Arranged Mafia Marriage

Christian

A clanging sound fills the space. I walk over to the speaker in the wall from which the sound emerges, just as it fades away. “Dinner is served,” a voice hollers from it. It’s Gino, no doubt. I wince as I depress the button on the panel, cutting off the sound. Silence descends. Grazie al cazzo! Thank fuck. If that’s how we are going to be summoned for meals, I will have to speak to Nonna about it.

There’s a brief knock on the main door of the chalet before it’s pushed open. Massimo’s frame fills the space before he steps in.

“Dinner is-”

“Served.” I grimace. “I know; I heard.”

“Doubt anyone missed that.” He chuckles.

“Glad you find it funny.” I rub the back of my neck.

“You have to admit, it’s an effective way of grabbing our attention.”

“What-fucking-ever,” I growl.

I returned to my chalet after my grandmother almost walked in on me stuffing my cock down my fiancee’s throat. Of course, I knew that it would have to be quick when I pushed her down on her knees… What surprised me, though, was the ardor with which she thew herself into the job. She sucked me off, wrung me dry, closed that hot mouth of hers around my swollen cock, and all thought flew from my head. At that moment, I wouldn’t have cared if all of my brothers had walked in on us, though that might have been less embarrassing than having my grandmother find us. On the bright side, we were done by the time Nonna walked in, though she still found us kissing. Hopefully, she assumes it was a romantic gesture on my part, or some such shit. No doubt, she thinks that I can’t keep my hands off of my fiancee. Which is true. And she’s your fake fiancee, remember?

“You seem to be upset about something, fratellino.”

“Me, upset?” I growl. “What gives you that idea?”

“I don’t know; maybe because when I walked in, you were scowling at that speaker like you were going to rip it out of the wall and jump on it.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“I was only kidding.” Massimo smirks. “But if that helps you get rid of some of the frustration that you are, no doubt, harboring inside, then be my guest.”

“Frustration?” I draw myself up to my full height. “You trying to tell me something, amico mio?”

“It’s no secret that Nonna has thrown a wrench in your plan.”

“And what plan is that?” I ask in a low voice.

“The one where you try to seduce your fiancee before your marriage.”

“Like you haven’t slept around?”

“I’m not going to marry any of them.”

“You mean to say when you choose your bride, you’re going to consummate your marriage on the wedding night?”

“You bet; it’s how things are done in the Mafia, isn’t it?”

“Next, you’ll tell me that you’re going to marry a virgin.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t expect your fiancee to be a virgin.”

“Don’t talk about her.” I frown.

Massimo blows out a breath. “Look, it was different for Michael-”

“So everyone keeps saying.”

“He was out to get revenge for Karma’s father selling us out, but you, you’re marrying a nice Sicilian girl-”

“Who’s spent enough time away to speak like she was born British,” I interject.

“Besides the point.” Massimo rocks back on his heels. “If you had any sense, you would have eloped with her, but since you didn’t…”

“Hold on-what did you say?”

“That you don’t have enough sense?”

“After that.”

“That you don’t have enough sense?” He smirks.

“You said that I should have eloped with her-” I stroke my chin.

“Now, now…” Massimo holds up his hands. “You know Nonna is looking forward to a traditional church wedding.”

“Well, Nonna can satisfy that desire with you.”

He blanches.

“Come on, Massimo, you just said that you were ready to marry a virgin in an arranged Mafia marriage.”

“Because I know the importance of having a good willing woman at home who can bear my babies and keep the house-”

“While you spend your time being a tough Mafioso with a few sidepieces, no doubt?”

“There have to be some benefits of being in this life.”

“Didn’t think you would be this chauvinistic.”

He throws his head back and laughs that full-belly laugh that emerges from the pit of his stomach. “You should speak, brother. You, who all but held your bride-to-be captive and, no doubt, forced her to agree to marry you.”

“Only to get Nonna and the rest of you off my back when we finally break up,” I murmur under my breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. Fuck.” I drag my fingers through my hair. “Why are we talking here, anyway? Shouldn’t we be heading out for dinner?”

“I know you’re trying to change the subject,” Massimo narrows his gaze on my face. “I’ll let you get away with it, this time.”

There’s another knock, and Seb pops his head through the doorway. “You guys coming for dinner?”

I glance across the table to where my fiancee is seated opposite me. Flower wears a soft pink dress that lends a rosy hue to her cheeks. Her thick hair curls about her shoulders, and she pushes away at a strand that falls over her cheek. The yellow sapphire on her finger catches the glow of the light from the candle flame on the table between us.

She throws her head back and laughs at something that Sebastian murmurs to her. The seating at the table was arranged by Nonna. She explained that it would change for every meal so that we’d have a chance to be seated with a different family member and get to know each of them over the next few days. Which also means that she has no intention of ever seating me and Flower together, which is going to be a problem.

“So, you really do have feelings for her, hmm?” Luca’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

I raise my glass of wine to my mouth and drink from it. “How much have you had to drink, asshole?” I mutter.

“Not as much as you, clearly.” He indicates the almost empty bottle of wine next to me. I had grabbed it from the center of the table and decided to hold onto it. It may be the season of sharing, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to miss the opportunity to try to drown out the confusion in my head with alcohol.

I knock back the rest of the wine in the glass, then place it back on the table.

“Probably not a good idea to get drunk either,” he cautions.

“Least I can do, considering I have been relegated to trying to sneak in meetings with my own fiancee.”

Luca chuckles. “Never thought I’d see the day when you’d be beaten at your own game. And what makes it even worse is she’s a woman of eighty.”

“Not sure what she is punishing me for or why she is so insistent that everything be done according to tradition. I swear, she’s probably just trying to make it as difficult for me as possible to get a good night’s sleep.”

“You could, of course, come out with us tonight to the nightclub.”

I scowl. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

“Figured you’d want to spend time with your woman like Michael here, but since you do not,” he smirks, “might as well cut your losses and come with us, huh?”

Two of the staff clear our dinner plates, then a clinking sound reaches us. Seb and I look up to find Nonna tapping her glass with a knife. “May I have your attention, please?”

The noise dies down and everyone glances at her, “I am so happy to see my family all together for the holidays. I know, it’s been a challenge for you boys to get your heads around why I wanted this event to take place, but I’m so pleased that all of you could make it.”

“Of course, Nonna,” Michael murmurs. “You are the oldest in our family, so your word is law.”

Nonna chuckles. “It’s generous of you to say so, Don Sovrano,” she tilts her head, “but I’ll accept the compliment.”

“Not just an empty compliment.” I raise my glass. “We’ll always prioritize your wishes before anything else.”

“Why thank you, Christiano.” She smiles at me. “I know, at heart, you boys are committed to this family, that you’ll prioritize the good of your brothers before anything else. It’s what makes our family strong and able to combat any challenge from any outsider.” She glances around the table. “I don’t know if I’ll be here to see another Christmas, so-”

A ripple runs around the table. I open my mouth to protest, and she raises a hand. “I know, I know. God willing, I’ll be here for much longer than that, but at my age, you take each day as your last day, so…” She places her glass and knife on the table. “I wanted to make this post-Christmas celebration special.”

As if on cue, Cassandra walks in, pushing a trolley laden with gifts. She pauses next to Nonna.

“Thought you said you didn’t want us to have any gift-giving this year, Nonna?” Michael interjects.

“I changed my mind.” Nonna raises her shoulder, “I think I’m allowed at my age, eh?”

“Bull-fucking-shit,” I whisper to Luca. “She planned this all along.”

“Of course, she did,” Luca says from the corner of his mouth. “But he’ll let Nonna get away with it.”

Cass walks around the table and places a gift in front of each one of us. Then she pushes the trolley to the side and takes her seat at the table.

Nonna raises her hand. “Open your gifts, please.”

I glance down at my gift, then at Aurora, who looks up at me. Our gazes clash. Her champagne eyes sparkle in this light. Her features are flushed; her hair gleams with a healthy shine. She looks relaxed and so damn beautiful. A hot sensation stabs at my chest. She holds my gaze a second longer before turning away. She reaches for her gift, unwraps it, and holds up a bracelet. The light bounces off the simple but elegant design.

“Nonna,” she gasps, “it’s beautiful.”

“And so is this.” Karma holds up a chain with a teardrop black diamond as the pendant.

“Both are family heirlooms,” Nonna smiles, “and they’ll look much better when they are worn than being kept in the family safe.”

“Oh, my god,” Theresa breathes. She stares at a box with something like reverence. “These are very expensive tulip bulbs.” She looks at Nonna with tears in her eyes. “I never thought I’d be able to afford them.” She jumps to her feet and runs around to hug Nonna, who looks taken aback. She pats Theresa on her shoulder.

“There, there, use them to grow your florist business.”

“I will.” Pressing a kiss to Nonna’s cheek, Theresa all but skips back to her seat.

“What did you get, Cass?” Aurora turns to where Cass has torn open an envelope and is holding up a sheet of paper.

“It’s a one-week all-expenses-paid vacation to a hot springs spa,” Cass murmurs.

“Not just any spa; the best spa in all of Europe.” Nonna sniffs. “You didn’t think I’d let you go anywhere else, did you?”

“Thank you, Nonna.” Cass beams. “I am going to enjoy myself.”

“You bet you will.” Nonna turns to us. “Boys, you haven’t opened your gifts yet.”

I open the wrapping paper and find a pair of cufflinks. The design is the Sovrano crest, the metal slightly worn with age. I glance around to find each of my brothers have received a similar pair.

“Some of them belonged to your grandfather and others to his father.” Nonna’s voice softens. “Your grandfather loved wearing them and had them created at different times in his life. I know that, other than Michael and Massimo, the rest of you don’t often wear cufflinks, but I hope this will inspire you to remember your family’s legacy.”

“You didn’t give these to our father?” I ask.

Nonna’s features shutter. “It didn’t seem right.” She firms her lips. “Oh, I tried to bring myself to give them to him, but somehow…” She shakes her head. “Somehow I couldn’t.” She glances around the table. “Now I know why that was so; I was saving them for my grandsons. I know you will all make me proud.”

“And now, it’s our turn.” Michael rises from his seat and walks over to Nonna. He pulls out a package from the inside of his coat pocket and holds it out to her.

“What is this?” Nonna glances up at him.

“This is from all of us.”

“Hmph.” Nonna frowns. “I did say, no gifts.”

“You didn’t think we were going to let you gift us all and not get something in return.”

“At my age, I do all the giving.” She laughs. “But if you insist-”

“I do.” Michael’s lips curve.

“So do I.” I thump the table with my palm.

“And I!” Seb pipes up.

“And I,” the others echo our words.

A blush steals over Nonna’s face. “You children…” Her throat moves as she swallows. “You shouldn’t have.” She accepts the package from Michael.

“Go on,” I urge her, “open it.”

“Yes, open it,” Aurora adds. We glance at each other, and once more, our gazes catch and hold. How is it that she fits so easily into my life and with my family? How is it that she seems so right where she is… Well, it would help if she were seated closer, but there’s something to be said about being able to look across the table and see her. It puts her just out of reach, and that makes it so much more exciting. As if she’s caught the train of my thoughts, Aurora flushes; she looks over to where Nonna unwraps the package.

“Oh,” she folds her palms together, “it’s beautiful.” She laughs. “I can’t believe you got this for me.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Wear it, wear it.” Theresa literally jumps up and down on the chair in excitement.

“Should I?” Nonna glances around the table? “Should I really wear it?”

“Yes!” Karma claps her hands together. “You should.”

“You absolutely should,” Aurora agrees.

Nonna picks the tiara from out of its box and holds it up. The light shines through the gaps between the delicate filigree work. “It’s gorgeous,” she whispers.

“May I?” Michael takes it from Nonna and places it on her head. “Every queen should have one.” He bends and kisses her cheek. “You look magnificent.”

Nonna’s chin wobbles. “You children are going to make me cry.”

“No, don’t cry.” I raise my glass. “To Nonna.”

Michael walks back to his seat and raises his glass of prosecco. “To Nonna.”

“To Nonna.” The others raise their glasses.

We down our drinks just as Gino bursts into the room with Andy. He all but drops the cat on the floor, and the animal hisses at him before walking toward Karma, who picks him up.

“Someone, please keep that beast away from me,” Gino snaps. He turns to leave, then glimpses the tiara on Nonna’s head. “Like she didn’t already have a big ego.” He sniffs, then turns to leave.

There’s silence, then we all burst out laughing.

“A-n-d, never let it be said that family can’t put you in your place.” She chuckles. “Thank you.” Her eyes shine. “Thank you, everyone. I will always treasure this tiara and this memory.” She takes in everyone’s faces as the staff bustle in with the dessert.

“Eat up,” Luca turns to me, “so we can get to the nightclub.”