Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 702 -

*Caterina*

'I wonder who that is?' I asked myself.

But I wasn't able to get up and check since my mom was still talking to me.

"Oh, Cat, it's so good to hear that the semester has been going well for you," she said.

I mindlessly smiled over the rim of my glass and gave a short nod. I couldn't get Elio's expression out of my mind, and I worried about what was going on. He had looked strained and slightly anxious, which made my stomach churn for him. Everyone's voices started to muffle out in my head and I found myself starting to physically pull away.

"Cat?" my mom asked. "Is everything alright?"

I gave another smile and a nod. "Oh, yes. I'm just-uh, need to freshen up my glass," I said meekly.

I quickly turned away before getting caught up in another question. I squeezed through a few people while trying to ignore the guilty feeling in my chest. Once I glanced back, that disappeared as I saw her chatting with Franky again-with a smile on her face.

I furrowed my brow, curious about that, but I was glad Mom had someone to talk to besides just me all the time. I was so thankful that she liked her cottage, and it was nice to keep up our early morning coffee chats, though it was a few steps more to reach her in the mornings from the main house.

I was still in the middle of adjusting to the new home Elio had moved us into just a short while ago, and happy that the party was going well, since it was our first official dinner party in our new compound. It was bigger and grander than any place I'd ever lived before.

Truthfully, I never anticipated living in such a breathtaking place. But now that Elio had been officially brought up to the top of the pyramid, it only made sense. As stunning as the whole set up was, the place was wired with the best security system and possessed more guard coverage than ever before.

Instead of actually refilling my glass, I'd set it down on the nearest surface and slipped away from the crowded room. I did my best to be as elusive as Elio, not wanting to attract any attention to myself as I stepped out.

I glanced around the front of the house until I spotted Elio standing near the foot of the long driveway.

He had his phone pressed to his ear and his head slightly tucked down.

For a brief moment, I actually contemplated leaving him alone. Obviously, he was looking for privacy, yet something in my gut was telling me that I needed to be at his side.

I wasn't sure who he was on the phone with him when so many of the usual suspects were already here. I gradually made my way down the steps and down the narrow path to where he was. By the time I reached him, Elio had ended the call and let out a startling sound of frustration.

My eyes widened and my stomach dropped to the ground in pending dread.

"What's happened?" I asked him pointedly. I held my arms close to my chest as though that would help me keep some sense of stability.

Elio turned to look at me and this time let out a long sigh. He closed his eyes and rubbed a rough hand over his face.

"It was my dad," he said. "He knows about everything."

With that, my entire body went stiff. My brows raised with worry and my nerves coiled with uneasiness in light of this revelation. "Oh," I murmured.

More like 'oh shit' was what I truly wanted to say. But Elio didn't need any more reminders of what a sticky situation we were in.

He grunted and raked his fingers through his hair. "I knew he'd replace out eventually," he huffed. "I just hoped that I would have had a little more time before...."

I closed what little distance was between us and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. My chest ached when I heard the anguish in his voice. I knew it bothered Elio enough that his parents weren't here to be a part of this new chapter in his life.

The strain between him and his dad was growing tighter and tighter over the last year, between working with Alessandro as well as dealing with Antonio and Junior.

I've known for a while what Elio's father thought about the whole Don business and the pressure it was putting on Elio.

He had told me multiple times about his dad's opinion on the matter as a whole, and never once did it seem like the man would ever come around to accepting Elio's position. And each time I did my best to assure him that what his father needed was time to adjust.

But part of me knew, deep down, that the likeliness of Gio ever fully accepting Elio's choice to immerse himself in this sort of life was slim to nothing. And in all honesty, I truly couldn't blame the man for feeling that way.

Gio knew, unlike most people, the dangers and ongoing threats that came with this type of life. No matter how many security and safety measures were put in place, Elio and I would always be looking over our shoulders for the next upcoming threat.

I realized that when someone stepped into the role as the new Don, they inherited a lot more than just the title.

Gio knew this. And instead of offering some kind of helpful insight into what his son could possibly expect, he was choosing to be cold and resentful about it all.

"What did he say?" I asked softly.

Elio shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing decent, I'll say that," he muttered. "He basically called to 'congratulate' me. But I knew he didn't actually mean it. It sounded spiteful and filled with sarcasm."

Again, my heart ached. I held him tighter and rested my head against his shoulder, wanting to comfort him the best that I could at the moment. I knew that the last thing Elio wanted was to fight with his father.

As much as I wanted to fully sympathize with the tension between Elio and his dad, I found myself wavering between each side. I wanted to be one-hundred percent supportive of Elio and his choice to be the new Don. After all, that was what I wanted as well.

But I also understood why Gio was acting that way toward his son.

It reminded me of the talks my mom used to give me about my dad. She wasn't all that crazy about me getting involved in this sort of business either.

What sort of parent would be happy knowing that their child would always be in some type of imminent danger?

It seemed like Elio and I were placed in the middle of an unwinnable tug of war.

"I'm sorry," I told him sincerely. "I know this tension between you and your dad is rough. But you have to live your life and be happy for yourself, not him."

I knew that this was something easier said than done. And from what I had always seen, Elio was close to his parents. They supported him and cared for him, only wanting what was best.

For a split second, Elio pulled back to glance down at me. His expression was filled with wonder and astonishment.

"How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?" he asked.

I could feel a deep shade of pink spreading across my cheeks. A small smile slowly curled the corners of my mouth.

It was like the air around us lightened tremendously, and I was more than happy to take advantage of it.

With a raised brow, I trailed my hand up his chest and peered deep into his eyes.

"Oh, lucky, huh?" I smirked. "I don't know about that...."

Elio drew his brows together in question.

"Why's that?"

"Because, if we were really that lucky, you and I wouldn't be outside at the foot of the driveway right now," I informed him.

"No? Where would we be then?"

My smile deepened while an arousing heat of lust pooled beneath my stomach. I reached further up to curl my fingers through his thick hair, loving the soft, silky feel of him. "We'd be upstairs in the bedroom. No more party. No more people. Just us," I hushed.

Elio traced my bottom lip with the calloused pad of his thumb. His eyes grew hooded as the tip of my tongue peeked out to swipe against him. A disgruntled groan tore from his throat. "What else?" he pushed.

A jolt of excitement wound through me as I felt the hardness of his muscles tense beneath my hands.

"Our clothes are lying scattered all over the floor and I'm on my knees in front of you-hmm!"

Elio let out a sharp curse before diving down to capture my lips in a soul-searing kiss. His tongue pressed against the seam of my mouth, demanding entrance. I happily gave it to him along with the silent acceptance of having his hands feel up the length of my body.

"You drive me fucking nuts," he hissed. "I ought to tear this dress off of you and bend you over the hood of this car."

A sharp gasp slipped past my lips. Holy shit I shouldn't have entertained such an idea for as long as I did. Not that Elio was actually going to act on his word, but the thought of it happening was enough to make me wet between my thighs. Instead, he continued to kiss me with longing and heavy passion until a sudden sound caused us both to turn our heads.

Leo stood just a few feet away with his hand curled up to his mouth, coughing.

Elio raises his brows, giving him the silent message, 'This better be good.'

"Alessandro wants to talk with you," Leo explained.

Elio nodded his head and gave me one last squeeze before heading back toward the house. I felt instantly colder now that he'd left my side. I glanced back at Leo and awkwardly folded my arms over my chest. "What's that about?" I asked him.

Why did Alessandro need to talk to Elio so soon?

But Leo merely shrugged in response. The guy tilted his head to the side, gesturing toward the front door.

"Come on, we should head back too."

I raised a skeptical brow, knowing fully well that there was more than I was being told. Regardless, I followed Leo back into the house and rejoined the party as though I was never missed.

I wasn't entirely concerned about not being invited to join in on the conversation between Elio and Alessandro, because I knew that in the end, Elio was going to fill me in on it later.