More Than Once by Dominique Wolf
CHAPTER 5:
I
woke to the bright morning sun shining in my eyes. I slowly opened them, confused by where the light was coming from. My curtains were usually so dark, they never allowed any sunlight to peep through. Did I forget to close them last night?
Wait a minute…
I opened my eyes completely.
I wasn't at home.
I sat up immediately and took in my surroundings, the memories of the night before suddenly flooding back to me. I turned to the side to find the bed empty.
Giovanni?
Where did he go?I rubbed my eyes and tried to gain my composure. The first rule of Reyna's one-night stand rules was to leave before the person woke up and here I was almost sleeping the day away.
What time was it?I was far too comfortable in his bed, I really had to force myself out of it. I was still naked so I gathered the sheet on the bed, wrapping myself in it as I started searching for my clothes. This room really was a mess - our clothes were everywhere. My mind wandered back to last night and my body immediately reacted. That was amazing. The small feeling deep within the pit of my stomach reminded me that the desire was still there and the lingering pain between my legs confirmed his presence. I found my underwear and slid them back on. My bra was next. Looking around the room, I couldn't quite place where my dress was.
“Come on,” I murmured to myself.
I finally spotted it across the room. I lunged for it and put it on as quickly as I could. I had to try to sneak out of here without bumping into Giovanni again. Not that I wouldn't want to see him again, I just knew I was already breaking the rules that were given to me. I eventually had my shoes, my cell phone, and my purse in my hand - I was ready to go. I tried to check the time on my phone but it was dead.
Of course, it was dead!
I slipped out through the door and found the staircase that led to the rest of his apartment. I tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to make any noise. I could hear movement from the kitchen and figured Giovanni was probably in there. The problem with his apartment, it was an open floor plan and you had to pass the kitchen to get to the elevator.
“Shit!” I muttered to myself.
I peered around the corner and saw that he was in the kitchen with his back towards me. If I sprinted past the kitchen quietly enough, I could definitely make it across to the elevator without him seeing me. Was that a good idea though? Running away like a scared little girl? I seriously needed Reyna and her brilliant plans right now to get me out of this one. I peeped my head out again but this time he had turned around and noticed me.
Crap!
“Well, good morning.” Giovanni smiled at me.
I shifted uncomfortably and stepped out from behind the wall.
“Uh, hello.”
“Coffee?” he asked casually.
I nodded and walked towards the kitchen counter. I sat down on one of the barstools and placed the stuff I was holding down next to me. He caught me and there was no way I could just leave right now. One cup of coffee wouldn't do any harm, right?
He placed a cup in front of me.
“Sugar?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Just milk, thanks.”
He opened the fridge door, grabbing the milk for me. He placed it in front of me and smiled. I allowed myself to take him in. How was he so sexy after just waking up? His hair was disheveled but it suited him and he was only wearing a pair of briefs with black shorts. His body was so lean and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to reach out across this counter. I noticed his tattoos properly this time. He had a full sleeve running down his left arm and a couple starting on his right shoulder. He had a large wolf on his back by his left shoulder - it was detailed and beautiful. I had never been one to find tattoos attractive, especially so many but they suited him. I forced myself to look away from his body and averted my eyes to take in the rest of his apartment for the first time. It was very modern with a black and white colour scheme throughout. Across from the kitchen was a lounge area with a huge flat-screen TV against the wall. An acoustic guitar stood in the corner next to the TV and I wondered if he could play or if it was just for decoration. I was impressed by how neat it was. Nothing was out of place. The curtains were still drawn closed but there was enough light from the sun to remind me that I should get my day started. I turned back around and sipped on my coffee. I really needed this - I had a lingering headache but I was surprised I didn't have a hangover given how much I had to drink. Maybe it would hit me later?
“So last night was pretty amazing.” he remarked, watching me over his cup as he took a sip.
“Yeah, it was,” I admitted. “Never done that before.”
“Never had sex?” he mocked.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Never had a one night stand.”
“A one-night stand huh?” he smirked, “And what makes you think this would be a one-time thing?”
I looked over at him. He was amused by this but I could sense the tension between us still lingering. My body was captivated by him and the memories of last night resurfaced making it more difficult to want to leave right now
“This is definitely a one-time thing,” I reminded him, knowing very well that I was actually trying to convince myself here and not him. “Not going to happen again.”
He nodded, “Okay, if you say so.”
My eyes flickered over to him. Why did he have to be so damn tempting? He looked at me and I could feel the tension rising between us. He gently placed his cup down and walked around the counter to where I was sitting and stood next to me.
“I should go.” I murmured, nervously placing my cup back down.
“Okay.”
I looked over at him. He was so close now and by the way he was looking at me, I could tell exactly what he wanted. I slipped off the barstool and he stepped right in front of me now.
“You sure you need to go?” he murmured.
Absolutely not.
“Yes I do.” I said weakly.
He stepped closer to me, “Okay then.”
He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. His touch set my body alight and my brain was no longer in control. My rejuvenated desire came knocking and I couldn't ignore it. Without thinking, I reached out and kissed him.
His lips were soft and I could feel him smiling as he kissed me back. I arched my body closer to his and his arms encircled me. He lifted me up onto the counter, never breaking the kiss. My hands found his hair and I couldn't help but tug on it. Just kissing him was enough to send me over the edge. You'd think the desire I felt last night would have been satisfied after being with him but no, it seemed to have a mind of its own. This was all fascinating to me. To crave someone like this was unprecedented territory. His lips left mine and instantly found my neck. He kissed down my neck and across my shoulder. He knew I loved what he was doing to me. My neck was a sensitive spot for me and he picked up on that last night quickly. He leaned against me and I felt his body come alive. I wrapped my legs around his waist, encouraging him to get closer to me. His hands ran down my body and over my thighs. He started to push the material of my dress up, exposing me in the necessary way.
Was I seriously going to do this again?
Hell yes.
I ran my hands down his body to his briefs and yanked them down to his thighs. I could feel he was ready for me.
He moved his hand up the inside of my thigh again and reached for my underwear. He used both hands to slide them down my legs. My body happily obliged. It was thrilling to give in to my deepest desires, there was a freedom to it that I never expected and it exhilarated me. He kicked his briefs from around his ankles next and the tension between my thighs increased just at the sight of him. The memory of what it felt like to have him inside of me lingered and that only increased the throbbing between my legs. I needed him to take me again. He positioned me just right on the kitchen counter and buried himself deep inside of me in one sweeping motion.
“Yesss,” I breathed out, throwing my head back.
There he was again. Inside of me. Just what I wanted.
I wrapped my legs around his waist again and he supported my body with his arms. We started to move, this time with more urgency than before. We were both consumed by the ecstasy - here and now, we were the closest we could ever be and it enthralled me. It was just us and our bodies. No strings attached and not a single care in the world. All that mattered was relieving us of this overwhelming tension.
“Giovanni,” I moaned.
“Say my name, baby,” he encouraged.
I obliged. Here on his kitchen counter, I moaned his name like no one could hear me. I had never felt such a rush before - he was like a new drug to me that I couldn't get enough of. He pushed deeper and faster inside of me and I felt like I was on the edge.
“Don't stop,” I moaned.
He didn't stop. He kept going until we both came undone, moaning each other's names in this haven of pleasure. I held onto him, both of us trying to catch our breaths. He brought his lips down to mine. It was a sweet kiss this time and it made me smile.
“Now you can go,” he smirked.
I giggled and gathered myself, again. Dressing quickly, I was ready to finally leave.
What a way to start the day.
***
It took all the self-control I had left, but I managed to pull myself away from Giovanni and walk out his door. I finally made it back to my apartment.
Standing outside the building almost frozen, I was on cloud nine.
I couldn't stop smiling. I successfully managed to have one night to myself and I let loose in every way possible. I couldn't stop thinking about him. Every kiss, every touch, every moment with him was unlike anything I could've ever imagined. A part of me was hoping I would see him again but another part of me knew that wouldn't be the smartest decision. The goal was to have a one-night stand and that's what I did - no strings attached, no feelings, nothing.
I grabbed my keys out of my purse and unlocked the door. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by Reyna who stood there with her arms crossed.
“And where have you been, young lady?” she mocked.
We both burst out laughing. I couldn't take her seriously. Especially in her oversized gown and fluffy slippers.
“You're getting in really late for someone who was just supposed to have a one-night stand.” she mused
The heat spread across my cheeks, “Yeah I know. I broke your rules.”
“Ugh, who cares about the rules,” she shrugged and pulled me in for a hug, “Did you have fun?”
I blushed again and this time she noticed.
“Of course you did!” she squealed, “Look at how you're blushing!”
“Giovanni is amazing. I mean, seriously… wow.”
I dropped down onto the couch and she came over to join me.
“I told you that you'd have fun with him!” she slapped my arm playfully.
“I know and you were so right,” I replied. “I just never expected to have that much fun though.”
“You've been missing out with all your overthinking,” she mused, “Sometimes you just have to live a little.”
I smiled at her. She was the closest person to me and I was lucky to have her. She felt more like a sister to me than my actual sister did. She pushed me to take chances and do things I wouldn't ordinarily do because she knew it was best for me. My sister and I hardly even had a relationship.
“You were right,” I replied. “This is the first time in a long time that I actually feel at peace.”
“See that's also a side effect of an orgasm.” Reyna said as she raised her eyebrows and gave me a sexy wink.
I burst out laughing. “Well, you're not wrong.”
She tapped my thigh and stood up. “Look at you, all you needed to do was to sleep with someone once and you'd feel better.”
“Twice actually,” I confessed.
Her jaw dropped. “You little slut!”
I slapped her leg and we started laughing again. Uncontrollable, silly laughter and for the first time in a long while, I felt genuinely happy. There was no pressure, no judgment and no plan. The control freak side of me was in a state but I was learning to ignore her. She was no fun.
“Okay, I am making popcorn.” Reyna announced as she strolled over to our kitchen.
“That sounds great,” I said as I stood up. “You pick a movie, I am going to have a quick shower.”
***
The rest of the weekend was spent lounging around and recovering from my first night out in years. My feet were killing me from pairing all the dancing we did with the uncomfortable heels I had chosen to wear. As much as Reyna's persistent ways could be considered annoying to most people, I found it quite endearing that she always had my back. She could always tell exactly what I needed.
It was just after nine on a Sunday evening and I was already in bed. I was working the afternoon shift at the restaurant tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I was well-rested and ready to face the week. When I first got to Barcelona, I didn't do anything. Which was great for a little while, but got boring. I eventually had to talk myself into getting a temporary job. Luckily, there was a small family restaurant called La Senda just down the road. They were hiring and with their flexible work hours, above minimum wage pay, and the fact it was also an English speaking restaurant, how could I not try it out? My savings weren't going to be able to carry me forever. I didn't mind working there but it was definitely a temporary solution. I had no choice though - I needed something to do and needed to have some extra income while Reyna and I fixed up our soon-to-be coffee shop.
About three weeks into my stay with Reyna, we were walking along the promenade as I was taking in my new surroundings. I loved everything about Barcelona. There was something so calming about it that really helped me attempt to work through everything that I was going through at the time. We made it to the corner and found a quaint little store that was up for sale. I went inside and immediately fell in love with it. Despite the fact it was falling apart, both Reyna and I could sense the potential in it. While we both had different reasons for wanting the place, it was an investment we were both heavily interested in and when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn't turn it away. She was interested in investing in a small business on the side and she knew how much I needed this. I needed something to put my energy into while I figured my life out. We got chatting to the owners and we learned that they were selling the shop and relocating. They were desperate to find a buyer and for the first time in weeks, I felt a glimmer of excitement. What if I could make it my own? My own little book store with a coffee shop? I had always wanted to own my own business and there was nothing better than my two favorite things - books and caffeine. Reyna loved coffee and she loved me. She was more than happy for us to explore this investment together.
It was at that very moment I was thankful for my money-savvy ways. I had been saving since I could remember. My parents had always given us an allowance from the day I turned thirteen and I was smart enough to save most of it over the years. I had managed to save enough to go half-way in for a deposit for the shop and we worked out an arrangement for the balance that suited the owners as well as Reyna and me. They were so desperate to get rid of the place that they were happy with what we had to offer them.
A few weeks later they were out of there and it was time to start working on it. There wasn't much we wanted to change in terms of layout but we did have a lot to fix up. It wasn't in the best condition so the price they sold it to us made a lot of sense. The paint was chipping and there was a terrible water leak that stained the carpets near the back. Fixing the plumbing issues was a top priority to avoid another leak in the shop. We decided we wanted to start from scratch so we removed all the furniture they had into Reyna's storage unit. Thankfully through Reyna's family's contacts, we found people willing to assist at a reasonable price. We got people in for the improvements and repairs we weren't able to complete ourselves. Once the leak was sorted out, we got the carpets removed and replaced with tiles. Everything after that was up to us to sort out. I didn't mind having to work on the shop, it was great having a distraction. I didn't want to think about my failed relationship or failed job. I didn't want to think about the fact that my parents still thought I was in Madrid with Nate. He had spoken so openly to them about marriage and how much he loved me and wanted to be with me. How could I possibly blindside them too? Deep down I sensed my father would be more understanding but my mother was not the kind of woman you could open up to, so I hid the truth from them. As far as I knew, Nate was still working on the project in Madrid. I tried to stay up to date with him but it wasn't easy since someone like Nate avoided social media like the plague. After a while, I stopped checking in and after the fallout I ended up having with my mother, I avoided my family as much as possible. I was sure they all most definitely had some suspicions. I knew avoiding them made the situation worse, but out of sight, out of mind. It was what I usually did - when things got difficult, I had this terrible tendency to always run away.
Growing up, I was always made to feel like I had to control my emotions since my family hardly shared theirs. I couldn't remember the last time my parents were even affectionate in front of me. It made me feel like an outsider and more often than not, I struggled to relate to them. I was the one who found it difficult to contain my emotions. Love, pain, anger, sadness, lust - I feel it all and it often has the ability to consume me.
Like it did this weekend.
I smiled to myself thinking back to my time with Giovanni. I hadn't been able to get him off my mind since I left his apartment - every passionate kiss, every touch, every moment was ingrained in my brain and I had a strong suspicion that it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I reached for my phone on my bedside table and did what any sane woman would do. I social media stalked him. I didn't have much to go on except his name and the fact he owned Mala Mía. I typed it into my search bar and his name popped up on my screen immediately.
Giovanni Velázquez
It had a nice ring to it. There were plenty of articles about him - about his family and the club, all of which were in Spanish. I scanned through those quite quickly but the further I scrolled down, the more articles started to pop up about his Casanova ways. There were tons of pictures of him with different women. Tons of speculation as to who he was dating and there was no secret that he seemed to get around. A flicker of jealousy overcame me and I had to mentally scold myself. There was no reason for that. I found his Instagram page and was surprised at the fifty-eight thousand followers he had - he clearly had a public persona I wasn't aware of. Scrolling down his page was making it so much harder to put him out of my mind but I couldn't look away. I was so attracted to him - it was borderline ridiculous. He woke something up inside of me and my body burned for him. My toes curled at the thought of him touching me again. His kisses along my neck and collar bone. The way his hand felt against my back. His fingers making their way between my thighs.
Thoughts of him consumed me and I was starting to wonder how I was ever going to get rid of them.
