Her Innocence

Catherine Genovese

"Daddy?" I looked at my father as he stared at me, "Go on, what were you going to say?" I asked. I'd suddenly got the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The kind of wrong that can make your dad cry.

"I'm so sorry, my little princess." he clasped his big hands together, "I should have told you years ago, I just didn't have the heart to tell you." He babbled on, confusing me even more.

"Daddy! stop it, just tell me what's wrong." I cried out. Was he sick? was it cancer? was it mum?

"Nothing is wrong, it's going to make a great alliance, you'll be happy. I promise."

We sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Do you remember Leo?" he asked.

"Umm," I racked my brain, remembering the arrogant boy from that birthday party years ago, "Oh, yeah..."

"He's going to be your husband." Daddy stated.

"What?" I gasped, "Since when? what the f**k!"

"Watch your language!" His voice boomed around his office.

"What about all the times you told me I'd find my prince?" I asked, through tears.

"He could be your prince." Daddy offered desperately.

"Why?" I cried in front of my father as he sat like stone. He was not the man I knew, the man who brought me three puppies because he couldn't say no. The man who'd give me desert before dinner. The man who promised me the world, not a cage.

"Please, don't cry." My father sighed painfully as he handed me his embroidered handkerchief.

"What do you want me to do?" I gasped.

"Look, we're going to the city to meet Leo and his father, in person." He looked me up and down, "I'd like you to dress up, mature." I couldn't miss the blush that ran across his face.

I guessed that 'mature' meant provocative to him. He couldn't say that to his seventeen year old daughter though, could he?

"When is this meeting?" I asked before leaving the room.

"Tonight, be ready in about two hours." He replied as he sorted through papers on his desk.

As I strode out of his office, I let the tears I was holding back fall freely.

By the time I reached my room and saw myself in the mirror, I looked like a puffy mess.

"Oh, Darling." mum gushed as she walked into my room.

"You knew too?" I asked and she nodded.

"Get out!" I glared at her.

she turned and walked back out of my bedroom. Guilt written all over her face.

Good, I hoped she felt as s**t as I did.

I washed my face and added a little bit of make up. Not too much, just enough to even out my skin tone and add some colour to my lips and eyes.

Then I went and picked something 'mature' from my wardrobe.

I found a short red slip dress with a low-cut neckline, the price tag still on. It was probably a gift from my mother from one of my last few birthdays.

after I was dressed, I put on a pair of black heels with those stupid straps that take an hour to tie the right way.

When I walked into the living room, my mother's jaw fell to the floor.

"No bra?" she raised her eyebrows, unhappy with my appearance.

"The dress code was mature." I said matter of factly before heading to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of orange juice.

"You ready to go?" I hear my father's gruff voice before I turn around to find him in a suit. His tattoos hidden from view, beard trimmed nicely and his hair combed back. He looked like a businessman. I was the business.

"Yep." was all I said, and I watched as he looked me up and down.

"What're you wearing?" he demanded.

"Gucci," I replied and twirled for him to look, as if I was five again, trying on a princess dress.

"You know what I mean." He gave me the look.

"You said mature, don't you want me to look like I'm not jail bait?" I joked sarcastically.

"Fine, let's go."

I followed him out to the helicopter pad and hopped in.

we didn't speak for the whole hour and half flight until the chopper blades stopped.

He muttered something and motioned for me to get out.

of course, as we exited the aircraft, nearly twenty men surrounded us. Our guards for the night.

We walked across the high-rise building and stepped into an elevator.

two gaurds also came into the elevator with us.

"Please, listen to me," Dad looked down at me, his face like stone, "I need you to be charming and cute, and I need you to be quiet above all else."

"Yes Daddy, I'll be a pretty little ornament that agrees with the men." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious, these men are dangerous, they won't tolerate you the way I do. I should've brought you up differently, I shouldn't have made you soft." his gaze filled with regret and sadness.

I didn't bother replying to him. I just stared at the elevator doors until they opened.

As I followed my father into the private dining room, the gaurds held back. The room was brightly lit, and at the table was an older man the same age as my father and a younger man, Leo. I internally rolled my eyes.

His black curly hair wasn't in the flattened bowl cut, I remembered it as. Now, it was in a slicked back crew cut. Tattoos covered his arms and neck, and his brown eyes held no wounder, just malice.

My steps began to slow, and my heart began to beat too fast. A lump caught in my throat.

I couldn't do it. For the first time in my life, I felt truly terrified.

"Carlo, Leo," My father nodded to them both before sitting down.

I was left standing there, staring at Leo, like a deer in headlights.

"Well, are you gonna sit down?" Leo drawled as he picked up his glass and took a swig of his drink.

I nodded and sat down. When I looked back up a Leo, I realised he was looking at me, studying me. His eyes stopped at my chest, and his lips almost twitched into a smile.

"Cathrine, It's nice to see you again." Carlo grinned, and his gold grills sparkled.

"Oh, you can just call me Cat." I blushed.

For most of the night, the three of the men talked about things I couldn't care less about. The weather, football, People on their hit lists, people they've taken off their lists and women of course.

"Leo's already had his fair share of women," Carlo boasted, slapping his son on the back while he watched me from the corner of his eye. I smiled and took another sip of the champagne.

"What about you, Cat?" Leo turned to me.

"Mm?" I looked to him, not sure what he was asking... or insinuating.

"How many guys have you been with?"

while Leo's father chuckled, my father's expression stayed passive.

"Does it really matter?" I asked with my head c****d to the side.

"Tony?" Carlo looked to my father.

"She's never been with a guy." he shrugged

"How'd you know? You're never home."

Dad gave me a long hard glare before speaking to Carlo directly.

"I can tell you for a fact that she's never been with a man."

"Yeah, I've only ever had s*x with women." I giggled, and Leo burst out laughing to my surprise. Both our fathers sat there, not really knowing what to do.

"I need a smoke," my father announced after a second.

"I think I do too." Carlo agreed and followed my dad out to the balcony, closing the sliding door behind them.

The table became silent, and I was suddenly aware of Leo's intense gaze. I picked at the intricate desert in front of me. A jelly like thing with pretty flowers and coloured gels piped and placed around it.

"Are you actually gay?" A deep voice spoke.

I looked up at Leo and felt heat rise in my cheeks.

"No, I don't think so." I shrugged and watched as he smirked at me.

"So your father's right, you've never been with anyone." He pulled a vape from his pocket and took a deep breath before exhaling the smoke across the table towards me.

"Can you not?" I scoffed.

"Mmm, no, I can do what I want."

"Oh, so you picked me of all people to marry?" I broke apart the desert and took a mouthful with the little fork.

"No, that's the only thing I can't control."

Neither of us spoke for a few more minutes until I reached for my glass.

"I don't think so," He slipped the glass away from me and motioned to a waiter, "You don't need anymore of that. It's making you mouthy." he poured me a cup of water, like a child.

I pushed the cup away without saying anything.

"You need to get used to listening to me," He explained, "When we're married -"

"When we're married, we'll be equals!" I interrupted.

"No, you will be behind me, beside me," he leant across the table to whisper into my ear, "Or beneath me."

His deep, dark voice made me shudder, with anticipation or fear I didn't know.

"f**k you!" I hissed at him and he chuckled like a psychopath.

"Mmm, if you want." he laughed as he downed the rest of his drink.

After a good twenty minutes My father and Carlos walked back into the room and sat back down.

"You two have a good talk?" My father looked between us, clearly not able to feel the icy atmosphere surrounding me.

"Oh, yes." Leo smiled at my father, "So, the wedding will still be next weekend?" he asked.

"Yes." My father nervously looked at me.

"A week?" I choked.

"When did you think it would be?" Dad asked.

"I don't know, not in a week! I only just found out about it today!" looked between the three men. How long has this been planned for?

"I'll be heading home now," Dad stood up and kissed me on the forehead, "Be good."

"What?" I stood up to follow him, but Leo grabbed my arm, pulling me back. My heart lurched into my throat.

"You're staying with me, here, until the wedding." Leo held onto me as if I were a prized possession he didn't want to lose.

"Daddy!" I cried out, "Daddy, don't leave me here, I want to come home!" he didn't even turn his head.

I held back my tears as best I could.

"Don't worry, dear, we'll look after you." Carlos smiled at me fondly, as if this was normal, as if what he said should put me at ease.

"Come on," Leo motioned for me to follow him and his father as they also got up to leave.

We left the building and got in a heavily tinted armoured Jeep looking car.

"I'm taking her to my place," Leo stated plainly to his father.

"No, funny business until the wedding night," Carlo chuckled.

When the car stopped, Leo got out first before holding his hand out to help me. I swallowed my pride and took his hand.

"Good, girl." He whispered into my ear as I stood up.

I blushed and looked around. It was night time, the stars glittered in the sky. We were at a mansion on the coast. The smell of the ocean and the crash of waves gently lulled in the background.

The car door behind me shut, and the car drove off, a large barred gate closing in behind it.

"This way," Leo walked up to the house and opened the door.

the outside of the house was white brick with big windows. The house I grew up in was big but not like this. There seemed to be maybe four stories.

"Hurry up," Leo nudged me forward into the house, "This is the foyer," he walked up a grand staircase, "Up here to the left is where the bedrooms are."

I followed him to the end of a hallway.

"This is my room. For now, this will be your room." He pointed to the bedroom across from his.

I stood frozen.

Leo moved past me and opened the door, ushering me.

"This is the main bedroom, through there is your bathroom and in here," he pulled open a pair of double doors in the wall, "Is your wardrobe, I took the libraity of having a stylist pick out your clothes." He turned to look at me.

"Don't even think of trying to escape, I have cameras and men in every inch of this property."

"I won't," was all I could say before a few tears slipped down my face.

Leo stepped closer, his hand raised as if he were going to do something. But he put his hand back down and turned away.

"Goodnight." he muttered before slamming the door behind him.

I took a shower, sitting on the tiled floor, letting the boiling water seep into my soul. Tears mixed with the water until I had no more tears left.

I got out of the shower and dried my hair off before walking into my new wardrobe.

There wasn't much in the pyjama department it was all mostly just lingerie. I settled for a silk cami night dress and the least revealing thong I could find.

I sat on the edge of the bed and felt more dread wash over me. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep.

I opened the bedroom door, surprised it wasn't locked.

I slowly crept down the soft carpeted hallway and down the stairs to find the living room. I turned on the TV and put on Netflix. I picked a movie, A dog's Journey. But I needed icecrean and popcorn.

I went back to the foyer and walked to the other side of the stairs, finding a huge open kitchen.

Opening the freezer, I bent down to find some icecream, who dosent have ice cream in their freezer?

"Nice arse."

I squeal and jump up, turning around.

"Perv!" I scoffed at Leo.

"You're my fiancè I can perv all I want." He shrugged and walked up to me. his chest almost against mine.

it was at that moment that I realised he was wearing nothing but boxer shorts.

"You look cute without makeup on." He sighed, looking at my face.

"Do you enjoy underage girls often?" I asked.

"Do you pilfer most guys' kitchens?" He chuckled.

"I need ice cream,"

"I don't eat ice cream, I like to stay in shape," He hands me a phone, "Get Uber eats." he opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

I ordered a tub of chocolate ice cream, boysenberry ice cream, and then a bucket of popcorn.

"I have a question," Leo stood behind me, his chest pretty much against my back.

"I know you've never had s*x, but what have you done?" he asked.

"What do you mean exactly?" I felt his hands hold my waist lightly, just enough for me to know he's not letting me get away.

"third base?" he asked.

"Uh, I don't know what that means." I nervously giggled.

"Has anyone touched here?" His hand brushed past my pubic area, I shook my head.

"Have you ever touched anyone there?"

I shook my head again.

"How about here?" he ran his hands up to just below my breasts.

"No," I stuttered.

"Here?" he held a finger to my lips.

"Never," I sighed.

He turned me around to face him, his hands still firmly holding my waist. In that moment, I hated myself so much. I wanted to hate him more, but his hands were distracting, and so was his smirk. And the smell of his musky scent.

My brain wasn't working, and I didn't know what to do.

I let a part of me I didn't know existed, take over. I felt my head tilt back as I looked up into Leo's dark eyes. My lips parted just slightly.

Slowly, he leant down, his eyes narrowing in on my lips.

His lips softly pressed against mine, surprisingly. He parted my lips with his own and nipped at my bottom lip.

My body shuddered with pleasure, and it pulled me out of that strange trance.

"s**t!" I gasped and stepped away from Leo. He reluctantly let go of me.

The phone that I'd sat on the kitchen bench buzzed, and a message from the Uber popped up.

"I'll.." I cleared my throat, "I'll go get that." I stuttered and ran to the front door.

When I opened the door there was no car or driver, just a plastic shopping bag with the food.

I picked it up and took it to the kitchen.

"Popcorn and ice cream?" Leo looked in the bag.

"I'm watching a movie," I grumbled.

"Oh, what movie?" he asked while he watched me open all the cupboards and drawers trying to find a spoon.

"A dog's purpose." I gave him a side ways glance before shoving one of the tubs of icecream into the freezer and taking the other, along with the popcorn, back into the living room.

As I sat down and pressed play I realised Leo had sat down next to me.

"What?" I asked as he watched me spoon icecream into my face.

"Nothing, can't I enjoy a movie with my soon to be wife?" He smirked and opened the popcorn.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes.