The Maid: Mafia Romance (Series)

Totally Devoted

Giovanni had never been so intently focused on anything like this before. How could he forget the face of the girl in his dream, the one who kept appearing after Jennifer had left. She was that girl who kept harassing him. And she had turned out to be Jennifer’s sister, this mild-mannered woman who was sitting so refined in his lounge room.

They both sat in silence, just waiting for the other to talk.

She was the first one to speak. “I should congratulate you.”

“Jay told you?”

“She did. She was very happy. I’ve never seen her this happy before.”

Hearing this news put a smile on his face. If he could make his fiancée happy, he would do anything. He’d be happy to move mountains and swim across oceans just for her.

“Have you decided on the date of your wedding yet?”

“No. We’re going to wait it out. Jay wants to study first. We’re not in any hurry. We’ll just stay like this until we’re ready.”

Amelia just nodded, and another spell of silence followed. And then, as if she remembered something, she looked up at him again. “Thank you, for saving me that day, too.”

“I did it because Jay asked me to,” he said, waiting for her to continue.

“Still, I want to thank you. Has Jen told you everything?”

“Yes, she did.”

“I want to apologize for what I did in the past. About the necklace. About everything that had happened to Jen, and to you. It had all started because of me.”

“You should stop talking about the past,” Giovanni told her. “It doesn’t change anything. Jay has been hurt and so have you. Don’t do this to yourself anymore, Amelia. Let go of the past. It’s gone now. You can’t turn back time.”

“I know. My sister has matured a lot since she lived with you. Giovanni. Please do me a favor. My sister is only nineteen. She’s still so young. Please watch over her, cherish her, love her, take care of her as much as you can.”

Giovanni sat straighter in his seat. “You’re saying that like you’re about to leave us, Amelia.”

“Yes, Giovanni. I’ve been thinking about this for some time now. I want to leave this place, leave this town, leave this country. Go somewhere far away, somewhere secluded, somewhere where no one knows me.”

“What about Jay? She needs you. You know how much she cares about you and idolizes you.”

“She has you. She doesn’t need me anymore.”

“But she says she loves you.”

“I’m only her sister. You are her fiancé,” Amelia stressed, and he got the point, but he just wanted to pass the message across that his fiancée really cared for her.

He tried again. “She worries about you.”

“I know she does,” Amelia said. “But I need to learn how to stand on my own two feet again.”

“How far do you want to go?”

“As far as possible from here.”

“I think I know of a place. I have a few properties there. If you don’t mind going that far south, I think it’s the perfect place for you.”

I wasn’t one for eavesdropping, but for this one occasion, the temptation was far too irresistible. I caved in, plastering my ear against the oak door and listening intently to the conversation being held on the other side. Sadly, I only heard incomprehensible murmuring between the two adults.

Yes, adults. I, myself, was also an adult, having passed the good old age of eighteen since a year ago. But clearly, I was not significant enough to warrant a hearing between the two.

As soon as Amelia had arrived about ten minutes earlier, Giovanni had kindly asked me to leave. When I didn’t move my butt and just sat glued to her side, he dragged me up and onto my feet, then proudly shoved me out the door.

Or so that was his plan. I didn’t give in to him easily, though. I challenged him to the very end, digging my feet into the carpeted floor, hoping to create enough resistance to stop his pull. But he was way ahead of my game, having known well in advance that I’d use this trick. Afterall, he did witness this same action on our first encounter, having seen Bobby dragging me out the door to supposedly throw me over the bridge. Thank God that scenario never panned out.

“Please be careful with her.” Amelia’s musical voice stopped us in our tracks, and we stood still like animated objects, only now realizing that we were behaving like two kids fighting over candies.

“Don’t worry. Jay is not as fragile as you think. We’ve done it many times. She’s unbreakable. Right, Jay?” Giovanni recovered first, mincing his words out to Amelia, all before turning to me and plastering that shit-eating grin on his face.

The bastard, he was clearly trying to embarrass me in front of my sister and talking about our sex life for goodness’ sake. Where was the arrogant man who swore and hated to display affection in public? Had he considered Amelia to be a part of his clan, now?

“Giovanni, you-”

My words got lodged in my throat as his lips sealed mine. Hot raging blood coursed through my veins, and I became aware of the sound of my heartbeat, the rhythmic thump in my chest, the heat on my face, and the soft fluttering feelings in my belly. No matter how many times he kissed me, I could never get enough. It was a full-minute mouth-devouring kiss, but for me, who had many experiences firsthand of what that mouth was capable of, it felt like only a split second had passed. I wanted it to be longer. So I chased after those lips, wanting them to seal over mine again, but he backed off, gently reprimanding me.

“Now behave. I have to talk to your sister,” he said, giving me a final kiss on my nose. It took me three heartbeats long to remember how to breathe again, and when I finally did react, the door was already firmly shut in my face.

Trying to pry into other’s people’s business was tiring, so after a while, I sat on the floor, one ear still glued to the door, when a minute passed and a sudden push of the door toppled me over, and I ended up sprawled on the floor. Giovanni came into my view, his eyes peering at me.

“Hey, Gio, you’re back. Has my sister gone upstairs?” I opted to ask him instead, craning my neck to see the absence of my sister in the room next door.

“What are you doing on the floor, Jay?” He questioned, looking at me through suspicious eyes.

His eyes really were his downfall. Even when he shouted, cursed or was hell-bent on having his own way, his soulful midnight-black yes always spoke the truth. Those eyes told me he would never hurt even a fly.

I gazed up at them and remembered my lost stars, my ultimate universe. They were all in there, every unknown course, I only had to look at those eyes to get my answers.

“Me? Haha.” My mind was able to kickstart again when I saw the scowl on his face. “I’m admiring your ceiling. Have you noticed there’s a cobweb on that corner there?” I teased him, pretending to shake my head in horror. But the truth was, the house was super clean. I continued my charade. “Tsk, tsk, Gio. Since I became your fiancée, who’s been managing the house. Disgraceful. Disgraceful indeed. Should I apply to be your maid instead, at least the house would be clean.”

He tsked back at me. “Get up.”

“Help me up?” I extended my hand out, reaching for him to take me in his arms.

Giovanni must be in a good mood. He complied. If we were to put this scenario back a few months ago when I was still his maid, I’d surely get a smack on my bum. But now, all he did was smile and pull me up.

But I had other ideas. Yes, he was stronger than me. Yes, he was pulling me, but I had the force of gravity on my side. Using my whole body as leverage, I pulled him down. He collapsed on top of me, extending his arms to brace for impact before I was squashed beneath him.

“Jay!” he growled. “What the fuck did you-”

I kissed him. Right on his lips, cutting off his words before he could swear again. “No cursing. And before you ask why I kissed you, it’s because we didn’t get to finish our business from before.”

Giovanni was stunned for a full three seconds, probably astonished at how bold I’d become. I gave him another peck on the lips, and he responded with more blank stares.

“Well? What did my sister say?” I prompted him.

“Your sister. She…” And suddenly he caught on. “You need to offer me something in exchange for that information.”

Oh, he was a smart one, so sly like a snake. I liked it. I offered him more kisses.

“Is that enough? Would you like more?”

“Yeah. A bit more.” He smiled sheepishly like a kid being offered candy. I was his candy, and he sure loved me.

I kissed him again and again. On his cheeks, forehead, and nose. After I was done, I waited, smirking in a side smile. “Well, was that enough?”

“I suppose,” he reluctantly said, getting up and resting on the couch behind him. I climbed onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“So, what did my sister need to talk to you about that you had to shove me out the door?” I asked him sweetly, playing with his shirt collar.

“Amelia is moving to New Zealand.”

My heart dropped to my stomach, and my fingers dropped to my lap. I fiddled with the sleeve of my shirt, worried about this issue. I didn’t want to sound clingy nor expose to Giovanni that I had a sister complex, but I’d just found Amelia again, and now she’d be moving away. The thought just didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t want to part from her yet. But if she chose to go, then maybe I should follow her. I could attend varsity there, too. Gio could survive on his own. Heck, he sure could survive without me.

After what she’d gone through with Nikolas Lorenzo, I was worried she was still too fragile to be on her own. And so, after chewing on my lips senselessly and mulling this idea for all of five seconds, I shouted out, “Gio, I might-”

He pinched my cheek, and I yelped like a cat in surprise. “Ow, Gio. What was that for?”

“If you are thinking of moving to New Zealand with your sister, you better think again. I will not part with my three million dollars.”

I opened my mouth in horror. “Gio, how could you say that? I’m your fiancée. I should think I’m worth more than three million dollars.”

I pulled away from him, my face scrunched up in annoyance.

I turned to get off his lap when my world tilted and I ended up back on the floor, with Giovanni’s heavy body pressing on top of me.

“Why do you look so sad? I was only joking. You did start out as my three million dollars.”

“Well, it’s true though. If I’m not your fiancée, would I have to pay back that three million dollars?”

“Jay, why are you even asking that question? Do you plan on having an affair behind my back?” And then he gazed at me rather suspiciously. “Do you have a guy hiding in your closet?”

“Sheesh, stop with the affair and the man hiding in the closet thing already. The only thing I have in the closet are my clothes and yours. And plus, why should I have an affair when I’m already happily having an affair with you.”

“Damn right you should only be having an affair with me.” He kissed me subtly and passionately as his apology. When we parted, I said, “You know, we really should learn how to communicate better.”

“Damn right, we should.”

“Totally.”

“Exactly.”

“Absolutely. Any more adverbs we can add to this?”

“No. I can’t think of one.”

“Well, I’m sorry about before.” I fiddled with his shirt collar again. “But regarding my sister, I don’t think it’s right for her to move so far away from us.”

“Jay, you have got to remember how we rescued her from Lorenzo. She’s not safe here if she stays in America. Lorenzo has people working all over the states, and in no time, he’d trace where she’s been, and he will come hunting for her. Mark my word. The only safe place for her is good old New Zealand. It’s quiet, secluded, and far away from his people. I fucking doubt he’d look for her there, anyway. Lorenzo’s power doesn’t reach across the Pacific Ocean.”

“Well, that’s good to know. But I suppose if she wanted to get as far away as possible from here, there’s also the possibility of Antarctica, but that wouldn’t be feasible given it’s like a blizzard every day, plus living with six months of daylight and six months in the darkness could drive anyone up the roof. And my sister is no exception. So good old New Zealand it has to be,” I muttered to myself. “But I’ll miss her.”

“And I’ll miss you, if you leave.”

“But you’ll be fine. It’ll only be like a year or two. Until she’s strong enough again.”

“Jay, I think you’re underestimating your sister. She’s a strong woman. For a person to come out of that hellhole and still stand up like that, she’s fucking strong.”

“And that’s why I wanted to help her. She survived that hellhole. Leaving her alone would be too much of a risk. She’s too vulnerable right now.”

“Jay. How can I explain this to you? This is what she wanted. She said she wants to stand up on her own two feet again.”

“But-”

“This is what she wants.”

“She said that?”

“You can talk to her.”

“If that’s what she wanted, then I respect her decision. But I can go visit her?”

“Totally.”

“Like every three months?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Then I’ll go-”

Giovanni dragged me back into his lap. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To go talk to Amelia now. She should be in her room.”

“Don’t you talk enough to your sister already? You talk to her during the morning, afternoon, dinner, even at night. She’s not the only one needing attention.” And he suddenly lifted me up, carrying me like his bride to God knows where.

“Wow, Gio. Where are you taking me?” I screeched, my hands winding around his neck for support.

“To our bedroom. I need attention.”

“No, Gio. It’s broad daylight. The guys are around the corner. This is so embarrassing.”

“I never heard you complain when we’re fucking. Now you’re embarrassed?”

“But, Gio.” In one ear and out the other. He ravished me like a starved beast, and by the time he was done, I was thoroughly devoured in places I dare not mention. Once we regained strength again, I said, “Hey, Gio. Thanks for helping my sister. I owe you big time.”

“Don’t worry. That’s an additional payment.”

“Really?” I asked seductively. “And how should I repay you?”

“By staying by my side and loving me more and more each day. By creating memories with me and never forgetting me.”

His words touched my heart, and my lips worried. “I may have forgotten you in the past, but I promise you that from this day forward, I’ll cherish all our memories. I’ll get a diary and start writing our memories down. I’ll film us, so we can store those memories on a hard drive. And if one day we grow old and I lose my memory, I’ll have this backup data. But most importantly, this here,” I placed his palm flat on my chest. “Can you feel my heart beating? This here is the databank of our memory. My heart here would never forget you. I am utterly, fully, completely… uh, what are other adverbs I can use…oh yeah, and totally, totally devoted to you.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Jay, you are making me crazy with your silly proses. Every day you surprise me. Every day you make me love you more. And I am so totally and fucking utterly devoted to you, too.”

“Really?” I asked. And he confirmed, with that signature side smirk of his, before we sealed our lips together.

“Absolutely. Totally fucking devoted.”