Page 35 of The Arianna Arrangement

Finally, it was over. Less than a week and I would marry the love of my life and get the fuck out of this nightmare.

My family arrived about thirty minutes ago and it was so nice to see them all again. We were having a big dinner tonight in honor of my and Ari’s upcoming wedding, and now, everyone was in the back yard socializing and enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

Lucian gave my father a nod, telling him it was time to head to his office. He tried to make it seem like this was just a chance for all the men to celebrate, but I knew the asshole was up to something.

My father, uncles, and I joined Lucian, his brother Antonio, and Alessandro in his office. Everyone was poured a glass of bourbon, even me and Sandro.

Lucian lifted his in their air. “To the merging of two powerful families.” We all joined in raising our glasses, then took a drink. “Now, I want to discuss the wedding night.”

My father nodded and sat his glass down. “Your family has traditions about how that is to go and we’ve agreed to honor them.” We all thought it was barbaric that the bed sheets Ari and I had sex in would be hung in the banquet hall during brunch the next morning. It was done so that everyone could see that her virginal blood was on them, verifying not only her purity, but that I fulfilled my duty of consummating the marriage.

Lucian nodded as he finished his drink. “Yes, but with the way things have been over the past couple of months, I wanted to discuss this. You see, while the bedsheets being hung is a more recent tradition in the past couple of generations, previously there was another tradition. The bedsheet thing was done to give the new couple privacy, but I don’t really feel comfortable with that as it’s been brought to my attention that there could be attempts to deceive me. For that reason, I want to return to the former tradition.”

I could feel the tension in the room thicken, though no one showed any emotion on their face. Not a muscle moved on my father other than his mouth as he chose his words wisely. “Please elaborate on what you’ve heard.”

“Our deal is that my daughter is a virgin on her wedding night, and your son is to provide us an heir as soon as possible so that the alliance is firmly in place. However, rumor has it that he is looking for ways to keep her from getting pregnant. Also, after having watched him during the brothel assignment, when he wouldn’t even look at the naked women and kept his eyes closed the whole time that he jerked off, I worry that maybe he isn’t attracted to women.”

My dad crossed one leg over the other as he sat back in his chair. I knew him as well as I knew myself so I knew he was trying to figure out what exactly this old tradition was and how he was going to get me out of it.

“I assure you, sir, that I’m not gay. I simply closed my eyes out of respect for my future wife. I’m looking forward to our wedding night and being able to lose my virginity.” I was a shit liar, so I couldn’t address the part about trying to make sure she didn’t get pregnant or he’d know those rumors were true.

Dad brought his hand up to his face in a thinking pose. It was how he always set when he was about to chew one of us a new asshole, but he wasn’t going to do that to Lucian, so I was a little confused. “I know of no plan to keep Arianna from getting pregnant. If you suspected something, why didn’t you have the doctor test her blood when he checked her over earlier this week?”

“I did. The presence of birth control was not detected, but there are other ways of keeping a baby from happening. Condoms, for instance, of which I know your son has a box in his room.” He lifted a hand as my dad leaned forward in his seat. “None of my people have been in his room unauthorized. I merely saw him purchasing them when I was watching surveillance of the bodega near where he was sent to collect money.”

Apollo laughed. “If that’s what this is about, then it’s all just a big misunderstanding.” It wasn’t. I absolutely had bought condoms for my wedding night, but Apollo was going to lie for me, because he could lie like a pro. “Last Thursday, right? The day before they went to the brothel?” Lucian nodded. “I told him to pick some up for me while he was out. When I talked to my wife the night before she told me she thought she’d be on her period when she got here for the wedding. Women are so weird about period sex, and while mine isn’t against it, she says if I want her to put out during that time, I have to wrap it. Something about the consistency of the blood when mixed with cum and it giving her the ick. Anyway, after almost two months away from her, I plan to basically live balls deep in her for the next few weeks.”

Sex was something my family never shied away from talking about, so hearing him say that wasn’t even weird or surprising. I learned what a hymen was at nine when my Aunt Silver first came to brunch with the family and had a bodyguard with her that she called her hymen guard.

Lucian ran his tongue across his front teeth as he thought about it, his eyes not leaving Apollo until he’d made his decision and turned his attention back to my father. “Excuse me if I’m still skeptical. I’m sure you understand that you don’t get to this position without people trying to stab you in the back and undermine your authority.” Much like he’d done by trying to have the blood oath before my father arrived. “I must still insist on the older family tradition. As the contract states that our family traditions will be followed, there’s nothing you can negotiate on this.”

He was right, and my dad knew it. “What is this older family tradition you want followed?”

“The consummation of the marriage will be witnessed. Myself, my brother, Sandro, my other lieutenants, as well as you and your brothers will be in the room to observe. He will take her virginity in front of all of us, then when he is finished, he will show us her blood on his cock and we’ll verify his semen inside of her.”

Sandro’s eyes met mine and while neither of us changed our facial expression, I knew we were on the same page. This was fucked up and we were the only ones that could change it.

“That’s outrageous." My dad was furious and for the first time ever, I worried that he was going to lose his temper. “A newly wed couple should not have to consummate their marriage in front of an audience.”

Lucian shrugged. “It’s the tradition that I’m requiring.”

“I mean no disrespect at all, but I object to everyone in the room being able to verify I came inside her. Once those papers are signed and the vows said, her pussy belongs to me and me alone. I will not allow other men to ogle my property.”

All eyes turned to me. I didn’t take my attention away from Lucian, but I felt my father shift beside me. This was the distraction he needed to get himself under control. Much to my surprise, Lucian didn’t say a word about me not having the authority to speak. “The verification is the only way to prove that you were able to complete your part of the deal. Simply getting your dick wet and breaking her hymen won’t give us an heir. We need to know that you’re capable of finishing the job and see proof of that.”

“I understand that. My proposal is that only one person does the verifying. I choose Sandro.” My eyes flicked to him and the look he gave me said he planned to kill me one day.

Lucian looked at Sandro, then back to me. “Why him?”

I had a litany of reasons, but only one I would give him. “He’s the heir to your family, as I am the heir to mine. We’ve worked all summer to ensure the future generations of the families work together, so who better to observe the beginning of the next generation?”

He still wanted to murder me, but after I gave him the main reasons I chose him, I felt confident that he’d understand.

Lucian thought about it for a minute, while everyone else sat silently, waiting on him to make his decision. Finally, after what felt like forever, he gave me a nod. “It is agreed. The consummation will be witnessed and Sandro is the one that will verify Tucker's virility.”

Chapter 16

Tucker