We spent the entire day together; it was wonderful. I totally forgot about the Gala unil Alonzo said that we had to get going back to the hotel. When we arrived back, Greta was waiting for me outside our room with an unamused look on her face.
"Hey, Greta." I greet.
"Reagan." She returns and follows Alonzo and I into the room. "Why don't you go and shower." She suggests.
I nod my head. "Okay."
When I get there, she hallors back to me. "Don't take all day."
I chuckle. "Okay."
I hop into the shower scrubbing my skin until it's soft and shaving my legs and underarms until my body is baby smooth. As soon as I turn the water off, people rush into the bathroom and I am bombarded by a group of women including Greta. Anita must be working with Remy.
They open the shower door for me, throwing a towel at me. I wrap it around my body and step out. They bring in two large trunks on wheels and bring it into the bathroom, placing them on either side of the vanity. I am seated in front of the vanity and the women take over from there.
"Hey, Reagan." Alonzo pops his head in the bathroom.
"Yeah?" I'm strained from moving because there is a woman with a firm hand on my jaw as she plucks my eyebrows.
"You can either come with me in about forty-five minutes, or you can come just before the Gala starts." He tells me.
I think for a second, I don't really care. "It's whatever is easier."
"Well either is easier, it's just what you want. I'll have Marco drive you and Greta there. Or you can just come with me." He explains.
"What would I do if I went with you?" I ask.
"Greet people as they walk in." He answers.
That doesn't sound like something I want to do. But then again, isn't that like my job with this marriage. I mean, he is giving me the option. "I guess I can just come with you."
"Okay, is that possible, Greta?" Alonzo asks.
There is a pause. "Give me an hour." Greta answers.
"Alright." Alonzo chuckles and walks out.
As soon as the door closes, the women around me begin to talk in Italian and don't stop until Greta hushes them. Were they talking about me? Or gossiping about Alonzo?
Doesn't matter, let's be positive and confident.
The ladies work on me, painting my nails, doing my makeup, hair, really the entire shabang. In the end, I look in the mirror and see that I look very glamorous. My eyes are dark tan with a golden shimmer on the lid. My lips are a deep red and somehow look bigger. My hair is all down and blown out and in large curls. I feel really good with how I look.
Greta walks in with a large gown cover and she looks to be struggling with holding it on her own. She hangs it up on the top of the door and opens it up revealing a rose gold gown that is so glittering that it reflects the setting sun and lights up the room with glitter on the walls. I notice it's a one shoulder long sleeve. My jaw is on the floor.
Greta hands me under garments which are white and she gives me a part way body stocking. "It's just so you don't feel naked underneath." She tells me. "Plus, it's thermal so you won't be cold."
"Thank you." I nod my head.
They leave so I can put on the underwear. The stocking is in fact warm, it has one shoulder of a strap and I slip it on and it goes close to my knees. I tell them I'm covered and they come in and help me into matching rose gold heels. Then comes the dress.
"Are you ready—" Alonzo comes in and looks me up and down. "Porca puttana sei così bella."
Bella means beautiful I think. Hot man called me beautiful.
"How does it look?" I ask, looking down at the gorgeous gown.
He comes closer. "You look amazing, amore."
I blush hard but try to brush it off. I look at his suit, it's black and sleek. Very simple but the tie matches my dress with a black background and rose gold accents. "You look very handsome, Mr. Napolitani." I chuckle.
He tilts his head and chuckles. "Why, thank you, Mrs. Napolitani." He brings me into him and kisses me softly. "You look so perfect." He murmurs against my lips.
"Thanks." I chuckle nervously.
"Are you ready to go?" He asks me.
I take a look at myself before looking at Greta. "Am I ready to go?" She nods her head and walks out of the room. "I guess I'm ready." I chuckle.
"Alright. Let's get going. Greta and Anita will be there a little bit later." Alonzo explains to me.
I nod my head and follow him out the bathroom door. "Are the dogs coming?" I ask.
"No, they'll stay here. There are going to be a lot of people, and I don't want them to get too anxious." Alonzo states as he opens the door for me.
"Okay. Bye babies." I blow a kiss to them before we keep walking down the hallway.
My dress barely fits in the car, but I manage to spread it across the entire back seat while Alonzo drives in the front. It's not a long drive, so when we make it, Alonzo helps me haul my dress out of the car once again. It's beginning to rain a little, so we hurry inside.
I stop dead in my tracks when I walk up to the place. It was kinda dark before, but now I see it. It's literally a castle. The large ballroom to the left and on the right is a massive dining area. Straight ahead is a large socializing area. It's so beautiful. "This is so nice!" I exclaim to Alonzo.
"It is. There is a balcony if you'd like to see it." Alonzo offers. "We have a bit of time."
"Sure!" I replied.
Alonzo takes me through the ballroom and out the back way. There is a long hallway and the entire left side of it is open and you can look down to where about a hundred feet below is a body of water, most likely the Mediterranean. It makes me sick to look down, so I just look up at the setting sun. The cool rain chills my skin, so I just move closer to Alonzo.
He puts his hand on my waist and pulls me closer to him. It's silent as we look off; just like out of a book. It's romantic without trying to be. It's so nice. I lean into him and we just sit there for a while.
I'm so happy I admitted to him and to myself that I loved him. I don't know how this is going to work with him being a Mafia Don and all, but I want to work something out. I want to be with Alonzo. I mean, we already broke the ice, we're married for goodness sake. We can grow into something great. It won't be ideal, but it is with him.
I don't even know how much time passes before Alonzo gently tells me that we have to go back to the entrance hall. Alonzo tells me that I can sit on a bench because he has to run around to do last minute things. I offered my help but he just refused. I can tell he is anxious and getting worried but he's got this. He was telling me that this is his first time running a Gala. From the looks of it, he is doing really well. Like everything is so beautiful.
There are two guards on either side of the large front doors. Somehow they know someone is on the other side and they open them, I stand up as quickly as I can, not knowing what I'm supposed to do. The door opens and in walks an older couple. I see a line of people behind them.
Gosh, what the hell am I supposed to do?
"Ciao." I greet them with a smile, trying to remember any Italian I learned.
"It's okay dear, we were all urged to speak english tonight." The old man states.
I sigh in relief. "Oh, well I guess that is good for me." I chuckle.
"It's mainly for the moronic Americans that attend." He lowers his voice, leaning in so no one else hears.
I chuckle softly, not knowing whether to be offended or not. "I think you just go straight." I tell them.
"Thanks, dear." He nods his head and walks on. The woman nods her head and smiles as she walks with her husband.
The next group of people walk through and they don't even attempt at english so I just point in the direction with the others. Most of the people are kind enough to try english, some just looked disgusted by me and walked on— mainly men might I add. Men are such douchebags.
A familiar group of faces walks in. It's the boys that came to that first night of dinner. They made me so uncomfortable because I thought they were talking about me. "Oh my God, look who it is!" One of them announces.
"It's Alonzo's fine piece of ass!" A vulgar statement.
"Mhmm." Another vulgar comment.
"That is enough." I put my foot down, being very proud of myself. "You all are not to speak of me, especially to me in such a way." My tone was strong, voice not breaking once.
They stare at me in shock. "Yes, Ma'am." They say respectfully before walking away.
I am now calm and confident.
Until Nico and Remy walk through the door next. He looks me up and down with a judgmental look on his face. "Hey, Reagan." Remy offers me a hug. She is wearing a gorgeous green dress. "You look amazing."
"Awe, thanks. You look so pretty too!" I replied.
Nico pulls Remy ahead with him, seeing someone behind me and makes his way towards them. Well, that is the end of discussion.
Two more people come in. A cute couple. They actually look younger. The girl speaks first. "Oh my God, your dress is so gorgeous!" She exclaims.
"Oh, thank you!" I'm surprised by the sudden kindness. I look down at her tight black dress. "You look amazing." I compliment her.
I look at her date who is a very handsome man. He isn't Alonzo handsome. He has a full beard, his longer hair is slicked back. He has a toothpick between his teeth and the way he looks at his date just screams admiration and love.
"Awe, thanks. I'm Evelyn, but you can call me whatever you want." She offers her hand for me to shake and I take it, thankful that I've somehow made a friend.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Reagan." I state.
"What a beautiful name!" She exclaims. "And this is—"
"Mr. Macavity." Alonzo comes up from behind me and puts a hand on my waist. "I haven't seen you since, what? The 2018 shipment? Your shipment where you needed my help."
"Napolitani." Mr. Macavity responded, he had a thick New York accent. These might be some of the "moronic Americans" that are attending.
"How have you been, amico?"
He nods his head. "I've been fine, I've been busy."
"You'll have to tell me all about it later." Alonzo claps Macavity on the back and they both move on.
"See ya, Reagan." Evelyn says.
"See ya." I wave. They leave. "Where have you been?!" I whisper yell discreetly.
"I am so sorry." He kisses me. "You did so good."
Matteo comes in next. "I can't believe they made me wait in this line." He laughs.
"Sorry man, there is your favorite bourbon in the back." Alonzo chuckles.
Matteo slaps Alonzo on the back. "You're the man."
So many more people come through the door. It's just about a quarter to eight by the time the line is gone. My feet are killing me from just standing here. "Come on amore, let's go sit down."
I nod my head vigorously in agreement. With a hand on my lower back, he leads me into the social room. "Do you know all these people?" I ask him.
"Not personally. I've done business through or with them somewhere or another." He explains to me, nodding to someone who is flagging us over. "Alexander Petrov." Alonzo greets.
"Napolitani." He responds. "I heard about the wedding." Alexander glances at me with a curious smile. "Arranged?" He questions. "I mean, that is how Remy and Nico wound up together, right?"
Alonzo chuckles and looks down. "Alright, enjoy yourselves tonight." He pulls me away with him and we move on.
The older couple that first came in approach us. "Alonzo." He says.
"Nonno," He hugs the man. "Nonna." He plants a side kiss on the woman's cheek.
Nonno, and nonna mean grandma and grandpa if I remember correctly. "I haven't seen you guys in a while." Nonno states.
"It has." Alonzo replies. "This is—"
"Reagan." Nonna cuts in, looking at me with a warm smile— one I haven't been greeted with in so long. "We've heard about the marriage. I'm happy for you, nipote. How is it all going?" She looks at me when she asks, like she is asking me.
I'm shocked for a moment because no one even asks me anything anymore. "It's good. Different from before. But I'm really happy."
"I'm glad." She smiles. "I need a drink." She excuses the two of them and walks to the open bar.
"I'll see you later, nipoti." Nonno claps Alonzo on the back and puts a kiss on my cheek before following his wife.
I smile widely, happy with how that went. "Did he just call me his grandchild?" I squeal.
Alonzo chuckles with a cute smile before moving on and bringing me to the other end of the open bar. "Would you like anything?" Alonzo offers me.
I furrow my brows. "I'm too young to drink."
"Reagan." He chuckles. "You're with me, you can drink. Plus, the drinking age here is eighteen."
I blush.
"So what will it be?" Alonzo asks.
I've never had a drink apart from the small sips of my mom's. Is it wrong of me to drink even though I'm not twenty-one? I'm still an American citizen— or am I? I wouldn't be surprised if they had my citizenship changed. Anyway. I simply shrug my shoulders. "I wouldn't know what to order, surprise me?"
"She'll have a fine white wine and a red one." He tells the bartender.
"Two?" I question.
"To see what one you like more." He answers, leaning against the bar. The bartender walks over with the two glasses of wine. Alonzo first hands me the red. "How does it taste?" He asks.
I sip it, rolling my tongue around my mouth to taste it. "It's bitter." My mouth scrunches up.
Alonzo takes the glass from my hand and replaces it with the white wine. "Now try this one."
I take it from him and bring it up to my lips. Before tasting it, I can tell that it's going to be sweeter. When I do taste it, I was right. It's dry and fruity. "Sweeter."
"Which one do you like better?" He asks me.
I signal to the white, tasting it again. "Thank you."
"No problem." He says, handing the red wine back to the bartender. "Shall we?" He brings me over to a high table where Matteo and the childish men from before are seated. Alonzo stands while I take the opportunity to sit down. Though these shoes are beautiful, they aren't ideal to wear for someone that never wears heels.
"Hey guys." Matteo greets, sipping on his drink.
All the other men don't look at me, their eyes are focused on their beverages. Alonzo looks pleased by their state. It makes me proud. "Aren't you guys supposed to be fishing around?" Alonzo questions harshly, but quietly.
Matteo looks up at Alonzo and squints his eyes. "You were serious about that?"
Alonzo's eyes narrow. "Of course I cazzo was!"
All the men stand and scurry away from the table. "That was kinda funny." I giggle a little bit. "They all ran like kids after they forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer."
Alonzo tilts his head in confusion. "What?"
"Ya know, when your mom calls to tell you to take the chicken out of the freezer when you get home from school so it's de-thawed for when she comes home for dinner but you forgot until she pulled into the driveway so you had to run so fast—" I explain quickly, but stop short when I notice he is just laughing at me. "What?"
"That doesn't seem normal." He laughs.
"Well it is." I spit, taking another sip of my wine to notice it's gone already. "I drank that really fast I think."
Alonzo smiles at the empty glass. "That's okay. There is water at dinner." He assures me.
Dominique and Angelo stop ahead of us and look me up and down with full judgment in their eyes. "I didn't think you'd still be around." Dominique chuckles. "You must have an amazing personality."
"And a nice ass." I spit before walking away.
I hear Alonzo choke on his own spit before chuckling and hurrying next to me. "Damn." He laughs. "You should have seen their faces." He puts a hand on my hip and kisses me appreciatively. "You do have a nice ass."
"I don't know what came over me." I admit.
"You were fed up with their judgment, I understand." He chuckles. "It was hot." He laughs looking at his watch. "And dinner is in five minutes." Alonzo takes my hand, walking me over with him to the door of the room. "Hello, everyone." He greets the crowd in a loud voice but his voice only sounds loud, it's still calm and welcoming. "Thank you all for attending this year's Napolitani Gala." The crowd claps for a few short moments. "I invite you now to the dinning hall where you'll find your assigned seat and the meal you ordered waiting for you." He finishes.
People begin to file out, nodding to us as they leave. "What did I order?" I lean and ask Alonzo."
"Your favorite french onion soup, oyster crackers, and a sandwich." Alonzo tells me.
I blush, getting giddy that he remembered that one time we had soup in bed and I said it was my favorite. I wait until the servers come around and remove the silver domes off everyone's plate to try the food.
"It's really good." I say in awe.
"I'm glad you like it." Alonzo smiles.
Where we were seated it's two people at the head of a long table, me and Alonzo. On the other end I can't even make out who it is. It's probably Nico and Remy if I had to guess. Seated beside us is the loving couple from before. What were their names? Evelyn and something Macavity.
"How lucky of us to sit next to the man himself." Macavity comments with a deep chuckle.
Alonzo chuckles in return. "Such a blessing, isn't it."
Evelyn looks down at her plate and I'm surprised to see the exact same thing on mine. She looks over at me and smiles. "Twinning!"
I chuckle and lift my glass to do a distant "cheers". She does the same and we just became best friends. Evelyn and I talk quietly as Alonzo and Macavity converse about business. I try to ignore all the violent things Macavity is saying. He takes pride in his violence, it scares and disgusts me. Evelyn tells me how she is a psychologist, which is not something that seems even remotely interesting to be, but I listen to her.
"My friend works at one of his clubs and I ran into him there and randomly ran into him another time." She says with a knowing smile, but I'm left confused.
"Are you telling your friend your life story?" Macavity leans over to her.
"She is the only friend I have, so yes." Evelyn giggles.
We join together in a shared discussion on relationships which is weird. Evelyn is really pushing it to make Macavity uncomfortable and it just makes me laugh.
"Kids?!" Macavity quietly exclaims.
"No no, honey. I don't want any. I'm simply explaining a normal family." Evelyn laughs. "What about you guys? Are kids in the picture?"
I freeze. I don't know how Alonzo feels about kids. Technically he needs them so they can carry on the Mafia and shit, but I don't want kids for that reason. Yes, I want a family with three dogs, two kids and one cat, a four bedroom home with a big ass backyard, but I don't think that's possible anymore. "I don't know—" I start but when I say "know", Alonzo answers with the opposite.
"Yes."
My head whips over to look at him smiling and looking at me. I shoot him a questioning glare. I open my mouth to question him but he squeezes my thigh to shut my mouth. I give him a "this discussion isn't over" look before moving back to looking at Evelyn.
"Oh..." Evelyn nervously laughs. "Sorry."
"No, you're absolutely fine. It's a fair question." I laugh. "Anyway, uh, you had said to Evelyn, that you were a psych student. Where did you go to school?" I ask her.
"Oh, it's in New York. I went to Mentor for five years." She tells me.
"That's a really good school! Congrats!" I respond.
She nods her head as she swallows her drink before answering. "Yeah, it was really cool to get into. But the professors were assholes."
"Fair." I respond. "I planned to go to college for business. I had a lot of scholarships. Even my dream school in Washington." I rambled until I stopped myself realizing Alonzo was listening right next to me. I look over at him to see a look of pity on his face. He looks off into the distance with guilt. "But who needs school when I pretty much have everything I need for life." I tried to save it, but it's too late, he heard me.
"Love and riches." Evelyn comments sarcastically with a smile. "Can't beat it." She takes a bite of her sandwich and I do the same. I go quiet, thankful for Macavity to pick up conversation with Alonzo.
Thoughts?