“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Sometimes the sadness just hits me, and it takes me a second to recover. I still miss her. Your mother reminds me of her…at least, based on the way you describe her.”
“They are alike. They are both women who don’t put up with bullshit.”
“Yeah…and you’re like that too.” His hands squeezed my hips. “One of the reasons I fell in love with you.”
17
Bosco
After a few days had passed, Carmen forgot about her anger entirely.
Our nights were spent naked under the sheets, and our afternoons were filled with quiet conversations over dinner then time on the couch in front of the TV. It was still unclear what would happen with her father, but when he was ready to face me, he would have to make his first move.
A week later, it happened.
We were sitting on the couch together when his name popped up on Carmen’s phone screen.
She held the phone up to her face. “It’s my father…” The screen was clearly visible to me, but she said it out loud anyway, like she was saying it to herself. She took the call and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Father.”
“Hey, sweetheart.” His tone didn’t seem threatening, but it wasn’t full of fatherly love either. “Hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”
“No, we’re just watching TV.” She grimaced slightly when she mentioned me, like that was a stupid mistake.
He would have to get used to it. We lived together now, and she wasn’t going back to her apartment unless she was packing up the rest of her stuff and vacating it.
He didn’t address what she’d said. “Your mother and I have been talking a lot lately…”
“Yeah, she told me she would wear you down, dent your armor a bit.”
“And she finally has…because she doesn’t let up.”
Carmen smiled. “She gets what she wants, Father. That’s why you fell in love with her in the first place.”
He chuckled slightly. “Yeah…I admire her perseverance. Anyway…maybe the four of us could have dinner over here tomorrow. Your mother will cook, and we’ll have some wine…and talk.” He’d invited both of us to dinner, but he struggled to get the words out nonetheless. He hated every second of this…but at least he was trying.
“We would love to. And thanks for inviting us.” Carmen’s happiness was obvious, both in her voice and on her face. This was what she wanted, the beginning of progress.
I admired him for making the call himself. He could have had his wife do it, but he did it personally.
He paused for a long time. “See you then, sweetheart.” Then he hung up.
Carmen set the phone down and looked at me. “I guess we have plans tomorrow night.”
“Yeah, I guess we do.” I wasn’t thrilled about spending time with her father, but since this was important to her and necessary to our relationship, I would do it—and be as polite as possible.
“I think everything is going to be okay. Since my mom is on board, it’s only a matter of time before my father relaxes. We just need to be patient. If he insults you or anything…just let it go.”
I turned to her, my smile disappearing. “Beautiful, I love you. But I don’t let any man insult me. It’s one of the reasons you love me. I’m not going to change who I am. I promise I won’t provoke him, but I’ll certainly defend myself if necessary.” I would compromise with her on anything, but not that. He’d already called me an asshole a few times at the casino, but I didn’t rise to his rage. It would have been easy for me to let my pride get to me and shoot him between the eyes, but I didn’t. I gave him a grace period since it was our first meeting. But there would be no more mercy from me.
Carmen didn’t try to talk me out of it. “Alright. Fair enough.”
I drove the Bugatti out of Florence and into the countryside. Since this was a family dinner, bringing two dozen guards wouldn’t make a very good impression. It was his property, so I didn’t have any jurisdiction.
The men followed me until I was two minutes from the house. Then they set up a perimeter in a two-mile radius of the property, securing everything around the house other than the property itself.
Cane would never know.
“Here.” Carmen pointed to the two-story house surrounded by the limestone wall. “That’s their place.”
The gate had been left open, so I drove up the path until I came to a roundabout with a statue of a horse in the center. Water was flowing from the fountain, creating a serene backdrop that complemented the lush landscape.
I wasn’t nervous whatsoever. I didn’t get nervous. But I wanted this to be over so we could go home. I preferred solitude with Carmen, sharing my space with only her alone. I lived for the nights when she walked around in my t-shirt, no panties underneath. I lived for the moments when she fell asleep on the couch while her head rested on my thigh. I lived for the moments when she was underneath me in bed, coming around my dick several times in a single go. It was easy to please a woman who wanted to be satisfied so thoroughly.