One Night Stand with My Husband's Brother

CHAPTER 6

Of course, after I became "friends" with Giovanni, a lot changed in my life. First, it needs to be clear that our "friendship" meant that I was his fake girlfriend. And being Giovanni Cordopatri's "girlfriend" meant attending the dinners he had told me about.

The first dinner I attended as his girlfriend was at Amorielle's house. The Amorielle family had always been known for their extensive criminal record, which included bank fraud, narcotics, and arms trade. Marco was the family's head, and he had a niece, Sofia, who was clearly one of the potential brides for Giovanni offered by his grandfather. By the way, Guido Cordopatri was present at the dinner and, like Sofia, couldn't stop observing me. However, I wasn't the least bit concerned because Giovanni had given me all the directions. As he had predicted, after dinner, his grandfather invited me for a private conversation.

I walked silently behind his security to Massimiliano's office, where I found Giovanni's grandfather sitting, puffing smoke from his cigar while holding the newspaper "Tomorrow" in his other hand. A scene straight out of a movie that I never thought I'd witness.

"Mia Fraga," Guido spoke while still staring at the newspaper.

He was indeed reading my name as a columnist, which made me believe he was reading my latest gossip article about a recently broken celebrity couple. He looked up and then stared at me, smiling.

"Finally, I managed to put a face to this name."

"Thank you...?" I said, not sure if that was a compliment.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, and for your own good, I hope you'll be honest," Giovanni continued, tossing the newspaper aside. He savored his cigar once again and continued, "Did Giovanni hire you?"

"No."

"How did you two meet?"

"At the bar near my workplace, but I believe you already know that," I replied seriously. "I assume your next question will be related to the fact that I work for a newspaper and that I'm here only to get a scoop for them. The answer is also no, and as you can see from my column, I didn't even mention your grandson in it. And it will remain that way for a long time."

"I know you won't be able to do that, even if you want to," Guido said enigmatically after another puff. "Do you love him?"

"No." This answer made him look at me slightly surprised. "You asked me to be honest, so my honest answer is no. I don't love Giovanni... yet. We've only just met, and I'm not sure about my feelings for him... yet."

He looked attentively at me, trying to decipher me, but I kept my face impassive so that Guido couldn't figure me out. Then Giovanni's grandfather smiled and stood up from the couch. He approached my face and gave me two kisses on the cheek while saying excitedly:

"Welcome to the family."

***

Certainly, getting approved by his grandfather was the easiest part of that night. The most challenging part was being introduced to all those families. The names were quite varied: Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, Bonanno, Gattone, Messina, Rossi, Russo, Ferrari, Esposito, Bianchi, Romano, Di Martino, Di Maria, Di Luca, Di Pietro, and, of course, the host of the night, Amorielle.

That night, I discovered that the heads of the families were older, but in contrast, their heirs were all quite attractive. For a moment, Giovanni seemed less handsome compared to the other guys present. And, of course, I couldn't help but comment to him:

"It's raining men..."

"Hallelujah," Giovanni agreed while sipping his whiskey reluctantly. "But you're not their type."

"Wow, that's mean," I replied, pretending to be offended. I looked down at my simple red dress, ran my hand through my barely decent bun, and continued, "I know I should have chosen a better dress."

"You look beautiful, Mirela. The most stunning woman at the party," Giovanni complimented, looking at me deeply. That gaze made me wonder if he might be bisexual at least. Then, he turned and continued talking while pointing at the most handsome heirs. "The thing is, between you and me, some of them would undoubtedly choose me for a wild night of s*x. Some of them already have."

"I can't believe it!" I exclaimed, widening my eyes before downing my martini. "You must be lying."

"I'm not. Want to play a game?" Giovanni asked, turning toward me. "Point to one of them, and I'll give you their full profile."

Despite the party being beautiful, it was somewhat tedious since the women gathered together, probably talking about me, and the men were undoubtedly discussing their "business."

"Sure, let's play," I said, trying to hide my curiosity.

I pointed to Lucca, the heir of the Bianchi family. Giovanni grinned playfully and said, "Ah, Lucca and I had a thing during the summer camp we attended when we were teenagers."

I looked at Giovanni in surprise, not expecting such a revelation. But I pushed those thoughts aside and continued the game, pointing to Lorenzo, the muscular, blue-eyed heir of the Ferrari family. Giovanni's smile widened as he commented, "Ah, Lorenzo, his last name should be 'passive.' "

I couldn't help but laugh at Giovanni's audacity and the way he easily exposed the secrets of the mafia heirs. Next, I pointed to Francesco, the Colombo family heir. Giovanni laughed and revealed, "Francesco and I dated for two years, but it didn't work out. He was quite jealous, especially of my personal trainer, Pablo."

Francesco caught Giovanni's attention and waved at us, which increased my curiosity even more. I asked, "Why did you break up?"

"Ah, it was all because of jealousy. Francesco couldn't stand the idea of me spending time with Pablo," Giovanni shrugged. "Little did he know that his suspicions were right."

"How so?" I stared at Giovanni, shocked.

"Well, before I fell in love with Pablo, we had something more going on," Giovanni chuckled softly. "Francesco was right to be jealous in a way, but now I'm at peace with my feelings and with Pablo."

I couldn't help but be surprised by all the revelations, but at the same time, I admired Giovanni's openness and honesty. It was clear that he had come a long way to accept himself, and this newfound confidence was evident in the way he carried himself.

Throughout the night, we exchanged knowing glances, sharing an unspoken camaraderie as we navigated the delicate world of the mafia. I realized that our fake relationship had evolved into something unique - a genuine friendship built on trust and understanding.

We were chatting when Marco, the host of the dinner and head of the Amorielle family, approached us with a stunning beauty by his side. It was Sofia, his niece, with her black hair and hypnotizing blue eyes.

As we greeted Sofia, my gaze drifted to the other side, where Marco's son, Vittorio Amorielle, stood. He was simply breathtaking, with his brown hair and dark eyes that sent shivers down my spine. My mind automatically started to wonder if he was straight or not. After all, I had been mistaken before about the heirs of mafia families, and this curiosity was almost consuming me.

I looked at Giovanni for a clue, and he confirmed with a nod that Vittorio was indeed straight. With that confirmation, a smile crept onto my lips as I greeted him, trying to hide the enchantment he had caused in me.

"Nice to meet you," Vittorio said with a soft tone in his enchanting voice.

His words flowed with a grace that made me internally sigh. Quickly, I tried to regain my composure and replied:

"Mia Fraga," I said to him. "The pleasure is all mine, Vittorio. I mean, Mr. Amorielle."

Vittorio stepped away, and I watched him blend back into the party's guests, still feeling a wave of fascination for that man of formidable beauty. However, I remembered the situation I was involved in and the reality of that night. I was merely Giovanni's "girlfriend," and nothing more.

Giovanni noticed my distraction and whispered to me with a playful smile:

"It seems like you've gained a fan. Or he has gained one."

I laughed, trying to disguise my embarrassment, and whispered back:

"He's really charming."

Giovanni nodded, understanding my ambiguous feelings.

"Yes, Vittorio Amorielle has always had that effect on women. But remember, we're lovers tonight."

I nodded in agreement and thanked him mentally for the reminder. I couldn't let my emotions interfere with our mission of keeping up appearances and diverting Giovanni's attention from family pressure.

The conversation with the other guests continued, and I did my best to act as Giovanni's affectionate girlfriend. However, my eyes couldn't help but stray to Vittorio from time to time. He was engrossed in conversations with other family members, but when our gazes met, a shiver ran down my spine.

When the night came to an end, we thanked the Amorielle family for the wonderful reception and bid farewell. On the way back, Giovanni smiled at me and said:

"Thank you for attending the dinner, Mirela. You were a great girlfriend. You won over everyone, including me."

"It was quite a dinner," I smiled back and continued, "I think we make a good team."

That encounter with the Amorielle family changed my life in unimaginable ways, and I knew that my intimate friendship with Giovanni was only just beginning.