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"Eighty percent of married men cheat
in America and the rest
cheat in Europe."

- Litizia
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Chapter 7 - Aged To Perfection

▪️N A T A S H A▪️

"Stop tugging on your robe, Litizia, you look amazing," I said while trying not to ogle her ample cleavage.

The curvy, curly-haired beauty nodded shyly before unconsciously pulling at the lapels of her robe once more. It was clear that she was trying to close it tighter, though it did nothing to cover the delicious swells of her breast that she was clearly trying to hide.

"You're nervous; are you not having a good time?" I asked.

"No, I'm sorry, I am enjoying myself, really. It's just I'm worried that someone here will go back and tell my uncle about what I'm wearing. I mean, I didn't exactly leave the house looking like this."

Shaking my head, I reassured her, "Have no fear. Whatever happens at these parties stays within the confines of the perimeter."

"Want me to pay Uncle Carlo a visit?" Jade jumped in. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she added, "I've got a knife with his name on it..." 

"N-no, please don't!" Litizia stammered, her brown eyes widening.

With a sigh, Jade leaned closer to Aleksandr's fiancée, speaking softly. I could tell that she was trying her best to reassure Litizia that Carlo would not know that she had changed her outfit for the party.

We were sitting by one of the many high-top tables that decorated the large terrace space of a rented beach house. The low sound of the music coupled with the chatter of those around us created a nice and soothing atmosphere.

I could tell that Litizia was feeling a bit self-conscious, especially since most of the females in attendance were scantily clad. But even though I had repeatedly told Litizia that she looked incredible, I understood that everyone had their own insecurities even if we ourselves may not understand.

After all, I had my own body issues even though by society's standards I had the perfect figure.

Yet here I was, fighting the urge to tighten the lapels of my black robe, feeling like the ugly one among the three of us since I had the smallest bra size.

Hidden under the silky material of my robe, I wore a black embroidered lace bustier designed in what was known as the "Brandenburg" effect. The intricate stitching created fine black swirls and lines across my skin with a gold ring opening at the front and I wore a matching black string thong that had two golden rings attached on it, one on each hip.

Upon Jade's insistence, I had sent a picture to Sergey earlier, but he had left me on read.

I swallowed a sigh and let my eyes drift over Litizia's physique once more. I could not help but wish that I looked more like her. Thick lush curves and breasts that a man would happily lose his face in.

I bet if I had breasts like hers Sergey would have been more tempted.

Litizia's red robe with lace trimmings that Jade and I had bought for her contrasted nicely against her smooth tan-coloured skin. Since red was Aleksandr's favourite colour, we thought it would be fitting and we were right. The Russian mafia boss had not been able to take his eyes off of the fine lace panel details, no doubt trying to get a peek of what she had on underneath.

The future Mrs. Tolstoy was still very shy around Jade and myself, but I was hoping that in time she would warm up to us. Especially since she would be moving into Aleksandr's mansion next week.

The sound of Jade's voice pulled my attention back to the room.

"You'd swear Sergey was a horny teen and not a big hard back man turning thirty-nine!" Jade grumbled before adding, "I mean, who has a pyjama-themed birthday party these days?"

"You're just upset that he didn't let you help with the decorations this year," I said.

Curious, Litizia asked, "What happened last year?"

"Well, Jade here just loves birthday celebrations and she somehow managed to convince Aleksandr to let her help with the setup. Needless to say, Sergey was not a fan of all the purple, or the piñata–"

Jade interjected with a squeal, "Hey! Sergey ended up loving the piñata!"

"Of course, he did, but he'll never admit to it. That party last year was wild, probably why he's having something more lowkey this year for his birthday," I assumed with a shrug.

"Either way, Sergey is an asshole..." Jade muttered.

At this, both Litizia and I giggled simultaneously, which only made the purple-haired woman more disgruntled.

"You better fix your face before that husband of yours comes over here. He looks pissed enough as it is, been literally staring daggers in our direction. What did you do to the poor man this time?" I probed with an arched brow.

Jade's scowl dissolved as she smirked, "Oh you know me, always getting into trouble. But in my defence, I didn't do much. Dom just didn't approve of my outfit tonight..."

"Gee, I wonder why?" I said, my eyes trailing over the pieces of sheer material she wore.

It was a good thing that the summer night was relatively warm for Jade would have frozen her tits off–literally–had the weather been colder. The sheer purple and black lingerie set left little to the imagination. 

Black leather straps held tiny purple triangles over her breasts and nether regions and she wore a sheer black robe over it which she left open.

"You know what, I think that I'll go collect my spanking now," Jade announced.

She then kissed our cheeks goodbye before walking across to where Dominic and the other men were situated. The Calvetti mafia boss looked like he wanted to devour his wife right there and then so I was not surprised by the aggressive way in which he stalked away from the group meeting Jade halfway.

I watched in slight jealousy as Dominic kissed Jade hungrily, lifting her into his arms before they both disappeared somewhere inside the beach house.

"Are they always so..." Litizia's voice trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"Passionate?" I offered, trying to help.

Her fingers fiddled with her champagne glass before she said, "I suppose that's one way to describe it. I guess I'm just surprised every time I see them together, they seem so in love even if their marriage itself comes off as a bit chaotic."

"Well, that's Jade and Dominic for you. Some people may not like the way their relationship is, but what matters is that it works for them."

"I suppose a marriage can be beautiful when it's not forced–" Litizia immediately stopped what she was saying to apologise, "Che cavolo! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say that out loud, please don't tell on me!"

If she did not have a panicked expression etched on her face I would have laughed. 

Even when she cursed in Italian, her words were delicate and never vulgar, which one would expect of a person when using a swear word. But no, Litizia's use of the mild form of the word 'cazzo' reminded me just how different she was from myself. She really was a ray of light in this dark world of ours.

Placing one of my hands over hers, I gently soothed, "Don't worry Litizia, anything that you say to Jade and myself stays between the three of us, alright?"

"Really?"

"Of course, us women have to stick together," I said with a smile.

Litizia visibly relaxed then asked, "Do you think I'll be okay? You don't need to sugar coat anything, you can tell me the truth."

Turning my body to look at her fully, I pulled both of her hands into mine, my gaze holding hers while I spoke, "Look, I know that an arranged marriage isn't the ideal situation. But I honestly believe that things will work out between you and Master Aleksandr."

"I don't know, Natasha..."

Squeezing her hands reassuringly, I urged, "Trust me, there's no better man than Master Aleksandr, he will do everything in his power to keep you safe and he'll definitely take care of you."

"I really just don't want to be embarrassed, more than I already am," she confessed.

"What do you mean?"

Raising an eyebrow, she said, "Come on, Natasha, you know what I'm talking about. I don't wish to be cheated on, again..."

"I heard what Michele Lombardo did, but Master Aleksandr would never–"

"No? How can you know that? Aleksandr owes me no loyalty; the man doesn't even know me," she countered.

"But in time he will get to know you and from what I know about him, I believe that you would be able to rely on him to be faithful."

"Well, I highly doubt that, I mean the man owns various brothels and a sex club! Plus being married has never stopped anyone from cheating. I once read somewhere that eighty percent of married men cheat in America and the rest cheat in Europe!" Litizia stated, her voice slightly sour.

I snorted lightly at the statistics used.

Inhaling slowly, I took my time before replying, "I know that you have your doubts, especially considering what you've been used to living with your uncle. But you'll see, Master Aleksandr is a very honourable man, despite what some people may say about him."

Litizia stole a glance across to where Aleksandr was standing next to Sergey.

The Russian mafia boss wore a black long-sleeved pyjama set and like many of the men in attendance, he had left the shirt open, displaying his muscular chest, completely covered in tattoos. As their eyes met, I saw the skin of Litizia's cheeks begin to flush slightly before she quickly looked away.

Just from that brief exchange, I knew that Jade was right: it was definitely the beginning of something beautiful.

My eyes moved to trail over Sergey.

Like Aleksandr, he also wore a long-sleeved pyjama set, except his was dark grey in colour. God, that man was gorgeous, aged to perfection in my opinion.

Even from this distance, I could see a fairly large hickey on Sergey's neck and I could not help but feel a pang of jealousy.

That definitely had not been there when I saw him two nights ago. Taking another deep breath, my hands turned into fists on my lap as my imagination began to get away with me.

I silently wondered who was the lucky woman who had been given the opportunity to mark him.

The possessive part of me wanted nothing more than to walk up to him right now and leave my own hickey on the other side of his neck. Unfortunately, my mental insecurities painfully reminded me that I would probably never get the opportunity.

"Have you ever thought about getting married?" Litizia asked, making my head spin back to her.

Letting go of her hands, I grabbed my glass and took a sip before answering, "Not really."

"How come?"

"There aren't a lot of men clamouring to marry an escort..."

"You could always stop?"

Nodding, "I could..."

I knew that Litizia was not trying to offend me; after all, she had no idea what I had gone through to end up where I was. As we spent more time together, I would eventually open up and tell her, but for now, she had enough to deal with.

In a way, I was jealous of her innocence.

Uncle Carlo had sheltered Litizia and after her parents had died during her teens, he basically had her confined, keeping her isolated. No doubt wanting to use her virginity as a bargaining piece. That man was a controlling cunt and it was no wonder Jade wanted to kill him.

Even though I wished that I had been given a choice where my own virginity was concerned, I was more jealous of Litizia's innocence in terms of her emotional virtue. We were practically the same age, but given everything that I had experienced, I felt a lot older than I was.

There was a lot of hate and pain in this world and I would not wish what I went through on anyone. I would forever be grateful to Aleksandr and Sergey for rescuing me, I owed them my life for I had no idea where I would be if they had not shown up, probably dead I figured.

"Natasha?"

I was vaguely aware of Litizia calling my name before I shook my thoughts away, not realising that I had drifted off mid-conversation.

Biting her bottom lip, she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't, I was just remembering something. Anyway, where marriage is concerned, I don't see it as something in my immediate future, but maybe one day."

"Understood," she replied, dropping the topic.

Bumping my shoulder playfully against hers, I smiled, "Don't worry about me, I'll be alright and so will you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, for one, Jade is very fond of you and would kill anyone that dares to hurt you. Likewise, I'll do my best to protect you as well. I may not be as openly intimidating as the formidable Mrs. Calvetti, but I can be quite protective in my own way of those I hold dear and I can already feel a strong friendship forming between the two of us. You have my number so if you ever need anything, don't ever hesitate to call, no matter the time."

Litizia nodded, her eyes suddenly glassy, "You two are my only friends, how pathetic is that?"

"It's not, where friendship is concerned, it's not so much the quantity, but quality. Trust me, it's better to have a small handful of people that you can rely on than a room full of fake assholes who couldn't give two shits about you."

"I suppose you're right..."

"Stop worrying, everything will be fine. Although I must warn you, Master Aleksandr is on his way over."

The cute little squeak that escaped Litizia caused me to laugh softly.

"Hello ladies. Mind if I borrow my fiancée for a moment, Natasha?" Aleksandr asked with a smile.

"No Sir," I replied and watched as they walked over to a quiet corner.

With a sigh I refocused on my drink and got lost in my thoughts, so much so that I did not realise that another person had approached the table.

"If I knew that you'd be so bored, I'd not have bothered to invite you..."

The sound of Sergey's soothing voice would have melted me if his words had not been so damn snarky.

With a slight frown, I slowly looked up at him, appreciating the view of his exposed torso. I took my time to take in the lean muscles of his chest, while admiring the various intricate tattoos that adorned his exposed skin.

I had every intent on firing back a scornful comment of my own. But when my gaze reached his face, seeing the way his grey eyes glared at the closed lapels of my robe caused my voice to stick in my throat.

If I did not know any better, I would have thought that he was undressing me with his eyes.

But I must be imagining things, right?

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A/N: Welp... 👀

The Italian term "Che cavolo!" is a mild form of 'cazzo' (fuck) and literally means "What Cabbage!" But is used to express 'what the hell' or 'damn' and is a mild curse.