Starving, I rummaged through the fridge to make a sandwich and was eating when they came home. Gabriele ran over to me asking if I was sick.
“No, why?”
“You stayed in bed like Nonna does if she's sick.”
Ruffling his hair, I said, “I'm fine. I was just extra tired is all.”
“Do you want to go outside and kick the ball with me?”
That was the last thing I wanted but maybe it would get rid of this hangover faster, so I did. Every time Gabriele passed the ball to me, I was extra slow at kicking it back, and he asked again if I was sick, citing my laziness. I finally confessed to feeling a tad under the weather. So we went inside where the professor's steamy eyes roamed all over me. My body heated, along with my core. This wasn't good. I couldn't stand to be all worked up like this and not have any relief in sight. He was playing with me in an unfair way.
Gabriele went up to his room to play and I hissed, “Stop looking at me like that.”
“You started it. Had you not done what you did to me last night, I wouldn't want you naked right now.”
“You want me naked?”
“I want you any way I can get you.”
“We can't. We can only be friends.” My protest was weak, sounding more like a question. “Living together is bad enough.”
“True, but no one has to know. We can be discreet.”
“So, what, we'll be fuck buddies?”
“Yes. Does that appeal to you?”
More than you'll ever know. But this man was obtuse. I didn't want to be only fuck buddies. I wanted more. Wasn’t it obvious in my tone?
“Weren't you the one who put me off in the beginning? And that was before we had Gabriele to consider. What will happen if he thinks we are more than that?”
“He won't. We'll make sure he doesn't.”
He was so sure of himself and acted like the only thing he cared about was having sex. I wanted to scream at him. All he was worried about was his dick. But there was one thing that I needed to know. Was it as spectacular as I imagined? I had to have it one more time when I was sober, so I knew.
“Maybe we can try.”
“We can do more than try.” His eyes targeted mine and it was over. There was no going back, but I also knew this was the biggest mistake I'd ever make in my life.
Chapter 26
Piper
Emma called later that afternoon.
“I have another plan.”
“No more plans.”
“You're nuts. He's the best thing with a man root in this town and you don't even care.”
“Yes, I do. We're going to be discreet fuck buddies.”
“Oh, God. I'm sweating at the thought. Is your lady garden ready?”
“What do you mean?”
“When was the last time you had it waxed and pampered?”
“I shave. Isn't that enough.”
“We need to go to the spa. Get ready. I'll pick you up in thirty.”
“But...” I was talking to empty air. She'd already hung up. Damn her. I was dressed so there wasn't much to do but wait. I told Alessandro she needed my help and I'd be gone for a couple of hours.
When Emma showed up, she never waited in the car, but always came inside. I expected it was to ogle the hot professor. This time he was out in the back with Gabriele.
“Where is he?”
“Outside.”
“Damn. Let's go then.”
On the way, she told me her usual girl wasn't available, but they'd booked me with someone else.
“That's fine as long as she's good.”
The girl didn't look much older than fifteen, and I worried about that. She assured me she was licensed and experienced, which satisfied me.
However, when she placed the first pile of wax on me and then peeled it off, something didn't feel right. I'd been waxed before, but had never experienced this sensation. My nether region began tingling, which soon turned into a raging burn. By then she had done both sides and I was close to screaming on the table.
She called in her supervisor and they applied all sorts of concoctions on me, including ice, but it was too late. My lower lips had swelled to the size of those wiener dog balloons I used to get at the carnival when I was a kid. Jesus, how was I going to walk?
“It must've been from all that fucking you did last night,” Emma gleefully said.
“How can you act so happy about this. My pussy looks like a bald Dachshund.” I had an ice pack stuffed into the crotch of my jeans. “How am I going to walk into the house like this?”
“Hmm. Good question. Maybe you can call him and have him take the boy outside until you can get to your room.”
“And then what? Hide up there until I de-swell? And what am I going to do about pants?”
“Wear dresses.”
“It's freezing out.”
“Maybe you should go to the doctor.”
I shot her a glance that would shrivel most human beings. But Emma was a cop and dealt with the dregs of humanity. It didn't work. “Never mind. Take me home. I'll tell him the truth.”
We drove to the house and I called him from the driveway. “Um, er, can you, um. Here's the thing. I have a slight problem that has to do with swelling.”
“What?”
“See, I went to get waxed.”
“Waxed?”
“You know, my, um, private parts?”
“Oh, I see.”
“No, you don't. Apparently, the wax didn't like me too much and I had a reaction. I'm swollen and can't walk very well.”
“I don't...” Then it happened. He barked out a laugh that my sisters probably heard back in New York. “I have to see this.”
“What? No, you can't see. I want you to get Gabriele out of the way so I can get to my room. My jeans are stuffed with an ice pack.”
“An ice pack.” Another guffaw nearly deafened me. Then I made the mistake of glancing at Emma. Her hand was over her mouth attempting to stifle her laugh. I was going to kill someone today, and it was going to be her.
“Alessandro, can you just do as I ask?” I growled into the phone.
“Yes, okay. Give me a couple of minutes.”
I got out of the car with my legs apart. It wasn't easy. I leaned in and said, “You're dead to me.” Then I waddled inside.
The steps were the worst. All I wanted was the biggest ice cube in the world to sit on. The first thing I did was strip off my jeans and replace them with loose-fitting, stretchy pants. Next, I carefully slid onto my bed and lay there with my legs spread like a hussy waiting for my next customer. God, could this get any worse?
Of course it could because my name was Piper West and my life was full of fucktastrophes like this.
A light knock crashed my pity party, followed by the appearance of two curious faces. One beheld an adorable set of eyes that held a considerable amount of concern and the other? I won't describe what was hidden in those hazel depths.
“Piper, are you all right? Papa said you hurt yourself.”
Great. Now what was I going to tell this inquisitive mind? “Yes, I sort of pulled a, um, groin muscle.” That was the only reasonable lie I could come up with.
“What's a groin?”
“Gabriele, maybe your Papa should explain.”
That caught the sneaky devil off guard.
“Piccolino, it's a muscle at the top of your leg.”
“Show me.”
He pointed to his crotch.
“Oh. Does it hurt?”
“Yeah, it does, but I'll be better tomorrow or the next day.”
“I know, I'll bring you a cookie.” He hurried out of the room and his feet pounded down the steps.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus.” I glowered at Alessandro.
“I didn't know what else to say. Can I see?”
“No! And my cookie will be here momentarily.”
Sure enough, the little guy's footsteps were on the way back up the steps. In his hand were no
t one, but two cookies and a sucker. “Here.” His toothy smile was infectious.
I held out my arms. “Can you climb up here to hug me? That might make me better faster.”
He scrambled onto the bed and his tiny arms went around me and squeezed.
“Wanna know something?” I asked.
“What?”
“You give the best hugs I've ever had.”
“Ever?” His little brows arched.
“Yep. They're top-notch.”
“Papa, did you hear that? My hugs are top-notch.”
“They are the very best,” Alessandro agreed.
“Gabriele, why don't you bring one of your puzzles in here and we can put it together?”
“Yesss!” He ran out of the room and was back with several puzzle boxes. “Which one?”
“You choose.” That night we put four of his puzzles together and then went into Alessandro's room and watched a movie on his TV. When it was dinnertime, they brought mine up to me. I had never been cared for so well.
At Gabriele's bedtime, he came and hugged me goodnight and told me he'd ask God, Jesus, and the angels to make me better. “I think you should sleep with Papa tonight. In case you need something so you don't fall or anything.” This child was simply amazing.
Alessandro came back into the room with a glint in his eye. “Now will you show me?”
“Is that all you can think of?”
“No. I thought I would kiss it and make it better.”
“I'll show you under one condition.”
“What?”
“You have to promise first.”
“I promise.”
“You cannot laugh, under any circumstances, or you can't ever look at it again.”
He agreed and when I slipped off my pants, I did not expect his reaction.
His face turned ashen, and then he passed out. I rolled out of the bed and patted his cheeks until he moaned.
“Alessandro, are you okay?”
“Uhhh.” He went to sit up, but I stopped him.
“Wait a minute. You just fainted so you need to take it easy.”
“You need to see a doctor about that.”
“You think?”
“Piper, that looks terrible. It's much worse than you described.”
He handed me a mirror and it did look pretty bad down there. “It's already getting better. Tomorrow it'll be fine. You should've seen it earlier.”
When I didn't get a response, I wondered why and I found him on the floor, passed out again.
Chapter 27
Alessandro
“Alessandro, wake up!” I opened my eyes to see Piper leaning over me, tapping my cheeks.
“What happened?”
“You fainted again.”
“Again?”
“Yes. Why didn't you tell me you were such a sissy?”
“I'm not a sissy.”
She laughed at me. “Yes, you are. You fainted twice.”
“Yeah. I don't like that kind of stuff.”
“Then why did you look at it?”
“I thought you were exaggerating.”
Her gray eyes widened and for a moment there, I was worried I'd have to pop them back into their sockets.
“Why the hell would I exaggerate about being allergic to the wax they used on me?”
“No idea.” I moved to sit up but a wave of dizziness hit me.
“Put your head between your knees.”
“Okay, but I'm sure I just moved too fast.”
She knelt next to me and it was the most awkward position. This whole scene struck me as funny. “Aren't we the pair right now?”
She let out a chuckle as did I.
“Care to tell me anything else that makes you faint?”
I confessed, “Blood. But not a few drops. It has to be a lot.”
“Got it. No blood.”
“What about you?”
“I'm tough. I've never fainted.”
Didn't that make me feel like a real man? Able to sit up at last, I moved to the bed until I was sure it wasn't going to happen again.
“All good over there?” She duck walked to the bed.
“Can you quack?”
“Okay, Mr. Smart Ass. I could make some wisecracks too, but I'm nicer than that.”
Instead of a comeback, I went to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To get you more ice.”
“Is there more? I thought I took it all. That's one annoying thing about the freezers here. They don't have ice makers.”
“It's you Americans. I don't know why you have such an obsession with cold things.”
“Because it makes everything better, even swollen body parts. You should try it sometime.” Her brows rose.
“Don't get any ideas of using it on me.”
The mischievous glint that appeared in her eyes, along with her grin made me wary of where I'd find that ice.
I left the room to a series of chortles. She was right. I found a few of the cubes had frozen but not all of them.
When I came back empty-handed, she asked if I'd done that due to me being a pussy.
I sputtered out a laugh. “Where do you come up with this?”
“I knew you were afraid of ice.”
“I'm not afraid of it.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Then prove it.”
I took pleasure in telling her it would have to wait.
“Tomorrow then. I'm already de-swelling. By the morning, I should be nearly normal and tomorrow night the ice supply will be recharged.”
“You're incorrigible.”
“Maybe, but I'm fun too. You might like having your balls plunged in ice.”
My hand instantly reached for said balls. “They'll run away from you forever.”
“Then your cock.”
“Are you deliberately trying to provoke me into doing something extra wicked to you in return?”
“I might be. But I've done ice play before and it's fun.”
A surge of jealousy spiked through me and I wanted to tell her to shut up. It wasn't fair, because I'd known she'd had previous lovers before me. She wasn't a virgin, nor was I. I'd been married for fuck's sake so why in the hell was I jealous?
“Hmm, no snarky response?”
“No.” My curt answer put frown lines between her eyes.
“Hey, sorry. I shouldn't have gone there. That was a bit personal.”
“No, it's fine. It's not like I didn't know you had other lovers before me.”
“True, but talking about it isn't very nice. I tend to run my mouth.”
“You do? I hadn't noticed.”
She slapped my arm and I grabbed her hand when she did. God, I loved the feel of her. Everywhere, and not just when we fucked. Her skin was so soft and flawless. Though her hair was dark, her skin was the color of cream. With her gray eyes, she had an almost exotic look about her. Desire coursed through me, leaving me with a stiff cock and nowhere to put it.
I followed her gaze and she saw my dilemma.
“I can help you with that.”
“I won't ask you to.”
“You didn't. I offered.” Her nimble fingers quickly unzipped my pants and had me exposed before I inhaled. Taking me deep into her warm mouth, she sucked me into the back of her throat, hard, and then pulled up, spending sweet time on my sensitive tip. Down she went again and resumed her rhythm. I was lost and close. Her lips added pressure as she sucked and her actions sent me off the edge much faster than I wanted.
“You're fantastic with your mouth,” I told her before pulling her up to kiss her. “Piper,” I breathed into her. “You are lovely.”
She didn't answer but kissed me back with passion. I wanted more, more than she could give at the moment, considering her condition.
“Do you think I can return the favor?” I asked.
She gave me a questionable look. “Not a chance. Two fainting spells in one day isn't a go
od thing.”
“I won't faint again. I know what to expect.”
“Gee, that makes me feel good.”
“You're beautiful all over. I've seen you when you were normal.”
“Normal?”
I was digging myself into a deeper hole. “You know what I mean.” I rubbed my face. “I would love to lick you all over. Among other things.”
“Thanks, but I'm going to pass. I can't. It's best if we skip that for a day. But I'll take a raincheck.”
“Raincheck?”
“That means you owe me one.”
“I'll gladly pay up.” We watched another movie, of her choice and then fell asleep.
Piper woke me around two in the morning, whimpering. I didn't understand what was happening at first and I thought Gabriele was in bed with me. But then the low light cast a glow on her long dark locks, and I listened to what she was saying. She was caught in a dream, and kept repeating, “Mom, don't leave. Please don't die. You can't leave.” Then she'd cry some more. I reached over to her and gently woke her.
“You're having a dream and you were crying.”
She sat up, wiping her eyes. “It was so real. My mom was in her bed at home, sick. Every time I looked at her, she was fading away more and more. I begged her to stay, but she told me she had to leave. It was awful.”
I pulled her to my side and held her until her tears dried up.
“It must be because it's coming up on one year.” She sniffed.
I reached for some tissues to hand her. “It's good that you can grieve for her. Some people hold everything inside and don't talk of it. It can destroy you.”
“Is that what happened to your dad?”
“No, he talked about it. He just never found someone he loved as much as my mother.”
“I'm pretty sure that will be my dad too.”
We lay back down and she held onto me. “Thank you. I'm sorry I hated you. You're pretty nice after all.”
“You're not so bad either.” We drifted back to sleep in each other's arms.
Chapter 28
Piper
December turned blistering cold as we neared the holidays. I was extremely busy with projects for my degree as the push was on. We had time off for Christmas and oral exams right before. I wanted to get my shopping done too, as I had gifts to buy for the twins, my two sisters, Dad, Evan, and now Alessandro and little Gabriele. And my brain was focused on school, so I had no idea what to get anyone.
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