>>>ARETHA'S DRESS
I've heard the saying 'Find something you love to do, and you'll never have to work a day in your life', and I'd seen it apply to my husband, but I never thought it would one day apply to me as well. I am absolutely in love with my new job.
It took a while, but after two weeks, I've definitely got the hang of things, and everything is coming together quite nicely. You'd think I'd be exhausted, especially since my husband doesn't allow me to neglect him, but I have never been more energized in my life.
"Mi amore, are you ready? This is a big day and week for you," my husband said in concern. We were having breakfast before our busy day ahead.
"I'm fine caro. Please stop worrying over me. I told you that I'm ready. Your constant worry will only make me doubt myself," I smiled.
"And we most definitely don't want that. Ok, I'm calm and I'm not worrying anymore. How's everything coming along with the restaurant?" he asked.
There were two big things happening this week. Today Raphael will finally be announcing my position in the company to the world, and then on Friday, it's the grand opening of the restaurant. I'm honestly surprised at how quickly everything came together for the restaurant, but then again, my husband is pretty influential.
"Everything still needs to be finalized. Malia flew in last night, so at least I'll have her help at the office today," I replied.
I'd been on the phone with Malia just three days ago, discussing her return home, and that's when it hit me. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with her life now that she's coming back, so I offered her the P.A position since I hadn't found anyone else for the job. She agreed and said she'd be home ASAP.
"That's good. I'm sure Bianca will brief her while we're in the press conference. She's got a whole lot to do as your P.A, especially once the news comes out," he commented.
"I know, but I'm super excited about her being here. It's a new venture for us both, and I feel like she's going to do a better job than any other P.A I could've hired," I beamed.
"I can get that mia moglie. We should really get to leaving. We have a lot to do today," he sighed before finishing off his coffee.
It wasn't even five in the morning, but that didn't faze us. With the girls gone and enjoying themselves, we've been leaving early and coming home late. It's amazing how we have time for breakfast, lunch, dinner, work and uhm, extra activities.
And again, we still don't get tired.
Today I was dressed in a light chocolate dress with white polka dots, which I'd paired with a white blazer and matching shoes and accessories. For the sake of matching (as a united front), I dressed Rafe in a light chocolate suit, white shirt and dark brown shoes with a matching belt.
We looked dressed to kill.
And we were going in for the kill.
In the past two weeks, something that has also kicked in is my confidence. I am more confident not only in who I am, but in my status. I am the wife and business partner to Raphael Maestri, one of the most respected men in the world.
And he is so proud of me.
I don't think I've ever had a greater cheerleader in my life.
I thought my grandmother was my greatest cheerleader, but my husband beats her by miles. He reminds me every moment that he can that I not only mean the world to him, but that I am an amazing woman who was destined for greatness.
And lucky me; I actually get rewarded for believing in myself.
"What has you so flushed cara mia?" he asked seductively, whispering in my ear. I'd been caught in my thoughts of him, and he'd managed to trap me against the island.
"Nothing," I blushed even further, not daring to look up at him. He grasped my chin, making me look up at him.
"Mhmm. If we didn't have to get to the office, I'd slowly peel that sinful item of clothing you have on and take you right on this island," he said huskily.
I was borderline panting at the very thought. Raphael has the power to make me forget my own name, and he knows just how and when to use that power. A part of me was actually wishing we didn't have to leave for the office.
But the bigger part of me was excited and knew better.
"It's a good thing we have to go in then," I managed to say as I got myself free from him.
He didn't say anything for the longest time and I hadn't looked at him. When I turned to look at him, he was leaning against the island still, his bottom lip tucked sexily between his teeth, as his finger lingered on his chin.
He was lustfully drinking me in.
"Good God! It's ten minutes to five in the freaking morning, and yet the sexual tension in this kitchen, is sizzling enough to bake a fucking baby!" Jonathan said as he walked into the kitchen, successfully saving me from actually carrying through what both my husband and I clearly wanted to do.
"What can we help you with Joel?" my husband turned to him, fire in his eyes.
"Be grateful I saved you from getting your freak on! You both need to be focused today," Jonathan scolded.
"And you don't think loving my wife the way she deserves to be keeps me focused?" Raphael raised an eyebrow, simultaneously causing me to blush all over again.
"I am not your wife Ambrosi. I'm not about to fall apart from your somewhat sweet words. The two of you need to leave the house right now," Jonathan rolled his eyes. I could see the annoyance etched on my husband's face.
"What are you doing here in any case?" I asked Jonathan, to divert him from my husband.
"I'm here for that document you had said you needed to give me," he replied.
"And you saw fit to fetch it here, at this ungodly hour?" I cocked my head to the side.
"I saved you from screwing your husband," he shrugged.
"I could make love to her with you standing right there," Raphael said, his voice not giving away anything.
"I don't know if you're serious or not, because if you are, then you're a disturbing man," Jonathan scowled.
"Cara mia, I'll be in the car," my husband said to me before leaving the kitchen.
"What crawled up his ass?" Jonathan asked me.
"I think he's stressed about today, which is funny since you'd think I'd be the one stressing," I giggled.
"He has nothing to worry about, unless if of course he's annoyed by the fact that other men get to see you like this, because you bestie, look like you're going to have every man who crosses your path wagging their tongues," he whistled lowly.
"The dress reaches my knees for heaven sakes," I whined.
"Are you seriously under the impression that sexiness is how high the dress is?" he scowled.
"Well no, but I know it's a contributing factor," I argued.
"You are the epitome of sexy without even trying," he scoffed.
"And I'm also a married woman," I joked.
"Whatever! You know what I mean. It's just probably hard for your husband to deal with," he pointed out.
I, however, already knew this.
Raphael respects me that much I know, but I know he can't really handle it when he thinks about other men seeing me the way he does, disregarding what I'm wearing. I could be wearing rags and he'd still have a problem with other men seeing me like that.
"I don't know how else to make him see that he's the only one for me," I sighed.
"Just play the role of the clingy wife," he shrugged.
"Meaning?" I frowned.
"Whenever there are men around, make sure they know that you're taken, and by who. It will ease his thoughts. He's never had to deal with something like this before, so it will take him a while to come around. It would also help if you could show him that the female population's attention on him bothers you too," he elaborated.
That's the one thing I don't and have never shown. I know they say that that a little jealousy is good for a relationship, and I've only recently noticed just how many women Raphael interacts with a day. Granted that he doesn't give him the time of day, it still gets to me.
I've just never been expressive about it because of who I am.
By who I am, I mean where I come from. I mean, I feel like being jealous over the women who pay him attention will make me come across as pathetic, especially since my life is basically a rags to riches story thanks to him.
It just doesn't feel right, and yet listening to Jonathan, I realized that maybe I'm wrong in my thinking. For all I know, it probably gets to Raphael that I don't seem bothered by the attention on him.
Every man likes their ego stroked every now and then right?
"I get what you mean, but I'm going to test it out first to see if we're both right. The file is in my office, so you'll have to come get it there. We need to leave now," I said as I got my handbag. Rafe had already taken my laptop bag with him.
I found my husband waiting patiently in his white Porsche Cayenne. I got into the car and pulled his face in for a head spinning kiss. I love this man with everything in me, and I'll be damned if he even thinks otherwise for the slightest minute.
"What was that for?" he asked breathlessly.
"Can't a wife kiss her husband without questioning nowadays?" I smirked.
"No, she can't," he chuckled.
"I love you mio marito, so much," I sighed, caressing his cheek. He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm.
"I know mia moglie, and I love you too, if not more," he smiled.
"Now, let's get to work and kill the day so that we can come back earlier," I purred.
"I love the way you think cara mia," he said, his eyes slightly darkened.
We left for work and as has been routine the past two weeks, we were the first to arrive. Jonathan followed us in and we greeted the security team on our way in. We made it to our floor and went our separate ways with the promise of checking up on each other.
The press conference was set for twelve that afternoon, with a board meeting set for nine. The board members who will be there, are the major shareholders of the other Maestri Empire businesses since Rafe and I are the only shareholders of the Maestri Empire.
"Are you ready for today Mrs Maestri?" Jonathan asked as I gave him the file.
"As can be. I'm just waiting for Malia to get here so that we can start the day," I smiled.
"Malia?" he asked wide eyed just as the lady of the moment made her entry.
"Oh my God, this is so exciting!" she squealed, coming over to hug me.
"Well hello to you too," I giggled.
"Sorry! I'm just so excited," she blushed.
"Hello Malia," Jonathan spoke.
"Joel," she scowled.
"Must you forever be so cold around me?" he sighed.
"You haven't given me any reason to be nice to you," she rolled her eyes.
"It was seven years ago for heaven sakes!" he said in frustration.
"What do you need from me boss?" she turned to me.
"I've sent you a starter email of what I need within the next hour, so go through that and come back when you're done," I told her.
"Got it," she nodded before leaving the room.
"Man, women just don't like me lately," Jonathan sighed.
"Rhonda's still mad at you?" I asked.
"She wont even look at me. She literally looks past me," he mumbled.
"I thought you were going to apologize?" I asked in confusion. I hadn't really spoken to my best friend since coming back from my honeymoon, but only because Fabius kept her so busy.
"I tried Rita, God knows I tried, but she's so damn mad at me. I don't even know why anymore because I have a feeling this goes way past the name calling," he scowled.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" I offered.
"Would you? I can't stand that she's so mad at me," he sighed.
"My, my, my! Jono, do you like Rhonda?" I raised an amused eyebrow.
"Would you look at the time? I have to be somewhere in an hour," he said, looking at his watch.
"Aren't you staying for the board meeting?" I asked. He's one of the major shareholders, together with Fabius.
"I'll be back in time for it. Don't miss me too much okay?" he winked.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Go away," I giggled. He walked out just as my husband walked in.
"What's wrong with him?" he chuckled.
"He likes Rhonda but she still hasn't forgiven him," I smiled.
"He likes Rhonda? Well that's interesting. Seemingly Rhonda has Luigi, Fabius and Jonathan wrapped around her pinkie," he smirked.
"Nah, I don't think so. You're not that observant my loving husband. Pay closer attention to the interactions around us," I told him.
"Alright, I'll take your word for it. Anyway, that's not the reason why I came here. Chang just called me. They finally found the bug that was put into the server," he informed.
"That's fantastic news! What happens now?" I asked.
"They're going to run the diagnostics and take the thing apart. So far, they're not able to identify its source, so we have to wait and see if they can do so after taking it apart," he replied.
"Well, that makes sense. This is a step forward, and hopefully we'll be able to sort this out," I smiled.
"We're on the right track cara mia. We just need today to go smoothly as well," he sighed.
"Rafe, what's wrong?" I asked. He sat down on the couch and I went over to sit on his lap.
"You know I have the utmost faith in you and I trust you with my business right?" he said.
"I know that much, but why do I feel like there's something else behind your statement?" I frowned.
"I'm worried Ari. I don't care about the repercussions of this decision, but I do care about what people will say about you. I'm afraid that they're going to tear you apart because of my decision to trust you with something this big, which you have no experience in. I don't want them to kill your spirit," he explained.
Oh, this husband of mine.
I can't believe he'd worry about that. I'd already thought about all of that, and I realized that this is my chance to actually stop hiding and prove myself to all the judgemental people. I have to stand up for myself, and most importantly, I need to have a backbone. I'm the wife to a powerful man after all.
I have to fit the part.
"Mio marito, I've already thought about that, and I'm ready for them," I smiled.
"You are?" he scowled.
"They're not going to define my future, but I do have every intention of proving them wrong by actually succeeding and showing that you didn't make a mistake, that I can actually be a valuable asset to you and the business," I explained.
"So you're really not worried about what they'll say?" he asked.
"Of course I am since my self confidence will take a bit of a knock, but I've got you, and for as long as you believe in me, I'll be fine," I said before kissing him.
"You'll always have me," he whispered.
"I know, just like you'll always have me," I said, running my fingers on his slight stubble.
"Get off of him missy! The two of you have too much work to do for you to be all lovey dovey!" Bianca entered the room, hands on her hips. My husband chuckled before kissing me.
"I'll see you later mia moglie," he winked.
"I look forward to it mio marito," I blushed.
Bianca dragged him away just as Malia came in to say she was caught up with everything. I knew that this would come easily to her, and we got straight into work. We both had a couple of calls to make, and meetings to set up.
When it was time for the board meeting, Raphael picked me up from my office with Bianca right behind him. She and Malia would be joining the meeting to take minutes on our behalves. When we arrived in the boardroom, everyone that needed to be there, was present.
I had been shocked a week ago, to learn that I am the only woman in the Board of Directors of all the Maestri Empire related companies. It's safe to say that my husband truly doesn't trust the female species, and I'm yet to find out why that is.
Except for the obvious reason being Gabi Hart.
I just feel like there's more to it. The men in the room, save for Fabius and Jonathan, were shocked to learn the news about my new position in the country, and if I read facial expressions properly, the reactions between good and bad were split fifty-fifty.
"We're going to have problems soon, even before we have to deal with the world," I sighed as Raphael and I sat in his office.
"We can always buy them out," he shrugged.
"We buy them out, we come across as cocky people who don't need anyone else to get ahead in business, and we both know that that's not true," I argued.
"I don't know what else to do, because I wont revoke my decision," he countered.
"And I understand that. We just need to simply make them realize that your decision is a solid one," I suggested.
"And how do we do that?" he asked.
"I'm not sure yet, but we'll figure it out soon enough. Anyway, let me get back to my office. There are a couple of things I need to do before the press conference," I said as I stood up.
"You're ok though right?" he asked worriedly.
"Caro, a couple of old men's opinions on me isn't about to ruin my mood," I smiled.
"There's my confident and assertive wife," he smirked. I laughed as I left his office.
"There she is!" Fabius beamed as I walked into my office.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I smiled, hugging him.
"Just checking up on my sister in law. You are just slaying today," he smirked.
"You're just messing with me now," I blushed.
"Not even in the slightest bit. I'm proud to call you my sister in law, just so you know. We never really got any time to get to know each other before you married my brother, but I'm glad you are the woman who tied him down," he smiled.
"What do you want Fabius?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What? What makes you think I want something?" he feigned innocence.
"Because, we've already had this conversation before, and unluckily for you, I've already been warned against your charms. I've been told you like to butter people up when you truly want something," I explained.
"They couldn't just leave you to be the last person who doesn't think of me as conniving," he sighed.
"No, they couldn't. Now, what is it that you want?" I giggled.
"I need some advice," he admitted.
"On?" I asked.
"A particular woman I have my eyes on," he replied.
"Say no more," I smirked.
I listened to him for a few minutes before giving him the best advice that I could. Unfortunately I needed to get back to work, so we couldn't talk longer, so our discussion wasn't all that long. When he'd left, I dived into my work.
"Boss lady, these papers require your signature before I take them through to Raphael," Malia said as she walked into the office with a portfolio.
"What are they?" I asked.
"All the license agreements and the deed for the restaurant," she replied.
"It finally came through?" I beamed.
"Yep! Carmen said to tell you that Wendell has been fired from her agency and she's had him blacklisted," she informed.
Ah, Wendell Stone!
Raphael enjoyed rubbing it in my face that he was right about Wendell. The man had visited my office after hours and tried to force himself on me. Luckily for me, Raphael was obviously still in the building, and he walked in to catch Wendell pinning me to the wall.
I wasn't scarred from the incident, and my husband got the satisfaction of punching the guy and having him arrested for sexual assault. It's safe to say that I tread carefully around men who look at me in inappropriate ways.
"Well, that's relieving. Raphael will be glad to know that much," I sighed.
"I'll be sure to tell him," she laughed. I'd already told her about the whole thing.
Twelve o'clock rolled around sooner than I expected, and while I was a bundle of nerves on the inside, on the outside, I looked like the kind of woman you'd find standing next to Raphael Maestri. He was as stoic as ever, and his powerful aura could be felt as we walked into the room.
The cameras were flashing wildly as my husband opened the chair for me. I heard some cooing as I sat down, before he took his seat beside me. It took a while, but the press finally settled down long enough for us to begin.
I was once again amazed by the sight that is Raphael Ambrosi Maestri. It's not very often that I get to see his business side, and every time that I do, I am truly fascinated. It just always amazes me that people don't even know the Raphael that I'm married to and blessed enough to associate with.
With the announcement having been made, I could see the shock and surprise on people's faces, and I didn't blame them one bit. Their curiosity peaked as they all wanted to ask questions- to ask me questions. I pointed to one of them.
"Mrs Maestri, we all witnessed your touching wedding special and you helped to introduce the world to a side of Raphael Maestri that most didn't even know he had. There were obviously different reactions to the special, but most people were mostly intrigued by you, pointing out that you most definitely do not look like a bimbo. With that being said, do you truly believe that you're ready to take up such a position?" the reporter asked.
"I asked myself that question a million times after my husband brought up the idea, until I realized something. If the roles were reversed, and it was Raphael who was taking up this position, with me being the billionaire, most people wouldn't even blink twice about it, simply because he's a man. We live in a world where while females are slowly but surely moving up, there is still a notion that rich men marry stupid women. Well, I'm here to show that I refuse to be associated with such a demeaning stereotype. I am a strong woman, and you can be sure that I have confidence in my intelligence. I was my own woman before I met my husband, and now I shall be the woman at his side as his equal in everything. I may not have the necessary qualifications for this job, but since when have qualifications been the only root of success? My husband himself is a testament to this. He started this empire with no qualifications to his name. Am I saying that I'm going to suddenly be as great as he is? No, I am not. I have skills of my own to show, and I will be doing so in the future. I am not taking up this position just to prove some feminist standpoint, or because I feel that it is what is required of me. I am taking up this position because I want to play a part in my family's legacy. I am a Maestri now, and The Maestri Empire has become my business too. I strongly believe that I am the only other person who will ever care for this company as much as my husband does, and it is our vision to grow it together. Let the sceptics come and the critics talk, but they should know that I am determined to prove them wrong, and for as long as this man right here believes in me, no one else can ever tear me down," I said passionately.
My husband reached out to hold my hand as I watched something akin to respect fall upon the faces of the press.
I apparently managed to answer all possible questions through that one statement alone, and the press conference was soon over. My husband apparently couldn't be bothered enough to go back to work as he took us home.
"I'm so proud of you Ari," he smiled, tracing circles on my back as we lay in bed hours later.
"I was so nervous, but I knew that I couldn't let my nerves get the best of me; not when my husband needed me to be confident," I replied.
"I didn't need you to be cara mia. You could've been nervous and I would've still been at your side," he said seriously.
"I know caro. I didn't do it entirely for you. I also did it for myself. By saying those words, it's like I was reaffirming my confidence in myself. I am officially ready for anything that comes our way," I said, looking up at him.
"God, I love it when you say our," he smirked before kissing me, effectively stopping me from pointing out his blasphemy.
By Friday, the business world was still raving about my statement. I'd apparently been named the top businesswoman to watch out for. The whole thing had been fantastic publicity for the opening of the restaurant, since everyone's eager to see how my first project will pan out.
"Mrs Maestri, you beautiful creature," the voice bellowed in my office.
"Giuseppe, how are you?" I giggled as I went over to hug him.
"I am very excited! The menu is coming together down at the restaurant, and everything else is also looking good. The chairs and tables were delivered an hour ago, so those have been laid out as well," he informed.
"That's fantastic! What are you doing here though?" I asked curiously.
"I wanted to check in on you, see that you're not stressing," he smiled.
"Oh, that's so sweet of you! I'm doing just fine. Now that I know everything for the restaurant is running smoothly, I've relaxed a bit. Instead I've been on the phone all morning talking to the gallery people," I sighed.
"I thought that wasn't opening for a while," he frowned.
"It isn't, but that's not to say I'm not doing anything about it. After all, it is my job," I smiled.
"And you are bloody brilliant at it," he winked.
"Cara mia, have you- oh hello Sep," my husband beamed at the sight of his cousin.
"Cugino, you're looking very happy," Giuseppe commented.
"Have you met my wife? Why wouldn't I be happy?" Raphael chuckled.
"What did you need Rafe?" I asked him, despite my blush.
"Nothing important! I do however, want to get you out of this office," he replied.
"What for?" I scowled.
"You don't have a dress for the opening, and I want to take you to buy one," he pouted.
I couldn't resist him, especially since I knew that it would mean the world to him to let him spend money on me. I agreed and we headed out with Giuseppe, who was on his way back to the restaurant.
We drove to a fancy boutique and the shop attendee couldn't have beamed at the sight of my husband fast enough. Her face fell when he mentioned that he was buying a dress for me. She must've made an assumption about me because she made a comment about me to him in Italian, one that I understood very well.
"I'm pretty sure your manager would love to hear what wonderful words you have to say about their clients," I smiled. Her eyes widened before she walked away.
"If it were me before I met you, I would've probably already caused a big scene and had her fired," my husband chuckled.
"So why didn't you?" I asked curiously.
"Well, two reasons. One, my wife doesn't believe in stooping down to the level of petty women, and two, my wife can handle herself quite well," he smiled. I blushed.
"Now you just need to stand up to Shelby," he added.
I know for a fact that Raphael is highly bothered by the fact that Shelby's still around, but we both know that we have to keep her around for business reasons. As for letting her step all over me, that will most definitely never happen again.
I'm a changed woman now.
"And I promise you that when the opportunity presents itself, I will do it in the classiest way possible," I smiled.
"Can't wait," he winked before the 'nice lady' returned to us with some dresses.
My husband loves seeing me in red, which would explain why all the dresses I tried on were that colour. I only had to try on three dresses before he fell in love with the third selection, the one I was also in love with.
It's a floor length simple silk gown. With my many accessories at home, I was pretty sure I could pull something together, but my husband wanted to get me a new pair of shoes, and so we got a pair of gold, jewelled Loubotin's.
I had a short lunch with my husband before we both left back for the office. We needed to both tie up some loose ends, before he came to fetch me so that we could head home to get ready. The grand opening would be at seven, and it was to five.
We were ready in no time. I'd accessorized with gold jewellery that matched my shoes, and my hair and makeup was done by me. I'd styled my hair in an up-do with jewelled pins in my hair. I felt like a million bucks.
"I have to be the luckiest man in the world to be married to such a breathtaking woman," Raphael smirked, leaning against the doorframe.
He looked like the sexy man he knows he is. He was dressed in an impeccable classic tuxedo with a bowtie. His hair was styled to perfection, and I could smell his heavenly cologne from where I was, which only sent me on a spiral of lust.
"The woman you're married to would very much say the same thing," I smirked.
"The woman I married is apparently vain," he teased.
"Raphael," I deadpanned.
"I'm kidding mia moglie. You look absolutely stunning," he smiled.
"Why thank you Signor Maestri. My husband has flawless taste," I blushed.
"That he does," he said smugly.
"And you want to talk to me about being vain?" I raised an amused eyebrow.
"Just shut up and let me kiss you," he chuckled before claiming my lips.
Thank the heavens I hadn't applied my lipstick yet.
We left for the restaurant and when we arrived, there were already a whole lot of cars there. I could see some of the most elite members of not only Italian society, but American, Australian and African as well.
It's safe to say that Raphael was shocked to learn that I knew every single one of them.
He was definitely right about me knowing some seriously influential people. Everyone was standing outside, waiting for me to cut the red ribbon in front of the doors of the restaurant. I was more than happy to see the girls.
"Mummy, you look so beautiful," they smiled.
"You look just as beautiful my angels," I said before kissing their foreheads.
Raphael did the same after they told him how handsome he looked. I headed up to the podium and waited for everyone to quiet down. There were media people and the cameras were flashing wildly still.
"Good evening everyone. I am overwhelmed at seeing you all here, even though some of you are here to see whether or not I will fall. Nonetheless, I am grateful for your presence here as my family and I take this step in a new direction. I will not say much as I feel I already said a lot at the beginning of the week. I guess all I have to say now is that I hope you enjoy yourselves and that you love our restaurant as much as you love our other products and services."
Everyone applauded as I stepped off the podium. Rafe, the girls and I, were handed a big pair of scissors, which we managed to get all our hands on. We cut the ribbon and once again everyone applauded.
The night was a huge success, even if I say so myself. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals and they loved the look and feel of the restaurant. There were compliments all round. The place only closed down at three in the morning.
"I'll be right back. I left something in the kitchen," I told Raphael. Everyone else had left, including the girls.
"Hurry back mi amore. I can't feel my legs," he chuckled. I kissed him.
"I promise," I giggled.
I ran in to get the file I needed. I wouldn't have gone back for it if it didn't contain important information. I couldn't find it where I'd put it, and a sound behind me brought my attention to someone I hadn't thought I'd see in a long while.
"Eva."
**********
ELO SMURFLETTES!!!
So, I love you guys!
That's all I have to say for this chappie!
Katee (^^,)