Duchess Trilogy: Book 1: Mafia

Chapter Nine: The Wedding Plans

A few days passed, and I locked myself in my room, not wanting to come out. There were a few knocks here and there from Froot and Simon checking in on me, but I just asked politely for my space. Thankfully, the servers brought me food when I got hungry, or else I would have starved myself.

One afternoon, as I was reading Jane Eyre out on the patio, I heard my door open. I didn't move and kept my eyes on the book. I politely asked them to go away.

"Hell no, girl, I will not fucking leave!" Janja speaks directly, walks over, and sits across from me on the couch.

I was surprised by her as I slammed my book shut and stood up, apologizing. "I'm sorry, Donna! I didn't know it was you!"

"Girl, don't 'Donna' me! What the hell happened between Alex and Ryan? They are like going nuts mad at one another," She asks questionably.

I was about to answer but then stopped myself and looked down towards my book. She seemed to catch my drift and then knelt in front of me, removing the book from my hands to feel her hands tightly.

"Do I need to smack some guys around? I can pull out my whip if need be. These boys fear me when my whip is out, girl!"

I tried hard not to chuckle at the thought of Janja walking the halls dragging a whip around, waving and snapping it as people walked by.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but take it easy on both of them. It was just a misunderstanding," I say.

She nods and then gets up to move the chair closer to me to listen to my side of the story. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Fuck, girl! What Alex did was completely out of line, and it pisses me off that he tried to force his way onto you!" She gets up, pacing the balcony floor close to the railing, angry and upset. "Honestly, I got to thank Ryan for having your back and looking out for you. Who knows what I would have done to Alex if I caught him doing that to you."

I nod slightly and then just lower my head once more. "It's just odd though. I told him it was fine for him to come hang out with me in my room -"

"Girl, no! You were drunk and letting yourself be. He knows better than to use you like that. It's all about respecting a woman and her wishes. You probably didn't think it would lead to sex, right?" She stops and looks at me.

"No! That was the last thing on my mind." I say truthfully. "I never even kissed a man before. Back in my time, if you kissed and weren't married, it would be scandalous, and you would lose your heir to the royal family title and be labeled as a whore -" I stopped myself now, realizing why I wasn't a part of the history books. Because of my running away from home with a man, it was seen as a ruin to the family name. No wonder my sister Elizabeth married the cousin; it was to keep the royalty in the bloodline and to keep my scandal a secret.

"I see..." Janja stared at me, puzzled as to why I spaced out for a moment. "Well, regardless of what you were hoping for, it was obvious that there was something else on his mind."

"He was drunk, too. He probably didn't realize who he was with."

"Brie, listen to yourself! If a man were to drink and then try to make a move on a woman, it's only for one thing: S-E-X! Something about getting drunk just has men lose their sense of cleanliness and manners, and it's just best to avoid them, period."

I raise a brow and then ask, "So... You and The Don...?"

She glances over and smiles, "Of course. It makes it more fun when you are in a relationship. But you and Alex just met each other very recently. Love isn't something built over time. It's instant chemistry! I mean, did any point that you and Alex had that one moment?