Chapter 5

Some crude language!! Just warning ya! Enjoy...! xx

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CHAPTER 5: They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, neither of them breathing before Giovanni abruptly pulled back and straightened his suit.

"Go get dressed. There will be some clothes in the wardrobe for you to put on. I would like to get to know my future wife better." He said and walked over to the door, his strides eating up the floor.

He moved languidly, graciously in everything he did, Natalie noted.

Her jaw tightened and she stood and walked to the door. The man was standing outside the door like a statue until she stepped out and without another word he began to lead her to her room. She felt Giovanni's eyes on her the entire way until they finally turned and led to the bedroom she had woken in.

The man stopped and Natalie turned to him, her brows furrowed in question.

"What is your name?" she asked and she was sure she saw the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Nicholas, Ms. Brown."

She nodded.

"Call me Natalie."

Turning to her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it for support. The last few minutes of her life hadn't seemed real and she had a hard time keeping the tears at bay.

She wanted to curl up and cry with the knowledge that her mom gave her away like a used toy no longer worth keeping, but she knew that she couldn't cry, not yet at least, for she didn't know if she would be able to stop once she started.

Natalie pushed off the door and walked to the bed, found a pair of navy blue skinny jeans-in her size, and an ivory v-neck sweater-in her size.

She snorted.

Of course they would know her size. They probably knew her bra size.

Stripping off the robe with a little more aggression than needed, Natalie pulled the clothes on and, again, knocked on the door twice. Not a moment later it swung open revealing Nicholas. He began walking without another word and she wished he would talk so she wasn't lost with her thoughts.

She sighed. Natalie didn't know what Giovanni wanted her to do. Yes, on the tape it said the don-Giovanni-needed an heir, or heirs, and Natalie was now the freaking incubator.

If he thought she was just going to spread her legs and fuck like bunny rabbits all so that he could get a child he was sorely mistaken. They walked down a large spiraling staircase.

As they walked, Natalie was overwhelmed with the magnificence that the mansion exuded. The rest was lush, expensive, and she figured that this whole entire house was probably more than all of the things she had ever used and bought in her entire life.

This was lavish beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Her eyes greedily took in the rich dark reds of plush carpets, the enormous, very expensive and beautiful vases.

They turned suddenly and she tried not to stumble as they turned and came to two large glass doors. Nicholas swung it open and stepped aside so she could enter which she did, wearily.

She gasped.

It was the most beautiful greenhouse she had ever seen. It was large, and all insulated glass in hexagon shapes, the ceilings spiraling upwards beautifully. On large boulders sat rows and rows of different plants, all in deep beautiful colors, blooming with scent of summer. Roses grew glossy and unwrinkled.

She ran her hands over the petal of one and slipped on a puddle of water. She hissed in between her breath.

A thorn had pierced her finger.

She pulled it back and looked at the single droplet of crimson that pooled on her finger and wondered, almost idly, if Giovanni would kill her and how much blood she would bleed.

Giovanni suddenly appeared in front of her making her gasp. She put a hand to her erratic beating heart and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"You scared me." She whispered and narrowed her eyes at the laughter in his eyes.

She could easily see herself sinking into those eyes, but she knew they had untold, endless depths she not dare sink into.

"Walk with me." He said softly, but she knew a command when she heard one.

Scowling, she followed him and let her head tip back so that she could enjoy the view of the shining stars outside of the glass.

Freedom.

"Can't I leave?" she asked quietly and he turned to her, cupped the back of her head and pulled her close.

Her breath lodged in her chest as his eyes darkened dangerously.

"No. You cannot and you will not. If you ever leave, I will come and I WILL find you. Always." It was a promise and she knew he didn't take honor lightly.

"What if I did?" she questioned bravely.

His grip tightened almost to the point of pain. "Then we will have to go back to your mother for payment and there will be...consequences if she cannot. Which you know as well as I do that she does not have any form of payment other than..." he paused, letting his eyes rake her with a hot and intense gaze.

"You. Which, now, I have." He finished, his blue gaze dropping to Natalie's lips.

"I hate you." She whispered and a humorless smile curled his lips.

"Perhaps I'll grow on you." He said lightly as he let her go and began walking again.

She took in a deep breath and began to follow him.

"How old are you?" he asked and the question made her brain fumble and freeze for a moment before she finally managed to choke out an answer.

"24."

He hummed in response as he let his large hand glide over the soft velvety petals of flowers.

"Favorite color?" he asked and her lips twitched despite herself.

"Blue."

She could sense his smile.

"First job?"

"It was at a fast food restaurant." She answered and he nodded and turned to her.

"Why do you do this job?" she asked and it was almost as if a shield went up and guarded his face.

"Why did you waitress for seven years?" He retorted.

She clenched her jaw.

"You aren't going to tell me anything about you...Are you?" She asked and he nodded and for a moment as he looked at her, she thought she saw a flash of longing in his eyes, so strong it made her sternum ache.

Did he want to tell her?

"Tomorrow evening I am having a party. I have it every year to mark the start of summer. I would like you to go with me, mi amour." He said and cupped her jaw.

She tried not to flinch. She moved away and he dropped his hand.

"You're asking me? Not telling me?" she scoffed. He smiled and the heart made her heart stop, then race. "Yes, I am asking you." He said and after a moment of shyly playing with the petal of a flower, letting the softness of the petal caress her fingertip- she turned to him.

"Okay. I'll go, but I am only going, because I know, now that this is my life. I will never love you. I don't think I can. I had a life and YOU took that from me. I will do whatever you want, but I will do it for my mother and only that reason. You will never have a place in my heart." She said softly and he flinched, but quickly covered it up with a cough as his blue gaze turned cold.

Mean.

Hard.

Almost sad.

"Good. I cannot afford any weakness." He said and she tried to ignore the pang of hurt at his words.

She nodded, curtly.

"Goodnight, Mr. Amaro." She whispered and with that she turned and left the don of the mafia alone in the deep shadows of night...

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