Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War (72 page)

“Anastacia sent me. She said I must drive you. Seatbelts please, we are off schedule.”

Chuckling and deciding not to argue with the old man, Nathan and Carter put on their seatbelts and held each other’s hand as they began their journey to the dinner party.

Chapter 27: Mean girls. . .

There was nothing worse than sitting with group of women that hated you.
All
hated you. Not one woman interested in welcoming you into the fold with at least a smile.

Dinner had ended and the women were sent away while the men discussed the upcoming year and future alliances. Carter would much rather be a part of that discussion, but tradition called that she be sent to a sitting room full of desserts with the other wives. Nathan and Angelo would fill her in later anyway.

Carter crossed one leg over the other and took a nice long sip of her wine while enduring the women’s scrutiny. She understood that she was the newest wife, but she didn’t understand why that should make her the most hated. Some of the women were literally smiling and chatting with each other as they took turns shooting unwelcoming glares her way. It was fucking childish, and
fucking
torture. She wanted nothing more than to just get up and leave the room.

She really wanted to go with the men to hear Don Bonaducci’s apology for what they did, invading Salerno territory without permission. No offense to the women, but they weren’t talking about shit in here. Carter had hoped they’d have some stimulating conversation; maybe talk about their children or the pressures of being the wife of a mob or mafia boss, but no. These bitches hadn’t been discussing anything other than what they were wearing and where their diamonds where imported from for the last fucking hour. Carter was going explode if she heard someone giggle
Louis Vuitton
one more fucking time.

“So, Carterina …”

Carter looked up when a woman said her name. It was the woman Carter considered the ring leader of the other women in the room. She was the wife of the oldest don in attendance at the dinner, Regina Pescatorre. She was thirty-three years old, and she hadn’t been very nice to Carter ever since she’d first arrived. She flicked her platinum-blonde hair over her shoulder in the most arrogant of ways, and narrowed her cold, icy blue eyes on Carter as she continued to speak to her.

“You’ve been quiet as a mouse, dear,” she stated airily. “I had almost forgotten you were here.”

Carter gritted her teeth, fighting to keep the fake smile on her face. She’d been quiet because every woman in the room refused to talk to her.
Bitches
. “I apologize, Regina,” she lied politely. “I was just caught up in admiring your beautiful home.” She didn’t lie about that. The home was a vision of Victorian beauty.

Regina gave her a fake smile and a nod. “I’m glad you are enjoying the view. This is one of my favorite homes … out the nine Val and I have.”

Nine? Why the fuck would they need nine homes? That’s just ridiculous
.

“Rich and I just bought our fifth in the Bahamas,” Mob boss Rich Mezzanetti’s Southern-belle bride Misty said. “I was thinking of having it decorated like this, Regina. You have such beautiful taste.”

Carter wanted to snort in disgust.
Seriously, could her head be any farther up Regina’s ass?

“Niko just bought a vacation home in Cabo,” Niko Bonaducci’s wife Isabella said softly. “We’ll be vacationing there for the first time in a couple of weeks. It should be nice just the two of us.”

“We will actually be joining them,” Eliza Bonaducci, wife of Don Bonaducci, said with a soft smile. “It will be a family affair.”

Isabella looked over at her as if it were the first time she’d heard the news. “Oh, yes. Sorry, I forgot. It will be the whole family.” She lowered her eyes to the floor as a somber expression flashed across her face.

Carter’s brows furrowed as she watched the young woman meekly tuck her long, thick, black hair behind her ear and shift in her seat. Isabella Bonaducci fascinated her. She was so quiet, and shy, and she looked very, very young. Far too young to be married to Niko Bonaducci. Far too young to be married at all. She was also very beautiful, with gorgeous caramel brown skin and soft, but striking, brown eyes. To Carter she kind of resembled a teenage version of the actress Zoe Saldana.

She noticed the young woman look at the door longingly and she almost chuckled. Well, at least now Carter knew that she wasn’t the only one that didn’t want to be here. She turned her own gaze toward the door. It would be so lovely if she could just walk out of it and go home to her babies.

“Carterina,” Regina called, getting her attention.

Carter returned her attention to the group. “Yes,” she replied.

“What about you, dear? Has young Salerno given you anything new lately?”

As every eye turned to her, Carter smiled uncomfortably and shifted in her seat. “Umm …” This was so fucking stupid, she couldn’t believe she had to talk about it. “Well, we have our estate in the country that we live in with our children and my brother. In addition, we have a home in Italy, for the times Nathan and I have to be there for long periods of time. For business purposes.”

Regina stared at Carter blankly. “Business purposes,” she repeated.

Carter didn’t respond. She was pretty sure it wasn’t a question.

“Well,” Regina said, “how nice. A business woman. What is it that you do?”

Carter shrugged and answered the question as vaguely as she could. “I have an assortment of duties within the organization, so it’s hard to pinpoint a specific area.”

Regina nodded. “Well, tell us at least one of your duties, dear. We would love to get to know you.”

Carter didn’t believe that for a second. “I schedule my husband and father-in-law’s days.” It was the cleanest job she did at S.O. and therefore the only one she should probably mention.

A smile pulled at Regina’s lips. “So you are … a secretary?” she asked with arrogant amusement in her voice.

Carter didn’t even bother to respond.

Regina giggled and brought her hands to her lips as if to hide it. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t know you were a secretary.” She cleared her throat and straightened in her seat. “So that is how you and your husband met? You were his secretary?”

“No,” Carter answered, now trying to calm her rising temper. “We met when we were children.”

Regina’s brow arched. “Did you?”

Carter nodded. “Yes. My father is a contract killer, and Angelo wanted him on his payroll. I met Nathan when I was three years old.”

All giggles stopped and silence fell over the room.

“Your father is a contract killer?” another woman asked.

Carter smiled and nodded her head. “He is. He goes by the name Spook Steele.”

The majority of the woman in the room were familiar with the name and glanced at each other, expressing their shock in hushed tones.

Regina gave Carter a look of irritation. “So if your father is this big-time contract killer, why are you just a secretary?”

Carter chuckled. “I never said I was a secretary, Regina, you did. I told you I do many things at S.O., and when you asked that I tell you one, I did. Making my husband’s schedule is my selfish way of ensuring he gets home when I want him to, that’s why I do it.” Shrugging, she once again stared at the door. God, she wished she could leave.

“Well … isn’t that nice,” Regina muttered. “So I hear you have children.”

Carter returned her gaze to Regina when she mentioned her children. “Yes, I do.”
The bitch better tread softly
, Carter thought. She didn’t fuck around when it came to her babies. “Two boys. Twins.”

“Awww, how cute,” she glanced at the other ladies in the room. “Isn’t that cute, ladies?”

There were murmurs of agreement.

“How old are they?” she asked.

“They just turned nineteen months,” Carter answered slowly, wondering why the women were all suddenly being nice.

Regina smiled. “Well, do you have any pictures?”

Carter hesitated, but decided to just go ahead and show them. At least the conversation was going in a direction she’d enjoy. She did love talking about her babies. She pulled her phone from her clutch and opened the gallery containing pictures of her little Maksim and Aleksandr. After taking a deep breath she handed the phone to Regina.

“Aww,” she sighed, and all of the women surrounded her to look at the pictures. “They are precious, aren’t they, ladies?” When the women agreed, she asked, “So these little angels are the future of the Salerno Organization?”

Nodding, Carter smiled, finally beginning to relax a bit. “Yes, they are.”

“How sweet.” She flipped through more of the pictures with a soft smile on her face. “I told my husband how wonderful it was that the Salerno Organization had become so diverse.”

Carter frowned in confusion. “Diverse?”

“The ladies and I were just talking about this the other day, too. Remember, ladies? We were all a little worried when we heard Nathan Salerno married you. We didn’t know if you’d be … able to attend such an event as this.” She looked up at Carter with a smile.

Still confused, Carter shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand—”

“Regina, this tea is lovely,” Misty interjected quickly. “Is there anymore? I’d love to have some.”

“I agree with, Regina,” Eliza Bonaducci said as she sipped her tea. She looked up at Carter. “I didn’t really know what to expect after we heard of the union. It was the same worry I had when my son, Niko, brought home Isabella two years ago. At first I wasn’t worried, but then he married her last year …”

Isabella shifted and cut Eliza a quick look before returning her gaze to the floor.

Carter shook her head slowly. What the fuck did Eliza mean ‘not what she expected’? Carter glanced around the room, noticing that the ladies began to look away uncomfortably. This caused her even more confusion.

“I don’t understand. What were you expecting?” Carter really wanted to know, and they damn sure better not have meant what she thought they’d meant.

Regina laughed softly. “Don’t sound so defensive, dear. We were just shocked that Nathan Salerno strayed so far away from his normal type. Every single event he’d attended in the past was with a woman that looked more like me. We were just surprised—”

“To find out that he married a black woman,” Carter finished, now thoroughly offended. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Well he did.”

“And it’s wonderful, dear,” Regina said. “We were just saying that it’s a new thing.”

“Aren’t you mixed with French or something?” Eliza asked with a frowned. “At least that’s what I heard. Plus, your eyes, that hair, you seem very … exotic.”

Carter’s jaw ticked, angry that her race had now become the subject of conversation. Never had the word exotic offended her until this moment. “I’m black,” Carter replied. More of her ancestors came from Africa than anywhere else.

Eliza cocked her head to the side. “But I heard—”

“I don’t give a fuck what you heard,” Carter snapped. “I’m black. My hair, my eyes, both black. I am a
black woman
.” And these bitches could kiss her
natural
black ass for all she cared. They should be happy she didn’t get up and smack their racist asses in the face.

“Okay,” Misty jumped in shakily, “I think it’s time to talk about something else.”

“I agree,” Isabella whispered shyly. Carter looked over at her and they locked eyes before Regina stole her attention once again.

“There’s no need to raise your voice, dear,” Regina chided. “I told you not to be so defensive.”

Carter arched a brow and shook her head. “I beg your pardon, Regina, I did not raise my voice. And do not tell me what to be. I am defensive because I am offended.”

Gasping, Regina brought her hand to her heart. “What could we have done to offend you, Carterina?”

“Cut the bullshit, Regina, you know exactly what you said. There are many reasons why you should be worried about a woman like me being in your presence, but the color of my skin is not one of them. I don’t know what you expected of me, but I definitely expected much more class from you. I didn’t come to your home to be subjected to your offhanded racism—”

“Racism?” she asked, her voice rising an octave … or two.

“Yes, racism. I don’t give a fuck what the women my husband
used
to date looked like. He married me. You shouldn’t have expected anything more or less than what you expected from any of the other woman present in this room.”

“Give her a break, please,” Eliza said, rolling her eyes. “It’s a surprise for God’s sake! I tell Isabella all the time that the men in this lifestyle have yours and her kind as mistresses, not wives.”

“
Our kind
...”

“Thankfully my son had two children with Italian women before marrying Isabella. I for one was shocked to hear that a respectable Sicilian-Italian man like Angelo Salerno allowed his son to give his powerful family and empire colored heirs.”

“Excuse me!”
Now
Carter raised her voice.