It was around 8pm, Antonio and I were ready and were waiting for him to finish up on a work call. I had dressed in the bathroom while Antonio dressed in our room, he didn't want to see my dress yet. My dress was a red off the shoulder floor length dress with a thin belt hugging around my waist. The neckline was a low v neck, the front of the dress had a slit, showing off my leg and upper thigh. I added some gold strappy heels to make the store look more accented.
I quickly touched up on my messy bun that I had perfected with a curling ironing, a few gold clips, and sparkly hairspray. I stared at myself in the mirror, I felt closed in. Like I wasn't myself anymore, wearing dressed, putting on makeup, and forcing my feet into heels wasn't that Thalia Galonos I knew before this whole arrangement. I stared at my makeup, there was so much of it on my face. I barely even recognized myself under everything.
A knock at the door startled me, I sighed. " You ready?" Antonio asked, done with his work call. " Yeah," I responded, putting my makeup back into my bag and wrapping up the curling iron before setting it underneath the sink.
I opened the bathroom to stare at Antonio's black suit back. " How long are you going to keep this up?" I asked. Antonio grinned, " I want it to be a surprise." I shook my head and around Antonio, he immediately shut his eyes and grinned. " Look at me," I chuckled. Antonio shook his head, " no." I sighed, " I don't even look that good, just open your eyes." Again, Antonio just grinned and shook his head. Giving up, I sighed, " fine." I stared at Antonio, " will you at least hold my hand?" Antonio nodded, " yes." He stuck out his hand and I entwined mine with his. " You smell good," Antonio said. I smiled, " you look good." " I'd say the same about you," Antonio began to say. " Only if yo'd open your damn eyes," I retorted. Antonio smiled and pulled my closer towards his chest. I looked up Antonio, who still had his eyes closed. " How are you going to walk down to the lobby with your eyes closed?" I asked. Antonio lifted up my hand and kissed the back of my hand, " I trust you not to kill me." We walked over to the door, " If you die, who gets your money?" I asked. Antonio held back a smile, " technically, you." I grinned, " don't even think about it," Antonio chuckled. I opened the door and accidentally smacked it into Antonio. He scoffed and smiled, " Thalia." I chuckled, " sorry."
- - -
The dinning halls were voluminous and dazzling. We walked down the hall, Antonio still had his eyes closed. " Oh my god," I said as Antonio kept his eyes closed. " Just open your damn eyes." Antonio pulled me closer and smiled, " not yet." People gave up weird looks, but I just ignored them and forced myself to give them a friendly smile. " People are looking at us," I whispered to Antonio. Antonio chuckled, " they're probably looking at you." I scoffed, " no, they're wondering why the man I'm with has his fucking eyes closed." Antonio lightly punched my side, causing my jaw to clench. " When are you going to open your eyes?" I asked as we turned the corner. " When it's the right time," Antonio answered. Suddenly, my phone rang. I rummaged through my bag before pulling out my phone. " Whose it?" Antonio asked. " My mom," I said. " I'll go get us a seat," Antonio said, knowing the call was going to be long and he wanted to give me some privacy. Right as he turned, I knew he opened his eyes.
" Thalia!" My mom exclaimed on the other side of her phone. I smiled, " hi." " I saw the dresses you got yesterday," my mom informed. " They're absolutely gorgeous!" I chuckled and walked towards the wall. " How is everyone?" I asked. " Well, everyone's doing well," my mom said. " I just wanted to tell you that your father and I left for Milan yesterday night." My heart sunk deep into my chest, the smile on my face faded. " Your dad needed to get back to work, as well as your brothers," my mom said. A thick lump formed in my throat, " okay." " How is everything?" my mom asked. " Fine," I said. " Antonio and I are at his work dinner." I could feel my mom smiling through the phone, " have you met anyone new yet?" I shook my head and sighed, " not yet." There was a moment of awkward silence before I spoke up. " Well I gotta go." My mom sighed, " okay, I miss you honey, have fun!" I ended the call and set my back against the wall.
I was alone, In Venice, with Antonio's parents and judgmental family. I was alone with Antonio and his alluring self.
Shit.
- - -
I walked down a hall, I felt small and alone. My mom was the only person who kept me feeling safe, and now she was gone. I turned a corner and walked up to a set of guards in black shorts, guarding a huge door. " Name?" One guard asked. " Thalia," I said. " Thalia Galonos." The guard nodded before stepping aside as the other guard opened the door. Goosebumps erupted onto every part of my body. I inhaled deeply as the smell of delicious food and bright, extraordinary lights blinded me. " Ms. Thalia Galonos!" The guard behind me announced. Everyone, and I mean everyone turned and looked at me. The lump in my throat thickened and moved up. I could feel my hands begin to shake, but I maintained myself. Suddenly, I met a pair of slim green eyes. It was as if everyone in the room had disappeared expect for Antonio and I. Antonio's jaw slightly dropped, his eyes brightened. A small smile crept across his face. Taken back was an understatement, Antonio was absolutely blown away by my attire and appearance just by the look in his eyes. I held back a smile as I made my way up to him, eyes followed me. I could see girls around me looking me up and down, whispering to others around them. I approached Antonio and stood in front of him. " You look absolutely beautiful," Antonio whispered to me. I smiled, " thank you." Antonio took his time and looked me up and down, I just bit my lip and smiled. " And to think this is all mine," Antonio said wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling my into a hug. I chuckled softly, my smile immediately vanished when I saw Sophia in the crowd. Her eyes were dark, she looked beyond exhausted and worn out.
I pulled away from Antonio, he looked at me and frowned. " You okay?" I looked at him and nodded, Antonio stared at me, not believing me. Right as Antonio turned his head to see what I was staring at, Sophia looked down so her face wasn't seen. Antonio looked back at me, I looked at him. " I'm fine," I said. " You sure?" Antonio asked. " Yeah," I said. Antonio stared at me, I knew he didn't believe me. " Can I have everyone's attention?" A man spoke out over on the stage. Everyone turned, around and averted their attention to the man on the stage. Sophia lifted her head and met my attention, we stared at each other for a few seconds before Antonio looked back at me. " What's going on?" He asked. I turned around, " nothing." Antonio scoffed, " I know when you're lying to me." I kept my attention on my man on the stage. " Have you eaten yet?" Antonio asked. I shook my head, " I'm fine." Antonio stared at me before turning and looking at the man on the stage.
I eyed the somewhat visible finger nail marks on my arm before looking back up. Antonio did the same, not knowing what exactly I was looking at.
- - -
" Now, It's time to eat!" The man on the stage announced. Everyone sat down at their tables, Antonio helped me sit down in my chair before sitting down beside me. Women in fancy dresses, men in black and dark blue suits filled the table around us. I placed my hands on my lap, Antonio scooted closer to me. " What was that call earlier about?" Antonio asked. " My parents left to go back to Milan," I answered. Antonio frowned, " I thought they were staying with us for a while." I sighed, " so did I."
Carts full of food were soon brought out, I wanted nothing more than to fill my grumbling stomach. My bowl was filled with steamy, mouthwatering Pasta e Fagioli. Antonio's plate was filled with Simple Lamb Ragù.
Everyone dug in and began talking, Antonio's phone buzzed in his pocket. " I'll be right back," Antonio whispered into my ear. I looked at him as he stood up and walked off, bringing his phone up to his ear. Suddenly everyone eyed me, I swallowed before sitting up straighter.
" So, how was your childhood Thalia," a women in a light pink bodycon dress asked. " As normal and unpleasant as any other girl living in a mafia family," I answered. Snickers bounced about the table. " What did you do as a kid?" Another women asked. " Mostly hung around with my mom," I said. A sharp stinging sensation built up in my chest just thinking about the events with my brothers and my father. " Are you an only child?" A women asked. " Uh, no," I said. " I'm the youngest." A few girls around the age twenty and younger whispered to each other.
It's said that the youngest in any mafia family doesn't know how to properly connect with the others. When your the youngest, nothing is handed down to you. As the youngest, you're basically the black sheep of the family.
" Have you had any lessons?" A man asked. I looked at him, " yes, by my father." Everyone nodded, they knew what my father, or better known as Mr. Galonos, was capable of. Antonio walked back and sat down, I smiled at him. " Are you still in school?" A women asked. " Not at the moment," I said. " But I'd like to finish off high school and get into college." A few people scoffed and chuckled, Antonio looked at me and whispered. " What's going on?" " I'm the center of attention and everything I say is either judged or hysterical," I whispered back to him. Antonio just smiled, " welcome to my family."
A women that had been eying me the entire evening finely spoke out. " How old are you, exactly?" I looked at her. " Eighteen, but I'm turning nineteen soon," I answered. The lady stared me down, as if she was judging me off by my age. " So you're still a child?" She asked. " You haven't had any experience in the mafia, you're the youngest child you doesn't get much attention. And you haven't even finished schooling." I just stared at her, what the fuck was she trying to prove? " I know I'm not the only one who's nervous about a little girl being handed the Brambilla orders," the lady added. She just simple sat back with a smug look on her face. Antonio clenched his jaw, he knew I was about to blow off.
" Excuse me?" I asked trying my hardest not to glare at the bitchy women. The women just grinned, " you're not ready to become a mafia mistress." I hadn't realized that my hands were clenched, my fingernails dug into my palms. Antonio finally jumped in, " if anyone has a problem with Thalia, speak up now." Everyone at the table was silent, Antonio's eyes scanned the table. He then looked at the women who told me what I wasn't capable of. " You want to say what you said again?" For some reason, the women was intimidated with Antonio. She just tilted her head and grinned, " no." Antonio glared at her, " then keep your opinions to yourself." The women softly chuckled before looking back down at her food. Antonio stared at her before turning his attention to me. My jaw was clenched and the nail marks on my hands were visible. " You wanna leave?" Antonio whispered to me. " No," I said back. Antonio nodded before turning leaving me alone.
- - -
A few hours went by, a new set of people filled the table. The anger from a few hours ago washed off me, what did I expect from a women who lived in the mafia and observed everything the Brambilla's did.
The people at our table looked nicer and more welcomed than the last group. My nerves settled down once Antonio placed his hand on my leg. His presence reassured me that I wasn't alone, that he wasn't going to leave me.
" Thalia, that's your name right?" A women asked. I smiled at her, " yes." She nodded, " when did you met Antonio?" Antonio just rubbed his jaw, hiding his smile. We both knew that the night we met each other was unaware and awkward. " At a work dinner, actually," I said. The women grinned, " it was arranged, right?" " Yeah," I said. I felt Antonio's hand move it's way up closer to my thigh, I inhaled deeply and kept my focus on the women talking to me. " Are you ready for all this?" The women asked. " A new life?" I nodded and tried to contain myself as Antonio moved his hand to the inner part of my thigh. " Are you thinking of moving somewhere in Italy after the marriage?" The women asked. " I don't know," I said, trying my hardest to prevent a voice crack as Antonio's fingers pushed their way further down into my legs. Antonio whispered into my ear, " move your legs." Everyone was looking at us, It just looked like Antonio was resting his arm on my lap. Slowly, I moved my legs apart, my heart beat picked up, I felt fuzzy and hot. " Will you be living in the Brambilla's house?" Another women asked. " I uh, I-I'm not sure," I stuttered as Antonio's fingers found their way to the base of my underwear.
I clenched the table cloth as my breathing pace picked up. " Are you thinking about having kids in the future?" A women asked. " Yes," I said without thinking. I kid feel Antonio slowly smile. " I uh, I-I don't know, actually," I said, taking back my answer. Antonio pushed away my underwear and slowly slid his two fingers up and into my entrance. I bit my lip so hard, that blood was tasted in my saliva. My dress was big and the fabric was thick, so no one could see what Antonio was doing.
Thank God
I slightly sat up taller when Antonio pushed his fingers harder into. WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DOING?! " Do you think personally, that you're ready for all this?" A women asked. The thick lump in my throat doubled in size, my chest felt heavy. " Uh, y-yes," I stuttered. I looked at the women and smiled at her, she smiled back. With that Antonio began curling his fingers. I clenched my jaw as tight as I could and begged myself to refrain from moaning. My eyes began to tear up, but I blinked them back. Antonio began to pick up the pace, I felt like the bones in my hands were going to break due to how hard I was clenching my fists.
FUCK!
I could feel Antonio's fingers retracting from with me. My legs were slightly quivering, my vision cleared up, my breathing pace went back to normal. Everyone began to stand up, the evening was coming to an end. Antonio wrapped an around my waist and helped me stand up. His hand rested on my hip, people began to approach and greet us.
Antonio just smiled and talked to family, it wasn't like he just fingered some thirty seconds ago. As more and more people came up to talk to us, I saw Sophia in the middle of the crowd. I saw her eyes wondering to Antonio's hand that rested on my left hip. Within a blink of an eye, people walked in front and covered her.