Adriana came bounded down the front steps as I climbed from the car.
“I have a friend with me, Joe’s daughter, Evelyn. She’s coming with us,” I said.
“A friend?” Adriana said with a laugh.
“Yes, she’s just a friend.”
Adriana climbed into the back of the car. “Evelyn, I’m Adriana. It’s good to meet you.”
“It’s good to meet you too,” Evelyn replied.
I pulled away from the drive when Adriana started to speak in our own dialect. Evelyn may be Italian, and I knew could speak the language, but she wouldn’t understand our dialect.
“English or Italian, Adriana,” I said.
“I’m sorry, Evelyn, sometimes I forget. Rocco, Mamma has been on the phone. She wants you to call.”
“I will, later.”
I drove to a pizzeria with a courtyard in the back. It was a nice autumn day and the sun was still high. Adriana rambled on about village life. There was no more mention of the Englishman, instead she was now into American TV and could I persuade Mamma to invest in one.
“You won’t get the same programmes back home,” I reminded her.
I loved my sister but when she was in company she was excitable, she chatted non-stop. She included Evelyn in the conversation though, which pleased me. With our meal finished, I stood to leave.
“Oh, not time to go home already? Can we go to a bar?” Adriana said.
“No, you’re too young for bars,” I replied.
“You must bring Evelyn home, Rocco, meet Mamma.”
I glared at her. “Come on, it’s time to go.”
Her comment had annoyed me. I had told her Evelyn was just a friend and she wouldn’t know if Evelyn knew my reason for leaving the village. There was no way I was ever going to risk taking her to my village and Adriana would know that. Despite chatting all the way back to where she had been staying, Adriana knew she had riled me. She could be very manipulative when she wanted to be.
“I’ll collect you later, drive you to the airport,” I said as we pulled on the drive.
Adriana lent forwards and kissed my cheek, she did the same to Evelyn then, after giving me a wink, she left the car. I guessed I was brooding and before I knew it, in silence, we had arrived back at my house.
“Sorry, I don’t like that she’s going home. I wanted her and my mother to come here, to leave the farm, but Mamma won’t,” I said by way of an explanation.
“Will your uncle look after them?” she asked.
“Yes, but I know they would be safer here. Come on, I don’t want to talk about them anymore, it’ll spoil the evening.”
We made our way into the house and once the front door was closed, I pulled her into my arms. She calmed me; she stilled the anger and sadness that had flooded my body earlier.
“What do you want to do?” I asked.
It was the smirk on her lips, the glint in her eye that had me laughing. She raised her eyebrows at me—she wanted me and that was a feeling that I liked, a lot.
Taking her hand, I led her to the bedroom. She bunched my t-shirt in her hands, raising it over my head; she kissed me as I undid the buttons of her blouse. I unclipped her bra, the need to feel her bare skin under my hand was consuming me. I cupped a breast, her soft skin too tempting. I lowered my head, taking a hard nipple in my mouth as she popped the buttons on her trousers.
She gripped my hair pulling my head to hers. Her kiss was feverish, that time she took control and walked me backwards to the bed until I fell. I watched her strip for me; she took her time, each movement slow and deliberate until she was naked. I reached forward grabbing her wrist and pulling her on top of me. It was when she ground herself against me that I moaned.
Rising onto her knees she ran her hands down my chest, over my stomach to the top of my jeans. Way too slowly she unbuttoned them, teasing me. I raised my hips to allow her to pull them down. She ran her fingertips around the waistband of my shorts sliding them down my legs. I kicked them off; they joined my jeans at the bottom of the bed.
She lowered her head and her long hair brushed against my skin like a feather. She kissed my stomach; her soft lips had my skin electrified. Her mouth moved down to my cock. Her tongue played over the tip, lapping up a small bead of fluid before she opened her mouth and lowered her head.
I winced as her teeth ran along the underside of my cock, a little too rough.
“Gently,” I said.
She flattened her tongue using it as a shield as she sucked my cock. Her hot mouth tightened around me. I gripped her hair, raised my hips and she took me further into her mouth.
I needed to come, I pulled her head away and she replaced her mouth with her hand. She gently grasped and stroked, I covered her hand with mine and guided her. She cupped my balls with her other, her nails gently scraping over the skin. I couldn’t hold back any longer and I called out her name as I came. I couldn’t supress the laughter as I watched her. She was fascinated by the milky fluid that ran through her fingers, her thumb spread my come across her palm. I handed her some tissues.
“Your turn,” I said.
Evelyn lay beside me, I propped myself on one elbow as my hand trailed down her stomach to her already parted legs. She was so wet; her juices had smeared on her thighs. I resisted the urge to lick her clean; instead I fucked her with my fingers. To feel her, to watch her arch her body from the bed and call out my name washed anyway any doubt I had. To see her give herself to me freely, surrendering herself, caused my heart to ache.
It was when she cried, when she fell apart around my fingers, when she came and called out my name, that I knew I loved her.
Before she could compose herself I moved on top of her. I rolled a condom down my cock as quick as possible and pushed into her. I needed to fuck her, to own her, to posses her. She met my thrusts; she wrapped her legs around my waist encouraging me deeper, faster and harder. Her nails scraped down my back, the sting spurred me on until sweat rolled from my forehead. She came, I came. At that moment, my heart broke.
My heart broke not because I couldn’t love her the way she needed, not because I wouldn’t marry her, but because I didn’t believe we had a future.
****
I didn’t see Evelyn the following day and I ached for her. I ached for her touch, her smell and just to hear her voice. Joe was returning from his meeting. I was to meet him and bring him up to speed on business. I had hoped that meeting would have been at the office. I was dismayed to find out he wanted to return home, to meet there. I wasn’t avoiding Evelyn; I was avoiding her father noticing any attraction between us.
Joe opened the front door and was immediately assaulted by Joey. Evelyn followed behind and into her father’s embrace. She smiled over to me; I ignored her for fear of giving anything away. I saw her frown and it pained me. She took Joey from Joe and headed to the kitchen, we entered Joe’s office.
“So, Rocco, I hear you have a girlfriend,” he said.
I said the first thing that came to mind. “No, just having a bit of fun, Joe. No one important.”
I hadn’t finished my sentence when Evelyn came in the office with a tray of coffee. She gasped and I watched her hands shake, the coffee spill and burn her fingers.
“Always so clumsy,” Joe said with a shake of his head.
She rushed from the room; I wanted to follow her, to check she was okay and to explain. I sat for five maybe ten minutes before the urge to see her took over.
“Need a piss,” I said as I stood.
I closed the office door behind me and headed for the kitchen. Evelyn was nowhere to be seen. I crept upstairs, her bedroom door was ajar but she wasn’t there.
“She’s gone,” I heard.
Maria had opened her bedroom door so silently, I hadn’t realised she was watching me.
“Gone where?”
“I don’t know, she’s gone out. I saw her leave,” she replied before closing her door again.
I made my way back to the office
, concerned. Evelyn was an adult, she was entitled to leave her own home whenever she wanted but she had heard what I’d said and I wanted to explain my reasons for saying it.
Our meeting went on, it grew dark and with that my anxiety increased. Evelyn should have been home. Joe called for her as he wanted more coffee, but received no answer. He searched the house as I had done to be told by Maria that she had left hours ago.
“Evelyn is out alone in the dark,” he said as he returned to the office.
“I’ll go and see if I can find her. She probably got caught up with a friend,” I said.
I noticed Jonathan look at me but avoided his stare. I pulled on a jacket and lit a cigarette as I walked to my car. The night was chilly and I hoped she had thought to take a coat with her. I was annoyed, angry that she had run off, but most of that anger was because I worried for her. As safe as DC was during the day, as safe as the family made the streets, there was always someone wanting either revenge or to make a point and whether she realised or not, Evelyn was an easy target. She had more freedom than most in her position.
I drove up and down the streets, searched in the most obvious places I could think of. I checked a couple of bars knowing she wouldn’t be there alone but ticking them off my list. I cruised past the church, it’s doors long since locked but it was place she found calming. Eventually I decided to head back to the house in case I had missed her. Jonathan met me on the drive.
“She’s back, came home half an hour ago,” he said.
“Thank fuck for that.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, Rocco, but you need to be careful.”
“Jonathan, I love her but I know we can’t be together. I’ll stay away for a few days. I need to think, maybe I need to end this.”
“Have you…” Jonathan didn’t need to finish his sentence. I nodded.
He sighed. “You’ll break her heart,” he said.
“I know, but what choice do I have?”
“Talk to Joe?”
“She’s eighteen, he would never give his blessing.”
With that I left and a sadness engulfed me. I’d said aloud what I felt and that love wouldn’t fade overnight, if it ever did.
Chapter Six
It seemed that I was being kept away from the house and I wondered if Jonathan had told Joe. I kept myself busy but no matter what I did I couldn’t erase Evelyn from my mind. She occupied my thoughts night and day. The evenings were worse, I could smell her in my bed, on the pillow that I hugged to me each night afraid to wash it and lose her. I lasted four days.
I’d been at the club; initially to check on stock but a few whiskeys later I had an idea. It was early hours of the morning when I drove to Joe’s. I had the window wound down allowing the night air to fill the car and sober me up. I was being reckless I knew that, but the desire to see her out-weighed getting caught.
The house was in darkness; there was no sign of anyone still awake as I quietly entered. I crept up the stairs remembering which one creaked and avoiding it. I paused outside her bedroom door. It was at the opposite end of the house to Joe’s and I thanked my lucky stars for that. I opened the door as quietly as I could and closed it behind me. I stood for a moment allowing my eyes to adjust. The drapes were open and the moon shone through illuminating her. She had thrown the sheets from the bed and wore a thin t-shirt, a t-shirt that once belonged to me.
Her hair fanned out over the white pillowslips, one arm was thrown over her head as she lay on her back. The t-shirt did nothing to conceal the white cotton panties she wore.
I moved to the side of the bed. At first I just wanted to look at her but as I kneeled, she stirred.
I placed my hand over her mouth as she opened her eyes.
“Shush, it’s just me,” I said as I removed my hand. I hadn’t wanted her to scream out in fright.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I couldn’t stay away. I tried but I can’t.”
I sat on the edge of her bed and ran my hands through my hair. She reached for a bedside lamp.
“You’re drunk,” she said.
“No, I was but not now. I needed to see you.”
“You’ve ignored me all week. Why now? It’s the middle of the night.”
“I’m sorry, Evelyn. We need to talk but I think your father knows. He’s kept me away from the house. I’ve tried to find a reason to come here and he seems to be blocking it.” It wasn’t entirely true but in my sleep-depraved brain it seemed to make sense at the time.
She sat up and as she did the t-shirt rose, bunching around her waist, exposing the smooth skin of her thigh. I placed my hand on it, my thumb just brushed against the cotton of her panties.
“No, if you want to talk, that’s what we’ll do,” she said as she pushed my hand away.
“Not here, Ev. If he catches me in your bedroom, that will be it for us.”
“Tomorrow then. Find an excuse to pick me up from work. I’ll tell Papa that I’m going straight out, I won’t be home for dinner.”
I rested my hand on the side of her face, leant forward and kissed her gently.
“Tomorrow,” I whispered.
****
I was on edge the whole day at the office, checking my watch frequently. Twice Joe had spoken to me and I hadn’t heard. It was Jonathan kicking me under the desk that brought me back to attention.
“Rocco, what’s on your mind?” Joe asked.
“Nothing, a little tired I guess,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Maybe a woman kept him up late,” he said with a laugh to Jonathan.
I tried very hard not to show any emotion. Jonathan glared at me and Paulo sniggered.
“Jonathan, let’s go home, let Rocco recover from his excesses,” Joe said.
I walked with them to the door, the door that Paulo was sitting beside. Closing it behind them I leant down.
“Snigger like that again and I’ll cut your fucking throat, understand?” I snarled.
Paulo had seen me with Evelyn; he was not someone I trusted fully.
“Okay, okay,” he replied, raising his hands in defence.
I snatched the car keys from the desk and headed out. My car was parked right outside the office in a no stop zone; we never got a ticket of course. The local cops overlooked our parking arrangements. Paulo followed; he would normally drive but I waved him off. I was heading home.
Stripping off, I climbed under the shower. I stood for a while just letting the hot water flow over me. Thoughts of Evelyn’s naked body filled my mind and my cock started to twitch. I placed one hand on the tiled wall in front of me, the other I wrapped around my hard cock feeling the silky skin under my fingers. Slowly at first, I ran my hand up and down, my thumb rubbing over the tip. In my mind I saw Evelyn’s hand, her mouth stretched around my cock, and her pussy. My mouth watered as I remembered her taste, her smell and how she felt against my tongue.
I stroked harder, faster, allowing the moan to escape that had been building. I felt my stomach tense, my balls tighten and I came. White milky fluid spurted over my hand, mixing with the water from the shower. But it didn’t satisfy my desire for her.
At ten minutes before five o’clock I left the house to collect Evelyn. I saw her standing outside her office; she smiled as she crossed the road to join me. I was still tense; my body ached for her touch. At first I didn’t speak, she must have thought me such a jerk but I needed to breathe in her scent, to have her calm me. I reached over and took her hand. Just her touch was enough and I took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere hopefully no one knows us,” I said with a chuckle.
Joe had recently acquired a new restaurant. The owner could no longer pay the repayments on his loan so Joe had taken over the property. In one way it was a win win situation. The owner got to stay, his apartment was above the restaurant, without the debt strangling him. Okay, so he lost the business he h
ad spent his life building up but he received all the earnings and had to pay rent; rent that was lower than the years of repayments he would have had to make.
Carlo’s Kitchen was an old fashioned Italian bistro. Chequered cloths adorned the pine tables; a candle was stuck into the neck of a wine bottle, it gave a romantic glow or maybe hid the stains from previous diners. Despite the décor, the food was good. I opted for a booth, the furthest away from the door and the most secluded.
“I can’t be sure but I think your father knows something. He had me running all over the place this week. Whenever I need to speak to him, he arranges to be at the office, never at home.”
Maybe I was being paranoid, maybe I was imagining things, but the thought that Joe knew was eating me up.
“Do you think he would really be upset about us?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I honestly don’t know, Evelyn. I do know that he often talks about you meeting a lawyer or a doctor. I doubt he would think I was good enough for you.”
“That’s just stupid. It’s my choice who I see, and come on, can you imagine if I brought a lawyer home, a man of the law?” she laughed, the irony was not lost on me.
“What do you know, Ev? About what your father does?”
“Not everything, of course. I know that what he does do isn’t legal. I’ve seen the bundles of money, I’ve seen the guns, Rocco. And my mother confirmed it when she said, although she loved Papa, this wasn’t a life she wanted for me.”
Evelyn might as well have stuck a knife through my chest. I recalled hearing those words many years ago and it hurt then.
“I can’t help who I fall in love with,” she added.
I didn’t speak, I couldn’t tell her that I loved her back and I wasn’t sure why. The words were there, on the tip of my tongue but as I opened my mouth, I swallowed them back down. She went to speak again; I didn’t want to hear her retract her words because I hadn’t spoken. I placed my fingers over her lips and shook my head.
“You’ll have no teeth left if you keep doing that,” she said.
I hadn’t realised my jaw was so tense my teeth ground together. I laughed and the tension lifted.
Rocco: To accompany the Fallen Angel Series Page 6