Stuck | 18+

Chapter 48

She lied down, face first. Living and reliving last night till she fell asleep again.
She was woken up next time by a maid, urging her to have her lunch. As much as she wanted to do lying down some more, she dragged herself out, putting herself under the shower until drowsiness left. As she munched on her now cold polenta, reading an intriguing paper, she heard a discreet knock. Even before she could presume who it was, a young woman peeked from the slit of door, scanning around till her gaze fell on the gape mouthed woman.
"You must be donna" she mused in her cheerful tone.
Tara didn't know what to say, her mouth being full of food didnt help either. So she nodded instead, still confused what was happening.
The tall woman's smile widened. Welcoming herself and her little squad of women in, she walked straight to Tara, introducing her very unwelcome intrusion.
"Hello I am Venetia" she forwarded her hand in excitement, her italian accent lingering in air.
Tara's brows met in an confused union. Whatever in the world the woman thought she was, Tara did not like her. When Venetia's hand left hanging without a shake, she awkwardly took it back, at last sharing the purpose of her visit.
"I'll be dressing you for your special day" she stated, hoping to ameliorate her madam's hostility.
"Why" Tara quickly retorted, slightly irritated that her room inundated with unfamilar women that had now started to unpack their beauty equipments on her table.
"For your party"
"What party-" Tara couldn't hold back her tongue when another woman started closing her laptop to make more room on table, "Excuse me please would you all stop for a minute?" Her elevated voice caught everyone's attention, movements halted, particularly looking at Venetia to do the explaining.

Tara's irritation was eminent, her lack of knowledge about whatever was arranged spiked on her nerves. She raised her eyebrow at Venetia, demanding a valid justification.
"Don has arranged a party...for you, we thought you already knew about it"
"I didn't" Tara seethed. Her impeccable frustration over lack of control on life redirected on the clueless maids.

"I am sorry I thought you knew it, I'll...I'll make a call to Don's office, he'll tell you personally" Venetia was already on her cell, dialing his office to escape the wrath her mistress seemed to displace.

Tara's anger immediately took its leave, appointing her good companion distress instead. His name did the job too quickly then anticipated.

Out of all and everything, she didn't want to talk to him, see him, call him, think about him or do anything that included him. Her shame yet again crawled her skin like leech, the print of his hands on her bottom ablazed, drowning her in embarrassment and self loath for the tenth time in a day.

"No...no that's...that's not necessary" she stuttered her pitch lowering, trying to stop her before she could make a call.
"Why...? I am sure he could clear things up for you" Venetia put her phone to ear, waiting for it to ring.
"No no...it's okay...dont disturb him" Tara tried to settle things before it reached him, disliking the hasty pretty woman before her even more.
"I am sure he'll have a minut-" Venetia stopped her blabber when the pe
rson on the other side picked phone, her tone immediately changing.
Tara exhaled, knowing it had to be him if Venetia's face looked like she just walked out of fire. Tara's pulse quickened as she listened to Venetia gibbering in her fluent Italian, looking at Tara in between, probably complaining about her non compliant demeanor.

Tara's cumbersome turmoil of thoughts shattered when Venetia handed her phone, her tight smile not reaching her eyes, "He'll talk to you"

Tara's sweaty hands shook when she took the phone bringing it to her ear, her attitude already sublimed in thin air.

She didn't say hello, neither did he. After seconds of just breathing through, like they always did, her heartbeat rose when she heard his deep voice.
"How are you"
He didn't look in a hurry, with all the time in the world and as irrelevant as the question appeared superficially, it wasn't.
"Fine" she mumbled looking down the floor, knowing how he meant the question for their wildness last night. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, calming her ragged pulse that thudded wildly in her chest, memories yet again flooding her senses.
"How is the baby"
Her eyes opened, unintentionally looking at her tummy that yet remained flat with no sign of a growing child inside. She hated thinking about it, she hated the idea of a child growing inside frantino mansion, she hated the idea of being a mother of another frantino but what she hated the most was the way situation had went from fully under her control to out in the air like a wild kite. The enigma of how her pills had failed, still  scraping her mind.
"It's fine" her hand swept on her flat stomach, stroking it in concern.

Venetia's gaze sharpened at their conversation, as much as she had expected don to give a quick instruction and cut the phone off, it seemed to be a lingering conversation in the middle of day, a conversation that an actual couple could have, rare sight in mafias. She had no idea don was capable of making conversations longer than thirty seconds.

"You're troubling the maids I heard" he mused relaxing back on his chair, not quite believing that she was throwing tantrums.

She looked down the floor again, fiddling with her dress, not quite knowing how was she supposed to reply.
"Do you want me to come back there?"
"No" she reflexively responded, not wanting him anywhere near her. It was enough she had to talk with him.
"Are you sure? I can make you bend over my lap while I-"
"No...please no" she pleaded. He couldnt but chortle at her shyness. Her cheeks flushed red as his voice rumbled with laughter. Her ears heated at his supposedly made attempt of joke.
"What is the party for?" she finally dared to ask when only remnants of smile remained of his laughter.
"You and baby"

"What?"

She didn't know there had to be a party for the news. Especially after death of Dominic, it would be far from appropriate to arrange a celebration in the very mansion.
"This is our first child, Frantino's next heir, there has to be an official declaration "
First child.
It sounded as if there were more expected. Her throat tightened at the thought, feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden.
"Nobody knows?" She managed to whisper, trying to push down the way he said first child.
"No. We'll announce it at the party" he stated, finally clearing the clouds around the sun.
She didn't like the plan, far from it she found it utterly stupid. The idea of being at the centre of everyone's attention was never her dream. And now that he had made decisions for her, she realised just how far from controlling her life she really was.

Sighing, she let her shoulders limp in their place, allowing her gaze to shift over the maids who stood uncomfortably, secretely wondering what the two were talking about.

Knowing that she could add no value to the decision except for trying to look pretty, she said what she was expected to say from the beginning,

"Okay"
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Author's note: if I keep my name "the ass" I wonder how would the poster of 'stuck' look like.
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