the young and fanciful. She was mature enough to handle an arrangement, and it made my life easier.” Even though it should have made me feel better, I didn’t like how he reduced her to a business transaction. “She’s also barren and that was another attracting quality. I didn’t need to fear her plotting to trap me with an unplanned pregnancy.”
“She’s very beautiful,” I commented, feeling the need to point out her humanity for some reason.
“She is,” he agreed. “She’s also very intelligent and kind.” His voice was low and thoughtful. “And in the five years I’ve been with her, she’s never made me feel an ounce of what I feel when I just think of you, Remy. That’s another reason I know that what I share with you is worth holding onto forever.”
“She didn’t deserve to be embarrassed that way,” I muttered, trying to be fair even as I worked through my feelings about the woman.
“No, she didn’t,” he replied. “And that’s why I sent our apologies.”
Our apologies.
Deciding that I didn’t want to talk about Beverly anymore, I asked, “So, what else?”
I felt his chin drop on the top of my head and his sigh was deep and telling. “We need to talk about your job, Remy.” I knew it. “You’re expected to be at work tomorrow, and we need to…figure something out before then.”
“I thought that was a closed topic,” I said a bit snidely. I hadn’t completely forgotten or forgiven how he threatened my parents.
“Remy, do you want to talk, or do you want to argue? I’ll accommodate you either way,” he chided.
I lurched out from his embraced and turned to face him on the couch. “Luca, you threatened my parents,” I reminded him. “You stood in the kitchen telling me I had to quit my job, and if I didn’t, you would kill my parents to keep me in line. What the fuck?”
His brows rose. “What your mouth, Remy,” he bit out. “When we’re fighting, and tempers are high, I can overlook the lack of respect. But when we’re not fighting, when tempers aren’t flared, I expect better.”
I reared back.
What he for real?
“I will not censor myself around you, Luca,” I told him. “I will not be afraid to speak my mind.” Luca surprised me when his face lit up with a genuine smile. Almost as if he had been hoping for that response.
He cocked his head. “Very well,” he grinned. “You may curse until your heart’s content, but you may not curse me. Understood?”
“What’s the difference?”
“You may ask me ‘what the fuck’, but you may not tell me to go fuck myself,” he said. “That’s the difference.”
“Okay,” I agreed because I could see the difference. Besides, I didn’t want a marriage like that anyway. I didn’t want for us to lose ourselves in such anger that we lost respect for each other. We already did that when he fucked me over the couch. It’s not something I wanted to repeat.
I pulled my legs underneath my ass and sank into the backrest. “So…about my job…”
“You can’t have routine scheduled visits, Remy,” he said, making my heart drop and my eyes water. “You can’t have predictability. It’s too dangerous.” I could feel the tears fall, but I was too…touched to speak. “Emilio goes with you every-fucking-where, but you’ll also have an extra guard that will do a sweep of each home before you show up. You’ll have a new list for him every morning of your scheduled day.” Luca leaned forward and gripped my chin in his fingers. “Non-negotiable, Remy.”
“Luca…” I choked out.
“I want your fucking word, Remy,” he said, in immediate acceptance of being able to curse while in conversation mode. “I want your fucking word that you let your safety be the priority. The second you break your word, you’re done. Understood?”
I nodded and then threw myself in his arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I cried in his neck. “Thank you, Luca.” His arms were like steel around my body. “I promise.”
He pushed me back so he could look at me. “Remy, the first time someone even attempts to approach you who shouldn’t, you’ll have to quit,” he added. “I need your word on this. I need you to understand the glaring risk I am taking by allowing you this.” His hands cradled my face. “I cannot lose you, Remy.”
The desperation in his voice, hit me somewhere deep. It opened my eyes to the different layers of Luca I hadn’t seen yet.