my phone, blinking once. This woman is insane.

"There's an island in Japan only inhabited by bunnies. How cute is that? But knowing my luck they're like killer bunnies or something." She watches the elevator floor numbers ascend at a snail's pace to the penthouse suite.

"Did you know more people are killed by vending machines than by sharks?"

Her endless shit of information continues, and my jaw ticks in annoyance.

"Still, I'd rather take my chances with a vending machine than a shark any day." She looks at herself in the reflection of the elevator wall and fixes her hair.

"Here's a crazy one, Dolly Parton entered in a Dolly Parton look alike contest and guess what happened?"

I stare at her, wondering if she thinks this is working.

"She lost!" She lets out unrestrained laughter. "That one always gets me."

"Did you know Strawberries aren't berries but bananas are—"

"Elenora, I'm not an idiot. I know what you're trying to do, but it isn't going to work. You're staying with me. But if you insist on spouting out all of the useless shit, I will duck tape your mouth."

I step out of the elevator and she gasps when she follows me out into the large foyer, her wide eyes traveling to the large living room straight across from us with floor to ceiling windows looking over the city of New York.

But then she focuses on me again. "That won't stop me, you know?"

I turn, walking back to her until I'm standing right in front of her. "No? I know something that would." She back pedals until her back hits the elevator door. I trail my fingertips up her arm and across her collar bone then down the center of her chest keeping the contact light. "I can feel and hear your heartbeat quickening, amore." (love)

"I'm not your amore, Rico." I chuckle internally when she closes her eyes.

I dip my head next to her ear. "You are, Elenora, whether you want to be or not. You are mine...at least for the next little while. So get used to it." My nose grazes down her neck and then her chest. Her chest rises and falls with her rapid breathing.

"You don't want to admit it to yourself, baby, but you want me to touch you, to taste you, to bury my thick, throbbing cock inside of you." I brush my lips against her other ear now. "I can make you forget everything that's bothering you. I can make you feel like the most wanted and beautiful woman in the world."

I grip onto her hips, my fingers digging into the softness of her curves before I slide them up the front of her dress and my thumbs find and trace her nipples over the material of the dress. She gasps when I pinch them; her back arches away from the wall.

I step away, chuckling. "See? Got you to shut up." I walk away, leaving her panting. I glance over my shoulder. "I'm taking a shower, you can change into something of mine or not. Your choice."

I smirk, walking into the bedroom, and loosen my tie, confident that she's warming up to me. I slip out of my shirt and toss it on a chair in the room, before I walk back out.

"Do you want to order room service? I didn't eat before—" She looks up from inside the elevator and flips me off before she pushes the button of the elevator; I run toward her.

"Elenora!"

The door closes before I get to her and I slam my fist on the door. I rush back to the room and pick up my phone from the bed and dial Mostro. "She's headed down to the lobby. Don't let her leave."

"Boss, uh, considering what happened last time..."

"Don't be a fucking pussy, Mostro."

"I'm not, boss. But Ciccio was asking if we could—"

"Don't fucking blame me, bitch," Ciccio comments in the background and I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"Bring her back, whatever means—excluding weapons!" I hang up and head for the shower to cool off.

_______________

When I walk out of the bathroom, Elenora is stirring on the bed and begins mumbling as I grab some clothes.

She sits up startled "What did you do to me?".

"Ah, you're awake. And I didn't do anything." I drop my towel and chuckle as she looks away; the pink hue on her cheeks darkens. "Like what you see, amore? Surprised it's not the tube of lipstick you claimed it was?" I slip my boxer briefs.

She turns her face towards me again, but she has a look of disgust. "I'd have that checked out if I were you."

"What?"

Her eyes drop down to my crotch. "Your dick."

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"The fact that you're asking is pretty sad, but I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to look like that."

I pull at my boxers to look at myself and then I hear her sniggering. I mutter under my breath at her childishness and head back into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"What did your two goons do to me?"

"Mostro and Ciccio brought you back."

"I mean, why did I pass out?" Her question comes out slow as she slides off the bed.

"Pretty sure Mostro got you with a pressure point."

"And how do you know they didn't do anything while I was out, asshole?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do you know they didn't try anything while I was passed out, during your shower?"

I pick up on what she's implying, noticing not only the anger in her voice, but her tear filled eyes. "My men wouldn't do that; I asked them to bring you directly back to me."

She scoffs, wiping at her face in a rough manner. "Right, because you control everything and everyone at all times? I'm leaving."

I rush to block her, holding on to her shoulders. "You're not leaving."

"I'm not going to be your new Angela, Rico. Get your hands off of me." She shoves me, but moves back into the room before she whirls around. "You're not going to take advantage of me like you did with her."

"You think that's what I did?"

"What would you call what happened between you? Friendship? Love? You said it yourself, love doesn't exist for you. You took advantage of her when she was vulnerable and then her life went to hell; Gabriel said it himself."

"Gabriel? Your skewed opinion is based on what that shithead said?" I grab her arms, shaking her, disbelieving she puts more trust in that motherfucker. "You fucking hate me that much that you'd believe him?"

"You're not exactly a man of honor, Rico."

The fact that she believes him, without knowing the real story, infuriates the hell out of me. Anger courses through me and I punch the wall next to her head. She flinches, moving away as I continue unleashing a fury of punches on the wall; blood is beginning to smear the drywall.

"Rico, stop. You're going to hurt yourself."

I keep going until I exhaust myself, falling to my knees out of breath. Her soft hand comes on my shoulder. "Rico..."

I shrug her off. "Leave. Get the fuck out."

"No. Let me look at your hands, please."

"I said get the fuck out!"

"No! Stop being an idiot and let me look at your hands!"

I stand and tower over her. "I don't want you here. Get. Out." I grit out. Her eyes stare back at me unflinching; I don't see the fear I was expecting to be in her eyes.

"I'll leave after you let me look at your hands."

I push away from her and she reaches for my hands that are shaking now. She inspects the cuts in varying sizes spread throughout the ridges of my knuckles as blood oozes and drips out of them and then pulls me to the bathroom.

She places my hands under the running water at the sink, while she opens drawers and cabinets until she finds a first aid kit. I keep my eyes on the pink water draining in the sink. I'm losing fucking control the more I'm around her, she's making me lose my mind.

It's been a long time since I've let someone see me this upset, and hate the feeling of being vulnerable and uncomfortable.

She pats my hands dry and I observe her face while she works on my hands. She peers at me, catching me watching her, but I shift my eyes away. "Tell me the truth then Rico." My hand tenses in hers.

"What do you mean?"

"About Angela." I thought this was going elsewhere and my hand relaxes again.

"Why? You've already made up your mind."

"Because if I'm wrong then I will apologize for assuming and judging you unfairly." I grind my teeth as she smooths some antibiotic ointment on the cuts, causing me to hiss.

I take a deep breath. "He was right about me spending a summer here visiting from Italy. We all hung out, Gabriel, Renzo, Angela, me, Luca and Domani. The part he conveniently left out is he got Angela pregnant and when she told him, he dumped her, he freaked out."

She studies me after she finishes wrapping one of my hands. "And like I said she came crying to me. I didn't know what to do. I'm not good with...feelings, crying and shit as you found out yourself. There's one thing I know I'm good at when it comes to girls and the more she cried about how no one would love her again, or no guy would ever want to be with her..." I shrug, remembering how uncomfortable I felt when Angela broke down. "I just wanted to make her stop, to make her feel better so yeah, Gabriel found us when I was eating her out."

She finishes wrapping my other hand. "What happened to the baby?"

Other memories of how devastated Angela was flash in my mind. "She lost it. She spiraled into a depression and her parents sent her to a treatment center. And like Gabriel said she was never the same after that. She dropped out of school, got into drugs, became...promiscuous. And yes, while she may have gone a different route, she came back from all of that; she's a smart business woman."

"So you haven't been hooking up with her all this time?"

I shake my head. "No. We both knew we made a mistake, and knowing it hurt Gabriel made us feel worse. I guess..." I pause, thinking about how everything played out. "In a way, helping Angela get back on her feet...I wanted to make myself feel better, too."

"You might know how to make women feel wanted and desired, Rico. But you know nothing when it comes to women." My eyebrows furrow, not understanding.

She turns away. "I'm taking a shower."

"I thought you were leaving."

"I am, but I'd like to take a shower first." She walks to the shower and turns the faucet on and shoo's me out of the bathroom, locking it.

After doing some work and ensuring a few things get taken care of tonight. Elenora walks out of the bathroom in a towel. She heads for a dresser and starts going through some of the drawers. "You don't have any T-shirts here."

"I haven't stayed here in months."

She heads for the closet and walks out with a white button up shirt. She turns away as she lowers the towel around her waist and makes fast work of doing up the buttons on the shirt.

She walks out of the bathroom after disposing of the used towel and stares back at me as I continue watching her.

"What?" She looks down over the shirt.

I grin. "It's see through."

She scoffs placing her arms over her chest and down low, but then rushes to the dresser, pulling a drawer open with my box briefs.

"You're not wearing my underwear again, are you?"

"It's one thing if you see these," She gestures to her chest. "But it's a whole other thing if you see my who-ha."

I snort. "You're what?"

"You know what I mean." She glares at me as she slips her legs into my boxers. "I'm going to bed."

"Weren't you leaving?" I can't help the smile that spreads on my face

"You want me to go out there like this?" She argues in disbelief. "Fine!" Once again, she goes into the bathroom and walks out with her dress and shoes in hand and brushes past me.

I hold on to her arm to stop her. "I was just giving you a hard time, Elenora. Don't go. I...I want you to stay." I lift her chin to have her look at me. "Please."

A few torturous seconds later, she gives in. She lifts her chin and walks around me, heading for the bed. "Stay on your side of the bed."

***