Danielle I purse my lips, kneading my fingertips. “Why does this have to do something with me? Maybe they just wanted to be nice.” Shrugging, I look around evasively, finding Natalina, who is looking at me with a strange look. “I was just shopping.” “Danielle…” Giovanni warns in an annoyed tone, and I lift a shoulder. “Erm… Well…” I start, setting my eyes back onto Giovanni, who is clenching his jaw. “Maybe… It is because I went to the prison yesterday.” He closes his eyes as his shoulders slump. “What prison?” “I went to see my father.” Breathing out a deep, distraught breath, he holds his forehead, opening his eyes to look down at me. “No.” “Sorry?” I say with a shy smile, making him groan. “What the fuck, Danielle! I had asked you to let it be.” “I know, but I couldn’t! He was in the wrong, and he had to know it.” I shout back. Giovanni sits down on the couch, burying his head in his hands. And while Natalina leaves the room to let us fight in peace, I panic. “But look,
DanielleHe lifts my hand to kiss my knuckles before applying the gear to set the car into reverse.He parks his car in the parking lot that the valet steered us into. Valerio’s car parks next to us and I am just about to open the door as it gets practically ripped out of my hand.“Ma’am,” a young man greets me, tapping the visor of his valet uniform.I look back at Giovanni, who is practically killing him with his rageful look and I giggle, reaching out to caress his face.He snaps out of his staring, his gaze falling on me as his eyes change, his expression becoming gentler. “It’s nothing. Nothing happened.”
DanielleI stare at Federica expressionlessly as she comes closer with her hand on her chest.She flicks her dyed platinum blond hair back over her shoulder as she looks at Vlad displeased. “Would you mind leaving us alone for a minute?”I grab Vlad’s arm out of reflex, making him decline towards me slightly.“Actually, we were talking!”And you ruined my mood, Bitch!Her annoying giggle has me boiling. “Don’t be such a party pooper, Dani. It will just take a minute.”Vlad looks at me frowning as he states, “I return in a minute.”
Outta HereI’m still gloomy as we return to the hall and I start feeling suffocating every second I hear her laughter a few meters away from me.Suddenly, I feel sick to my stomach and panic flows through me.I can’t spot Giovanni anywhere and even if I’m dying to see him, I’m not quite sure I could face him right now.Feeling panicky, I step to the huge bear of a man who is standing lonely in the crowd as he seems to be keeping an eye on his princess as he calls her.“Vla- Vlad,” I call him lowly, clearing my throat. “Sorry, maybe I could ask you to take me home? I wouldn’t know if I can’t get a taxi here.”
DanielleBreaking into my best friend’s apartment as she doesn’t answer to the ringing of the doorbell surely isn’t one of the most glorious moments in my life. Also, it would be quite funny if someone would actually call the police because of me. They would find a pathetically sobbing woman, eating ice cream while watching an old telenovela in stained clothes. Talk about old cat lady. I shoot a text to Loredana, telling her that I got in and would pay for the damaged lock, even if it was going to take me a few months as I was officially broke. How, you may ask? As the bitch got into the shower, I packed as fast as lightning and took the first key I got hold of to drive here. My subconscious chose a hell of a car. A fast, sporty and shiny one, and I kept the window down, not caring how the wind was messing up my hair while I turned the music up and raced through the town. And how funny it would have been if this had gotten me arrested. He would have had a hell of a time by pi
Giovanni“Can you put extra Mascarpone on it, please? Thank you.” Francesco smiles at me as he scoops up another few flakes of the cheesy topping. “She really loves that stuff,” I mumble as I direct my gaze back onto my phone. I’m currently waiting in a pizzeria for our pizzas to be prepared as I had sneaked out to buy us lunch, thinking she would love that. But actually, I wasn’t in the mood to even get out of the house at all as she was acting strange. I couldn’t wait for her to finally tell me what had happened and as I had spotted her mother taking part in the dinner as well, I was afraid that she said or even did something that might hurt her. She is such a stubborn woman, but when it comes to such things, she crumbles like a house made out of leaves. As soon as I will find out who ruined her mood, I will go on a rampage for real. And not only because I had planned to confess my feelings for her in the luxury suite I had booked before fucking her senseless in the whirlpool.
GiovanniAs I’m about to grab her to cage her beneath me on the couch, she struggles fiercely, getting me to loosen my grip. She wriggles out of my hold and sprints further into the apartment. I follow her with steady steps and hear a door slam close. Arrived at what I remember to be the bathroom, I knock on the door. “Danielle? Open the door.” “No!” Her muffled voice doesn’t sound as if she is having fun. “Come on, open it. I just want to talk to you,” I beg her, lowering my voice. “I said, no. Go away!” I take a deep breath, leaning against the door frame “Do you really want me to go away? I will if you ask me to!” She remains silent, and I wait another few heartbeats as I add, “If you want me to go away now, I’ll leave you alone. As soon as you want to talk you can call me and I will come back. But if you tell me to leave I’ll leave.” I knock again as if I needed to remind her that I was still outside the door. It would be easy for me to tear that damn thing down and thro
GiovanniI’m absorbed by the movement of her fingers as she plays with mine.We are lying in some small bed in an overly girly guest room of Loredana’s apartment.I remember already spending one or two nights here as I was totally wasted and turned up at the door devastated.She would put me in this room to sleep it off before serving me the strongest coffee I ever had the pleasure of tasting, together with a mercilessly hurtful speech about me being an asshole to make Danielle suffer like this when I couldn't stand it either.The fact that I now made love to Danielle in this very room, is some kind of beautiful redemption.Danielle is lying on my chest
Giovanni Two Years LaterWrapping my hands around my wife, I help her stabilize on her feet as she holds her head. “Oh.” “Are you sure that you are alright?” I ask her, pushing out a strand of hair out of her face.She nods, making my heart squeeze as I’m not convinced as her face seems so pale. “Yes, all good.” “Bullshit, Danielle. You have been feeling unwell for days. We are going to see a doctor right now.” She groans, pushing herself out of my arms. “Can we please just go see my father? Afterward, we can go.” “No,” I answer firmly, putting my hands on the car’s roof, caging her in. “We will go to the doctor’s and after that, we will go see your father.” Shaking her head, she looks up at me with puppy dog eyes. “But we might lose the window. You know how complicated things can be with those appointments and how strict the prisons are. What if they don’t visit me right away and we have to wait?” I click my tongue, giving in as I can’t resist her looking at me like this. Damn
Giovanni “Is it normal to wear the tie so tight?” I clear my throat as I pull at my tie again, feeling like it is cutting into my throat. Valerio laughs, pinching my tie, and shakes his head. “It’s perfectly fine. You are about to hyperventilate. That is all.” I scoff, slipping into my jacket as I walk to the window. “I don’t understand why they can’t just have us walk in together. I mean, where did they bring her?” “Calm down. It’s tradition. They will call her in after the first discussions and blessing with the elders,” he explains to me, wanting to calm me down with information that I already possess. “At least you are not a Degli Baronesi, or you would be choosing your favorite knife at this point.” “What the fuck,” I mumble under my breath, watching the people scurrying outside. He snorts, putting his hands into his pockets. “It’s going to be fine. They love you. They chose you. It’s going to be a nice ceremony and then we can all go and get drunk. Relax.” “You have to l
Danielle I look at him intrigued, laying a hand on my chest, and watch him pull off his now-drenched shirt to toss it onto the ground. “Lift me out…” Following the gesture of his head, I gasp as my eyes fall onto a bottle of lube on the edge of the pool. “Pervert,” I whisper, making him laugh. My eyes scan the surrounding gardens, and I gulp. “Aren’t there people who could hear us? I mean, me?” “Maybe,” he grins smugly. “But we are going to be quiet, aren’t we?” I open my mouth, looking at him shocked, and I’m still pondering on the fact if I should feel afraid. But I guess my stupid body betrays me as I shiver in pleasurable anticipation. “I thought that the hot water would help you relax, but we can just chill if you don’t feel like it,” he whispers, leaving featherlight kisses on my cheek and my jawline. Gulping painfully, I let my eyes roam our surroundings again before I turn my head slightly to look at him. “No, I really want to do it.” His lips stretch into a gorgeous
Danielle “Wait,” I throw my hands in front of my face, taking a deep breath as he freezes, grinning up at me. “Wait. Wait. Wait,” I repeat panically, feeling like I can’t breathe. “What are you doing?” Giovanni lifts his brow, glaring at me. “What does it look like, Danielle?” “Is that the reason why you wanted to see my dress?” I ask, my entire body shaking. “But why?” He sighs, letting his arm slump. “I knew that it wasn’t the right timing. I’ll just get up.” “No, no, no!” I shout, making him look at me with furrowed brows. I lean down, putting my hands onto his shoulders. We stare at each other for a split second, my mouth turning dry as I finally push myself up again. I cross my arms, laying my hands flatly on my chest as I calm my racing heartbeat. “Okay… I’m ready.” “Great,” he laughs, shaking his head, and lifts his arm again. With a small movement, he opens the small ring box, getting my heart to halt in my chest. Clasped between velvet cushions, a white-gold ring wi
Danielle “Sorry,” I tuck my hair behind my ear as I approach a hostess, causing her to smile at me. “I’m supposed to meet with my boyfriend, but I guess he is running late. Must be a table for Fortunati.” The hostess looks at her book and her smile brightens as she gestures to me to follow her. Her Kimono rustles as she walks gracefully, and I am thinking about whether I’m dressed elegantly enough for this luxurious place as she passes the entrance of the hall with the tables and the chatting guests. I gulp anxiously as I follow her down the beautifully decorated hallway. She reaches a door on the right and slides it open with a deep bow. “Please feel at home and leave your shoes at the door.” “Thank you so much,” I say, doing a small curtsy and entering the room. The first thing I see is Giovanni, who stands up from a romantically set table, closing his jacket as he watches me slip out of my heels and step closer. The private room looks like a private restaurant set up just fo
Danielle As Giovanni enters the apartment, my heart is beating out of my chest. He had told me that he would pick up the heirlooms today after work and he took Gro with him to ensure directly if it was everything my father wanted me to have for the ceremony. Lifting a small bag, he smiles at me and walks towards me. But just as I want to grab it, he lifts it out of my reach and leans down. “Ah, ah, ah, my Love,” he mocks me, grabbing my chin to make me look at him. “Without even giving me a kiss?” I roll my eyes before closing them and he kisses me with a chuckle. As soon as he has detached himself from me, I lift my hands, opening and closing them to make him give me the bag. “Here you are, impatient kitten.”Giggling, I turn around with my gaze already in the bag and purr lowly, getting him to wrap his arms around me and lift me up, just as I’ve emptied the contents of the bag on the couch table. “No!” I scream, laughing and thrashing in his hold. “Let me down. I want to se
DanielleGiovanni surely never fails to keep his promises. I scrunch up my face as the stinging on my ass increases when I walk out of the dressing room, and the shop assistant pulls at my dress. “Don’t you like it?” Loredana looks up at me worried, her question causing my other friends to do the same. “Erm… No, no, I love it,” I stutter out, feeling the heat creeping up my cheeks. As if I could tell her that I’m sore because we took our playtime a bit too far. I pass my hands over the white fabric, and I clear my throat. “But does it have to be white? I really don’t want to… I don’t know… What if he freaks out?” “He won’t,” Loredana shouts, squinting her eyes at me. “Yeah. I think the bigger issue will be him having to keep his shit together not to jump you as soon as he sees you in this dress,” Angelica jokes, making everyone giggle. I roll my eyes while Amelia sighs. She is playing with a veil, passing her fingers over the embroidery as she looks up at me with tears in her
DanielleMy heart beats into my throat as I see his lost gaze refocus, and a sly grin grows on his lips. “Well played. You totally fucked me over.” “That’s.. That’s…” I try to form a coherent sentence, as instead of being angry, he seems to be overly enthusiastic. This is bad. I didn’t think this through. “That’s because you lied to me for the last five years,” I stutter lightly as I raise my chin, wanting to appear confident. “You deserved it.” He stays quiet and watches me with a mischievous glint in his eyes as his grin grows. Well, fuck. I laugh as he steps closer, and I lift my finger as if I could stop him. “No, you have to stop. What are you doing?” “What do you mean ‘what are you doing?’? We are playing, right?” he asks, looking like a boy in a toy store. Acknowledging that I have fucked up, my body buzzes in excitement at discovering what he has planned out in his sick mind. And I’m totally sick in mine, too, as it seems. As suspected, he doesn‘t stop stepping clos
Danielle I walk up a set of stairs and over the terrace, the gravel crunching under my feet. As I step up to the round table in white marble, the man sitting at it in a nice suit already stands up to welcome me with open arms. “Good morning, Danielle. How are you?”“Zio Marco,” I smile as I take my last steps at a quicker pace to walk into his hug. “I’m doing perfectly fine, thank you. How are you?” He gestures to me to sit down, and I take my seat in front of him. “Ah, you know how it is. Always too many things to do and too little time.”“You have to take a few breaks for yourself, Zio. It’s important that you take care of your health. I don’t want Zia Gigia to worry too much, and we surely don’t want her to be angry at you.” A maid hands me a glass of lemonade, and I thank her before she deposits a plate of Taralli onto the table and serves my uncle his espresso. “Thank you, Evelina.” He laughs as he stirs his black coffee with his small spoon and clinks it against the cup.