Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
I reached out to grab her hand and brought it to my mouth for a chaste kiss. “Okay, gorgeous. Today’s activities include a boat tour, so I recommend wearing something you wouldn’t mind getting a tad wet.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready in a few.”
She walked into the bathroom, gathering up a bundle of clothes before she went. I wondered when we would be comfortable enough to get ready together without needing to shut doors between us. It felt like we had already made great strides toward becoming closer just in the time we had been on our trip. The fact that Natalia had let her guard down so much the night before gave me hope.
She came out of the bathroom dressed in a lovely sundress that brought out the blue in her eyes even more than usual.
“You’re beautiful, as always,” I told her honestly. I didn’t think I would ever be able to stop myself from complimenting her.
“You’re sweet,” she said, her usual coy grin on her face.
Before long, we were settled into the comfortable seats of a small yacht, touring the Isle of Capri. I tried to pay attention to the stunning views of the massive cliffs and clear blue water all around us, but I kept stealing glances at Natalia instead.
The wind whipped her hair around her and brought some color to her face. She looked radiant, her joy clearly visible as she watched a flock of gulls twirl above us.
“Oh, Tallon, look!” she suddenly shouted out, pointing at three dolphins playing in the wake of our yacht.
We both stared in wonder at the energetic trio. I knew that I would never forget this moment in time. Everything between us felt right, and it was as if the world itself agreed.
After another hour of riding, the yacht stopped and set anchor so that we could eat lunch. The crew had prepared an opulent spread of meats, cheeses, and vegetables and set it all out for us along with a chilled bottle of champagne.
I had grown up in luxury, but even still I could recognize that eating antipasto on a yacht in the middle of the Isle of Capri was especially indulgent. I took a sip of my champagne and Natalia did the same. Although I didn’t want her to get quite as drunk as the night before, I wouldn’t have minded if the champagne helped to loosen her tongue just slightly. I could feel how much closer we had grown, but I wanted even more. I wanted to know everything about this woman who had somehow fallen into my lap.
“This is wonderful, Tallon,” she said after taking a bite of an olive. “I really can’t even believe I’m doing this right now.”
“I know, it’s a little over the top,” I admitted. I hoped she didn’t feel uncomfortable.
“It is ridiculously over the top! But I love it.” She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, her lips just barely brushing against me.
I wanted more, but I settled for just wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
“I never thought I would see things like this,” she sighed as she leaned into me just a bit.
My ears perked up as I realized that she was about to open up.
“It was just my mom and me growing up. I wasn’t living on the streets or anything, but money was definitely tight. Just being here in Italy at all feels like a dream… and now meeting you… I just can’t believe it sometimes.”
As she often did, she stopped speaking even though it seemed like she had more to say. I didn’t press her. So far, Natalia had been revealing herself to me bit by bit, and I had all the time and patience in the world. Someday I would fully know her, and the wait would make it all the sweeter.
“Being here with you is a dream for me as well,” I told her. “I never thought I would meet a woman like you. I feel so incredibly lucky.” I pressed a kiss to her temple, hoping to convey how precious she was to me.
“Thank you, Tallon, not just for bringing me here but also for making me feel like I’m worth bringing. You make me feel cherished. I don’t think I’ve ever had that before.”
My chest felt like it was going to burst with pride. I wanted to spend the rest of my life making her feel cherished.
Before we knew it, the sun began to set and our captain steered the yacht back toward the coast. Natalia seemed disappointed to see our excursion coming to an end, but I reassured her that there was still more to come. On the car ride back to our hotel, she asked what more I could possibly have planned.
“We have dinner reservations at de Paolino. It’s a really neat place filled with lemon trees,” I explained. I had been there before and couldn’t wait for her to experience the wafting scent of lemons that was present throughout the entire restaurant. I knew that she would love it.
“That sounds amazing,” she said, laying her head back and closing her eyes. “Wake me up when we get to the hotel.”
I watched her as she napped. Our car ride only took a few more minutes, but I loved the opportunity to study her lovely face and to see the way she looked when she was totally relaxed. Someday I hoped that she would look like that all the time. I was so desperate to free her from whatever stresses she had that made her look so nervous and upset from time to time.
When we made it to the hotel, I gently pulled her hand into my own and rubbed her palm to wake her. In spite of my gentleness, she startled awake, the tension that I was used to seeing returning to her face. But as soon as she looked at me, she smiled. She felt safe with me, and I intended to keep it that way.
Back in our room, I had changed into a tan linen suit. I smiled thinking of how Natalia and I had matched the evening before. It had been cheesy and probably too much considering the early stage of our relationship, but I couldn’t lie to myself, I had loved how obvious it was that we belonged together.
I waited to choose a pocket square until I saw what color Natalia was wearing. I had brought a few different color options. It wouldn’t match nearly as much as the night before, but it would be enough to make me happy.
I had never been the possessive type before, always dating casually enough that there was no reason to get possessive, but I found that with Natalia I wanted people to know that she was with me. It wasn’t because I wanted to claim ownership over her–I respected her far too much for something so barbaric–but because I was so proud that she had chosen me.
She came out of the bathroom and twirled, giving me the opportunity to see her from every angle. She was wearing a light purple dress that looked gorgeous against her skin. It was looser in the skirt than she usually wore and tied in the back with a small cutout underneath the bow. I found that I was quite drawn to that little cutout; the idea of being able to discreetly touch the bare skin on the small of her back was quite enticing.
I fished out a purple pocket square from my suitcase. It was a deeper color than her dress, but it served its purpose well.
“Matching again?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What can I say? I like for people to know we’re together.” I shrugged in feigned innocence. “You look stunning, by the way.”
“I wonder if I’ll ever get tired of that,” she sighed and smiled, reaching out so that I came closer. She settled her head on my chest and I instinctively wrapped my arms around her, loving how perfectly she fit in my arms.
“Tired of what?” I asked.
“Of how you always make sure to make me feel pretty.” She pulled back so that she could look me in the eye, “You make me so happy.”
I swallowed, taking a moment. If ever was the right time to tell her I loved her, this was it. I gazed into her endless eyes. “Natalia, I–”
My phone rang out, cutting me off. The moment was broken as she pulled away so that I could grab it from the nightstand. I sighed, vowing that I would tell her by the time we finished dinner. I glanced at the screen and saw that it was Vinny calling me. He knew how important this weekend was to me, so I doubted he would call unless it was urgent.
“This better be important.” I answered the phone tersely, hoping to end the conversation quickly.
“Hey, Boss, I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s really bad.”
Fuck. This night wasn’t going to go to plan. I allowed myself one more long look at Natalia before turning around and focusing.
“Exactly how bad?”
*Tallon*
“Tell me everything, in exact detail,” I said to Vinny.
I turned to Natalia and mouthed, “Work bullshit.”
Her eyes were huge and serious. I knew that she could tell by my quick change in demeanor that this wasn’t good. I turned away from her so that I could focus, and try to keep her from figuring out what I was talking about.
“Alright, so there’s been a few things, we didn’t realize how bad it was until just now. The men and I were trying hard to keep from needing to involve you, but at this point, I don’t know how we could move forward without your guidance.”
“Start at the beginning. Just tell me everything that’s happened since I left.”
“Alright, so starting on Friday night there was a hit on two supply warehouses at once, the one at the docks and the one over by the old mill.”
“Were either of those locations that you or Alessandro had been telling people about according to our plan?” I asked, trying to keep my words vague so Natalia wouldn’t overhear.
I still wasn’t ready for her to know about this aspect of my life. I knew it would be overwhelming, and I intended to fully convince her that it was worth it to be with me before revealing that I was in the mafia–or rather, that I was the mafia Don.
