Mafia's Doll

CHAPTER NINE

Maybelline

We walked through the large automatic doors of the mall, Romano's arm wrapped tensely around my waist. I could tell he was holding back, trying not to hurt me, by the way the veins in his hand bulged. 

"Clothes first, bambola?" He asked, softening his voice so as not to scare me.

"Yes, please," I said softly, fiddling with the end of my loose ponytail.

Romano led me toward the nearest clothing store, not even sparing a glance at the worker who greeted us at the door. 

The rows of hanging clothes were a lot fancier than what I was used to; Vincent rarely bought me jeans, let alone the designer dresses & tuxedos adorning this store. 

"What do you want, doll?" Romano asked, looking down at me with softened eyes. 

I looked back up at him, shrugging. "I don't know... I've never really gone shopping before..."

I trailed off when he immediately snapped his fingers at the nearest female retail worker. She hurried over, bouncy brown curls slightly tousled from rushing around the store. 

"How can I help-" She began, but Romano cut her off impatiently. 

"My girl needs dresses. Now. Go find what would look best on her." He demanded, and I winced at his harsh tone. 

She gave me a quick once-over, before scurrying off to find what she could. 

"Wh-why were you so mean to her?" I whispered, eyes wide. 

He held me close, stroking my hair. "I'm sorry, May, darling, I know. People piss me off sometimes." My brows furrowed slightly; what had that girl done?

He kissed me softly on the forehead. "After this, I'll buy you whatever you want for lunch, okay?" 

"Mm-hmm," I hummed, leaning into him. 

The girl came rushing back, arms laden with five or so dresses ranging from fancy to casual. Well, as casual as you could get with a price tag that high. 

"Right this way, please. We have change rooms in the back." She kept her eyes on the floor, clearly intimidated by Romano. She led us back toward the back wall, guiding us through a door into a small change room with sofas. There was a compartment off to the side, concealed by red satin curtains, and it was within there that she placed the dresses on a small stool. 

She nodded to us - namely Romano, as she walked back out, closing the door behind her. 

Romano slid smoothly into the sofa nearest the small changing compartment. 

"Go for it, doll." He said with a half-grin. "Give me a show." 

I walked over and pulled aside the curtains, before closing them behind me again. I shimmied out of my jeans and t-shirt, laying them gently on the floor next to the stool. With wide eyes, I picked up the first folded dress of the pile. Chiffon, I thought the fabric was called. It was a soft rose color. 

I step into it carefully; luckily, I didn't need Romano's help to zip it up. 

The soft fabric was tighter around my torso, but fluttered out around my thighs. The fabric ended right above my knees, showing off the pale skin I was so unused to having on display. The sleeves were fitted down to my elbows, before flaring out slightly, a looser, thinner layer of fabric that fell nearly to my wrists. 

I took a deep breath before stepping out from the curtain, apprehensively looking over at Romano for his reaction. 

His eyes burned holes in my skin through the dress as he surveyed me from top to bottom.