Dating the Don (Savage Crime Lords #1)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

MAEVE

The Next Day

“Please, stop looking at me like that,” I ask as I thumb through racks of overly expensive clothes. I have no intention of actually purchasing anything. Not in a place like this. I don’t think Ada really wants to either. She prefers to wear only unreleased designs. Which is simple for her because she’s been a sample-size model her whole life. One of the most impressive runway careers that I’ve ever witnessed. Our talents have always gone hand in hand. She brings me home all of the stuff that they let her keep and I turn them into one-of-a-kind designs.

When Ada does choose to shop in stores, it’s couture or nothing.

Racks? Don’t know them. But it doesn’t stop us from looking everything over for hours on end.

We’ve always been close like this. Happy to just spend time together.

Which is why I know what’s going through her mind right now without her having to say a single word to me. She’s practically screaming her thoughts in my direction and I don’t have a good explanation about why I’m suddenly engaged to her brother. Cristiano was very, very clear about the fact that everybody needs to believe that our engagement is real. The ring on my hand is certainly proof enough for most.

“Why him?!” Ada blurts finally. “You hardly even like him! Don’t tell me that you two have been having a thing behind my back all of these years. I can’t take it. I can’t. I will revolt. I will cause a scene right here and right now in front of all these poor shopkeepers. You know I will.”

I do.

I sigh and anxiously shift my weight from one foot to the other. “It wasn’t planned… ” I begin. Which is true enough.

“Then what was it? I just, it’s so sudden and so much .” Ada crosses her arms over her chest and focuses on me. “It’s not that I haven’t always wanted you as a sister. Of course, I have. You’re just about the only woman that I’ve ever met that’s anywhere near good enough for my brother.”

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” I say.

“I just, I have so many conflicting emotions right now and I’m such a small person, I’m not meant to feel this many things at once!” Ada stomps her foot delicately. It’s so endearing when she does that. I know at the end of the day, all she wants is what’s best for me. She has always been my strongest supporter, no matter what I want to do.

“After your mother died…” Ada stops. She bites down on her bottom lip like she’s not sure if she wants to continue speaking. “I know it’s so selfish of me to say this but I had hoped that we could help you, you know? We could be your family. With your mom gone, we would just… I dunno, adopt you or something, but then my dad died and now I know what you felt and…” Tears well up in her eyes and she stops speaking to wipe them away. It’s over a week and she obviously still can’t mention her father without crying. I don’t blame her. I don’t even know how long it took for me to be able to say my mother’s name out loud. I still cry when I talk about her sometimes.

“I guess, I just assumed that was how you would join my family.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I disappointed you?” I mutter, feeling very small.

“No! That’s not it! It’s just, well, I’ve seen the women that flock to my brother. I’ve seen him ignore almost all of them. Certainly nothing longer than a night here or there. I just didn’t know it was because he was in love with you this whole time…” Ada concludes as if it somehow makes all of the crazy pieces fit together.

If only she knew the truth.

He certainly doesn’t love me. When Cristiano and I find out what’s going on with the Irish Mob and this whole ordeal is over, I’ll be little more than another notch in his bedpost.

The idea hurts more than it should.

I never imagined Cristiano taking the time to be with anyone. Not in a way that mattered. Even less with somebody that he wanted to be with. Cristiano taking a woman on a date? Not likely. I’m sure he’s capable but I just assumed that his marriage would be chosen for him. Something arranged to further the family’s position.

Though I guess this still technically counts as arranged. But he’s only doing it to save my life.

Emotion thickens in my throat and I turn away. “I’m not ready to talk about all of it yet,” I lie.

Ada hesitates for just a moment before nodding. She skips over beside me and links her arm to mine. “You absolutely cannot tell me about your bedroom antics. I don’t want to know. I would rather chop my ears off,” she pantomimes slicing her ears off with the flat part of her hand as she moves in closer.

I feel the heat in my face, blushing furiously and she crinkles her nose.

“I knew it. You filthy hussy. I knew it!” Ada shoves me playfully with her shoulder and then leans in closer. “But you know what we could have been doing this whole time then?”

From the devilish look on her face, I’m not entirely certain that I want to know…

“Dress shopping! You need a dress for your engagement party! I mean, I’m your maid of honor, right? Of course, I am. I’m going to help you with everything ,” Ada gushes. “Don’t look at me like that! I know you like to budget and keep things on the modest side and whatever, but we are going big this time, baby!”

I want to fight her on it but this means that she’s accepting it. I haven’t told her yet that Annalisa is completely against the whole thing. Conversations for later times.

Ada has us out of the store and down the street into some high-end boutique within moments. She saunters in like she easily owns the place while I hover awkwardly in the foyer.

“Good afternoon, ladies, what time is your appointment?” The impeccably dressed woman says by way of greeting. I notice that she doesn’t even look in my direction. No, she’s sizing Ada up. No doubt like any other fashion-minded woman she’s dressing up Ada’s lithe, tall frame like she’s a human doll to play with. Something that Ada very much capitalizes on.

She breezes over to the woman, a seductive smile on her face as she delicately leans over the small desk. “Appointment? We don’t need one.”

The woman, wholly transfixed by Ada’s presence, smiles softly. “W-well, it is policy…”

Ada’s gaze dips to the woman’s outfit, appraising her with an easy smile. “Can’t you just make an exception? I’m sure that my brother, Cristiano Dominio…”

The woman straightens instantly. There isn’t a single person in this area who doesn’t know the Dominio family is the true governing force. They own most of the damned town.

“And her fiancée, by the way…” Ada continues, tilting her head in my direction.

At last, the woman turns to look at me. She finds my humbleoutfitand worn-out shoes immediately lacking. I’m perfectly en vogue, so it’s offensive. Granted, my interpretation of the trend uses a slightly stronger color scheme than most. At least the woman working behind the counter is smart enough to keep her facestraight even ifshe finds fault with my appearance. Although I consider myselfconfident, I realize for the first time that Cristiano may have been rightin his statement that a mafioso's wife must have a specific appearance and behavior.

“O-of course Ms. Dominio,” the woman slides from behind the counter and heads to lock the door. Ada gives me a knowing smirk as if this sort of special treatment is just expected for people like her, or us now, I guess.

We head to the back dressroom and Itry on dress after dress. Ada comfortably relaxes on a white leather couch while enjoying champagne witha strawberry in theflute next to a platter full of sample cakes from local bakeries. Ada won’t touch them; she doesn’t usually do sugar, but I can’t stop throwing glances their way.

I wonder if Cristiano would like to try them?

The thought jars me. Why do I care what he wants? It’s not like we’re going to actually get married. This is all just for show. Yet, my mind is instantly zipping to the image of he and I naked, in bed, eating these cake samples.

Desire curls warmly in my gut, and starts to curl lower.

Ada snaps to break my daze. “Hello? Earth to Maeve?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t even want to know what you were just thinking about,” Ada grins wolfishly. “I still think the second dress was the best one.”

I let my hands run softly over the beaded bodice of the gown I’m wearing now. The second one was more of an a-line and I don’t love those. I don’t want to hide my hips. I want to look perfect. “I know you do, but none of them are….”

“Yours,” Ada finishes for me.

I nod. "I simply can't stop imagining how I would alter them or where I would decide to incorporate color.Like this one? I find the beading distracting. It is not what I would wear to that kind of event." I can feel the seams straining as I try to move, twirl, or even try to dance in it. I shake my head. “They don’t work.”

I sigh and sit next to her, careful not to spill any champagne on the dress. “My mom would have made me the perfect dress for it.”

Ada nods and pulls me into her arms for a hug. I let myself be cradled there, sipping champagne.

“I still can’t believe that somehow she’s caught up in all of this mess. I never would have guessed,” Ada sighs. “All of the memories of your mother that I have are just too gentle or sweet or… I dunno.”

“Yeah. I can’t see her having anything of interest to the Irish Mafia,” I agree, then look over my shoulder to make sure that nobody can hear us.

“Oh don’t worry about the staff, they are loyal to your fiancé. They would never breathe a word.”

Somewhat comforted, I turn back to the conversation at hand. “How can a random man know her name? Just by the initials? It feels like there’s something more there. And my mother never even sped or j-walked.”

Actually, putting it into that context, it does feel more suspicious. Why did she go through so much trouble to be a perfectly law-abiding citizen? Never sticking a single toe out of line? Never attracting attention to herself? Was she hiding in plain sight in the Dominio household?

“I always thought that it was weird that the whole time I’ve known you, nobody has ever come to visit you. I mean, sure, being the black sheep of a family is a real thing but… nobody? Not one single person? A distant cousin?”

“I’ve always known that I’m of Irish descent, as if the red hair and ruddy skin wasn’t enough of a telling feature, but I’ve been trying to remember if anybody Irish ever came by the house over the years. I don’t think so….” I finish the champagne and slowly savor the strawberry as we dwell on it.

“You should have had at least one grandparent somewhere that gave enough of a shit to come visit or something. It’s just weird. I say that with love.”

I push up off the couch and start unzipping the current dress. It hurts that she’s right. My mother was always so loving and generous that I never stopped to think that maybe it wasn’t normal that it was just the two of us. I never really wanted for anything despite always being aware that my life didn’t look anything like Ada’s. Even when I used to ask my mom about our family, she would always say the same thing. We are all the family that we will ever need.

What if that was just her way of protecting me from something much, much bigger than us?

Even still… maybe she was wrong. A supportive family would be a dream. I’ve always felt more comfortable in a unit.

Mom must have known something I don’t.

Something important.

My mind wanders as I try the second dress back on. I don’t like the cut but there’s potential, I guess. I can see the changes that I would make in order to turn it into something spectacular. Ada won’t let us leave until I have chosen a dress. There’s not even a damned tag on it so I know that however much it costs, I’m going to be sick about it. It’s going to clear out almost all of my savings. I’m positive about it.

I’ll just get this one and be done with it. I wonder if I would feel more excited if this were a real wedding.

I drape the dress over one arm and head out of the room to pay.

Only there’s nowhere to pay.

“Ready?” Ada grins.

“Just have to…”

“Oh honey, it’s being billed to my brother. You didn’t think I was actually going to let you pay, did you?” Ada grins. “I don’t think you can ever fight me on paying the bill ever again now that you’re marrying my brother.”

“Absolutely not. I still have my pride!” I protest.

“Can’t. Cristiano’s orders. My hands are tied.”

I grunt in annoyance. I know that this is a fight I can’t and won’t win.

“Whatever. At least say you’re coming with me to the fabric store so I can try to fix the thing.”

“Of course!” Ada leaned in close as she wrapped an arm around my waist. “That’s what maids of honor are for!”