“I had to pee. So sue me.”
“You’re trying to get under my skin.”
“Do I bother you that much?” I taunt him. “Then good. Because you bother me too. I don’t like you. We agreed to stay away from each other. Let’s just end this here. We’ll finish the party. Play cordial. And then learn to live our lives away from each other.”
“Fine,” he grits out.
“Fine,” I snap back. I walk past him and into the reception hall. The large ballroom is bustling with people, laughing and dancing the night away. Good for them, even though their happiness pangs me with jealousy.
My father approaches me before I can get far. “Ciara, I need to speak with you. In private.”
“What?” I ask once we’re alone in a quiet corner.
“I can sense the tension between you and Marco. Everyone in this room can.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. Cormac just tried to kill him an hour ago. He’s upset. And I never wanted to marry him in the first place.”
“I know. But I need this alliance to work. This is our in with the Italian mafia for the very first time.”
“You’re so obsessed with power. Have you even considered me?”
Dad brushes past this. “What I am telling you, Ciara, is that you need to make this work with him. It’s your wedding night tonight.”
“And?” My spine stiffens, worried where my father is taking this.
“And… you need to… you know.”
“What?” I push him. I need him to say it out loud.
“I need you and Marco to make this marriage work. It’s the only way he and I can trust each other. So do your duty tonight.”
“My duty? You mean… have sex with him?”
Dad flushes, looking away from me, as if the topic of sex is too much for him and yet, he was willing to sell his own daughter off. Hypocrite. “Yes. That’s what I mean. You need to make this work.”
“And if I don’t?”
“He could be upset and then leave you. And that would be the end of this alliance. So make this work for me, Ciara. Please.”
“You’re asking a lot out of me, Dad. You never even let me date in high school. You pushed every boy away that I was interested in and now you want me to whore myself out tonight?”
“He’s your husband.”
“So? You’re still whoring me out.”
“Don’t say that, my darling. You know we need this deal.”
“We have money. We don’t need more of it.”
“I want more power,” he states.
“And what about what I want?”
His eyes tighten before he sighs. “I am sorry, Ciara. But this marriage is not about what you want. So do your duty. For this family.”
“And what about Cormac? If you don’t stop him from going after Marco, my husband will kill him. I don’t want my brother dead. And then there goes your alliance with Marco. So my duty will be pointless. Just think about that.” I storm away from him before he can say anything more. But his words resonate with me throughout the rest of the night.
Marco and I ignore each other as we sit next to one another. Can I really give myself over to him? Marco doesn’t want anything to do with me and I don’t want anything to do with him. I’m not sure how any of this will work.
