Married to the Mafia Boss

Vittoria

As I work through the contracts, my mind keeps returning to the shower and how he touched me. I’m not complaining. That was one of the most incredible sensations I have felt without a vibrator.

I hope he didn’t figure out this was my first time being touched by a man. God, I would be mortified if he found out I’m a virgin. He’ll probably laugh at the idea, and I don’t think I can handle that.

When Ivan pops his head into the room, I get a slight fright and then smile shyly.

“It’s dinner time. You can carry on tomorrow,” he says to me, motioning for me to follow him.

I shut down my laptop and make sure everything is neat and tidy for tomorrow. I follow Ivan to the dining room, and as we’re about to sit down, Anastasia pops out of her room and goes to him, kissing his cheek. “I’m going out partying with some friends. I’ll try not to be in too early.”

“Have fun, and please be careful,” Ivan says, looking at her meaningfully.

“I always am,” she sing-songs as she prances out of the apartment. I sit down at my seat and wait for Ivan to start eating before I start on my food. I’m pleasantly surprised at the everyday meals we eat, considering everyone who works here is Russian. Perhaps they’re just trying to accommodate me, I don’t know.

Ivan is quiet as we eat, and when he suddenly speaks, my head snaps to attention.

He chuckles, “you’re very jumpy.”

“Call it a character quirk. My brother would jump out at me a lot and scare the bejesus out of me,” I explain.

“I just wanted to know if you don’t miss going out. Don’t you miss spending time with your friends or partying?” he asks, cutting up his food.

I pick at my food. “I’ve never really been one to party. I don’t have any people I can really call friends, so I guess I just skipped that part of my teens.”

“You sound too old for a twenty-three-year-old,” he comments to me, and I smile broadly.

“Hardly. I’ve just always been the responsible one. Luigi was a golden child to my parents, and my sister became pregnant in college and got shipped off. No one really paid attention to me because I’ve always been independent and able to take care of myself.”

Ivan sets his cutlery down and looks at me pensively. “Why don’t I take you out to the theater then? There’s a beautiful Russian play on nearby. We won’t be out late.”

I feel so shy when he’s nice like this to me. “I… Okay, why not? That could be fun, though you might have to tell me what’s happening.”

“I will,” he says. “Change into something a little more formal, and we’ll get going. I just have a few business calls to make before we leave.”

I nod, and as soon as I’m finished eating, I select one of the dresses Arina purchased for me. The left shoulder is covered, but the right is bare. It clings to my figure, and at my hips, it flows out just a little. I put on high heels and some of the new jewelry.

When Ivan walks in to change, he pauses for a moment and drinks me in. I feel shy, but at the same time, I feel beautiful. I wait in the entrance hall while he changes, and when he comes out in a tuxedo, I’m floored. This man, my husband, is so damn sexy in so many ways. His salt-and-pepper hair and beard don’t bother me at all. In fact, I think he’s so much more handsome than some of the younger guys.

We arrive at the theater, and everyone mingling outside seems to know Ivan, respectfully inclining their heads in his direction as he escorts me up the stairs. A few females whisper to themselves as they look at me, and I feel more than slightly awkward.

Ivan isn’t bothered at all. He doesn’t even present tickets. He just sweeps me through the crowd and up some more stairs until we’re in a private box close to the stage. I look around and feel so out of place. There are other boxes with couples who I’m sure are more important than me.

Once everyone is settled, the play starts, and I’m immediately lost because it’s all in Russian. Ivan chuckles next to me, to my right, and leans in, whispering the story to me. The two lovers have known each other since childhood and always knew they would be together. The evil antagonist is a third person from their childhood who has always wanted the girl.

The play goes on about how the evil antagonist tries to get rid of the hero so many times until finally, he rises to a position of power and sentences the hero to exile in Siberia. The woman is distraught, so she kills the antagonist in the hopes that she will be exiled as well. Instead, she is hung for the crime, and when the hero returns from Siberia, he finds she is dead and impales himself on a sword.

I can’t help the tears that well up in my eyes as I listen to the detailed description of the story, and Ivan offers me a handkerchief to dab at my eyes. The final song of the play sounds so forlorn, and Ivan smiles. “It ends with two new lovers coming together and promising to love each other forever, even in death.”

I see to the side a third actor and ask, “Let me guess, it suggests history may repeat itself.”

Ivan shrugs nonchalantly. “Doesn’t all history?”

“I hope not,” I say quietly. “I hope they marry and are happy together.”

“I hope so, too,” Ivan says quietly. The curtain falls, and we stand up and join the loud applause echoing in the room.

We leave, and Ivan takes us to a private section where we can have drinks. We sit down at a private booth. He has vodka, Russian imported, and I have a glass of white wine.

“You seem incredibly shy for an Italian,” he comments. “The ones I’ve dealt with are generally outgoing and rather boisterous.”

“I just… I’m not a people person,” I say, sipping my wine. “What about you? Do you like mingling with people?”

“Back in the day, I was quite the player when I was younger. I had many lovers, not something I’m proud of now, but I stopped once I met Mila. Russian girls all wanted to date the heir to the Volkov family, but none understood what they were getting into. Mila did. She was amazing in every way.”

“She sounds wonderful,” I say, and I mean it.

Ivan gives me a sad smile, then clears his throat. “What about you? Any memorable past lovers?”

That blush instantly takes over my face, and I try to hide it behind a sip of wine.

“Um… well…” I obviously hesitate too long because his eyes widen.

“You haven’t been with anyone, have you?” There’s no judgment in his voice, but I still feel ashamed. I set my wine down and look away.

I feel his hand on my hand. “It’s okay. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has a first time, and I won’t lie; I’m turned on by being your first.”

I meet his eyes, and I can see he isn’t lying. There’s a lust in there that I’ve seen when he’s looked at me before. I swallow hard and fumble over my words, but he laces our fingers together. “I mean it. I’m glad.”

I give him a shy smile and finish my wine. “It’s been a long day of work. Would you mind if we go home now?”

He downs his vodka. “Yes, I need some rest myself now. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow.”

We walk out together, but Ivan lets go of my hand, hooking my arm through his instead. We get in the car, I sleepily rest my head against his shoulder.

All too soon, we’ve done our evening routine, and he’s once again holding me, spooning me, and I feel so safe in his arms that I doze off without complaint.

After breakfast, I’m back at the office working. I want to cram in as much as I can before church. There’s a knock at the door, and I glance up to see my brother there.

“Luigi! What are you doing here?” I ask, standing up.

“I brought some more paperwork from Frankie, and I thought it would be nice to drive us all to church today.” He grins at me.

I smile and take the paperwork, setting it down on the table. “Let me check if Ivan wants to come with us. Then we can all go. Wait in the entrance hall by Aleks.”

I hurry to the bedroom to find Ivan dressing for church. “Are you ready to go?” he asks.

“Actually, Luigi is here. He wants us all to go to church together. Are you keen?” I ask.

Ivan looks at me, puzzled, then shakes his head. “I should have been clearer. Now that you are my wife, you will attend church with me. That is how this works in our family.”

I pout slightly, disappointed, then ask, “Can we go to my family afterward for lunch?”

“We normally have lunch with my family at the restaurant after, but you can invite your brother, your sister, and her husband and child. That will be fine.” His tone is cold and final.

I nod, even more disappointed, but I try not to let it show as I hurry back to Luigi and explain the situation.

I see Anastasia walking past Luigi, and he greets her. She kind of waves him off, and he teases her. She leaves, and I walk up to him. “Don’t start with her. Listen, I have to go to Ivan’s church and have lunch with his family, but you, Kira, Miguel, and Raphael can come to the restaurant after church for lunch.”

Luigi glances around and asks, “Will his whole family be there?”

“Probably,” I say. “So I’ll see you guys there?”

“Yes, well, I’ll definitely be there. I’ll let you know about the others.”

He leaves, and I wait for Ivan so we can attend church. It’s different, but not different at the same time, although I definitely need to learn some Russian because I have no clue what is going on most of the time.

As we drive to the restaurant, I’m in the car with Ivan and Anastasia. We don’t speak in the car, and I must admit I always feel awkward around her.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Once we reach the restaurant, I see two cars I recognize and my family hovering outside. Ivan shakes Luigi and Miguel’s hands, and I hug Kira and Raphael.

Anastasia glances at Luigi when he greets her, but then she walks into the restaurant alone.

Ivan arranges everything in a way that I can sit with my family while still being beside him. He says they’re his honored guests.

The food is to die for. The meat is so tender it falls off the bone, the potatoes drip with rich gravy, and the vegetables are crisp and fresh. Everything is so good that most go for seconds.

I don’t talk much. Ivan talks to Miguel, and I can hear Luigi and Anastasia whispering to each other, almost bickering like a couple. I need to keep him away from her. This could be trouble.