3 All Bark, No Bite

Vincenzo wasn't kidding when he said, he wouldn't be around much. He had only been to dinner twice in the 2 weeks, I've been here. I hear him coming in at night, but he never comes in to tell me goodnight.

I see him every morning though, and this morning was no different.

"Vincenzo," I said quietly, as the whole family sat, eating at the table.

"Yes?" He responded, not even looking up from his phone.

"I want to go to my brothers after school today. Is that okay?" I asked him, as nicely as possible.

It was Friday, so I had no tutoring or choir practice. I thought it was the perfect time to go see them.

"No, I don't think so. Not this weekend," he said, curtly.

"What? Why not?" I raised my voice, catching everyone's attention.

"Well for one thing, your attitude is not improving at all. As you just proved with your little outburst. And, you have been slacking on your schoolwork since you came here. Mrs. Cafaro is extremely concerned with that C, you got on your last test in Italian." He growled, as he looked at his family, in a way that said 'look away'. And they all did, instantly.

"How would you know anything about my attitude? You're never here," I mumbled under my breath. He heard me anyway, and his nostrils flared in anger, as his eyes narrowed at me.

"I have ways of finding out about your attitude, little girl. Just because you don't see me, doesn't mean I can't see you. And if you want to keep your teeth in your mouth, I suggest you watch how you talk to me." He snarled at me.

I should have been shaking, but I wasn't. I was pissed, and he just ignited my fuse. I was ready for a knock down drag out fight.

"Oh so what?! You're gonna punch me now? Knock my teeth out?" I hissed, giving him my best glare.

He reached over, and jerked me clean out of my chair, and pulled me into his lap sideways, before I even knew what happened.

Then he leaned over and whispered directly in my ear. "I'm about 2 seconds away from turning you over in my lap and spanking your ass right here in front of everyone. And you're wearing a skirt, so everyone would see everything. Is that what you want?"

I shook my head violently in the negative, as I literally trembled in his arms.

Over the past 2 weeks, I hadn't seen or heard from him much at all. The only time, I really saw him was when I would get a low grade on a test or when I was late to dinner a couple of times. And he was full of threats, but no actions. He had yet to lay a hand on me, so I was somewhat confident that he wouldn't this time. However, the look in his eyes told me not to take any chances.

He made me stay in his lap to finish breakfast, and I trembled the whole way through. I was so glad, when he helped me up, and told me to go to school.

By my third period, I had a plan made up in my mind. Albeit, not a well thought out plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. I was going to see my brothers today, whether Vincenzo liked it or not. And he hadn't punished me yet, so I doubt he would this time either.

I couldn't tell Blake or Zayn, two of my best friends and also my at school bodyguards, because both of them would be obliged to tell either my brothers or Vincenzo. I could tell Sophia, she wouldn't tell on me, as she was my other bestie. But her father is Fausto, my regular bodyguard. So she would probably get in trouble if I got her involved. So I was on my own in this.

Right after lunch, I told Blake I wasn't feeling well, and I was going to the nurse. That way, he wouldn't be looking for me in class.

Vincenzo had given me my own credit card to get anything I need, and it had my name on it, so I could use it without question. So, I called an Uber and had them take me to my brothers house.

"Gianni!" I yelled, as I ran through the living room, and jumped on my unsuspecting brother.

"Hey Piglet! I've missed you so much!" He shouted, as he caught me and wrapped his arms around me.

"You just saw me last weekend at my concert, crazy!" I laughed, as he put me down on my feet.

Yeah, all my brothers came to my concert, but my own husband couldn't be bothered. He did send roses in his place though. I guess that was supposed to make up for it.

"Who's this?" I heard a feminine voice behind me.

I raised my eyebrow at Gianni, pretty much asking him the same thing. The only other female voices I was used to hearing around here are Lauretta and Jessica. And this voice didn't sound like either of them.

"Annie, this is my little sister, Piglet. Piglet, this is my new girlfriend, Annie," Gianni looked at me hopefully. He wanted me to like her.

"Well, hi Piglet," Annie chuckled. "I've heard so many good things about you. It's so good to finally meet you," She chirped, as she pulled me in for a hug.

"Uh okay. Good. But you can call me Alessi, only G calls me piglet," I said, as I hugged her back.

"Even better," she smiled, a genuine smile. "I'm so happy to meet the famous baby sister, Alessi."

Ugh! This is so hard! I don't want to like her. I don't want anyone to take Gianni away from me. We are so close, I wanna be the only girl he ever needs. But I know, I have to let this happen. She seems like a really sweet girl, and very genuine. I will have to give her a fair chance.

After all, I don't live here anymore, and Gianni needs someone to love him. But she will never love him as much as I do.

"What are you doing here, little girl?" Matty walked in, checking his watch. "You're supposed to still be in school. I thought you said you were coming after school?" He growled. He hated when I missed school for any reason.

"Well about that," I sighed. "Vincenzo said I couldn't come over this weekend, so I called an Uber after lunch to bring me here, and then I'm going back to school for last period, so he doesn't even know I'm gone," I said all in one breath, kinda hoping they didn't catch all of it.

"What?!" Emilio yelled, as he walked in the door, apparently hearing everything I said.

"Alessandra, What is wrong with you? He's gonna find out, he gets a report from the school everyday. Don't you think he'll notice that you missed 3 hours of school?" Matty fussed.

"Oh my God, piglet! He's gonna think you ran away, and send out a search party. Or even worse, that you got kidnapped," Gianni looked worriedly at me.

"Do you know the kind of trouble you're going to be in when he finds out?" Emilio growled.

"None," I stated confidently. "Vincenzo is all bark, and no bite. He fusses at me, and threatens me all the time, but he never does anything about it." I smiled, looking at all of them.

They all looked at me like I had grown 2 heads, as if I had lost my mind.

"What does he threaten you for Alessi? Is it for your attitude or cursing or something minor like that? You're lucky, he's letting you slide on that, but it won't last forever. And this is not some minor offense, little girl. You literally went directly against his orders, and you left school early without a guard. Oh you're definitely gonna get in trouble if he finds out,"

Emilio knew how to knock my confidence down a peg or two. Oh damn, he really is gonna punish me this time. I was freaking out.

"Come on babygirl, I gotta take you back to school. Maybe he won't be as mad, if he sees you realized your mistake and went back on your own," Gianni said, as he started to lead me toward the door.

As soon as we were standing in front of the door, about to open it, the doorbell rang. I looked around at my brothers, and landed on Emilio.

"Hide me, please," I begged, quietly.

I knew there was only one person who could be on the other side of that door, and it was the one person who I didn't want to see.

"I can't do that, Alessi. He will find out, and it won't look good for the alliance, baby. You made your bed, not you're gonna have to lie in it," he said, shaking his head sadly.

Gianni put his arm around me, and gave me a quick reassuring side hug, and then proceeded to open the door.

"Hey Vince. I was just about to take her back to school," he said, and he looked at me sympathetically.

Vincenzo had a look on his face, that would make the strongest man crumble. I was trembling so hard, Gianni literally had to hold me up. I knew this was gonna be it for me, and I had this feeling, it would be a while before I would see my brothers again.

He just nodded politely at Gianni, then turned his steely narrowed eyes to me.

"Let's go, Alessandra. I think we need to talk," he hissed, reaching out to grab my hand.

I tried to walk, but I was so scared and shaking so hard, that my knees actually buckled, and I was headed to the ground, if he hadn't reached down and picked me up.

He put me in the car, and sat down next to me, while his personal driver, Bruno and his personal bodyguard, Nick got in the front of the car.

"Take us home, Bruno," he ordered in a strict tone.

"Vincenzo, I'm really -." I started, but he cut me off.

"Not now, Alessandra. Anything you have to say right now would make things worse. And I would hate to embarrass you in this car. So keep your mouth shut, until I tell you to talk," he growled, with his nostrils flaring, and his eyes glaring daggers at me.

I just nodded my head, and looked out the window to watch the scenery.

"Cazzo, Nick. Questa ragazza sarà la mia morte! Cos'ha che non va?" (Shit, Nick. This girl is gonna be the death of me! What's wrong with her?) Vincenzo practically yelled at his bodyguard, Nick.

"Non mancare di rispetto al capo, devi calmarti prima di parlarle. Finirai per farle del male." (No disrespect boss, you need to calm down before you talk to her. You will end up hurting her bad.) Nick replied, not even looking back at us.

"Lo so. Lo so. Ma come faccio a farle capire che non tollererò questa mancanza di rispetto da parte di mia moglie?" (I know. I know. But how do I make her understand that I will not tolerate this disrespect from my wife?) he asked frustratedly.

"Dovrai punirla duramente questa volta capo. Le tue minacce cadono nelle orecchie dei sordi. Non imparerà finché non riceverà una conseguenza." (You're going to have to punish her harshly this time boss. Your threats are falling on deaf ears. She won't learn until she receives a consequence.) Nick answered.

"Non volevo proprio doverlo fare con lei. Credo che dovro' darle una lezione che non dimenticherà presto, questa volta." (I really didn't want to have to do that with her. I guess I'm going to have to teach her a lesson she won't soon forget, this time.) Vincenzo sighed.

"Sì capo. Dev'essere così. L'ha portato su se stessa." (Yes boss. It has to be this way. She brought it on herself.) Nick said, shaking his head. This time I could see him looking sympathetically at me through the rear view mirror.

"Sì. Hai ragione." (Yes. You're right.) Vincenzo mumbled.

I didn't know everything they said, but I got the gist of it, and one thing I'm sure of is that I will regret disobeying Vincenzo this time. And I knew it was Nick's idea, so he was on my 'hit list' as of now. Nick was no friend of mine.

"As soon as we pull up to the house, and Nick opens your door, I want you to go straight to your room, and wait for me. Do not change out of your uniform. Understand?" Vincenzo asked calmly, as I turned to look at him.

His expression hadn't changed much. He still looked angry enough to kill. And I felt like I was gonna definitely be his victim.

"Yes," I squeaked, as I made myself keep eye contact with him, until finally he nodded and looked away.

I wondered why I couldn't change my uniform, I guess he's probably taking me back to school when he's done. Blake and Zayn won't be happy with me, but they are the least of my worries.

I sat on my bed, worrying myself into an ulcer, as the time passed by slowly. Eventually it became clear to me, that I wasn't going back to school. I wanted to change out of my uniform because I was now understanding the real reason he didn't want me to change. He's gonna do what Gianni did one time, and spank me with just my panties on. Not only is that one of the most painful ways of being spanked, but talk about embarrassing!

I mean, sure he's my husband, and eventually he will see my whole body naked, but I wasn't ready for that yet. And now he's gonna not only see my ass, he's gonna spank it! What the hell?

This is some kind of nightmare.

I was just getting up to go in my closet and change, when my door opened. I sat back down instantly when I saw Vincenzo walking in, still looking every bit as angry with me.

"Where were you about to go, huh?" He asked me, as he grabbed the stool from my vanity, and sat it down right in front of me, so we could talk face to face.

"To the bathroom," I lied.

"Well go ahead. You're definitely gonna wanna go before this happens," he looked as if he didn't believe me.

"Well I.... I don't have to go anymore," I shakily whispered.

"Uh huh," he nodded, looking at me knowingly. "I see."

"So, what do you have to say for yourself, little girl?" He looked at me, curiously.

"I'm so so so sorry, Vincenzo. I wasn't thinking. I promise, I won't ever do anything like that again," I said, with deep regret.

I hadn't even been punished yet, but the fear of what was gonna happen, had me already regretting my actions.

"What exactly are you sorry for, Alessandra? Are you sorry that you disobeyed me? Are you sorry that you had me worried? Or are you just sorry that you got caught so quickly and didn't get to enjoy any time with your brothers? Huh?" He spat out angrily.

"I'm sorry for all of it! I didn't mean to make you worry, I didn't even think you would find out. I was gonna go back to school for my last period, but Gianni said I should go straight back, and he was about to take me back to school when you showed up. How did you find out so quickly?" I asked, curiously.

"Alessandra, I have so many ways of tracking your movements. There's not a moment of the day, when I don't know where you are," he sighed.

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

How could he possibly track all my movements? Maybe he gets alerts when I use the credit card, so he knew I took an Uber to my brothers house. Or maybe he tracks my phone? No, I turned my phone off when I left school, so he wouldn't know where I was.

"Don't try to figure it out, little girl. I can see those wheels turning in your head. You would never guess in a million years how I found out," he smirked, confidently.

"Whatever," I groaned, shaking my head.

"Did you know you got Blake in trouble? Because he didn't walk you to the nurses office when you told him you were going. I'm seriously thinking about just firing Blake and Zayn. Then you would have Fausto all day, he would go to every single class with you, he would stand outside the bathroom door when you went in there. He would sit with you at lunch. Oh and you wouldn't be allowed to sit with Blake and Zayn for lunch anymore either. You would just have to sit with Sophia and Fausto. And after Sophia graduates, you would just be sitting with Fausto. Is that what you want, honey? Just tell me now, and I will handle that by Monday." He barked exasperatedly.

"No please!" I begged, suddenly terrified that a spanking wasn't gonna be the only punishment I received for this indiscretion.

"Well I guess I'll see how you act this weekend then. You know tomorrow night is the announcement for me officially taking the position as Capo dei Capi. I expect you to be on your best behavior, and I better not hear about any more trouble from you this weekend. And then I will see how I feel about Blake and Zayn," he stated, blankly.

"I promise! No more trouble out of me. I swear, I will be good from now on. I have learned my lesson," I pleaded, hoping I could talk my way out of this other punishment.

"Oh no, baby. You have not learned your lesson at all, yet. But you will, before I leave this room, you will have most definitely have learned your lesson." He said, looking at me with determination in his eyes.

Oh this sucks. Well there goes all my hopes, right down the drain.

"So tell me, wife," he hissed at me with his steely eyes glaring right through me. "What made you think you could disobey me? Haven't we had many conversations about disobedience? Is it because all I've done is threaten you, and haven't carried out on any punishments yet? Well, that's about to change, today. But do tell me, what was going through that pretty little head of yours when you made this plan to run off to your brothers house?"

"I don't know really. It's just that you're never here, and I get so bored. You never spend any time with me. I only see you at breakfast or when I'm in trouble. You don't even come say 'good night' to me when you get home. I get so lonely, and I just wanted to see my brothers. They never minded spending time with me," I just laid it all out on the table.

Nothing else has helped me so far, so this time, I'm just going with the truth. He wasn't gonna believe anything I made up anyway. He's like a human lie detector or something. He always knows!

"So you thought the only way to get my attention was to get in trouble, basically. Well, you got my attention little girl," he sighed, looking a little less angry.

"Yeah I know, but it wasn't what I was hoping for," I whined, looking away, tears starting to burn at my eyelids.

"Listen, honey. I'm sorry that I have to work a lot. And I'm really sorry that you get lonely, but that's no excuse to disobey me. I absolutely will not tolerate this behavior out of you anymore. I've threatened you so many times, but you just insist on pushing me past my limits with you.

I have a lot of responsibilities to deal with, and yes, you are one of those responsibilities, and you are well taken care of. No you don't get all the time with me that you want, but that's just another part of being a Mafia wife. It's not like I mind spending time with you, I would actually prefer to spend some more time with you. I just can't right now.

And if you will learn to behave, then maybe you can have some more freedom to go see your brothers more often. But you're gonna have to show me that I can trust you first," he explained, kinda nicely.

"I guess I can try that," I sighed.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Now, go in your closet, change into some sweats, and come back out here. I was gonna take you back to school, but I got caught up with some work before I came back up here. I'm not gonna spank you without pants on. I'm not looking at your body at all until you're comfortable with it, and then it still won't be for punishment," he smirked.

I went in the closet, and did as I was told without any argument. Now is definitely not the time for arguing.

When I came back out, he was sitting on my bed, looking off into space, until he saw me walking in the room.

"Come here, Alessandra," he said, as he put the belt he was holding down on the bed.

I walked over to him, and he pulled me down on his lap sideways, and wrapped his arms around me.

"You know, I've tried really hard to avoid this. I'm not crazy about the idea of punishing you. You're a sweet girl, and I really do care about you. But today, what you did. Well, I can't let that slide. Not only did you disobey me, you also put your own life at risk by going out without a guard or any protection. Do you understand why I have no choice here?" He asked, as he squeezed me tight.

"Not really. I've never understood punishment, but what teenager do you know, that wants to understand being punished?" I asked him in a duh tone.

"Touché," he chuckled, as he started standing up. "Come on, let's get this over with," he sighed.

I stood up, and assumed the proper position, bent over the bed, hands laying flat.

I barely had time to take a deep breath, before I felt the sting of the leather, as it laid across my ass, harshly. I let out a loud shriek, as I stood to to cover my ass with my hands. I bounced around for about 3 seconds, before Vincenzo put his hand on my back, and gently pushed me back over, moving my hands out of the way.

"It will go a lot faster if you don't make me push you back down every single time. Do you need me to hold your hands for you? I don't want to hit them by accident," he asked, sounding distressed.

"No. No, it's just been a while. I'm not hardened to it anymore," I whined.

Not to mention, he spanked even harder than Gianni, which I didn't think was possible.

9 lashes later, I fell on my bed in tears. I was hurt, embarrassed, everything you can possibly imagine, I felt it. I was a crying mess.

He leaned over and started rubbing my back, trying to comfort me, but at this point, I didn't want to be comforted.

"Just go away," I said through my sobs.

"I'll send Gretchen in," he said in a somber tone.

I knew he wasn't happy that he had to do it, but in my opinion, he didn't really have to do it. Well maybe he did, I wasn't gonna stop getting in trouble until he proved that he wasn't all talk.

"I just wanna be alone," I cried.

"Okay. Dinner is in 2 hours, do you think you'll be ready to eat by then?" He sighed.

"I'll be there. Please leave me alone," I said, still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Okay," he said, as I heard the adjoining door between our rooms open and close.

I laid there and cried with Chloe snuggling up to me for about half an hour. After that, I decided to suck it up, and accept that I probably deserved it. It takes a big person to admit when they're wrong, and I guess today I decided to be that big person.

Instead, I took out my phone and answered all my texts from Sophia, Blake, Zayn, and my brothers.

By the time, Gretchen came to get me for dinner, I was all fixed up, dressed, and ready to go to the dining room. Of course, Vincenzo wasn't at dinner, I guess I had taken too much of his time this afternoon. He never really comes to dinner anyway, I was just kinda hoping he would tonight.

I laid down at about 10:30 that night, because I had to get up early to go dress shopping in the morning with Natalia. I had to have something appropriate for the coronation tomorrow night. It was gonna be a huge Mafia event, almost as big as our wedding. Everyone coming to see the new Capo dei Capi being officially announced. I was a little nervous because even though, he was the center of attention, I was supposed to hang on his arm the entire night.

Just as I was about to turn the tv off, and go to sleep, I saw the adjoining door open, and in walked Vincenzo. He looked so sexy in his grey sweats, and plain white t-shirt. Why did he have to be so handsome.

I was definitely not ready for any type of physical relationship with him, but my body sure was. Every time I see him, my body just kinda jumps to attention. I may not really want him just yet, but my stupid hormones are begging for him.

"How was dinner?" He asked, as he came to sit next to me on the bed.

"It was delicious as always. You definitely have the best chefs in the country," I complimented.

I sure hope he doesn't tell Antonio, my brothers cook, that I said that.

"That's good. I'm glad. So how are you feeling?"

"I'm better, I guess. My ass hurts, but I promise I learned my lesson this time," I smirked at him.

"I hope so, I don't wanna do that again," he sighed, looking at me sincerely.

"I know. I really do regret what I did. I didn't mean to make you worry. That was really childish of me."

"I'm glad you understand, even if you won't admit it," he chuckled.

"Yeah yeah," I smiled at him, probably one of the few times I've given him a genuine smile.

"You should do that more often, tesoro."

"Do what?" What was he talking about?

"Smile. You have the smile of an angel," he said looking at me with a new emotion in his eyes. One I had never seen before, in anyone's eyes. I wasn't sure what it was, but it didn't look bad, at least.

"T-thank you," I said, nervously looking down.

All the sudden, his finger was under my chin, directing my head back up to look at him.

"Chin up, my Queen. Or else you crown will slip," he smirked at me.

"So cliché, my King," I smirked right back at him.

"You're right. I won't try to be sweet to you anymore," he said, grinning at me playfully.

This was a new side to my husband. I actually kinda like it.

"Okay, honey. I was just coming to check on you before bed," he said, as he got up and placed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"You can always be cliché with me. I won't ever complain," I said, hoping he would start being sweet with me from now on.

"Oh I can, can I? Good to know," he chuckled. "Good night my sweet wife. I'll see you for breakfast," he said, as he walked towards our shared door.

"Goodnight, Vincenzo," I said, as I laid back down, and cuddled up with Chloe.

Kinda wishing I was cuddled up with him, instead.