Chapter 54Out of nowhere, she stepped close and, with a tenderness I hadn't dared to hope for, she pressed her lips to mine. In that electrifying moment, time seemed to pause and all I could feel were the softness of her lips on mine. Her kiss was soft yet insistent, like she had waited very long to do it. As our lips met, I felt an indescribable warmth spread through me, mending the part of me that cracked in her absence. It was as if she had unlocked a part of my heart, filling it with a radiance that made everything else fade into insignificance.Without thinking, I returned the kiss with all the fervor of someone who had finally filled his empty colup. In that instant, I knew I was complete. A puzzle that Sofia had scattered for years, now sweetly assembled with her gentle affection.Gradually, the kiss progressed and it was no longer enough for the both of us. With every will power left in me, I pulled away from her, taking in deep breaths.Disappointment fell on her face and a
ClaireI let out a single long breath, leaning back properly into the pillow. I laid bare chested, not bothering to cover up as I tried to catch my breath.This is it, right? I had gotten what I wanted, gotten too drunk on my hormones and now I was finally free of the tension that had built up in my lower abdomen. And suddenly the realisation started to sink in. What have I done!?I blinked, trying not to let the tears fall. A few minutes ago he was buried deep inside of me, bringing me different shades of pleasure I had never experienced, and now I was on the verge of tears from….regret?His arms wrapped around my waist, trying to pull me to himself, but too disgusted by what I had done, I gently slipped away. I turned to look at his confused face and I only got more conviction that I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have had sex with Giancarlo.I didn't fear he was not the type of man I want. I only feared that single act would pull me deeper into a pit I might not be able to p
It all felt too sudden, too unreal. The dull thud that echoed behind me when I turned to go back to my desk. The sound of a body hitting the floor.My heart lurched. And when I turned around, I could swear my heart fell out of my mouth. Before my eyes he crumbled, his body giving way as if the life had been drained out of him. His hands barely caught at the edge of the desk before they slipped. “Giancarlo!” His name tore from my throat as I ran to him, my pulse pounding in my ears.I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands shaking as I was confused as to where to grab. Finally I grabbed his face, patting gently on it.“Carlo, hey—hey! What’s wrong? Talk to me!”But he grunted in response. Panic clawed at my chest as tears began to gather in my eyes. “Carlo, please—” My voice cracked as I shook him gently, but all he did was grunt. Not knowing what to do, I grabbed my phone and called the only person I could think of. “Hel–p… help, please, Giancarlo passed out and….” I couldn't say
GiancarloMy eyes dimmed and my lashes dropped as I stared at the two of them. My facial expressions blanked as Claire whispered behind me. I turned my gaze towards Enzo with a raised eyebrow and he had a stupid smile on his face.“Is this a prank?” I asked Enzo as Claire and I closed the distance between us. “Good evening, Mr Caruso.” They both greeted almost in unison, but I was too caught up in my glare with Enzo to give them a reply. “What are they doing here?” Claire asked this time as she glared at both Alex and Victoria. “Well, that's not a good way to ask how my flight was.” Enzo said, earning a flare from me.“Why are they with you?” I asked again, the hand I had gently paced around Claire's waist, tightening on instinct.“You asked me to pick two best staff on the team. Well, I present to you Alexander Carter and Victoria Lane.” From his facial expression, it was almost like he was enjoying the whole thing. With a single nudge of my head, I quietly requested his presence
Claire“Oh God!” The words slipped past my throat in a whisper as I flung my head back, giving him more access to my neck. His hands slid down my wet body, sending more ache and pulse to my buds. His hard bulge pressed against my pelvic bone and the feel of it against my skin made my pussy salivate. His tongue latched smoothly in my earlobe as he flicked it in it, his teeth grazing the soft texture of it. The simple action sent electric waves to every nerve in my body and another moan slipped past my throat. While he nibbled on my earlobes, his thumb circled around my nipple, getting them harder than they were already, and I just couldn't hold it back anymore. “Giancarlo…” I moaned his name, pulling his hair tighter. “Fuck! I haven't liked my name better than I've loved the sound of it right now.” He said in a dark voice. My hand wrapped around his neck as his hands slid down to the back of my hips. With a single move, he lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. In a rou
ClaireI let out a single long breath, leaning back properly into the pillow. I laid bare chested, not bothering to cover up as I tried to catch my breath.This is it, right? I had gotten what I wanted, gotten too drunk on my hormones and now I was finally free of the tension that had built up in my lower abdomen. And suddenly the realisation started to sink in. What have I done!?I blinked, trying not to let the tears fall. A few minutes ago he was buried deep inside of me, bringing me different shades of pleasure I had never experienced, and now I was on the verge of tears from….regret?His arms wrapped around my waist, trying to pull me to himself, but too disgusted by what I had done, I gently slipped away. I turned to look at his confused face and I only got more conviction that I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have had sex with Giancarlo.I didn't fear he was not the type of man I want. I only feared that single act would pull me deeper into a pit I might not be able to p
ClaireI lay on the bed trying to figure out a way to fight myself out of the mess that I was in.How was I going to do it? How would I survive with all of them around me? My head throbbed as the questions refused to let my eyes blink in sleep.Just the previous day, Carlo had nearly ripped his client's head off about something that had to do with me.Very busy fighting my own annoyance over Sophia, Alex and Tory, I had not noticed any out-of-place stare from Theodore even when Carlo insisted there was.So when the fight broke out, my heart panged in mounting frustration and sadness.“If only I had not been around, things would have been better,” self doubt simmered through my head.Lorenzo and I were on our toes to keep the situation from escalating while still trying to keep our heads cool and not join the war.The aftermath of the meeting was the worse. My brain was pounding with every ounce of energy it could mutter and my eyes had watered so much that I could barely see my way ba
ClaireDid I just receive a dirty slap? My breath came in short as the lights dimmed and the spotlight shone on her.Just as elegantly as she had acted before, she turned and swung her waist this way and that while Alex followed her behind.A wildfire of anger spread through me, adding more flames to my cheeks.“This can't be real,” my mind raced as I tried to process the drama that just unfolded.Was this some kind of joke? I stood in silence, seething as their shadow faded away from sight.Could this have happened or was I in some wonderland where heart-rending slaps were given as late-hour dinner?My brain throbbed in heaviness.I reverted my red eyes to where the receptionist sat. She was still engrossed in her work."Are you alright?" A voice startled me.I took my hands down and my fist clenched and trembled with rage.Sophia slapped me? The light, feathery steps drew near to me and rounded his hands on my neck, weighing in on my short frame.His cologne drove straight to my te
Claire.I woke to a strange toxic gas smell, making my nose get peppery and itching my skin. My nose itched with it too, dragging the hairs in my nose violently. My ears confirmed that something was wrong as there were sharp gasp for breathing, sounding in the roomMy eyes had to haul themselves open to find out what it was. I opened my eyes slowly and tiredly, my head banging with the promise of a bad occurrence and my heart getting foggy in fear.Another sound graced my opened ears. It was a thudding sound that sounded exactly like the fall of a giant and another thudding that could not be mistaken for anything but a footstep. I lifted myself upwards into a sitting position, blood rushing fast in all my body and my mind tattered with savage fear that moved electrically through all corners of my mind.My body began to shake violently and the environment, threatening to spin as I caught the mask appearance of a man and another sprawled figure on the floor. I immediately looked to my
Giancarlo.I widened both my eyes and my mouth as i stared doubtfully at her, heart pounding hard and hands shaking with the mere thought of everything.Could Claire truly do this to me? My heart raced and my blood pressure plummeted as I tried to understand the scenario, mind feeling like it was encircled in a spiky hammer and lips feeling very hot from the burning look in her eyes.Her eyes burnt ever so harshly, furnace of hate and resentment glowing so hard that the blood that bubbled in my mouth had to even still in fear with her fiery eyes.Nothing seemed to make sense, everything was just moving in a zig-zag fashion that it was extremely difficult to track it down.How could she do this to me? I wondered hurtfully. Could this really be her? The thought was icy in my head, sizzling with the fire burning inside me.As if in reply to my mountainous question, her appearance began to change. First, her lips; soft and succulent, were transformed into a darker and more manly lips purs
Giancarlo.I looked intently at the liquid, more in pondering than in horror, the veins in my head popping in and out in worry.With my banging head, it was hard to make connections properly especially when Claire was not even around to make things clearer. Or was she? The idea suddenly popped into my mind as I remembered the balcony, hands moving away from the liquid for a moment and look out to the chairs at the balcony.She could be there and waiting patiently for my return or probably receiving some fresh vegetation air.I moved with slow, unsteady steps towards the balcony, eyes checking backwards to reconfirm that the fading red dot from my eyesight was blood, and head thumping hollowly, feeling as empty as a useless milktin.Even when my tired mind thought that it was blood, I was still too confused to understand the enormosity of everything and make quick moves to a health practitioner.So I lazily walked up to her, like nothin
Giancarlo.I didn't even know what put me to sleep nor how long I had slept. But I certainly did know what brutally hauled me awake, panting like a dog and eyes widened like a pussy. My ears were not even spared from the brutality as my shrieking phone was literally shouting painful waves into my newly awakened senses, circulating pains into my upper body and making me wish there was a way I could just die at once. Its loudness was no doubt the source of my awakening as it continued on tiredlessly proudly teaching me a lesson I was certain to never forget.I looked around, head banging in confusion, hands finding trouble feeling, legs feeling more like there were two planks of wood lying peacefully on them.I was still looking around trying to put two and two together and maybe find an explanation why I was just so confused.Aside from the violently ringing phone that was threatening to rip my head and ears off and plunge it into the vegetations across the balcony, I found it diffic
Giancarlo.Suddenly, everywhere grew hot and suffocating, my chest beating faster than a talking drum and forehead throbbing hard. I tried to think of a time I had actually helped Lorenzo out with something, but surprisingly my mind sang nothing back.I shook my head sharply in disappointment, continuously hoping for just one scenario to surface and save my friendship and brotherhood.My brain was blank and suffering much with the hard exertion, my eyes growing blurry from the many colorful stars that appeared before them and fingers hardening from too much clenching and unclenching.Was there truly no time that I had gone through thick and thin for him? I brooded helplessly, guilt and hurt fighting for a room in my already tired and weak heart and my stomach churning with a promise of a successful nausea.I racked my brain harder, his glare growing more intense, burning through my self-control and leaving me nakedly exposed to his perfect judgement.The result from my intensively ra
Giancarlo.Since when? My pulse pounded hard, throat feeling as dry as charcoal and heart slicing the words into dices of anger and surprise.Was he perchance kidding me? My mind rotated in horrifying surprise, and my eyes dilated as I looked to the floor for answers.How could I have been so blind to not have noticed anything? I wondered deeply, hands moving to my chin in perfect posture.But then, he had barely shown anything to me and Elizabeth had not even been around.Or was she around all the while? Numerous thoughts ran through my mind as his words sunk deep into me, feeling very unwelcomed in my brain."Since when?" I managed to ask calmly, the warring thoughts in my head, buried suppressingly by my self-control but still struggling to raise the rock pressing it down.He turned to look at Claire who had frozen on her track while trying to head to the bathroom and smiled."It's been three weeks now," he replied in a calm tone too, hands clenching by his sides and eyes looking e
Giancarlo.Claire reeled forward almost falling, hands running fast to her knees to act as a tripod stand.I quickly held her back, aching with her from her sisters banging words. Perspiration dropped like trickles of rain down to my legs, feeling more cold than hot as she seemed to wish to haul herself violently to the floor.While I didn't see anything wrong with her, stating her view and turning the table on her mom, Elizabeth certainly saw a thousand things wrong with it and had not hesitated to set the matter straight.Claire began to gasp for breath by my side, falling a little forward to get more air and hands slipping and almost sending her to my the ground.Just as I held her back, she began to cough violently, tears streaming down her eyes and shoulder rising and falling in unison with her chest."Calm down, she'll come around," I tried to reassure her, pulling her up and closer to my chest and welcoming the vanilla scent from her hair. “Don't let her words get much to you.
Claire.I watched as his expression dropped from shock to horror, eyes widening more than they should and lips parted wide.It was seriously embarrassing to think that they had never connected things that far and that a civilian like me was the one rather blessed with the brains to dissolve the case.My heart thumped with a brief moment of joy as surprised danced in their expression, eyes mirroring their lost war and my victorious win.I had managed to change the situation into something useful, hadn't I? I smiled to myself, deep enough that it displayed itself on my face."Uhhm... I think we need to go," the man stuttered embarrassedly, face turning crimson and hands quickly pushing the phone back into his pocket.The lady tried not to meet my eyes and just followed behind in a rush, eyes somewhat bowed and focusing more on her shoes.Were cops supposed to behave like that? I wondered amusingly as they left with their battered pride.I smiled to myself again, giving myself a heartfel
Claire."I don't know, Claire. It seems you're complicating things," the female police seemed to be speaking through her nose as she had suddenly forgotten all formalities and allowed her rage, permanently sit on the surface. I almost burst in laughter with her squeezed red face that looked like she had just received a surprise triple punch on it."Does it really seem like it?" I teased, glowering as her face contorted the more, eyes shooting sharp swords at me and lips forming with a promise of a battering insult.The male cop shot her a calm but commanding glare that sent the insult in her lips back to the pit where they came from and helped fix her shitty face into an emotionless one."I think I've explained it in the best layman terms that exist. If it seems complicated to you, maybe, just maybe it's difficult for you comprehend, not that what I said is complicated," I concluded sweetly, all smiles and little regret dancing melodiously in my heart.Carlo moved into the picture, w