Page 49 of Pain and Pleasure
Oscar and his men look as intimidating as usual, but this is my first time meeting Gabriela, and I must say that she is, in fact, terrifying. Her nearly black hair is pin straight and shiny, and I swear I can almost see my reflection off of it. Her eyes are the same wild amber color as her brothers’, but her eyes appear to be more golden. Her skin tone is the perfect olive complexion. Long story short, she either looks like she could be a super model or a vampire. She's downright perfect, except for her dark attitude.
She feels more like Dante than Oscar does, but I doubt there's warmth to her like there is with my dark lover. At first when we sat down, she was sneering at Dante, but after her clipped greeting, all of her attention has been directed towards me. Me, the wet and half naked girl wearing her brother's shirt and sitting next to him, hand in hand. Her wild eyes travel from my face to our hands resting on the table. I scoot closer to Dante, feeling both intimidated and exposed. I am being scrutinized under her eyes and it's making my skin crawl in response.
Oscar breaks the tense silence by clearing his throat and putting out his cigar. He pours another glass of bourbon and leans back in his chair the same way Dante does. He offers me a smile and although it is intimidating, I can tell it’s genuine. His brother is hard to read, but he comes off warmer than his other two siblings. He may be a tad bit creepy, but at least he smiles. Though I have to admit, he’s the one that probably has the biggest temper.
“We’ve been trying to reach you for weeks, little brother. After several missed emails and calls, I decided to take matters into my own hands and pay you a little visit. Though, I have to admit, I was shocked to learn about what has made you so...preoccupied recently,” Oscar says, eyeing me with a twinkle in his amber depths.
“I won’t lie to you, I had an inkling about Esmeralda when I first met her. You always did prefer the innocent ones.” He chuckles and my skin crawls, lead dropping in my stomach as I hear the words leave his mouth.
What the hell does that mean? Has Dante sought after girls like me before? Am I just another conquest to him?
Dante seems to read both the room and my thoughts because he offers me a dark glance and a squeeze of my hand, bringing me back to the present.
“But then, after further investigation I came to realize just exactly who she is and also what you’ve been plotting since father died.” Oscar's voice darkens and I see Gabriela's eyes snap from me to Dante, glaring at him.
“My question for you now, is why the fuck did you decide not to tell your family about this?” He sounds angry, but Dante doesn’t flinch at the change in his tone.
No, Dante looks as cool and as calm as usual. Unbothered and unfazed by it all, whereas I am practically shaking like a leaf next to him due to the cold air and tension in the room. I feel like a domesticated chihuahua.
“Ah, but I did tell you about this, big brother. In fact, I told both you and mama about this after the funeral for our father, but while mama was busy grieving, you were off fucking everything in sight and spending all of your inheritance. Perhaps it was the combination of whiskey and our product that has altered your memory?” Dante smiles at Oscar, who is now red faced and seething.
“And here I am, left in the dark as usual, right?” Gabriela hisses.
Felt that, sister.
“I’m not sure how someone who is busy maxing out all of our cards and spending every given dollar we have on lavish vacations and outfits can be left in the dark, baby sister. It seems you had better things to worry about than avenging your father’s death, much like your older brother,” Dante says casually and now both of his siblings are pissed.
The room is silent once again and I notice that Oscar's partners have not only not said a word, but also appear to not even be affected by this family spat happening before us. They must not be too involved and, judging by the way Dante just called everyone out, it seems that only Dante himself has been overseeing everything on his own. Oscar sits up in his chair, his face less red, but still angry.
“We all dealt with father’s passing differently. Not all of us were wanting to become vigilantes immediately after. You’ve had years to bring this up again. Especially since you began fucking the enemy’s daughter,” Oscar hisses and my eyes drop to the floor. I feel small and cheap, but Dante squeezes my hand even tighter.
“Two things, big brother,” Dante says calmly, but his voice is laced with venom.
“First, she’s more of an enemy to him than we are.” He pours himself a glass of bourbon before tossing it back and pouring me one.
“And second, you speak aboutmywoman like that again, and I’ll cut your tongue out. I’m feeling a little antsy lately, so fucking with me is definitely not in your best interest.”
Woah.
I can’t even focus on the fact that Dante just defended me in front of his own blood because the entire energy in the room has shifted. Oscar's face has now paled, and Gabriela peels her eyes away from me and directs them to the floor. Suddenly, everyone is acting like obedient dogs, and it makes me realize just how powerful Dante really is. He truly lives up to his El Oscuro name.
“He always did like you more,” Oscar says quietly, twirling his bourbon tumbler on the table.
He seems sad and it makes my heart sort of hurt for him. He's the troubled one, I can tell. For more reasons than just the obvious fact that his father was murdered. Dante snorts and pours another glass of bourbon as I slowly sip mine, eyeing everyone at the table. Gabriela has gone from being a scorpion ready to attack, to a meek and quiet woman sitting small in her chair. I wonder about her. I'm curious enough to even get to know her, though that may be a bad idea.
“He loved all of his children, Oscar. He just knew I was the most responsible one. He knew I could get anything and everything done, for everyone. And that’s exactly what I've been doing. I’ve plotted everything and chosen all my moves very carefully when it comes to Juan Carlos. I just didn’t expect to cross paths with Esmeralda like this.” Dante leans back and turns to me, brushing a lock of wet hair from my eye and holding my chin gently between his fingers.
He’s staring at me with so much adoration that my heart melts.
God, I really do love this fucked up and dangerous man.
“But now that I have, the situation has gotten a lot more dire. This man is dangerous and has been tracking her every move, as well as my own, I am sure. It is my job to keep her safe and I will not stop, even after I gut the bastard. So please, do us both a favor, and treat her with some fucking dignity and respect. She’s lived more lives and seen more trauma than the both of you have combined.” Dante lets go of my chin and stares at his siblings, his stature tall and dominant.
He keeps standing up for me and it makes me feel more noticed than I have in my entire life. This man, this beautiful and dark creature who I was nearly certain was incapable of such love and kindness, has made me his number one priority and I can’t help but fall even more in love with him. I notice Oscar moving his gaze from Dante to me and I meet his eyes. They are not nearly as intimidating as they were before, before Dante put him in his place. He stares at me now with confusion and curiosity.
“How long have you been aware of your father’s motives?” he asked me.
“Since your brother brought me here. Though, I got a little more insight when I first met my father a couple weeks ago and he held a gun to my head,” I say nonchalantly, and Oscar’s eyebrows raise in response.
