The Mafia Boss (Book 1)

Chapter 14: Nightmares

Nightmares-Ellise

"You are one little ugly bitch." Father says, his voice low and gravely, "Who is Parker?" 

"He's just a friend." I say, a lie. He is my boyfriend. I love Parker and he loves me, Father can't know that.

"Why are you texting him?" He demands. "You are such a whore. Texting boys. Are you fucking him?"

"NO!" I exclaim. "Please father, me and Parker are just friends. We have mutual friends and he asked for my number so we could set up a party for our mutual friend, Sara!" I don't know a girl named Sara.

"I don't believe your lying, bullshit, whore mouth." My father says. My father takes out my phone and smashes it on the ground. "I'm going to beat your little slut ass for this one."

My father starts out by grabbing my hair and slamming my head into the wall till I have ringing in my ears and I have gone numb.

I fall to the floor and he starts kicking and punching my face and my entire body. He strips me down till I am fully naked.

Where he rapes me once again. I can't remember how long it goes on for, but I am left bloody and broken when he slams my bedroom door shut.

Leaving me to die.

 But I don't. How I wish I did.

I jerk myself awake, Sweat beading down my forehead. I'm panting, I can barely steady it. The room is so dark, so alone, so scary.

I need someone. I neeed comfort.

I've always been able to handle these nightmares alone, but now I don't know if I can.

I get out of bed and I open my door. My feet work faster than my brain, I walk straight down the hallway to Luciano's room. 

Before I can knock on the door, I stop myself.

"Don't do this." I whisper. "Go back to bed." But the nightmares creep up on me, just barely near my shoulders. I can feel the coldness, and the fear as I gulp.

My knees shake, I don't want to turn around. I feel like I will see something. I will see my past again. I don't want to be alone.

But I barely know Luciano. He doesn't care about me. He will never care about me. I am about to back up from the door, when it opens.

Luciano stands in the doorway, his hair ruffled and messy from sleep. He looks beautiful, even when tired. He is shirtless, his sweatpants hanging low on his waste so I can see the muscles and the lines going down to his....

I look back up at his chest. Tattoos, all over his chest and arms. 

I look at him, back up to his face.

"What happened?" Luciano asks, his voice tired. "Are you okay?"

"I...." I don't know what to say. "Just a bad dream. I'll go back to bed."  But I don't move, he doesn't move either.

"Was it like the one on the plane?" He asks me.

"Yes." I say before I can lie. "Worse."

"Come in." Luciano takes a step back from the door and invites me in. I can't walk away, I can't control my movements as I walk into his room.

He turns on the lamp, his bed a mess of sheets and comforter and pillows. He must have had a really good sleep and I ruined it for him.

"I'm sorry." I say. "I woke you up because I can't handle them, I'm sorry. I'll just go back to bed." I try to leave but Luciano stops me. 
"Don't leave." He whispers. "I have them too."

"I woke you up, I feel bad." I say. "I should go and handle it alone." He was the first person to ever comfort me before when I had a nightmare. I don't want to be alone again. I was always alone. But I know that it will leave me less hurt.

"I wasn't sleeping well, Stay." He says. "Unless you really want to leave, I won't stop you, if you want to stay, get into bed."
I wait, hesitant. I was never offered to be in a bed with someone. It makes me nervous. 

But I do stay. I go to the other side of the bed. Luciano and I stay far apart, we just face each other. Luciano looks at me and I look at him.

Luciano reaches over and turns off the lights. But I don't feel scared. I can feel his body heat even though I am far away from him.
"Goodnight, Kiara." He whispers.

"Goodnight." I respond. I close my eyes, drifting off slowly. When I hear him whisper right before sleep overcomes me.

"I love you, Little Nightmare."

~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up warm. 

Why so warm? Then it hits me. 

Luciano's warm, muscled arms are wrapped around my waist. Luciano's breath on my neck, warm. I feel comforted. 

I couldn't enjoy this more. But I shouldn't enjoy this. I shouldn't like him. But I do. It's his charm, He's being nice to me because he wants to get into my pants.

We won't ever love each other. I won't ever truly love him.

It's just an arranged marriage.

But I cuddle more into Luciano. 

"Good morning." Luciano says. "How did you sleep?" Luciano doesn't let me go out of his arms. I still feel the breath on my neck. 

I get a little closer to him, "I slept good, thank you." When I feel something against my back, something hard.

He's hard. He got hard.

I move away from him.

"Fuck." He whispers. "Sorry about him....I...." Him?! Did Luciano just call his dick a HIM? I laugh into the pillow.

A full wonderful laugh. I haven't laughed like this in such a long time, since before my mother died. Before I was raped and abused more and more than before.

"It's fine." I say. Luciano sits up on his elbows, looking down at me. "Do I look really bad?"

"No." Luciano says, "The opposite of bad, you look wonderful." 

"Thanks for telling me pretty lies." I say. "You flatter me." I fan myself and he laughs. "No, speak more! I love the compliments."

Luciano laughs even more. "Okay, You are beautiful, smart, gracious, I love every little thing about you. I would never change anything."

If he could change what I went through, would he do that?

I didn't have any nightmares that entire night while sleeping with Luciano.

Maybe we can get along.

Maybe I can like him.