Part One Hundred and Ten

Part One Hundred and Ten
Dominic undressed in his bathroom and climbed into the steaming shower. He lowered his head under the spray of water and exhaled loudly. He worried about Gage. Killing Alejandro was one thing, but Eris’ murder might be the cause of Gage leaving a fucking bloodbath in his wake.
Dominic looked up and frowned. His toiletries were all gone. “Rafi!” Dominic yelled as he stuck his head out of the shower.
Rafaella appeared in the open doorway and looked questioningly at him. “Yes?”
“Where the fuck are my toiletries?”
“In the trash,” she said and smiled. “The new bottles are labeled.” With that said, she turned around and left the bathroom.
Dominic chuckled and picked up his new body wash. It had a woodsy and citrus smell with something he didn’t recognize, but he liked the scent.
His shampoo and conditioner smelled like mint and he frowned as he looked at the facewash. “Use the facewash!” Rafaella yelled from the bedroom and he huffed out a laugh.
Dominic finished his shower and dried off in the bathroom. Rafaella appeared behind him and he locked eyes with her in the mirror. “Use the moisturizer. You’ll thank me when you’re fifty.”
Dominic looked at her stoically and she took the moisturizer from the counter and opened it. She dabbed her finger into the pot of cream and massaged it into his face. “I won’t tell Hudson.”
Dominic laughed and pulled her closer to him. “That’s good, the asshole would never let me live it down.” He lowered his head to hers and kissed her softly, coaxing her mouth open and explored her mouth with his tongue. They were both breathless when they pulled apart and Rafaella smiled at him again.
“I added sandalwood, clary sage and bergamot to yours. All three are good for relaxation and anti-stress,” she whispered.
“You are fucking talented, Mrs. Vittori.”
“Have you heard anything about Eris?” she asked him.
Dominic briefly closed his eyes and sighed. “Not yet. Hamil is working on the satellite feeds now. Nobody just disappears like that. Eris was somewhere for two days and I will find out.”
“You should get some rest, Dominic. You won’t be of any use to anyone if you keep this up,” she said and kissed him softly.
“We need to talk as well,” he said and let go of her. She watched him as he walked to their dressing room and pulled pajama bottoms on.
Five minutes later, they were both in bed and Dominic leaned back against the headboard. She deserved the whole truth from him, even if it wasn’t pretty. He’d promised her that much. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.
“When we signed the marriage contract, I was seeing someone,” he began.
“Isadora,” she whispered.
Dominic frowned. “How the hell do you know her name?”
“That night in the car … you said I was just like Isadora.”
“Fuck, Rafi.” Dominic closed his eyes again and he was surprised when she took his hand. He looked at her hand covering his and a strong sense of duty went through him. “I didn’t know what to expect in you. I was angry that a wife had been chosen for me but I was also determined not to go against our traditions. I kept her because I didn’t think I’d like you.”
“Why are you telling me now?”
“Because now I love you and you deserve to know everything. I told her to walk away and she did. We broke things off and once it was over, I realized that I could truly be happy with you,” Dominic said.
“I suspected you had a mistress,” she said softly.
“She came to see me last week. She said she wanted me back,” he said.
“Do you want her back? Is this where you bring in that side clause to ask permission to have a mistress?” Her voice cracked a little at the end and Dominic gripped her hand tighter.
“No. I don’t want a mistress, ever. I told her that I was happy with you, that we’re expecting a baby and that everything in me was dedicated to you. I’m telling you because I want you to know that I’ll never be that stupid again.”
Dominic sighed and shook his head again. He had really messed things up. Gage had cause to hurt him, cause to react the way he did. Dominic would never condone the things he himself had done.
“I’ve done everything wrong and I know I have a lot to make up to you. I didn’t think of it as cheating when I married you but now I do and I hate that I’ve done it because I wouldn’t allow any of my brothers to do the things I’ve done.”
“Being a man is easy, Dominic. Being a real man, that’s a bit harder. A real man admits his mistakes, his flaws and he works harder and harder to fix them. You’ve admitted your mistakes and every day since then you’ve shown me tenderness, kindness and love. I’m not mad about her, I was hurt when I realized it, but I can understand your thought process at that time,” she said and gave him a small smile.
“I really don’t deserve you, Rafi, but I’m glad I have you.”
“If we’re being honest, then I have something to tell you as well.”
Dominic shifted towards her and pulled her closer to him. “You can always tell me anything.”
“I was in the bathroom while Ethan took a shower this afternoon,” she said and started laughing at the look of disbelief on Dominic’s face.
“You what?”
“He kept his underwear on.” She laughed again. “Oh, Dominic, you should see your face. It was all innocent, I swear! I made shower bombs and asked him to test them out.”
“Fucking hell, Rafi, start off with that next time. I was already thinking of ways to make Ethan hurt!”
Rafaella rested her head against his chest and chuckled. “If we have honesty, we can weather any storm.”