Mafia Men: Nikolai's Inferno - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

-Evangeline.
I took off the gloves, tossing them out of the ring before I laid straight down on the boxing ring. Nikolai stood over me, watching me with a hint of a smile on his lips.
We'd been boxing for the past hour and he was barely out of breath and compared to him I was perspiring pretty heavily.
"Good girl," he said. "You did well today."
A full-blown smile crept on my lips. My chest filled with warmth, it wasn't every day that Nikolai appreciates or compliment me.
"I'm exhausted... I wanna sleep."
He frowned. "You woke up two hours ago."
I nodded, sitting up. "Yes, and now I'm tired again not all of us are vampires," then I shook my head. "No, vampires also sleep during the day, I have never seen you sleep since the day I got here."
He gave his head a shake as if finding this conversation ridiculous. "I sleep..." he just said.
I scoffed. "Barely... you will get sick."
"Are you worried for me?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at him not saying a word.
He let out a breath before giving me a half-smile that sent a funny feeling to my stomach. "You are good at it."
"At what?"
"Being a wife," he mumbled under his breath but I heard it.
I gasped, getting to my knees. "You said it again!"
He cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
"You said I will be a good wife"
He feigned innocence, oh my god, this man was anything but innocent. "I didn't say that"
"Of course you did, I heard you!"
He was standing tall before me with a water bottle in his hand, a towel draped over his naked, muscled, toned shoulder while I was on my knees before him. He took a step closer to me and suddenly this position
felt wrong.
"I said you will be good at being a wife, I never said you will be a good wife."
That doesn't even make sense.
"Tomayto, tomahto" I exaggerated the words.
"It's a compliment, Angel."
"Yes, but why?"
He took another big step, his crotch was right in my face. I glanced at the bulge in his black boxer then looked up at him again.
"Do you have any idea how perfect you look on your knees in front of me?" his hand went to my hair and he wrapped my ponytail around his hand, tugging my head backward, straining my neck.
"Do you have any idea how perfect you are at not answering the questions you don't want to answer?"
He breathed out a laugh. "What do you want to know?"
There was only one question swirling in my mind. He told me last night in clear words that I will be a married woman soon and it scared me to death. Why do I get the feeling that he will force me to marry Scott? I don't want to get married and Scott is the last person anyone should get married to. I wanted to know what he meant by that. I wanted to know what was going to happen on Friday or the day after that when he is supposed to get married to Grace.
For someone who was getting married after three days, he didn't seem the least bit bothered. I know he didn't like Grace in any way, he made that clear the other day. I know Nikolai was into me, he still hadn't clearly said the words but I know he felt something more for me. I really hope my brain isn't making any of this up.
"You said I'll be a married woman by the end of this week, why?"
He tugged my ponytail upwards, telling me to stand on my feet which I did. He turned us around so, my back was leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring, but he still hadn't let go of my hair. "Would you rather lose me forever or get tied to me for the rest of your life?" he asked, his face turned serious with a slight frown between his brows.
I had to take a moment to understand the question. What did he mean by losing him forever or getting tied to him? I had no idea what was going on in that twisted head of his but the way he had been giving me hints, it didn't seem like a good plan at all.
Please tell me you won't make me marry Scott so that I stay here with you and Grace playing house...
I looked into his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Answer my question first."
"I don't understand the question..." "What's there to understand, Evangeline? It's a simple question. Do you want to stay with me for the rest of your life or not? Because if you chose the latter, this will be the last you will see me," he explained.
My stomach turned to ice at his words. He might be infuriating, annoying, and controlling but I still wanted him more than I wanted life itself. I don't know what there was about Nikolai but he owned me without even knowing. He owned me that day in the library when he kissed me... when he claimed my lips like they had always belonged to him. After that day, there was no going back, so, not seeing him ever was out of the question for me. I'd go crazy without him.
I raised my hand and touched his cheek. "No, I don't want that... of course, I want to stay with you."
"Do you think I should marry Grace?"
I lifted a shoulder. "She had been nothing but nice to me but I still hate that you wear her ring on your finger, it's quite clear what I think about it. Also, you're so mean to her for no reason at all, it's not like she
has a choice in this either. Sometimes when I see you looking at her, I feel scared for her safety. So, no you shouldn't marry her."
Ignoring everything I said, he asked, "Do you want to marry Scott?"
My frown deepened. was an odd question considering Scott and I were nothing but frenemies since the day we met.
"You made that up to trick your dad, I never wanted to marry him in the first place."
"Do you trust me?"
He can be a little vicious when he wants to be but I did trust him. His hands were tainted with blood, they have committed murders, and carried out the most gruesome and cruelest punishments for people who had betrayed him but still... I trusted those bloodstained hands completely... without a doubt... with all my heart. 1
"Yes..." I whispered.
A smile pulled on his lips, this smile was different, completely different. The one I had never seen before. The one that broke my skin and traveled straight to my heart. It was sweet without malice or lingering smugness, it was natural, it was real like my answer had genuinely made him happy.
I have never seen this smile before but I would like to see him smile like that for the rest of my life. I could easily get used to that smile.
"That's all the answers you need, Evangeline."
He leaned in and this time, I didn't stop him as he claimed my lips. My hands went to his broad bare shoulders, gripping them.
He was firm and gentle as he pulled me in, burning my lips with his mouth. I knotted my fingers in his hair and melted against his body. I would have fallen, had he not been there to hold me. I felt the electricity pulsing through my veins. This kiss engulfed me until both of our bodies were wrapped together.
His hand left my hair and slid along my back to guide me even closer if that was possible. He parted our lips and then placed a soft peck on my upper lip. Warmth flared in my chest, spreading throughout my body
making my limbs tingle with pleasure.
"Any more questions?" he asked.
I gazed into his beautiful eyes. "What's gonna happen on Friday?"
"Niko?"
The familiar voice startled me out of the daze I was in. Nikolai turned and his back faced me. God! I loved his naked back, I loved to see his defined muscles move.
"Your father is here."
Nikolai nodded and then glanced back at me. "Go freshen up."
I nodded and hopped out of the ring. I collected my stuff and as I passed Scott, I saw a look of bitterness cross his face like he was mad at me for something. I didn't know what it was and I couldn't care less because Scott had been nothing but a douchebag for the last month.
I went up to my room, showered, and changed into clean clothes. A knock on my door resounded throughout the entire room. Combing my hair, I walked to it and opened to it see Bianca.
She stood outside with a sheepish smile on her face and waved awkwardly. "Hi..."
I had seen her after so many days and I hadn't realized how much I missed her. I tossed the comb back and pulled Bianca into a hug.
"Oh my god, I missed you so much!" I squealed.
"Really? I thought you hated me."
I frowned, pulling back. "Hated you? No! I was angry with you but not anymore. You should have told me where we were going..."
She groaned. "I know but you would've said no and I didn't want to go to Niko's boring engagement party without you, E," she entered my room and got on my bed, making herself comfortable. "Scott told me
about what happened..." she trailed off probably talking about the kidnapping and everything.
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I know but I wanted to tell you that I did come to see you... after that, Nikolai didn't let me. He said you didn't want to see anyone."
I sighed and nodded. "I was feeling a little... off at the time."
"How are you feeling now?" she asked.
"Better..." I smiled.
"Good because I can't go to Grace's bachelorette party without you again!" she rolled her eyes. 1
"Bachelorette party?"
"Yeah..." she cringed. "Tomorrow night."
"No, B, not again, please!"
"It's the second bachelorette party of that witch and we all have to attend because she is marrying the head of our family!"
I frowned. "She didn't tell me anything about it and we live in the same house"
Talking among ourselves, Bianca and I descended the stairs. We saw Nikolai and his father standing in the middle of the living room, they seemed to be arguing about something.
Nikolai had changed into a suit, and his freshly wet hair was combed back, he seemed tense, furious even.
My view of freshly showered Nikolai got cut off by Grace's grinning face. "Girls! we are gonna have so much fun!" she squealed.
"Yay! can't wait!" Bianca exclaimed sarcastically and then cringed, hiding her expression from Grace.
"Nikolai and I were going over the details, you know it's a super intimate event. It's not every day a man like Nikolai Costello gets married..." I tuned out the rest of the conversation as she rambled on and on
about her wedding. "We all should go on a triple date!" she exclaimed out of nowhere.
"I don't think Nikolai, Scott, or Stefano have time for a stupid triple date," Bianca said.
Grace crossed her arm over her chest. "Then they should make time for their wives."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "Stefano and I aren't engaged, Grace"
"Nikolai!" Grace called him.
Nikolai glanced in our direction and raised an eyebrow, he was clearly annoyed but Grace somehow couldn't see that.
"I think we all should go out for dinner tonight."
"I don't have time, Grace," he replied.
"Can you make time for me?" she whined.
"No..." he said and went straight to his study with his father following behind.
Grace's smile fell and got replaced by a scowl. "Men..."
"Grace, I want to show Evangeline something, we'll be right back..." Bianca smiled at Grace before pulling me along with her straight out of the house.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Anywhere but here because I can't stand that bitch!"
I furrowed my eyebrows. "I know Grace talks a lot but she isn't so bad, B."
"You clearly don't know her."
"Why? What did she do to you?"
"She slept with two of my brothers in a single week when they got to know about it, they were so fucking furious. Apparently, she had told both of them that she loved them. They fought a lot over this bitch and
as if it wasn't enough, she tried to sleep with Stefano! My Stefano-he told her to fuck off-and now she is marrying my favorite cousin, so you can imagine my dislike for her. That girl has seen every single
penis of the Cosa Nostra, including Nikolai's."
"Huh?"
Nikolai has had sex with Grace before? Why didn't I know that? He made me believe that he was disgusted by her or he didn't like her but he never told me that he had slept with her.
I want didn't have to think about that anymore because it was clear that Nikolai had no intention to marry her. 2
But I suddenly felt so uneasy knowing that they'd slept together.
How many intimate partners did Nikolai have?
How many women he had been with?