16
Good morning
I didn’t know what time it was, only that I had slept like a baby and that the sun was coming in through the window, leaving me blind.
I stretched in bed, enjoying the soft fabric that enveloped my body. My husband might lack many things, but he certainly had good taste in materials.
The towels were very soft and fluffy. The sheets were fresh and enveloping. The mattress and pillow lulled you into a good rest. In other words, it was clear that Romeo was a host who cared about his guests.
I searched for my phone. Eleven-thirty. It wasn”t that late. I usually got up around eight, whether I had a busy night or not. It was rare for my body to ask for a few extra hours. I attributed it to the intensity of the past two days.
I sat up and assessed the furniture, something I hadn”t had time to do the day before.
My room was decorated in cream tones. It had a nice vanity where I could place my creams, perfumes, and makeup. The bed I was in was spacious, with a headboard whose center lit up in the shape of a full moon.
Two pretty nightstands were on its side. In front, an armchair arranged for reading.
The room had access to a large terrace where a sun lounger with an umbrella, a table with a couple of wrought iron chairs were visible, and from which you could see the pool area, including the sea if you leaned out.
The room also featured a large walk-in closet and a full bathroom with a bathtub placed next to a window that looked out onto the vegetation. It was tall, made of white porcelain, in which I would immerse myself on more than one occasion. Additionally, there was also a shower tray occupying one side of the wall, in case you didn”t feel like wasting time.
I stepped out onto the balcony to let the sun greet me good morning. I loved feeling it directly on my skin. In St. Petersburg, sometimes, it was rare to see. The climate was not like Marbella”s.
I leaned on the balustrade and saw that Romeo, his sister, Massimo, Adriano, my mother, and my sisters were having a snack.
As if he had sensed me, the little monster looked up and his eyes widened.
”Dad! My stepmom is showing her tits!” Everyone looked up. I gave them a lazy smile and waved my fingers.
My mother put her hand to her throat as if she had choked. Sarka covered her mouth to emit a low giggle while Irisha rolled her eyes. My father-in-law stood up without looking at me to help my mother, who was tapping on her chest. My sister-in-law seemed to be contemplating a work of art, not taking her eyes off me, and Romeo... Oh, Romeo! He had no fucking idea who his Juliet was.
He covered Adriano”s eyes, lest one of them be poked out by the stiffness of my nipples. My beloved husband gave a head shake that almost snapped his neck in the intention that I cover up and go inside. Before doing so, I blew him a kiss, winked, and smiled playfully at his sister.
Men were such fools!
Is it really necessary to make such a drama about seeing a woman”s chest? We all have a pair of breasts, or one, or none, depending on the circumstances. And my mother? As if she had three! I laughed inwardly, considering what she was like in her private life and how demure she seemed in public.
I chose a short strapless dress, some sandals, and went to the bathroom to freshen up before joining the family.
When I arrived in the garden, both my husband and my mother were looking at me with disapproval.
”Good morning, family,” I greeted them enthusiastically.
”Ciao, bella!” my father-in-law replied, standing up. He was the only one who came over to kiss me and pull out the free chair between him and his son.
I settled into it and glanced sideways at my husband”s tense face.
”What”s wrong, honey?” I asked incredulously. ”You look unwell. Did you stay up late last night? You seem tired, yet I slept like a baby.” It wasn”t true. Romeo looked as handsome as yesterday with his tanned skin and that white shirt with sky-blue stripes. He wore it unbuttoned down to his chest, revealing part of the ink that adorned it.
”I was exhausted last night,” he said sarcastically. Our families laughed, assuming the reason for his fatigue. ”And, for your information, I had to get up early to take care of a matter.”
”Nothing serious, I hope.” He offered me a grimace.
”Personal matters,” he concluded expressionlessly.
”How do you like your new home, bella? Do you like it?” My father-in-law placed his hand on mine on the table. The contact
made me curl my toes. Still, I smiled discreetly.
”Very much. It”s beautiful.”
”A woman like you deserves no less.” He raised my hand and kissed it.
My mother watched us, pleased. I said nothing. I just looked at the table, which was covered with an assortment of pastries, fresh fruit, and cold drinks.
”Honey, isn”t there any coffee?” I asked sweetly, addressing Romeo. I ran a nail over his nipple, which instantly hardened.
He no longer smelled like a cheap whore, just him, the guy who had so attracted me in that warehouse full of bottles and boxes. The masculine essence hit my nose reminding me that I needed sex. Romeo flinched.
”You can ask the cook; her name is Ana María.”
”Romeo...” his father chided him.
”What? I suppose she”ll have to start getting to know the staff.”
”Don”t worry, Massimo, I”ll be delighted to go meet Ana María myself.” My father-in-law stopped me.
”My son is too accustomed to dealing with men, and he must have forgotten the good manners my wife and I taught him.” I blinked innocently.
”No, not at all, he went out with his lover after dropping me off at home; he had needs that only she could satisfy. Isn”t that right, Romeo?”
The juice my mother was drinking sprayed out like a sprinkler. My husband turned pale, and Adriano tugged at his sleeve to ask what a lover was.
My sister-in-law glared at her brother, my father-in-law frowned at his son, my sisters glared at my husband, and my mother embarrassedly grabbed a napkin to clean up the baptism she had just performed on the table.
”Sorry, I didn”t realize the child was here, I”m new to this motherhood thing.” I placed a hand on my heart. ”My apologies.” I looked at the little one innocently. ”Adri, darling, a lover is someone who loves. And last night your father needed that from Irene. You’ll understand when you’re older, or maybe you won’t need to.” The tension was palpable. ”Excuse me, I”m going to get that coffee to wake me up.”
If I expected a counterattack from Romeo, it didn’t come. He remained silent under the accusatory gaze of his relatives. The silence was broken by barking.
Just what we needed, the dog had arrived!
Brutus turned out to be a drooling Rottweiler who ran around wildly. The kitchen was very close to the outdoor table, so it shouldn”t have been hard for me to get there. The problem was that I didn”t make it. Two huge paws hit me from behind with such force that I had to hold onto the back of my father-in-law”s chair.
I screamed, more out of surprise than fear.
Not content with cornering me, the big dog began rubbing against my leg earnestly while I tried not to move in case it decided to attack.
”Brutus!” bellowed Romeo. Adriano stood up, frightened.
”Let her go! Let her go! Or the wicked witch will throw you out!”
”Adriano!” his grandfather scolded, pinned against the table and unable to move.
”But someone get him off her!” exclaimed my sister-in-law, pushing her chair back.
Amid the commotion, I found myself laughing at the animal”s panting behind me. The situation was so surreal that I couldn”t believe it.
Romeo tried to free me from the animal, but it was too focused, so much so that it didn’t take long for something warm to slide down my leg before my husband could pull it off.
”Mamma mia!” That was my sister-in-law again, who had also left her seat and had just witnessed the dog climaxing.
Without hesitation, I grabbed a napkin that Irisha offered me and wiped myself, glancing sideways at Romeo.
”Some dogs have better taste than their owners.” I heard my father-in-law laugh, while my husband muttered under his breath in Italian.
”Ah, Nikita, how you remind me of my late wife, God rest her soul! You seem more Calabrian than Russian.” My sister-in-law also smiled at me, and Adriano continued to look at me with reservation.
”Well, now that I”ve had my official welcome, I”m going to get that coffee.”
I resumed my path to the kitchen with a smile on my lips.
A petite woman bustled about the room. She appeared to be in her late fifties, was stocky, wore a uniform, and had a pair of dimples in her cheeks that deepened as she hummed.
”Good morning,” I greeted her. She turned her ruddy face and fell silent immediately.
”Good morning, u... you must be the new wife of the lord.”
”That”s right.”
”I am Ana María.” She offered a slight nod.
”Nikita Koroleva.”
”Delighted. How can I help you?” she offered.
”Could I have a strong coffee?”
”Of course. How do you like it?”
”Short, black, no sugar.”
”An espresso, just like I like it,” Romeo commented from behind me. The cook looked at us both, pleased.
”What a coincidence. It”s good for a marriage to have things in common.”
”I think a taste for coffee is the only thing we share,” I remarked, not intimidated by the male presence.
”You have to start somewhere,” she said, dismissing it.
”Where can I throw this?” I showed the woman the napkin.
”Give it here, I”ll throw it away.” She reached out kindly.
”It’s better if I do, it contains biological samples.” The woman furrowed her brow. ”A bunch of unborn puppies that will never see the light.”
”Oh! Ah!” The woman burst into giggles. ”So Brutus has taken a liking to you, that means he likes you, he”s usually quite elusive with women. There”s the trash can,” she pointed.
I threw the napkin away and went to the sink to wash my hands.
Romeo hadn”t moved. He watched me suspiciously.
”Is something wrong?” I asked, taking a piece of kitchen towel to dry my hands.
”I find it hard to recognize you.” I ran my hands over my face.
”Yeah, well, today I skipped the makeup.”
”That”s not what I mean,” he replied cryptically.
”If you”ve come to scold me for my greeting from the balcony, or for what I told your family about last night...”
”I didn”t come for that,” he cut me off.
”Then what?”
”I wanted to tell you that your men can move into the housing where mine reside,” I looked at him surprised, I didn”t expect him to give in so quickly.
”Why?”
”I”ve been thinking a lot tonight. We were both very tired and upset yesterday. It”s better if we relax a bit and get to know each other, or this is going to be unsustainable, don”t you think?”
”I think that”s very good,” Ana María commented, offering us each a coffee. ”You make a fantastic couple. It”s normal for you to argue, you both seem very passionate, but you shouldn”t let small disagreements cloud the relationship.” It seemed to me that Ana María was not the typical employee who kept her mouth shut. ”This house needed a woman, and Mrs. Nikita seems to fit the bill.”
”Thank you.” I raised the little cup and looked at it pleased. She nodded and went back to her tasks.
”So?” Romeo insisted. ”Truce?”
”Truce,” I replied, biting my tongue.
A Russian proverb says that after the storm, the wind will blow in your favor.
I wasn”t going to be foolish; if my husband was extending a bridge for me to climb aboard his ship, I wasn”t about to reject it. I”d have time to light the gunpowder and blow it up later.