“There are a lot of people who need to get handled.”
“Everything is being handled.” He leaned me over the vanity and hooked my panties with his fingers and slowly slipped his massive erection into me. “And we can get married whenever you want. I vote for now.” He chuckled. “But since we have a party to attend, we can at least work on the kid part.”
“Do you really think right now is a good time to start thinking of kids?” I tried to sound serious, but he was dragging himself over the good parts, and I fought to think straight.
“We can always find a million and one reasons we shouldn’t have kids in the moment,” he flicked his hips, and I let out a shameful moan, “but the truth is, we’ve known each other a lifetime, you’re mine, and I want little parts of you and me running around the house. So,” he picked up the pace lifting my leg to rest on the bench seat so he could come at me at a different angle, “I think we should be practicing making a baby every chance we get.”
“I think I,” I gasped, trying to hold on to anything that could take the force that Elio was now coming at me with, “love that idea.” I closed my eyes as my stomach tightened and my throat became dry.
His arms wrapped around me as he came. His teeth bit down on my shoulder, and he cried out, pulling me right along with him. He twitched and jerked, lifting me off the floor. I fought to breathe then became putty in his arms as I floated down from that blissful moment.
“Now,” he panted into my ear, “get ready and think pregnant thoughts.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works,” I huffed then cringed when he slipped out.
“Shall we go again, then?” His eyes danced with excitement, and I held up a hand.
“Not if you expect me to walk without a limp tonight.”
He winked and turned to gather up his pants and boxer briefs while I headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
Just as we were about to leave the bedroom, Elio stopped me.
“Tonight, you’re meeting some very important businessmen who have worked closely with the Coppola uncles in the past. They’ll be testing your loyalty, as they know they’ve only one year left before the contracts are up for negotiation. Let them know you have no plans to change anything until then.” He checked his watch. “It doesn’t matter that you don’t know what all the businesses are, just that you’re willing to hear them out and smooth over any concerns they might have with the Capri family. Remember to remind them of who you are and how you’re fighting for them too.”
“True.” He was right. I just needed to show them that.
“The Coppolas did a terrible job running any kind of business. We’ll give them that one year, then we’ll come in and run the place the way it should be.”
“All right,” I smiled at him, thankful for the pep talk, “I can do that.”
“I know you can.” He opened the door and waited for me to go first.
Tabby and Andrew met us at the bottom of the stairs a while later. They were also dressed to impress.
“Our driver is waiting outside.” Andrew inclined his head. “It’s only about ten minutes away, but,” he pointed down, “I’m aware of just how painful those pretty shoes can be.”
“He knows me well.” Tabby laughed and led the way out the door.
The place was crowded. There were a lot more people than I had expected, and even Tabby was shocked at the turnout. Elio held out his arm, and with his earlier comment in mind, I entered the room with my head held high and put a big, confident smile on my face. I caught sight of Vinni and Niccola, both with happy smiles, and it instantly eased my nerves. Wyatt would have been great in this situation, but he was off chasing down a lead he couldn’t give up.
We met countless people over the next hours. After many introductions and small talk, Elio gave my arm a squeeze and left me to work the room on his own. Everyone wanted a moment with me, so I gave each one of them as much time as I could. We were fairly well practiced at it by now, but it was still exhausting.
“My turn.” Tabby jumped in front of one of the men I was talking to and gave him the brushoff. “This is me giving you a breather,” she joked.
“Thank you.” I took a deep breath and licked my lips, then massaged my temple, as I felt a headache come on.
“How’s it going?”
“Shockingly well. Everyone seems nice.”
“Well, all of these people run their businesses under the Coppola umbrella, so it’s in their best interest to meet you. The fact that so many showed up here today shows just how important you are.”
“I’m glad they were willing to come out.” I shook my head. “Many of these businessmen were working directly with the uncles. I wasn’t sure if they’d even show up and give me a chance.”
“Yes, as you know from Elio, the Coppolas were an older run syndicate, and since Theo and his brother both died years ago, the power was put into the uncles’ hands. Instead of Theo overseeing all the companies, he had his men run everything. The uncles sort of outsourced and paid the larger companies to work directly with them. It’s a risky move not having your own men directly working for you, but for the most part it seemed to work smoothly.”
“How do you know all of this?”