Arranged Mafia Marriage

Aurora

“How … how dare he?” I fold my arms across my waist as I scowl into my coffee.

“Now, what did he do?” Cassandra murmurs from in front of the stove where she’s making pancakes.

After Christian left last night, I tried to go back to sleep and failed. After tossing and turning for the rest of the night, I finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning and woke up with a start to find it was seven am. I stumbled down the stairs to find Cassandra bustling in the kitchen. Even though there was staff to take care of everything she had insisted on making breakfast for us. The woman was a workaholic, honestly! She poured me a cup of coffee and announced that she was making pancakes for breakfast. I asked if I could help, and she shooed me off. She built a tray for Nonna, consisting of coffee, orange juice, and the first batch of the pancakes, and had taken it to her.

By the time she returned, Theresa had also joined us. I refilled my cup of coffee and poured her one as well. We sat sipping our coffees in silence as Cass began to create the next batch of pancakes.

My mind hasn’t been able to stop going over the events from last night. How he felt up my back hole, promising, without saying anything overtly, that he intends to own me there. How he put his mouth on my pussy and brought me to the edge, only to pull back as I was on the verge of climax. Damn it! Why the hell did I tell him that I was going to come earlier? After he left, I tried to make myself come after, but of course, each time I thought I was going to climax, I wasn’t able to take that final step toward the orgasm. I finally stopped, pulled my fingers out of my pussy, and licked them off, imagining that they were his fingers which had been inside me all this time. That it was his tongue which was licking the cum off my digits, his mouth which had closed around them, his breath that fanned my skin as he sucked off every last drop of evidence of my arousal.

My breath quickens, my palms dampen, and I squeeze my thighs together to try to clamp down on the growing hunger in my core.

“Aurora?” Theresa’s soft voice pulls me out of my reverie.

“What?” I scowl at her.

“You were telling us what Christian got up to?”

“Was I?” I pinch my eyebrows together.

“Mmm-hmm.” She brings her cup of coffee to her mouth, but not before I’ve noticed the curve of her lips.

“This is not funny, Theresa,” I snap. “This is my … my life we are talking about here.”

“Oh, honey.” She lowers her cup to the table and reaches over to grasp my hand. “I’m not laughing at you, at all; it’s just-”

“Just?”

“Interesting that he has you all tied up in knots.”

“It’s not very comfortable, I can assure you of that.”

“Ever since I’ve known you-and I admit, until now, I’d only ever seen you from a distance-but what little I’ve known of you, you’ve always come across as someone calm and composed, someone who knew what she wanted in life-”

“Which was to be a doctor,” I agree. “It’s why I took the chance of going to study medicine in England when Michael offered it to me.”

“I’m surprised you did, actually.” She glances at me with a shrewd look on her face. “I thought you also wanted to get out of the Mafia way of life.”

“Was I that transparent?” I wince. “And considering we never really spoke to each other all through our growing years, I’m surprised you gathered so much.”

“I guess I am perceptive.” She raises a shoulder. “I could tell from a mile off that you hated having to be obligated in any way to the Mafia.”

“Given my father was the personal doctor of the Sovranos, there was no escaping them. Don’t get me wrong,” I shuffle around in my seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, “they helped out my father and my family. You could say that without the Sovranos’ help, we couldn’t have survived and come this far. But I had always hoped that I’d find a way to leave the Mafia when I was older. Find my own way in the world and be independent, without having their presence looming over me. I had hoped to discover who I am, away from their influence. It’s why, when Michael offered me a chance to go study medicine in London, I jumped at the opportunity. Oh, I knew it probably meant that I’d have to come back and pay my dues, but I always thought it would be in the form of offering up my services as a doctor for a while. If I had known it would also mean that his brother would decide to-”

“To-?” Theresa cocks her head. “To marry you?”

“Yeah,” I blow out a breath, “marry me. Maybe I would have refused.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“Is that all there is to this situation?” Cass murmurs as she glances at me over her shoulder. “You sure there’s nothing else you want to tell us?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. Oh, there’s so much more; you have no idea. I shake my head. “No, nothing more to tell. Why?”

She peers at my features, then nods, “Just an instinct, that’s all.”

“Well, thank you for your concern, but no, I am happily engaged,” I raise my left hand so the light from above shines off the ring, “and can’t wait to be married; it’s only-”

“That you can’t wait to physically be with him, hmm?” Theresa leans forward, eyes shining. “There was a time when I was sure that Xander was going to propose to me, you know? He had taken me for a drive to our favorite restaurant with an amazing view. It was outside of Palermo and slightly off the beaten track, where we wouldn’t risk running into anyone we knew. I was sure that he was going to tell me that he loved me and propose to me, but instead…” She swallows. “Instead, he told me how he had met someone, a man who he couldn’t get out of his mind. Someone who was artistic enough to fascinate him, but also so macho that he made Xander go weak at the knees. Someone who he had fallen head over heels in love with, but who, apparently, didn’t reciprocate his feelings.”

“So Xander was in love with him?”

“He definitely seemed to have feelings for him.” Theresa stares down at the batch of pancakes that Cass has slid in front of her.

“Eat,” Cass orders as she places another stack of them in front of me and a third in front of herself. She slides into her chair, then glances around the table. “What do you girls want? Syrup? Butter?”

I reach for the melted butter and pour some of it over my pancakes.

“I … I’m not hungry,” Theresa murmurs.

“You have to eat,” Cass says in a soft voice. “I know it feels like the end of the world in some ways, but you have to live through it.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to thrive.” Theresa pokes at the topmost pancake with her fork. “I mean, I’m not even sure why I’m mourning anymore. He was nothing to me; he didn’t see me as someone he wanted to share his life with-”

“But you said yourself, you two were best friends. Just because he didn’t tell you how he felt, doesn’t mean he didn’t have feelings for you,” I venture.

“Oh, he had feelings all right.” She lowers her chin to her chest. “He was just too scared to acknowledge them. I suppose, I can’t blame him; he was confused and trying to figure out his sexuality and his preferences. I just wish I hadn’t built it all up in my head, you know? I wish…” She swallows. “I wish that I had never met him. I wish that-”

A sound at the door to the kitchen has the three of us turning to glance toward it.

Nonna stands just inside the doorway. She’s clad in a silk dressing gown that flows to her feet, and holds her tray with the remnants of her breakfast.

“Oh, Nonna,” Cassandra rises to her feet, “you should have called me; I would have cleared your breakfast tray.”

“Oh, pffft! I don’t expect you to wait on me hand and foot.” She walks over to the sink and places her dishes in it. “Besides, I wanted to talk to all three of you.” She reaches into the shelves above her, grabs a cup and saucer, and approaches the table. She takes a seat, then pours some of the espresso from the Bialetti into her cup, then glances around the table. “Please, don’t let me interrupt your breakfast.”

Cass takes her seat again and resumes eating. I follow her example. Theresa pokes at her pancake then cuts a piece for herself.

The silence stretches, broken only by the sound of our eating. When I’m not able to consume more of the pancakes, I place my knife and fork on my plate.

“You wanted to talk to us, Nonna?” I enquire.

She waits until Cass and Theresa too have finished eating, then leans back, railing her cup of espresso.

“A scavenger hunt,” she finally proclaims.

“Uh, what?” I frown. “You want to organize a scavenger hunt?”

“The details have been taken care of. I have all the information needed and will be sharing the clues with all of you today.”

“So, we’re going to have this scavenger hunt today?” Cass blinks at her.

“Did I not just say that?” Nonna says in a sharp voice.

Cass reddens, “Y… yes. I was just surprised; it’s not what I was expecting.”

“What better way to break down the barriers between all of us and get us to know each other better, hmm?”

“I… I am not sure I want to take part,” Theresa ventures. “I’m not a fan of such games.”

“Too bad.” Nonna trains her gaze on her. “It will do you good to be out in the open and get some fresh air.”

“But it’s so cold,” she whines. “I’d rather be in my room-”

“Where you can mourn my grandson?” Nonna scowls. “Absolutely not; I forbid it.”

“Oh.” Theresa deflates. “Guess I don’t have a choice then?”

“You don’t.” Nonna turns to me and Cass. “I take it you two have no objection with taking part in the game.”

Cass and I glance at each other, then at Nonna.

“I enjoy puzzles, so I think I’ll like it,” Cass replies.

“Not my favorite pastime, but sure, I’ll play,” I drain the last of my coffee and place the cup back in its saucer.

“Good.” Nonna glances at us over the top of her cup. “Wonder who’ll turn out to be the winner?”