Married to My Enemy

“So, I take it things have been pretty much the same for you too in that department, huh? Still jumping from one girl to the next?”

I smiled, shook my head, and reached for my beer.

Maria narrowed her eyes. “Wait—what? Did you just shake your head? What does that mean?”

I smirked. “It means I can’t quite agree with that statement. That I’m still just jumping from one girl to the next.”

Maria’s eyebrows show up, she leaned back in her seat and clutched her chest. She shook her head. “Oh…my…goodness. What are you telling me, Gio? Really? Are you honestly telling me that some woman out there has managed to do the impossible? Someone has put a stop to your old ways? How? How is that even possible? I seriously didn’t think you would ever be capable of being a one-woman man.”

I laughed. “It’s a long story. And goodness, cousin—you don’t have to sound so surprised. You just had no faith in me, huh? Like I’m the family whore or something.”

“Your words, not mine,” Maria said, laughing heartily. “And I want to hear this so-called long story. I’ve got time, and I’ve got a drink.” She raised her glass in the air. “I’m all ears.”

“Fair enough,” I said with a chuckle. “All right. Well, like I said, my father is all about business as usual, so he’s been wanting to get into the Marino family for quite some time now. Have you heard of them?”

Maria slowly nodded. “Marino—yeah, that rings a bell. They’re loaded, right?”

“You can say that again,” I said. “So obviously, you understand why my father was so anxious to get in good with them.”

“Yep. That certainly sounds classic like Uncle Luca.”

“Right. So naturally,” I continued, “he figured the perfect opportunity to get into the Marino family was through linking me to the Marino daughter…”

“Woah…wait…are we talking about an arranged marriage?”

I nodded.

Maria’s eyes widened. “And you actually agreed to it?”

I nodded again. “Yeah, I did. And it initially didn’t take me long to regret it either. The very night I made the agreement, I came here to drink myself into a stupor over what I had just committed myself to. But then I met her…here.”

“You met her here?”

“Yep. And I had no idea it was her.” I laughed. “Apparently, she was out celebrating her last official night as a single woman. I just happened to randomly spot her when I saw some sloppy drunk guy harassing her. I jumped in to break it up, and afterward, we just hit it off. I mean really hit it off. Then the next morning, my Dad calls waking me up at the crack of dawn telling me to hurry up and get ready because I’d be meeting my future wife soon. My folks had invited her and her family over for dinner. I can’t even describe how shocked I was when she walked into the living room that evening. It was crazy. I just kept thinking about how she had been right there, in my bed, when my Dad was telling me to hurry up and come over to get ready for the evening.”

Maria shook her head and burst into a fit of laughter. “That’s what you call stranger than fiction. So, how did she take it when she saw that she was being set up with you later that day?”

“Not good!” I shook my head. “She absolutely hated me in the beginning. Even though we were getting along pretty damn good at the club—not to mention later on at my apartment—she was pissed when I had essentially kicked her out that morning. I didn’t mean to be rude, but it came off that way to her. You see, she’s led a pretty sheltered and pure life, so she felt sorry for what had happened between us, to begin with.”

Maria raised an eyebrow. “So, you corrupted that poor girl’s virtue, and then she found out the following day she had to marry you. Yeah, I can see how that would mess with a girl’s head!”

“Hey—I didn’t corrupt anybody. You know that’s not my style. She was out that night looking to corrupt herself. She willingly left with me. Hell, she started it! She kissed me first.” I shrugged my shoulders. “But anyway, it all turned out for the best. That’s why I couldn’t figure out why she was so ticked off about it at first. But we’re good now. And as an added bonus, it turns out that I’m crazy about her. I swear, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I realized that after I took her out to dinner a few days later. I swear, Maria, there’s just something about her. She’s so sweet, yet feisty when she wants to be. And she’s so beautiful, inside and out.”

“Damn, cousin. I never thought I’d see the day, but you are positively whipped.”

“As much as I want to deny that—I can’t.” I laughed and took another sip of my beer. “Anyway, like I said, it’s all for the best. I get to do my family a favor, my father gets what he wants, and I get to actually be happy in the process. This whole arrangement could have been a complete disaster, but instead, it turned out to be a miracle.”

“Wow,” Maria said. “I need your kind of luck. Does she have any cute brothers or cousins in need of that kind of an arranged marriage?”

“Once I’m officially in the family, I’ll find out for you.”

“Yes, you do that. And don’t think I’m going to let you forget! I’m holding you to your word.”

“I’m sure you will.”

We both laughed, and Maria tossed back the last of her drink. “So how much longer are you staying here?”

“Not too much longer. I’m beat,” I said, stifling a yawn.