Blinding Mirror

by Shelley Halima

  “Something just clicked a minute ago.”

  “What was that?”

  “From the moment I saw you, you reminded me of someone. I just couldn’t think of who it was. Then I thought about what I said earlier about liking the Stones and it finally connected – Mick Jagger.”

  Olivia’s eyes widened. “You think I look like Mick Jagger?”

  Gino let out a hearty laugh. “No, no, no. You remind me of Mick’s wife Bianca—the one he just divorced. You look like a younger and even prettier version of her. I read she was Nicaraguan. Are you of a similar background?”

  “My parents were from Portugal.”

  “Really? That’s fascinating. What part?”

  “Madeira.”

  “Which village? I have an old friend who moved to Portugal with his wife and I think that’s the island they live on.”

  “Câmara de Lobos.” She wanted to change the subject before he asked a question she couldn’t answer. “Um, what about your family? Where are they from?”

  “My mother was Maltese-Scottish, born in Australia and raised here in America. My father was from Malta—which is where they met when my mother was visiting relatives one summer as a teen. It’s also where they died. They were on their way back from a visit to Malta Island.” His gaze moved to the fireplace where it settled as he became lost in thought.

  Olivia took his hand in hers. He looked down at their entwined hands and then to her. He slid closer to her and stroked her cheek with his other hand. He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. The gentle kiss then segued into a more passionate one with Gino and Olivia’s arms wrapped around one another. Gino caressed Olivia’s body, her thighs and back. His hands were finding their way to her breasts when he stopped himself. He broke from their kiss and rested his forehead on hers.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what, Gino?”

  “I was getting a little carried away.”

  “We both were.”

  “I made a promise to you and I want to keep it.”

  “What if I don’t want you to keep your promise?”

  He looked at her, searching her eyes for confirmation he hadn’t misunderstood.

  “Gino, I’ve never felt this way before in my life. Being with you makes me forget all the bad things that have happened to me. I love the guest room you’ve set up for me but what I really want is to stay in your room tonight. I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you in any way.”

  Olivia took his face in her hands and gave him another kiss. “I’ve very sure. Unless you don’t want me...”

  “You’re kidding, right? It’s taken all the willpower I have in me to not ravish you right here and now.”

  Olivia rose and took his hand. He stood and gave her a quick kiss before they went upstairs to his bedroom.

  Chapter 28

  Olivia sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Gino stoked the wood in the fireplace with the poker iron. She began to pull up her sweater to take it off when Gino turned around and stopped her.

  “Don’t, Olivia.”

  She pulled her sweater back down and gave him a questioning look. He put the iron in the holder and went to her.

  “I want to do that.”

  He knelt and slipped her shoes and socks off her feet. Placing one foot at a time on his knee, he gave them a soothing rubdown. When he was done his hands traveled up her leg with lazy sensuality before resting for a moment on her hips. He unzipped her slacks and Olivia lifted her hips so he could slide them off. His hands and lips explored the soft skin of her thighs. He took her sweater off and tossed it on the floor.

  Gino then scooped up Olivia and laid her in the middle of the bed. He proceeded to remove all his clothes before joining her. Olivia glanced at his rigid penis. It was only about one or two inches longer than Tony’s but was twice the girth. Gino lay beside her. He kissed her long and fully, bringing forth a passion within her that she wasn’t expecting. He moved his mouth to her neck and nibbled and licked which elicited a low moan from Olivia. His mouth then turned its attention to the swell of her breasts. He reached his hands underneath her, and with deft unhooked her bra and removed it. He ravished her nipples with his lips, tongue and teeth. Unlike Tony, Gino knew how to use his teeth without hurting her. Olivia’s moans increased in volume and frequency. Gino moved his kisses down her body. When he got to the crook of her arm he sucked and flicked his tongue at its center. Olivia’s eyes flew open from the shock of the sensation. She was astounded that having that spot kissed could feel so incredible. Gino moved down to her belly and planted soft pecks all over it and slid her panties off. He was irresistibly drawn back to her pert breasts that were slightly more swollen from her pregnancy.

  He lightly nibbled on her hardened nipples; alternating between swirling his tongue around it’s engorged center and sucking it. His hand went down between her legs and his middle finger sank into her wetness and he began to stroke her.

  Olivia moved against his hand. She was in a state of erotic bliss. She now understood the looks on the faces of the women in the books Pilar gave her. She wanted more. She wanted Gino inside of her. As if he read her thoughts, he moved between her legs and positioned himself for entry. As he got the head of his penis in, Olivia cried out.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll go slowly.”

  “Okay.”

  With ease and precision, he worked himself inside her without causing more discomfort. Olivia was disappointed that the intensity of what she was feeling was beginning to wane. Then she began experience a different type of sensation as Gino made love to her. He was an adept lover and he made sure each thrust made contact with the right place. After her experience with Tony, she thought the whole idea of women enjoying intercourse was a fluke and any of them who proclaimed it pleasurable to be either liars or delusional. As she relished Gino’s lovemaking she forgot all the advice Pilar gave her as far as not letting a man know she was enjoying it right away. Her whimpers, moans, sighs and grinding hips let Gino know how he was making her feel.

  Gino lifted his head to look at her. Her lips were parted and her eyes were half-closed and she appeared to almost be in a trance-like state. It turned him on even more than he already was. He was trying his best to hold back and not orgasm too soon but the friction from her tight vagina enveloping him made it difficult. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had sex this gratifying. He wanted to put her legs up so he could go deeper but he was wary of doing so for fear of possibly hurting her unborn child. He put his mouth back to her ear. Olivia gripped his back tighter.

  “You feel so good,” he whispered. “So good.”

  He felt the build up leading to orgasm and tried to pull out but he didn’t do so in time. He grabbed Olivia’s buttocks and cried her name as his body shook from an intense release. Moments later he showered her face with kisses.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I tried to stop it and wait for you...”

  “Gino, you don’t have to apologize.” She wiped away the perspiration beading on his forehead. Though she wasn’t very experienced, she knew from pleasuring herself and her experimentations with Pilar that she didn’t have an orgasm. But the experience was so pleasing it didn’t even matter.

  Gino moved from on top of her and on his side, facing her. She turned and faced him as well. She reached out and lightly stroked his cheek.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “What on earth are you thanking me for?”

  “For helping to erase the memory of my terrible first time.” That wasn’t a complete lie. Her experience with Tony was like a bad dream or joke. Despite the baby growing inside her as proof of their sleeping together, she didn’t consider him her first. As far as she was concerned Gino took her virginity.

  He was touched not only by her words but the sincerity that rang from them. He caressed the curve of her hip.

  “I’m happy to hear that. I
want to try and erase as much of the pain you’ve been through as I can.”

  “There’s not an eraser big enough for that,” she replied in a slightly sardonic tone.

  “I want to give it a try—if you’ll let me. I’ll be there for you and your baby.”

  “You want to make it official and be my boyfriend?”

  “No. I want to make it official and be your husband.”

  Olivia sat up on her elbow. “What did you just say?”

  He grabbed her and turned over on his back, bringing her on top of him. He held her hair back that fell to her face.

  “This isn’t exactly how I planned on asking you. Will you be my wife?”

  She was too flabbergasted to speak. She didn’t expect for things to fall into place this soon. She had still been formulating plans to get him to this point.

  “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. Ever since you told me about what happened to you. Especially when you said how you felt about having a baby outside of wedlock.”

  “So essentially you’re taking pity on me.”

  “Not at all. I want to take care of you.”

  “Do you love me?”

  He stared at her for a long time before answering. His long pause provided her with the answer before he spoke.

  “I care a lot about you and I know I can and will fall in love with you.”

  She rolled off of him and on to her back. Though she wasn’t in love with him either, it stung her ego that he hadn’t fallen for her.

  Gino turned towards her.

  “Look Olivia. I’m a forty-year-old man who has never been married before and doesn’t have any kids. I’ve wanted to settle down for a while now but I’ve been tied up with work so much it’s left me little time to socialize. I think we can make each other very happy. I’ll be the best father and husband possible. This can work for both of us if you’re willing. What do you say?”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll marry you.”

  A huge grin spread across Gino’s face and he gathered her in his arms.

  Olivia closed her eyes and relished her victory. She managed to do what more experienced women couldn’t do, especially in such a short length of time. She conceded she’d arrived on the scene when Gino was in the mindset to settle down with a family. If she weren’t pregnant she would be asking for a glass of champagne. She had snagged one of the richest men in town in a matter of weeks and therefore was about to become one of the richest wives in town.

  Chapter 29

  Within two weeks, Gino and Olivia were married. Gino was prepared for his bride-to-be to plan a spectacular wedding like most women and was stunned when Olivia suggested a quickie wedding in Las Vegas. And she told him she wanted it right away because she couldn’t wait to become his wife. He was flattered that she wanted to marry him as soon as possible and said instead of going to Las Vegas, they would have a private ceremony in his home. Olivia would have loved nothing more than to have a big, extravagant wedding but she was afraid Gino would change his mind. She convinced him they could have a celebratory function afterwards and invite his friends and family along with some people from work. The only sibling Gino had was his brother Anton and seeing their relationship was a strained one, he didn’t think it was too big a deal for his brother to miss out on the wedding.

  Gino did have his lawyers draw up papers for Olivia to sign before they were married stating that if they were to divorce she would be entitled to three million dollars and one of his homes. Gino intended to give the baby his name and make him or her rightful heir. To Olivia’s ears, the offer of three million dollars was like someone told her she had hit the lottery. For her it was a win-win situation. Whether she stayed with Gino or not, she stood to be a rich woman. But Gino was a savvy businessman who wanted to protect the financial empire his family had spent years to build. Though he cared deeply for Olivia and was looking forward to their life together, he knew there was always a possibility things could go awry. And if that were to happen without a prenuptial agreement in place, he stood to lose a great deal from not only his stake in the business, but stocks, investments and property.

  “I don’t know how you did it,” began Desiree. “But whatever you did to snag a man like Mr. Valente should be put into some type of how-to book.”

  Olivia sipped from her juice-filled champagne flute and beamed. She glanced around the room at the people who were invited to come over and celebrate her and Gino’s marriage. The only people she knew were Desiree, Valerie and a few others from the office.

  “I had no idea you two were even seeing each other,” added Valerie. “Next thing we know Mr. Valente comes into the office and announces you two are married. Des, how did we ever miss this brewing right under our noses? You and I are always the first to get the scoop.”

  “I know!”

  “Our relationship was a whirlwind. Things happened pretty quickly.”

  “Yeah, no crap,” replied Desiree. “Are you coming back to work at the office?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Olivia responded in a tone brimming with sarcasm.

  Valerie and Desiree exchanged quick glances.

  “In case you two haven’t noticed, I’m with child. I need to stay off my feet as much as possible.”

  “I worked up until two weeks before I gave birth,” said Valerie.

  “And I had Jason a few days before I was to take some time off,” added Desiree.

  “What does that have to do with me?” Olivia asked.

  “Nothing I guess,” Valerie replied dryly.

  “Look who’s here,” Desiree said pointing to the entrance of the living room.

  Olivia turned to look and immediately she recognized Anton Valente. The girls were right when they said pictures of Gino’s brother didn’t do him justice. He wasn’t a dashingly handsome man by any means but he was certainly attractive. More than anything he had a presence that Olivia could feel from across the room. Both left and right, heads were turning in his direction. Olivia observed that his face held a certain arrogance and self-importance. She could tell that he had a sense of entitlement for whatever he desired and he would stop at nothing to get it. That was the quality she admired so much in Pilar. At that very moment she knew she would fall in love with him.

  “I finally get to meet my brother-in-law.” Olivia tried her best to make sure her voice didn’t betray what was going on inside her.

  “Word back at the office is the reason he stayed in Philadelphia so long wasn’t the project but some woman he met.”

  “Valerie, that doesn’t surprise me one bit,” Desiree replied with a giggle.

  Olivia said nothing as the two bantered about Anton’s supposed new love interest. She’d only spoken to him briefly a few times when transferring his calls to Gino so she was surprised she suddenly felt a pang of jealousy over his purported involvement with another woman.

  Gino appeared by her side, slipping an arm around her waist. He nodded to Valerie and Desiree.

  “Thank you for inviting us to your lovely home, Mr. Valente.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Valerie. I’m glad you both could make it. I want you to know that you’re welcome here any time. I know you all have become friends and since Olivia isn’t coming back to work, feel free to drop by to visit.”

  “Thank you!” Valerie and Desiree responded.

  Olivia didn’t say anything. She had no plans on inviting them over. It was Gino who asked them over for the celebration. She liked them and thought they were nice but she was now on a different level. She would have to become acquainted with women of the class she was now a part of. Some of the women in attendance who Gino had introduced to her seemed a bit cool toward her. But that would change. She was now Mrs. Gino Valente and they would give her the respect she was due.

  “Come, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to my brother.”

  Gino nodded at Valerie and Desiree and guided Olivia across the room to where his brother was now talking to one of the gue
sts.

  “Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt Mr. Signelli, but I want to introduce my bride to my brother.”

  “That’s quite all right.” With a slight nod, Mr. Signelli stepped aside.

  “Anton this is Olivia.”

  “Olivia, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Anton took Olivia’s hand in his. “It certainly didn’t take long for you to capture my brother’s heart. I thought he would join me in becoming a life-long bachelor.”

  Olivia’s pulse quickened. What she had been feeling from across the room became even more intense. Anton was lightly stroking her hand with his thumb. That tiny gesture alone made her sexually aroused. Finally, he let go of her hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” was all Olivia could manage to say. She put her arm around Gino’s waist and hoped her feelings weren’t displayed on her face.

  “You’ve certainly made my brother a happy man. I haven’t seen him look this lively in years.”

  “He’s made me even happier.” Olivia gazed at Gino.

  Gino kissed her cheek.

  “I’m going to leave you with my brother a minute while I go and check on some things. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her on the lips before leaving.

  “How do you like your new home, Olivia?”

  “I love it of course. It’s beautiful. And it’s so huge I’m sure it’ll be a while before I even see all of it.”

  “Quite a change from the garage apartment, I’m sure. This was our parents’ home before they moved to Georgia and of course they left it to Gino. I heard you’ve been up to the South Lake Tahoe place. So far I haven’t received an invite to check it out. Perhaps you’ll be a kind sister-in-law and allow me to visit.”

  “Sure.” She was still pondering how he knew she used to live in a garage apartment; then thought Gino probably told him.

  “I see that you’re expecting a little one. It’s not my brother’s is it?”

  Olivia’s face darkened in embarrassment.