The Daughter of the Mafia

Chapter Six- The Dinner Among Devils

Juliette stared out the window of the hotel room, wondering how different things would be if she would have never come home to Italy. With her knees pulled up to her chest, she couldn't help but think of her now deceased boyfriend and the man she found herself promised to. The only thing she felt that she held in this moment had been the ability to dream and connote circumstances that made her smile instead of stress. But just as she began to forget the guns and s****l tension, the man who carried both against her had entered the room. His strong aroma of cologne acted as a warning log before he had entered, and yet pleased the sense of smell without being ruled as overbearing. But it had been his gaze upon her that led for her to feel as prey in the eyes of her Hunter. 

"I need for you to get dressed." He spoke as he took three dress bags from over his shoulder and threw them on the foot of the bed. Her eyes looked at him quizzically as she hesitated for a moment before rising from her comfortable position. So far, when she had accompanied him, the adventures that had followed were something unimaginable in the mind of an adrenaline junkie. And yet, that had been her set of circumstances. "We are due for dinner in two hours." He continued as she now stood before the dresses. She noted how he was disinterested in the act of her undressing as he moved into the other room entirely and left her to her own thoughts and even her own space. For a moment, her eyes focused upon the door as she thought of how easily she could escape with him being distracted. But her curiosity grew the best of her as she unzipped the first bag. 

The first dress was made of full lace laid over a thin satin fabric. Colored black, the garment set off the shoulder and held a lace cape descending from the shoulders. Its tight silhouette hugged her entire frame-while still remaining modest. Standing before the mirror to try this one on, she winced at the style as it had been heavily formal and even borderline Paris Fashion Week. Moving on to the second bag, she pulled the zipper downward to find an emerald satin skirt to almost force her to lose her footing upon emerging from the bag. The top portion of the dress had been a spaghetti strap bodice that appeared as lingerie-yet showing little skin. Finding this a favorite of the two, she then opened the final bag for her last option. Upon the zipper being pulled, the silhouette of a sky blue dress of her exact style stared back at her. A highly detailed yet modest lace bodice held over her shoulders with spaghetti straps clung onto the hanger while a loose skirt cut into a mid-slit fell towards the ground. 

While placing it upon her body, wrapping the thin and even plain matching belt to her waist, Dimitri made his way from the bathroom in a dress shirt and dark pants before staring at her for a moment. It seemed as though the sight of her in this dress had taken the symptoms of aphasia to affect him. After his eyes had scanned her entire body and made their way back to her own jade gaze, he nodded in approval. 

"We have an hour left until we are due downstairs." He explained. She nodded before watching him sit on a chair off center of the room, keeping his gaze locked upon her as she attempted to move throughout. With such limited time left, Juliette moved her way around the hotel room, before being called out to by Dimitri that he had purchased items she could use for this night. While moving into the bathroom, she found a curling iron already heated up, and at least four hundred dollars in makeup at her disposal. She started to apply the first layer of her makeup before suddenly feeling a presence in the doorway. His eyes remained upon her as she lightly curled her hair and wrapped it in a braid on either side as tendrils fell from her temples. His gaze continued on her as she gave herself a smokey eye made of a gray background and a dark stygian eyeliner. Finishing odd with a mascara, his stance seemed to relax while he watched her slightly part her lips in this endeavour. When she pulled back to take a final look into the mirror, she found a slight amount of weight upon her neck. Envisioning his fingers attempting to snuff the life from her, she was surprised to see a beautiful diamond necklace now hooked upon her throat. The necklace itself had diamonds around the entire layout that had been orchestrated into a "V" and descended to a tear drop-shaped Diamond. Her fingers moved upon the diamonds before looking to him in the reflection of the mirror. 

"It's...beautiful…" she spoke in surprise before turning to face him. 

"You didn't try to escape...when I was in the bathroom. It shows that perhaps you are beginning to understand my methods...because of that, you deserve to be rewarded." Her eyes remained onto him as he threw his jacket over his shoulders and held out his arm to escort her to the hotel room door before ceasing in his steps. "Those at this dinner are incredibly dangerous. I need you to be at my side, silently. But this must be done." She slowly nodded with a slight amount of hesitancy in her expression, but an overall understanding of the environment. 

With that, they made their way down to a large dining room just large enough for the buffet-style table and the chairs that surrounded it. Plates and their respective cutlery graced each place setting, with a few guests already in place. They greeted the handsome couple as they made their way into the room to take a seat. Juliette was made to feel like Belle to the beast in the scenario as all eyes fell to her as each seat around the table became occupied-except one. 

"I suggest a smile...they may think you are a hostage." He expressed into her ear as she turned to him with a cheeky smile as he pulled away. 

"Am I not?" He set his hand upon her knee under the table as a reminder to remain steady. Although his touch remained in place, she grew increasingly nervous and anxious to his hand upon her body-as she knew if he were to ascend higher, she would graciously comply with him. 

"Benvenuto…" a man spoke while making his way into the room. He gave gracious smiles to everyone but a look of intrigue as his eyes fell to Juliette. Once again, Dimitri set his hand beneath the table and onto her skin as a way to confirm that she was safe with him. The entire duration of the dinner had been spoken in Italian, leaving Juliette to pick up pieces of what was spoken around her. One thing she knew for certain had been the topic of her family-as her last name was spoken on more than one occasion. Dimitri spoke to the man who came upon a late arrival with a tone that was anything but respectful; even having begun as humored before turning sour. 

Finally, the tension seemed to simmer before a man sitting beside Juliette introduced himself as "Antonio", and spoke in proper English while her "date" was invested in his own conversation. They spoke with formalities at first, learning each other's names-but as she spoke her own, his demeanor seemed to change. The remainder of their conversation revolved around the other guests and the food before she retired to the restroom. A feeling of sadness followed her as the warm sensation of Dimitri's touch was no longer present on her leg. 

She stood before the mirror in the bathroom as the water cascaded upon her hands, distracted by the necklace set around her neck. Although the jewels were no substitution for her freedom, she couldn't help but feel beautiful upon wearing them. With her fingers now dry, Juliette moved into the position to leave the bathroom before seeing Antonio resting upon the door with a gun resting between his hands. 

"What do you want?" She asked before he brought himself closer to her without so much as a telling expression. Left speculating, Juliette saw as he rose the weapon to her cheek before then taking a large chunk of her hair within his hand. 

"There must be something special about you...and yet...I just can't see it-" he spoke while c*****g the gun and leading her into one of the stalls before locking it behind him. "Perhaps it is a hidden talent...one you can perform on your knees?" With that, he motioned for her to undo his pants and move to her knees. Without the gun pointed in her direction, she may have fought harder than in this instance, but with so much of her life yet to be lived, she complied with no more than tears. Her fingers trembled as she removed his belt from its buckle and unzipped his dress pants to find a less than average erection bulging from his boxers. "Maybe this is why you are worth the trouble…" he spoke while taking himself out from his boxers and placing the gun to her temple. "Go on...give me a reason to see your worth, slut." He spoke to her as she hesitated in hopes of someone coming into that door, but alas, it remained silent. 

"Please-" she went to beg for her innocence as he then brought the gun to her cheek. 

"Your daddy can't save you now-" suddenly the door flew open and the stall was kicked in by Dimitri, who stood with a gun to her potential s****l assault leader. Without even flinching at the sight of the gun, Dimitri took hold of Antonio and forced him to the other side of the stall. 

"Do you think you can touch her because she is beautiful?" He asked as Antonio suddenly lost all sense of bravery and looked to his aggressor with true fear. "Do you think you can force her because you have a gun?" With this being spoken, Dimitri now took him from the stall and to the thick sink outside. "The only man who gets to touch her, she gets to love her...is me." Dimitri paused for a moment. "Now how about you open your mouth and suck my glock?" Dimitri spoke, proud of his pun, before releasing the trigger, only for an empty magazine to keep him in this misery. Antonio pleaded, tears pouring down his face, before Dimitri let him go. 

As he fell to his feet, urine soaking his dress pants, Antonio looked up to him. "My father told me he would have you distracted so I could have her." Dimitri's face twisted in disgust as Antonio began to sob into his own hands. 

"All of this for two minutes with her? I hope it was worth it-"Dimitri pulled himself lower to the ground with the hun resting between his legs for a moment before giving Antonio a look of momentary sympathy. Before either could speak, Dimitri's gun discharged directly to Antonio's member, making him cry out in pain. Without a further care of this devilish being, Dimitri turned to Juliette who had now pursued herself far back against the wall, tears having been present on her expression. 

"Mi dispiace…" he apologized to her until helping her to her feet. He assisted her from the bathroom and out of the hotel completely until they were a safe distance. When this was determined, he brought his focus to her entirely. "Are you alright?" He asked while bringing his jacket over her shoulders. 

"Why did you bring me there?" She asked upon breaking her silence to him. "Did you know that would happen-"

"No!" He spoke quickly. "I would kill any man who tries to touch you."

"Then what did he mean? He said I wasn't "worth it" from what he saw…" Dimitri's jaw clenched. 

"Are you going to believe him? You must know you have more worth than what he says you do." Of all of their moments that they had shared, he seemed the most genuine in this one. There wasn't a promise of s****l innuendo behind his words or even a cocky grin- instead, there seemed to be sadness in his eyes and a frown on his lips. 

"Then what was this dinner for? What purpose didn't have with me being there?"

Dimitri paused for a moment. 

"Because you are the heir to your father's legacy."

She narrowed her eyes to him. "My brother-"

"Is not genetically connected." Her eyes fell to the side before looking at him. "I have been a close guard to your family for some time...he confided this in me and asked for me to protect you in the event of his death." 

"He's alive, though…" his eyes rose up to her with sorrow as hers fell to the ground for the same reason. 

"He wanted you to have someone he could trust but I was not his first choice. He had arranged everything back in Verona with three other men before me-all were killed. His methods became known to find you a husband and then came the process for your hand."

"Why me?"

"His money, his name...his business."

"That is why you agreed? For the fame of it?"

"No. I have my own reasons. But your life is in imminent danger. This dinner was supposed to lock allies...those who would give us what we needed to leave. But Antonio's father, the one at the head of the table, had arranged it all-I suppose to taint your worth."

She paused for a moment, suddenly feeling everything fall into place with the questions she had. "Then I...I suppose I should thank you. You have saved my life so much that I am beginning to lose count-" he moved his gaze to watch her. 

"I know it is all quickly happening for you, but I promise you, I am your best bet for living through it." She nodded, understanding through the evidence they had endured together. "But we cannot stay now...we must go." She nodded as he took her hand and led her to a black car driven by a familiar face from her father's employ. While driving beside Dimitri, she began to feel an odd comfort in this confession recently made; as if there had been a silver lining to this.