Page 67 of The Sicilian Bastard
Araceli, Two Years Later
Peace. That's what the Upper East Syndicate brought. The Picone family brought together all the other families in the tri state area. It wasn't easy. There was a ton of in-fighting and many lost their lives. Vito refused to show any mercy. With Luciano in his ear, whispering ideas of how to burn the world down, I'm not surprised. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, then flushed the toilet. This wasn't a flu unfortunately.
"Mommy! Mommy!" A flash of gold flew at me.
I opened my arms and grabbed our little cherub. I swung her around and around, setting off a peal of giggles.
"Where's your daddy,mi amor?"I pushed her curls out of her face.
"In his office." Maria, our five-year-old daughter, was adopted by us when she was found in a shipping crate. We weren't sure what the story was, but Luciano was convinced it had something to do with human trafficking. That was what ultimately brought the syndicate together. Vito told other gangs and their leaders that they could either fall in line or get buried. Luciano was on board with burying the bodies.
"Let's go check in with him." I lifted Maria up and carried her off to her father's office. I didn't knock. I was more than welcome to walk into whatever meeting Luciano had. He welcomed the distraction.
"There's my two favorite ladies." Luciano glanced up from the papers he was looking at. Over the years, his eyes have gotten worse. So, he had to wear reading glasses to see better. I thought he looked distinguished and sexy. Luciano grumbled about the glasses, but he made sure to wear them to bed.
"We are your only ladies." I pouted in his direction.
"True," Luciano sighed.
"What's wrong?" I sat Maria down so she could play. Luciano built her a play area in his office. He said it was because he didn't want to be like his father. He wanted his kids to be welcomed into his office as well.
"Nothing, really. Same shit, different day."
I didn't buy that for a minute.
"How's Agosto doing?" It had been bad for Agosto in Vegas. First, he married to unite the families together. Then he lost his wife in a turf war with the cartel. If that wasn't bad enough, Luciano lost his other brother, Vincenzo, in the same turf war. He sent Nicolo out to help Agosto and ended up regretting that. There was a traitor in our midst. With Nicolo injured in Vegas, Rosalina flew out to be with him. They were still rocky, but something finally broke between them. They decided to stay in Vegas for a little while to help Agosto and work on their marriage.
"He's surviving. I think he's been throwing himself into his work, so he doesn't have to live."
I massaged Luciano's temples. "Should we visit?" If I was honest, I missed Rosalina. I wanted to make sure Nick was treating her right. If he wasn't, I wouldn't mind cutting a ball off.
"Yeah, I think we should."
"Daddy!" Maria ran up to Luciano's desk, interrupting any further conversation. She had a Rubik's cube in her hand. "Look, Daddy! I've almost got a whole side done."
"Great job! Have you been good for your mother?" Luciano always asked Maria this. If she said yes, she got a treat. If she said no, he tickled her to death. Either answer, Maria loved. Today, she was feeling mischievous.
She shook her head no and took off. Luciano dropped his suit jacket and took off right after her. I followed at a slower pace. Sometimes I couldn't keep up with those two. I held back my laugh when I found both of them in the living room. Luciano had Maria under his armpit and was rubbing it all over her head while she squealed for mercy. I loved them so much. Sometimes, I wondered what would have happened to me if Luciano hadn't stolen me from that strip club. If he hadn't forced his love upon me. If we missed each other. Then I remembered to stay in the present. This man has made me the center of his universe. Something I'd never been before. He showed me how to love obsessively and I showed him how to love naturally. We balanced each other.
"Get your fine ass over here, Mrs. Luciano Picone," Luciano growled from the floor.
I didn't realize that while I was daydreaming, he was watching me. I walked over and towered above him. Luciano reached up and grabbed my hip, then yanked me down on top of him. I squirmed in his lap.
"What were you thinking about, Mrs. Picone?" Luciano rasped in my ear.
"You," I whimpered back.
"Let's put Maria down for a nap and then you can show me exactly what's on your mind." His heated gaze swept over my body. My nipples hardened, pointing right at him.
"I'm five. I don't need no nap," Maria whined.
We pulled away from each other and headed back upstairs. Luciano grabbed my hand before I could go into Maria's room with him.
"Go get naked and wait for me," he growled in my ear.
I clenched and nodded my head in agreement. I headed to our room and peeled off my clothes. I draped them over a chair and lay in bed with my arms above my head. That was the position Luciano preferred me in. My core throbbed and I could feel myself growing wet. I wasn't the most patient. It was why Luciano told me to get ready like this. He knew the anticipation would drive me crazy.
The door creaked open, but I didn't move. I knew the rules.
