Sicilian Dreams

by J. P. Kennedy

  ‘That’s good. Maybe it will help your father to accept who she is now, rather than who she was.’ said Cassie. ‘How long can you stay this evening?’

  ‘Long enough.’ he replied, kissing the top of her head.

  ‘Liz has cooked enough food for an army tonight if you would like to have dinner with us.’ said Cassie.

  ‘I would enjoy that very much,’ he said, his hand moving to cup her breast. ‘Just enough time for us to put out the fire completely.’ He rolled her onto her back, and, parting her legs with his hand, her entered her once more. This time they took it slowly and Cassie felt the flames of her desire growing with each stroke of his, slowly in and out of her, rocking them both into a state of exquisite arousal. Cassie wrapped her legs around his back and rose up to meet him as he began to thrust into her harder and she grabbed his butt and dug her nails into him, urging him on as they raced forward to the crescendo, coming at the same time, crying out as the long waves of drawn out pleasure spasmed inside them.

  Cassie had her eyes closed and she lay in a state of peaceful bliss next to Marco. His hand still grasped hers and her mind floated as she thought about their lovemaking and how intense it was. She had never felt like this before and was only beginning to understand the true meaning of passion and how it felt to make love with someone you were in love with. There’s that word again. Her eyes opened suddenly and she quickly tried to stifle the feeling. Don’t get ahead of yourself she thought. It will only lead to heartbreak. She glanced at Marco’s bedside clock and realized that Liz would be wondering where she was. ‘Are you hungry Marco?’ He opened his eyes and gazed at her.

  ‘Time for dinner?’

  ‘I didn’t bring my phone and I said I would be back at the villa for dinner. We should get going.’ She sat up and went to climb out of bed but Marco pulled her back down beside him.

  ‘Soon Cassandra. My hunger for you is greater than the hunger in my stomach.’ he said grinning at her.

  ‘Not again?’ said Cassie, disbelievingly.

  ‘What, you think I can’t?’ he replied, laughing and pulling her closer.

  ‘Actually, I wanted to tell you something.’ He kissed her gently on the lips.

  ‘I was going crazy without you and I had a lot of time to think about things while waiting at the hospital. We have known each other only for a short time, but it is as if I have known you for much longer. You fill a part of me I did not know was empty.’ he murmured and gazed intently into her eyes, his joker side disappearing once more. Cassie felt stunned, and speechless and overjoyed by his words.

  ‘You might want to close your mouth or you will catch flies.’ he grinned at her, and the joker was back. Cassie felt instantly relieved. Deep down, much as she had wanted to hear this reassurance from Marco, there remained a part of her that was still mistrusting of the deep down sincerity of men. She closed her mouth and grinned back at him.

  ‘Well, thank you sir for your kind words, but right now we should go and fill the other empty part of you.’ She kissed him lightly on the lips and jumped out of bed before he could grab her again. He lay there, pouting.

  ‘What, no loving response from you Cassandra? How do you feel about me?’

  Cassie realized she had hurt his feelings, and so she sat back down beside him, took his hands in hers, and plucked up her courage. This was not her strong forte, she thought, and took a deep breath.

  ‘Marco, I feel the same as you do.’ He smiled encouragingly, and she continued. ‘It is still a very strange and new experience for me to feel so strongly about someone else’ she stopped and looked down, her courage and her words failing her. To her chagrin, she could feel the heat flooding her face and her cheeks turning pink. Marco saw her consternation and gently took her face in his two hands, kissing her softly.

  ‘Enough.’ he whispered. ‘Let’s go and eat the feast Liz has prepared.’ He grinned and Cassie felt hugely relieved, although annoyed with herself for not being able to articulate her true feelings to Marco. Maybe I just need more practice at this she thought as they climbed into Marco’s car and drove quickly down the road towards villa Tramonte. This man has two speeds, stop and go, thought Cassie, as they pulled up outside the villa in a cloud of dust.

  The front door was open and music was playing as they entered. Liz and Kat were in the kitchen.

  ‘Well, your timing is excellent,’ said Kat, grinning and pulling out a bottle of ice-cold champagne from the freezer. ‘Would you be a gentleman and do the honors, Marco?’ she asked, passing it to him.

  ‘A pleasure.’ replied Marco, skillfully unwrapping the foil covering the cork. ‘Buona sera ladies. Am I too late to be included as a dinner guest?’ he grinned disarmingly at Liz and Kat and charmed them. He sure is good at this thought Cassie. He’ll have them eating out of his hands soon.

  ‘Of course, you must stay for dinner,’ said Liz. ‘I have made plenty of food so I hope you are hungry.’ she added. Marco assured her that he would eat every scrap and poured the champagne and they moved outside to the table on the terrace.

  Liz and Kat were in full entertaining mode and Cassie was happy to sit back quietly and observe their interaction with Marco, jumping into the conversation now and again. While she knew her old friends well, it was interesting to listen to how Marco kept the conversation light and flowing even when discussing his father’s heart attack and future prognosis. He was an attentive guest and part of his charm was his innate interest in other people. He was genuinely interested in others, a rather rare quality in most people. She was also quietly fizzing with excitement as his words to her earlier percolated in her mind. Was he saying that he was in love with her? No, she told herself, he never said those words. He had said that she filled a space inside him that he didn’t know was empty until he met her. In her current uncertain state, it was all rather confusing and she wished she hadn’t brushed him off so quickly. Regardless of that, she remembered that he said he had thought about her a lot while he was in Palermo and that was something Cassie could well understand as she seemed to be spending almost her entire time thinking about him. As well as right now, she told her sternly. Making an effort to join in and not just loll back in her comfortable cushioned chair, drink wine and watch Marco, she offered to clear the table.

  Liz had produced a fabulous meal, with it seemed, course after course of delicious food appearing in front of them at regular intervals. Marco had praised every dish and had even made the comment that she would soon be teaching Marta how to make ravioli, he found the filling so light and yet so flavorsome. Liz blushed happily and modestly protested that she was a mere student in the culinary arts, but she looked as pleased as punch and took extra care when plating up the second course, arranging the chicken cacciatore in large bowls and asking Cassie to wipe away any splatters from the sauce with a paper towel. Liz gave Marco larger portions and Cassie was amazed that he ate everything, and even had seconds of the ravioli. Where does he put it all she thought? He certainly doesn’t have a spare ounce of flesh on him. They paused after the main course and talk drifted to the olive oil the estate produced.

  ‘It is a pleasant walk to the mill from here. It is just along the road from the winery, and there is an old stone press in the forecourt which my grandfather used’ said Marco. ‘But there is nothing much to see inside there at the moment except the machinery and the storage tanks. Nowadays we use machinery with a centrifuge system to extract the oil from the olives instead of the stone press.’

  ‘When do you harvest the olives?’ asked Liz.

  ‘In November, and they must be pressed within twenty-four hours of picking. It is vital, so the olives do not begin to ferment. We still pick them by hand, which is labor intensive, but there is less chance of bruising the skin or pulp.’

  ‘Do you grow different varieties?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘Si, a mixture of three olive varieties which are common to this region.’ answered Marco.

  ‘Do you bottle the olive oil immediately a
fter pressing?’ asked Kat.

  ‘No, the oil must settle in stainless steel tanks for anywhere between two weeks and two months before the oil from the top is drawn off and bottled as needed. That way we ensure a fresh supply for bottling throughout the year. The oil remains fresher in the tanks. Once it is bottled, it will begin to degrade.’ He picked up a bottle of the oil from the table a poured some into a small cup. ‘We have strict controls in the EU which all growers should adhere to although some don’t. One of the surest ways to check the oil for various impurities is to pour it into tiny cups like this. Taste testers evaluate the organoleptic quality of the oil. He demonstrated by placing his hand over the cup and gently swirling the oil inside, then removing his hand and putting his nose deep into the cup and inhaling the contents. ‘Doing this covers the taste buds and allows the aromas to ascend into the nose. Of course, this oil has been bottled and opened already, but when it is fresh out of the tanks, this process allows the most complete tasting of all the flavors and aromas present.’

  ‘They have a different classification system for olive oil in the States.’ said Liz.

  ‘Si, the American classification of olive oils uses different names, but they are talking about the same oil whether it is a first, cold pressing, or extra virgin oil, or the lower grade Lampante oil, which is mostly used in the industrial market.

  ‘The production of olive oil has been going on for centuries hasn’t it?’ said Cassie.

  ‘Yes, it was an essential part of ancient Greek and Roman life. Not only was it consumed it was also used for medicinal purposes, in religious rituals, to make cosmetics, and as furnace and lamp fuel. Every part of the tree is used and it is considered sacred in the Mediterranean.’

  ‘Liquid gold,’ isn’t that what Homer called it?’ said Kat, holding the bottle up to the light.

  ‘Davide’s family also grow olives on their farm.’

  ‘Si, most farmers have olives to sell locally or for their own consumption.’ said Marco. Kat told Marco she was going on the boat charter with Davide again in the morning. As she and Marco chatted about Davide and his charter business, Liz and Cassie went into the kitchen to get dessert. Liz had made a lemon flan, one of her own recipes, and using the estate lemons and fresh ricotta in the mixture. She had made strawberry sauce, which she drizzled over the flan and tiny brandy snap wafers which she had artistically arranged on the top. The lemony flan was light and the perfect dessert to have following the ravioli and the chicken; not to mention the antipasto platter; thought Cassie.

  Marco finished with an espresso but declined a liqueur because he was driving.

  He had been periodically holding Cassie’s hand through out the evening, and now he had his arm slung over the back of her chair. Cassie loved the fact that he was physically demonstrative with his affection without being over the top and proprietorial about it. Now, he looked at his watch and said, ‘Allora, it is late, I should go. I want my mother to rest overnight and she will not if she thinks I am still driving around the countryside late at night.’ He raised both hands and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Mothers, what can you do,’ he said grinning at them and standing up from the table.

  ‘Indeed.’ agreed Liz. ‘It doesn’t matter how old you are, they still treat you as if you were five years old.’

  ‘Si, thank you Liz for the wonderful meal. I have not eaten this well in a long time.’ He said, bending down to take her hand and kiss her on both cheeks. Liz looked delighted and beamed at him.

  ‘You better not let Marta hear you say that.’ quipped Kat as Marco came and kissed her cheeks.

  ‘Katrina, always a pleasure. Enjoy your boat trip tomorrow. Davide will not be able to believe his luck, having you on board all day with him.’ He moved to Cassie and she stood up as he took her hands in his. ‘Ci vediamo domani, we see each tomorrow.’ he repeated in English softly and kissed her lightly on the lips. His eyes conveyed much, much more to her and Cassie had to look down first. He grinned at her then, dropping her hands and giving them a brief salute, he turned and walked into the house to the front door. Cassie sat back down and took a sip of her limoncello to calm herself down.

  ‘Are you two getting serious?’ asked Kat. ‘This so called holiday romance seems to have moved up a couple of notches if I am not mistaken.’ They heard Marco’s car leaving the courtyard.

  ‘It seems like that maybe the case,’ said Cassie, cryptically.

  ‘Uh oh, did you have the big talk?’ said Liz.

  ‘Sort of.’ said Cassie. ‘Although he did most of the talking. I am just so useless at expressing my feelings.’ she groaned, hiding her face in her hands. ‘Can’t even say what I feel without turning as red as a beetroot.’ she said through her fingers.

  ‘Well, what did he say exactly?’ asked Kat, somewhat exasperatedly.

  ‘Well, nothing concrete like ‘I’m in love with you,’ but pretty close I reckon. She sat back up again and grinned at them.

  ‘OMG’ said Kat. ‘You are kidding me? He is smitten, unable to be without you, constantly thinks about you? That sort of thing?’

  ‘Sort of,’ said Cassie. ‘Although not in those exact words.’ she added. ‘I kind of brushed him off because I didn’t know what to say and he asked me to tell him how I felt.

  ‘And?’ said Liz.

  ‘And I told him that I felt the same way but that it was all so new for me to feel this way about someone.’ said Cassie.

  ‘Well that’s okay. It’s the truth isn’t it? You are crazy about him, but you just don’t feel ready to tell him this yet,’ said Liz.

  ‘Liz, you make it sound like a transaction between them. So sensible and so sane without all the madness that being crazy in lust/love with someone brings with it.’ laughed Kat. ‘Although I do think you are right,’ she added.

  ‘So relax Cass, you have a few more days to think about things.’ said Liz. ‘I don’t know about you two, but I am knackered. I think I will head off to bed.’

  ‘Sweet dreams.’ said Kat.

  ‘Thanks for the wonderful meal Liz.’ said Cassie. She and Kat stayed outside for a while longer chatting, enjoying the cooler air and the beautiful, star filled night sky above them.

  ‘We haven’t got much longer here,’ said Cassie. ‘I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It’s just flown.’

  ‘I know.’ said Kat. ‘It’s horrible thinking that I will be dragging out winter clothes again in the next few days. It’s already cold in London. My tan will wash off within a week.’

  ‘I’m sure Mr Berkley will be happy to help you wash it off,’ said Cassie, laughing.

  ‘Yes, that’s a happier thought,’ replied Kat. ‘ But right now I am looking forward to seeing Davide again tomorrow. Maybe I could have a man in each port so to speak.’ she said, reflectively.

  ‘They might get a bit suspicious with you dashing back and forwards between London and Palermo’ but I’m sure if anyone could explain it, you could.’

  ‘Seriously,’ said Kat, not seriously at all, but wanting to know more. ‘What are you going to do about Marco? I mean, if you both feel the same way, how will you continue the relationship? Bit tough for a weekly commute.’ she added.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Cassie. ‘I really don’t want to think about it. About leaving, that is. I didn’t think things would move so fast and that I would fall head over heels in lust/love as you call it to someone here of all places. I mean, I’ve got my job, my apartment, my life all set up. I have plans, and now they don’t seem as important as they used to.’

  ‘You’ve got it bad, trust me.’ said Kat, nodding her head sagely, but still grinning. ‘When the plans of ‘Cassie the life long planner’ seem dull and unimportant, you know that she has been bitten well and truly by the love bug.’ She put an American twang into her voice.

  ‘Oh, shut up’ said Cassie, laughing, ‘you sound so cheesy.’

  ‘Well, I’ve go to get my beauty sleep,’ announced Kat, getting up from the table. ‘I don’t wa
nt bags under my eyes tomorrow morning. Oh heck, it is tomorrow morning,’ she groaned, looking at her watch.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Kat had left by the time Cassie woke up the next morning. It was after ten and the sun was high in the sky, with just a gentle breeze wafting through the open doors, making the heat pleasantly tolerable. What a gorgeous day, thought Cassie. She made a cup of coffee and went to find Liz, whose bedroom door was open. Liz was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone for a walk, or maybe to see Marta, thought Cassie. Ah yes, the Cassata recipe, that’s what she’ll be after. She remembered that Marta had told them she would give them the recipe this morning. Well, she didn’t need to be there, she reasoned, sitting outside on a lounger and sipping her coffee. Swim or run? Why not both? She changed into her running gear and slathered sunblock all over her face and neck, before tying her hair back in a ponytail, then jamming her cap on her head and searching around for her I pod. It was on the couch with her sunglasses and she strapped it onto her arm before heading out of the villa and onto the gravel road.

  She decided to run in the direction of the stables and follow the same path that Marco had taken her on when they went riding. She jogged slowly to start with, warming up her muscles, before increasing her pace and reaching the stable block quite quickly. She pulled up and heard a soft nicker from one of the stalls. Pulling out her ear bud, she walked over and Diavolo whinnied at her again. Stella was in the stall next to him, and her ears pricked up when she saw Cassie.

  ‘Do you really recognize me? Or do you just think I am the bearer of food?’ she said as she stroked their soft muzzles. They nuzzled her hand with their lips and she wished she had brought some carrots or apples with her.

  ‘Next time.’ she promised, leaning in and giving Stella a kiss on her soft nose.