Chapter 11
“That report should have been ready, Antonella.”
I lifted my annoyed gaze from the computer screen to the door. “Do it yourself or leave. And let me do my work. There aren’t two of me, Angelina. I’ll do it as fast as I can. Otherwise, ask Mr. Cavalera to talk to me.”
She looked at me, openmouthed, then blinked, composing herself again.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“You know I only do what they ask me to, right?”
I sank into the chair with a hard sigh. “I know that.” I rubbed my face, huffing like I was dying, growing more and more irritated. “I’m sorry. I just…”
“Are you having problems?”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude… I’m just too stressed. Thor is invaded my apartment and driving me insane.”
Curiosity painted her expression, and she pulled out the chair.
“Thor?”
“He’s my son’s father.”
“And he’s in your apartment?”
“He fumigated his, which, guess what, is in the same building and on the same floor as mine, and then it was conveniently closed off because of a leak, and now…” I shut up, furious, wanting to have him in front of me so I could strangle him.
The maledetto was driving me so crazy I was having ideas that included growling at him to unbuckle his pants and pull his cock out.
I wanted that cock. I hated the owner, not the cock.
“Wow! That sounds like an overwhelming love story.”
“One full of thorns.”
“Those are the best,” she said, smiling broadly.
I looked at her in horror.
“What? I’ve never seen a good love story without problems and a great obstacle to overcome.”
If Angelina was trying to help, she was failing like hell.
“There is nothing to overcome between us. We have a son. That’s all.”
She stood as if she knew it was time to retreat.
“Riiiiiiight.”
I breathed deeply, recovering my good manners, and licked my lips. “Sorry again. I’ll finish the report and bring it to you right after.”
I buried my head in my work and worked like mad.
I entered my apartment and found the silence strange.
I paused, my eyes narrowing on the chewed slipper tossed in the middle of the living room and…
OH, God… I followed the trail of torn toilet paper coming from the powder room to my suite.
The sound of water, a mix of murmurs, laughter, and barking, made me straighten my spine, and I slipped into the bathroom, shocked in the doorway.
I froze, watching Lucca and Thor in the tub.
The bathroom was flooded, foam on my boy’s head, on Lola jumping hysterically with her tail wagging, crazy to get into the tub.
Thor blew the foam, and Lucca burst out laughing.
First, I was angry about the mess, then I softened, finding it cute.
Warmth filled my chest and flooded me with love.
Lucca and Thor were having a father-and-son moment. I loved that scene with everything I had. In that magical instant, all hurt vanished. It was hard not to smile.
My stress evaporated a little with the squeals and all those beautiful sounds my little lion made while moving his little hands.
I wanted to grab my phone and take a picture of them, make a short video for the future, slide down beside the tub and be part of the moment.
My desire was born and died right there.
I cleared my throat, crossing my arms, and they finally looked at me, startled.
“Oops, I don’t think mamma is happy at all. Say hi to Mommy, son.” Lucca only smiled, and it took me a lifetime not to smile back. “He needed a bath, and so did I, so…” Thor explained, looking like a child caught red-handed.
“So you flooded the bathroom.”
“It’s not flooded, baby.”
“No?”
Thor looked at the floor and back at me.
“Just a little water spilled.”
“A little,” I repeated, running my eyes once more over the mess. “Well, you’re going to clean up that little bit and leave it very dry. And you’re also going to clean up the mess Lola made in the hallway with the toilet paper.”
“Bad girl,” he reprimanded the dog.
“Did I mention the chewed slipper?”
“Daddy can’t help you like this, girl.”
Do not laugh. And no, he is not cute acting like this.
“Take Lucca out of the water.”
“Your mommy isn’t fun,” Thor murmured to him.
“Now!” I said pointedly, and regretted it.
Thor stood with Lucca. He wasn’t naked, but it wasn’t as if the wet white boxer briefs hid much of the delicious outline of his penis. Even soft, he was something, as was the wonder of his beautiful body all wet and dripping.
The sight wreaked havoc in my panties.
“Lola!” I called with a shout.
The dog looked at me expectantly. She didn’t want to come. It was clear she wanted to go with Thor and Lucca, but when she realized that wasn’t going to happen, she ran to me.
I picked up a dry towel, wrapped her in it, and took her with me. After we were bathed and dry, I let her run to the living room. I also made sure the powder room door was closed and the hallway clean, then returned to the bedroom to change.
Thor was cleaning the bathroom.
I came in wearing light fabric shorts, a tank top, and new slippers.
“I better not see a single drop of water on that bathroom floor,” I snapped before leaving, holding my little laugh until I was out of his reach.
Later, after dinner and spending a few hours buried in my books, I found Thor lying on his side in bed, beneath the sheet, with Lucca in his arms.
My heart filled with warmth, with love.
I was dazzled, completely melted, smiling from ear to ear.
Lucca opened his bright little eyes and smiled when I recorded the moment.
***
I was getting irritated easily. I didn’t connect it to the obvious.
Our nights of needless torture continued. That, of course, affected my work, where I was bad-tempered and stressed as hell.
I was irritated in the mornings over what I hadn’t had.
I was irritated at night for yearning for that sexual hell.
I was sexually frustrated.
I needed to be touched, caressed, stretched, and fucked until I lost consciousness and couldn’t walk in a straight line.
I needed a man for that, not a sex toy, not my fingers…
I needed skin to skin, the sensual heat of bodies moving and producing erotic sounds, sweat, to be eaten by skilled hands and mouth… to be filled and slicked…
I had said, on one of those mornings, that we couldn’t keep doing this anymore. It was in code. Neither of us was speaking in clear words. But then, when night came, we were tangled in that confusion again.
I was at my limit.
“Trouble in paradise?”
“What paradise?”
“Oh, right, you’re not a couple. Sorry.”
I narrowed my eyes at Giulia while chewing my Italian bread.
I didn’t want to think about sex, but my thoughts had a life of their own. It didn’t matter where I was, Thor was there, turning my thoughts sexual, mixing with my erotic fantasies, watering my growing desire with gasoline, the feeling spreading through me like a fire.
I wanted Thor.
Worse, I wanted him to try harder.
I wanted every inch of his damned teasing cock.
I only wanted him to do it, and then I wanted to blame him, because it was hard to deal with my weakness without feeling like shit in the process.
As if that weren’t enough, he wandered through my apartment as if he belonged there. Thor wasn’t making an effort to leave, no… he was making an effort to drive me insane.
“You’d better bring a new set of cups when you come back from work.”
I lowered the empty cup to the island.
“What?”
“The way you’ve been banging that cup since you came in here, you’d better buy a new set or you won’t have any by the weekend.”
I gave her an ugly look while refilling the cup.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
“When did you become so talkative?”
“Since you drank three cups when you usually drink only half.”
“I didn’t sleep well,” I admitted.
“I imagine.”
I followed her gaze and came upon Thor and Lucca on the balcony.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that.”
“He isn’t sleeping with you?”
“That’s the problem,” I complained, desolate.
“Girl, that’s the kind of problem we pray to have.”
“I can’t talk to you, Giulia.”
She shrugged, retreating. “Sorry.”
I grabbed my things and was already leaving for VCG, but came back.
“He and I aren’t like that.” Giulia looked at me in astonishment. “That doesn’t happen between us. Sex. Thor is only in my bed because of the damned doctor.”
“Madonna mia! Where does that doctor work? We need more doctors like that. What a sacrifice it must be to sleep beside a man like him.”
“I’m going to hire another nanny,” I threatened, gesturing with two fingers between my eyes and her. “Watch yourself.”
I walked to VCG to unload my frustration.
Everyone was already noticing my bad mood.
I didn’t need to increase the talk. I crossed the street in a hurry, my heels sounding sharply on the sidewalk.
I lifted my gaze, distracted… Oops! … I took two steps back, hypnotized in front of a store.
I was smiling before my lips even curved.
I entered the store, and a middle-aged salesman came toward me, smiling so much it was scary.
“Good morning, ma’am! How can I help you?”
“I needed a mattress yesterday.”
I tried a few until I found the perfect one. Thor would have no arguments to support his excuses. The mattress was the same as my bed.
“When can you deliver it?”
“At the latest, by tomorrow afternoon,” the salesman said.
“I’ll pay double if you deliver it today,” I pointed out, handing him my debit card. I felt like I was in one of those auctions, who’ll give more, who’ll give more, and I was far too euphoric to burn through money I didn’t have.
Ambitious eyes shone at me.
I left the store a little poorer than when I entered, but happy as hell. Not even being nearly run over by a lunatic on the corner by VCG dampened my mood.
“Whoa! Looks like someone woke up on the right side of the bed today.”
Angelina came after me to my cubicle.
“Mattress,” I corrected, putting my purse inside the drawer, then removing my coat and settling into my chair.
“Hot night?”
“I bought a mattress,” I announced, with my happiest expression.
“And who the hell gets happy about that?”
“Me.” I clapped my hands. “Now, what do we have today?”