Hope

Hope
"So you canceled the marriage agreement between Black and Emily, an agreement my brother wasn’t aware of," I repeat the summary of what Michael told me about his endless meeting with my father and brother.

They stayed another week in New York, and it was wonderful to have both of them around, especially now that the weight on my heart is gone.

"Yes, now that we’re married, another union between a Bianchi and a Bonnarro would be a threat to the organization’s leadership. Our children and theirs could become Boss or Capo and fight for leadership in the future." I spin in his lap. We’re having dinner at home, talking calmly.

"Are we going to have a lot of children?"

"Absolutely, I want at least ten."

I laugh horrified.

"I’m not going to have ten children, what do you think I am? A breeding cow!"

"A very hot cow." He squeezes my ass and I smack his shoulder.

"You’re getting very bold, young man." I touch my nose to his. "But now that the agreement is canceled, is Emily going to marry Daniel?"

"My sister wants that, and family tradition demands it. But Daniel doesn’t want to marry her; he already asked me not to arrange a commitment between them when I took over."

"What do you mean?" I’m shocked by this information. "He’s so attentive to her, and they get along so well—how could he break her heart like that?"

"Daniel doesn’t believe he’ll be good for Emily. In fact, he’s convinced that if they stay together, he’ll break her heart and sentence her to a miserable life."

"Your sister doesn’t deserve that."

I feel sad knowing how Daniel thinks; he and Emily seem perfect together. But I don’t know him well enough to see the demons hidden behind his beautiful blue eyes.

"My friend has already suffered too much at her father’s hands to marry without love and be hurt. He’ll break her heart, but if Daniel is going to be cruel to Emily, I also oppose this union."

"He would never be cruel to her, but it’s complicated—everyone knows the demons they carry."

"What are you going to do?"

"I’m still thinking." His hand moves to my spine. "But in the meantime, we’ll go on our honeymoon next week. Pack a big bag with warm clothes."

"Are you sure? What about Samuel?"

"He disappeared. I searched Boston from end to end, and that bastard wasn’t anywhere. He stopped sending men after you about three months ago. I set a trap that yielded no results, and now he’s gone. I destroyed everything in the Boston mafia; not a single soldier or ally is left to shelter him. I imagine he left the country. I’m still looking, but for now, there isn’t much to go on."

"Speaking of men," I remember something I’ve been meaning to ask Michael for a while, "what’s going on at the ladies’ club, where new staff join every month? I didn’t know there was such turnover here."

"It’s not supposed to happen," he frowns. "I’ll check what’s going on."

"All right." I stand and wipe my mouth with a napkin. "Come here." I beckon with a finger.

Michael grins mischievously before standing. I run to the bedroom, letting out small squeals. The excitement for the night we’ll have together courses through my body like little shocks. I never thought I could feel such happiness, and now I only pray it lasts forever.



I get home from college with my body aching from hours bent over analyzing cells under the microscope. I find my sister-in-law and Josephine with Daisha in the living room; they have a pile of magazines on the coffee table and are taking notes on their tablets. I completely forgot about the ball next month to raise funds for children with disabilities at the regional hospital.

"Tell me you already have everything ready," I ask, flopping face-first onto the sofa.

"You’re such a slacker," Josephine says, and I feel the sting on my ass echo from the slap she gives me. I glare at her and stick out my tongue.

"Yes, Miss Medical Student, we have everything ready," Emily says sarcastically.

"You’re my angels."

"Oh, but you’re going to reward us," Daisha says, a playful glint in her eyes. She’s a bit shy, but when it’s just the four of us, she loosens up a bit. "I want to go to Topline. Have you talked to your husband?"

"We’re going Friday," I click my tongue, "then I’m off on my honeymoon." I lay my head on the pillow, sleep weighing heavily.

"That’s it." I hear them cheering, and I turn to my side, falling asleep.



I grab Michael’s waist as he drives the motorcycle. We’ve been on the road for over an hour, and I still don’t know our destination; the luggage is in the cars that provide our security. We left the club straight onto the bike, ready to enjoy our honeymoon. The girls had a blast and gave the guys a hard time.
Black joined us and ended up taking a passed-out Josephine home; Daniel held Emily’s hair while she vomited, and Kai was so clingy with Daisha that she could only blush at his advances. In my mind, all the couples are set and should stay together; later I’ll see how I can influence their marriage agreement. There’s no way Daniel could be bad to Emily—that’s humanly impossible.

After a while, with numb arms and aching back but loving the closeness the bike brings, we reach our final destination. A forest, a house by the lake, and a fantastic pier with a dome at its end. I can’t see what’s inside, but I forget all the pain in my body with the anticipation of discovering it.

I get off the bike, and Michael holds my hand. We leave our helmets on the back, and I see the soldiers spreading out. I notice other smaller houses on observation towers. Some men head in that direction. Even though we’re out in the open, I feel as if nothing could touch us.

“Do you know what day it is today?” he asks, stroking my cheek.
“No idea.” I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Let’s see if you remember.”

He pulls me close by the waist, his lips touching mine before I wrap my legs around him. The cold from the lake ricochets off my cheeks and ears, and I deepen the kiss, warming my body with Michael’s. He walks calmly with me along the wooden pier. We stop in front of the smoked glass dome, and he types a code into the door, which clicks open.

We enter, and my eyes are in awe of the place’s beauty. It’s entirely made of glass, allowing us to see the stars above and the lake below. The structure is oval, with a bed against the wall, a fluffy rug in the center, a sofa facing the horizon, and dozens of heart-shaped lanterns floating above us, suspended by invisible threads adorned with chains of flowers.

I feel like I’ve stepped into a completely different dimension. Michael walks to the center and helps me stand. I’m speechless. He holds my hand, pulls my waist to him, and a familiar song begins to play. It’s the waltz we danced at my fifteenth birthday.

“Today officially marks six years since we first met.”

He moves his body, making me follow as my throat tightens and my heart is wrapped in a thread of love suffocating with emotion.

“Every year we’ll celebrate this day as it should be—full of love and happiness, you and me. And when we have children, they’ll run happily in the morning, jumping on our bed, wishing their mother a happy birthday, while I pull you close, trying to steal a second of my wife’s time to tell her how much I love her and how happy I am that she was born and became mine.”

“Ah, Michael…” I can’t speak, emotion clogging my throat. My eyes well up, and I look up at the moon positioned high in the sky, adding magic to our moment.

“Happy birthday, Hope,” he whispers in my ear. “Thank you for holding strong all these years. But now I just want you to relax and enjoy. Today is and will always be a special and important day for me—the day the woman I love was born and survived death countless times. We need to celebrate and remember the good things. I’ll give you new memories every year, until even the bad ones are just faint echoes that can’t touch your soul. No matter when or where, whenever you fear the past, remember today—it’s our future, forever.”

I can’t dance anymore; my body collapses in happy tears. I wrap my arms around his neck. He holds my waist, lifting me as we sway to the rhythm of the waltz. The scent of flowers, aromatic candles, mixed with Michael’s sexy, warm, woody scent, penetrates every cell of mine.

I kiss his neck, expressing what I can’t say. Happiness seems too small a word for what I feel—freedom in every pore, joy radiating so strongly it could reach the heavens. The certainty of having found love in Michael’s arms, a formidable mafia man capable of such surprises to show how much he loves me and cares enough to erase every trace of pain.

In that second, the universe stops as I press my lips to his, feeling the scratch of his beard against my face, reminding me where I am, who’s beside me, and the life I have. There are no more bad days; now they exist only as distant memories I’ll never touch, but even when they haunt me, I have all these special moments to overcome the darkness.

My life is filled with light, never to be extinguished again.

“Thank you,” I whisper on his lips, a thin string of saliva connecting us. I laugh at it, and he kisses me again without caring. “This was the best gift of all.”
“It’s not over yet.” He walks with me, laying me on the bed. “I have a few more things to do with you.”
“And I’ll let you.” I raise my hands above my head, smiling, excited knowing I’m his.

My husband’s naughty smile sets off an alert in my mind. He removes his leather jacket and shirt, leaving only khaki pants—a complete delight against his pale skin and dark beard with that lethal gaze. I climb onto the bed, taking off my jacket, watching his movements. Michael grabs a black case and climbs onto the bed on his knees. I breathe heavily, excited for what he’s about to show me.

“Pick a jewel.”

I scream in surprise seeing the items Michael means. They’re anal plugs of different sizes with jewels at the tip and a vibrator for the vagina and clitoris. I look at him suspiciously, unable to believe the rascal is giving me a gift to fuck my ass. I shake my head.

“You’re hopeless.”
“What? The memory of your first time giving me your ass will never leave your mind.” He bites my lip, pulling the flesh toward him. “Pick one.”
“No ass for you,” I say, cheeks flaming. “Maybe on your birthday,” I add, uncertain.
“Damn, Hope. You’re going to make me wait two months?”
“I shouldn’t have even said that.” I bring my hand to my face. “Okay, let’s use one jewel today, only.”

The truth is Michael tempts me daily with the idea of anal sex, and I’m no longer as hesitant as before. I want everything he can give me, but at least not today.

“Choose.”
“The smallest.” I point to the tiny one.
“Take off your clothes and get on all fours.”

With trembling hands, I obey. I remove my clothes and get on all fours, too eager. I bite my lips, shivering slightly as he applies the object to my butt. My heart races as Michael slides the lubricated toy inside me.

It’s small and not too uncomfortable, but it ignites a burning effect in my husband, who growls before burying his face between my legs. I scream with my face pressed to the mattress. His tongue works fiercely on me. He grabs my hips, turning me, and I see stars—literally. Michael releases me and grabs the vibrator, licking it, driving me wild with his sensuality.

The vibrator trembles inside me. Michael removes his pants and stands. My vagina aflame, I go to my knees, taking him into my mouth, moaning against his thickness, delirious from the toy’s stimulation. I give my all, sucking him intensely, my ass and vagina filled. I reach orgasm with his cock in my throat, trembling back with legs spread.

“Hold your ankles,” he commands, and I obey. “Don’t you dare move.”
“Yes, sir.” I shiver as he removes the vibrator.

His cock slides inside my wet folds. I whimper, feeling him inside me, my sensitive vagina clutching him happily. I look at the sky above my husband, losing myself as I go wild; the stars move around us, and for the rest of the night, Michael makes love to me, taking us to heights only we can reach.

We spend the day cuddling inside. The lake has cooled, so we go indoors. Michael makes lunch while I watch, smiling.

“My husband looks delicious in the kitchen.”
“Especially doing it naked,” he says proudly of every inch of his body.
“Definitely, such a tempting little ass.” I drool watching his white, firm butt, scratched by my nails. I still feel the spasms from our hot night.

We have lunch chatting and then watch a movie. At dinner, Michael sets the table outside. He makes a divine steak that would put many 5-star chefs to shame. The cold bites, so we light a fire. He sits in the chair, and I lean against his lap, enjoying the chilly night breeze, staring at the stars and the moonlit lake.

“Close your eyes,” he whispers.

I do as he asks. His body leaves me, and I hug the blanket around me. I hear footsteps as he returns, excited for another surprise. I smile, barely containing my excitement.

“Open.”

I quickly open my eyes to see my husband smiling, holding a birthday cake with the number 21 in candles and a plaque reading “Happy Birthday, Hope.” I choke back tears, unable to contain my happiness at receiving a cake from him.

“Happy birthday to you,” he sings, laughing joyfully, holding the base of the cake. I move to the edge of the chair, listening carefully to every word, enjoying a birthday song for the first time. “On this dear date, many happinesses, many years of life. Make a wish, my love.”

“May every year be like this.” I blow out the candles for the first time, unafraid of anyone ruining my joy. “Of all the gifts, this was the best,” I confess to him.
“I promise to outdo myself every year.” He kisses my lips with the cake between us.

Laughing, I poke the cake with my finger, tasting a piece. Delicious, sweet just right, and filled with love. Michael places the cake on the small table and pulls me close. There, in that place, celebrating my birthday, bathed by the starry sky and cold night, I feel like I’m living a fairy tale.