by R. M. Healy
It didn’t take him long, and before Esther knew it, she felt him come in her mouth.
He was so attractive as she looked up at him, watching her lips leave his hardness. Anton Romano was by far the sexiest man she had met.
But they weren’t together, and when she got back from the ground and stood in front of him, with her clothing ripped and her dress resting around her waist, she wondered just how awkward things between them were about to get.
“That was…” Esther struggled to find the words to describe what had happened between them.
“Mind-blowing?” Anton said, still slightly breathless.
“Good choice of words,” Esther said, pulling her dress down and turning away from Anton, bothered by his sarcastic joke.
“It was that and a whole lot more,” Anton mumbled, almost so quiet she didn’t hear him.
She heard his zip fasten behind her and debated what to say to make the situation less awkward.
“Anton-“
“Essie-“
Both said each other’s names at the same time, and Esther felt his hands on her back.
“Want me to fasten this?” He questioned, brushing the hair around to her front, his fingers brushing her still sensitive skin.
“No thanks, I’m going to have a shower when you leave,” she said, turning around to look at him.
He gave nothing away as he looked down at her, moving his hands back into his pockets as if to hide them.
“I take it the offer of coffee is no longer on the table?” He said, glancing behind her at the coffee and sugar spread over the kitchen counter from the spilled cups.
“Let’s not make this any more uncomfortable than it needs to be. We had fun, showing each other a good time, and now we go back to normal. I’m a divorcee who needed to orgasm with a hot man. I understand what this was.”
Esther didn’t miss the look of confusion that crossed Anton’s face before he managed to quickly compose himself again.
“Our working relationship won’t be affected. In fact, it will probably be better,” Esther joked.
Anton didn’t laugh or even smile.
“Normal? That’s what you want?” He asked, his eyes squinting and lips drawing into a thin line.
Esther had no idea what she wanted. What she did know was that she needed to be alone to think about the overwhelming feelings she suddenly had for Anton. Or the ones that she'd been avoiding.
“Yes,” she shrugged awkwardly, looking away from him.
“Ok. Well, enjoy your week off. I’ll let you know if anything serious happens at work.”
He slipped on his coat, and Esther still didn’t look at him. She was at a loss for words.
“Goodbye, Essie.”
His voice sounded final as he walked out of the door, and Esther cupped her face with her hands. She felt horrid for sending him away, but what else was there to talk about? They weren’t an item. It wasn’t as if Anton had asked for anything more either.
She cleared the mess from the kitchen surfaces and walked into her bedroom. Looking in the mirror, she saw her pink cheeks and red lips, evidence of what had just happened. Anton's scent was all over her, and she needed to wash it away.
She turned the shower on and stripped off her clothes. As she looked down at it on the floor, she realized she would never be able to wear that dress again without thinking of what happened between her and Anton.
It was time for her to peel off her bandage off her head since it had been over two days. When she peeled it back, she was glad to see another small transparent plaster covering it.
Stepping under the showerhead, she let the boiling water cascade over her skin. The sound of the pounding water all around her was therapeutic and helped her think about what had just happened.
In one way, it was liberating to just let go and do what she really wanted without having to think of the consequences.
But in another, she knew it was irresponsible. Especially since she didn’t know how she really felt about Anton and the fact they would be working together closely when they got to Italy. That wouldn't be for a while, at least.
Having a week off work away from Anton would surely be a good thing in the meantime. She’d been around him so much the last few days she hadn’t been able to see past her lust for him.
What happened between them was so dirty that she couldn’t believe she’d done it and enjoyed it so much. What made it even more unbelievable was that it was Anton Romano who bought those feelings out of her.
But dating a man or anything more would have to until her future.
The next few weeks, she would be spending with her family. Her father didn’t have long left, and Esther would never forgive herself if she got distracted by a man.
Especially since she didn’t believe Anton had any interest in her beyond anything more than sex. She knew he’d never been with a woman longer than a month and nothing made her any different from those women. Anton liked being single, and that was clearly obvious and always had been. She knew that and expected nothing more from him.
It was just difficult to accept that she had such strong feelings developing for him that were completely out of her control. And no matter how hard she tried to rationalize them, it didn’t make them go away.
Chapter Sixteen
“Oh, that’s fantastic!” Esther said to Kimberley, who sat in her hospital, a beautiful smile on her little face.
“Yep, and they said their house is in a forest! And that I’ve got a little brother too!” Kimberley practically rocked back and forth as she told Esther about her future home.
Esther thought it took months or even years for people to adopt a child, but for Luca and Lucy Romano, it had only take mere weeks. Being a millionaire clearly had its rewards. But Esther didn’t care that they’d used their money in such a way because it meant Kimberley could have a future with a loving family.
After most of her body being burnt and her parent’s death, she deserved this. And her care worker had already expressed her concerns on whether or not Kimberley would get adopted.
Another thing the care worker was worried about was the sizeable fortune from Kimberleys parent’s life insurance. It would have been terrible for her to be adopted by the wrong family who didn’t look after that money correctly.
Luca and Lucy certainly did not need any money. What they did want was another child to love, just as Kimberley needed that love. They were an ideal fit.
Lucy had called Esther after getting her number from Rosa to thank her for bringing Kimberley into her life. According to the nurse, Luca and Lucy had taken it in turns to visit Kimberly every day and were already building a fantastic relationship with her. In just one more month, after the paperwork was all finalized and legal, the little girl would be moving in with her new family.
“Mr. Luca bought a friend too, and he had the same skin like me!” Kimberley said, looking at her burnt skin, too young to understand the difficulties she would face from being different from all the other children.
“Really?” Esther questioned, confused about what she meant.
“Yeah, he took the sticker off his face, and it looked just like mine. He told me that we were special because we’d been touched by fire!”
Looking at how happy the girl was, Esther could see how happy this stranger had made her.
“Nicola said he is famous and that she wished she were special too!” Kimberley said, talking about the friendly young nurse who often worked on the ward.
“I think his name was an uncle?” Kimberley said, looking confused, her fingers on her chin as she tried to remember.
“He is right. You are special. I will be back to see you next week anyway,” Esther held her arms out to hug the little girl and kissed the rough skin on her cheek.
“Esther?” Kimberley said shyly, looking away from her.
“Yeah?” Esther stayed sitting beside the little girl.
“I love you. I wish you could live with us too,” K
imberley seemed embarrassed at her words as she stroked the lion teddy Esther had given her.
“You will love it there. Lucy and Luca will be much more fun than me,” Kimberley nodded, still not looking at Esther.
“And I love you too, Kimberley.”
Esther hugged the little girl again and was glad when Kimberley hugged her back.
As she was leaving the ward, she saw Nicola, the nurse, and had to ask who Luca had bought with him. She had her suspicions of who it could be.
“Oh! I couldn’t believe he was here, an actual celebrity! Thee Anton Romano! He’s even more handsome in real life, and he was so sweet to everyone.”
Esther could see how smitten the nurse was with Anton, and she couldn’t blame her. She was envious the woman had gotten to know that side of Anton.
She had never thought of how he would be around children. She’d only ever seen him around his cousin’s children’s in a group setting. The fact he’d come and seen Kimberley and showed her his scars was a massive deal, not just for Kimberley, but for him too.
It had only been two days since Esther had seen him, and now she wanted to see him again, especially knowing he’d done this for Kimberley.
“I wanted to give him my number, but he said he wasn’t on the market for a girlfriend.” Nicola sounded disappointed for all of a few seconds before shrugging. “He’s probably back with that model again.”
“Nicola?” A little boy said from the doorway to the ward.
The nurse immediately walked away, smiling at the little boy.
Esther walked out of the hospital, her mind not once straying from Anton. Was he back with an ex? Esther usually didn’t believe the mags, but Nicola was a stunning woman, and she couldn’t see Anton turning her down if he wasn’t dating someone.
But it had only been 2 days between what had happened between them, and she didn’t want to believe he’d have moved on that quick.
The next day it was frosty outside, and Esther made sure she wore appropriate footwear this time so she didn’t fall again. Anton hadn’t texted her once since the day at her apartment, but Anthony had been keeping her updated.
He’d even suggested she take another week off since she rarely used her holidays anyway.
Esther was relieved he’d suggested it since her father had taken a turn for the worse the previous night, and she didn’t want to be away from her family. She was debating whether to stay at her parents’ house for a few nights. Peter had said her father would have to have full-time care very soon or be in a hospital.
And seeing the condition her father was in herself, she knew he was right.
But her mother said her father didn’t want that. According to her mother, it was a pride thing for her father, and he hated his family, seeing him as a weak man.
She hated it too, but she would never say that to him. If he wanted to put on a brave face, then she would go along with it.
Jae and Chan were coming around tonight and had called Esther yesterday to say they had a surprise for her father. Esther had no idea what it was. She just hoped it wasn’t something ridiculous. They were going to order take-out and spend time together. Esther had been there every night that week, and the previous night her father tried to stand from his chair and almost fell and injured himself.
Peter said he probably wouldn’t be able to stand again without somebody holding him.
Jae’s red sports car was parked on the curb outside of her father’s house when Esther pulled up, and she parked behind him.
Jessica found it very difficult to see her father without becoming stressed, and Esther understood why her younger sister only chose to visit him three times a week.
As she walked down the drive, she heard all the loud laughs from inside, and when Esther walked into the living room, she saw what the surprise was.
Jae’s parents sat on the sofa across from her father. Despite all his pain, Esther could see he was ecstatic with his sister and her husband being in his home with him.
“I can’t believe you are here,” Esther said to her father’s sister, holding her arms out to embrace her.
Jisu had tears in her eyes as she walked over to Esther, embracing her.
“Esther, you have no weight,” Jisu said, holding her by the shoulders and shaking her head.
Esther knew she’d lost weight, but when she was stressed, she often had no appetite.
“Mom, don’t be rude,” Chan said to his mother.
The small dark room was cramped with her parents, Jisu and her family, and now Esther. She was glad to see someone had moved in chairs from the kitchen to the living space, so everyone would have a seat.
Her parents didn’t usually like guests, especially since the house was so small and hadn’t been decorated in many years. Yet, it was clear to see just how overjoyed her father was to have his family around him in his own home.
“I wish I could cook for everyone, tomorrow I must cook for all!” Jisu said excitedly to everyone.
“It has been so long since I ate your food Jisu, I told Esther you are the best cook I ever knew.” Although her father’s voice was sounded gruff and sore, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.
“What does everyone want to eat?” Esther said, pulling a notepad and pen from her bag.
“Our manager will kill us if he finds out how much junk we’ve been eating,” Jae said, rubbing his hands over his shirt as if he had a huge belly. He didn’t.
“Mexican it is then. This one I order from has fantastic food,” Chan said, pulling out his phone and getting the menu up. As they began talking about the food, Esther got up and went into the kitchen to get plates and trays ready. The room was small, and like the rest of the house, it hadn’t been decorated in a very long time.
But Esther loved the memories she’d had in this house. When she was a little girl, she remembered helping her father hang the brown cabinets and helping her mother paint the yellow walls.
The rickety table in the corner had become too small for the family as Esther and Jessica grew older.
As she looked at the photo of her on the fridge door, she felt her eyes dampen. That’s when there was a knock at the front door. She doubted her parents had invited anyone else, so she had no idea who it may be.
When she walked past the living room door, she heard the loud laughter and conversation between her family and knew they hadn’t heard it.
“Hey.”
Wearing his smart black suit with his black hair slicked back and a pair of sharp designer glasses, Anton looked ready for business.
He looked more attractive than Esther’s memory had given justice for, and she felt anxious all of a sudden. It had been over a week since the day they’d been in her flat, and that was the last time they’d seen each other.
“Come in. The kitchen is straight ahead,” she stepped to the side, and when he stepped into the narrow corridor, she could smell his familiar scent as his body brushed against hers.
This was going to be uncomfortable, she thought, closing the door behind him.
There was nowhere to sit in the kitchen as all the seats were in the living room, so they stood facing each other between the cabinets. Esther watched Anton rub his hand across the wooden counter.
“Funny, last time I saw you, we were both enjoying what tastes your kitchen had to offer,” he said, raising his eyebrows. It was clearly evident what he was referring to, and Esther was glad she managed to stay composed. That didn’t mean what he said didn’t bring up the same heat she felt that night.
Through his designer glasses, she saw his eyes flick across her face, and his lips pulled into a smirk.
“Good to see it's not just me who gets turned on thinking about it,” he teased, stepping closer to her, one hand going around her waist to pull her against him.
“I will stop the teasing. How are you?” He asked, his other hand brushing her loose bangs away from her face. His eyes looked down into hers, and he tilted his head, waiting for her answer.
Esther didn’t know whether to push him away or stay where she was. She hadn’t been held like that by a man in a long time, and it made her feel protected.
“Were just waiting on-“
Jae stopped speaking, freezing as he walked into the room, looking from Esther to Anton and back.
“Hello,” Anton didn’t move his hand from her waist as he turned to look at her cousin.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Jae’s voice sounded almost hostile, and Esther didn’t understand why.
“Well, I am here,” Anton replied, his eye’s never leaving Jae.
“Will you be eating here?” Jae questioned.
“I’m not sure. That depends. Can you leave me and Esther speak for just a moment?”
Although Jae hesitated, he nodded and left the room. Esther waited until she heard the living room door shut before speaking.
“Do you want to stay for food?” She asked.
It was only fair to offer since he cared for her when she was sick. Not to mention the fact she was always welcome in his home.
“Do you want me to stay for food?” He asked, standing in front of her again, caging her in by placing both his hands on the counter behind her.
“Yes,” she answered honestly.
“Good. Now answer my question, how are you?”
“Err, ok, I guess,” she said, looking down at the floor away from him.
“I don’t believe you,” he said, cupping her cheek and turning her face to look at him, “I spoke to my father today. He said you are taking more time off work.”
“Yes, I need to be here,” she answered honestly.
“I fly to Italy tomorrow morning, and I wanted to see you before I left,” his thumb brushed over her cheek, and Esther finally made eye contact with him.
“Why?” She asked. Now he was here. She didn’t want him to leave. But she didn’t want to tell him that.
“We can talk about that later,” he stepped back and picked up the stack of plates. “I would imagine your family is getting hungry. We can talk about this later.”
Esther really wanted to talk about it now, but he was right. Her family was waiting, and she didn’t want to leave them all waiting on her.