I shook out my hands that wouldn't stop trembling and I bent down, squatting on the ground as my legs were ready to give out under me. "I'm fine. Everything is going to be fine." I whispered the words to myself, before standing up and looking at myself in the mirror.
The dress was beautiful. It was a long sleeve navy skater dress that flowered just above my knees, with a cute neckline. Simple and wasn't too revealing for a family dinner. I straightened my hair and applied light makeup to my skin.
I looked at myself in the mirror. Two weeks ago, Rafael had not stepped into my life. I would be working my ass off and then collapsing onto the bed, facing into the same routine over and over again. Smiling at myself in the mirror, I quickly snapped a picture of myself before sending it to Alex.
Tomorrow. Brunch is on me. No matter what happens, we're having our date tomorrow.
We had been talking about going on a date, and what a first date would look like but we had never decided on a date. I sent the same picture to Betty who had sent me a picture of the hot guy working right beside her at the once again busy diner. We had talked for only a few minutes where I had explained what was going on and she had shrieked with happiness.
The doorbell rang and I groaned, grabbing my black heels from the ground and my worn out bag that I never had time to change before hurrying out of the room to see mom sitting on the couch, watching Love Island while having ordered some room service and she was busy eating.
"What do you think, mom?" I asked, stretching my arms out with my bag and heels, and coat as she looked at me.
She gasped, her eyes widening. "You look beautiful, sweetie!"
I grinned. "I'm going to be home late, but I'm going to text you and ring you so keep your phone beside you, okay?" I hugged her quickly as the doorbell rang again. I kissed the top of her head as she said yes before walking towards the door and opening it.
Desire coursed through me as Rafael turned to face me. He wore the same colour suit as my dress, a dark navy blue, with a tight fitted white shirt. He pulled his hands out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck as I looked at his green eyes. Behave Emily.
"What do you think?" I asked, twirling around a little. "It's the only blue dress that seemed appropriate for a family dinner."
His hands gripped my hips and pulled me against him. "Let's skip family dinner and you can wear all the inappropriate dresses for me." I chuckled. "You look breathtakingly beautiful, baby." He glanced over my shoulder at my mom who was ignoring us and watching her show. "That is?"
"My mom." I said, pulling his hands away from my body and closing the door behind myself before he could walk in.
"Why don't I get to meet her?" He asked as we both stood in the hallway.
"You can meet her on another day but I want her to settle herself into the house without being overwhelmed by people." His hands wrapped around me again, pulling me into him and I arched my back. "I'm seeing someone, plus my escorting contract says, no kissing or anything." I pulled his hands away from my body as he rolled his eyes.
I dropped my heels onto the ground and bent down to fix them as Rafael knelt onto the ground in front of me. "What are you doing?"
"You look like a princess so princesses get proposed too, don't they?" He held out a black box and opened it, to reveal an absolutely stunning silver ring. It wasn't a big diamond ring, but simple, elegant, beautiful, something that I definitely would want in life.
I laughed. "I'm not marrying you."
He winked at me. "Tonight you are." He held my hand. "So what do you say, Emily Brooks? Want to become Mrs Romanov?" He wiggled his eyebrows, amusement clear in his eyes.
I rolled my eyes, unable to stop the smile stretching on my face. "For a few hours, sure." He pushed the perfectly sized ring onto my left hand. "Maybe I'll kill you and wear a sexy black dress to your funeral." I said as he helped me wear my shoes.
I placed my hand on his shoulder as he chuckled and said. "I'll be shaking in my coffin." I slapped his shoulder as he stood up, dusting his blazer a little as he looked at the worn out bag I held. "You've bought everything but not a bag?"
I glanced at the bag. "I have attachment issues with this bag just like you have it with your family."
This bag was the first one my dad bought me for my highschool and I've had it for over nine years. It was definitely the bag I took everywhere and it would easily snap but it was holding on and I loved it.
"I don't have attachment issues, baby." He rolled his eyes as we walked side by side to the elevator.
"So you are having dinner with your family that tried to shoot you, and that's not called attachment issues?" I lifted my eyebrow to watch him.
"We're Italian, baby."He stepped into the elevator with me. "We get angry but we're family at the end of the day." He shrugged his shoulders as the blonde woman stepped into the elevator.
I pulled my bag up, and the strap over my shoulder as she ran her eyes over Rafael who was standing besides me. "Rafael?"
He turned to look at her and instantly a smile appeared on his face. "Amelia." He moved towards her, kissing her on her cheek. "How are you, amore?"
Amelia blushed. "I'm good, I'm good, I haven't seen you here in years and then you pop in without saying a hi?"
Rafael turned and looked at me. "Just met this one recently and I'm whipped you could say." He chuckled and I rolled my eyes, not knowing if he was joking or being real. He faced Amelia who had her eyes stuck on me before she looked at him. "How's your husband? How many years have you been married, remind me again?"
I gaped as Amelia kissed him. Oh. He kissed her back.
"You're married." I blurted out but quickly covered my mouth as they pulled back. She looked at me as his hands gripped her ass and pressed her against himself.
"She's too innocent for you, Rafael." Amelia giggled and kissed him again. I looked away, trying to understand how in the world he was okay with helping her cheat.
They pulled back a second before the elevator doors opened and Amelia blushed. "If you need me to help you with anything, call me. My number hasn't changed."
I frowned as she walked out of the elevator, a spring in her step as Rafael looked at me, wiping the lipstick off his face with the back of his hand. I shook my head at him, and walked out of the elevator, quickly hurring towards Laura as he called my name.
"Spread the word that Rafael is a cheater." I blurted out to her just as his hands snaked around me from behind and she laughed as he lifted me up, walking me towards the doors. "Let go. I'm disappointed in you." I dug my nails into his hands and he cursed but put me back onto the ground.
I walked out of the hotel, shaking my head. Rafael out of all people had kissed her despite knowing she was married. It was ridiculous. I patiently waited next to the passenger's side of his car, ignoring the cars that drove past us.
He stood near his door and looked at me but I shook my head. "I want to sit inside." The doors were unlocked immediately and I pulled it open before sitting inside just as he did, and we both closed the doors.
"I'm not sure if you're jealous or angry." He chuckled, starting car instantly.
"I'm disappointed." I crossed my arms after wearing my seat belt.
"Oh yeah? What for?"
"She's married and you know how awkward it's going to be for me when I see her with her husband?" I turned to face him as he started driving. There was a smirk on his face as he faced the road like he found it funny. "I just can't believe you of all people would do that."
"Don't tell me you're expecting me to be a Saint, baby."
"No-" I shook my head. "I know you're not." Fuck, I knew he wasn't a saint but to see him kissing another woman in front of me? The line needed to become a metal wall."I just thought you'd be better."
He chuckled. "She's in an open marriage relationship with her husband."
"What?" I frowned.
"It means, baby, that she can fuck and kiss anyone she wants but there's no feelings there. She loves her husband but they both can fuck whoever they want."
I crossed my arms turning away from him and looking out the window. "Well that's not a marriage."
"It works for them and they are married. Have been for many years."
I shook my head, not believing it. Marriage was sacred. I believed in marriages and I was the type of person to make them work. I had seen my dad all my life. He had loved mom so crazily that I knew if it came to it, he would kill a person for her. Mom didn't like the obsessive type of love but I found it perfect.
One person to wake up to the rest of your life. One person to share all your secrets and fears with, to gossip with at night like I did with Alex. A smile appeared on my face. He had sent me pictures of his sister and videos of saying hi Emily and it was the cutest thing ever.
"What are you thinking about?" Rafael questioned and I shook my head.
"Nothing." I ran my hands through my hair as he turned right onto the darker streets. There was no street light other than his own car lights in the dark sky.
He hummed but reached out into the back and I glanced at him as he lifted three McDonald's happy meals and placed them on my lap. "Remember when you passed out yesterday? You said you loved McDonald's, so I made sure to get them."
I opened the boxes to see three fish fingers in a bag with fries. "I thought it was dinner, we were going to." I picked up a fish finger and took a bite out of it. This was my comfort food.
"You won't like the food they cook." He chuckled. "It's tiny portions."
I nodded my head, dipping the fish fingers into ketchup before holding it out to him. He took it from my hands while driving and we finished the first one within minutes before I opened the other box. "Why exactly do I have to act like your fiancé?" I asked, glancing at the diamond ring that shined in the lights.
"My father doesn't want me to get married. My mom does, she's acting like a matchmaker and is sending girls my way. This pisses off my dad to know I have a fiancé, and it keeps my mom quiet."
"So I'm a target? What if they poison my food?" I held the fries to him and he ate them.
"You were a target the moment you laid me on your kitchen floor, baby." He glanced at me, with a smile on his face, before facing the clear roads he was driving on. "I promised you once that nobody will harm you and I keep my promises."
"Uhuh." I nodded my head, shoving food into my mouth. I was starving and if the food was too small, I'd need at least five plates. "And your sisters?"
"Both younger than me, twins, and both bitches. They've tried to kill me twice as well." He spoke as if it didn't bother him.
I drank the coke that was in the cup and gulped. "Have you tried to kill them, Rafael?" It was so strange to ask if he had killed someone but killing seemed normal for him.
He was silent for a minute. "No." He drove up a road full of the biggest houses I had ever seen. "We're here." He said and I nodded my head, putting the empty boxes of food behind in the car and quickly drinking the coke.
He drove up the driveway to a massive red brick stone house. I stared out the window as he parked the car next to BMWs. I placed my hand on the handle just as he walked around and opened the door for me.
Shoving the coke back into the cup holder, I grabbed my bag and got out of the car, moving forward so he could close the door. There were so many windows. Two cream coloured pillars stood in front of the house, holding up the balcony on the second floor. There were beautifully carved trees growing around the house.
His hand snaked around me. "Close that mouth before I fill it with my cock, baby." He murmured, pressing his lips against my neck.
I turned around to face him, pulling his hand away. "No kissing, no touching, no nothing, okay?"
"We're getting married. Married people fuck." He frowned.
"Rafael." I sighed and he chuckled, holding his arm to me, a smirk on his face. "What? We're walking in like royalty?"
"Well you look like a queen, so why not?"
I wrapped my arm around his and moved closer as we walked towards the white painted door. "Act like you love me, baby, and not just my friend." He said quietly as he rang the doorbell. "My mom will see right through this and then she'll start hooking me up with her friends' daughters."
I smiled, looking up at him. "Do you not like any of them?"
He shrugged his shoulders, looking down at me. "They're all gold diggers."
"If you think about it, so am I." I frowned.
He pinched my arm. "No you're not. You're not after my money-" the door opened and an old man dressed in a black and white uniform stood near the door. "Evening, Richard." Rafael nodded his head and stepped inside the sparkling tiled floor.
"Evening, Sir. They've been expecting you." The man spoke as I walked inside and he closed the door behind us. "Evening, Miss?"
"You can call me Emily." I said, shrugging off the new black coat I had bought for myself as he held his hand out. "Thank you."I said as he took my coat and my bag from me.
"It's lovely to meet you, Emily." He answered back with a warm smile and I looked up at Rafael who was grinning at me.
I moved closer to him, standing on my toes in my heels as I whispered in his ear. "Does he want to kill you too?"
He chuckled as Richard muffled his laugh. "No baby he doesn't." Rafael's hand wrapped around mine and he turned around, walking on the spotless white tiled floor.
I turned around and waved at Richard who had a massive smile on his face. He reminded me of Tom, just a sweeter version. We walked past the living room where I could see the cream coloured carpet, the brown couches, the big family portrait of the whole family, before Rafael walked into the dining room.
"Good evening." He said, walking inside and pulling me behind him.
His sisters were beautiful. They were not identical twins but they looked as if they had been trained by Madam Catherine as well as dressed. Sophisticated yet elegant. They shared the same dark hair and green eyes feature with their brother but not the smile. I could feel their eyes running over me, a look of disgust on their face.
I ignored them as Rafael pulled out the chair for me, talking to his family in Italian as they spoke back. It was a language I needed to learn. I sat down beside his mom, who wore a beautiful long black dress and she looked like a queen sitting on a gold throne.
Rafael pushed my seat inside and I mumbled a quiet thank you, feeling the eyes of his father on me. Rafael looked like his father. The same sharp jawline, the same hair colour, except the eyes. His eyes had gone to his mom's but his dad's eyes were an intense brown colour and I could feel his stare burning into my skin as Rafael sat besides me.
"Name?" I heard the thick Italian accent as his dad spoke.
"Emily brooks." I answered him back. "Would you like me to call you Mr Romanov, Sir?" I asked politely, not knowing what he wanted to be called.
He watched me like a hawk and I wanted the ground to swallow me up as I clenched my trembling fingers under the table. "Sir is fine."
I nodded my head, and turned to his mom. "It's lovely to meet you."
She smiled at me brightly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and kissing both sides of my cheek. "Rafael has not told me he had been engaged and when he told me this morning, I wanted to meet the beautiful woman in his life." She also had a thicker Italian accent and I knew they spoke more Italian than English.
"Thank you. He's talked about you many times and I've been asking to meet you too." I lied through my teeth.
"Those are my crazy ass sisters." Rafael said, pointing to the stunning model like girls. "Sienna and Serena."
"Richard?!" Sienna called out loudly. She spoke Italian as he walked through what I assumed was the kitchen door. He nodded his head stepping back inside as I looked around the empty dining room.
"You have a beautiful home." I said, wishing they would speak English.
"Thank you." His mom beamed. "And call me Sofia, cara." She pressed her hand on mine on my lap as people in black uniform started bringing in plates of food. "I asked them to cook everything Rafael likes and I hope that is what you like as well. He rarely comes to see us."
"Did you kill Bianca's son?"
I blinked as his dad asked Rafael, lowering his hands and fixing the napkin as his plate was turned in front of him. I turned my head to look at Rafael, but there was no smile on his face, no mischievous glint in his eyes. He looked different as he answered. "Three bullets to the head." He didn't look at me, turning my plate around for me and lifting the napkin up.
I mumbled a thanks as I laid it out on my lap as his dad continued speaking. "Will Bianca be a problem?"
"Not that I think she will. She's been shut up with money and drugs, but I've stationed some men outside her house and I've tapped her phone if she makes any calls."
I couldn't pull my eyes away from him, not knowing if this was his normal conversation with his father. The women had stayed quiet so I didn't speak either even as the food was placed onto each plate. A bowl of soup.
I hated soup.
"If she's a problem, put a bullet in all of their heads." He said and Rafael nodded, as I picked up the spoon. "And what's the situation with the Pleasure Point?"
My fingers froze for a second before I looked around. His sisters were smirking at me, as if knowing hearing all this was making my heart beat faster and his mom ate her food quietly.
Rafael sighed. "There's a diner close by that serves better food." He shrugged his shoulders. "They've been there longer, and customers are loyal to them. All pleasure Point is providing is sex which around the corner is another prostitution point. It's a failing business."
It hadn't been failing at all when I had stepped foot inside of it. Rafael had wanted to shut the club down. I smiled a little as I looked at him, the amusement clear in his eyes as he winked at me.
He had sent Catherine to the diner, knowing it would cause more business. He had probably moved his prostitution point closer to the club, and everything the club had provided, was suddenly not important.
"Any chance of shutting the diner down?"
I looked at his dad who was eating the chicken soup. I placed my spoon back into the soup, unable to eat it. Soup was for when I was sick. Not for dinner.
"No chance."
His dad lifted his eyes and looked at me for a second before looking at Rafael. Did they know I worked at the Diner? "Close the club." A sigh of relief escaped me. "Turn it into something else."
"Already working on it."
His dad nodded and I could have sworn I saw pride in his eyes before he looked at his daughters. "Have you heard any news from Anthony?" He asked Sienna.
She started talking in Italian and that was que for their mom to join in as well. Rafael leaned closer to me, his lips besides my ear. "Not hungry?"
"You're crazy." I replied back in the same softness as the family continued speaking.
He chuckled, moving back as the waiters came to take the soup away and I was thankful. His mom turned to look at me. "How old are you, cara?"
Cara must have meant something in Italian because that was not my name.
"I'm nineteen, I will be twenty this year." I smiled at her.
She clapped her hands and looked at her husband. "Perfect age to get married." She looked at her daughters." My daughters are twenty three and both of them are engaged as well-" she smiled at me.
"Congratulations." I said to them, handing my soup bowl to the staff.
"Grazie." Sienna replied.
"Sienna will be getting married by the end of the year. You should definitely come to the wedding!" Hks mom clapped her hands excitedly as a small portion of spaghetti and sauce was placed in front of us.
Something I could eat as a snack. Thank god Rafael had already fed me McDonald's.
I stuck my fork into the spaghetti as they placed water in a wine glass in front of me.
"So how long have you known our brother?" Serena asked, before putting spaghetti into her mouth carefully.
I glanced at Rafael who was eating his food. He barely talked to them. "Feels like a lifetime." I answered truthfully before shoving food into my mouth as elegantly as I could.
"And where do you work? My brother has always been seen with models or celebrities. Your face I do not know." Sienna questioned.
Rafael answered as I swallowed my food. "She's Catherine's assistant."
I nodded, despite never wanting to be that woman's assistant because she would eat me alive. I picked up the glass of water and took a sip of the drink that burned my throat. I gulped it down, pressing it back onto the table as my heart beat quickened.
I moved closer to Rafael, my words barely a whisper in his ear. "I think I just got poisoned." I moved back as they looked at me. Placing the fork back onto the plate, I could feel my hands start to sweat as Rafael picked up my glass of water.
I was being poisoned. I wanted to scream and shout but he took a sip out of the water as my eyes widened. He was crazy. "It's vodka." He frowned, looking at Richard who stood near the kitchen door. "She doesn't drink. Bring her water, not alcohol."
Richard nodded, disappearing to get water for me as I ran my hands through my hair, letting out a breath. I wasn't poisoned.
Rafael drank from his glass of what looked like red wine as Sierra asked. "Do you not drink?" Her voice was taunting as Richard placed a glass of water in front of me and I thanked him before drinking from it.
"Sierra." Rafael said her name with a warning not to say anything else.
"But brother, you know how family loves to drink. How do you think you will manage with a woman whose mother is an addict?"
There it was. The moment they had been waiting for. A moment to let me know that they had done their checks on me, and maybe they didn't believe the ring on my finger because they knew what I had done. I had saved his life.
"Me not drinking has nothing to do with Rafael." I glanced at him and he watched me as I turned to look at the twin sisters. "He can drink all he wants, I don't care. I don't drink because it's my personal preference."
I gripped the napkin on my lap with my left hand before twisting the spaghetti on the fork with my right hand.
"Have you seen any of Catherine's latest designs?" His mom questioned trying to change the conversation.
"Serena, is her mom a drug addict or an alcohol one? I'm sure it's rubbed off on her, right?"
"Stai zitto, Sienna." Rafael placed his hands on the table, glaring at his sister. "If you don't keep your mouth shut, I'm going to put a bullet in you."
"Rafael." His father warned. "That is not how you speak to your sister."
I put my fork down and looked Sienna in the eye. "If I was an alcohol addict, I wouldn't be sitting here drinking water. I would be taking his drink-" I pointed to Rafael. "And then I'd sneak into the kitchen pretending to help Richard, just slowly I could get that glass of vodka which I assume was given to test me." I shook my head at them. I turned to look at his mom. "I need to use the washroom, where is it?"
"Third door on your left, first floor." She said and I nodded as I stood up.
Rafael held my hand and I looked at him, smiling. "I'm fine. A few bitchy comments from stuck up cows don't affect me." I lied as I bent down and kissed his cheek before walking out of the dining room.
I followed her instructions and stepped into the brightly lit bathroom that any other day I would have stopped and admired, but I put the toilet seat down and sat on it, running my hands through my hair as I let out a deep breath.
I was not like my mom. I didn't drink, I didn't do drugs. I kept away from that lifestyle despite visiting an alcohol shop every day. It would have been easy for me to get alcohol from Joe's shop, he would have thought it was for my mom. I could have tasted it, I could have drunk a sip or two, but I stayed away because that was a road I never went down.
It felt like an interrogation and I wasn't good at being confrontational though. I clenched my trembling fingers and squeezed them together before shaking my hands as someone knocked on the door.
"Open the door, baby."
I stood up and walked towards the door opening it. He stood in the doorway, running his eyes over my face. "You okay?" He asked and I nodded. "They're waiting there to apologise to you."
"It's fine."
"It's not." He placed his hands on my hips, taking a step into the bathroom. "They spoke out of order and they'll apologise for it." I nodded my head as he looked at me carefully. "You sure you're okay?"
"When do we get to go home?" I asked, feeling his fingers moving on my hips slowly.
"We're staying the night."
I frowned. "What?"
"Catherine told you it's dinner and night, right? I don't visit them and mom wants me to stay." His hands moved up my waist, and then my arms. "I'm not going to leave you alone." He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, a small smile on his face. "And I think you shut up my sisters in a way that made my dad tell them off as well. He rarely tells them."
"I don't want to go back in." I mumbled.
"I know, baby." He pressed his lips on my forehead. "Just give it one more try and then we go upstairs."
Upstairs. His voice sounded tempting and he was standing too close. A part of me knew Rafael wanted more. He wanted me to kiss him, the way his eyes would flicker to my lips, but we were friends and I liked that more than anything, despite the fact that kissing him was the drug I was addicted to.
I was seeing Alex and I wanted to continue seeing him. He didn't come with a family that went around shooting one another.
"How about we skip food and jump straight into dessert and sit in the living room?" He asked and I nodded my head, loving that idea.
***
I walked into the living room where the twin sisters were sitting, gossiping in a different language and Rafael was sitting with his mom who was showing him pictures on his phone while his dad watched the TV. I held the hot chocolate mug in my hand and looked at the TV.
Soccer.
I walked towards the couch and sat beside the dad as I said. "I haven't been watching the games lately but I think Liverpool will definitely win the champions league."
"You watch soccer?" He questioned, drinking the cup of tea his wife had bought him.
I pulled my legs up, crossing them under myself and fixing my skirt a little as I nodded. "I used to watch it with my dad but then I stopped. Is Salah playing?"
He nodded his head, keeping his eyes on the game. "I think you're wrong and Real Madrid will be winning."
"Why is that?" I took a sip of hot chocolate that warmed my body.
"Madrid has to prove a point. Liverpool beat them last time to go and win the champions league further on. It's a matter of ego and pride now. Look at them-"He pointed to the massive TV plastered on the wall. "Liverpool boys are tired but Madrid won't stop trying to get the goal to win."
I felt Rafael's eyes on us and I looked at him to see a hint of surprise in his eyes at his dad. His mom was staring at us as well as I answered him. "Ten dollars that Liverpool will win?" I held my hand out.
He chuckled. "Hundred dollars if Madrid wins." He shook my hand and I agreed to the bet.
We watched the game and I had a big smile on my face. It felt like old times, where I was shouting at the TV, at the players to move. His dad laughed, and somehow the twins had turned to watch as well, as Rafael and his mom.
"Sì! Stanno per vincere!" His dad laughed at me as one of Madrid's team players scored the first goal of the match in the 59th minute. "You want to make the bet higher?"
I shook my head, crossing my arms and leaning back. "We're going to win, I know it. It's going to be a last minute goal by a super sub."
He chuckled, saying something in Italian as we watched the game.
I knew Liverpool was going to lose the game but to see his dad relaxed, it felt different. He had been so stiff in the dining room, after I had returned to it and his daughters had apologised but I had forgotten it as dessert had been served and I had sat down instead of going to the living room. Sofia, his mom had said they usually had tea in the living room as a family, catching up on the day but I didn't like tea so I had made myself a hot chocolate with the help of Richard finding everything I needed in the kitchen.
Time flew by and I let out a groan as the whistle blew and the Madrid fans screamed in joy. His dad chuckled at me, shaking his head and saying something in Italian. "Yeah yeah." I rolled my eyes, forcing myself up. "There's always next year."
"Next year, I doubt Liverpool will be good enough to reach the final." He chuckled, taking his phone out and snapping a picture of the TV screen. He said something in Italian and his daughters quickly came and sat beside him, looking at his screen and giggling.
I smiled and turned to look at Rafael who walked towards me. "Let's go upstairs." There was a small smile on his face as I nodded my head, glancing at the time to see it had ten pm.
He held my hand, saying goodnight to his mom before walking out of the living room. I quickly picked up my black bag from the hook and pulled the strap up my shoulders before following upstairs barefoot.
I picked out my phone from the bag and quickly texted my mom.
Hey mom. How are you? I'm going to be home in the morning, is that okay? If you need anything, just call me and I'll be there straight away.
She replied after a minute. Okay, Sweetie. I'm going to bed now.
I smiled and replied back with an okay goodnight before opening my messages with Alex who had texted me. Miss you at the diner. He had snapped a picture of him and Betty both sticking out their tongues and I chuckled.
"Careful or you'll bang your head." Rafael turned my body around.
"Sorry." I said, walking into the room he had opened the door for. It was the most simplest room I had ever seen. A massive bed was in the middle of the room with two bedside tables, and two doors that would lead to a closet and a bathroom I assumed, as well as a window.
"Nice." I said, placing my bag on the floor near the left side of the bed as he turned on the lights and closed the door. "I'm going to use the bathroom." I yawned and he nodded pointing to the door on the right.
"Spare toothbrush is under the sink." He said, texting someone and I nodded as he pressed his phone near his ear talking to someone in Italian as I walked into the bathroom that looked somehow identical to the one in the penthouse.
I locked the door and used the toilet quickly before flushing it. My eyes were bright and there was a smile on my face. His dad or sisters had tried to kill him but spending some time with his dad and watching soccer had brought back so many memories, that I loved it.
I washed my face, took all the makeup off and then brushed my teeth before drying my face with the cloth and walking out of the room. He held out a black button up soft shirt to me as he said the words si over and over again in the phone, before walking around me and into the bathroom.
I quickly stripped out of the dress, leaving myself in my short bicycle shorts that I pulled up a little further before buttoning up the shirt. I rang Alex and he instantly picked up since it was our usual time to talk.
"Hey Em."
"Hi."
"I thought you might be busy so I didn't want to ring you, but I missed you." He said and I smiled, leaning back on the soft pillow and pulling the duvet up. "How was today?"
"It was really good. I watched soccer again after a long time and it made me happy." I chuckled.
"Which team do you support?"
"I support Manchester United but in the champions league, I'll support any Premier league team." I answered him. "What did you do today?"
"I spent the day with my sister. Can you believe she likes a boy already?" I chuckled as Rafael walked out of the bathroom, still fully clothed, his eyes on me as I smiled at him. "It's disgusting, she's so young."
"It's innocent love, she's not going to marry him."
Rafael raised his eyebrows as Alex talked. "I'd marry you."
"What?" I blushed, turning around and looking towards the window where the curtains were open. "Marriage is a big step."
"I just know it's going to be you, now or whenever you want but us guys just know when we want to spend the rest of life with someone." I heard a couple of guys talking about going to get some late night food for him. "Can I talk to you in the morning? My idiot friends want to go out. One found out he's got his girlfriend pregnant, so he needs to wind down a little."
"Have fun. Goodnight." I said, and turned around as I ended the call. The smile disappeared from my face as Rafael stripped out of his clothes, leaving him only in his boxers. "No. Fully dressed." I shook my head, putting my phone on the bed as I sat up, unable to stop staring at the stitches that had healed.
I could see the tattoos clearly now, and he was covered in them, words in Italian I assumed, as well as tribal designs that crawled up his shoulder and behind his back. I wanted to reach out and touch them. No Emily. Behave.
"You're only wearing a shirt." He said, standing in black boxers and he crossed his tattooed arms.
"Because it's not my house."
"And neither is it mine, baby." He walked towards the bed, and pulled his side of the duvet up and climbed in. I could feel my heartbeat racing as he laid down. "You're acting weird." He chuckled. "Lay down." He tapped the bed and I muttered a curse in my mind before moving down and laying my head back against the pillow as I pulled the duvet all the way up to my neck.
I watched as he picked up the small remote from his side of the nightstand and pressed a button that instantly shut off the lights in the room. "That's so cool."
"Your room has it as well."
"I haven't seen a remote." I said, turning around and yawning as I faced him. "I think it might have been your sisters who had you shot." I said quietly.
He turned around, facing me, an arm stretching out and over my head. "Why?"
"Your dad doesn't give me the vibe he would have tried to kill you." I shrugged my shoulders. He didn't answer me, just kept staring at me. "What?"
"Who were you speaking to?"
"Oh." I smiled. "Alex. He's a friend."
"A friend like me?" He raised an eyebrow.
I shook my head. "He's the man I'm seeing."
"Lo ucciderò."
"Lo what?" I frowned at him. "What does that mean?"
"Tell me more."
I smiled and nodded my head, turning around and staring up at the ceiling. "I met him at the diner and I thought he was cute, and we just started talking and then he kissed me." My smile widened. "And we talk all night for hours about literally everything and nothing. The other day we were talking about all the crazy things he's done in his life."
"Crazy like?" Rafael sounded bored. "Killing people crazy? Or sitting at home and drinking beer like crazy?" He scoffed.
I looked at him. "Alex isn't part of the Mafia, Rafael. He wouldn't kill anyone. He's nice, extremely nice." I smiled and he nodded his head, turning away from me.
"Night."
I frowned as he turned his back to me and pulled the duvet up to his shoulders. He was jealous. I smiled to myself. "Goodnight." I said it softly and he cursed, turning around again. "What?"
"Turn around." He pressed his hands on my shoulders and turned me. "Baby I don't give a fuck. I paid two million, I should get to spoon you. Alex can go fuck himself for all I care." He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his body, pressing himself into me and he let out a soft sigh of relief. "There. Now goodnight."
"This is not how friends sleep."
"You're my fiancé for the night. Be happy I'm not asking you to suck my cock and I'm keeping it PG with you like you want, or else I would have fucked the word friend out of your vocabulary."
I blushed but smiled to myself as I lifted my head up and he instantly pushed his arm under it. I laid my head on it, and wrapped my arms around his hand, needing to hold onto something. I had left Mr Teddy at home.
"Goodnight, Rafael." I whispered.
I felt his lips press on top of my head, pulling me closer to him again. "Goodnight, baby."
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