Her Mafia Brothers

Welcome to Womanhood

Jack sighed. "Talk to me sweetheart," he pleaded.

I shook my head. I didn't want to talk to Jack. I didn't want to talk to any of my brothers. I didn't know who I wanted to talk to. Maybe I didn't want to talk to anyone at all. Maybe I just wanted this whole thing to go away.

"Will you talk to Alex or Damon?"

Again, I shook my head. But it was too late, because Alex appeared in the doorway. I don't know if Jack had texted him or what; maybe it was telepathy.

"Stand up Carrie," he told me firmly. Not stern, just firm. In the tone of voice that meant do it now, do not disobey me. And so I did.

Alex grasped my shoulders and spun me around slowly, and I could feel both his and Jack's eyes on me. I closed my eyes, nearly dying of embarrassment. It was obvious what they were doing, and what they could see. I wanted to sink through the floor. Why did floors never open up and swallow us whole when we needed them to?

"Do you have the products you need?" Alex asked me gently.

I shook my head but remained silent. I didn't want to discuss this. I wanted to be left alone.

"Do you know how it all works? Your body?" Alex's voice trailed off, he was obviously as awkward with this topic as I was. But he wasn't anywhere near as embarrassed as me. I couldn't even open my eyes to look at my brothers, I was so ashamed. So I just stood there and shook my head.

Jack started to talk, maybe to explain, but I cut him off.

"I don't want to talk about this with you!" I shouted at him. "It's bad enough that I live in a house full of men! I don't want to discuss the intricacies of my body with you all as well!"

"Hey!" Alex growled sternly, shutting me up. "I know this is uncomfortable for you, but you will still treat us with respect at all times," he reminded me. "You're not in trouble this time, or for slamming your door - because there are obviously extenuating circumstances. But this is your one and only free pass, got it?" He took hold of my chin and forced me to look up at him and I nodded.

"Yes," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes and trickling down my cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumb and smiled at me sympathetically.

"Will you talk to Anna?" Jack asked.

I hesitated for a moment. I didn't know Anna very well, but she had to be the better option than my brothers, surely?

Then I gave a quick nod. "Yes," I confirmed.

"Okay. I'll go ring her." He left the room, closing my bathroom door behind him.

Alex wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry we didn't have the forethought to put some supplies in here for you. We're not used to teenage girls. But I will let our head housekeeper know to keep your bathroom stocked up. We will always provide for you everything that you need, okay?"

He brushed my hair, damp with my tears, back off my face and kissed my forehead again. "I'm so sorry we didn't have what you needed all ready for you, sweet girl. I'll make sure that doesn't happen again."

Because I was so mortified, I decided to change the subject.

"Where's Damon?" I asked. "Is he still with Logan?"

"Yes, and the doctor," Alex confirmed. "Logan is going to be pretty sure for a few days. Nick broke two of his ribs."

I gasped and looked at Alex in horror. I couldn't believe how badly Nick had hurt my littlest big brother.

"Is Nick in trouble?" I asked, because I didn't really know what else to say. Part of me felt guilty; I knew I was partially responsible for Logan getting hurt.

"You don't need to worry about that," Alex told me.

"But that's not fair!" I exploded. "Damon spanked me with my hairbrush when I kneed Logan in the balls, but Nick breaks his ribs and doesn't even get punished?"

"Lower your voice," Alex said calmly, but firmly. "And that's not what I said at all." He took hold of my chin and made me look at him again, and there was compassion in his eyes. He was silently telling me that he understood.

"Damon will take care of that. You don't need to worry about it."

"I hope Damon gets out grandfather's strap," I grumbled. "Nick was bad."

"It was an accident, sweet girl. Nick would never hurt you or Logan on purpose."

"He spanked me," I pointed out. "That hurt!"

"You're proving my point, Carrie," Alex said. "When you consider the violence Nick is capable of, he was pretty restrained when punishing you, wasn't he?"

I pouted, but nodded very reluctantly in agreement. "I guess," I admitted.

"Good girl, you get it." I smiled at Alex's praise. Alex didn't give out praise lightly, so I appreciated hearing it when he did.

"Why don't you hop into the shower and clean yourself up? We'll get some supplies organized for you as soon as we can, but fold up some toilet paper to line your panties with in the meantime, okay?" Alex spoke so matter-of-factly about something so embarrassing, that I couldn't even blush. I just nodded dumbly.

Alex left me to it, and by the time I had showered and sorted myself out and was in clean pajamas about ready to hop into bed, Jack and Anna knocked on my door and entered my bedroom. Anna gave me a huge smile and held out a paper bag.

"Welcome to womanhood," she whispered. "It's pretty horrible, huh?"

"Yes!" I confirmed. "I do not like it. My tummy hurts."

"Uh-huh, it will. Cramps. One of the joys of womanhood. Jack, why don't you leave us for a bit?" She waved Jack away with her hand, and Jack picked up my mug of hot chocolate he'd left on my dresser. "I'll heat this up for you, shall I? I'll leave you ladies to chat and I'll be back soon."

Jack took his sweet time heating up my hot chocolate, probably on purpose. He probably didn't want to walk in on us discussing girly things. Especially because I knew nothing, and Anna had to educate me about literally everything. But she was good to talk to. She was knowledgeable, and answered all my questions patiently, in detail. And she wasn't awkward to talk to, like my brothers were.

By the time Jack came back with a nice warm hot chocolate brimming with marshmallows, I felt much better about everything.