Mariano (Made Men #1)

Five

I love your rough edges, and soft parts that bleed.
The ruins of your soul are poetry to me.
- Anita Krizzan

I followed Mariano up the stairs that Aria had just come from. His steps were deliberately slow. I was getting pissed.

"You called me yours." I said to him. He turned around to look at me once, then commenced walking, entering a large room with a mahogany desk.

"This is my office." He said.

"Okay?"

He sat down on a chair behind the desk, picked up a paper and began writing something.

"Mariano?" I asked.

"Sí?"

"Why am I here?"

He continued writing. "I had some work with you. Its done now."

I stared transfixed. "Nice handwriting." I commented. "Why did you call me yours?"

He looked up for a moment. "Perchè tu sei."

(Because you are.)

"Huh?"

"Its safer that way, Bella." He sighed. "You don't know about us. The family."

"I don't understand any of this." I said, sitting down on the floor.

He scrunched up his nose. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

I shrugged. He sighed and put one hand on my shoulder, wound another round my waist and sat me on one of the seats facing him.

"You're strong." I giggled.

He smiled. "You have a nice laugh."

"Thanks." A blush crept over my cheeks. Was I crushing on him?

"So, the she's mine thing." I said casually. "Everyone here thinks that I'm your girlfriend?"

He nodded, returning back to his desk to write whatever he had been. "You could say that. What they think is that you're my woman and will be my wife. They'll respect you that way."

"Oh?" I gasped. "So announcing that I'm yours gives them a kind of forever impression?"

"Yes," He sighed, "We don't exactly... make girlfriends, Bella. We have the whores for our," he thought for a moment, "..needs." He looked at me for a moment. "Announcing that you belong to me, to them, it means that I'm taken now. As the," he hesitated, "The Don, and you as my woman, we'll be...important. Its hard to explain." He scratched the side of his neck. "Just act the part, sí?"

"Act as your girlfriend? Cake walk." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

His eyes blazed. "Women here don't talk to their men like that. You respect me and obey me. I tell you to do something, you do it. Or you get punished. I'm your world. No thoughts, no shit."

I coughed awkwardly. "So your wives are your slaves?"

"No, Bella." He sighed yet again. I was exasperating, wasn't I? "Its different, in my world. We love our women, but - "

"You're like cavemen."

He shrugged. "Yes."

"Our women don't work. They look after the house. The kids. Their husbands. Its very...orthodox. I don't expect you to do that. But, when we're together, I want you to be exactly as you're supposed to be. With time, you'll learn your place. You'll see how women are supposed to be in...this."

"Who are you?" I asked sharply.

"Mariano Lionelli Montefiore Rivera. Google it, Bella." He said without blinking.

"I will." I held my chin up. He snorted.

"Do you want to go home?"

Wasn't that a way of asking me to fuck off?

"Yes. I'll leave now." I said.

"No." He said sharply. "Luigi will drive you."

"As you wish, boyfriend."

He looked up at me and smirked-smiled. "Sei perfetta, dolcezza."

(You're perfect. Dolcezza - term of endearment - akin to sweetheart)

I stayed silent. "Sí" I said after some time. Mariano shook his head, laughing. He stood up, coming over to me, and instead of grabbing my hand like he usually did, offered his hand to me. "Come." He said.

I took his hand lightly. He entwined his fingers with mine and squeezed. "Perfetta." He repeated. "Mio piccolo tesoro."

(My little treasure.)

My heart warmed at his soft tone even though I didn't know shit about what he was talking. He began walking, this time letting me walk in step with him, than me walking behind. We drew gasps as we made our way. The corridor was a bit crowded now. This must be big.

"Lucia!" Mariano called to a woman - wearing normal clothes - who was making her way upstairs.

"Don?" She asked softly.

"Where's Luigi?"

"Luigi. He is asleep, Don. May I help you instead?"

He shook his head. "No. Grazie, Lucia."

(No. Thank you, Lucia.)

"Don, may I ask who the girl on your arm is?"

"Sí." Mariano looked at me and smiled. "This is Isabelle. My woman."

Such a nice way for introduction.

"Oh." She smiled. "Ciao." She looked at me and nodded politely.

(Hello)

"Hello." I said back.

"You're not Italian?" She gasped slightly.

"No. She's not." Mariano answered for me. I scowled at him. "I'm perfectly capable of answering for myself, thank you so much."

Lucia looked at me with a mixture of amusement, fear and shock in her eyes. Mariano fixed a glare at me. Defiantly, I glared back.

"What did I tell you about talking to me like that, Bella?" He asked calmly.

Oh no, he did not just do that to me in front of a stranger.

"I will talk to you as I please." I retorted.

He sighed.

"Excuse me, Don." Lucia said, and ran upstairs.

Mariano took my arm in an iron grip and dragged me downstairs. We didn't go out of the building though. Instead, he took me down to the basement.

"You can't go home tonight."

"Why?" I asked.

"Luigi is asleep is code for there's gonna be an attack."

"Seriously?" I burst into peels of laughter. "That's so funny."

His eyes narrowed. "Its not. You can stay the night. The basement is mine."

I shrugged. "No funny business?"

He nodded. "No funny business."