Page 10 of Sacred Vow

Her cheeks went bright red with embarrassment.

“I’m proud of you, my principessa, for listening and obeying.”

Her pupils dilated again. She liked praise and being good when acknowledged. Maybe the naughty girl act was just that, and all she needed was the right man to tame her. Only time would tell.

“Come.” I held out my hand and helped her stand. “I will help clean you up, but then we must get back, so our guests don’t wonder if you’re still alive.”

She paled with my words, but I meant it as a joke.

I grabbed a cloth from the bathroom and gently wiped away her smeared make-up. Without all the dark eyeliner from this morning and the excess from her bridal look, she appeared young, much younger than her twenty-four years.

I tugged out the hairpins and allowed her hair to cascade down her back in graceful waves to her hips. From the closet, I selected a simple black cocktail dress from the few items I’d had my mother put here earlier in the day from her favorite designer. Fortunately, one that knew Vittoria as well so I knew whatever I chose would fit her body like a glove.

I beckoned her to stand and removed the wedding dress. She was a little unsteady on her feet so I did the honors of helping her into the little black cocktail dress.

“Okay, now we are ready.”

“Shoes?” she asked hopefully.

“No. You were a naughty girl and when you misbehave, you will be punished. One week, no shoes. Understood?” I had stopped to cup her chin gently between my thumb and finger, capturing her gaze and forcing her to look at me. Her new husband and Master, and the one she would learn to depend on for all things.

There was no animosity in her expression, just acceptance.

“Yes, Sir,” she said huskily.

My cock hardened with her submission, and I hustled us out of the room before I changed my mind and ravished her right then.

Chapter Four

Vittoria

The group of six brothers before me arrested my attention. My attention snagged first on the largest of them, the one who’d stood directly beside my new husband at the altar. He had huge, thick muscles that bristled, as did his energy. The man didn’t seem to like me very much, but the feeling was mutual.

“This is Fausto.” Romeo introduced the man standing closest to me. He was the least assuming of the group, physically. Equally as tall as Romeo, muscled like the rest, but something about him was frightening. He seemed dangerously perceptive, his eyes missed nothing as they moved over me in cold assessment. He had a silent executioner vibe, some old-world danger about him that I found intimidating. I nodded, respectfully but cautiously. I could tell he was someone you instinctively avoided provoking.

“This is Giovanni,” Romeo continued.

“Gio, to family and friends.” He didn’t specifically state if I was now in that group of family and friends. I stuck out my hand to shake his and he swept it up to his lips, kissing the back of my hand. "Sister," he said, pulling away. His lips curled for just a moment in amusement at Romeo's stiffening beside me.

“This is Antonio.” This brother lacked the dangerous charisma of the others, but there was something steady in the way he carried himself.

“Welcome, Sorella, to la famiglia.“ His steady voice made me feel safe.

“Don’t let him fool you, tesoro, Tony is a dangerous man.” The brothers exchanged amused looks. “This is my consigliere, Massimo.” The man merely glowered at me and grunted what may have been a hello, but it was hard to tell. Romeo didn’t seem to notice and carried on. That one over there is the baby of the family, Vincenzo.” He pointed at a sexy young man who looked more ready to ride the waves than serve food. His ears must have been burning because he chose that moment to look up from the platter of something that smelled delicious in a large ornate chafer. My stomach grumbled loudly, and all the men broke out in laughter.

Embarrassment flamed my cheeks and all I wanted to do was run and hide behind the closest floral arrangement. Instead, I straightened my shoulders and glared at my new husband. We watched as he finished ladling and passed the platter to a passing servant who was walking towards what I assumed was the kitchen. I liked to consider myself a very observant woman. You kind of have to be to survive in a world where nothing is expected of you but to shut up and look pretty.

I watched as the ‘baby’ sauntered over. He was more carefree than the others and less serious, yet there was a furrow to his brow like he was always trying to figure out a puzzle. He looked me up and down.

“No shoes? How very bougie of you, Vittoria,” he said with a smirk. I was surprised at his heavy Italian accent; it belied his looks so much, had I not known who he was I could have assumed he was an actor playing an Italian.

Beside me, I felt Romeo stiffen. He clearly didn’t like his brother’s comment.

“Didn’t you hear? Barefoot weddings are all the rage this season.” My response caused a laugh of delight and a shake of his head.

“My brother is going to have his hands full. Welcome to the family, Vittoria.” After kissing my hand, he sauntered over to a group of servers, stacking their trays with appetizers from the table, his demeanor becoming intense as he surveyed what finger foods they were taking out. We watched as he switched out their trays, speaking in rapid Italian. Once the trays were reloaded to his specifications, the group scrambled away to do his bidding.

“You’d never guess that hiding under that cool exterior was a perfectionist,” Gio said, then winked at me.