by M. T. Ossler
“I’ll go with you, I want to go for a swim too. We haven’t been to the beach since we were little. Remember Bells,” Jules says, and I nod as she links her arm with mine.
“Shit, you good with her, man,” Ace asks Dusty.
“We’ll be fine, I’ll stay close to her,” Dusty says smiling.
“I’m sure he will,” I mutter quietly, and Gio turns to me with a raised eyebrow.
As we walk over to the bouquet, I say to Gio, “I don’t like the way Dusty looks at my sister. He’s into her, really into her. Please tell him to back off and make sure he keeps his hand to himself.” Gio nods in agreeing.
Jules and I pick out three bikinis because that’s all the store carries. I would prefer a one-piece or a shirt over my suit, but they all out of cover-ups in my size. They’re all way too big.
Gio’s paying for our suits and beach towels when Gigi comes barreling in the store with Dusty to find us.
The girls and I go to the fitting and change. We emerge with our towels wrapped around us and give the guys our bag of our clothes to hold.
Once we’re back on the beach, the men sit on the sand. They’re close to the water, but not close enough to get wet. They’re sitting just watching us when Jules and I remove our towels and the guys almost fall over.
“Holy fuckin’ shit, Beast, look at the bodies on these babes. I’m hard, and the best parts are covered,” Ace says. Jules and I look at each other with red faces and nervous giggles. I give Gio a quick kiss on the lips before running into the water with the girls.
Jules is taller than me at 5’5”. She has brown hair that falls to the center of her back, brown eye and long thin legs. Her boobs are a little smaller than mine, but a good size. Her body is toned with muscles. We used to work out three times a week in my gym and do yoga five to six times a week. She has on a white string bikini that shows off her curves perfectly.
I’m 5’3” with long dark brown wavy hair that falls at the top of my butt. My brothers always make fun of me saying I have a bubble butt, but Jules and Ces say it’s because they can’t believe their sister has the kind of ass men like to hold on too, whatever that means. My boobs are big, and my brothers always yell at me to cover them up, again Jules and Ces say it’s because they are the size men like, a perfect man size handful. My legs are long and lean, my stomach is flat and toned. Jules always says I’m every man’s wet dream, that’s why my brothers are overprotective of me. I don’t see what they all see, I’m nothing special.
My sister, on the other hand, is gorgeous for a teenager. Everyone says she’s a mini-me, but again I don’t see it. She could be a supermodel when she’s older, that’s how stunning she is. Boys, be damned, no one is ever going to touch her till she’s 30. My brothers and I will kill them ourselves if anyone ever touches her.
Gigi and I are also wearing the same bikini, just in different colors. Hers has straps, I took mine off because the ties always hurt the back of my neck. I choose pink for her because it’s her favorite color, same as mine, and black for me. They’re both bandeau style.
After taking a few steps, I hear Gio say to Ace in a pissed off tone. “Fuck you, Ace. Keep your fuckin’ eyes off my girl before I kick your goddamn ass.”
Then I hear Gio say a little lower in a calm tone “Fuck, her body is rockin’, isn’t it? I’m one lucky sonofabitch.” I look over my shoulder at Gio before entering the water completely.
The look on his face tells me he’s not lying, he really thinks I’m hot. Before turning back, he winks at me causing my smile to grow and making me blush.
The girls and I swim for a half an hour I’m having the best day. I let go of everything and live in the moment. Even with missing my family and friend today, it’s turning out to be a great birthday. Best gift this year is having Gio back in my life and having him finally be mine. He’s making this a special day, and he still has a special dinner planned for us. My heart’s mending just from having him in my life. Every touch and kiss he gives me I feel aids in speeding up the process of my healing.
I know we haven’t been a couple long and with everything that's happened to me, but I want to be with Gio. I want to forget the past and build a future with him.
Like Dusty said earlier today, ‘it’s a perfect day to pop that cherry, little lady.' I think I want tonight to be the night, Gio and I take our relationship to the next level, the ultimate level of intimacy. I know he’ll take it at my pace and be gentle with me. I trust him unconditionally, more than anyone, and I know he won’t hurt me. He’ll make it be the way it should have been.
He should have been my first, and in many other ways, he will be. It will be the first time we make love together, and that trumps the rest.
“Girls, it’s time, we need to roll,” Gio yells, and I see the pouty lip on my sister’s face as we emerge from the water. The guys are holding our towels, and before Gio hands me mine his eye travel my body. “Bella,” he says as he steps closer to me. He hesitates for a split second before lowering his hand to the side of my bikini bottoms on top of my hip. His touch electrifies my body as he slowly and carefully drops the strip of material barely covering my left hip. Everyone’s watching him, and I’m holding my breath as he sees the tattoo there. It’s the words ‘Semper Fi’ in block letters. It was my first tattoo when I turned 18, it’s a replica of the one I know he has on his chest.
“Shit, Beast, that yours, just smaller,” Ace says as I stare at Gio’s face waiting for his reaction. No one knows I have any tattoos except for Jules. I always keep them covered. Dad and my brothers would have killed me for permanently marking my perfect skin. I did it anyway knowing no one would ever see them. It was a way to have Gio with me.
Gio looks up to me with love and pride shining in his eyes. “Why do you have this, Princess? Do you have more?” I look away and over to Jules. She nods and gives me a look to come clean. I look down at the sand taking a deep breath. “I got them for you. This one is a replica of yours, the one on your chest,” I say in a small shaky voice. “I have two more.” I take another deep breath and lift my hand under my left breast raising my top up a tiny bit to show him the heart with his initials inside. The heart is two inches at its widest and two inches tall. On the top left hump is ‘G’ for Giovanni, and on the right is ‘V’ for Valentino, and down in the center is ‘S’ for Sebastiano all in black ink.
He pulls up the side of my bottoms releasing it and stares at the tat on and under my breast. Then he takes his pointer finger tracing the heart, touching the under part of my breast causing my nipple to harden and eliciting sparks through my body.
He’s speechless for the moment, and everyone is quiet watching us. Once he’s done, he looks into my eyes.
“Where’s the other one?” I place my top back down and slowly turn showing him my back. Lowering the center of my bottoms I show him my red, white and blue Eagle in the middle, (tramp stamp). He does the same thing, tracing it with his finger.
“Bella, Val, and Romeo are going to bet your ass when they see those,” Gigi says breaking the silence. We all turn to stare at her shocked face. “I’ve had them for five years, and only Jules knew about them. As long as you keep this a secret, they will never know,” I say to her, and I hear Ace laughing. “How the fuck did you manage that with a-rockin' body like yours, sweetheart?” Ace asks, and I look over to him with a smirk. “Easy, I wear clothes, asshole. And I placed them so they would always be concealed,” I say, and that breaks the silence as everyone laughing. “Your girls got sass,” Ace says through his laughter. Gio finally wraps the towel around my body, taking me off display.
“Let’s get you girls changed. We need to get back to the clubhouse,” Gio says taking my hand and leading us back to the boutique to change.
I finish before the girls, Gio brings me out to his bike for a couple of minutes alone.
“Princess, tell me the story behind your tats? When were you even able to get them?”
�
��The night after my 18th birthday I got them. Jules and I bribed Luigi – my bodyguard - to take me to his artist. He got me in contact with him a week before to design them. Only the artist and Jules saw them. It was my gift to myself,” I say turning to look at the ocean, not able to look him in the eyes when I tell him the truth behind them.
“When you left for the Marines, and then again after your dad’s funeral, I was devastated. I prayed you would return one day for me, but I knew in my heart you weren’t going to return. So I decided on my 16th birthday that if I couldn’t have my one true love - knowing I didn’t want any other man - I would settle for always having a part of you be with me.
“That was the year I saw the picture you sent Val, he had it was pinned up in his room. You were shirtless with ‘Semper Fi’ tattooed really big across your chest. I took a picture of it on my phone and kept it with me. I had the artist replicate it smaller, so I would have the same one as you. I figured it would connect us in some way. I know, it sounds silly, but it helped with some of the pain in my heart. Your initials are close to my heart because you’ve always owned it. And the eagle... I know you love them...” I look up to him now, and he’s studying my face.
“Are you mad at me because I got them?” I ask in a shaky voice, nervous of his answer. His response is a huge gleaming smile as he takes me in his arms looking into my eyes with his hand on the side of my face.
“Hell no, I’m honored you have a piece of me permanently inked on your gorgeous body. I love you, Bella. I always have, and your name is inked on me too. I’ll show you one day soon. Credo che abbiamo sempre saputo che i nostri cuori appartenevano alla,” he mumbles the last part, then kisses me in a romantic, tender lovin’ kiss. Tears are running down my face, and we can taste them on our lips.
Ace clears his throat when he sees the other half of our group returning.
We mount the bikes before leaving Gio looks back to me. I have my arms wrapped around his waist, and he places his hand over mine squeezing.
“I love you, Gio. Thank you for today, it’s been perfect.”
“It’s not over yet, baby. I have another surprise for you at the clubhouse. I love you too, baby,” he says looking back at me with a wink. Then he releases his hand from mine. “Let’s roll.” I kiss his back over his kutte as we take off.
When we arrive at the clubhouse, it’s quiet, and no one is around. We all head to our rooms to shower the day away, and I want to relax before Gio and I go to my birthday dinner.
Ten minutes after arriving in our room, I’m standing in the closet rummaging through the few clothes I have to find the perfect dress for this evening. Gio comes up behind me wrapping me in his warm embrace. He kisses me on the neck under my ear causing a shiver from the electricity running through my body from his lips. I lean into him relishing in his touch and wanting more.
“Principessa, whatcha ya doin’ in here?” he asks as I lean my head back on his arm to look up at him smiling big. “I’m trying to find a dress for dinner. I have nothing here. I need to go shopping soon,” I say leaning up on my tippy toes placing a kiss on his cheek. Will I ever get used to being in his arms and kissing him? I hope not. I love the way he makes me feel.
“I can take you shopping with a few of the guys in a couple of days. In the meantime, you’re going to have to pick from what you have. I’m sorry, but you have a few cute dresses, or you can just wear jeans. I’m sure whatever you choose will be perfect,” he says then there’s a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it while you finish up,” he says kissing me on the lips before leaving me.
I hear Jules at the door asking for me. I exit the closet to see her and Gigi standing at the door with a large box in Jules' hands. “Hey, what's goin’ on?”
“We have a present for you, sissy. It’s for tonight,” Gigi says skipping over to me practically hopping with excitement. Jules followers her in and Gigi takes the box from her hands and hands it to me. I take it from her and walk over to the bed to sit and open it.
My gift is perfect for tonight! Jules made me the perfect dress from her collection. I’m in tears. It’s one of my favorite colors too, and the style is flawless for my curves.
My dress is strapless black lace appliqué nude underlay, sweetheart neckline, form fitted with see-through bodice and the length should ends mid-thigh.
It’s a perfect dress for dinner with Gio and maybe even a little dancing.
“I made this for you months ago with Ces and Gigi’s help. She and I designed it, and Ces choose the fabric, we knew it would be perfect for you. It’s from the three of us. I made sure to pack it when we left so you would have it today,” Jules says a little sadly with a half-smile as I hug her. “Thank you. It’s perfect and thanks for putting up with me through all this shit. You’re the best,” I whisper in her ear before letting go of her. I take Gigi in my arms. “Thank you, baby girl. Best gift ever,” I say in her ear, and she giggles sadly.
“Come on, G, let’s leave Bella to get ready. She has a hot date tonight. We’ll see you later, girl,” Jules says with a wink as they exit the room. “Thank you again. See you tomorrow,” I say taking my dress out of the box to show Gio.
“Princess, that’s one beautiful dress. I can't wait to see it on you,” he says with a huge smile on his face. “They’re really a talented bunch, huh. I’m goin’ to leave you to get ready. I have to check-in with the guys, club business. I’ll be back soon.” He gives me a sweet kiss on my lips then he’s gone.
I take a shower and fix my hair in the bathroom. I decide not to wear my dress right now, wearing one of Gio’s shirts out of the bathroom. I’ll borrow his desk to apply my makeup with the table top mirror he got me, this way he can get ready in the bathroom.
I enter the bedroom and see him sitting at his desk working on his laptop. I can’t see the screen, but whatever he’s working on has him engrossed, probably club business.
I advance towards him placing my hand on his shoulder startling him. He stops his work and looks over at me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” I say shyly removing my hand.
He takes my hand back, and he rolls his desk chair back. He pulls me across his lap kissing me hard on the lips, melting me into his kiss as we sit there making out like teenagers. After a few blissful minutes, he brakes the kiss. He leans his forehead against mine staring into my eyes, both of us breathless.
“God, I love seeing you in my shirts. You look so damn sexy in them. Princess, you are a classic beauty, and you don’t even have a clue. How did I get so blessed to have you back in my life?”
“I would say I’m the blessed one. Gio, you saved me from a horrible fate, and you love me regardless of everything,” I say the last part quiet as I lower my eyes to control my emotions. He lifts my chin, and we look into each other’s eyes. “I love you, Isabella Marie Castellani and nothin’s ever going to change that. It’s you and me forever, baby, forever. And I am the luckiest man alive, I finally have you in my arms where you belong.” He kisses me on the lips one last time before depositing me on my feet and disappearing into the bathroom with his clothes to get ready.
I apply my makeup, and when I’m satisfied with it, I grab my dress off the bed. I head into the closet shutting the door behind me. I pick out one of my black lace thongs to wear and then zip my dress up. Thankfully, he put up a full-length mirror and better lighting in here for me. The closet is a decent size at ten feet by five feet. I can check myself out before showing Gio. I check every angle and the dress looks great on me! My besties and sister did an excellent job on my dress. It fits me like a glove and shows off my curves perfectly without being too revealing. I’m glad it’s just going to be Gio and me tonight because I don’t think I would be comfortable in this dress in front of all the guys. I grab my black wedges to complete my outfit.
I hear him in the bedroom waiting for me as I enter to find him sitting at the end of the bed with his phone in his hands. He’s sending ou
t a text when he’s done, he looks up at me almost shocked. Then a huge smile graces his handsome face, and his eyes light up.
“Baby, you look stunning. That dress… Wow,” he says swallowing hard and shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts.
“Thank you,” I say shyly blushing as my stomach flutters with butterflies.
"We should go. Our table’s waiting, Princess,” he says still staring at me like he’s indeed looking at a real Princess. I giggle nervously and take his extended hand as he leads me downstairs to the bar.
As we walk through the halls, I notice it’s dead quiet in the building. I wonder if everyone has left for the night to give us more privacy. As we get closer to the bar, I hear music playing in the background. I recognize the song immediately, Creed ‘Lullaby.’
As we turn the corner, I see the bar’s decorated in pink and black streamers and balloons. I also see about twenty of the sexiest dressed bikers I have ever seen and about a dozen women including Jules and Gigi.
“Holy, hotness,” Slips out of my mouth and I feel red creep up from my neck to my cheeks. “Did I die and go to biker heaven.” I cover my mouth with my hand embarrassed that I just said all that out loud. Everyone in the room starts laughing loudly.
“Surprise,” Jules and Gigi yell and everyone follows their lead yelling making me laugh now. I thank them all and Ace hands me a shot of Fireball along with Jules and Gio. The four of us take the first shot of the night together as Gigi drinks her Cherry Coke.
The guys have a buffet set up with all different types of food in the dining room. We all sit down at a big table in the bar and eat together. Jules, Gigi, and the ladies made salads, Lasagna, Baked Ziti, Peppers and Sausage, and Meatballs. The guys made barbecue chicken and ribs.
During dinner one of my favorite song plays, Buckcherry ‘Lit Up’. I sit and listen trying a little of all the foods spread out for us. I’m so stuffed I won’t be able to even have a salad for days.
After eating my sister, Jules and I dance together. Jules and I have a couple more shots while dancing around the bar’s small dance floor. We have a lovely time with everyone for the next couple of hours.