To capture and keep, p.3
To Capture and Keep, page 3
“Alvise.” His tone was full of warning.
“No, cousin. You forget, we grew up together. I know you and your position behind that desk isn’t going to keep me from telling you how it is. If it did, I would be a shitty fucking right-hand man.”
Joey’s lip curled, but he kept his mouth shut because they both knew he was right.
“She fucking loves you and here you’re pushing her away as much as you can without actually sending her away. What are you going to do? Fuck Alaska on the side? Keep her as your dirty little secret as long as you can and marry someone else?”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Oh, so you’re completely comfortable turning her into your mistress and keeping her there. Turning her into an object, a thing.” Alvise rolled his eyes and huffed a laugh. “You really think she’s going to agree to only having part of you? You think this little set up the two of you have is what she wants? What she deserves?”
“Shut up,” Joey’s voice was a low grumble.
“You think she’s going to be happy with the scraps you give her? A fuck in the dark here, coming to you only when you allow it. You think that beautiful, fierce woman is going to settle for what you’re willing to give her? Or do you think she’s going to find her own side piece? God, I hope she falls in love with someone else and leaves you wishing you’d acted and let her fucking have you.”
In an instant, Joey was stretched across his desk fisting the lapels of Alvise’s shirt.
“She’s mine. Do you fucking hear me? Do you understand the words that are coming out of my fucking mouth? You stay the fuck away from her.”
“I’ve no interest in her, or her in me. She sure as fuck loves you though.”
“Fuck you.”
Alvise shoved Joey’s hands away. “We grew up together, Joey, I know you better than anyone else. I know she’s exactly the type of woman you go for. Soft body, curves, beautiful, independent, fierce. She hits all your buttons, but you keep her away.”
“She deserves better than this fucked up world we were born into. Just like Murphey.”
“And you don’t think Alaska can handle it?” Alvise laughed. “You saw her with that pump action shot gun. She stood tall as fuck and fought off those men. Hell, she was ready to blow your head off, and you don’t think she can handle all of this?”
“Oh, no, I know she can handle it, but she shouldn’t have to.”
“She finds out that’s why you’re leaving in the middle of the night after you fuck and she’ll have your balls mounted over her fireplace.”
“She doesn’t have a fireplace, and I’m pretty sure she’s already figured it out.”
Alvise huffed a laugh.
“It’s not funny. Everything was good when she was just Murphey’s yoga instructor, then Stefano put a hit on her and Murphey begged me to save her.” He allowed his head to fall back. “She met me at the front door with a shotgun. She was ready to blow off my head in order to protect what she viewed as important. What man falls for a woman who’s ready to kill him the first time they meet?”
“The kind who’s used to people trying to kill him.”
“Then I should have fallen in love with one of them.”
“Why, so they could become meek and complacent the second you started dating them?” Alvise smiled. “You love that she doesn’t take your shit. How she stands her ground and puts up with your bullshit right up until it becomes too much, then she puts you back in your place. She doesn’t sugar coat her words or act like a damsel in distress like the rest of the woman in our world. She also would never tell anyone about anything you share with her.”
“Except Murphey. She’s already made that abundantly clear.” Joey groaned. “I have it fucking bad.”
“Then ask her to the wedding.”
“No. The only way to keep her safe is to keep her hidden, and flaunting her at the wedding will be doing the exact opposite.”
“Are you leaving Murphey home?”
“No, Nonno has requested her presence.”
“Not in the mood to tell our grandfather no?”
“I’ll never be ready to go head-to-head with that man.” Joey smiled. “So, you’ll be her guard. You’ll follow her everywhere, keep her safe and for the love of God, don’t fuck it up.” He paused. “Or her. Now, who are we going to have break the news about Link to Murphey?”
Chapter Five
The doorbell rang as she stepped into her dress. Fuck! She was running further behind than she thought she was.
“Coming!” Alaska hastily pulled her discarded shirt from the pile, clutching it to her chest as she ran to the front door. “I’m so sorry. I thought I would have enough time get ready, but you’re early.”
“And you opened the door without checking who it was,” Alvise growled as he stepped into the house.
“Stop that,” Murphey scolded. “You know you can’t growl at everyone, right? That isn’t how normal people communicate. And we’re at her house, you can’t scold her at her own house.”
“I believe I just did,” Alvise said as he moved to the living room, his hand under his suit jacket, no doubt hovering over the gun he carried.
“Excuse my babysitter’s manners. Nonno demanded I come to the wedding and then Joey demanded I have a keeper, so here we are.” Murphey rolled her eyes as she gestured for her friend to turn around. “When is he supposed to be here?”
“Thirty minutes. I still have to do my hair and makeup and I’m not going to make it in time. I’m going to be late to a fucking wedding. Who does that?”
“Wait!” Alvise turned to look at both women. “You’re going to the wedding? The Deminco wedding?”
“Yes?”
“Murphey Louise.” Alvise’s growl was too quiet.
“Why are you using my name as a swear word?” Murphey swiftly zipped the dress.
“Because you knew about this and didn’t say anything,” Alvise rumbled.
“Oh, so I’m supposed to keep Joey in the loop about what the woman he’s fucking is doing while he isn’t fucking her?” Murphey shook her head as she came around the side and took Alaska’s hand. “If he wants to know what she is up to, he can be a big boy and ask her to the party himself, otherwise, she is free to see, date and fuck who ever she wants.”
Alaska flinched. She had no intention of doing the last one.
“You know why I’m annoyed with you, little girl.” Alvise narrowed his eyes. “You know you should have told us.”
“And you know that she is my person and I’m not about to fuck that up so Joey doesn’t come out at the end of the night looking like an asshat.” Murphey paused at the mouth of the hall. “And you’re not going to tell Joey either. If you do, I’ll make your night miserable.”
“Don’t make me follow through on my threat, Murphey Louise.”
“Don’t make me follow through on mine.” Murphey took a deep breath. “Besides, it’s been a while since I had a decent spanking, maybe a trip over your lap wouldn’t be so bad.” She didn’t waste any time after that, simply continued their journey into the bedroom and shut the door tightly behind her. She slid to the ground and looking at Alaska with wide eyes. “What the fuck did I just do?”
“I think you challenged your babysitter to spank you,” Alaska said a second before the laughter bubbled out of her. “You told him you wanted to be spanked and you should have seen the look on his face! I can’t tell if he wanted to do just that or fuck you more then he clearly already wanted to.”
“Holy shit,” she stood and paced the room. “What the fuck was I thinking?”
“That you’re sick of dancing around him and waiting for him to act on it. That you need to be fucked.”
“Am I allowed do that?”
Alaska cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean, are you allowed to do that?”
“I’m supposed to be waiting for Kross, aren’t I?”
Stopping her friend’s pacing, she looked her dead in the eyes and told her the truth.
“I don’t know. I’m sure there are people out there who think you should wait for him and there are people out there who think you’re dumb waiting on him after he disappeared. I mean, you just asked for time and instead of giving you a week, month, whatever you needed, he threw a fit and left. Just got on his bike and left. I don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing. What I do know is all of this is your call. It has been ten months, and no one has heard anything from him. Not you, Pen or any of the other guys, so now, it is up to you and what you want to do.” Alaska paused for a second. “You know, after we get my hair and makeup done. You can do whatever you want then.”
“Yeah,” she took a deep breath and gave herself a good shake. “You have a date that’s arriving soon and you aren’t ready at all.”
They settled on the floor in front of the full-length mirror and got to work. Alaska did her makeup while Murphey curled the unruly locks. They were nearly done when Alaska finally let the questions, she’d been dying to ask, fall from her mouth.
“Why is he mad at you for not telling them that I am going to the wedding?”
“Because they can’t control everything when I don’t tell them everything.”
“You didn’t tell them that I was going?” Alaska looked at her with wide eyes.
“Of course not. I told you I wouldn’t.”
“I know, but a part of me thought he would get it out of you somehow.”
“Who do you think I am? A traitor? No way in hell was I giving your secret away.” Murphey met her eyes in the mirror. “He had no reason to think either of us would do something this, well, sneaky.”
“You bet your ass after this he’s going to start asking questions.”
“And we’ll be prepared for that to happen when it does, but this time he’ll find out the only way he should.”
“By me walking into the event he tried to hide from me on the arm of another man?” Alaska shook her head, doubt starting to claw at the back of her mind.
“Yeah, he’s taking some woman that means nothing to him, so you may as well take some man that means nothing to you.”
“Sounds like all women mean nothing to him.” Alaska looked to the floor, the movement tugging on her hair. “Sorry.”
“It’s your hair you’re pulling out of your head.” She paused, releasing the curl from the iron and gathering another piece. “He cares about you.”
“I don’t need you to lie to me.”
“Have I ever sugar coated anything before?” Murphey asked as she gathered another curl.
“No.”
“Then why the hell would I start now?”
“To spare my feelings?” Alaska turned to look at her friend when she felt the iron release. “To save your ass from the pissed off man in the other room?”
“How would lying to you save my ass from him? Besides, I made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t all that sure I wanted my ass saved.”
“Clear as mud.” Both of them laughed for a few moments before she continued, “I have a feeling his swings pack a wallop.”
“I’m sure you’re not wrong.” Murphey waved her hand at her friend. “You can’t stop with the makeup. You have thirty minutes to apply enough lacquer for an Italian wedding.”
“I suddenly don’t want to go.”
“No!”
A squeal escaped Alaska as her hair was tugged enough that her eyes went to her friend above her in the mirror.
“You’re not going to back out on this date because of him. You will not let him win.”
“No one is winning or losing here. I’m trying to save my heart. Maybe my ass. Fuck, I don’t know. All I know is I’m falling for a man who doesn’t want me or at the very least won’t let himself have me.”
“Then live your best fucking life and screw him.”
“Yeah.” Alaska looked over her shoulder. “That’s what got me into this situation in the first place.”
“Oh! I forgot to tell you! Link came back. Just randomly showed up this morning. His damn collar is gone though.”
“And that’s why we don’t worry about the mutt when he disappears.”
“He’s not a mutt!” Murphey shot back.
The sound of the doorbell interrupted them.
“Your date’s here.”
“I’ve never been so disappointed to hear a doorbell in my life.”
“I know.” Murphey replied as she gave her hair a final coat of hair spray. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to get all sappy over his method of announcing himself. Not if you want to keep Alvise from running him off.”
“Fuck,” she stood and ran from the room, but paused when she opened the door. “How do I look?”
“I’d fuck you.”
“Only when we can’t get the real thing.” Alaska smiled, picked up the shoes she’d dropped by the door earlier and glided out of the room.
She didn’t get completely out of the hall before the conversation between the men met her ears.
“Carlo, aren’t you late? Your cousin’s invitation said the ceremony started at five.” Alvise stated as his frame filled the doorway, blocking the other man from entering.
“The ceremony was family only. I was there, now I’m here to pick up my date for the reception, which starts promptly at eight. Now, if you’ll let me in.”
“How did you meet Alaska?” Alvise questioned without missing a beat.
“Alvise!” Alaska scolded as she padded across the room, shoes dangling from her fingers. “If you must know, he and his ex girlfriend used to take classes at my studio. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She bent over, balancing on one foot to put her heels on. When she started to sway, it was Alvise who righted her.
“Easy, sweetheart.” Alvise held her waist as she buckled first one shoe then the other. “I can’t be falling down on the job of babysitter before you even get out of the house, can I?”
“I am a yoga instructor,” Alaska looked at the man she considered a friend and continued her whisper. “Do you honestly think I would wobble that much while putting on shoes when I can do any number of yoga poses multiple times a day? It’s a test I give all my dates. You passed.” She stood and righted her dress. “He couldn’t pull his eyes from my ass long enough to tell I needed help, let alone help me.”
“It’s not too late,” Alvise whispered. “You can back out.”
“No, I still have a point to prove.” Turning, Alaska smiled at her date and grabbed the tiny purse she was using for the night off the hook by the door. “Ready?”
“You look stunning,” Carlo stated, hunger in his eyes.
“That is the point.” Alaska turned to the other two. “You guys coming to the wedding?”
“Yeah, if you’ve got your keys, I’ll lock the door behind us.” Alvise smiled when she shook his purse at him.
“If you’re ready, I can escort you to the town car.” Carlo held out his arm. “I have a feeling we are going to have an amazing night.”
The car ride was filled with wandering hands and suggestive brow wags. At one point Alaska had to physically slap his hand away from her thigh. All it did was cause him to throw his head back and laugh.
Carlos was a handsome man, but he had no class.
“We’ve arrived, sir,” the driver announced as they pulled up to the immaculate house.
“I suppose I have to go back to being the gentleman the public knows me as.” He slid to the end of the seat and waited for his door to be open. “I’ll be around to get you.”
Alaska tried to calm her pounding heart as her date walked around the car to open her door. She shouldn't be nervous. Joey had made it clear to her and everyone around them that she wasn't worthy to be seen on his arm. She knew Carlo didn’t deserve to have her on his, but she would waltz in there with her head held high, in the beautiful dress and far too high of heels and show the man she’d stupidly fallen in love with, what he was missing.
Easier said than done when all she wanted to do at that moment was go back to her apartment and wait for the infuriating knock on the door.
An incoming text sounded from inside her purse. Pulling her phone out she couldn't help but smile at the text from Murphey.
Get your ass out of the car. I can't make my grand entrance until you make yours.
Flipping the car behind her the bird, Alaska slid to the edge of the seat and took the hand that was offered to her when the door opened.
It was time to prove just how good she looked on a mobster's arm.
Chapter Six
"Joseph."
Joey had to swallow down the growl of annoyance at his grandfather's insistence on using his full name.
"I thought you said no one called you Joseph? That's the reason you told me I couldn't call you by your full name."
He looked down at the blonde draped on his arm. Fuck, he couldn't even remember her name, he’d been seeing her for a month now and still couldn’t remember her name when he needed to.
"He's my grandfather, I don't correct my elders."
"I can do it for you."
It took far too much effort not to smack himself in the forehead. At the ignorance of this woman. "No, it's fine." Movement caught Joey's attention. "Look, one of your friends wants to talk to you. You go over and do that while I talk to my Nonno."
"I thought he was your grandpa?"
“You’re Italian, correct?”
“Yeah, why?”
Leaving her standing there, Joey joined the small group of men that stood around his grandfather.
"Joseph, that is not who I thought you would be escorting tonight,” Nonno stated without greeting.
“She‘s my date, Nonno.”
“What a shame. That woman doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together, let alone the ability to have an intelligent conversation with anyone other than her cat." Nonno shook his head.
"But she knows how to act among the people we do business with." After the statement she'd made about correcting the name his grandfather used for him, Joey wasn't sure that was still true.
