The Mobster's Wife: Chapter Two.

Chapter two- Like a boss.

Arriving in the still-early stages of the morning, Luciano unlocked the Cucina Raffinata and held the door open for his dear wife.
     The couple scanned the scenery their restaurant held with a slight scowl. It wasn't atrocious, but it wasn't top class either. They'd been announced as "fine dining" yesterday so they would show people a fine restaurant.
     "Well," [Dear Reader] said, turning to her husband, "looks like we've got some work to do."
     Luciano nodded his agreement. He almost immediately began passing out orders. She took it like the soldier she was and set to it. He worked at opening up the kitchen while [DR] wiped the tables down and set them. Nobody else would show up for at least another thirty minutes.
      Luciano came from the kitchen a moment later and finished sweeping the floor while [DR] fixed on the finishing touches, straightening up a bouquet here or there or simply pushing in a chair.
     "Do we look world class or what?" She asked.
     Two pairs of eyes settled over the gentle [favorite color] color scheme- a choice Luciano had made a long time ago to satisfy his wife.  All the small things, from the [?] colored dance floor to the large ice-sculpted swans nestling together, had made the Cucina Raffinata the hit it was.
     For one thing, different events were held on different days. The dance floor was often occupied most nights by wedding parties who'd just been lucky enough to have been accepted. 
     The ceiling had been created to cascade in an upward spiral, causing a decent amount of acoustics to spring forth whenever someone rose their voice. The idea had all been [DR]'s, who had decided early on that a live band playing every now and then would bring more customers. She'd been right.
     Luciano caught her hand and twirled her about. "Bella, I think the answer is what," he smiled.
     [DR] crossed her arms playfully. "Very funny," she went along before the red shirt he wore caught her attention. "That shirt looks good on you. Too bad it's not tucked in!"
     Before he could question what she was up to, she'd grabbed hold of the front and tugged it upwards, releasing it from where it'd been neatly tucked. A fit of furious laughter escaped her lips as she booked it towards the kitchen.
     "Come back here, you brat!" He called as he gave chase.
     Two things worked against her- the tight fitting uniform he forced her to wear and the fact that he had longer legs.
     Eventually Luciano managed to corner her. [DR]'s back hit the wall as she panted for breath. He stalked forward until she was looking into his eyes. His arms trapped her against the hard surface, his chest pinning her against it.
     "Say you're sorry," he warned, his crimson eyes sparkling with mischief.
      [SR] didn't understand how deep she was in over her head. "No!" She laughed.
      His eyes narrowed. "You don't concede then, bella?"
      [DR] pressed her lips together and shook her head confidently. Luciano shrugged and inched closer. Her breath noticeably hitched in the back of her throat. She swallowed uncomfortably.
     "Guess you'll have to heed the consequences."
     Before the entire meaning could sink in, the air exploded into infectious giggles. Luciano grinned as he went to work tickling her. After only a few moments, her body twitched and she gasped for breath.
     "Okay, okay!" She groaned. "I concede!"
      Luciano's hands stopped moving and he pulled her close. His lips brushed against hers for a moment before teasingly departing.
     Her grip tightened on his shirt. "Luciano!" She whined.
     Luciano laughed and buried his face into her neck. "So say it," he said. A single kiss tingled on her skin.
     Having been married to him for several years had led to her developing a pride and this went against everything it told her to do. Her honor made her whisper the words.Of course, she should have known Luciano wasn't going to let her get off with that.
     He cocked his head to the side, causing a mop a red hair to fall messily around his neck. "What was that? I didn't hear you say it," he said.
     "I'm sorry!" [DR] yelled loud enough for him to hear.
     Satisfied, he pulled her closer and reclaimed her lips with his. A rapid sensation warmed her body right up. And of course that's when the crew decided to show up. The kitchen door opened and the staff stepped inside, only to freeze in shock of the sight before them.
     "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what have we here? The boss and his wife? Yeah, go get her, boss!" Cheered Giovanni, the youngest of the waiters.
     The rest of the staff smirked at each other with knowing expressions. The lovebirds broke apart and Luciano turned around slowly. Giovanni was grinning and giving him a thumbs up in approval. [DR] had a blush painted on her cheeks.
     "Nothing happened!" She protested.
     "Sure it didn't," Giovanni winked at Luciano. "I can see bossman's shirt's untucked, courtesy of his wife, I'm guessing. Nice bed hair, by the way."
     "Thank you, Giovanni. That will be all. Besides," Luciano grinned, "I don't think she can take much more teasing. Your face is tomato red."
       A [light, tanned, dark] hand brushed against her cheeks unconsciously. [DR] cleared her throat and shoved Luciano off her chest, shooting the staff a pointed expression.
     "What are you staring at me for, people? We're open. Go out there and do your jobs. And you," she turned her attention back towards her husband, who blinked innocently. "Take orders and be the grand chief you are."
     Luciano clapped his hands together. The sound echoed off the walls. "You heard the woman! Get moving."
     Scrambling like rats, they departed from the kitchen, leaving the couple alone once more. Luciano jerked his head towards the door as if asking her to close it. She hesitantly did so, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
     "Now that they're gone, want to resume from where we left off?" He questioned snarkily, wiggling his fingers at her as if casting a spell. She almost fell under it.
     [DR]'s eyes grew wide. "No!" She replied as she whacked his chest, causing him to take a small step back. "Do your job and get back to work."
     A wounded expression took over his face briefly before it vanished. His snarky persona won back over. "I was joking, caro. It's too risky here," he deadpanned. "There are too many people outside, all too ready to interrupt us. Every footstep would be a threat to our moment."
     Her cheeks flared at the implication. "You can't be serious..."
     Luciano's hand flicked her chin up. "Why not? We both love this place more than home. Why not create our family here?"
    Shocked, [DR] choked.
    "Of course, I was only kidding," Luciano teased, releasing her with a cheerful expression. "Go on, caro. Aren't you supposed to wait tables now?"
     [DR] shook her head in disbelief. "You suck," she muttered and began to leave.
     "Uh, bella, isn't there something you're forgetting?" Luciano called after her.
     She froze at the door and turned around. "Huh? What do you mean?" She asked, cocking her head slightly. A gesture Luciano adored wholeheartedly.
    He impatiently gestured towards his messy shirt. "I'm not fixing this, caro. I have no reason to be embarrassed about Giovanni's implication. Far from it actually. I mentioned it so as to save your pride," he pointed out.
     Stomping over to him with a scowl, [DR] warned, "Don't try to enjoy this."
     "I won't," he promised. "Well... not too much anyway."
     Pulling her close, Luciano couldn't ignore the sudden heat that rushed to her cheeks. He fingered her hair and brushed his lips over her temple. Ignoring her fussing, he ran his hands down her curves. Satisfied with her work, she shot him a smug glance.
     "There, now you're even again. I can't believe Giovanni thought we'd do that here," she scoffed. She shook her head as her husband raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I know you'd do that here, but I wouldn't."
     "Thank you, bella. I'd get out there, if I were there. You know the boss doesn't like lazy waitresses. Besides, the staff will be missing their best server."
     She opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off when he pointed towards the exit. Scowling, she began stalking off.
     "Bella?"
     Turning around, she braced herself for his deviousness. Leaning against the wall, her husband wore a smirk. "That uniform looks great on you."
     Curiously glancing down at her work attire, she noticed how he'd tucked the white blouse to accent each and every one of her curves. That's when she noticed how see-through her top was.
     Instead of giving him the preferred reaction, she smirked, tugged the blouse closer to show off more, dawned a tray, and gave him a confident salute. The snide expression dropped right from his face.
     "See you later, baby," she called out to him before pushing the door open and taking her exit.
     "God, I love that woman."

The day progressed slowly. All day [DR] had to remind herself of the first rule in the service industry. "The customer is always right."  Now all she could do was smile while a customer flirted away with her. She honestly didn't care. "Be nice to the customer." That was the second rule in the service industry.
     Even so, she caught Luciano's jealous gaze watching from the kitchen. Something warned her if the man got any closer, Luciano would actually come out and make a scene.
     'That's what you get,' she wanted to yell across the restaurant. 'It's your fault I'm dressed like this!'
     "You're a pretty girl," the customer said suddenly, dragging her attention back to the present. "A girl like you shouldn't be single."
     [DR] forced herself to smile. "I'm married actually," she responded.
     He eyed her figure before landing on her unadorned left hand. "What, no ring? You know what they say about not wearing a ring: can't be a happy marriage. Guess one man can't satisfy you, honey. Well, not unless he's me. What do you say?"
     Without even allowing a response, the man's hands found their way to her stomach. His hands slid over the fragile fabric with ease.For the first time, [DR]'s smile faltered.
     "H-Hey!" She gasped, quite alarmed.
     A loud bang sounded as Luciano's hands were brought down onto the table. The noisy restaurant hushed at the sound. Waiters and patrons alike froze completely, watching the scene with keen interest.
     "Excuse me? What is going on here?!" Luciano's angry voice boomed.
      [DR] was glad the touching finally stopped and even more glad to hear Luciano's voice. He glared at the man like any jealous child who does not enjoy sharing their favorite toy. Slowly, he turned his attention to the shakim woman.
     "Bella, what happened?" He spoke softly, his expression softening.
     "Don't listen to her!" The man snapped.
     "Uh, I'd rather not get involved," she muttered. She didn't want the patron to review the restaurant as a bad one because of her.
     Luciano narrowed his eyes. "Get involved, caro. What's one bad review to a hundred good ones and three Michelin Stars?" He responded, guessing the reason for her hesitation.
     "Uh..." The words just wouldn't come out. She was too embarrassed.
     Luckily for him, Giovanni had no concept of embarrassment. This, of course, meant she was the unlucky one. "I saw everything, bossman. Patron-Guy was touching bosswoman all inappropriately. She started to protest and that's when you came out."
     The patron's face turned bright red at the Giovanni-adaption. "It's not like she was all that great to touch anyway. Too bony," he muttered.
     The look Luciano cast the man would have sent the devil running for his life. "Giovanni, deal with this weasel. I'm going to take my wife into the back to make sure she's okay," he informed the boy.
     He shot the man another distasteful glance. The words finally dawned on him. "Wait, she's your wife?!" The man sputtered.
     "Yes, bastardo, she is my wife!" He growled. "Got a problem with that? Come on, caro."
     His hands clasped around her wrist and he began tugging her towards the kitchen. The door slammed closed behind them. Fuming about furiously, Luciano exploded.
     "Accidenti! Sei troppo bella! Quegli uomini stupidi semplicemente non può tenere le mani fuori di voi," he growled. "Che cosa fa lui significare che sei troppo magro?! Sei perfetto in ogni modo immaginabile!"
     [DR] had never seen him this way before. Sure, he'd been jealous plenty of times in their marriage, but he looked about ready to kill the offender. He kicked the wall angerily and she took it as her cue to intervene.
      Putting her hands on his chest, [DR] tried to calm him down. "Hey, hey, hey, hey. It's okay, Luciano. You need to settle down," she told him.
     Ignoring the advice, Luciano plastered both sides of her face with his large hands and fixed his suddenly gentle gaze onto hers.
     "Are you sure you're okay, bella? That man didn't hurt you, did he?" His charming expression vanished behind a protective one.
     "N-No, I'm fine. Why are you fussing so much, Luciano?" [DR] asked. Her eyes were wide with concern.
     "I don't like people touching what's mine," he answered curtly, pressing his forehead against hers. "I love you too much to share you with anyone else. Now did he hurt you?"
     Her arms wrapped around his neck and she smiled. "Not while you're around."
     "Then I guess I'll just have to stay around," he muttered. "That's it! I've made up my mind. You're working the kitchen with me today since I can't trust my patrons to keep their hands off you."
     [DR] rolled her eyes. Surely, deep down he had to understand how badly he was overreacting... "A waitress who's not... waiting. Well, that's a new one," she quipped sarcastically.
     Luciano shot her a pointed look. "It's either that or I'm working the floor with you. I won't leave you alone again," he replied completely seriously.
     "You're kidding..." she giggled, crossing her arms over her chest. He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head. "No. No, no, no. Who'll work the kitchen? There's a reason you have three stars, " she protested.
     His smug expression widened until he was smiling from ear to ear. [DR] swallowed hard, completely afraid of what he'd say next.  "Sorry, bella. It's non-negotiable. You're just stuck with me," he said, cocking his head and fingering her chin.
     Disregarding her protests, Luciano locked the door and began stripping off his clothes. With his shirt completely off, [DR] could see just how secretly muscular he was. She quickly averted her eyes and flushed.
     Luciano grabbed a waiter's uniform from the rack and began to get dressed. Her embarrassment would only cause her a reason for mockery later.
    "Uh, bella? I'm done now," he said. A hint of smugness entered his tone.
     Glancing up, she saw he was wearing a plain white shirt and the black trousers. Luciano raised an eyebrow and posed. "Well, what do you think? Do I make a good waiter?" He inquired innocently.
     "Let's just do our job," [DR] returned, desperately hoping he'd miss the flare in her cheeks. "Only time will tell if you're a good waiter."
     She should have known he wouldn't leave it at that. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck, eliciting a tiny gasp.  "So, to be clear, bella, if I do a good job, we'll have fun later?" He purred.
     Her cheeks reheated. "No, I-I didn't say that! Besides, I really think this is a bad idea. You should be in the kitchen," she spoke.
     A strand of [color] hair was lifted off her neck and weaved through his fingers before abruptly being released. "Well, I'm not and that's too bad for you. Come on. It'll be fun, bella! We'll announce it as an event. Like, 'meet the chief.'"
     "And nobody will know you're doing this for selfish reasons," she smirked, turning around and rubbing his chest.
     "Yes, exactly. Glad to see we're on the same wavelength."
      [DR] reached up and pecked his lips. "Mmm, you mister, sound like a boss."

Done with chapter two. I'm not so sure I'm ecstatic about where I left off, but I'll be working on chapter three. Thank you to anyone who reads and likes, though I'll make sure to thank you personally. And yes, the darker side bus soon to come.

Previous chapter: The Mobster's Wife: Chapter One.

Next chapter: The Mobster's Wife: Chapter Three.