Three
The nicest dress I had was a black, strappy dress. The same one that I’d worn to the welcome back party that I had gone to freshman year. The one that Cesare had noticed me in, and had so much fun tearing it off. The reason for my biggest mistake ever. I’d had to sew it back together when I got home. I had high-heeled shoes that I’d worn to my dads funeral years ago. I put on some makeup, and then grabbed my purse and cell phone.
I met Laura in the living room of the apartment. She was wearing a red dress, with gold earrings, and Manolo Blahnik shoes. Her purse was a Saint Laurent, black, with a gold strap on her shoulder. Her blond hair was slightly curled and she had a red bow holding back some of her hair. She looked too pretty for words.
I was aware of how simple I looked.
Laura, to her credit, only smiled at me and looped her arm through mine. “Come on. Let’s go. I already told the boys. They’ve got the car ready for us.”
I knew “the boys” meant that Giovani and Billy.
“Alright, sounds good.”
We headed out. Laura blared music and there was a divider between us and “the boys”. If they minded her blaring pop music, they didn’t say anything. “So,” said Laura, “you’ve really never had a boyfriend?”
I nodded. “It’s not something I’ve really thought a lot about.”
Laura smiled. “Well, we’re going to have to change that. College isn’t just about our future. It’s also about making mistakes. You seem like someone that needs to have a few of those.”
Oh, if only she knew. But I couldn’t tell her. I didn’t want to think what would happen if Cesare found out the secret that I’d kept from him. I knew the Luna family. I knew they were just as dangerous as mine. I had no way of knowing what he would have done if I’d told him the truth about our connection. Kill me, probably.
“If you say so,” I said.
Laura smiled. “I do say so. Oh, you should meet Galileo. You’ll like him. He’s the sweet brother.”
I laughed. “I’m not really looking to date. I’m trying to keep my nose clean.”
The car pulled to a stop. “Oh, come on,” said Laura.
The door opened, and a valet helped us out of the car. They knew Laura by name and they pushed my hand away when I tried to slip them a tip. Laura pulled me into the restaurant. Inside, it was dimly lit, and the ceiling was made to look like the sky.
“Wow!” I breathed.
Laura smiled at me. “This was my fathers wedding gift to my mother. She told him when they first met, she’d only go out with him if he bought her the stars. He got her a diamond instead but he never forgot the star thing.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.”
“Ah, Laura.” The hostess smiled at her. “Good to have you back home from that fancy school of yours. Who is your friend?”
“Gianna, this is Emmilia,” she said, “she’s my roommate at the new college I started at this year.”
“Oh, hi!” the hostess smiled. “Did she try setting you up with someone yet?”
“Uh, no,” I said, “but I’m pretty much a homebody. This is the first time we’ve really gotten a chance to hang out.”
“Don’t worry, she will,” said Gianna, “and it will probably be one of her brothers.”
Laura sighed. “Don’t worry. I gave up on the idea of you and Galileo. You two are a lost cause.”
I glanced at Laura. “Please tell me you’re not trying to set me up with someone.”
Laura shook her head. “No, I haven’t quite figured you out yet. That’s why I wanted us to hang out. Once I know you better, just you wait. Then the matchmaking begins!’
I sighed. “I don’t need to be set up you know. Anyway, you probably shouldn’t even try.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I told you, remember. If my uncle found out I was fooling around when he’s planning on marrying me off…”
Laura made a face. “It wouldn’t be good?”
“Yeah,” I said, “Exactly. I can’t exactly date. He’s got eyes and ears everywhere.”
Laura let out a low whistle. “That’s terrible.”
I hesitated. “You know what your family is like?”
Laura raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“My uncle is kind of like that. He only does business in Italy though. He’s my father’s brother, but my Papa’s been dead for years.”
She stared at me. “But I don’t recognize your last name. In my family’s line of work, everyone knows everybody.”
“I have my mothers,” I explained, “my dad thought it was safer.”
“Oh. I wonder if my father knows your family then.”
“Maybe,” I said, but I didn’t dare tell Laura the name of my uncle. If the wrong person figured out which mob family I was connected to, it wouldn’t be good. Cesare couldn’t figure out who I was.
Not before I graduated.
Not before I had a chance to get a job, get money, and get away from everything to prove my uncle wrong. I wasn’t the screw up he thought I was. I could make my own way without him.
Laura raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to tell me who he is, are you?”
I sighed. “It’s best for everyone if I just stay Emmilia Marino.”
“Little sister!” a voice boomed then. I glanced up, and saw Galileo Luna standing in front of us.
Laura smiled and got up to hug her brother. “Hi. Shouldn’t you be working?”
“I am,” he said, “but I had to come out and greet our most important guest. Gianna told me you were here. This is the roommate?”
His brown eyes studied my face. I could tell he was trying to place me, the same way that Cesare had when he’d met me.
Please, I thought, please, please, don’t remember me.
“Yeah. I’m Emmilia Mariano.”
“Nice to meet you.” He took my hand and kissed the top of it. “I’m Galileo Luna. The cuter brother.”
“He loses no time with the flirting,” said Laura, “hey, do you think that you can get us some of that Tiramisu that you’re so good at making?”
Galileo smiled. “I already saved you two slices. I got your texts that you were coming. You use way too many smiley faces.”
Laura laughed. “Thanks.”
“Can I join you?” a voice asked.
A shadow fell over the table. Laura looked up and winced when she saw her other brother. “Cesare, what are you doing here?”
“Galileo texted me,” he said, and he slid into the seat next to me. “I thought it would be a good chance to get to know your new roommate.”
His shoulders brushed mine. He was wearing an Armani suit, a spicey cologne, and the whole thing left me blushing.
I hated him.
Laura looked from him to me. “Are you okay with that, Emmilia?”
I sighed. “Sure. I don’t see why not?”
Cesare grinned. He turned to his brother. “Excellent. Galileo, why don’t you get Laura’s favorite, and Emmilia the Caprese salad with the Eggplant Parmesan?”
I opened my mouth to object, but Laura shook her head silently.
Galileo nodded. “Excellent choices. I’ll have your waiter be out soon.”
At that point, the music started. I hadn’t even noticed the live band or the dance floor when we first came in. Cesare held out his hand. “Dance with me.”
It wasn’t a question. It was an order.
Four I found myself being dragged out onto the dance floor. “Cesare---I don’t think this is a good idea. I don’t really know how to do this.” Cesare flashed me a smile. “It’s okay. It’s all about following the lead. I happen to be an excellent leader.” He placed a hand on my hip, then held my other one tightly. He smelled of cologne and cigarettes which shouldn’t have attracted me but it did. “I did some research on you.” I looked up at him. “Oh? Did you find anything salacious?” “You went to Italy your freshman year,” he said, “you stayed for nine months, and you did the online program while you were there. Why were you in the Old Country?” “I have family there,” I said, “my Nonna was sick. She’d never met me before. The family wanted me to spend some time with her.” “Why haven’t you spent time with her before?” “It’s my father’s family,” I explained, “he died when in I was in high school. He wasn’t r
Five Someone was watching me. I knew it wasn’t Billy or Giovani because they were both with Laura at her art history class. I was sitting in the library when I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I looked across the way, and I saw Cesare talking to the librarian. He had leaned up against her desk like owned it, said something that made her laugh, and then she pointed in my direction. Damn it. I had spent all of freshman year worrying that he would find me again. Now, I was a junior, and he would be graduating in the spring. Of course, he would find me in his last year… My eighteen-year-old self would have given anything for him to notice me. But my twenty-year-old self knew better. Cesare Luna wasn’t the kind of guy that you wanted attention from. He was the kind of guy you thought you wanted attention from and then when you got it, you regretted it immediately. Cesare strode towards me like he was the
Six Not all of the family was back in the Old Country. I had an aunt named Thalia who came to visit at least once a month. She lived in New York, with her three sons, and her husband. I hadn’t met any of them. I wasn’t exactly invited to family events. But, because the family knew my secret, my uncle liked to send people to check in on me. I was unsurprised when I got a call from my Mama on Saturday morning. “Are you working today?” she asked. I sat up in bed. “No. Why?” “Your aunt is coming. She wants to have lunch with you.” I froze. “What? Why?” “I’m not sure,” said Mama, “but dress nicely, and get here before noon.” I groaned. “Okay.” I got up and showered. As I was in the middle of getting dressed, the door to my room opened. A low whistle made me jump. I turned around and was surprised to see Cesare standing there. He smirked. “You look gorgeous. Who are you seeing?”
Seven“Emmilia!”Outside of Laura, I had one friend, Gemma Blake. She was a pretty brunette with blue eyes. She sat up front in my International Business Class, and gestured to the empty seat next to her. “Hi, Gemma!” I smiled. Gemma smiled back at me. “Did you get the e-mail?” “What e-mail?” I asked. “We’re having a guest speaker today. The professor is apparently old friends with Octavious Luna. He’s going to give a presentation on his internship program and his life in business.” The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “Octavious Luna?” Gemma nodded. “Do you think I can convince him to get an internship?” I forced a smile at her. “You’re Gemma Blake. I’m sure that you could do anything you want.” She laughed. “I appreciate the vote of confidence. Why don’t you seem happy about this? I thought you wanted do something with international hotels or whatever. I would think this would be right up your alley.”
Eight “I don’t think you should go.” Laura’s response to being invited to a party surprised me. Normally, Laura was always the one that was trying to get me to do something rash. The two of us sat on the couch, eating the remains of the brownies we’d baked the night before. I glared at her. “Come on. You’re the one that is always telling me that I need to get out more.” Laura sighed. “I know. But that was before.” “Before what?” she’d been acting weird since her fathers visit yesterday. After the lecture he’d given my class, apparently, he’d showed up at the apartment and told her some family news. Since then, Laura had been strangely quiet. When I got home from class, she’d begrudgingly joined me to bake. I tried getting her to talk but mostly she just hummed along to the music I played in the background. Laura made a face. “I just…I mean…” she shoved the rest of her brownie into her mouth. I squinted. “You are h
Nine My phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. That was unusual for me. I only had a few friends and my first thought was that maybe Gemma had been worried about where I was. I got up from where I had fallen asleep on my couch, my head in Laura’s lap. She had fallen asleep using the sofa armrest as a pillow.“What the hell?” I stared at my phone.The first few messages were from my cousin, Nero. The second was Gemma. And the third was my uncle, Titus. I also had a bunch of pictures from Instagram that I couldn’t understand. I barely posted on there.The first message from Nero said FUCKING CALL ME.If my older cousin, who was twenty-one, and lived in New York was calling me, I was in deep shit. He was an extension of my uncle. He handled the family business in the U.S. When I got into trouble freshman year, he was the one who helped me hide everything. He convinced my uncle to let me come to Italy and take care of the situation I had found myself in.I called him. “Nero, what’s wrong?”“Are
TenA lot of the people I tutored were usually athletes. At the moment, I was sitting at a café, with one of the quarterbacks. A shadow fell over me. “Another conquest, Emmi?” I looked up and standing there was Nero.He was tall with jet black hair and had a scar over his eye. I sighed and glanced up at Carter, the blond football player I’d been helping. “Hey, how about I call you later and we can try this again?” I said.Carter raised an eyebrow. “Boyfriend?”I made a face. “Gross. Cousin.”“Ah. Family business.” Carter stood up and packed his things. “No worries, teach. I’ll see you later. Let me know when you’re free.”He left and Nero slid into the seat that Carter had been sitting in.“Tell me that’s not someone else you’re fucking,” Nero said.I shook my head. “No. I’m not fucking anyone. I’m not even fucking Cesare. I told you; I’ve been good.”“Then why is Cesare Luna suddenly posting pictures about you?” Nero asked.I sighed. “He’s obsessed and delusional. I’ve never done any
ElevenAfter I talked with Nero, I didn’t go to the apartment. Instead, I took a bus home and texted Laura that I would be staying with my mom. When I got there, I told mom everything. She hugged me, pulled me inside, and then made me some Ribollita. I sat with her on my old bed and cried into her arms.“You know, your father wouldn’t have wanted this,” said Mama, “you going after that boy…”“I know,” I said, “I shouldn’t have done it…I shouldn’t have been with him. But I was so angry after he died…nothing made sense anymore. That accident took away the last part of my senior year. It should have gone so differently. When I saw Cesare at that welcome back party, all I could think about was revenge.”“So, you let him take your virginity as what? A consolation prize?” Mama said.I glared at her. “I didn’t plan on getting pregnant. I’ve been on the pill since I was a teenager because of my acne. Tori just…happened.”Mama sighed. “I know. I love my granddaughter too, don’t for one second