AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What happened?” I asked, curious to know what her father had said or done when she made it home.
“He demanded to know why you hadn’t taken me to him. Someone reminded him that no one knows who you are, and that you wouldn’t have shown yourself to him, or me. This is going to sound so wrong, but I loved the fact that I knew who you were. For once, I had something he didn’t.”
She picked up her coffee cup and sipped, and while we savoured the espresso, we sat in silence.
“He went from his normal pig-headed self to even more nasty. I asked him why he’d paid you to find me if he disliked me so much. I think it was the first time I’ve questioned him. He got angry, one of his guys had to intervene and I walked out. I then found out I had a trust fund he’d been hiding from me, and it dawned on me, that was probably the only reason he kept me around. It’s a substantial amount.” She shook her head. Her normally bright eyes dulled as sadness clouded her features.
“I’m sorry,” I said, and I genuinely was.
She turned to smile at me. “What’s done is done. You did me a favour, Angelo. I’m now free. I didn’t realise how horrible I’d been, how my misery had been taken out on others and I intend to change. I can’t go back and apologise to Georgio or Diana, but I can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
She held her hand flat on the table and I had an urge to take it in mine. Instead, I placed my hand in my lap, away from temptation. I asked her to tell me about her centre and she morphed into an excited and bright woman in front of me. She was enthusiastic about her future plans, detailing all that she wanted to do, telling me about an argument to secure a lower rent for the property she wanted to house her centre in. Although a fairly large village, there were surrounding villages where children were lonely and she wanted to bring them all together. It wasn’t just about the bullied, but about showing the local children their worth. It was something that wasn’t done in Sicily, revolutionary, and probably common in other countries. I expected she’d receive some hesitation, but I hoped it took off for her.
“I’d like to donate. I’d also like to invite you to dinner so you can tell me more,” I blurted out before I really thought it through.
“Oh…well, certainly yes to the first sentence.”
“And the second?”
Although she hesitated, she then smiled. “Okay, why not?”
Instead of heading home until dinner, I asked to be shown the centre she had created. Perhaps I could help persuade the landlord to lower his rent. We finished our coffee and headed to my car. I opened the door for her and she curtseyed in thanks, laughing as she slid across the leather and reached for her seat belt. I couldn’t contain the broad smile that made my cheeks ache and I wondered how long it had been since I’d felt so happy.
Her centre appeared to be well equipped already. It had been open for a month despite her still negotiating her rent. I made a mental note of the landlord’s details; I’d contact him later. Part of my donation could be a year’s rent, I thought. Revenge was animated when she spoke. She was taking an online course to help work with the therapists she wanted to bring in. She wanted a ‘youth club’ feel to the place, games, toys, educational items to help bring some of the kids up to speed with their schoolwork. It sounded like something the village needed. It sounded like something that should be rolled out across Sicily.
Sicily wasn’t a poor country but one still in the hold of the mafia. There were some very affluent areas, obviously, and some very poor. Those in the poorer areas suffered greatly, and those were the children, locally, that Revenge wanted to help. As she spoke, her passion was obvious. Her cheeks flamed and her loose hair spun around her head and she turned to show me things on walls or in corners. Her eyes were bright and I found myself staring at her, not what she was pointing to.
“Are you listening to me?” she enquired, and I blinked a couple of times as if it would bring my mind back into focus.
“Sorry, yes, I was. I…you’re so vibrant when you talk of this place. So different to what I remember. Beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed but more in embarrassment than animation.
“I’m sorry, that was very inappropriate,” I added.
“No, it was a lovely thing to say. I haven’t had many nice things said to me, or about me.”
I reached out and pushed some hair over her shoulder. It was soft; her curls ran through my fingers. She sucked in a breath. I took a step towards her and watched as her lips parted slightly and her tongue ran over her lower one. I slid my hand to the back of her neck, my thumb gently gliding over her chin as I closed the gap. I couldn’t have stopped myself even if I’d tried. I lowered my head and my lips gently brushed over hers. I felt her hot breath fan my face and my heart pounded in my chest.
I kissed her. She opened her mouth accepting my tongue as it tangled with hers. I wanted to taste her, to absorb her breath. My hand tightened on her neck and our kiss became more feverish. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and stepped even closer, I could feel every inch of her body against mine. Her moan caught me off guard for a second. As did the grinding of her body against mine. I stepped her back against a table. She sat without breaking our kiss and parted her legs. I stepped between them. I had no intention of fucking her there, not that I didn’t want to, but she deserved better.
It was with reluctance that I broke our kiss.
Her breathing was ragged. I took in some deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
“I’m…” she said, without finishing her sentence.
“You’re?” I prompted.
“I was going to say, I’m sorry, but I’m not.”
Her sureness was pleasant to see, and I smiled. “Neither am I.”
She slid from the desk. “Perhaps we could…I don’t know, pick this up after dinner?” She ran her hands over the lapels of my jacket.
“I’d like that.”
“Oh, God, listen to me. I’ve never propositioned a man in my life. If I sound like a…a tramp, tell me!” She laughed nervously and looked to her feet.
