Becoming His Wife by Hayley Faiman

Chapter Three

MACI

The truck pulls up to a warehouse. I’m surprised to see a black sedan parked to the side with two men in black suits standing there, leaning against the trunk. Looking between Eagle and Taz, I decide that they don’t look shocked to see the men or the vehicles, so they must know them.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I suddenly have reservations about all of this. I told Dragon that I would do anything, go anywhere, and now I’m wondering if I made the wrong choice, now that it’s in front of me and there is no way to back out.

“It’s all good, babe. That’s the boss and his driver,” Eagle announces.

That doesn’t make me feel any better. When the truck comes to a stop, the doors of the warehouse open and the pickup resumes forward and into the large metal building. Lifting my gaze to the rearview mirror, I watch as the two suited men follow the truck inside then the door is lowered and we’re all locked in the building.

My heart races, slamming against my chest with each passing second. Eagle and Taz open the doors and I stay in my seat. When Taz clears his throat, I look over to him. He grins, giving me a small wink, probably an attempt to ease my nerves—it doesn’t work.

“I’ll come and get you when they’re ready for you. Gonna talk to Santoro first.”

Nodding my head, I swallow but am unable to speak. The doors close and I’m left staring at my hands, twisting and turning them in my lap as I wait for my future. A future that could be a complete and total nightmare.

The men stand in a circle and I can see them talking. I know it’s about me, especially since one of the suited men keeps looking in my direction. He’s handsome, but terrifying. I assume that he’s the boss and the way he stares at me makes me feel completely nervous and on edge.

Eagle lifts his hand and motions for me to come toward them. I want to stay right where I am, snapped into the middle seat. I want to tell them never mind and I’ll be one of their whores, but I don’t.

I made this deal, I agreed to it, and I’m going to follow through with it. My parents may have fucked up the first nineteen years of my life, but I’m about to change all of that.

I’m not going to be a victim of my circumstances any longer. I’m going to make some decisions for myself and I’m going to play the cards that I’ve been dealt to the best of my advantage.

Forcing myself to move, I slide over and then open the truck door before I shift my legs over the side and climb down. With my back ramrod straight, I walk toward the group of four men. I can feel all of their eyes on me, watching me, taking me in—judging me.

“This is her,” a smooth deep voice announces. He isn’t asking me as much as he’s simply stating the fact that I am her.

Lifting my head, I look down my nose at him, trying to keep myself from turning into a trembling mess.

“I’m Maci Marshall,” I state.

He grunts, his gaze flicking over mine. He isn’t looking at me sexually at all, in fact, it’s clinical. As if he’s not even a man looking at a woman, but rather a man looking at an investment, because that’s exactly what I am.

“Too bad she did not appear a few weeks ago. I could have had the perfect position for her.”

The other man in the suit clears his throat. “That position has not officially been filled, Boss.”

He hums, taking a step closer toward me. He’s the boss, which I have a feeling holds a hell of a lot of weight around here. I did not expect men in suits, I expected to be handed off to men in leather and jeans. Men who looked exactly like the Donkey Punchers, Sinister Skulls, and Savage Beasts. I can assume that these men are connected in some way to the mafia, if I were to guess anyway.

I have a feeling that my false bravado is about to crumble into a million pieces.

“She would so nicely. Blonde, built,” he continues, then he pauses and arches a brow. “A virgin?”

I can’t stop my face from heating, and I know without a doubt that my cheeks are bright pink, if not red. Lifting my hands, I touch my cheeks and hate that they feel hot, and I’m embarrassed by the question.

“I am,” I whisper.

Both of the suited men chuckle. I don’t get the feeling that they’re laughing at me though. The way they watch me, I know that they are thinking and assessing what to do with me.

“What are your plans?” Eagle asks, his voice gruff.

I can’t look away from the man that has been referred to as the boss though. He’s really hot, the suit making him even hotter, I’m sure. I see the glint of his wedding ring in the light any time he moves his hand and I wonder what his wife is like. I bet she’s classy and gorgeous.

“It’s not your concern any longer,” he says, lifting his hand and waving it slightly.

“Santoro,” Taz growls.

The boss turns his head slightly and I watch as his lips twitch into a grin. “It’s not, but since you’re being insistent.” He chuckles. “Dragon asked me to give her choices, which is what I plan on doing.”

I love how the men talk about me as if I’m not standing in front of them. I don’t make a scene though, because I am at their mercy. I plan on playing whatever cards are to my advantage, however, I’m not naïve enough to think that I’ll be making any decisions at all.

“And those are?” Eagle asks.

The boss flicks his gaze over to me again, his eyes moving down my entire body, then back up again until his eyes meet my own.

“She can either be trained to be one of my call girls. Her virginity would be auctioned off and sold after her training. Then she would have a client list, men that have been vetted. She could work as a waitress in the casino, though she would be paying for her room and board, unlike being a call girl where that is provided for her.”

“Or?” Eagle demands.

“Or, if I can find someone, possibly I could broker a marriage.”

I gasp, taking a step back. Of all the things that could be offered, marriage was not something that I ever thought possible.

“Marriage or sidepiece?” Taz asks.

The boss chuckles. “You know us so well, perhaps you’re a cugino in a past life, no?”

Taz shakes his head, his gaze focused on the boss. There is a moment of silence while the men stare one another down. I don’t know exactly what is happening here, but it seems that nobody is going to finish the conversation, until the boss clears his throat.

“I have a guy that wants to marry one of my virgins. He has turned down all of them, settled on one and the wedding is in a few weeks.”

“But?” I ask, finally speaking up, far too intrigued, nervous, and almost even excited about what he’s going to say next.

The boss shifts his gaze to meet mine. “He doesn’t really want the woman he chose. Hasn’t met her, has only seen her picture, but I can tell he’s not that into her. He’s settling.”

“What makes you think it wouldn’t be the same with me?” I ask.

His lips curve up into a joker-like smile. “You’re exactly what he’s been looking for.”

The way he says it, I can’t stop the shiver of fear from sliding down my spine. I don’t know what he means by those words, but I don’t get an opportunity to ask.

The other suited man wraps his fingers around my bicep and drags me away from the group and out of the side door. He guides me into the back seat of the black sedan, then settles in the front seat and starts the car. I’m far too freaked out to ask even a single question.

TIZIANO

Closing my eyes,I bring the smoke to my lips and I let it fill me, holding it in before I release it into the room. A hand slides down my chest to my stomach and wraps around my flaccid cock. I hum, dipping my chin and opening my eyes to look down at the black hair in my view.

“Mia,” I hum. She lifts her head, her gaze finding mine and her lips press together. “No more after this, yeah.”

She releases my dick and rolls onto her back with a heavy sigh. “I said that last time,” she mutters.

Chuckling, I turn to the side before I reach out, wrapping my hand around her waist before I tug her body closer to mine. Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to her temple. We don’t kiss, not even when we fuck.

Mia doesn’t kiss on the lips, it’s a hard rule for her and I always take her feelings and boundaries into consideration, probably a reason she allows me to come to her bed more often than not.

“You did, but this time it’s for certain. The wedding is in just two weeks,” I say softly.

I’m stressed, worried that I’m making a mistake. I chose hastily and it’s too late to go back now. I can’t cancel the nuptials. I can’t do anything but accept the fate that I created for myself. I did this and there is no going back.

“I have faith that all will be as it is intended to be, Tiz.”

Her words are sweet, but they are just words. She is saying them to make me feel better. I have no doubt that she thinks I’ve made a mistake. She has no stake in the game though. She would never marry me or anyone else, not that I would ever ask.

As much as I enjoy Mia, we would never make a good life match. She needs someone who is either beholden to her that she has control over, or someone who allows her to live a completely free life, with no jealousies, and no expectations of a mafia wife. A man who can let her be what and who she needs to be.

She cannot be a boss’s wife, not even a boss who is just going to be one in the eyes of his men, but who answers to Gavino. She needs more than I could, or any regular Made Man could ever give her.

Arlo and Gavino give her what she needs, and they allow her complete and total freedom with her personal affairs. It would take someone special to tie her down to any type of committed relationship.

“What are you thinking?” Mia asks.

Grinning, I look at her. “That it would take someone really fucking special to tie you down.”

She smiles but doesn’t laugh. I notice that a shadow crosses her eyes and she shakes her head. “It would take a miracle,” she breathes. “I’m not getting tied down to anyone, ever.”

“Now you’ve gone and done it. Your wedding will be next.”

She snorts and bursts out into laughter just as my phone rings. Reaching across her, I grab the device from the nightstand. Frowning at the name, I slide my thumb across the screen before I lift it to my ear.

“Bianchi,” I murmur.

“Are you with Mia?” he asks.

Looking down to her, my eyes widen. “I am, but…”

He chuckles, interrupting my question. “I know what and who my employees do,” he announces.

Mia smiles, shaking her head and lifts her hand to cover her lips. I can’t help myself, I smile too as I push up to a seated position. I can’t believe he just said that to me, but it’s funny. I clear my throat and wait for him to finish saying whatever it is he called me about to tell me.

“I’ll be at the building in thirty. I have an offer you may like. Get dressed.” Gavino ends the call and I tilt my head to the side, pressing my lips together.

“What did the boss want?” Mia asks.

“He’ll be here in thirty. He has an offer I may like,” I say, repeating Gavino’s words.

“An offer?” she asks.

“I have no fucking idea, but I better get some clothes on. You too.”

Leaving her in bed, I roll out and walk toward the bathroom to start the shower. It doesn’t take us long to get ready. I’m far too preoccupied by what Gavino said to even attempt to fuck her again. Which is probably for the best, because he shows up in fifteen minutes, not thirty.