More Than Once by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 23:

T

he sound of the soft rain outside brought me out of the land of dreams. My eyes slowly fluttered open and I reached over to Giovanni's side of the bed to find it empty. I stretched my body across the bed and managed to open my eyes up completely. The sleepiness still lingered along with the pleasure from last night. I blushed immediately and a smile spread across my face. After my conversation with Casey, I didn't expect to still be in Giovanni's bed but I quickly realized that there was nowhere else I was meant to be. We were choosing each other now and there was no way that I could not have him in my life. I was so tangled in his web and there was no escaping this. As scared as I was to admit it, I was falling for him. I spent so much time pushing away my feelings for him but they were there the whole time. Being with him was idyllic and there was nothing else that could compare to it.

I wrapped the sheet around my naked body and went to find him. A distant voice hummed in the air and I followed it to the kitchen. Giovanni was leaning against the counter with his bare back to me and was on the phone. I leaned against the wall and waited for him to finish up. I didn't want to interrupt him and I enjoyed the opportunity to soak him in. I would never get tired of looking at him. The tattoos across his body allowed him to be a constant artwork that I had yet to fully appreciate. His back muscles were on full display. If there was one thing about Giovanni, he took care of his body and the sight in front of me right now was one I enjoyed. I loved running my hands over his body, feeling every inch of him. I noticed a few faint scratches on his back and realized that was from me.

Oops.

I couldn't help it.Last night was amazing and I didn't realize how deep I dug my nails into his skin until now. He said his last goodbyes on the phone and turned to face me.

“Good morning,” he said as he smiled. “I didn't wake you, did I?”

I shook my head and walked over to him. He immediately took me into his arms and lifted me onto the counter in front of him. I wrapped my arms around him and he buried his head in my neck. I slowly started to softly scratch the back of his neck - an action I knew he loved.

“Mmm, that's nice,” he murmured.

“Who was that on the phone?” I asked.

“Pedro. My one potential business partner from Valencia. I actually need to speak to you about something.”

He pulled away to face me but still kept his arms wrapped around my body, “I have to head to Valencia early tomorrow. One of the buildings we wanted to look at for the next opening of Mala Mía just became available and this weekend is the only time we can both go and check it out.”

A pang of disappointment flickered inside but only because I didn't want to be without him for the whole weekend.

“Well, that's great then,” I said, kissing his cheek. “You definitely have to go.”

“I know we had plans to spend the weekend together...” he started to say before I heard my phone ringing from his bedroom.

“Do you want to get that?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I'll just check it later.”

“Okay well, I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to come with me?”

“To Valencia?”

He nodded. “Yes, why not?”

I smiled and just as I was about to answer him, his phone started to ring. He lifted it off the counter to check it. “It's Reyna.”

Reyna?Now I was confused. He brought it to his ear, “Hola?Si, yes she's here with me. Okay, hold on, let me give her the phone.”

I extended my hand out and he passed the phone over to me.

“Hi Rey - “

“Isabella, why haven't you been answering your phone?” There was a hint of franticness to her voice on the other side and I was confused by it.

“I'm sorry. I was in the kitchen and then I didn'-”

She interrupted me. “Okay it doesn't matter but you need to get a hold of your sister right now.”

“Camila? Why? What's going on?” The concern in my voice was evident and Giovanni began to mirror my previous confusion.

She was silent for a moment and it was driving me crazy.

“Reyna, what is going on here? You are starting to freak me out.”

“Nate's engaged” She blurted out.

I froze.

“Wait, what?” I managed to choke.

“I'm sorry, Izzy, but your family found out and they've been trying to get a hold of you but then you didn't answer so they called me and...” she rambled on but I didn't hear a word she said.

Nate's engaged?Nate? As in my former ex-boyfriend who broke up with me because he didn't want to settle down? The same man who didn't want to make a serious commitment like getting married was now engaged to someone else?

And my family knows. Oh fuck. My entire cover story was immediately tossed out the window and they knew it. They knew I had been lying to them. I felt sick to my stomach.

“Reyna, I need to go,” I said, interrupting whatever she was saying at that moment.

“Okay,” she murmured softly. “Please let me know what happens.”

We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I was trying to wrap my head around what just happened but I didn't even know where to start. How could Nate be engaged? And to who?

“Isabella, what happened?” Giovanni asked, bringing me out of my own thoughts. I looked up at him and there was concern spread across his face.

“Nate's engaged.”

“Nate?” He was confused. “Wait, as in your ex-boyfriend Nate?” I nodded.

“The one who broke up with you because he didn't want to settle down?”

“That's the one,” I murmured, laughing at how ridiculous that statement was now. “The very same Nate who my family thinks I was still with this whole time.”

“Oh fuck.” Giovanni breathed.

“Yeah, oh fuck...” I repeated.

“Well, maybe it's a good thing,” Giovanni suggested. “They were bound to find out sometime.”

I didn't reply. He was right but it just fast-tracked a situation I didn't want to have to deal with. I jumped off the counter and went back to his bedroom to get my cell phone. As if right on cue, it started ringing again and my sister's name lit up the screen. I took a deep breath in and stared at her name. I did not feel like having to explain myself right now but I also couldn't avoid them forever. I gave in and answered.

“Isabella, thank goodness,” my sister said. I could hear the irritation in her voice, “Why haven't you been answering your phone?”

“I know you don't care about that, Camila.” I got straight to the point. “You're obviously calling because of Nate.”

I knew my sister and she didn't have an empathetic bone in her body. She was doing the dirty work for my mother but I had no doubt I would hear it from her too soon enough. She would never miss an opportunity to remind me what a fuck up my life was in her eyes.

“Are you going to explain yourself?” The words dripped off her tongue. “Was Nate not your boyfriend? We didn't even know you weren't together. If I'm being honest, I had a feeling something wasn't right ever since mother told me you lost your job and you ran off to Barcelona. You were being too closed off abo-”

“Could you stop?” I interrupted her. “Yes, I lost my job. Yes, Nate was my boyfriend. He dumped me months ago but I couldn't exactly tell you guys that now could I? Mom already had a lot to say about me quitting my job, how could I possibly share that I was dumped too? The last thing I wanted to do was give you guys even more ammunition to use against me.”

“Isabella...” Camila started again but I cut her off.

“Who is he engaged to?” I asked.

“Christina Michaels.”

I recognized that name from the many society parties my family dragged me to. Her parents owned many properties in London and because she was an only child, she bathed in their lavish lifestyle. I never liked her - right off the bat you could tell how pretentious and spoiled she was. Clearly, Nate thought something different. I couldn't care less about who he was engaged to - it was the fact he was engaged at all that came as a shock to me.

“Hello? Isabella? I just don't understand you. How could you not tell us that you weren't together anymore?” Camila brought me out of my thoughts.

“Have you not been listening?” I sighed. “He dumped me, Camila. Nate told me things were getting too serious and he didn't even know if he wanted to get married at all. Kind of ironic now considering he's engaged - clearly, the commitment wasn't the problem.”

I laughed. This was a joke.

“Well, mother is in a state again,” Camila fumed. “It's enough now. You've had time over these last few months to do whatever the hell you've been doing but now you need to sort your life out and she wants you to come home.”

She sounded exactly like my mother, it was eerie.

“I am home,” I seethed.

“Come on, Isabella, be serious now,” Camila dismissed me. “You can't be-”

“Camila, stop!” I snapped. “I am not coming home and you can tell Mom and Dad that I am sorry I lied to them but I can't deal with this right now. Don't call me again.”

And with that, I hung up on my sister.

I dropped on the bed and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I was so confused and I didn't know where to begin to try and unpack my thoughts. Everything was unraveling now and what hurt me the most was that my family didn't care one bit about how I was actually doing - they were more concerned with how this was going to impact their image. I scoffed. This was typical Avery family behaviour. It was disgusting.

“Isabella,” Giovanni murmured and peered into the room. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and he came to sit next to me. I unlocked my phone and went straight to my messages from Reyna. There was a screenshot of their engagement announcement on Facebook. There they stood, arm in arm with her left hand extended forward as the main focus of the image. The diamond on her finger was huge - very flashy and obnoxious. That was never Nate's style but then again, I clearly didn't know him as well as I thought I did.

“Does it bother you that he's engaged to someone else?” Giovanni murmured gently.

“I honestly don't care that he's engaged to someone else,” I admitted. “I'm definitely confused though. Last I knew he wasn't ready for a commitment and didn't even know if he wanted to get married at all but now look. Oh, and my mother is in a state apparently.”

“But, it's not about her.”

“Oh, but it is,” I scoffed. “She and my sister couldn't care one bit about how I must be feeling. She's probably more concerned about the mess she has to clean up in their own little society. They have always cared far too much about what other people think.”

This was the first I had even heard of Nate even being in a relationship. I tried to check up on him a few times through social media over the last few months and on his family but there was never anything about him and Christina. How long had they been seeing each other? Half a year and they're engaged? Or was something happening before? I could feel my head about to explode.

“Come to Valencia with me,” Giovanni urged gently. “I don't want you to be alone right now.”

Without hesitation, I answered, “What time do we leave?”

***

Over 24 hours later we were in Valencia and it was beautiful. It wasn't difficult for Giovanni to get me a first-class ticket next to his and I was thankful to be able to tag along. It took us an hour to get to Valencia and we spent the morning wandering around the old-fashioned city before Giovanni left for his meeting. That worked out perfectly for me because in between the fast-paced tour of the city and the news of Nate the day before, I was exhausted. Mentally and physically. Hours later I woke from my nap feeling refreshed and focused, ready to put all that bullshit out of my brain. There was no point in dwelling on the Nate situation - no matter how many unanswered questions I still had for him. He clearly lied about having commitment issues and I was the issue. Or maybe he did have those issues but meeting Christina changed that? He didn't want to commit to me but who cares? Here I was with a man that actually cared about me and even though the irony lay in his own notorious commitment issues, he told me he wanted me and that was all I needed to hear.

I took a quick shower and strolled over to my overnight bag on the floor by the bed. We were in a five-star hotel in the middle of the city center. Valencia was different to Barcelona - both were just as beautiful but Valencia held that more home-like feeling due to the significantly lower number of tourists. Barcelona was always busy and you could easily get caught up in the energy of the city. Valencia was calmer and I needed that right now. Giovanni had promised to take me to one of the best restaurants in town and I wanted to look good for our date. I pulled on a pair of leather pants and paired it with another black long-sleeve bodysuit of Reyna's that I knew he loved. Thankfully she left it behind - it hugged my body, accentuating my fuller breasts in just the right way. I strolled into the bathroom as I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and added a pair of hoop earrings to complete the look. I was putting on the last of my mascara as Giovanni strolled into our suite.

“Look at you,” he said as he stopped by the door frame of the bathroom and gawked at me. “Fuck you're beautiful.”

I looked at him through the big mirror and blushed. “Welcome back.” He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, looking at the two of us in the mirror, “I'm not sure I wanna show you off to the world. I might want to keep you in my bed all night.”

I chuckled. “Oh no. You promised me a great dinner at this great restaurant you speak so highly of...”

He playfully rolled his eyes. “You're right. It would be wrong of me to deny you such great food.”

I turned to face him and reached up to kiss him. He was intoxicating to me. I wanted more of him every single time. I ran my hand through his hair, tugging at it as his tongue flicked over mine. My teeth grazed his lip and I pulled at it.

He groaned. “You're making it difficult for me to not rip your clothes off right now.” I leaned into him and felt him against me. I broke the kiss and flicked my eyes up to meet his. The tension between us was well on its way to derailing the evening we had planned and I was about to let it happen until his phone started to ring.

“I don't have to check that,” he murmured.

“You probably should,” I sighed. “And I didn't spend all this time getting dressed up to go nowhere.”

He chuckled and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Hola, Pedro, Si si, yo necesito...”

He strolled out of the bathroom to continue his conversation and I turned back to the mirror. My cheeks were flushed now and I could feel my body was still on edge but I decided to lock the tension away until tonight. Then I would have my way with him.

***

Later that evening I was perched on a barstool leaning against the counter waiting for the drinks we ordered. After we finished our dinner - which really was a meal to write home about - we decided to grab a couple of drinks before heading back to our hotel. The bar was packed with people but we managed to find a place right against the bar.

“You were right about the food,” I admitted. “That was probably one of the best meals I've had in a long time.”

He took me to a small restaurant called Racó del Túria to have a traditional paella meal. He explained that no one did a traditional paella better than Valencia and I now agreed with him on that. It was so tasty and the home-cooked atmosphere of the restaurant made the experience even better. I was enjoying how comfortable I was feeling here in Valencia with Giovanni. We moved in perfect synchronization together. He felt like home to me and it was nice to take a break from all of the drama - no Nate, no Casey, no unwanted family members. Just the two of us in our bubble - a bubble I didn't want anyone or anything to pop.

“I love the food here,” he commented as the bartender placed our drinks in front of us. “I've been here a few times and I have never had a bad meal.”

We reached for our drinks and clinked them together before sipping on them. The Gin was strong but I didn't mind. My palette seemed to be adjusting to the alcoholic drinks I was enjoying lately.

“You know you can talk to me about this Nate situation.” Giovanni leaned against the bar, moving closer to me. “You don't have to pretend it isn't bothering you.”

I sighed and took another sip of my drink. “Of course it's bothering me but not in the way you might think. I really don't care about Nate being with someone else - I was just blindsided by this whole thing.”

“I get that. He lied to you.”

“Yeah, he did and I'm just putting off the inevitable by not answering my parent's calls but I just don't want to deal with it.” I pulled him closer to me and wrapped my arms around his neck, “Tonight, I only care about being here with you.”

He smiled and ran his hands up my thighs, “I can't stop thinking about how much I'm going to make you scream later.”

I raised an eyebrow and my legs tightened. The pressure between my thighs intensified and I had to remind myself we were in a bar full of people. Looking at him now, I wanted to rip his clothes off him and have him take me right here on the bar.

He leaned closer to my ear. “What are you thinking about, Isabella?”

His breath on my neck made me shudder. I had no control of my body around him - he had mastered it and it bowed down to him.

Before I could even answer him he whispered to me, “I'm thinking about how I'd like to perch you up on this bar right now and have my way with you. I don't even care who sees.”

“Giovanni,” I breathed his name and pulled him closer to me. “We can't do this here.”

He chuckled and looked down at me. “But it would be fun.”

“To have sex in front of all these people?” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. “They'd just be wishing they were us.”

I smiled and reached for my drink. I glanced back at him and suddenly his whole mood had shifted. He was staring dead straight ahead of him, his mouth had settled into a hard line. The sudden anger burning in his eyes was undeniable. I turned to follow his gaze and there was his father locked in a passionate embrace.

But with a woman who was not Giovanni's mother.

In one swift movement, Giovanni was walking towards his father and I knew this wasn't going to end well. He pushed his way through the crowd, not caring who he bumped into on the way.

“Giovanni, wait,” I said as I tried to pull at him to get him to stop for a moment but he kept going. He reached his father and pulled him apart from the woman.

“¿Qué carajo?” Giovanni bellowed.

Everyone around us turned to see the commotion. I tried to reach for Giovanni again but he stepped towards his father till they were face to face.

“Giovanni, ¿Qué haces aquí?” His father couldn't hide his surprise.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Giovanni raised his voice even louder.

“Don't you dare speak to me like that,” his dad scolded and pushed him away. “Joder! Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?!” Giovanni repeated and pointed to the woman his father was kissing. “¿Quién coño es este? How can you do this to Mama again?”

“Giovanni, you stop-”

He interrupted his father. “Do you have no respect for her? You come to a public place and think people aren't going to find out!”

People were staring now and I didn't know how to stop this. Giovanni was seething. He stepped closer to his father and they were face to face again.

“You fucking disgust me!” he shouted. “¿Qué carajo?”

He shoved his father backward and the anger in Cecilio's eyes flared. These two were going to fuck each other up and they weren't listening to anyone trying to stop them.

“Giovanni, please!” I shouted and reached for him, terrified of what was going to happen next.

“Giovanni, you better mind your own fucking business,” Cecilio seethed.

“Mind my own business?” And with that Giovanni swung at his father, his fist connecting with his jaw.

The crowds dispersed and I couldn't get a handle on what was being said over the shouting from everyone trying to break up the fight. Two men in close proximity managed to pull Giovanni and his father apart but not before Cecilio managed to swing back at Giovanni and connected his fist right underneath Giovanni's eye.

“Giovanni!” I screamed and reached for him. “Please, stop.”

A stranger helped me pull Giovanni further away from his father before this became a blood bath. I stopped in front of him and he was bleeding now.

I cupped his cheek. “Giovanni, please let's get out of here.” He said nothing but the rage was burning in his eyes. Security came just in time to tell us we were no longer welcomed here. Giovanni remained silent, turned on his heels and headed towards the exit. I followed closely behind him. We made it outside and I was so thankful for the fresh air that hit us. Our hotel was a couple blocks away and Giovanni took off walking down the street.

“Giovanni, wait.” I picked up my pace to catch up to him. I grabbed his arm and forced him to stop. “Hey, stop. Giovanni, look at me.”

He kept his eyes on the floor as I reached for his face. I slowly pushed his chin up to reveal the swelling already happening under his right eye. There was blood on his cheek. I wiped it away and made him look at me.

“Giovanni,” I breathed. “Are you okay?”

He finally made eye contact with me and I could see the sadness in his eyes. He shook his head, “He's done this before.”

He started to open up to me. “He pulled this shit on my mom years ago. She had to find out about his cheating ass in the press - it was a fucking mess and here he is doing this again.”

“I'm sorry.” I murmured.

“Forget it.” He dismissed the conversation and reached for my hand, “Let's go.” He kept me close to him as we took off down the street back to our hotel in silence.

***

We made it back to our hotel room and Giovanni went straight to the bathroom. I sat down on the bed and removed my shoes. My feet were now aching from that walk back. These high-heeled boots were not designed for walking uphill. I heard the water from the shower as I took a moment to replay what had happened tonight. It all happened so quickly. One minute we were flirting and enjoying ourselves and the next Giovanni was in this fit of rage. I couldn't blame him. It was upsetting what his father was doing - especially since this wasn't the first time. I felt so bad for Marcia. She deserved so much better than this and so did Giovanni. His relationship with his father was already hanging by a thread but there was no doubt that it was non-existent now.

I needed to be there for him now. He was starting to open up to me and that was exactly what I wanted. I wanted him to confide in me. I wanted to be part of his life in every way - the good and the bad. I slipped out of my pants and pulled my shirt over my head, dropping it on the floor. I pushed the bathroom door open and the steam from the hot shower escaped. I closed the door behind me. Giovanni stood in the shower staring at the floor, the water running off of him. I pulled my bra off and stepped out of my underwear. I opened the shower door and joined him. He didn't move - he stayed underneath the water, lost in thought. I wrapped my arms around his body and leaned my head against his back.

“I'm here,” I whispered. “Let me be here for you.”

He turned to face me. “I don't want to think right now.”

The previous anger and sadness in his eyes were no longer present. He slowly ran his hands up and down my arms. The heat from the shower overcame me but that wasn't the heat I was feeling. Seeing his wet, naked body in front of me was causing a wave of desire across and through me. He slid a finger across my collar bone and down between my breasts. I held my breath as he traveled down my belly button and further. He stopped before I wanted him to and flicked his eyes to meet mine. Everything else slipped away and I knew he wanted me. In one swift motion he lifted me up and my legs wrapped around his waist. Our wet bodies colliding in an all-consuming passion. The hot water beating down against us as his lips found mine in an urgency I hadn't experienced before. His arms encircled me, pulling me closer to him as he pressed me up against the wall. The cold of the wall made me gasp but so did the kisses he was leaving along my jaw and down my neck. My body was aching for him right now.

“Giovanni,” I breathed.

“Tell me you're mine.” He purred in my ear.

“I'm yours, Giovanni,” I gasped. “All yours.”

My arousal was spiraling out of control. I pulled myself closer to him as my lips found his. I pulled at his hair, needing him closer than ever. His tongue flicked over mine with urgency. He needed me and I needed him. He lifted me up and positioned himself between me and just like that, he was inside of me where he belonged. I cried out in pleasure as I felt all of him. He ran his hands over my breasts, squeezing and pinching me feeding my arousal. We moved together in an animalistic fashion - never being able to get enough of each other. His lips found my neck where he sucked on my skin as he thrust deeper inside of me. We were the closest we had ever been and it was invigorating. I was high on the ecstasy of him right now. The way he filled me up made me pull on his hair with such an intensity that I was sure I was hurting him. My lips found his again and I tugged at his bottom lip making him groan.

I threw my head back crying out in pleasure. The combination of the hot water, the steam and Giovanni deep inside me was pushing me off the edge. It was vivifying to feel all of him like this. Not just physically but emotionally. There was so much more to this. The pleasure overwhelmed me and I moaned his name. I couldn't care less who could hear me right now. The only thing that mattered was Giovanni and the ability he had over my body. He thrust deeper inside of me and we both quickened the pace.

“I'm so close,” I moaned, the pressure between my legs mounting to its climax.

I pulled myself harder against him and came undone to the sound of his name. I was the one moaning it and yet the euphoria of my climax disconnected me from my own reality. He pushed deep inside me one last time before pulling out to reach his own. My legs were still wrapped around his body but he leaned me against the wall - both of us trying to catch our breath. He eventually placed me down and I had to place my hand on the wall to keep my legs from buckling underneath me. I was overwhelmed - I felt like I could hardly breathe. I was completely consumed by Giovanni in every way. The pleasure lingered in every part of my body but it was the suffocating feeling in my chest that flummoxed me. I was so enthralled by him and those feelings I was denying for so long drowned me. I couldn't control it any longer.