Becoming His Wife by Hayley Faiman
Chapter One
MIA
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
I’ve come to terms with being on the run, and the fact that either Gavino is glad to have me gone or he just doesn’t give a shit about me. I know that he could find me in a heartbeat, it’s not like I’m that great at hiding. He just doesn’t want me and I think that hurts the most.
Sliding the beer across the bar, I give the customer a flirty smile. He gives one right back. I can’t believe that I’ve gone from being in charge of a stable of high-class call girls that were making tens of thousands of dollars a night to being a waitress in a run-down titty bar serving drinks to equally as run-down men.
At least I don’t dance on the stage, I tell myself… yet.
The rest of the evening goes as it usually does. Men leer, they tip poorly and drink beer often. Actually, aside from not dancing on the stage, the other upside of this job is that these men don’t ask for anything mixed to drink—beer on tap is their go-to which makes my job easy as hell.
At the end of the night, once all of the customers are gone, I go about cleaning the bar. I try to keep a fairly clean space during my shift so that I don’t have to spend hours after work cleaning and not getting paid.
Something, a sensation, a feeling, I’m not sure exactly what to call it, but something slithers down my spine when I’m throwing my purse over my shoulder. My back is to the front door so I spin around, anticipating seeing someone standing there, but there’s nothing.
Inhaling a deep breath, I let it out with a heavy sigh that turns into a yawn. Shaking off the weird feeling, I make my way toward the front door. I only live a couple blocks away from the club. It’s not the best side of town, but I’ve been in worse.
Hitching my purse over my shoulder, I walk down the quiet street. It’s well after four in the morning. All of the shady characters are passed out and the people that work aren’t awake yet. It’s the perfect time to walk home, it’s complete stillness.
Once I’m at my front door, I slip my key into the lock and turn it. My house isn’t so much an actual house. It is one bedroom, a living room, a microscopic kitchen, and a bathroom. Nothing fancy at all. I can almost extend my arms and touch every wall if I turn in a circle.
“Mia,” a deep voice murmurs.
Lifting my hand, I cover my mouth and scream into my hand. The man chuckles as I reach behind me and flip on the light. It’s Gavino. Fucking Gavino sitting in my living room.
“What the fuck?” I hiss.
His lips curve up into a grin. “Have you had adequate time to lick your wounds, Mia?” he asks.
Narrowing my gaze on him, I cross my arms just beneath my breasts and press my lips together. I don’t want to say anything, if I open my mouth, I just might beg for him to take me back.
I just might beg him to pick a husband for me. I just might admit to him how much I miss him and Arlo. How much I miss the call girls, how much I miss the men that we had started utilizing for hire.
He chuckles adjusting in his seat. “Mia. You’re being ridiculous. I left you alone for over a year and a half. I can’t leave the D’Amore famiglia without a leader any longer. You need to come home.”
“If I say no?” I ask. “If I refuse to be part of the D’Amore famiglia?”
“I’m offering a chance for you to be a boss.”
“How can I be a boss if I’m married?” I sneer.
His lips curve up into a grin. “Okay, maybe not a boss, but a partner. The contract would give you fifty percent control of the famiglia. You’ll make decisions just as your unnamed husband will.”
“I want one-hundred-percent control and no husband,” I snap.
He shakes his head slowly. “You know that I cannot do that.” There is a long pause, then he clears his throat. “Mia, don’t be foolish. I’ve taken care of your situation. By the way, this running away stunt could have had you put in jail as a goddamn flight risk. I took care of that, now you take care of me.”
I can see his face turning red as his anger begins to consume him. I shouldn’t be arguing with him. I should be grateful and bending over backward for him. Without Gavino, I would just be another whore.
“Which of your men do you have in mind?” I ask softly.
“I don’t, Mia. I have none of my men in mind, because I honestly don’t think that any of them would be good enough for you.”
Narrowing my eyes on him, I tilt my head to the side. “So?”
“There is someone I do have in mind. He’s a good man, he’s a Capo and very trusted.”
“One of D’Amore’s Capos?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, he’s from Italy.”
ELIO
The plane landsand I can’t help but notice that the sky is just a little brighter here in New York, or maybe it’s me that is a little brighter. I feel as if a heavy load has been lifted from my shoulders.
Sure, I thought that I loved Giorgia. I didn’t. I lusted after her, she lusted after my money, but as soon as she found out who I really was, she ran. She was not willing to live the life of a Made Man’s wife.
Tiziano smiles as he looks around the dinner table. He has a life worth living, this man here in front of me. Two years ago, he was nothing but a shell. He didn’t know who he was, all he knew was that he needed to marry in order to take over his famiglia, but he wasn’t confident in who he was.
Today he’s confident, in control, and a goddamn great boss.
“What happens now?” he asks after hearing my story of loss, though losing Giorgia wasn’t so much of a loss as it was a relief. At least, now that I look back. At the time, I was sure that I would not find another to keep.
“Gavino has asked to meet with me in person, tomorrow before the party.”
Tiziano arches a brow. I shrug a shoulder. “Not sure what he wants, but he’s made it clear that he would like a sit down with me.”
There is a moment of silence, then Tiziano chuckles. “Knowing Gavino, it could be anything, big or small, or it could be absolutely nothing. Is it why you finally came here, to meet with him?” he asks.
Pressing my lips together, I roll them a few times. “No, although I can’t deny that it was a factor. In reality, we wanted to see you, timing had been shit. Something kept happening, we finally had a quiet moment and Gavino called me.”
“I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s only partially because of me,” Tiziano chuckles.
We finish dinner, then load up into the car that takes us to our hotel. It doesn’t take me long to fall asleep, travel, good food, good wine, and laughter is exactly what I needed to calm my soul.
“Elio,” Aldo calls out.
I hum, my eyes closing. “I feel good about being here.”
“Me, too.”
