Louisa blinked. Once. Twice. She didn’t hear wrong. With the hold he had on her waist, Alessandro pulled her in. His jaw ticked as he stared at her face, waiting for her to pull back but she wasn’t doing any of that. He stared from her eyes to her lips and without holding back, he went in, first by grazing his lips on hers in a soft kiss. Her neckline sucked in through her ragged breathing. This wasn’t happening, she was probably dreaming so she shut her eyes tight and the next time they flickered open, the full pressure of his lips crashed onto hers in a maddening kiss. He held her tight to prevent her from breaking free. Louisa’s fingers slightly fisted his shirt. She was caught between pushing him away and pulling him closer. She gasped midway through the kiss as he sucked on her lower lips. Her blood ran hot and cold all at the same time. She couldn’t resist. She was drowning.His hand moved to the back of her head and fisted a handful of her hair into his hands. He tilted
“Alessandro let go! What do you think you are doing? Take me back to Nina and Eve!” Louisa slapped her fist hard into his chest and it riled her up more that he wasn't wincing even a bit. Alessandro carried her into the awaiting car just in time for Nina to run out looking stunned and unable to say a word. Nothing she said would make sense to him anyway but still, yet, he crashed their party! They hadn't even stayed up to an hour as Louisa planned with her.“Take me back there Alessandro, you left Nina behind, at least let’s go back for her” Louisa lunged across him towards the car door to open it, leaning into him and without a care in the world of the effects of swinging her body that way on him. The car had been central locked—No escape.She slammed her palms on the window as she stared at Nina with her face smeared in tears. “I hate you!” she whimpered the moment the car moved. Alessandro frowned at her. “You are drunk…”“I'm not! I'm fully aware of what I'm doing! You left
“I told you it was a bad idea that we be here”Nina hissed loudly as soon as they stepped into the club with loud blasting music, blue and red disco lights smearing the whole place, and strippers on stage swinging and slithering around poles like their bodies were made of soft bones. “We are just going to say Hi to her and we’ll be on our way, I'm sorry I dragged you into this” Louisa slapped a palm on her forehead while taking a look at their environment. Two sweaty dudes walked past her, their sweaty skin grazing her arms. Her face crumpled in disgust. She regretted. She should have just said no to Eve if this was the kind of place she chose of all places she would have ever picked to host her birthday party. A damn strip club!“She isn't picking up?” Nina screamed at the top of her lungs, interrupting Louisa’s thoughts. Louisa’s phone vibrated in her hands—an incoming text from Eve. Her shoulders eased a bit in relief. “She’s on her way” Louisa lifted the phone to Nina’s face
Alessandro sat in the circle of dangerous men, in the smoky underbelly of an underground casino, slowly sipping a glass of scotch wine.Laughter rang out from the men who sat around the table, discussing and gambling on stacks of cash and cards. The strong smell of all kinds of cigarette flavors filled the air with never-ending thick smoke, swirling all around and fading away into thin air. Alessandro emptied his glass and crashed his cigar butt onto the ashtray, that was his second smoke and he was done. He wasn't a chain smoker like the rest of the men and he wasn't about to make a mess out of himself. Three men barged in, silence falling across the room, one held a look of trepidation on his face, and the middle almost bald head man who seemed like their boss had a cigar pipe at the corner of his bleached, dark lips. He was quite confident, a cunny smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I heard you were looking for me, Don Alessandro! Oh my! My! Couldn't stay months without
“I didn't mean to rile you up, I'm sorry,” Nina said softly, locking arms with her like she would evaporate into thin air if she let go. Louisa’s shoulder eased as guilt crept in, Her tensed body calmed. She shouldn't have reacted that way, Nina was only being kind. She sighed “I shouldn't have talked to you that way, I just got overwhelmed” She fiddled with her fingers while looking at Nina with sorry eyes. “I understand how you feel Louisa, sorry about my insolence,” The air had shifted in sheer awkwardness, their happy moment was ruined and for the rest of the shopping spree, when Nina needed advice on what choice of product to pick, Louisa responded with either a Nod or a head shake. She was now distant and distracted.“Come on Louisa, we don't have to dwell on that, do we? I shouldn't have brought such a sensitive topic up, cheer up!” Nina said to her as they both walked hand in hand out of the store later on, with shopping bags dangling on the crook of their elbows and swin
“Mama Mia! Isn’t this too casual? A bum short and a shirt? Come on Louisa, when in Rome you act like the Romans…” Nina spun her around with scrutinizing eyes and she began shaking her head in disapproval. “It's fine…Nina…can I call you that?” Louisa asked, unsure. They weren't even that close but Nina was acting that way already, maybe she needed to loosen up a bit.“Of course sweetheart, you can, I'm just twenty-eight, do I look that old?” Nina folded her right hand under her bosom in confusion while itching the side of her neck with the other nervously. Louisa paused for a while to examine Nina’s sudden apprehension, was this inferiority complex? She was a pretty woman with a petite figure, who fed her lies about being old? “No you don't” she finally spoke “You look just fine for your age and I didn't ask to call you by your name because I thought you looked old, I just wasn't sure if it was right calling you that so soon” Nina seemed to relax a bit by her revelation, the smile