Mafia Princess by Kennedy Slope

Chapter Eleven

The week had flown by in a blur. I had spent most waking hours on campus. After day one, I was assigned papers, homework, and more reading than I knew what to do. Most of my classmates were groaning about it, but I was happy to have things to fill my days.

I was currently sitting in the library working on a sociology paper when I heard a voice softly call my name. “Sasha?”

I looked surprised. I didn’t know anyone on campus, and I hadn’t had a chance to make friends since I wasn’t living on campus like everyone else. I was even more shocked to see the guy from the party standing over me. He looked casually put together in jeans and a Columbia hoodie.

“Hi,” I said. I gave him a hesitant smile as I tried my best to try and remember his name.

“Zane,” he said, putting me out of my misery.

“Hi, Zane,” I said. “How are you?”

I cringed as I remembered the last time we had seen one another. Dominic, or rather Dom, had been dragging me out of the frat party. He had been oozing anger and I was pretty sure that he had threatened to kill Zane.

“I was hoping that I would run into you,” he said. He immediately sat at the table.

“Oh?” I asked.

I straightened immediately. I wasn’t sure if Dom had put a guard on me, so far I hadn’t seen anyone, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I prayed if they were looking at me now they wouldn’t tell my husband about Zane. Dom and I might not have the most traditional of marriages, but I knew he wouldn't be happy that Zane was sitting with me.

Men like Dom were alphas. They weren’t willing to share.

Zane was sitting across from me, but he leaned closer. “I was worried considering what happened at the party.”

“I’m fine,” I said, shooing him off. “Dom was just worried about me.”

“That’s your husband?”

I nodded and did my best not to appear uncomfortable. I had been raised in a bubble of paranoia, taught that everyone was a potential enemy, and I was finding it difficult to shake that behavior off.

“Yes,” I said.

“Aren’t you a little young to be married?”

It was a fair question, but I felt my hackles rising at it. I hated that Dom had dragged me away from that party, and that Zane had been witness to it. Columbia was supposed to be something that was just mine, an oasis away from my life as a mafia princess, but it seemed that that was not going to happen.

“That’s a little personal,” I said, my voice haughty.

Zan had the decency to blush, which only made him look even more like the boy next door.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m not good with people.”

Zane recovered from his behavior and a smile replaced his embarrassed frown. “I find that hard to believe,” he said.

That uncomfortable feeling started to develop in the pit of my stomach once more. I couldn’t tell if Zane was flirting with me, or if he was just the type of person who was just overly friendly. Either way, I felt an overwhelming urge to pack up my things and leave.

“What are you doing in the library?” I asked. “Nothing better to do on a Saturday?”

Zane chuckled. “I’ve got a paper due on Monday, which I put off all week, so unfortunately, it looks like I will be here for the foreseeable future.”

I laughed. “They really don’t joke around here when it comes to the academics,” I said. Even though Zane’s flirting had made me a little uncomfortable, I couldn’t deny that it was nice to talk to someone about school. Dom had been more cordial this past week, but he was rarely home, and when he was, he kept things simple. The most I had learned about him was that he had gone to Harvard, shocker, and had wanted to be a lawyer.

“Do you have a lot to get done?” he asked. “Maybe we can work together. Might not be so bad being stuck in the library all weekend if I know I’m not the only one.”

I laugh. “Unfortunately, I was just getting ready to head out.” I began gathering my things. I had about an hour before I needed to get home, but Zane’s presence was putting me on edge, and I knew I wasn’t getting anything else done for the day.

“Oh, really?” Zane actually looked crestfallen, which I found a little odd.

“I have a wedding to go to tonight,” I said, grabbing the rest of my stuff. “I have to get home to get ready.”

“It’s only noon,” he said.

I shrugged. “These things take time.”

“Well,” he said, “I hope I’ll see you around.”

I nodded but didn’t say much. Zane seemed like a nice enough guy. He was the type of guy that I had spent years dreaming would come and sweep me off my feet. I’d always wanted someone to come and rescue me from the Bratva life. That wasn’t going to be the case though, and it was time that I accepted it. Dom was playing nice this week, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to do otherwise.

My parents had put me in a precarious situation, one that could leave me dead, and while I hadn’t decided exactly what I was going to do, I knew that I didn’t need to give Dom any reason to distrust me, and that included allowing a guy like Zane in my orbit.

Sighing, I texted my driver letting him know that I was ready to return home. Tonight would be the first time Dom and I stepped out as husband and wife, and though he hadn’t spoken about it since making me aware of the event, I knew that it was a big deal.

I prayed that I managed to be whatever he needed me to because the alternative potentially meant my death.

* * *

“Don’t look so tense,” Dom whispered in my ear. The feeling of his breath tickling my skin made me tense even more. “People are going to think that I’m dragging you here against your will.”

I tried to smile, but I was sure that it came out stilted. I felt incredibly nervous attending a Blanchi wedding with Dom because I knew that all eyes were going to be on us. I was also incredibly aware that as a Petrov I was the enemy, no matter who I was married to.

“Sasha.”

“I’m trying,” I muttered. “I’m not good at stuff like this.” It was true. My father had been very protective of me. He’d kept me hidden in our home, and unlike other girls in the family, I wasn’t expected to entertain. For years, I hadn’t cared, but now, I cursed myself for not learning how to do these things better.

“You look beautiful,” Dom said.

I felt my cheeks turn red. I didn’t know why I cared so much about Dom’s approval. “Thanks,” I said.

I had gone earlier this week and purchased the dress. My mother had packed a few ballgowns that looked more appropriate for a child than a grown woman. The dress I had picked out was fitted down the waist. It was covered in gold applique and showed just enough skin to be adult but not enough to be risqué.

“Is there anything that I should know?” I asked.

I had thought that Dom would prepare me to meet the rest of the Blanchi crew, but he hadn’t. We had had breakfast together every day this week, and he would drive me to class, but we rarely spoke about anything of merit, and now, I was feeling the discomfort of that.

“Just don’t mention your family,” he said.

I bit my lip to stop a sigh of frustration from escaping. “I’m not an idiot,” I muttered.

Dom’s grip on my arm tightened, and I knew that he was angry that I had dared to talk back to him. I didn’t care much though.

“I’m just trying to figure out what my role is here,” I told him, as he walked me through the doors of the Plaza and towards the room where the ceremony was being held. I could feel multiple pairs of eyes on us, and I wondered if they were Blanchi men, or if they were just random people admiring Dom’s physique.

I couldn’t ignore how good looking he was in his all black suit. He looked as dangerous as he was, and something about that made me remember the many orgasms he had given me.

“Your role is to be my wife,” he said. “Outside of that you don’t need to do anything else.”

“So be seen and not heard,” I said. “Got it.” There was anger in my voice. I had spent most of my childhood being told the same thing. A perfect wife was beautiful, gracious, and above all else, quiet. I don’t know why I had expected much more from Dom. Maybe it was because he had helped me take hold of my admission to Columbia, but it seemed that I could have been wrong.

“Sasha…” Dom released a groan of frustration, but before he could scold me an older man came forward stopping us from getting a seat for the ceremony.

“Dominic!” the man said, exuberantly. “So nice of you to join us.”

Dom’s grip on me tightened. “Lorenzo,” he said. His tone was cordial, but his body was stiff.

The man’s dark eyes shifted towards me. I did my best to look polite as he looked me up and down, no doubt doing an assessment of the Petrov Dom had been anchored to. “You must be Sasha,” he said.

He reached out and took my hand bringing it to his lips before laying a cold kiss on my flesh. I giggled uncomfortably at the action, and I knew I sounded like a stupid little girl.

“How charming that you two would choose my Francesca’s wedding as your first outing,” Lorenzo said.

His tone was jovial, but there was something about his eyes, which made me nervous. Though he was smiling, it didn’t quite reach those dark orbs of his, and I got the sense that despite his show of chivalry, he wasn’t happy with my presence.

“What better way to celebrate our union than to give our blessing over your daughter’s,” Dom said.

The authority in his voice was one I was familiar with, and from the way that Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed, he picked up on the fact that Dom thought he should be honored by our presence.

“This space is lovely,” I said, interjecting myself in between the two men. “Did your daughter choose the decorations herself?”

Lorenzo’s focus returned to me. “Francesca will be happy to hear that. I tried to talk her out of all these flowers. Who needs so many roses?”

I bit my lip to stop from laughing. Lorenzo might be a member of a dangerous mafia family, but he was also just a silly father at his daughter’s wedding, and I knew how to deal with papas.

“Well, it’s lovely,” I said. “And we are so honored to have been invited. I’ll have to be sure to thank Francesca personally.”

Lorenzo sputtered for a bit. He might not like me, but I was the wife of the Don, and my taking an interest in his daughter would be a boon in any other circumstance. I wasn’t dumb. I might have been naive, but I knew how things inside the families worked.

Women played a role. It might have been behind the scenes, but I had watched my mom influence the Bratva for years. She was arguably just as powerful as my father’s right hand.

“I’m sure that Francesca would be honored, right?” Dom asked.

My head swelled at his words. He was backing me up, which was a big deal. His words were adding legitimacy to my position as his wife.

Lorenzo swallowed before he answered. “I’m sure that she would be honored.”

Dom nodded.

For a moment, we stood there, no one willing to give up their position of power. Finally, Lorenzo realized that we were holding up the rest of the guests from getting to their seats, and he moved aside.

“Enjoy the wedding,” he said before allowing us to walk to our seats.

“That didn’t go as poorly as it could have,” I whispered.

Dom didn’t say anything. He simply led me towards a seat towards the front of the aisle. “Should we be sitting here?” I asked. Normally, the first row is reserved for family members, and though I didn’t know the makeup of the Blanchi family, given Lorenzo’s chilly reception, I was sure that Dom wasn’t technically family.

“I’m Don,” he said. “We belong at the front.”

I didn’t argue with him as I took my seat trying not to allow my discomfort to show. I could feel all eyes on me, and I immediately knew why Dom was determined that we sit up at the front. I was beginning to suspect that this entire thing was about being seen together.

Dom placed his arm across the back of my shoulders doing what he could to make it appear that we were a happy couple of newlyweds. I didn’t understand why though. If anything, his family would know that he had married me to stop the bloodshed that had taken place over the past few years between the Petrov’s and the Blanchi’s.

I stiffened as I felt him place his lips on my neck. My hair had been pulled into a fishtail braid over one side of my neck giving Dom easy access to the other side of my throat.

“What are you doing?” I hissed. My body was so tense that I swore a strong breeze would snap me in half.

“Relax,” Dom muttered across my skin. His lips tickled the outside of my ear, and I inhaled slightly. His touch was making me squirm uncomfortably in my seat. I hated how much a simple touch from him could cause me to melt.

“We are in public,” I hissed as one of his hands wrapped around my neck.

“I know.” Those were the last words he said before his lips were on mine.

Dom hadn’t really kissed me since the wedding day. When we had sex, he never kissed my mouth. I hadn’t really thought too much about it until he started to consume my mouth.

My arms automatically wrapped themselves around his neck, and my body immediately slackened as his tongue slipped inside of my mouth. I tried to stop the sound that came from inside of me, but I couldn’t. Dom had taken complete control over me with just a single kiss, and I couldn’t stop myself from giving in.

After what felt like an eternity, Dom finally pulled away from me, replacing his lips with his finger as he fixed the lipstick that had obviously been smeared across my mouth.

“There,” Dom said.

I blinked several times as I started to come to my senses. Before I could tell Dom off for kissing me so thoroughly in front of a room full of people, the processional music started drawing everyone’s attention away from the display Dom had just put on and towards the back door where the bridesmaids were coming down the aisle.

I thank God for the reprieve. I wasn’t sure what Dom was up to, but I didn’t like being the center of attention.

Thankfully, no one seemed to care about Dom and I as they watched the beautiful Francesca begin to make her way down the aisle. As she walked, her lovely dress trailing behind her, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the radiant smile on her face.

I glanced quickly at the groom who was standing at the top of the aisle. He had tears in his eyes as he watched his fiancé walk down the aisle.

It was clear to everyone that the two of them loved one another, and I felt myself tearing up as I considered how their marriage would differ from my own. I couldn’t even remember my wedding. I had been so emotionally distraught that I had blocked most of it out.

My lips trembled as I thought about the happiness that Francesca and her fiancé would have. I was happy for them, even though I didn’t know either of them. But I was also sad for myself.

I had spent my entire life dreaming of the type of love I was witnessing, but instead, I was married to a man who saw me as nothing more than a pawn in a war that had begun long before us.

My life hadn’t turned out the way I had always thought it would, and while I wanted to make the best of it, I wasn’t sure how I could. Because while I had thought that by giving up my life I would be saving many more, my mother had blown that up.

The thought of all that made the tears that had filled my eyes spill over, and before I could think too much about what I was doing, I jumped up from my seat and ran out of the room unable to watch as two people found happiness that I longed for.