The Dominator Page 5

  Tommy Ferrano had come into my work and had checked me out, made himself known to me, had flirted with me, even. How long had this been planned for? Where was my Dad now? I didn’t even have a phone number to call and ask him what was going on. The look on his face as I pulled away was of defeat but then two seconds later it was as if nothing happened. Drinking coffee, talking on the phone, not looking devastated. Was it all for show? And Mr. Ferrano had acted like the whole marker thing was just a ploy by my Dad. What was the real story here? Who was I dealing with, really?

  I excused myself to the bathroom and sent Dad a Facebook message from my phone demanding he call or text me immediately. I wrote,

  “Dad! What on earth? These guys say I have to marry the mafia guy’s son to clear your debt. MARRY! And if I don’t do it, we could be dead. And if he doesn’t like me, I still don’t get to go home, they have ‘other’ options. WTF? Please tell me this is a prank, Dad. Write ASAP, come to the house (I’ll be here 3 hrs.) or call my cell! After that I guess I’m back at Tommy Ferrano’s house (but they may take my phone again). It’s on the corner of Jane St. and River Rd.”

  I knew after Mom died that Dad had dealings with less than desirables. Maybe he did before, too, I didn’t know, but then again my mom had probably protected me.

  I remembered people coming to the door for money after she died. I remembered hiding in my room during the poker games in our apartment when things would sometimes get loud and out of control. More than once I’d seen Dad with bruises on his face and blackened eyes and vividly remembered his jaw being wired shut after one night when he left me alone the whole night and came back in the morning unable to talk. I’d also had guys bust in behind me when coming home from school one day and beat Dad up right in front of me, calling him a lowlife deadbeat. What was I in for here?

  Dad had always been fascinated with the mafia. Like, crazy fascinated. He and I used to watch mob movies and he’d tell me facts throughout the movies about real life mobsters, about parallels, add additional facts about code of conduct, about hierarchies, and so forth. He watched mob movies, mob documentaries, and the mafia came up on conversation all the time. All the time. I never got the fascination but remember my Mother getting pissed about him letting me watch The Godfather when I was about 6. She screamed at him for like an hour that night.

  I was here but not enjoying my graduation party. Despite the laughter and the fun everyone else was having, I was stuck in my own head, but couldn’t delve deep enough to ponder my fate because the reality might be too difficult to face. I just felt numb and disjointed.

  I kept staring at the clock and time was flying. I knew he’d be back for me and I didn’t know what’d be in store for me tonight. How would I tell everyone I wasn’t going to the dance? Tomorrow was the day I was supposed to be moving into Nonno and Nona’s. My room was already almost totally packed.

  “You okay, sweetheart?” Cal put his arm around me as Rose served everyone generous slices of the large beautiful cake with our three smiling faces on it. Susie was smiling at me with a sad look on her face. She probably figured Dad had disappointed me, too.

  “Mm hmm.” I tried not to choke up.

  “We are so proud of you. You’re always a part of our family, okay?” he kissed my temple and moved away. I nodded. He wasn’t usually the touchy feely sort. My heart sank. I stepped out onto the porch and saw that Tommy Ferrano was there, parked on the street, waiting for me. I didn’t know if he was just half an hour early or if he hadn’t even left. I didn’t know if I should go to the car or go back inside and enjoy what might be my last thirty minutes of freedom.

  “Tia, come; open your graduation gifts!” Ruby called from the family room.

  Tommy

  Damn that douchebag Greg O’Connor! It pissed me off that he’d do this to his kid. Pop had already told me that he’d broken the news to Tia that she wasn’t just a marker to be held temporarily, like her father had said. She was now property of the Ferrano family. My property, if I wanted her.

  When I’d seen her in my bedroom it took everything in me to not rip her clothes off, throw her on the bed, and take her. She’d been mine from the minute Pop had told me about her and I felt it in my bones. I hadn’t even been with anyone since seeing her face that first time. I had zero desire to touch anyone. Anyone but her. And because I typically had pussy at my disposal every single day and it’d been weeks, I was on fire for this girl. She was in big trouble if I couldn’t bring this need in me to heel. I thought about taking my frustrations out on someone else, to lock it down, save her from me, but I didn’t want anyone else. I didn’t even think I’d get hard for anyone else because I was looking forward to having her that much.

  She’d stood there looking surprised, then confused, then a little bit defiant, and I couldn’t wait to get her back to my place, to my bed, where we could explore a variety of her emotions. Fear, submission, satisfaction…

  Now she was on the porch of the Crenshaw’s house, staring at me sitting in my car outside. I tilted my seat back to show her I was in no hurry and she disappeared back into the house.

  Tia

  I told Rose, Cal, and Ruby that I had something to take care of and that I didn’t know when I’d be back. Rose and Cal assumed it was just to do with my Dad and, as usual, gave me space. Ruby pummeled me with questions.

  “I can’t, Ruby. I can’t talk about it.”

  “When will you be at the party? Nick texted me and he really wants to see you.”

  “I don’t know. I’ll try. But if I don’t come, don’t worry.”

  “If you don’t come? If you don’t come! This is the last hurrah before you become a grown up. What do you mean if you don’t come?”

  She was in hysterics. It was time for me to leave.

  “I have to go.” I said, pulling her into a quick hug, “I’ll be back ASAP. Okay?” Mia and Bethany were approaching so I decided to make my exit tout de suite before the questions started coming at me rapid-fire.

  Ruby looked so confused. It wasn’t like me to leave her in the dark. I hated to walk away and I hoped she wouldn’t follow me. I just didn’t know what to say. I was confused, myself.

  I left the porch and walked toward the car. Tommy brought his seat back upright and stepped out to open the passenger door. I got in and when he closed it, I glanced back over my shoulder at the house and saw Ruby and Rose watching me from the front door with confusion on their faces. Of course they were confused. I was getting into an expensive convertible with a man they’d never met.

  I put my seatbelt on. Tommy started to drive. I sat, frozen, numb, not sure what to say or do. Then we approached Nick on the street; he was jaywalking, crossing the street, looking like he was heading toward Rose & Cal’s house. He made eye contact with me and then his jaw dropped because Tommy sped up and then swerved to miss hitting him, barely missing. My eyes shot to Tommy and I gave him a look like he was a crazy man but said nothing. He was staring straight ahead, a devious smirk on his face. Did he know who Nick was to me?

  Tommy

  When we got back to my house she followed me back upstairs to my bedroom without saying a word. Not until the door was closed. Then she dropped her purse on the floor and her fists balled up. Now she was shooting imaginary daggers at me from her eyes.

  “Would you please tell me what’s going on?” she blurted at me, “The story my father told me is very different from what your father told me. And your father didn’t say much! You’ve gotta admit, this is not normal!”

  I removed my suit jacket, dropped it on the bed, rolled up my sleeves, sat on the sofa that was in front of the bed and propped my arms on the back of it and stared at her, “Sit.”

  “I’d rather not,” she said, staring at the ink on my left forearm. She swallowed hard. She was trying not to show me she was intimidated.

  Her legs went on for miles in that tight little black dress. She was wearing very high heels and she had a smokin’ body. The temperature in the room
rose a little as we sized one another up. I undid my top shirt button and moistened my lips.

  “What’s going on here is this.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs and looking up at her face, “Your father owed my father something and he’s paid that debt off using you as currency.” That was all I knew, although I did plan to get to the bottom of it.

  “Why would anyone pay a debt with a person? And I’m not my father’s property so he had no right to agree to those terms.”

  I liked how she was looking me right in the eye. I smiled at her.

  “So, your father arranged a marriage?” she continued, “And even more strange, you agreed. And my father agreed to this as well?”

  I mulled the question over for a moment, “Not exactly.”

  “Then what, exactly?” she had an edge to her voice. She was on the verge of losing her temper. I wanted that. I wanted her to lose her temper so I could bring her in line. I could barely stand waiting for that moment of realization --- that moment when she got an inkling of what she was in for.

  “We’ve had no real resistance from your father. He handed you over willingly, knowing you might be married into my family and that you might not be. Even said it was a bit of a relief. My father would like to see me married before he retires and hands over the helm of the family business. I haven’t agreed to anything. He’s given you to me as an option.”

  “What if I refuse? Wait, what do you mean a relief?”

  “This isn’t up to you,” I answered.

  She winced, “Um, yeah, it is. You can’t force someone to marry you.”

  “Can’t I?” I gave her a smile.

  She frowned.

  “Then what if you don’t take that option?”

  I tapped my index finger on my lips for a moment, assessing her body language. She shuffled uncomfortably, no doubt dying to get out of those heels and away from me. I didn’t want her out of the shoes. I wanted her in them, them and nothing else. I wanted those heels up behind my ears.

  “Then I’d get to decide what happens to you instead.”

  She let out a slow breath, “And what would that be?”

  I smiled, “Could be any number of things.”

  “Like?”

  I snickered. Her face turned red, she was having trouble hiding how uncomfortable she was. She was trying to mask her anger and her fear. I liked it.

  “Could I be… killed?” She asked me.

  I raised my brows, “Or worse.”

  Confusion swept over her face. She didn’t know what I meant. She doesn’t know that there are things worse than death. She doesn’t know that many women sold into slavery wished for death because of the hell that was their existence.

  “So you’re having trouble finding someone to marry?” She eyed me up and down as if I was something she scraped off her shoe, “That’s why you’re doing this?”

  I snickered, “Not exactly.”

  Tia

  He was sitting on that couch staring at me like he wanted to have me for breakfast. Right now, to me, he looked like what a cunning devil might look like if he were disguised as a handsome man. Oozing with sex appeal and danger. And deception. And more danger. And arrogance.

  He’d come into the ice cream parlor on my last day there and flirted with me. Today he looked like the same guy but acted different --- almost like he was the evil twin. His eyes and his overall demeanor were vastly different. The light and playfulness in his eyes wasn’t there. There was intensity instead, something I could only think to describe as a sort of darkness. Like evil or something.

  His body was broad and muscular but not bulky. His arms thick, muscular, and because his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows I could see swirly tribal-looking tattoos on a forearm. His jaw was tight as he assessed me. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t know if I should try to reason with him, to plead for him to let me go, or to sit there and shut up and wait see what his next move would be.

  I couldn’t take this pain in my feet any longer. I sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over and loosened my shoes. My feet were freaking killing me. I wasn’t used to walking in heels this high. I’d wanted to look grown up for my high school grad and they definitely helped with that, adding to my 5’4” height. I let them dangle and one fell to the floor. I flexed my toes in relief. I looked up and he was staring at my legs.

  I wanted to ask ‘what, exactly?’ again but suspected I wouldn’t get a straight answer, so I said, “I’m, uh, I’m expected tonight at a graduation party. And tomorrow I’m supposed to move into my own apartment, and…”

  He cut me off, “Obviously, things have changed.”

  I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

  “If there’s anything important from your old life, it can be picked up. Or we don’t look back and I replace everything.” He was still looking at my legs.

  “So, that means…” I wasn’t getting it. Did this mean he wanted to marry me? He didn’t even know me!

  “Let’s see how this goes, call it a trial engagement,” he said, answering my unspoken question, “There are some ground rules. I’ll fill you in on those shortly. Right now I have something to do. It’s best that you stay here until I go over the rules with you.”

  “Wait, trial engagement? What if I refuse?”

  He snickered and then raised a brow at me challengingly, “You don’t want me to answer that.”

  I believed that. A chill crawled up my spine. “So, I’m your fiancé now? Just like that?” I said in disbelief.

  Then he gave me a grin, “Just like that.” He got up, and left. He just left me there, sitting on the bed. What on earth?

  I heard a text alert on my phone. I pulled it out of my purse. It was Nick.

  * Can’t wait to c u tonite ;) U looked hot today. So who the fuck was that asshole in the beamer?

  The door swung back open and Tommy snatched my phone from my hand, “You can have a phone after we go over the rules.” His eyes were a bit crazed as he looked at the screen and then put my phone into his pocket, “You won’t be seeing Nick again.” I frowned. The door shut.

  Trial engagement? Based on what, on an order from a mafia godfather? No romantic candlelit dinner with a guy who loved me down on one knee in candle light telling me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Nope. Instead I got a forced engagement with underlying threats. Lovely. What now, though? How could I get out of this without getting hurt or killed or without Dad getting hurt or killed?

  Tommy

  Her phone rang a little while later with the name, “Mia” on it. I ignored it. Then a text came through from the name “Bethany” with “Where the bleep r u and who was THAT who you left with?” I shut it off. My own phone rang immediately afterwards. I glanced at the screen and debated rejecting the call but shook my head and answered, “Yeah, Pop?”

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “Who do you think will win the playoffs? Shit, what do you think I mean? What about the girl?”

  “I haven’t decided yet,” I answered.

  “Of course you have, Tommy. Please. Like I don’t know you. You tell me you really haven’t decided and I’ll be a…”

  I cut him off, “Pop, give me five minutes, will ya?”

  “I’ll give you a few days. Dinner Sunday at my house. If you’re keeping her, bring her with you. Then we’ll celebrate. If you come alone…well…”

  I had things to do. The sooner they were done, the sooner I’d be back in my bedroom with her.

  “Gotta go, Pop.”

  “Okay, my boy.” He said and I could almost see his cocky smile through the phone. I ended the call.

  Tia

  I was pacing. What else could I do? I was in this bedroom, waiting for him to come and tell me what his rules were. Rules. Pff. I couldn’t believe this.

  A million thoughts flitted through my brain and I couldn’t think straight. All I could do right now was pace back and forth and back and fort
h. I could try to walk out and leave but what would happen if I did? All the scary dudes and the gates and everything made me think it’d just be a waste of my time. But there had to be a way out of this. Could I reason with this guy?

  Tommy

  I stepped into the bedroom a few hours later and she was sitting on my bed, watching TV. The sight of this girl in my bed stirred my sex drive big time. She’d taken whatever held her hair up out so that it was now hanging down her back like a glossy curtain. Her shoes were still on the floor and she had her feet tucked under herself and was against my pillows, hugging one against herself. Her eyes were a little puffy, most of her make-up gone. She’d been crying.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of me. I strolled to the other side of the bed and sat down beside her. I could see she was trying to stay frozen in place but she was failing. She was trembling. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a heart-shaped black velvet ring box. I put it on the bed between us. She looked at the box like it might bite her.

  “You’re not ready to wear it yet, that’s fine. I’ll put it on the table and we’ll discuss later. Our engagement’s contingent on several things, we’ll see how it goes, but in the meantime there are a few rules. Want a drink? We can discuss.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. I could see that a tear had squeezed out. She was chewing her juicy-looking bottom lip. I was so fucking turned on right now.

  Before I could calculate the move, the back of my hand touched the tear. She winced. Involuntarily, I groaned low in my throat. It must’ve sounded like a growl to her. Goosebumps rose on her arms. I pulled my hand back, got up, then walked to the wet bar, dropping the ring box on the dresser on the way.

  My room was fairly self-contained. There was a small fridge, a fully stocked bar, an office area, sitting area, ensuite bathroom, and doors that led to a balcony that had a hot tub and stairs that led down to the backyard where there was a pool and patio. Pop had bought me this house and presented it to me a few months ago on my 29th birthday as a surprise. I had money to buy my own house, with cash even, but had been content living in the condo. In hindsight, I should’ve known that this, the engagement, was the next step. It had five other bedrooms, quarters for staff, and a two bedroom pool house. Why did I need all this space unless I was starting a family? I was still getting used to the house, having people around all the time.