by SJ Molloy
Before dinner Lexi becomes cranky with Cameron because of the obvious flirting going on between him and Anna. I do not want to interfere just yet because they are both adults and I have already approached him today with probing questions. I do not want to piss him off. I have seen Anna flirt before. Hell, she used to do it with Marco and that never went anywhere, so I am being patient until I need to step in.
Dominic and I have a good heart to heart in the early evening while he helps me to prepare pizzas. We are both sorry we got off on the wrong foot. He seems to have calmed down and now as opposed to being hostile, he is open, friendly, and very down to Earth. He has a good sense of humour too. Cameron and Dominic are both great guys, and I can see myself getting on with them both very easily.
We feast and chat until the balmy night-time air and darkness settles around us. Lexi yawns, so we excuse ourselves and head up to bed. I grab painkillers and meet her in the shower. She is exhausted and can barely stand on her feet, leaning against the tiles for support, her body limp, yawning.
Helping her wash her hair and body all over, I dry her off, get her in bed, kiss every area of her skin, apply some bruise cream to her marks and antiseptic cream on her soles. After putting on her sling, I nudge a pillow under her arm for support and get her comfortable.
Spooning her, I pull her against my chest, swathing my arm around her, peppering light kisses under her ear and on her neck and shoulder. Lexi is beyond tired so there is no way I want her to feel like she needs to have sex with me tonight. My baby needs rest, and I have her in my life now so I can devour her anytime.
“Lucca, thank you for today. I’ve had a great day and I’m so happy to see Cameron. You’re so thoughtful,” she says in barely a whisper before falling into a deep sleep.
“I love you, baby. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again, I promise,” I say, brushing her hair from her face. I am not sure whether she can hear me or not, but it does not matter.
Lexi sleeps soundly but I cannot get the images of someone brutally torturing a child … my girl as a child out of my head. My dream is contorted and crazy bizarre. It is the first flashback I have had in a long time.
I am not sure if it was Cameron taking about Lexi’s nightmares or the thought of her being brutally abused, but it provokes disturbing memories and thoughts in me which have crept into my subconscious.
I wake up sweating, taut, and edgy, in a state of panic. I had vivid, distorted visions of Jasmine lying in a pool of blood, my son on her chest, and Lexi lying on her stomach, naked in Jasmine’s blood, screaming, blood pouring from the wounds on her back. It was a mix of fucked-upness.
Breathing, I rake my fingers through my hair and reach for Lexi. She softly moans and turns to face me, burying her head against my chest. I wrap my arm around her and breathe deeply while slowly stroking her hair and back until I am calmer.
She is safe.
She has not left me.
I have her.
It is early. The morning light just breaks through the shutters on the windows, shining over the white silk curtains. Once I am calmer and content that Lexi is with me and safe, I leave her sleeping, grab my fitness clothes, and go outside on an almost two hour run to clear my head. The thought of her being harmed and tortured disturbed my sleep last night, and I need to exert some frustrations.
I break an intense sweat, pounding the dirt track until I take a narrow path winding all through the nearby olive groves. I cover the whole perimeter, running in a weave through the symmetrical paths of the groves.
Listening to loud music, surging with adrenaline, I quicken my pace. Normally I would run like a beast every other day, between conditioning and weight training, but Lexi has been keeping me busy and satiating my needs. Today is the first time I have needed this exertion.
I need to release my tension this morning because of that scary fucking nightmare that ripped through my dream, and I was worried that Lexi would pick up on it when she woke up. She would know I was alarmed and panicked, and I do not want her worrying about me. Running back uphill towards the farmhouse, the dream still taunts me.
My son.
Gabriel.
Angel.
I know later I need to meet with some contractors at my parents’ and look at an apartment block I bought in Pienza, so it might be the perfect opportunity for me to go to my son’s graveside. I don’t expect Lexi to come with me because she is on holiday, has her friends and Cameron with her, and it would be too depressing for her. I need to go alone and say my own prayers.
Reaching the house, I lean over gasping, trying to get my breath back. I hear clanging and clinking from the kitchen and find Lexi bent over with a bag, picking up empty beer bottles from last night.
I tell her to leave it, and fuck, I am distracted with the little getup she has on. As she is bent over, I get the perfect view of her ass in those little cock-teasing sleep shorts she has on. Fitted to the globes of her sweet ass, they leave little to my imagination.
Wrapping my hand around her waist, I pull her up and around, hissing through my teeth at the sight of her sexy, round tits under her tight vest—no bra so her hard nipples are visible through the thin fabric. Jesus.
Dripping with sweat, fuelled up, and surging with energy from my workout, I pull her against me, my boner pressing against her tummy. She lets out a soft moan, threads her fingers in my hair, and pushes her chest forward while I claim her mouth with a predatory kiss.
She licks a droplet of perspiration from my temple, and I am a fucking goner, bulging in my shorts with the sorest balls ever. She asks for it, and by fuck, she is going to get it. Deep. Hard. Fast … and oh so fucking good.
I have her stripped and in the shower in no time. I know she is still aching and sore and I do not want to be rough with her, but Jesus, I am finding it hard to contain myself from turning her around and fucking her over the bath. I want to pleasure her first because when I thrust into her she will know about it, and she will need to be wet for my intrusion.
After moments of steamy and raunchy kissing and touching, she stops and says she cannot. Like fuck she cannot. I am ready to explode and I need her now. She falls to her knees and takes my throbbing cock into her glorious mouth, hollowing her cheeks and sucking me off real good. Groaning, I grab a handful of her hair, pulling Lexi down further on me. Shit, she is so fucking good with her mouth.
“Fuck, Jesus, that is good … Hold on, why can I not have you?” I hiss, feeling pleasure tingle in my spine and my balls start to tighten.
“I got my period early this morning,” she barely whispers against my twitching cock between her lips. God, she is adorable. I feel relieved. She will not be making me jacket up in rubbers any longer. I do not care that it is her time of the month. It will not deter me in the slightest, and we are in a shower. I have had her blood on my cock before. It washes off. No big deal.
I do not understand why she would feel embarrassed or reluctant. She is a woman, my woman, and all woman at that. If she thinks that would put me off or stop me from having her, then she has another thing coming. I need her and I am having her.
I want to share everything with her—my life, my body, and my soul—and that means she needs to share everything with me. I cannot believe she would even think of denying me access to her body after everything we have shared together. My cock is going into that tempting, tight pussy, and there is not a fucking thing she can say or do to put me off.
“Good, thank fuck for that. No more condoms for me. I am still having you, baby. I need to feel you,” I say, coaxing her to stand. Of course she is shy and modest, so I help her forget her insecurities by exploring her pussy with my fingers, giving her an orgasm that makes her wild.
Just as she is coming down from her pleasure, I lift her up and thrust inside her in one deep stroke. Ah fuck, she feels so good. Having my bare cock inside her hot core without the condom on feels fucking sensational. I feel every nerve, fleshy pulse, and rigid tightening of her walls const
ricting around my swollen dick.
I fuck her deeply with uninhibited desire and passion until we cum apart in a frenzied bodily explosion. She is completely embarrassed afterwards. When will she learn we have no boundaries and she is mine. I will take her anyway I can, anytime of the month.
“What is the big deal? It makes no difference. In fact, it was goddamn amazing feeling you again and not having that fucking condom on. I have told you, I want all of you,” I say with a rasp, lifting her head up to kiss her beautiful lips.
Once we are washed and dried, Lexi tells me her concerns about Anna and Cameron. She suspects they slept together. It is turning into a bigger deal than I thought, and I do not want friction between Lexi and me.
Part one: Lussuria ~ Lucca’s Words
“Lussuria ~ Chapter Twenty Four: ‘If You Were Mine…’”
Chapter 18
She Is Mine
While the others prepare breakfast this morning, I catch up on work calls in the study, send a shitload of emails, check over some reports, and call Marco. After eating outside, once we have established Dominic and Cameron are coming with me to my parents’ villa, I have a quiet word with Anna. She does not take it too well. We need to speak more about it, but right now I have to get ready to go.
I pick out a smart designer suit and shirt Violetta has had dry cleaned and pressed. When I am dressed, I decide to wear a bright turquoise coloured tie because after a disturbing sleep, Lexi has given me my spark back and put me in a very good mood.
Kissing Lexi goodbye, I tell her to keep her phone on and I will call her. I give the boys some details about the region on the way to my parents’. I drop them off and introduce Cameron to my parents. Dominic already met them at the hospital. I tell them I will be back shortly but do not mention where I am going. I drive the twenty minutes south to my son’s graveside.
I fetch the items from the car trunk I brought for him. Reaching his grave, I bow my head and sigh, overcome with sadness and raw emotion. Gabriel has an impressive white marble headstone adorned with gilded angels, a huge intricate crucifix with white doves, white pillar candles in glass containers, and a white and blue marble carved teddy bear. It sits next to Fran’s papa’s headstone.
Blue balloons and ribbons are tied to the teddy bear and an arrangement of flowers neatly skirt around the fenced section of his grave. The flowers and balloons have been left by Donita and Fran when they were here last week.
Opening the huge box I carry, I place the solid-silver toy train, boat, and angel under his headstone. I had them professionally coated to make them more durable to withstand the weather. Then I secure a small action figure and little toy car which was mine when I was a boy. I found them in with Nonna’s storage stuff. Lastly, I light a blessed candle from Mamma and Papa’s priest in one of the empty glass containers.
Taking a seat on the bench I had put down in front of his grave, I bow my head in silent prayer. I remind him that Gabriel was an archangel, an angel just like him. I tell him how much I miss him and hope that he is happy and well looked after in heaven. Then I tell him his papa has met a new angel. An angel that God created and sent to this earth to bring me love and happiness.
I say I wish he was here and could meet her, and then I tell him that I would like to have my own children with my new angel if God decides to bless us both.
Silently talking to the spirit and memory of Gabriel, it is as if I am trying to persuade him to accept that I would like children with Lexi. I ask for his forgiveness and blessing to move on. I add that he would then have brothers or sisters to watch over, but he would always be my firstborn and hold a special place in my heart forever.
Beginning to weep, I wipe my eyes and say that I love him eternally and will never forget him and Papa will be back soon to visit with more gifts, love, and stories. Filling my lungs with the fresh smell of the flowers, I watch the birds fly through the cloudless sky before setting my gaze back on the flickering candle.
After an hour of reflection, praying, and respecting Gabriel’s memory, I blow him a kiss towards his headstone and tell him Papa loves him very much. Back in the car, I try switching my phone back on I realise I do not have a good signal here.
By the time I reach Casa sulla Collina, I head straight to the extension to check in with the contractors, sign off some paperwork, phone Andy and Lyle, my mates and Osurac project and contract managers for a briefing and summary.
After checking emails in the study and calling Suzanne, I find Dominic and Cameron in the bar watching an Italia football match, Verona versus Juventus. I have half an hour before I need to leave for Pienza, so I pick up a stool and join them.
I am just about to check in with Lexi to see how she is feeling when my phone vibrates in my hand. It is Donita’s number. She never calls me. I wonder if it was about me being at the graveside earlier.
She is so hysterical on the phone I can barely make her out. I move to the corner of the room to hear her properly, away from the football noise on the flat screen. Fran has tried to kill herself this morning. She is in the hospital and had her stomach pumped but is recovering.
Fuck!
A shiver runs through me and turns my blood cold. I try to calm Donita down the best I can and tell her I will come and get her, that I am on my way. I find my mamma and papa to let them know. Mamma is beside herself with worry and wants to support her friend and wants to come with me.
I mention to the boys an emergency has come up and I need to visit Fran. They are so engrossed in the match I do not think it even registered. I know Fran is going to be okay, but the fact that she tried to do something as obscene as this is screaming help to me. She needs help … proper help.
On the drive I think about the conversation we had in the study on Sunday night. She said she has been to therapy, she is better, that she has moved on, and has learned to accept what has happened. So what the fuck is all this about today?
Is she playing me? Is it a huge cry for attention? Or has she even been to therapy? I do not know what to think, but for her to want to take her own life, she has bigger issues than I could have ever imagined.
Reaching the hospital, I hug Donita sympathetically and let my mamma comfort her while I visit Fran in her room. She is drowsy and looks like death. Cautiously, I sit for a while and hold her hand, telling her we are all here for her and never to try and do that again.
She pensively stares into space. I tell her that her family loves her very much, and her mamma needs her, that she needs to be strong and get better. Without telling her I love her, I mention that I care for her very much and would hate if anything were to happen to her and that she gave me a massive shock.
Tensing, she looks away. I do not know if that is what she wanted to hear. Maybe she wants me to tell her I love her, but I cannot lie to myself or to her. It is not fair. I do not know what happened, what went wrong. We cleared the air and talked more on Sunday than we ever have in the past four years. She seemed to be positive in a good frame of mind, and now this.
“Fran, please do not do this to yourself. I hate to see you like this. Let me help you,” I say, lifting her hand to my mouth placing a gentle kiss on it. A twist of regret or guilt settles in my lower abdomen. What if I am responsible? Maybe seeing me move on with Lexi was too much for her after all.
A faint smile forms on her face and tears begin to fall freely.
“I am sorry. Mi dispiace, mi dispiace. I do not know how it happened,” she sobs, shrugging her narrow shoulders and clasping her hands.
“It is okay. Do not apologise. Just do not be stupid like this again. Your mamma is really upset, Fran. We need to get you better. Will you accept my help?”
She nods then stares blindly at the wall in front of her.
“I went to Gabriel’s graveside today. I loved your flowers and balloons. I left him some special silver toys and a couple of my own childhood toys. I stayed for a while just to speak to him.” I offer her water from the bedside table, but she life
lessly shakes her head.
“Did you go alone?” she asks, her voice wary.
“Yes. I wanted my own time with him. Would it bother you if Lexi went with me?” I question, a frown creasing my brow. If it did bother Fran, then I would respect her wishes. She is Gabriel’s mamma.
“No, I guess not. I do not know why I asked that. Thank you for going.” She forms a half-hearted smile and reaches to cover my hand with hers.
We talk for a while, then Mamma comes into her room to visit, followed by Donita, whose tears have dried up but her eyes are red and raw. She looks exhausted, poor woman. I tell them I am arranging therapy here for Fran, and also back in Milan for when she is in a fit state to go back to work.
Leaving the ladies for a moment, I step outside to the corridor, planning to call Casey to ask her for a recommendation of a good therapist here in Tuscany, but my phone is out of charge.
Shit!
I wanted to call Lexi to check in with her. I remember Cameron telling me she panics when people switch their phones off. She might be worried if she has not heard from me all day. I grab the ladies coffee and snacks from the nearest canteen and take them back to the room. I tell Donita I will cover Fran’s medical expenses, but she refuses and says that Sandro left her financially comfortable; she will be able to do it herself.
Mamma says she needs to get back to check on the evening meals at the villa. After saying goodbye to Donita, I promise her I will at least help her with any therapy Fran needs. I kiss Fran on the forehead before leaving and then take my mammas hand.
I ask to borrow Mamma’s phone so I can call Lexi, but she has left it with her handbag and purse because she was in a panic and rush to leave with me. She places a protective, motherly hand on my knee on the drive back and asks me if I am okay.
