More Than Once by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 6:

I

t’s Thursday night and I just strolled back into the apartment after finishing my last shift for the week. Tonight was madness at the restaurant. I was serving a family with three young lively children which resulted in having a chocolate milkshake knocked over as I was serving the food. Luckily, my arm was able to catch most of it before it spilled onto the floor. Unlucky for me however, but it was unintentional. I spent the rest of the night sticky and uncomfortable.

But finally, I was home.

It was just after ten-thirty as I stepped through the door to a chorus of voices from the living room.

“I'm home,” I announced.

I hung up my keys on the key rack and made my way to the living room. Reyna, Katrina and Sergio were lounging around laughing at some series they were watching.

“Welcome home,” Reyna said, suddenly noticing the chocolate stains on my arm and shirt. “What the hell happened to you?”

I sighed, “Some child thought it would be fun to knock their milkshake over.”

“Ah, so it was one of those nights huh?” Katrina laughed.

She was leaning against Sergio's chest and he was smiling down at her. The simple intimacy of the way they were around each other made my heart ache. I've always been a relationship person so I couldn't help but feel a little jealous seeing them like that.

“You're going to need a new shirt,” Sergio joined the conversation, stating the obvious. “That one is stained.”

“Yeah I figured,” I said,rolling my eyes. “I should've charged them extra for clothing damages.”

“Whose clothes are damaged?” I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned around and caught my breath.

Giovanni.

Here he was standing in the hallway, in my apartment, looking sexy as hell and he didn't even have to try. He was wearing a casual pair of jeans and a black jersey. His hair was messy today, strands falling forward and I had to physically stop myself from reaching out and moving them back.

What was he doing here? Or better yet, why did Reyna not warn me he would be here? I suddenly became aware of my appearance and how I probably looked like an absolute mess to him right now.

“Mine,” I said, indicating the big brown stain on my once white shirt. “This was a clear fatality of the night.”

He laughed. “Oh shit.”

His laugh was the most wonderful sound. I just wanted to keep hearing it.

“I didn't know you were going to be here,” I said as casually as I could manage.

“Just stopped by on my way out,” he replied. “Nice to see you though.”

I smiled, “Nice to see you too, Giovanni.”

I was using every ounce of self-control I had to keep the conversation as casual as I could manage and not freak out about the fact that my body was calling out for him. What the hell was up with that? When I was around him, I seemed to lose all control. My body surrendered itself to him and he didn't even have to ask for it.

“I'm going to go shower,” I announced. “I've been sticky all night.”

Reyna, Kat, and Sergio were so engrossed in the series they were currently binge-watching that they didn't say a word.

“What are they watching?” I turned to Giovanni.

“No idea,” he said. “But it's clearly more entertaining than what you're saying.”

I chuckled. “Clearly.”

I stood there awkwardly, not sure if I should leave him standing in the corridor of the apartment. He was looking at me as if he was waiting for me to invite him to come with me. He tried to hide it but the interest in his eyes was still there. The last thing I wanted to do was to drag myself away from him, no matter how uncomfortable I was right now.

“Are you going to just stand in the hallway all night?” I teased.

“Well I was thinking about it but then you mentioned you were going to shower and that sounds way more fun,” he said in a low, almost whispering voice.

Did he just say that? Holy shit. He had no filter.

“And what makes you think I would want you to join me?”

He smirked. “Intuition.”

I hated that he knew the effect he had on me. No matter how much I tried to hide it, I couldn't control the physical reaction he caused me. The tension between us was palpable. I couldn't control my thoughts from wandering off to a lascivious place.

“Don't worry though, I know last time was just a one-time thing,” he quipped. “Well, a two-time thing.”

The heat spread across my cheeks turning them pink.

“I should probably get going anyway,” he announced. “Too many people around.”

He winked at me before reaching for his wallet and keys on the table. How could he be so brazen? He was so confident and didn't seem to care what anyone thought. His departure announcement did bring on a wave of disappointment. He had been on my mind all week - even with my conscious efforts to push thoughts of him away. My body would not let me forget him.

“It was really nice to see you again, Isabella,” he murmured, smirking at me. “Enjoy your shower.”

He said his goodbyes to the others with a general wave and headed towards the door. I figured I should let him out since neither Reyna nor Katrina made any movement to suggest they would be the ones doing it. What in the world were they watching? I strolled to the front door and pulled it open. He stepped out and turned back to face me.

“So will I be seeing you at Mala Míaagain this weekend?” he asked.

“I told you, it has to be worth my while.”

He bit his lip in a quick motion before smiling down at me. “I think you know now that I can make it worth your while.”

His confidence was a major turn-on.

“You know where to find me.” he smirked and turned to leave.

“Goodbye, Giovanni.” I said, smiling at him as he strolled to the elevator that just arrived.

“Oh, Isabella,” he called out, turning to face me again. “Shower sex is fun too - if you ever want to try it sometime.”

He winked at me and stepped inside, disappearing from my view.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. Fuck. Now I really need a cold shower.