Page 23 of Useless Love

“Making our marriage even more tactically important. I get it.”

Frustration bubbles in my chest. Arranged marriages in our world are used to end wars all the time, but I’ve just realized that this poor girl may have spent years praying for my death over at St. Mary’s. Now we’re engaged. This is only business, but hearing her describe marrying me as “tactical” doesn’t sit well in my gut.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’ve hated your family for years. Yet, soon, I will make vows to protect and honor you.” After a deep sigh, I continue, “Gaudino honor is something we die for. You don’t need to fear I’ll ever mistreat you. Shit. My kids will come out of you. There’s no way I’ll disrespect that. When we get married, everything that happened between our families will stay in the past. I promise that.”

Again, when I mention kids, she seems uncomfortable, gulping her wine and shifting in her seat.

It irritates me more, so I say, “How come when I mention kids you get a funny look? Can’t you have any? Is there something I should know?”

She rubs her palms on her thighs. “Um, no. I mean, everything is fine. I just never pictured myself as a mother. I’ve never even kissed anyone, so talking of giving birth makes me feel out of my element.”

Never kissed anyone? I know she’s a virgin, but I get to be her first kiss too? My cock is getting hard again just thinking about it.

“Got it,” I try to joke. “I won’t scare your innocent ears any longer.”

We return to watching the game. By the end of the night, it's no surprise the Knicks lost the game.

As we’re leaving the arena, fighting the crowds to exit, our guards getting lost among them for a second, Arianna yelps suddenly.

“What is it?”

She looks on the verge of tears. “Um, you didn’t grab my ass did you?”

My blood boils. “No. Who was it?”

She shakes her head. “That guy, I think.”

I look at the guy in a white hoodie that she’s pointing to. He keeps glancing at her with a smirk. Possessive instincts kicked in, and my arms are around the son of a bitch’s throat in an instant. He begins to struggle to get out of my death grip as my security arrives.

“Reach into his fucking pants and grab his wallet,” I bark to my men. “Take a photo of his ID.”

I’m aware that hundreds of potential witnesses surround us, so I lean down and whisper into his ear, “You touched my woman. Say your goodbyes to your loved ones because I’ll find you in a few days and kill you. You’re fucking lucky I had to walk through a metal detector earlier and don’t have a weapon. ”

After releasing my grip, the piece of shit falls to the ground, whimpering. Wasting his tears, he tells me, “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean…”

Ignoring him, I wrap my arm around Arianna’s shoulder, pulling her close. Once we’re inside my SUV, I wait for her to say something, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t question my behavior or ask me not to kill the man. Neither does she show any approval or pride in my actions, like a woman who gets off from “bad boys.”

“Sorry about that,” I said, trying to read her face.

“I’m not shocked that you have a temper, Carmine. The jerk deserves what he got. While I think it was enough, the decision is ultimately yours.”

“That’s it?”

“What else is there? If I asked you not to kill him, would it make a difference?”

I stare out the window for a moment. “No. Well, I might consider it.” I wouldn’t, though, so that’s a lie.

She only nods, her face blank. “I’ll pray for you and him tomorrow at church.”

We leave it at that.

Too quickly, we arrived in front of her building. I jump out to walk her inside. I probably should’ve escorted her out earlier, instead of staring at her tits.

She hugs me before turning toward the elevator, saying, “I enjoyed most of the night. Bye.”

Nodding, I say, “I shouldn’t have stepped away from you. That shit won’t happen again.”

“I believe you.” After a soft smile that makes me happier than I want to admit, she disappears into the elevator.

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