Page 61 of Giorgio

“As if I am afraid of men in expensive suits.” She had scoffed. “My brother happens to be one of them. This is for posterity.”

“Come here.” He had coaxed in that deep accented voice of his and had her insides going weak. And she had dropped the phone and joined him. He had covered her body with his and conversation had ceased for a long time.

Exiting the app, she put away the phone and settled back against the pillows, her hands cradling her flat stomach. She knew her brother did not believe her, but she had felt the difference that night when he filled her with his essence. And it had been thrilling to realize that she had something of him growing inside her.

She had not set out to trap him, far from it, and she wasn’t going to contact him when it was confirmed. She wanted him to come to her without knowing that she was carrying his baby.

No matter how long it took.

“Oh Giorgio,” she whispered achingly. “I need you so much. I am praying it does not take you too long to realize how much you need me too.”

*****

The object of her desire was also thinking of her. It was a week since she left, and it felt like a year. He went out every night and was seen with a different beautiful woman on his arm, but he was not happy. His life was empty.

His father never said anything to him about what a fool he was, but it was implied. He had stopped going home for supper and spent his time filling his life with aimless activities. He spent most of the time at the club, unable to bear staying inside his bedroom, where her presence was still lingering.

Whenever he was home, he would go into the guest room where she had spent those eventful days and just sit there on the edge of the bed. And he was spending time in the library, sitting on her favorite sofa, and looking at the titles she read.

He was behaving like a lovesick fool and feeling like one. Surely, he should have gotten over her already. It had never been this difficult for him in the past.

Now, everywhere he was, he could swear he saw her. As if she was haunting him. As soon as he closed his eyes, she was there, the scent of her, the intimacy they shared, the taste of her nipples, the essence of her was always with him.

He couldn’t touch another woman, and he had tried. At one point, he had gotten to the part of taking off his shirt, when he could swear, he heard her soft voice calling his name. He had gotten the hell out of there and drunk himself into a stupor.

He had not called her, telling himself it would be unfair to her. He had already done enough. And he had not changed his mind. But Cristo! He was dying. His need for her was so great, he could hardly stand it.

He was becoming dangerously miserable and no longer the life of the party. What had pleased him before was no longer getting pleasure from what he used to do. Not even sports did it for him. And he had tried everything.

Leaning back against the cushions, he stared at the book he had picked up, a smile touching his lips.

“Pride and Prejudice?”

“Yep.” She had responded jauntily. “I am absolutely in love with the famous and aloof Mr. Darcy.”

“My mother loved it too.”

“She had great taste. Have you read it?”

“A classic romance?” He had scoffed. “No. Perhaps.”

“You are trying to pretend you are not a romantic at heart.”

“Who is pretending?”

He jumped guiltily when the doors were pushed open, and his dad stepped inside.

“I was just…”

“It appears that both the women in our lives shared an affinity to the written word.”

Alfredo stared at his son and felt the familiar anger churning inside him. The boy was unhappy and pining away for a woman who would have him, if he would just call, but his obstinate nature was a source of contention between them.

“She loved this room.” Clutching the book, he stared around the room. “She tried to use the step ladder to grab some title on the top shelf. I came in just in time to see her trying to navigate the steps.” He shook his head. “She was so determined and frustratingly independent.”

“Sounds like a hell of a woman.”

Giorgio looked up at him. “I don’t need another lecture.”