Love in the Storm

Chapter 9

Gio

Patience is not one of my strong suits. It took me ages to make a decision of where to take Ana so that we could talk, away from prying ears.

“Master Gio, please calm down. She’s in her room and will be out momentarily,” I sighed.

“Thank you, Lileth. Is she alright?” Lileth c****d an eyebrow at me.

“She is sir. Miss Ana will be out shortly,” no sooner as she finished talking, Ana appeared in the hall.

“I’m sorry I took so long. Getting dressed is a little tricky at the moment,” she explained.

“That’s quite alright but, just so that you know, for future reference, I am not a patient man,” I said as I walked towards her before holding the door open for her to leave before me. “I will do my best to work on that for you and you alone,” she smiled.

“That’s all I ask. Now, where are we heading?” I felt so vulnerable around her and not the feared man that I have grown accustomed to.

“We are going out for dinner, but we need to make a stop along the way,” she nodded as we walked down the front steps. I led her to the sleek, metallic black Bugatti parked next to the entrance and again held the door open for her, offering my hand in assistance so that she could get in with as little pain as possible. I started the car, allowing it to purr for a moment.

“Wow! This is amazing, such a beautiful car,” she exclaimed. I knew she didn’t have a car, so I planned to buy her one. I wanted to use tonight to make a mental list of her likes and dislikes at least.

We drove in silence until we reached the cemetery. She must’ve realised as we entered the gates what we were here for. I drove to the private section, reserved for our type of people. Can’t be mixing with the public due to the circles we run in, hence the security team we have here to prevent grave robbing for blackmail. I stopped the car and got out, heading to her side to help her.

“Are we…?”

“Yes. It’s quiet now so I thought it would be ideal to bring you here to see your parents,” tears pricked her eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Sorry, Gio. You haven’t said anything wrong. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome,” she was so sweet and cried at the littlest of things. We will make her the fierce queen we know she is, scratch that, I will make her the fiercest queen. More feared than I am.

We walked to the plot where her parents lay after a brief conversation with security.

“Your father was an inspiring man. He would push you to breaking point if he knew you were capable of doing certain things. He made Toni and I into the men we are today. He would’ve been proud of the woman you have become.”

“No, he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t have been happy to know that I let a man lay his hands on me the way they have done and got away with it. Mentally abusing me to a point that it almost broke me.”

“We will work on that, princess.”

“My mamma was a lovely woman. She would do anything for anyone until you did her wrong.,” she smiled at the memory, “fierce, loyal, protective, beautiful, she was loved by everyone who knew her,” Ana sighed.

“She was the perfect queen. She guided a lot of people so that everything run smoothly. She trained the female warriors into the assassins they are. The family business ran smoothly when she was around. On crimes against women, she would insist that she dealt them the punishment they deserved. She was the strongest woman I knew, aside from my mother of course.”

“I would like to be as strong as she was one day and continue her legacy.”

“And so, you shall. Your brother and I will make sure of it,” I handed her 2 bouquets of roses and lilies. She stepped forward and placed the flowers in each pot and leaving a lily in the middle of both at the bottom of the headstone.

“I’m sorry I’m not the woman you would’ve raised but I promise you that I will change that to make you both proud. I also vow to you that I will get revenge for what has been done to all of us. It may take time, but I will not rest until they pay for it.”

Woah! I don’t think I was meant to hear what she said but her words made me want to take her right here and now. All the second guessing went out of the window after hearing her make that vow to her parents.

“It’s time to go. We will come back again soon. The security team have your image on file so that you can visit any time you want.”

“Thank you,” I nod in acknowledgement as we walked back to the car.

A little while later, we arrived at Pavarotti’s.

“Bienvenuto signore. Come passo au tarti stasera?” (Welcome sir. How can I help you tonight?)

“Buonasara. Prenotazione per Bellomo.” (Good evening. Reservation for Bellomo). The Maître d’s eyes widen.

“Right this way sir,” he gestured with his hand to follow him as he walked ahead of us towards the family’s dining area.

“It’s so beautiful here. So peaceful and romantic. The smell is heavenly.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I would love to meet the owner to complement them on the décor and the atmosphere.”

“You would need a mirror to do that or a Ouija board to talk to the previous owner.”

“You mean, this is my restaurant? I didn’t think it would be anything like this.”

“It is and your mother was the previous owner. There are 3 more just like it around the country. You also own Caicco Romano. I will take you there another day,” she nods as she looks at the menu. We gave our orders to the waiter and sat in an awkward silence.

“How about a little game of 20 questions? We did come here to get to know each other after all.” She was right.

“I will start,” I smiled. “Favourite colour?”

“Depends on my mood so either black, red or purple but have started to grow fond of baby blue,” interesting I thought.

“Favourite food?”

“Pizza – but also depends on my mood,” I couldn’t help but chuckle at her answer. I will make sure she tries so many different dishes.

“Favourite holiday destination?”

“Honestly, I have never been on one. I didn’t like the thought of going to all these amazing places alone. I have always wanted to share those experiences with someone special.” I will make sure she does.

“Ok, so how about you make a list of all the places you would like to visit, and we’ll look into each and every one of them?”

“Really? OMG, I will do that, thank you,” she was like a little kid at Christmas. Her joy cascaded over me, making me feel warm inside.

“No need to thank me. It’s my job to make you happy and to look after you the way that you deserve.”

“I don’t think I am ready for another relationship quite yet. I’m still recovering from the last one.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I will wait for as long as you need me to. I am yours and I promise that I am not going anywhere.”

“I am thankful for that. Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t you answer my question earlier about whether or not I was an obligation to you?”

“It, um. It really took me by surprise knowing how little you thought of me. If you were an obligation to me, I wouldn’t have taken over keeping tabs on your location all these years. I watched you from afar so that I didn’t interfere with your life. I didn’t want to f**k it up when you were happy. I chose to keep my promise and from what I have seen since we brought you home, you display the same traits as your mother. Beautiful, loyal, protective and fierce, just as your name means. I chose your name before you were born. I had a dream about you being my wife one day and my queen. If you didn’t mean anything more than an obligation, I wouldn’t have dealt with your ex myself but, you are worth it.” Right at that moment, the waiter arrived with our meals.

We sat and ate in silence. The sounds coming from her mouth went straight to my groin, making me painfully hard against the fly of my trousers. I can’t wait to have her making those noises while writhing beneath me. I had to try and think of whatever I could so that I could deflate and enjoy my meal. I closed my eyes to switch my focus but when I opened my eyes, I could see Ana smirking as she ate. She knew exactly what she was doing to me, and I couldn’t wait to retaliate.

“Can you drive?”

“Yes, but I don’t have a car right now. Never saw the need when I was kept hostage.”

“Favourite animal?”

“Lion, obviously,” I couldn’t help but smile a full toothy smile.

“Can you see yourself as my queen no matter what I have done in the past, present or will in the future?”

“Surprisingly, yes. It will take a little time to trust you and of course training is important for me. I would like to get an insight on what you actually do apart from what I have seen in movies or read in books but yes, I do.” I released the breath I didn’t realise I was holding but held it again as I placed my hand on her knee.

“Please be patient with me, Gio. I am still recovering and there is so much to learn about you and this life.”

“We are both at the same level when it comes to knowing each other, so how about we learn together, hmm?”

“Sounds good to me,” she smiled, and I caught her giggle as my hand gently slid up her leg.

The drive home was peaceful, like we had cleared the air a little bit between us. Ana smiling to herself as she looked out the window at the passing scenery.

“Favourite car?”

“Well, that should be pretty obvious after I have been in this beauty,” I chuckled. One birthday gift sorted.