A Mafia Daughter 1

Part 3

Viviana sat at her desk, writing out a long letter to her friend, Debbie, from school. Debbie had been her closest friend and the closest thing she had to a confidant while in school. She trusted her with all her secrets... or at least most of them. Debbie had never judged her the way people here might, nor had she teased her when other girls at school did. Where other girls had always commented on Viviana's strange habits, Debbie had accepted them as part of what made Viviana special. Whenever she was stressed, it was Debbie who had helped her break things down and put them into reasonable perspective. 

She had originally intended to tell her about Matteo but instead decided not too-fearing it would give him too much importance.  

She had managed to keep out of sight for a while during the rest of the party, deciding that she would wander over to the opposite garden for cover. She cleverly timed her moment too, waiting for everyone to be busy with a toast before grabbing a bottle of champagne from one of the buckets in one hand, her clutch in the other and sneaking off. It hadn't been easy to sneak away, after all, she'd been gone so long that it seemed every neighbor or family friend had a million questions for her. Still, she managed. 

With a sigh, she sat down on a set of marble steps on the other side of the house. This garden was much more intimate and completely hidden from the view of the party.  Vivian, tossed her clutch to the side and took a drink from the bottle.  What was she going to do?

She had been searching for an answer for months now, anything that would allow her to leave and live her own life. But she had heard of Mafia fathers who disowned their daughters. Italians were notorious for liking obedient daughters and with the mafia it was worse. Girls who ran away had a strange way of running in front of a train or into a river. It was no secret that protecting La Famiglia's secrets was number one priority.  Viviana took another swig from the bottle.

"Private party?" She heard a voice call out as Matteo sat down right next to her. 

"Hi." She muttered, embarrassed to have been caught. 

"You said you were tired, but I didn't think to the extent that you would be hiding away." He said, a low chuckle in every word.

"I was only taking a break." She said, nervously, taking another long sip from the bottle and handing it to him. Matteo stared at the practically empty bottle as she darted up hastily, prompting him to do the same.

"And now, I should be getting back." She said, turning in the direction of the party but Matteo stopped her, taking her hand. She paused for a moment, the contact again affecting her. She heard that familiar silent alarm going off in her head. Then, when she was prepared to yank her hand away, he pulled her against him, surprising the slightly inebriated Viviana. She suddenly wished she hadn't drunk so much champagne so fast. 

"I was hoping to dance with you again." He said, swaying slightly side to side and running his fingers on her back. 

"Well, then we should get..." Viviana said, moving away but his hold was firm.

"We can dance here, where no one can see us." He said without releasing her. This was even more dangerous than before. Viviana smiled but pushed away, and this time he allowed her to do so but his smile didn't fade. For a second, Viviana thought he was like an animal, stalking his prey, preparing for a kill... it frightened her.

"Funny." She said, trying to play it off like a joke but Matteo swooped around her when she turned, and she found herself face to face with him again. Without realizing what she was doing, she extended her hand to Matteo as he reached for it and pulled her close. 

"You should stop doing that, I'm dizzy enough as it is." She said, hoping she wasn't stumbling too much. She really was dizzy, and he enjoyed pulling her back dramatically. She could tell by that smile... a smile so sinful he could be the devil. 

"Too much champagne?" He asked, leaning his face close to hers. Viviana gulped, perhaps she shouldn't have admitted that.

"Maybe we should sit on that bench there until you feel steadier." He said, pulling her to the bench before she could reply.  She stumbled this time as she landed on the bench. Viviana purposefully left several inches of space between them sitting on the far end of the bench, but he closed off the distance immediately, taking her hand and stoking her palm with his thumb. Viviana stared down at her hand in his, mesmerized by the movement. She'd never allowed any man to be so close to her before, even the ones she liked... So why was she letting a man she didn't know, didn't like for that matter, be so personal?

"I should get back; my father will be looking for me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she didn't look up from his hand on hers. Not Matteo seemed to notice, his hand traveled up her arm, his fingers grazed her shoulder and neck before landing on her chin.  

Viviana looked up at him suddenly, his eyes captured hers and she watched as he slowly moved in closer, her breathe caught in her throat...

The sound of laughter nearby made them both turn away. It shattered the penetrable tension, bringing her back to reality. Viviana sat for a second, her chest heaving up and down heavily, her heart beating frantically. Quickly, she pulled away from Matteo and ran off in the direction of the party, frightened by everything that had almost happened.

Now here she was, three days later and still unable to forget the entire scene. With a sigh, she stared down at the blank piece of paper and decided she would write this letter later. At least it was over. 

Viviana's phone rang loudly from across the room disturbing her thoughts and so for a moment she stared at it blankly. She walked over to her night stand and picked up.

"Hi Daddy." She said.

"Viviana, I need you to bring something for me down to the office." He said.

"Of course, what is it?" Viviana, remembered the office. It was in small and very secure building just downtown of the circuit. That's where the business side of the business was handled.  She'd been there plenty of times as a young child but wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

"I left my briefcase by the door." He said, she could hear voices in the background.

"Okay. I'll bring it over." She said, hanging up and heading towards her closet. She hated the thought of visiting the office, was sure there would be too many people to greet, but there was no helping it. At the moment, she was unemployed and unmarried, so she needed to make herself useful.  It wouldn't take long anyway and then she could go back to planning her escape.

----

Viviana parked the car across the street and looked both ways before crossing. Some of the people smiled and waved, she even stopped to speak to a shop owner she had known since her childhood. It was strange being back here- she had hoped she wouldn't have to be back...ever. People kept saying Welcome home but to Viviana it didn't feel like homecoming, she instead felt like she had been ripped from the home she made for herself.

As she entered the building, she placed her bag on a tray and walked through a metal detector before signing in at the front desk. 

When she knocked she heard a voice say come in and then she counted to three before opening the very last door at the end of the hall. Inside two large men stood keeping guard and several others sat around her father, some with drinks in their hands. 

"Viviana..." Her father said, a huge and proud smile on his face as she entered. Viviana was dressed in an elegant pant and blouse combination, her hair again atop her head. She had felt pretty confident when she walked out of the house but now, she was afraid she'd lose her nerve. 

"Daddy." She said, kissing him on each check and turning to greet the men in the room after handing him the briefcase. She crossed a few words here and there before turning to ask her father in a perfunctory manner if there was anything else she could do.

"Hello Viviana." She heard a deep familiar voice say from behind her as he took her hand to make her turn.  She stiffened and silently reminded herself to try to relax.

Viviana plastered on a very fake smile and turned to greet Matteo.

"Hello Matteo, how are you?" She asked, assuming he would behave with more decorum at the office but he held on to her hand for a few seconds longer than necessary.

"Very good." He said, emphasizing the last word. Viviana pulled her hand away eagerly and turned to look at her father who was already looking over papers. 

"Daddy, I should go. I have to head down to the DMV, I can't find my license... or my clutch for that matter... and I'm famished so... " She said with a frown on her face as she said every excuse she could think of to get out of there. "it was a pleasure."

Viviana began to leave the room, aware as a woman she wasn't supposed to stay longer than a few minutes in what was obviously a private meeting. 

"Viviana, if you're heading to lunch, I'll join you. I haven't had a chance to eat." Matteo said just as she reached the door, prompting her to stop. So close to freedom.

"Oh, I'm sure you must be busy." She said, turning and trying to wiggle herself from this situation.

"Are you okay if I leave for today?" Matteo asked, turning to look at the other men who all said yes. Viviana bit her tongue- What did he expect them to say? He was the Don's son!

"Good, let's go." Matteo offered Viviana his arm, which of course, she could not refuse.  As they exited the building, Viviana let go to search her purse for her keys but that didn't stop him from placing a hand on her back. 

"Well, how about at Gino's?" He said, pointing to a place just down the street. Viviana looked in the direction he was pointing and then lifted her chin, trying to summon the courage to say she would rather not but instead she just nodded and allowed him to lead her towards the corner restaurant. 

Calm down, she told herself. It's just lunch... in a restaurant... there's nothing to be worried about. Matteo held the door open for her as they walked in, immediately greeted by a waiter.

"Matteo, it's great to see you. Come, we have your usual table ready." She heard the waiter say as he led them to a secluded corner booth in the back. Her eyes darted back and forth, they seemed to be the only ones here. Suddenly, Viviana's danger alarm began to sound. 

This man even made lunch a dangerous thing.