AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Luca ordered two aniseed oysters to enjoy when the starters were cleared and as they were set down in front of him, he passed one to me.
‘Oh, I’m not really a big fan of…’
‘An aphrodisiac,non? Oysters are the food of the gods,’ Luca said, squeezing chilli sauce onto his shell as the slimy slug in front of me glistened in the sunlight. I wasn’t sure I could do it. I looked around surreptitiously for somewhere to throw it.
‘I’m not sure I need an aphrodisiac, to be honest,’ I said. I could see my oyster watching me as I took another mouthful of wine. Luca wasn’t taking no for an answer and was ready to shuck, so I picked mine up to mime along. I added the chilli sauce just as he had and clinked shells with him, doing all the actions without opening my mouth, followed by the post-oyster face. Luca gave me a huge smile, clearly pleased I’d gone along with his initiation test. I smiled back and discreetly placed the full shell at an angle on my side plate, so Luca couldn’t see the chilli-covered snot ball still sitting there, untouched.
We devoured our lobster linguini and decided against dessert, taking yet another espresso with us into the spa pools. I was on a permanent caffeine high. The air was bitingly cold, but the sun was hot on our faces, so it was a strange dichotomy of hypothermia standing outside the pools and sunburn sitting in them. I slathered my face in factor 50 and put on a sun visor, spraying Luca’s cheeks and nose before getting into the first pool, which was a gentle pulsing bubble at a medium heat.
‘You know we can do some of these pools naked?’ Luca said, coyly. ‘That’s how the Romans meant for them to be experienced.’
‘Oh, really? I think I’m OK in my bikini for now,’ I said, terrified I’d be forced to hand over the three tiny scraps of material keeping my dignity in place. I hadn’t pictured my spa day having naturist vibes. Or Luca as an exhibitionist.
Luca drank his coffee and lit a small cigarette as we bobbed about in the water.
‘Do you still hear from your ex-fiancé?’ he asked. George’s face flashed through my mind and my heart stopped for a second at the thought of him.
‘Not really, but we need to sell the house we own together, so sooner or later we’ll have to be in touch about that,’ I said. ‘But our relationship is over.’
‘And are you glad of it?’ His questions were abrupt, but they did make me think. Was I glad of it? Eight years for nothing.
‘I’m not suregladis the right word. It was a shock, and it was humiliating to be so close to getting married and not see it coming. To think I’d have married a man who didn’t even love me, and I hadn’t noticed. But now I’m starting to realise that this has been the absolute best decision for me too. Have you ever been close to getting married?’ I asked, deflecting.
‘Yes, of course. I have been engaged three times, but only in love once,’ Luca said, casually, as if that was entirely normal.
‘And none of them worked out?’
‘Not yet,’ he laughed.
‘Third time is supposed to be a charm,’ I said with a smile, ‘that’s a British saying, like third time lucky, does it translate?’
‘Three is the magic number,non?’ he said. ‘Yes, I know it. You have two more to go then.’
‘God, no thanks,’ I said. ‘I don’t think marriage is for me.’
‘Lovers are much more interesting,’ Luca said, inching towards me. ‘It keeps things hot, you know? Sexy.’
‘Hmm,’ I thought about a lifetime of staying sexy and wasn’t sure I could be bothered with that either. George wasn’t the answer, but maybe the jury was still out on Luca? Surely I could enjoy his glamorous lifestyle while they deliberated? He finished his cigarette and swam over to me, swooping in for a kiss as I wrapped my legs around him under the water. He pushed me up against the edge of the hot tub, kissing me harder, then pulled back to look me in the eyes. There was a fire I hadn’t seen before as he picked me up without breaking eye contact and twirled me around, kissing me in circles and making me dizzy.
‘Ready for the next one?’ he asked, pointing at the circular pool in the middle, with a much bigger whirl to it. ‘It’s twelve foot deep and has no steps – we have to jump in. It’s part of the experience.’
‘Good, because it’s bloody freezing out of the water, so the faster I’m in the next pool, the better.’
Luca pulled himself up onto the steps and I quickly followed, attempting mind over matter to not feel the bitter breeze the second I stood on the side.Think warm thoughts, think warm thoughts.It didn’t work. Luca held my hand.
‘We can jump together?’ he said and I nodded. ‘One, two, three…’ I held my nose as we both jumped and the second I hit the water, I realised it was a plunge pool. The air disappeared from my lungs and my body felt like it was shutting down. I swam to the top, gasping for air like a terrified carp, where Luca was laughing.
‘Tres bien!’ he said, his hands out of the water clapping. ‘I know you like to plunge! This one is very good for your circulation.’
‘You tricked me,’ I spluttered through chattering teeth, as I clambered out of the icy water, wet hair all over my face. The cold air felt suddenly warm, and my entire system felt discombobulated as my body shook from top to bottom.
Luca casually pulled himself out of the pool, using his big arms and tight abs to effortlessly slide up and out. This was obviously his idea of a good time. Not to be fooled again, I dipped my toe in pool three, which was reassuringly hot, and slithered in, feeling the delicious water wrap itself around me and soothe my shaking bones. Luca wasn’t far behind, still chuckling to himself.
‘That was not funny!’ I said, feeling much better about the situation now I was warm again.
‘But you look so much more vibrant and invigorated now,’ he said with a smile. I’d already forgotten the uncivilised shock of the cold water, so I was all for basking in the post-ice-bath glow.
‘Are you going to join me in the naked spa pools?’ Luca asked.
