“At first, I thought they were going to hold her as a prisoner and maybe even torture her. I remember so clearly that she had these big brown eyes. They were so expressive, but the emotion I expected to see in them just wasn’t there. I thought she would be afraid, but all I saw was anger, determination, and confidence. She was surrounded by all these big, strong men, and she was fearless! I knew then I wanted to know that girl.”
It took me a minute to realize he was talking about me. I was that little girl he saw in that basement all those years ago. I had been kidnapped by a group of wannabe gangsters, and his father and uncles saved me. I had done my best to suppress that memory. I had no idea he was even there. I shook the memory out of my head, so I could continue listening to his rendition.
“I was so fascinated with that girl. She was cute, with chubby cheeks, and a head full of pigtails. I thought she was the most fascinating girl in the world. And back then, I thought girls were nuisances. That beautiful little brown skinned girl was my first experience at actually liking a female. I found myself wanting to know everything about her. Where did she live? Where were her parents? What had happened to her causing her to be with my family?
“I remember witnessing the tall black man enter the basement, and how those eyes changed from determination to relief, when she saw him. The way she looked at the man with love and admiration made me jealous. I wanted her to look at me that way. Then I watched as the man shook hands with my father and uncles. They spoke in hushed tones, but no matter how hard I strained to hear, I couldn’t decipher what they were saying.
Tears prickled the back of my eyes as he told the story from his point of view. I had experienced the whole ordeal in a different way. I do remember being relieved when my father showed up to retrieve me. Nicolo may have thought I was fearless, but he was wrong. I was scared shitless, but I remembered my father’s words. He always taught me never to let the enemy see your fear. Exude confidence at all times. Nicolo continued talking.
“Over the years I wondered about her and those big, beautiful eyes. I dreamed about meeting her outside of that basement and making her mine. I think I fell for that young girl all those years ago. Then one random day, I was running late to brunch, and I found those same eyes in a beautiful woman with a sassy mouth.”
“So you knew this whole time?”
He nodded his head and gave me a look that melted all of the animosity that was festering.
“That still doesn’t explain why you agreed to an arranged marriage.”
“Right. Well, I found out many years later after seeing the girl in the basement, just what my dad and uncles were whispering about with her father. It was an agreement for his son and the man’s daughter to marry. That way our families would always be in alignment. You were the gift to my family that would keep us from going to war, and I was the lucky recipient of such a gift.”
Knowing that we were being watched intently by our parents, Nicolo pulled my hand to his lips and gently kissed it. The man certainly didn’t need any charm lessons. He oozed charisma and sex appeal. I was just about to embarrass myself by begging him to kiss me, when Sheree’s not so graceful voice interrupted our alone time.
“Okay, Simone, I have waited as long as I could. Are you going to introduce me to your betrothed or not?”
“Not!” I snarked just to get back at her for interrupting us.
“Bitch, don’t make me hurt you.”
I laughed as I made eye contact with Nicolo. He was watching Sheree with a bit of trepidation, as if he was unsure that she was joking.
“Nicolo, this is my nosey cousin and best friend Sheree. Girl, this is Nicolo.”
My man stood up, offering Sheree his seat after shaking her hand. What a gentleman.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sheree. Here, have a seat.”
“Oh, I like him, cuz.”
“Yeah, because I need your approval before I marry him,” I smarted.
“Nicolo, I hope you have a ton of patience because this one has a mouth on her.”
“Her mouth is one of my favorite things.”
The sexual inuendo was thick and evident. If I had been a couple of shades lighter, he would have seen the blush on my face. God, this man could make me wet with just a simple look, or a turn of a phrase. I was going to enjoy being Mrs. Nicolo DeLuca.
“Well, damn. Sounds like you two were made for each other.”
“Let’s hope so,” I chimed in as I grinned at Nicolo.
“So, Nicolo, what is it that you do for a living?” Sheree pried.
“I’m a corporate lawyer. I run my own firm here in Charlotte.”
“That’s crazy! What are the odds that you and Simone have the same occupation?”
Nicolo smiled at me, letting me know he was entertained by Sheree and her thousand questions. It was supposed to be our time to get to know each other better, but she just had to be involved. The fact that he tolerated my cousin’s antics let me know the kind of temperament he had. The men I dated in the past did not like how she interjected herself in our relationship and got angry. Nicolo may not have liked it, but he wasn’t nasty.
“I was hoping to convince you to come work at my firm after the wedding, Simone. Make it a family business.”