Luca smiled and cupped my face. “If I did that, then I would not be a man. He touched someone precious to me. Do you really think I’m going to let someone else do my dirty work? I will take personal pleasure making that man suffer for what he did. Mark my words that he will be gone soon … but it won’t be quick.” He kissed my lips. “I need to do this, Clara. I need to be the husband that I promised you I would be when we gave each other our hearts on our wedding day. Don’t ask me to be any less.”
I smiled, placing my hand over his. “Of course not. You do what you need to do, and just know that I will be waiting at home for your return.”
Luca kissed me gently and brushed my bottom lip with his thumb. “This is all I need to hear.”
Luca had been gone for almost two weeks, and it was torture. I was back at work, which was just as well. I needed to throw myself into doing something before I screamed. I missed him, but I also worried myself sick over him. As long as Antonio was out there, he would do whatever it took to destroy Luca. That was what worried me the most.
So, I kept really busy. Last week, Tracy had her dream wedding here, and it was a huge success. It made me think even more about The Castle’s future. I think, in a sense, I only set this whole thing up because I wanted to get back at my parents. I had done what I had set out to do, and now that Luca was in my life, I had no reason to dwell on the past anymore. Luca was my future, and I had to look towards that. Not back… Never back. So, I looked into the wedding side of things a bit more. The Castle was the perfect magical setting to start a life with someone special. It already had the basics needed to host weddings, so I wouldn’t need to do much. The only big snag was my girls. Some of them actually liked their jobs there. Two of my girls were even nymphomaniacs. They fed off sex, so being there was their perfect job. Jessica, who was one of them, was known for having up to fifteen clients in one day. She stormed into my office at times and virtually demanded that I throw more men at her. And the men absolutely loved her for it. She gave a hundred and ten percent when it came to pleasing men. She got off on giving them blowjobs and had been known to play with herself while she was doing it. The men went crazy over it.
It was a difficult job to think this all through, but it was one to which I was going to give serious consideration. I had already talked it through with Luca while we were on our honeymoon, and he was all for a change. In fact, his exact words were, “If it means getting all those horny fuckers away from my wife, then I’m all for it.”
As I sat there, smiling at the memory, I heard a knock on the door. “Come in!”
Mia hurried through the door with Alessandro. “The police are here,” she said breathlessly, “and this time they have a warrant.”
“Shit!” I banged my fist against the desk. I knew who was behind it. My mother warned me she would get me back, and this was her way of doing it. “Are there any clients here?”
She nodded. “There’s Mr. Jenkins in room two-one-four with Jessica.”
I closed my eyes. “Okay. Go warn the others. Tell them to act like guests. I’ll give Jessica a call now.” I was already picking up the phone and dialling the number. I saw Mia nod and she was out the door as quick as a flash. When Jessica answered, I could hear Mr. Jenkins shouting, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” over and over again.
“Clara?” she asked.
“Yes. You need to stop whatever it is you’re doing. The police are here, and they’re going to search the place.”
“The police are here?” she screamed.
I heard Mr. Jenkins shout, “The police are coming!” before he yelled out, and all went silent.
Oh boy.
“I guess I didn’t need to ask you to hurry him along.”
Jessica giggled. “Sometimes, Clark gets a little overexcited. He gets a thrill out of being caught.”
I got up out of my seat. “Never mind that. I need to get downstairs. Can you two please get yourselves dressed and act like you’re a couple staying here for a few nights?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll fill him in.”
I felt like saying “I bet you will,” but I didn’t think it was appropriate timing. Instead, I slammed the phone down and rushed towards the stairs. Belinda was already there raising her voice to a couple of officers.
“I don’t care,” she shouted. “You can’t just…”
“What can I help you with?”
The two officers looked up at me coming down the stairs, and one of them stepped forward. “Are you Clara Murphy?”
I smiled. “I’m actually Clara Belatoni now.”
“I see,” he stated as he handed me a piece of paper. “We have a warrant to search the premises. We have reason to believe that you’re running a house of ill-repute.”
I started laughing. “Really? That’s preposterous. And I wonder who it was that gave you that idea. Could it be my adoring mother who is just itching to see me suffer because I dared to leave home when I was sixteen, perhaps? She’s always warning me that she will do something to get me back for that.”
The police officer looked at the other officer standing next to him. Once he gave him a look, he turned his attention back to me. “The warrant is fair. We have no other choice but to look.”
I nodded with a smile. “Of course. I have nothing to hide, but I will seek legal counsel for this. You will scare my guests, and that’s very bad for business.”
The officer nodded. “I understand.”
They made their way past me with a few more following behind them. When they were out of sight, I walked into the bar and ordered myself tonic water. I was seething at my mother for daring to pull this shit on me. She had a husband who fucked prostitutes. A husband who used to beat me until I was black and blue because—as they saw it—I dared to go against the Bible.
As I gripped the glass, I tried to calm my breathing as everyone around looked nervous. “Please, guys. If they see you looking like that, they’ll get suspicious. Try to act normal.” I sighed heavily, thinking I needed to do the same.
I felt a hand on my arm and turned to find Tony sitting next to me. He smiled and ordered himself a drink. “Don’t worry. They’ll be gone soon. There’s nothing here apart from a well-run hotel and a few guests. They’ll soon get bored and fuck off.”
I nodded. “I know. I’m just angry because I know full well who is up to this.” I shook my head, not wanting to think about them anymore. “I miss him,” I admitted.
Tony placed his hand on my shoulder. “He’ll be back soon… Before you know it.”
I looked down at my watch and noticed it was one o’clock. That meant it was only eight where Luca was. It made me wonder if he was up yet, and if he was awake, if he was he thinking of me.
After sitting there for another half an hour, the officer who I had spoken with at the beginning came up to me. “We’ve searched everywhere and are satisfied that you’re not doing anything untoward.”
I nodded. “Just like I knew you would,” I said sarcastically. I wanted him to know I was angry. Only people running a legitimate business would act angry.
I got up out of my seat and motioned to the door. “Now, would you mind leaving? You’re scaring my guests. A handful of them have already been flurrying around me asking questions. They’ve paid good money to stay here and get away from it all. You turning up waving weapons around is not the sort of getaway they intended.”
The police officer actually looked embarrassed. “Of course. We’ll be on our way.” I watched as they left and let out a sigh of relief. Everyone around me started laughing.
“Did you see the look on his face?” Belinda asked, as everyone laughed harder.
“Clara?” Mia called from the doorway. “Luca is on the phone.”
I raced out of my seat—eager to hear his voice. I practically ran two steps at a time to my office. Once there, I shut the door behind me and picked up the phone. “Luca,” I breathed. “I’ve been waiting for your call.”
“What happened?” he sou
nded stressed. “Mia just told me the police were there.”
“They had a warrant. It’s okay. They’ve left, but I know full well who put the police onto us.”
Luca cursed. “Please let me deal with them once and for all. I’m fucking sick of their shit.”
I nodded. “I know, but no matter what, I don’t wish them gone … indefinitely.” I think I made my warning clear enough.
“I know that, but I could do something to make sure they never try any of that shit again.”
I laughed, knowing that Luca would probably find some way of doing it whether he had my permission or not. I knew he was just being a gentleman about it.
“Okay. Do what you have to do.”
“Thank you,” he sighed. “I’m just living up to my promise to you. Forever until death us do part, remember?”
I smiled. “I know. You’re like my fearsome protector. I can just imagine you with a gladiator’s uniform and a sword in your hand.” I giggled at the thought.
“Mrs. Belatoni, I didn’t realise you were so kinky.”
“Oh, I think you did.” I bit my lip as lust filled my insides. We had gone from sex four or five times a day to nothing. It was quite frankly driving me crazy.
“Don’t start, amore mio. I am missing you, and it hurts. Only you can make it all better.”
“Then, why not come home?” I pouted.
“That’s why I’m ringing. I’m just about to check-out from my hotel in Fredericksburg…”
“Fredericksburg?” I interrupted. “What in the hell are you doing there?”
“Business,” was all he answered. “That and the fact I heard a certain snake was around these parts. Turns out, it was another false alarm. Now, I hear he’s not in the States anymore, so you will be pleased to know I’m coming home.”
I gave a little whoop, and Luca started laughing. “Do you know where he is then?”
“No,” he answered, but I had a feeling he was lying.
“Okay. I’m just happy you’ll be coming home soon. When do you arrive?”
“I have to be at the airport by ten to catch my plane back. I should arrive at Heathrow around ten tonight.”
I felt a surge of happiness run through me. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“Good.” After saying our goodbyes, I was about to hang up, but Luca stopped me. “Baby?” he asked seductively.
“Yes?” I answered.
“Get ready for number eighty-eight.”
I was on cloud nine. Luca had arrived the night before just like he had said he would, and virtually the whole night and into the morning, we had been fuck-loving non-stop. That morning, like every morning for a while, I was feeling nauseous. I had a feeling I knew why, but it wasn’t until I actually vomited that my suspicions really grew. I didn’t want to go and get tested until Luca was here. I was afraid I would be pregnant and have to keep it to myself all the time he was away in America. It would have killed me.
Luckily, Luca didn’t have a clue because as I was being sick, he was taking care of some calls in the office. I knew I needed to get away without Luca being with me, so I hatched a plan to pretend I needed to go shopping for his up-and-coming birthday. I had already bought Luca’s present ages ago, but he didn’t need to know that.
I made a quick call to Dr. Flemming, as I knew she would see me at short notice. I was right. She was able to fit me in at eleven-thirty, but I had to be quick as she had another appointment coming in at a quarter to twelve. So, I dashed about getting ready and rushed down the stairs towards the office. Luca was on the phone, so I patiently waited for him to finish the call.
“Just fucking call me the minute you know where he is.” He hung up in frustration, but turned to me with a smile. “Amore mio, are you okay?”
I nodded with a smile and crept up to the chair. I sat on his lap and smiled when he wrapped his arms around me. “I need to go shopping.”
He kissed my head and started playing with my hair. “When did you want us to go?”
“I want to go now. You can’t come with me because I’m shopping for your birthday.”
I felt Luca inhale a sharp breath. “Okay, but you’re taking Alessandro, Roberto and David with you.”
I sighed. “I don’t need…”
“Yes, you do. They’re going with you … no exceptions.”
I knew there was no arguing with him. “Okay, whatever you say. I’ll be back by two.” I kissed his lips and got up from the seat. He watched as I left and called Alessandro in.
As I gathered my things, Alessandro met me at the door. I hated that I was doing this behind Luca’s back, but I wanted it to be a surprise. The trick was how I was going to explain my reasons to Alessandro as to why I needed to visit a doctor.
As we got in the car, I gave the driver the address for Dr. Flemming. “I thought you were going shopping?”
I looked at Alessandro. “I am. I just need to visit the doctor to get a quick check-up.”
Alessandro frowned. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “No. Nothing’s wrong. I normally have one every six months, and this time, I’m overdue. It shouldn’t take long.”
Alessandro still kept his frown. “Luca never mentioned this to me. Are you hiding something from him?”
I sighed my annoyance. “Can’t I do anything without him knowing about it? Jeez, you would think I was planning some major heist the way you’re carrying on.”
Alessandro placed his hands out in a placating gesture. “I know, but you have to understand that if anything happens to you, and Luca doesn’t know about where you are, he’ll probably kill us. Even worse, he’ll torture us before he kills us.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as two other sets of eyes stared at me. “We will be in and out as quick as anything. I promise.” Alessandro sighed, shook his head, but didn’t say any more. The rest of the journey was made in silence.
Once we were there, the guys got out quickly, and Alessandro opened my door. He looked around the area like he was on high alert. “Everything okay?” I asked.
Alessandro nodded, but never looked at me. “Everything is fine. Just being cautious.”
“Hmm,” I mused, but carried on walking up to the surgery.
I walked in, and the receptionist asked me to take a seat. Roberto and David remained outside while Alessandro sat down next to me. He looked somehow agitated. In fact, they all seemed to be on high alert for some reason. That would be something to ask Luca about once I got home.
“Mrs. Belatoni, Dr. Flemming will see you now.”
I smiled, getting up, and I noticed that Alessandro did too. “Whoa, there, tiger. There are just some things you cannot see… This being one of them.”
Alessandro actually blushed. “Yes, sorry. Force of habit.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, but said no more. I followed the receptionist into Dr. Flemming’s office and was greeted by her bright smile. “Clara, how lovely to see you. It has been a while, hasn’t it? I heard you got married.” I nodded. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. That’s actually why I’m here.” She nodded, urging me to carry on. “My husband and I have been trying for a baby. I’m a couple of weeks late, and I’ve been sick in the mornings.”
Dr. Flemming smiled. “Well, those are definitely signs that you might be, but we will obviously need to do a test first.” She pulled out a drawer and grabbed a cup. “Here, have a pee in this, and we’ll see if it’s positive.”
I grabbed the cup from her. “Thanks.” As I made my way outside to the toilet, she stopped me.
“Haven’t you just got married?”
I turned around. “Yes.”
She laughed a little. “Well, that was quick if you are.”
I laughed along with her. “Well, let’s just say that my husband and I have quite the healthy sex drive.”
Dr. Flemming smirked. “Okay.”
I took that as my cue to leave and made quick at peeing in the cup. Once
done, I rushed back to Dr. Flemming’s office and handed her the sample. She quickly placed a couple of drops inside the pregnancy test and turned to me with a smile. “Now, we wait. It should only be a couple of minutes.”
I started fidgeting. I was nervous as hell. I knew I would be disappointed if I wasn’t, but I’d also be excited and scared as hell if I was.
“This is not something you’re normally in for.”
I laughed. “I know. It’s quite a turnaround on things, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Have you thought about the business if you are?”
I bit my lip with a nod. “Actually, yes. I have been thinking for a while to use The Castle for weddings. I know some of my girls will be disappointed, but we could never raise a child under our current circumstances.”
Dr. Flemming nodded in agreement. “Of course.” She looked across at the test and picked it up. “Well, you had better start planning sooner than later because you’re about to have a baby.”
My eyes widened as I saw the two bright lines form on the pregnancy test. “Shit!” I gasped. “Sorry,” I then said, remembering where I was.
Dr. Flemming laughed. “That’s okay. Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you.”
“You said you were two weeks late?”
I nodded. “Thereabouts.”
“That will make you around seven weeks. You will need to make an appointment for your first scan in about five weeks time. I will get Tara to set that up for you.”
I bit my lip, trying to suppress the huge grin on my face. “Thanks.”
She got up and gave me a nice, warm hug. By then, I was feeling dizzy from the knowledge that I was about to become a mother. Excitement and fear crawled up my spine as I made my way outside to Tara. She gave me an appointment for five weeks’ time before I was ushered out towards the car.
“What’s up with you?” Alessandro asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing.” He kept staring, and I knew he wouldn’t be able to leave it alone.
“You look happy. No one ever looks happy after being in the doctor’s… Unless, of course, they’re…” He halted for a moment, his eyes widening. “Are you pregnant?” As he asked me this, the car pulled away from the doctor’s.