t h r e e

ROSA

I heard Marco shout out a warning, but I was frozen.

The car was speeding towards us too quickly for me to even think to react.

My dad yelled, "Rosa!"

And instead of feeling the impact of the car, someone pulled me back from the side of the pavement and out of the path of the oncoming car.

I slowly came out of my state of shock, and looked around to see Marco lying on the ground next to me, and my father, on the other side of him.

"Dad! Are you okay?" I called out in panic.

"I'll live," he grunted in reply.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?" Marco asked from his side.

My dad turned to inspect me. "Are you hurt, Rosa?"

I shook my head. "I'm okay too. Just a bit scraped," I responded shakily.

"I'm indebted to you, Marco, for pulling us out of the way," dad said thankfully to Marco. Hoisting himself to his feet, he spat on the ground and wiped his forehead.

"Those bastards!" He cursed, turning to Marco. "Did you get the license plate number?"

Marco shook his head solemnly. "No. My first instinct was to make sure you didn't get hit."

"Damn it! On my grave, I'm going to find them and make them pay!" He swore and vowed.

I laid my hands on his arm, trying to calm him a bit. "If they were drunk, the police might stop them before they get to wherever they're going –"

He roughly removed my hands. "They weren't drunk, damn them."

"What are you talking about?"

"That wasn't an accident," dad growled. "Whoever was driving that wanted to kill me," he hissed.

"Are you sure?"

"I have a lot of enemies, Rosa," he acknowledged, "but it's something else when you're involved." He jerked a thumb at Marco. "Rossi, you're coming home with us."

My eyes widened as I looked at Marco, whose expression remained serious and professional.

He's coming back with us?

He continued. "Angelo was right about you. I'm glad I could see that," he smiled gratefully.

Marco nodded grimly. "It's a pleasure to serve you. We should get off the streets though," he suggested.

We hurried quickly to the car, Marco taking his place behind us.

I was thankful that he's watching over us, but when I looked over my shoulder, I caught him as he looked up from checking me out.

He raised his eyebrows, but his face quickly settled back to neutral.

***

At home, my father was still fuming, pacing up and down the room.

"Someone is after me. I'm being followed. This can't be a coincidence," he declared.

"What do you suggest we do, dad?" I quietly asked.

"What I need is a shadow. Someone ready to defend my family with his own life," he dictated. He turned to face Marco, who was still standing perfectly still, eyes straight ahead.

"Starting today, I want you under my roof too. You'll live, breathe, and sleep on my orders," dad commanded.

What?! Marcos living with us? We can't live together! I don't know if I can trust myself around him.

"It would be by honour. Thank you," Marco answered.

"I wanted to see how your first week was before making my decision, but you showed your worth today," my dad said with admiration.

"I won't let you down," chorused Marco.

My dad nodded. "You will take Angelo's old quarters. Rosa will show you around. I need to call a meeting. Come and see me later," he instructed and walked away.

As Dad left the room, Marco looked at me blankly as if he was putting on his new role.

"Dad likes to have everyone under the same room," I explained, "more control. Welcome to the family," I said awkwardly.

***

Alone in my bedroom that night, my mind began to wander as I thought about every wild thing that had happened over the last couple of days... But what I found myself focusing on, was Marco.

There was something about him that I couldn't put my finger on.

Snap out of it, Rosa.

I can't afford to get myself in trouble, or Marco, in danger. Now that we're right under dad's nose all day, everyday... I need to stick to his rules more than ever.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching.

I wonder who that is at this time of the night...

I cracked open my door quietly, and peeked out to see Marco coming up the hallway. My heart started beating a little faster.

I froze and stared at him, not knowing what to do. Seconds later, his eyes fell on mine.

I opened the door shyly, offering a small wave, and suddenly I remembered how I was dressed in nothing more than a transparent nightgown and my panties.

"Hello, there," Marco greeted.

If dad found us talking at this hour of the night, he'd be furious. But, he's right there, and no one has seen us.

I should let him in.

Before I could say anything, Marco seemed to have his own ideas for me. "You gonna invite me in?" He smirked a little.

Rules are meant to be broken, right?

"Come in..." I moved away from the door, as he stepped in, the door still open. "What were you up to?" I questioned.

"Just heading back to my bedroom. Apparently, I have to walk past yours to get there," he replied. "I didn't wake you, did I?" He asked.

"No, I was up."

"Good," he said, then cleared his throat. "Just to be clear, I'm fully shouldering the responsibility your father gives me. That means I have to take him seriously when he tells me to keep my hands off you," he sighed. "That said... This is a high-pressure world, and I need to relax somehow."

He looked both ways down the hallway, and when he was sure my father wasn't around, he closer the door, almost silently. Then it was like someone cranked up the heat to blazing.

His fingers reached up and ran through my hair as he cupped my face, pulling our faces together in a kiss.

I close my eyes as the kiss deepened, and I felt his dominant tongue sucking hard on mine.

I let out a moan, his hands running down my body, searching for places never explored before.

Lost in our desire, we ran out of oxygen, our tongues never leaving the other. But he soon pulled away, leaving me hanging for more.

"From now on, I'll be sticking around, beautiful," he breathed. "Call me if you need anything."

"Goodnight, Marco," I whispered, my mind still hazy from the kiss. He opened the door and left as I struggled to stop myself from telling him to stay with me for the rest of the night.

I sunk myself back into my bed.

Closing my eyes, I let my imaginations run wild, thinking about Marco, his deep sultry voice and his strong, muscular body.

I bit down hard on my lower lip as my fingers moved under my panties. I pushed my panties aside and settled my hands under the band, so it doesn't move.

I wanted to touch myself and bring myself to a peak as soon as possible, but then I changed my mind.

I'm gonna take this slow.

I decided not to use that hand in my panties and switched to my other hand, imagining it being Marcos. I started to cup my left boob, massaging, pinching the nipples, just like I imagined Marco would do. Soon, reality and fantasy were impossible to distinguish.

Marco was on top of me, we were both completely naked, as my spread legs welcomed his hard shaft.

"Oh..." I moaned.

Fully lubricated and thoroughly aroused, I started to caress myself. I alternated between rubbing myself with eagerness and massaging slowly with long, deep circles. I could almost feel his shaft rubbing over my sensitive area, before sliding inside me in one firm motion.

My finger wandered in... And in my mind, it was Marco, grinding. I breathed slowly, with my legs wide apart, and I let go of my greatest relief, my body tingling with pleasure.