Like pleasure and pain. Hate and love.
After a long day away, I head back to Villa Bruno. The sun’s low but there’s still some light left as I ignore the guards and head down to the pool.
For a second, I think Karah’s there, until I get closer and realize it’s the Don’s second wife, Elise. I’m about to turn and get out of there when she sits up and beckons me with a wave.
I plaster on a smile as I approach her.
“Nico, I thought that was you. Were you about to run away without saying hello?”
“I was looking for Karah,” I say, although I don’t know what I plan on doing once I find her.
Maybe bite her lip and fuck her with my fingers until she comes again.
I’m not sure.
“She’s still at work.” Elise rolls her eyes. “She got a job at a bowling alley. Can you imagine? A bowling alley?”
“Yes, I can imagine.”
“Those places are disgusting. Would you ever actually wear another person’s shoes?”
“Yes, and I have.”
She doesn’t seem to hear me. “Absolutely revolting. Come sit down, Nico. We haven’t talked in a while.”
I hesitate. I want to get out of this, but Elise has the Don’s ear. Of everyone in the Bruno family, I find her the least offensive—which is strange, considering she is objectively the worst.
But I feel a strange kinship with her. All her makeup, all her parties and emptiness, it’s all an act, all part of her extensive layers of armor. There’s pain beneath her surface and I notice it in small moments when she thinks nobody’s paying any attention to her—which is admittedly very rare.
Besides, she’s not part of Famiglia business, so I have no reason to despise her in the same way.
Elise launches into a story about one of her friends, and some old bottle of wine she drank, and I can’t really follow it. I smile and nod while my mind drifts to Karah, fucking Karah.
Karah’s mouth, Karah’s tongue, Karah’s moans.
Life was easier when I only despised her.
I still hate her. But now I want to fuck her too, and that complicates things.
“You know, Nico, Domiano was just saying last night how important you are to the Famiglia.” Elise’s eyes sparkle. She knows just what to say to make people pay attention.
“That’s very kind of the Don.”
“Domiano says you’re one of his most gifted soldiers. Is that true? You’ve always seemed much too cranky to me.”
“If he says it then it must be true.”
She laughs and twirls her hair. “There’s that mob loyalty. God, you guys are all the same. Hey, I want a selfie with you.”
She hops up suddenly and before I can tell her no, she shoves me back and sits in my lap.
“Elise,” I say as she poses and makes a kissy face at the camera.
She smells like sunscreen, and I want her to get the fuck off me. I can’t throw her onto the ground—though I’m tempted—since she’s the Don’s wife. But I also don’t want the fucking Don to see his woman sitting on my cock taking pictures of herself making cute faces.
This is not ideal.
“Come on, Nico, smile and this will be all over.” Elise glances at me with a tight grin. “Or are you afraid we’ll get caught? Domiano can be very jealous, you know. One time he had a friend of mine beaten up because he said he likes my tits. Poor guy, he was gay so it didn’t really matter, but you know Domiano.” She laughs and rolls her eyes like, oh, my mafia Don husband, what a scamp, beating the shit out of innocent people for no reason, ha ha ha.
I plaster a smile on my lips. “Keep saying shit like that and I’ll throw you in the fucking pool.”
“Don’t be so grumpy. God, you’re such a buzzkill.”
“And you’re going to get my throat cut. Are you done?”
“All done.” She hops up primly—and looks toward the house. “Oh, there she is. Hi, Karah!” She waves as I leap to my feet.
Karah stands at the back door staring. She’s in her work clothes—black shirt, black pants, the same ones I unbuttoned last night in the car—and her face is a blank mask of studied neutrality.
She says nothing as she whirls and disappears inside.
“What’s her problem?” Elise says as she flops back down in her chair. She flips through the photos. “God, Nico, you look like shit. But I’m kinda cute in these. Do you care if I post?”
“If you post any of those, I swear to god I’ll break your elbows.”
She snorts. “So grumpy.”
I storm off to the house. Fucking Elise. I know how Karah feels about her, and seeing her stepmother grinding her ass into my dick while she takes duck-face selfies probably pissed her off.
“Where you going in such a hurry?” Casso asks as I head for the stairs and Karah’s room.