by PJ Bayliss
‘Why would they not want to know?’ he asked. ‘I mean, what could possibly go wrong?’
‘A good question, but not the first time it’s been asked. Not knowing the unexpected could be a pleasant surprise, like fortune or love. It could also be bad. Like the card of death.’
A cold shiver travelled his spine. He wasn’t so sure about knowing what card was on the table, especially if it was death, so he instructed her to continue and she laid a fourth card out in front of her.
‘Three of swords. Oh, dear…’
‘What does that mean?’
‘This is your immediate future, my dear. The three of swords represents misery and pain.’
‘What, like an accident?’
‘Maybe, but it could also be a sign of betrayal, infidelity, or disloyalty.’
Chaise knew which one of those options he preferred. His heart skipped a beat at the thought as she drew the final card.
‘Okay, the knight of cups.’ she said with a smile. ‘This card represents an outcome for you, and it’s a good one.’
Chaise frowned and encouraged her to explain.
‘It’s good, because it’s a card of one’s heart. Romance and adventure is in your future. A very special card indeed.’
Chaise smiled and nodded his head, but he remained unsettled about the third card upon the table. He rolled his thumbs over each other considering what it could mean.
‘You can turn it over if you wish, my dear.’
He felt as if she had read his mind. Curiosity got the better of him and he flicked the card over.
‘The moon. A good card for you.’
‘Better than death?’ he joked.
‘Most definitely. This is a card of mystery and the subconscious mind. It is a happy card which represents dreams.’
‘Dreams?’
She nodded and smiled.
‘Tell me, I keep having this particular dream. It’s very unusual, like I’m in a hospital or something…’
The old lady reached across the table and grasped his hands tighter. She held them there together in her own hands for a moment before replying.
‘I know the very dream you speak of, dear. But I’m afraid to tell you, this is not a dream.’
‘It’s not? Then what is it?’
‘It’s a premonition.’
33
A tropical breeze blew leaves down the street and a distant rumbling of thunder sent the local seabirds for cover. Flags lifted in the wind and the local street vendors started to pack their displays’ up and take cover from the oncoming squall.
Chaise and Peyton walked back toward Federico’s. She could sense he was at ease and less agitated than when they left the villa. A couple of moments of silence passed by before Peyton eventually spoke.
‘Well? What did you think of that?’
‘The reading? I’m not sure,’ he sighed, ‘I think I may have more questions now than answers.’
‘Yes. She had that effect on me as well.’
Chaise was surprised by her remark. He’d know Peyton for most of her life, but she was quite pragmatic and usually had her feet planted firmly on the ground.Granted she enjoyed meditation, yoga, and healthy living, but her decisiveness was always impeccable.
Just as Chaise was about to ask about her reading, it started to rain. It started with lazy tropical raindrops that scattered over the pavement, then with a mighty boom of thunder it came pouring down. They looked up the street and saw a curtain of water charging toward them.
‘Quick Chaise, come this way!’ Peyton grabbed his wrist and they darted for cover along with several tourists walking nearby.
Within seconds the curtain of water hit them as they ran across the courtyard to a local café. It was closed, but they took shelter under the canvas awning along with the tourists. It was a tight fit, but they all huddled together in the entrance way as the downpour continued. Their bodies were crammed into the tiny entrance like sardines in a can as they waited for the squall to pass them by.
‘Unbelievable!’ Chaise exclaimed. ‘That arrived quick!’
‘I know! It’s been doing this all week,’ declared Peyton. ‘At least they go as quickly as they come,’ she said with a smile.
Another couple of tourists came dashing in from the rain and everybody huddled in closer to give them room. Instinctively Chaise clamped his hands around Peyton’s waist to provide enough space for the extra people. The new bodies forced Peyton to place her arms around his shoulders and move in closer to his body.
Her rain-soaked shirt had become almost completely transparent in the downpour, revealing her black laced bra beneath and sun-bronzed stomach. Chaise glanced down and admired how the air bubbles travelled against her heaving body as she breathed. His eyes followed them upward toward her firm plump breasts which were mere inches away.
Peyton noticed how his eyes fell upon her body and she pressed up even closer to him, pushing her bosom upward like an old-fashioned barmaid. She smirked to herself as Chaise swallowed back his adoration of her body.
‘Well this is cosy, isn’t it Chaise?’
Her sarcastic remark didn’t go unnoticed by Chaise who merely grinned back at her and nodded. Not willing to have his bluff called, he ran his hands over her arse and pulled her in closer.
‘This feels better, don’t you think?’
This game was fun for Peyton who had one distinct advantage being in a public place. She leant forward and whispered into his ear, ‘I have something much more comfortable in mind.’
Her words had an almost instant effect upon Chaise’s body, but as soon as it arrived, the downpour ceased and blew itself further down the street leaving a trail of steaming cobblestones in its wake. As they left the café entrance Chaise could not help but think that he felt just like a cobblestone with a desperate urge to let off steam.
◆◆◆
Everything was quiet back at the villa. Gianni’s afternoon of drinking wine had taken a toll and he had fallen asleep on the couch. Josephine’s day had been hectic so she had taken the opportunity for a siesta in the upstairs bedroom.
Chaise walked down to the end of the hallway and returned to the kitchen where Peyton was waiting. He had a fresh shirt in his hands having retrieved it from his bedroom.
‘Yup, you were right, Peyton. Carl and Adrienne are in their rooms,’ he grabbed a bottle of wine and filled her glass, ‘They’re both asleep.’
‘Well, they didn’t get much sleep last night, did they?’
Chaise chuckled. ‘Not exactly, hun. Not from what I could tell,’ he glanced toward the balcony - the only place of refuge left in the villa, and invited her to join him to watch the setting sun over the ocean. She joined him in a heartbeat, following him out of the kitchen.
He stood at the edge of the balcony and took a sip from his glass. ‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ Then he turned to face Peyton. ‘What on earth are you doing?’
Peyton stood there in her bra and skirt. She was wringing out her wet shirt and draping it over the edge of the balcony.
‘I’m soaked, and I didn’t want to wake Adrienne up.’
Chaise raised an eye, ‘You’re soaked, huh?’
‘Yes. Soaked right through.’
Like the humid and tropical atmosphere surrounding them, the tension between them was thick and sticky. Chaise couldn’t help but be drawn closer to his half naked friend. ‘Terrible thing, being soaked ‘n all.’
‘It’s not so bad. You get used to it.’
Peyton’s coy replies were driving him crazy. Growing up with her as the girl next door, she always knew how to get under his skin. Being a couple of years older, she had the advantage of knowing what a boy thought about most of the time and what they wanted. And she knew how to tease, tempt, and tantalise her young neighbour to the brink of implosion.
As that familiar urge lingered deep in Chaise’s loins, it was obvious that she hadn’t eroded her capability to push his buttons.
‘Does it happen to
you very often? Becoming soaked right through?’
‘Not always. Sometimes I’m just wet on the surface,’ she took another sip of wine, licked her lips and watched his eyes with intent. ‘I have to probe deeper to figure out if I’m soaked or not.’
Chaise knew he was playing a dangerous game, but how he wanted to probe her deep. Deep, long, and for the entire night.
‘You don’t look very wet to me now. It must be this heat.’
Peyton flicked her hair off her shoulders. ‘Trust me, Chaise, I’m soaked all right. And this heat isn’t helping one little bit,’ she couldn’t hold herself back any longer and slowly drew her fingers down his muscular chest and across his rippling stomach. Then she took the shirt he was still holding out of his hand, ‘May I?’
‘Help yourself,’ as if she could be stopped.
Peyton rubbed herself down seductively with his shirt and pretended to dry herself off. It was just a blatant ploy to remove the shirt from his possession of course, and he knew it.
‘Better?’
With a cheeky kink of her head and penetrating gaze to the sky, she replied. ‘Hmm, not really,’ she tossed the shirt to the balcony floor behind her, drawing a line in her mind that she was prepared to fight for.
‘Pity. But you know, I think I might know what your problem might be.’
Really now?’ her interest piqued. ‘What would that be then, Master Chaise?’
Master? How invigorating…
‘Well, it must be the wet clothing. Obviously.’
Chaise placed his wine glass down on a nearby table. ‘You’ve done the right thing by removing your shirt. And your bra... well, it looks pretty dry now.’
She liked where he was going with this and encouraged him to continue.
‘So, the culprit must be these…’ He knelt down at her feet and slid the palms of his hands up her calves and thighs, beneath her skirt, and up to her waist where he curled his fingers around the elastic of her panties. He slid his them back down to her ankles where she slipped out of them one leg at a time.
Peyton tried desperately to keep it together and continued to casually sip her wine, but deep inside there was a trembling going on.
It was less of a tremble in fact.
It was a tremor.
‘Is that, any better?’
Damn his infernal complacency!
‘Well, Chaise, I’m still wet,’ she seized his hand and pulled it toward her, ‘but why don't you check to see if I’m soaking?’
He didn’t need any further invitation from this vixen. She had been tempting him ever since he’d hopped off the plane in Naples, and now this game of teasing and seduction was driving him way beyond temptation.
Their eyes locked and Chaise slowly rolled her skirt upward until it sat upon her hips. They continued to look each other in the eye in a sensual standoff as he explored her inner thigh until he eventually cupped his palm over her moist goddess.
Peyton trembled as he touched her and let out a little murmur from the back of her throat. Then she broke eye contact and tried to compose herself.
‘I have you just where you need me,’ he whispered, ‘right in the palm of my hand.’
Peyton crumbled at his voice and cradled her arms upon his shoulders after placing her wine glass down. She bit her lip and closed her eyes with desire as he continued to gently massage her throbbing clit. The tips of his fingers searched for her entrance before they slowly slid inside.
‘Jesus Chaise…’ she gasped. His probing fingertips felt so good, but she wanted so much more to penetrate her. She wanted him as deep as possible inside her.
Her arms slid off him as buried his face between her crotch. She moaned with pleasure, lifting her thigh up to rest it upon his shoulder while perched on one foot. It enabled him complete access to her pussy, and he took full advantage of her bounty. Chaise buried his tongue deep inside her, relishing every drop from her aching pussy and coating her clit with saliva. It sent shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body, rousing the tremors from deep within her and bringing them up to her surface.
Beads of perspiration formed upon her forehead, but it had nothing to do with the humidity permeating from her surroundings. They could have been in the coldest reaches of Siberia and she would still find herself dripping. Peyton quickly swiped the back of her hand across her brow before running her fingers through Chaise’s hair.
He gave out a short moan as she tugged his follicles. Peyton had done it in the heat of the moment, but the result was another pulse of uncontrollable lust as he reacted with a jerking motion. She felt so compelled to grab a handful of it and pull him in tight into her crotch, but instead chose to bite her lip in restraint. As she bit down a tiny out of tune whistle emitted from her teeth when she breathed in deep.
Chaise inserted his fingers as he continued to lick her clit. She desperately tried not to whimper in case it would wake up his father a short distance away in the next room, nonetheless, she still let out a little cry. He knew what she was like, so he reached up with his other hand and cupped his palm over her mouth to hush her.
His makeshift gag compelled her to cry out with release. Ripples from her orgasm fell from her shoulders to the ground, just like the magical droplets of pleasure from between her thighs. Peyton squeezed tight onto his fingers as the waves of pleasure erupted from her body, sending streams of her juice to run down his hand, wrist, and forearm.
She collapsed in a heap and relaxed her jaw, popping Chaise’s fleshy palm from her mouth. He shook it in pain and looked at the deep teeth marks buried into the flesh of his lower palm. It hurt, bad, but was worth every ounce of pain if it satisfied her this way.
‘Shit! I’m sorry about that, hun! That must really hurt!’ she kissed it better as a token of her love.
‘Don't worry about it,’ he replied, ‘but next time, you’re getting a proper gimp.’
She was stunned, but before anything else was said, he cradled her cheek in his hand and kissed her passionately on the mouth, licking the blood from her mouth from his lips when they parted.
34
The setting sun dragged the heat of the day toward the horizon. Chaise and Peyton watched it disappear from the balcony. They were wrapped up in each other’s arms on the lounger once again with a blanket drawn over their bodies. Their naked torsos pressed up against each other as Peyton sat there between his thighs.
Josephine had risen from her slumber and came down the stairs. Seeing the pair of them in each other’s arms filled her with joy. She had always adored Peyton as a young girl growing up and hoped that one day they would pair up as something more than friends.
‘Oh, look at you two, enjoying the sunset together.’
‘Oh, hi, Mama. I didn't hear you there. Did you have a good rest?’
‘I did thank you, and I see you two are…?’
‘Drying off,’ replied Peyton. She tried to defuse any speculation on his mother’s behalf. ‘We were soaking wet during a quick shower this afternoon on our way home.’
‘Oh,’ Josephine was slightly disappointed, but sceptical at her response. ‘So, you’re watching the sunset…?’
‘Because we didn’t want to wake anyone else up. Our clothes are in the bedrooms,’ answered Chaise. ‘Carl and Adrienne are sleeping in their rooms.’
‘Oh, I see now,’ Josephine wasn’t fully satisfied at their response, but she continued to collect some of the dishes around in the kitchen. ‘There are plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight, if you two are hungry.’
‘Thanks, Mama!’ replied Chaise, as he helped Peyton quickly do her bra up beneath the blanket.
Within minutes, everyone in the house was awake. Peyton had discretely dashed off to find a dry shirt once Adrienne appeared while Chaise picked up his shirt from the balcony and proceeded to help his mother in the kitchen. Everything was back to normal as they gathered at the table for dinner.
Gianni complimented everyone on making this day special and something he would rem
ember. Chaise and Peyton exchanged a sideways glance as he thanked everyone for being on their best behaviour.
‘Did everyone manage to find their way around to meet the guests? There were some real characters there alright.’
‘Mostly, Papa. Just a couple slipped by. A group of men I saw talking to you at the end and they disappeared.’
‘Oh, I think I know who you’re talking about. Don't worry about that. They were security.’
Chaise was surprised. ‘Security? Did you hire them?’
‘Yes. I needed to. Unfortunately, there has been some trouble in the past with Federico, as you know, and they were there just in case something or somebody turned up. It’s just the nature of our business with all of the drugs and chemicals we manage,’ Gianni glanced at Adrienne. ‘And that’s why I have the plane set up like it is.’
‘I understand. So, is the mafia here, on the island?’
‘Likely, I didn’t ask for any ID,’ Gianni said with a smirk. ‘That reminds me, Chaise, I need Peyton and you to catch the morning ferry and take care of things in Naples. She knows what I’m after, and I can’t do it, just in case somebody recognises me at the crematorium.’
Chaise nodded but the lump in his throat, courtesy of Peytons' hand in his lap, ensured he remained silent.
35
Peyton scanned the dock for suspicious characters, as the ferry approached Naples before looking over her shoulder. Within minutes, the boat was moored and the ramp was let down to let the passengers off. She waved out to a dark-suited man in the distance, but he never waved back.
Chaise was curious and asked who the man was.
‘He’s our driver.’
‘Seems friendly enough,’ Chaise jested.
‘He won't want to draw attention to himself. Nor will the other one.’
‘Other one?’ Chaise scanned the dockside, ‘Why would we have two drivers?’
‘We don’t. I’ll explain in the car.’