‘No, it didn’t’ laughed Liz, ‘I think you had added too much flour that’s all.’
‘It sounds like fun,’ said Cassie.
‘It really was’ said Liz. ‘You knead the dough for about five minutes, no more, or it becomes tough. Marta said the warmth from your hands helps to work the dough into a glossy supple and elasticated pasta, which you fold in three and then start to it feed through the machine. You start at the number one setting and work your way through to number nine. That’s the really tricky part, especially as the pasta sheet becomes flatter and thinner the more you pass it through the machine. You hold the lengthening sheet of pasta over the back of your hand and it should become almost transparent by the last pass. She almost looked like a dancer the way she moved with the machine and kept the pasta aloft and perfectly straight.’
‘When it becomes fine enough, you lay the sheets out on the floured marble and cut out the shapes. Mine weren’t even straight using the cutter.’ said Kat, laughing.’
‘They were fine,’ said Liz. ‘ But this was no ordinary ravioli.’ We cut large squares out of the pasta and then spooned some of the filling into the middle and used the back of a spoon to make a concave shape in it. Then, for the ‘piece de resistance’, we cracked a whole egg into the filling.’
‘That’s where mine went totally haywire.’ said Kat.
‘You put another square of pasta over the filling, making sure there is no air in it, then very carefully put them into a bot of boiling water for two minutes exactly.’
‘You forgot about adding the salt,’ said Kat. ‘The water is supposed to be as salty as the Mediterranean, and you have to be careful to cook them for just the right amount of time, because you don’t want the filling exploding out of the ravioli in the pot.’
‘Like mine’ said Kat, grinning.
‘Hard to do that with the bought stuff I’ve used in the past because the pasta is so thick and doughy.’ said Cassie.
‘Yes, that’s the point. It really is better to make your own pasta from scratch. It really tastes quite different. We only put eggs into three of the ravioli otherwise it would have been too rich. But what a dish it was. Amazing to make for a dinner party.’
‘What about the burnt butter sauce?’ Cassie reminded her.
‘Yes, that turns the dish into something really special’ she said, ‘and rich.’
‘How do you make that?’ asked Cassie.
‘It is really quite simple,’ said Liz. ‘I have made it before, like ravioli, but Marta’s version tasted so much better. You put enough butter into a saucepan and brown it, not enough to burn it, just to where it has a slightly nutty taste. Then you add whole sage leaves and they crisp up immediately like chips in the butter. Season and squeeze in the juice of a couple of lemons and pour it immediately over the ravioli. Absolutely divine,’ she said, closing her eyes in delight at the memory.
‘They weren’t huge portions and we just had a salad to go with it. I was feeling pretty good about my calorie consumption until she brought out dessert.’ said Liz, ruefully.
‘Torta di mele, apple cake,’ said Kat, ‘served with a couple of scoops of her homemade gelato. Mama mia. I think I died and went to heaven.’
Chatting and sipping champagne, it was well after 8pm before anyone felt hungry again and they were surprised when they did. Cassie showered and threw on a soft pink tee shirt dress, which felt wonderful against her sunburnt skin. Rambo again, she thought. This is becoming a habit I enjoy. Wouldn’t do at the office though. It’s strictly holiday attire.
She wandered out into the kitchen and found Liz had already heated the pasta sauce and the water was boiling for the gnocchi. Cassie busied herself selecting a bottle of white wine from the wine fridge and opened it at the bar, as Kat strolled in and helped herself to a dish of olives.
‘Remind me about the grapes they grow here on the estate Cass.’ said Liz.
‘They are Nero d’Avola grapes. They only produce a small amount of wine here, olive oil is their main business, but I want to try some. Marco said he would give us a tasting sometime. He said it is organic here at the estate.
‘Remember when we use to coat ourselves in oil when we sunbathed.’ said Kat, sipping her wine. ‘Just like frying in a pan.’
‘I know, I managed to get burnt today and I put on heaps of block,’ moaned Cassie, passing Liz a glass of wine.
‘Mm, thanks,’ said Liz, taking a sip. ‘You know what I love about the way they prepare food in Italy?
‘What, enlighten us oh domestic goddess’ said Kat.
‘It’s tactile and sexy. You cook with all of your senses and there is great latitude for throwing in other ingredients if you want to but it is all kept simple. No one flavor overpowers the other,’ she added thoughtfully, pouring the now cooked gnocchi into a strainer, then into a large bowl and adding the pasta sauce. ‘A tavola, to the table’ she said, carrying the steaming hot bowl over to the table. She had already put the hunk of cheese on the table with a grater.
‘Help yourselves to the Parmigiano.’ she instructed them, passing out smaller bowls of the steaming gnocchi. They finished dinner with the rest of the cherries, their tart sweetness a perfect palate cleanser. At 11:30pm Kat yawned and declared that it had been a long day and her bed was calling her. Liz and Cassie followed her shortly afterwards, their tiredness finally overtaking them. Cassie decided it was too late for Marco to be coming by. He must have changed his mind she thought. Or, maybe, his parents ended up staying much later than they had intended. She yawned and went to close the shutters, then decided against it. It was such a beautiful evening and she felt like looking out at the stars as she fell asleep in her big bed. It was very quiet outside and Cassie nodded off quickly, sinking down into a dreamless state, so it took a while for her to surface when she heard her name being called softly in the darkness. Startled, she sat up, momentarily disoriented.
‘Cassandra’ whispered Marco, from outside the open window. ‘It’s me, Marco.’ Lifting himself agilely through the window, he crept across to her bed.
‘Marco, what are you doing here?’ said Cassie sleepily.
‘Ready for a walk?’ said Marco. She could just make out his form with the light of the stars behind him.
‘Are you out of your mind?’ she said. ‘It must be after midnight.’
‘Si, it is after midnight, the perfect time for a stroll in the moonlight.’ He was looking down at her grinning.
‘There is no way I am getting out of bed now to go for a walk. Come back in the morning.’ she flopped back down onto her stomach, her head turned away from him.
‘I can see I will have to wake you up,’ said Marco, climbing into bed with her.
‘Marco, you can’t come in here,’ protested Cassie, turning to face him and pulling up the sheets around her naked body. Marco gently pushed her back onto the mattress and lay on top of her.
‘Oh look what we have here’ he said lowering his head to brush her lips with his. ‘Venus, Goddess of love.’ he teased, his lips moving to her ear and nibbling the lobe gently. Cassie shivered and kept her eyes closed, her heart starting to beat wildly.
Slowly he pushed back the sheet covering her and whistled softly. ‘God Cassandra, I want to make love to you so badly,’ he whispered ‘right now, until you scream out my name.’ He kissed her again passionately, one hand moving to cup her breast and massaging the already erect pink nipple.
Cassie moaned with pleasure and arched herself up towards him. She could feel his erection through his jeans on her naked mound and she moaned again, her hand slipping between them to undo his buttons. Slipping her hand inside his underwear she felt the long strong shaft of him pulsing in her hand and she rubbed him in a circular motion up and down. He groaned and pushed harder into her hand, his mouth now suckling her other breast as they rocked together on the soft mattress. His breathing was ragged and suddenly he moved down on the bed slightly away from her grip, fumbling in his haste to kick off his jeans
and slip on a condom, before his lips grazed her navel and his tongue softly probed the soft depths. Cassie moaned in pleasure and her hips rose towards him. Her eyes still tightly closed she could feel his tongue drawing patterns on her belly as he moved inexorably towards her mound. He moved his hands to part the lips of her sex and Cassie gripped the mattress with her hands, her body throbbing inside with wanting him. Slowly his tongue teased her clitoris and Cassie nearly screamed with pleasure, as the bud tightened with his touch. She felt his tongue sliding into her and she moaned as he flicked it between her clitoris and her vagina, then circling slowly around the lips of her sex, before nibbling and sucking gently on her clitoris again. His breathing was ragged as she heard him say. ‘You taste like honeysuckle amore, I want to fuck you so bad.’ Cassie felt the waves of pleasure inside her come to a fever pitch and she came, her hips thrusting up with his mouth on her sex, again and again. She lay completely still as the waves subsided and opened her eyes to find Marco above her once more, kissing her gently on the lips.
‘Now it is my turn Cassandra,’ he said, his breathing ragged with desire, ripping his clothes off with one hand. She could feel his erection pressing against her sex, rigid with desire and her legs stayed parted. He entered her with one thrust and Cassie winced.
‘What is it amore? Did I hurt you,’ he whispered worriedly, still inside her but not moving.
‘Actually, it’s my sunburn’ whispered Cassie back to him. She didn’t think he would start laughing at her.
‘It’s not funny, it’s really sore’ she said.
‘Your back or your butt or both?’ asked Marco, grinning at her.
‘My posterior’ said Cassie, sounding as dignified as she could in the circumstances.
‘So easy to fix my darling’ he kissed her on the lips and the next thing she felt herself being flipped over onto her front, her face now pressed into the mattress. Marco grabbed a pillow and pushed it under her hips so that her bottom was lifted into the air. Her squeal of indignity changed quickly to a gasp as she felt his tongue gliding over the sunburnt area, taking tiny little licks and moving closer to her open sex. His tongue glided inside her again and Cassie moaned with pleasure, wanting him to continue as excitement built in her again.
‘I want you to come again Cassandra’ he ordered, his voice ragged, slipping his finger into her wetness, then sliding the finger gently a little way into her butt. Cassie gasped at the new sensations his finger produced and felt her excitement reaching fever pitch, but then he removed his finger and she felt his hard length probing at the entrance to her sex, demanding satisfaction. He pushed himself into her, cupping her hips and pushing her legs farther apart with his knees. Cassie cried out as the sensations inside her drove her into a frenzy as Marco thrust harder and faster, deeper inside her, riding her, his hands slipping from her hips to use his fingers once again on her open sex as he thrust towards his climax. As Cassie slipped over into the abyss she cried out his name and he answered her with his own cry, torn from his throat as waves of pleasure washed over them.
They fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. A faint light crept into the room as dawn broke and Cassie stirred. Marco kissed her and she was beginning to fall back into a very pleasant slumber when he pushed her long hair out of the way and began to nibble her neck. They had fallen asleep in the spoon position and now Cassie felt his hand cupping her breast and tickling her nipple. She could feel herself becoming excited and so was he, his erection pressing into her bottom. Without further ado, he took his penis and guided it into her, right to the hilt. Cassie gasped, fully awake now, as she felt the fullness of him beginning to rock them backwards and forwards his other hand sliding down over her mound to play with her clitoris.
‘You are very excited this morning Cassandra’ he whispered into her ear, ‘I like it when you are so wet for me.’ Cassie gasped again and moved her hips back into this groin, her body aching for his. Marco responded to this by thrusting into her harder, groaning a little with his own need, his fingers pulling her to him, stretching her so that she felt her entire sex was filled with him, demanding satisfaction. Holding her belly, just above her mound, he pulled her even closer, until they seemed as one, climaxing together.
As they floated back to earth, he kissed her gently on the neck, not allowing her to move away from him just yet.
‘Just stay like this for a little while amore, I like to be inside you.’ She felt satiated and so very comfortable in his arms and she could feel her eyes closing once again.
‘I have to go my darling,’ he whispered into her ear. ‘It is dawn and I promised Guido I would meet him at the stables. We have to exercise the horses. It is too much for him alone.’ Slipping out of bed he pulled on his clothes and bent once more to take her face between his hands, tenderly kissing her on the lips before he turned and left the same way he had arrived, through the window. Cassie couldn’t help giggling and he turned to grin at her before walking silently as a cat out of the courtyard.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Cassie hugged the sheets to her and thought that if she could purr like a cat, she would be at that moment. There is nothing like the feeling of being in love she thought, and then sat up with a shock. I’m not in love, she said sternly to herself, shaking her head a little. Of course not, it’s lust. That’s all, just lust. I can handle this just fine she thought, not really believing it as she lay back down and stared glumly at the ceiling. Oh God, why now she thought. I’m not ready to fall in love again. Especially with a highly-strung, macho Sicilian who makes me go all gooey inside every time I see him. This can’t be happening, she thought helplessly, then immediately a grin appeared on her face as she recalled their lovemaking. I’m acting like a love struck teenager she thought, her smile getting even wider as she thought about Marco and how she couldn’t wait to see him again. Which won’t be until tomorrow, she thought, a sudden feeling of loss descending over her. Oh, this is hopeless, I must snap out of it, she thought, sitting up in bed and pulling her long hair up into a knot. I can’t spend my entire holiday pining away for him. She glanced over at the bedside clock and saw that it was nearing 6am. She remembered that they had to be down at the wharf by 7am for a 7:30am departure. Climbing out of bed and throwing on a tee shirt, which skimmed her thighs she crept quietly out to the kitchen and switched on the coffee machine. She made herself a milky cappuccino and carried the cup back to bed with her. I’ll give myself five minutes to relax in bed and drink this before I wake the others she thought.
It was one of her favorite things to do and as she sat up in bed sipping her coffee she gazed out of the windows at the sun still rising in another perfect blue sky. Bliss, she thought happily, her toes curling in pleasure under the duvet, as her thoughts returned yet again to Marco. She was still thinking about him as she showered and dressed and must have still had a gooey look on her face as she walked out into the kitchen.
‘Someone had sweet dreams’ said Liz, peering at her, ‘or was it more than a dream.’
Cassie grinned as Kat joined them in the kitchen and the two girls squealed as they saw Cassie’s confirming nod.
‘You are kidding? Really, here?’ said Kat, her fine dark eyebrows arching up even further on her brow. ‘How did he get in? He must have been quiet.’
‘Through the window.’ said Cassie. ‘I left them open.’ and the girls squealed again.
‘Well I never.’ said Kat. ‘Cassandra Hayden. This is very strange behavior coming from the original good girl at university. The one who used to blush for me when I explained some of my raunchier encounters to her.’
‘Someone looks like they are a little bit in love,’ said Liz, smiling at Cassie with a knowing look.
‘Or lust’ said Kat.
‘Well, you certainly seem to be enjoying each other’s company almost 24/7.’ said Liz.
‘Yes, it does seem that way doesn’t it,’ said Cassie dreamily, refilling her cup and earning a groan from Kat.
‘Oh
no, it looks serious Liz’ she said. ‘The girl has got that loopy ‘I’m in love’ look written all over her face.’
‘Which is great’ added Liz, ‘but he is rather geographically undesirable isn’t he for anything long term?’
‘I know,’ said Cassie. ‘Couldn’t be more difficult actually, so I may as well enjoy the here and now right?’ she added, throwing her hands up in a very Italian gesture.
‘Hear, hear,’ said Kat. ‘You’ve got to dance while the disco’s on.’
‘Where did you come up with that old chestnut?’ said Liz, laughing.
‘From Mr Berkley no less, who I am beginning to miss somewhat dreadfully with all this talk of love and lust around me. I think I will take a pic of me sunbathing topless today and send it to him. A little sexting is needed I think.’ said Kat.
‘Right you two lovebirds’ said Liz, looking at her watch. ‘We have to leave soon.’ They spent the next 10 minutes grabbing everything they thought they might need for their boat trip. Hats, sunglasses, block, cameras, iPods, I pads, phones, books, water and towels. Cassie put on a pair of short white cut off denims and a singlet top over her bikini, slipping her feet into white sandals. She braided her long hair into one long plait and put on a hot pink cap to protect her face from the sun.
Kat had put on a diaphanous kaftan over her bikini to which she had added her huge sunhat and white rimmed Jackie O glasses. High-heeled sandals, gold bracelets and red lipstick completed her look. Liz looked equally cute in a flowered strapless playsuit, yellow slip-ons and a straw hat with a yellow ribbon tied around the brim.
‘Are we going to the same place?’ asked Cassie. ‘You two look like you should be boarding a billionaires gin palace for the day, not a ferry.’
Kat laughed. ‘I live in the hope that my billionaire will be waiting on the jetty to whisk me off onto his pleasure palace.’
‘More likely some old guy will try to pick you up on the docks wearing that outfit’ laughed Liz.
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