Becoming His Wife by Hayley Faiman

Chapter Seven

MACI

Itry to school my features as I completely turn around to face him, but I know that he must see just how he affects me. My heart is racing at the sight of him standing there.

I have no doubt that he can see my heart beating in my chest. If he does, he doesn’t say anything, instead his eyes connect with mine and he doesn’t look away. I feel like everything else disappears.

The world is frozen and there is just us, in this moment, alone.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I try to break the trance and remember what Mia taught me about my new place. Taking a step toward him, I smile before I close the distance between us. Lifting my hand, I wrap my fingers around his bicep.

“Good evening,” I murmur, my voice low, soft, demure—or at least as demure as possible.

My words cause his body to jerk and he dips down, wrapping his hand around my waist before touching his lips to my cheek for just a moment. That second of contact is enough to light my entire body on fire.

“Good evening, zuccherino,” he murmurs against the side of my ear before he lifts his head.

His eyes sparkle as he looks down at me, his hand still wrapped around my waist and once again I’m completely lost to him. I force myself to give him a shaky smile, unable to look away, wishing that I could feel more of him against me—all over me.

The older gentleman standing next to Tiziano clears his throat and it breaks the spell. Tiziano releases me and turns to the man before he flicks his gaze back to meet my own.

“Maci, this is my father, Tussio Bianchi.”

Stepping away from Tiziano, I stand in front of his father and extend my hand. He shakes his head before he reaches forward and envelops me in a hug. He roughly hauls my body against his and squeezes the breath out of me as his lips touch my cheek.

When he releases me, he grabs a hold of my biceps and squeezes me tightly as his watery eyes focus on mine.

“Bellissima,” he cries.

Then he looks over to Tiziano and speaks rapidly in what I assume is Italian. He releases my biceps before he takes a step back. Tiziano responds to him, and he dips his chin before he turns around and walks away.

I am so confused. I don’t know exactly what has happened, Tiziano doesn’t explain it either, he takes a step toward me, then past me, before he walks over to Gavino and Luciana. I stand behind him a few steps, watching him interact with them.

He has suddenly forgotten my existence. He keeps his back to me, talking to both of them, meanwhile, Luciana’s gaze flicks over his shoulder to me a few times, but I know that she won’t say anything, not in public at least. I learned that from Mia.

In public, which honestly means in the eyes of anyone at all, I am to never make any type of scene. I am to be seen and not heard. I am to be nothing other than arm candy unless I’ve been spoken to and am required to respond.

I do not exist.

I thought that she was ridiculous at first, but now I realize that she wasn’t. Now that Tiziano doesn’t have me in front of him, in his direct gaze, I cease to exist. I stay just behind him, afraid to say or do anything at all.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I wait and wonder if this is truly going to be my future. I have a feeling that it is, that I was right when I said that I would be locked away from the rest of the world.

“Maybe Maci has an opinion on it?” Luciana calls out.

My entire body jerks and Tiziano steps to the side, possibly realizing that I’m not in the circle that they’ve formed, that he’s completely shut me out of it. Shaking my head, my eyes are wide as I look at Luciana. I have no opinion, because I wasn’t listening.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear,” I say, my face feeling hot from the words and no doubt it’s turned pink as well.

Luciana smiles and shakes her head. “Oh, it wasn’t anything really,” she offers with a small smile.

I return her smile with one of my own, because I realize that she was doing exactly what I thought and bringing me into the conversation without telling Tiziano he was being a dick. My breath hitches when I take a step forward and Tiziano slides his hand around my hips.

His fingers skim my bare lower back and as much as I try, I can’t stop the goose bumps from breaking out all over my skin. If he notices, he doesn’t act like it. His thumb moves ever so slightly against my side, skimming my skin in a rhythm that makes me feel faint.

I’m not invited into a conversation again for the rest of the evening, which is okay with me because I don’t know any of these people or what they’re talking about. Instead, I sip on a glass of water and people watch.

Everybody is equally gorgeous and handsome, even the older couples. The men are all wearing complete suits, the women dressed much like me in evening gowns. I have a feeling that this is the norm for a party and that I’m in over my head. I am not educated or classy. I don’t fit in at all. Maybe it’s best that he locks me away in a tower somewhere after the wedding.

“Are you hungry?” Tiziano murmurs, his lips brushing the shell of my ear.

Turning my head slightly, I look up at him, wondering why after hours he’s decided to even speak to me. I watch him for a moment and shake my head slightly.

“No, I’m okay,” I lie.

I’m starving. Mia has been so busy helping me, teaching me, then she had a team of people come in and make me up, she forgot to feed me today. There is no way for me to get my own food, so unless she brings me something, I don’t eat.

He watches me for a moment and must believe me because he nods his head once, just slightly. “You have everything ready for the wedding,” he says. It’s not so much of a question as it is more of a statement.

“Mia has been helping me,” I say.

A funny look crosses his face, one that I can’t read before he schools his features. He clears his throat, then shifts to the side, his hand around my waist, and guides me toward a group of people.

“These are my top men and their wives. You’ll see them in and out of the house, so you will need to get to know them, remember their faces and names,” he announces.

“Tiziano,” I call out before we approach the group.

He stops, turning his head slightly, looking down his nose at me. “Maci?”

“I don’t think I can do any of this.”

“Any of this?” he asks, his tone sharp and unyielding, almost bitter and definitely angry.

Inhaling a deep breath, I nod my head before I let the breath out. “I’m not classy. I’m not very smart, and all of these people are all of those things. Mia says that I am a direct representation of you and while I don’t even really know what you do, I can’t make a good impression if I’m not those things that you need me to be.”

Tiziano doesn’t speak right away, instead his lips curve up into a small smile. He tugs me a bit closer to him, and I feel his front pressing against my own. Tilting my head back, I lift my hands and place them against his chest.

“You’re just fine, Maci. All that stuff, it comes in time. You’ll learn,” he murmurs, dipping his chin before he touches his mouth to mine.

The conversation is over. Our kiss has sealed whatever deal he needed it to. He turns us toward his men and continues to walk in that direction, then he introduces me to his top men. I will never remember their names or even their faces. There are far too many of them, but I smile and greet them anyway.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Apparently, Tiziano thinks that everything I need to know, need to be, will come in time. I don’t want to tell him that it’s probably not going to ever happen. So, I smile. I fake it and I hope that he falls in love with me before he realizes just exactly who and what I am.

TIZIANO

The evening is at a close,and I’ve yet to taste my future wife. Having her body close to mine, her scent drifting to me every so often has me completely on edge. Looking around, I notice that most of the couples have either headed out together, or the women have gone. The room is suspiciously full of more men than women.

Gavino heads in my direction, alone, which means that he’s sent Luciana off, because when they are together, they are never far from one another. When he arrives at my side, he clears his throat.

“The poker tournament is about to begin,” he announces.

I hadn’t known that there would be one. Jerking my head, I look over and notice that a few waitresses have appeared. Not just any waitresses, but the normal ones for this place, dressed as they typically do with everything barely concealed.

“Mia can escort your fiancée back to her apartment for the evening,” Gavino announces.

Squeezing her waist with my fingers, I think about allowing her to stay, but I’m not sure I wish to explain in detail what exactly this place is or who I am just yet. She probably can assume that I’m in an industry that is somewhat secretive, but I don’t think she knows for sure what I do, what these men do.

Touching my lips to her temple. I tell Maci good night and that I’ll see her again soon. Releasing my hold on her, I turn and walk away, leaving her alone. Gavino joins me and together we make our way toward a card table in the back.

“She did well tonight,” Gavino announces after we’ve settled into our seats.

I hum, unsure if he’s correct. Mia told her no doubt to shut her mouth and be an armpiece. I’m not sure I would consider that doing well. But she did follow directions, so there’s that. If nothing else, she can be obedient.

“She followed Mia’s orders,” I say.

Gavino doesn’t say anything right away, but I can feel his gaze on me and once we finish this hand, he lets out a grunt. “This is something you don’t want?” he asks.

Looking over to him, I inhale a deep breath before letting it out. “Yes, no, I don’t know. I don’t want a blowup doll. I want someone who has a voice.”

“As long as it’s not too loud?”

Shrugging a shoulder, I look down at my hand. “I suppose,” I murmur.

“Luciana has a voice. Maybe some people don’t think she does, but trust me when I tell you that she does. All of the wives do, and I think that Maci will find hers as well. She’s been thrust into this situation with no preparation. She isn’t famiglia, doesn’t know anything about us, yet.”

I feel as though his explanation should be enough for me, but I’m not sure that it is. I thought that I wanted this, wanted a woman who was mine to own. A woman who couldn’t leave, who would just take what I give her and be unable to ask for anything in return.

Now that I have it, I’m not sure it’s what I want.

Fuck.

Focusing on my cards, I don’t say anything back to him. I’m wondering if I made a mistake by choosing her, by choosing someone who was not famiglia, who didn’t know the way we worked. Maci knows nothing about the life, unlike Luciana and most of the other women, she doesn’t even know the basics.

“You’re thinking too much. This is going to be good, Tiz. This is what you wanted.”

Gavino is right. This is exactly what I wanted and seeing my father so happy earlier, it was worth almost anything in the world.

“I should have chosen someone within the famiglia.”

Gavino clears his throat. “You could have, but you made it very clear, cugino. You made it crystal clear that you wanted someone you could own. Someone who could never leave you.”

“Famiglia can’t leave, either,” I point out.

Gavino chuckles, his gaze flicking over to meet my own. “No, I suppose they can’t. But you also didn’t want anyone who reminded you of your mother or Luisa.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “Maci is most definitely nothing like them.” I chuckle.

Gavino’s lips curve up into a grin. “That’s true enough.”