CHAPTER THREE

RAPHAEL’S VIEW POINT

Giovanna and I went about our day without speaking. We couldn’t even look at each other when we separated from the brief hug we shared after Pietro had left. I sought refuge in the library while she occupied the bedroom, most likely waiting for me to come in. I didn’t want to, so I tried very hard to sleep comfortably on the couch where I was. There was a blanket and a throw pillows here, all I needed to rest until I could gather my thoughts. My plan unfortunately failed after I woke up to stiff joints and an aching neck. I had no other choice than to go back upstairs. I had two guest rooms, but the beds were still wrapped in nylon since my move last month and I didn’t have the energy to take them off tonight.

I carefully opened the door to the bedroom, hoping Giovanna was asleep. Fortunately, she wasn’t even in bed. I peeked inside and scanned around, seeing the space empty. Not sure if she was in the ensuite bathroom, I went to the closed door, slowly opening it to see it empty. At that, I breathed out a sigh of relief, moving back to the bed and crashing down on it. She must have gone out for a drive to clear her head. I wanted to do the same, but the sight of my Audi brought shivers to my spine. I was surely going to opt for the other from now on. it was majorly for when I had children with me, but I could use it to get by until I could sell the Audi.

With that thought in mind rather than annoying mafias and betrayal, I fell asleep, only to be woken up by the feeling of someone staring at my head. I wanted to disregard it and complete my much needed night of rest, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore by the second. I tiredly opened my eyes to meet Giovanna’s weary ones, wondering if there was anything she could possibly say to make everything better. I didn’t think there was, and I didn’t have the energy to dispute it. So I made peace instead, seeing it as reasonable we talked about it in the morning.

“I was wondering where you were.” I sighed, opening my arms widely. She looked baffled but happily came into them; lying comfortably in the spot she was so used to, it felt like a crime being away from.

“I’m sorry.” She said into my chest to I shushed her, cooing and stroking her back softly so she could go to sleep and I could rest a bit. She eventually did and I slipped into slumber, only awakening when the time was sufficient.

“Good morning, Orsetto.” She greeted, kissing my cheek from above. I accepted the affection, not having the will power to fight it off.

“Good morning, amour.” I said back, temporarily forgetting I was angry with her.

“Are we going to talk about yesterday, or are you going to keep avoiding the conversation?” She asked, making me groan. I had been awake for barely a minute. When she did things like this, I was convinced she didn’t love me. She knew how much I enjoyed peaceful mornings and still decided to make an attempt to ruin this one.

“Gia, now is not the time.” I said lowly, getting out of bed. I hoped that was the end of the conversation but she got angry that I didn’t want to talk, and lashed out in Italian, assuming I was going to get involved in an argument before noon.

“Gia, it’s too early for this.” I let her know, seeing her finger angrily point to the large wall clock. I read the time, seeing it was 1pm. I wondered how I had managed to sleep that long but went into the bathroom anyway, turning the lock twice. I hadn’t wanted to admit it before but I was avoiding talking to Giovanna. I didn’t want to face the music and lose her, or face the music and become part of a cartel. I wanted to pretend like this wasn’t happening and have a nice day at work today. I knew it was absurd to want to go back to office after I had almost gotten killed, but I had just been promoted to assistant CEO. It was an amazing upgrade for me. Also, I didn’t want to seem volatile by taking my offered leave. If I made it seem like something was wrong, the office was going to know Giovanna was part of a mafia and who knew what the authorities would do with that information? There was no evidence, I was aware, but they could still take her into custody and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I ever got her arrested. I might not even be alive to see her within twenty-four hours. Her brother was crazy.

“Ralph, please let me in. I'm sorry for shouting.” Giovanna said after I had stood under the running water in thought, wondering what my life was becoming. I went to unlock the door, tying a towel around my waist. I met Giovanna’s sulking face, smiling when I saw how worried she was. She was an angel, but had spawned black wings due to her family’s reputation. Her eyes met mine and I was taken aback when I saw someone else; now understanding that she felt relieved by my knowledge of who she was in spite of the complications it was bringing. I had been to absorbed by my anger and confusion that I had failed to see what this meant for Giovanna. It meant inner peace, washed off guilt and a clear conscience. She was happy I accepted her and grateful that I was still here, unlike many that would have run away.

“Mr. Yves.” She said simply, grinning sheepishly. I had the same expression on my face, even though I had attempted to fight it.

“Mrs. Yves.” I replied, feeling more connected to Giovanna than I ever had been. It was like a new version of her was served as bait, daring me to do whatever; to reject her or embrace her as my own. And she was mine, no matter what. Her wellbeing meant everything to me. At critical moments, I was going to do what was best for her, even if it meant sacrificing my precious life.

“I love you.” My fiancée said affectionately, snaking her arms to my shoulders so her hands could stroke the back of my neck. I instinctively pulled her closer by her hips, my heart already racing from the building sexual energy hanging in the air around us. Giovanna must have felt it as well. Her lips parted as our elongated eye contact went beyond sharing tenderness. We were turned on and much too deep in the wastelands of lingering lust to turn back. I wasted no time gripping her full mounds between my fingers and pulling her hips upward, toward mine.

The erotic gesture resulted in me being hours late for work. That, and Giovanna protesting against me leaving alone, insisting that it was safer to go with her. She apparently had twenty-four seven surveillances on her and was protected at all times by her body guards, who I had never once encountered but were apparently always around. Naturally, I hadn’t believed her claim, but she had called a random name into the mirror when she had been applying makeup, and a man had sprouted from behind me, causing my heart to escape my chest. I had questioned how he had gotten into my house but he had ignored me and only spoken to Giovanna, who had made a few jokes before dismissing him.

She ended up coming to work with me and requesting a seat beside me, even calling my co-workers to gossip and expertly convince them that the attack had been a prank, hosted in honour of our anniversary, which we had spent at the hotel, although the actors had arrived a day late. I was amazed by how easily she changed the perspectives of everyone, including my boss, debunking every contradicting question they had before they could even say it. Who she didn’t fool, however, was Stephen, who hung up and called me instead to make sure I wasn’t being held against my will. After I assured him that I wasn’t and Giovanna won him over by being seductive, he left us to have some privacy.

I was done for the day, only needing to finish with Giovanna before we went back home. She knew my intentions and smiled seductively at me, slowly leaning forward and taking my tie between her fingers, before twirling the apparel between them. I watched her fingers work like the instruments of appeal that they were, soaking in every detail of her actions; from her engagement rings sliding under the black fabric of the tie, to her matte pink nails scratching along its length. There was nothing this woman did that couldn’t turn me on. I sighed out, not knowing how to react to her movements until she released my tie and elegantly stood to her feet, walking to the centre of the room before stopping and looking over her shoulder.

“Say the word, Mr. Yves.” She breathed, obviously anticipating the moment as much as I was. I considered refraining from performing explicit acts in my workspace, but when my gaze dropped to her tight fitting mini dress and its open back, I threw workplace etiquette out the window.

“Lock the door.” I instructed, ripping my tie and belt off while she excitedly rushed to turn the key. She was back with me in seconds and her eyes said it all, we were going to use the whole office for our pleasure.

“Aren’t you supposed to set an example for others?” She laughed, bringing a strangled groan from me. if she kept teasing me, I was going to lose it, rip her dress, and spank her. But we didn’t want the next office to know we were having sexy time here, which was against workplace conduct; even though the walls were thick, there was a possibility that we would be discovered and I would be probated.

“Shut up.” I said as sternly as I could while gently taking her dress in my hands, intending to make her scream. However, my actions were cut short when she took my collar in her hands and glared squarely into my eyes. As I stared in surprise, I could figure out what was sexier; her body pressed against mine, or the pure sex appeal she emitted.

“And what if I don’t?” She questioned stubbornly, grinning when my hand snaked up her back. She made a sound that indicated she was excited and delivered a victorious kiss to my lips, leading us to make out intensely and the aroused energy in the room to increase tenfold. She was breathing heavily when I pulled away, her lips parting beautifully as she gulped breaths to soothe her pounding heartbeat. I was disoriented as well, forgetting what I was supposed to do with the belt in my hand. I tossed it to the side and took her waist in my hand before lifting her to my torso. She was too beautiful to punish. She needed me to give her my all as relentlessly as I could. I was ready to, even willing to go as far as getting caught.

“Mr. Yves… You’re an amazing kisser and from the way you ravaged my lips, I could tell you enjoyed the taste. I’m pleased to tell you that I have more in store. If you don’t mind, Mr. Yves, I’d love for you to taste another pair of lips.” She uttered breathily, like she had rehearsed the words a million times before. I stared at her, dumbfounded, while a blush stained my face and my body reacted so intensely, I felt like my member would burst. I attempted to be endearing in return, but I couldn’t even get words out of my mouth. She understood and placed a finger to my lips, shushing me. I wasted no time hoisting her upward, positioning her centre in perfect place and inhaling the womanly goodness of it. She held on for dear life, clutching my shoulders. I just stared at the bare skin of her vulva in adoration, knowing I was never going to be able to give this up.

“Mr. Yv- eek!” She shrieked when I dived in to shut her up, grinding her against my mouth. I lapped and sucked, taking advantage of her sensitivity. I felt her nails dig into my jacket, indicating she was enjoying it more and more. I moved downwards, pushing my tongue into her while my nose did its best work on her pleasure spot. She leaned forward, trusting my arms that were secured around her thighs to keep her steady. She let out loud moans when she couldn’t hold them in for long, fuelling my determination to finish her off explosively. She was grunting and panting soon, begging me not to stop. It wasn’t like I was going to. I enjoyed her taste thoroughly. I was going to salvage it as best as I could. It didn’t take long for Giovanna’s whole body to convulse against me and her moans to turn high pitched. I continued pleasing her until she pushed my head away, trying to calm herself down. Giovanna later patted my back as a job well done, laughing through her tiredness.

“We should come here more often.” She sighed when I set her to her feet. I smiled and pulled her into my arms for a hug, forgetting I had a raging hard-on. She brushed against it and produced the most satisfying friction I could imagine. My eyes cracked open and I suddenly pushed her back to free myself from my restraining clothes. I tossed my jacket first, not waiting for Giovanna to slip it off like she usually did.

“Ohime! Someone’s jittery!” She laughed when she looked down at my bulging trousers. I groaned in annoyance when my button didn’t undo after minutes of me trying. She carefully took my hands and pushed them away, looking up at me. Her smile was radiant after she undid the confinement, while my face was relieved. She laughed and kissed me deeply, reaching into my briefs. I jumped when she touched my manhood, pushing her hand further downward when she hesitated. I had been holding back all day. It was time to let my composure out the door. I took the back of her neck in my hand and pressed her lips further into mine, tugging her dress harshly. Unfortunately, it ripped at the side, but when I pulled away out of worry, Giovanna squeezed my organ in her fingers and stared into my eyes.

“Mr. Yves, I need you to do me a favour. Rough handle me like never before. Break the pearls around my neck if you want to. Just make sure you treat me accordingly.” She demanded, contradicting her request for a favour. I nodded, ready for whatever. She hooked a knee around my waist as I looked down at her heaving breasts in awe.

“Make sure you destroy my cervix. I don’t want to walk for a week.” She expressed, making me grin. I absolutely loved this woman.