Beverly had been a sobbing mess, but I had been more detached than anything. My mind had gone into protective mode and I hadn’t fought it.
My mind needed some goddamn protecting.
After Ciro had knocked Sensio out and secured him in back of his car, I had stood by in a daze as every man in the room had come before Luca and pledged their loyalty and lives to him. My mental state went into further bewilderment as each man, after pledging their fealty to Luca, had taken my hand and kissed the back in a show of respect.
The fucking shit was nuts.
And, now, I was drinking whiskey from a tumbler in Luca’s office because nothing else had worked to steady my nerves. I was lying back against his chest as his fingers danced up and down my arm. Ciro had Sensio at wherever it was the took people and I knew Luca was planning on joining them later, but he had said we needed to talk first.
“Are you ready to talk?” he asked. He had allowed my stalling, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to put him off all night.
I tossed back what was left of the whiskey, placed the glass on the table next to the couch, and burrowed back deeper into Luca’s protective embrace. I let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I guess.”
“First, the funhouse,” he said.
My brows dipped. What freakin’ funhouse? “The funhouse?”
“It’s what Ciro calls his main…facility,” he explained. “He has a few scattered around the city, but that’s his…preferred choice.”
“So, what about it?” I asked.
“Yesterday was necessary because I plan on marrying you this week, Remy,” he said. “I didn’t want you saying your vows under false pretenses. I wanted you to see the man you are marrying. I also wanted you to see the reality of the world we live in. The reality of what could happen to you if you ever fell into the hands of one of my enemies.”
I thought about his words and the honesty in them was real. “Luca, you want to marry someone you’ve only known for less than a week,” I replied. “That’s madness for a man of your position.”
“I believe in love at first sight,” he stated so matter of fact, that I knew he believed his words.
“You can believe in it, but that doesn’t mean it’s real,” I pointed out. “And, even if it is real, love does not conquer all, despite all those love songs out there.”
I could feel Luca’s chuckle as his chest rumbled against my back. “No, it doesn’t,” he agreed. “But it can when it’s paired with commitment and hard work.” His arms wrapped around my body. “And I am committed to you, Remy Christian. And today proved just how committed you are to me.”
“Or I was just scared out of my mind,” I retorted.
Luca laughed. “Or you were just scared out of your mind,” he conceded.
“I was scared of you yesterday,” I said quietly. If we were going to do this, I had to learn not to fear him. I had to be confident in the power he claims I have.
“You should be, Remy,” he said, not sugarcoating anything for me. “Especially since I’m capable of so much worse than what I showed you yesterday.”
“So, I’m just supposed to be okay with the idea that you might hurt me one day?” What woman in her right mind would accept those conditions?
“Remy, I only ask four things from you,” he said. “Every ounce of your love. Your unwavering loyalty. Your absolute faithfulness. And your total respect of me and my position. And breaking only two of those would demand restitution.”
“Which two?” I had no intentions of not giving Luca my everything, but I was curious.
“Depending on the level of betrayal, I might kill you if you betrayed the organization, so that would be loyalty.”
“That’s understandable, I suppose,” I mumbled, hating that it made weird, twisted sense.
“And I have to be honest with you, I’m not sure if I would kill you if you cheated on me, but you’ll wish you were dead if I ever found out you went to another man,” he said, naming number two-faithfulness.
“You’re such a romantic,” I deadpanned.
He squeezed me. “Brat.”
After a few seconds, I said, “I’d never betray you, Luca. I’ll also never cheat on you.”
His lips dropped to the top of my head. “I know, baby,” he replied. “I wouldn’t be marrying you if I thought you were capable of such duplicity.”
“So, what else?”
“Beverly,” he said, and I cringed. Beverly was beautiful enough to cause jealousy in any woman. But knowing Luca’s been with her for years, well…that was super unpleasant.
“What about her?”
“I don’t want you having any misconceptions about my relationship with her,” he answered softly, like he knew I was jealous of her. “I met Beverly years ago. She was older and wasn’t susceptible to the whims of the young and fanciful. She was mature enough to handle an arrangement, and it made my life easier.” Even though it should have made me feel better, I didn’t like how he reduced her to a business transaction. “She’s also barren and that was another attracting quality. I didn’t need to fear her plotting to trap me with an unplanned pregnancy.”
“She’s very beautiful,” I commented, feeling the need to point out her humanity for some reason.
“She is,” he agreed. “She’s also very intelligent and kind.” His voice was low and thoughtful. “And in the five years I’ve been with her, she’s never made me feel an ounce of what I feel when I just think of you, Remy. That’s another reason I know that what I share with you is worth holding onto forever.”
“She didn’t deserve to be embarrassed that way,” I muttered, trying to be fair even as I worked through my feelings about the woman.
“No,
