CHAPTER 21
I jumped out of the car and ran over to Janel and flung myself in her arms. "I cant believe youre here. Did you hear about Mom and Dad?" I asked, as I burst into tears.
"Awww, cmon sweetie. Lets go inside. While I was waiting for you I made some coffee. We can talk in there." Janel said as she turned toward Roberto and glared at him. "You, I will deal with later." She turned her attention to Juan who was still standing beside the car. She gave him one of her dazzling smiles before turning and walking arm in arm with me to the house. "Olivia, tell me who that gorgeous Antonio Banderas look alike is? Does he have a girlfriend? Will you introduce us?"
I stopped and hugged Janel tight. It was so good to have her back. It almost felt normal again.
Roberto caught up with us before we went into the house, "Miss Atwood, its nice to see you again."
Since Id gotten to know Roberto a bit better, I could see that he was not at all glad to see her. I wondered what he had against Janel. Oh, I know she could be a little over the top sometimes. But all in all she had a good heart.
Roberto continued, "Can I ask why and how you got back here?"
Janel glared at him, "Oh geez, when I heard that my best friends parents were murdered, I thought that maybe she might need someone to comfort her."
She gave Roberto a disdainful look. "Im sure you did your best. And with the extreme stress shes been under, that you in no way would take advantage of the whole situation."
I gasped at Janels words and wanted to tell Roberto to ignore her that she was must have jet lag or something but Janel drug me into the house, leaving Roberto standing there with Juan laughing in the background. Janel led me to
173 the kitchen chatting at me the whole time.
"Whoa, Janel slow down. Tell me about Italy." I asked her. I knew more than anything that Janel loved to talk about herself.
"Well, I will tell you, only because I know that this is a diversion tactic you use when you want to deflect the attention away from yourself. Okay, hmmm where should I start?"
Afraid that she would start with her birth I asked, "How about the night you went to Italy?"
"Ok, thats a good place to start. Well, when you disappeared, Alex and Roberto had an argument over who would go after you. I guess you know Roberto won? Well, Alex was in a bad mood after that and I tried really hard to get him in a better mood. Oh yeah, Im sorry about that. I know you kissed him earlier but you also kissed Roberto, so I really was thinking you werent sure who you liked so it wouldnt matter in the least to you if I took one of them off your hands.
"Did I mention how worried I was? I was so worried about you!" She came up for air and I found myself getting a little dizzy from her chatter. She continued, "Alex wasnt interested in me though, pity, he really is sexy. But anyway, he took me to the airport and dumped me on a plane and said he was going to go help you. He told me when I got to Italy there would be a car waiting to take me to Robertos family estate in Crecchio, which there was, he also told me Robertos brother would be there to meet me, which he wasnt. Do you want to know when Mr. High and Mighty showed up?"
Knowing Janel so well, I didnt answer, just waited for her to continue.
"I will tell you when he showed up. Yesterday! And he knew the whole time I was waiting for him. And right after he arrived, he got a call from Roberto saying that your parents were murdered and Alex was captured. That jerk
174 didnt want to let me come home to you, so I threw such a fit, that in the end he helped me pack my bags and brought me here." She finished just in time to take another big breath.
I asked her, "Robertos brother is here?" I dont know why but the thought of meeting his family made me nervous.
Janel got up and got another cup of coffee but God knows that she was so wired already she would probably be awake for twenty-four hours straight before she crashed.
"Yeah, hes around here somewhere. He dumped me off and mumbled something about going out to hunt." Janel complained.
I stood up, "I need to talk to Roberto. I got to find him." It was hard to explain to Janel but I needed to be with him. I felt anxious and jittery being separated from him.
Janel pouted, "But I came all this way to comfort you."
"Im sorry, this wont take long. I just need to make sure Roberto has enough room to accommodate everyone." I lied. I could care less where people slept.
Janel seemed placated with that but said, "When you get back here I am going to comfort you dammit."
"I promise." I vowed to her and with a little smile, ran out the front door. I didnt see Roberto but Juan was there still unloading all of his purchases from earlier.
"Hi Juan, have you seen Roberto?"
"Yeah, he went to look for Cristoforo. He headed down by the dock."
I thanked him but before I could run off he asked, "Your friend Janel? Does she have a boyfriend or anything?"
It was a question I had been asked a thousand times before. "Nope and she said you looked like Antonio Banderas so Im sure that you have a shot."
Juan smiled, "Antonio Banderas should look as
175 good as me."
I ran down the sloping yard to the dock. I didnt see him anywhere. I was just trying to decide if I should look in the woods or go back to the house to wait for him when someone said, "Well, well, what have we got here?"
I turned to see a very tall, handsome man standing behind me. Long black hair, a goatee and blue eyes, he was dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket. I sighed with relief when I realized that this had to be Robertos brother Cristoforo. They resembled each other. Though for some reason the hair on the back of my neck stood up as if I was in danger. There was a hardness to him that Roberto didnt possess.
I nervously stepped forward and held out my hand, "Hello, Im Olivia its nice to meet you."
He didnt step forward to shake my hand. Just stood there looking at me. And the way he was looking made me nervous. He started at my toes and I watched his eyes travel upwards.
He took a step closer, "They say youre a Sensay, that explains a lot."
I moved a step back, "Explains what?" I asked.
He took another step closer, "It explains why my brother is interested in you. Youre not his usual type."
I didnt want to but I had to ask, "What is his usual type?"
"Tall and blond with legs that go on forever. Bored, sophisticated woman who dont mind getting their freak on."
I immediately felt depressed. I could picture the exact type of woman Cristoforo was talking about. What was worse was I could picture Roberto with that woman.
I started to walk past Cristoforo, wanting to be by myself. As I passed by him he grabbed my arm. "Is it true that a Sensay feels a man,s touch more intensely?"
Before I could even answer, he pulled me up against
176 him and ran his tongue up the side of my neck. His scent was similar to Robertos but at the same time different. The sweet smell was there but not the ocean scent. Cristoforo was more of the earth, like a fine wine, blackberries and truffles. It was a rather heady scent that mesmerized me. He kept running his tongue from the base of my neck all the way up to my ear. I wasnt sexually excited, but it was a pleasant, relaxed feeling that came over me. Even when warning bells started going off in my mind, I could not seem to move.
"Enough! Cristoforo get your hands and anything else you have on her off right now!" I heard Roberto shout.
I slowly came to my senses and jerked myself away from Cristoforo and hurried over to Roberto.
"I see you met my brother." Roberto said in a clipped tone.
"Yeah and I wish I could say it was a pleasure but it wasnt." I said angrily.
Cristoforo laughed, "I can see why you would want her bro, even though shes not your usual type."
Roberto gave Cristoforo a warning look but he went on anyway, "I was just telling her you usually prefer long legged blondes."
Roberto growled, "As usual ,,bro you know nothing about what I prefer. What are you doing here anyway? You were supposed to watch over Janel. In Italy."
"Well about that big brother. That girl can work your last nerve. And I know I owed you a favor but cmon, there isnt a debt big enough that the payback would be her."
"Hey! That is my friend! And you dont look like much of a prize either." I yelled back at him getting really angry. I could feel the red ball of fire in my belly.
Roberto turned to his brother, "Cristoforo it would probably be best if you left us. I need to calm Olivia down."
177 Cristoforo smirked, "Sure bro, go ,,calm your little Sensay. I hope Im there the day your little tricks dont work anymore."
Cristoforo walked away and Roberto led me over to the boat and helped me inside so we could sit.
"I am sorry about that Piccolina. My brother, as you can see, has some ,,issues. I was hoping you wouldnt have to meet him for awhile." Roberto sighed.
I was still angry at the way he had treated me and Janel. "Well, he is an ass. Janel may be a bit difficult but she has a kind heart and doesnt deserve to be talked about that way." The red ball began to grow once more.
Roberto reached over and pulled me into his lap. "Of course she doesnt Cara. My brother is an ass, no doubt about it." He started to nibble on my ear lobe and delicious little currents began to slither their way along my bloodstream. "Mmmm, let me shift a little bit here." He moved me a slightly on his lap and I could feel his erection pressing into my bottom. His hands moved down to cup my rear and his lips moved from my ear down the side of my neck. He began to move his hips a little bit and I moaned. I got a mental picture of me on top of Roberto riding him and I shivered. Too bad the water was so calm. It would be quite a wild ride if.... I stilled.
"You bastard!" I spat at him. He looked startled and stopped kissing my neck. "What?" he asked confused.
"You bastard!" I repeated. "I understand what your brother was saying. Oh my God! How could I have been so stupid?!"
Roberto looked angry now. "Olivia calm down. I dont know what youre talking about."
"CALM DOWN!?" I shrieked. "No, I wont calm down. Youre using sex as a tool to keep me in control."
Roberto scowled, "Thats absurd."
"Is it? Every time Im upset or angry you start kissing me and turning my anger or sadness or whatever
178 into lust."
He rolled his eyes at me, "And why is that a bad thing Olivia? I desire you, and I have feelings for you. I dont want to see you upset or hurting."
I gasped when he admitted it, "Because Roberto, when we have sex, it is more than a tool to me. I desire you because I have feelings for you, and our lovemaking is an expression of those feelings. If I just needed sex to calm down, I could go ask Juan for some help."
From up above us toward the house we heard, "Woo hoo!!"
"Shut the hell up Juan!" Roberto shouted. "Piccolina, you forget you are a Sensay. Im just trying to help you through your volatile emotions."
We heard laughter and Cristoforo say, "Way to go bro, keep digging the hole deeper."
"Will you shut the hell up? This is between Olivia and me." Roberto snarled at them.
Roberto took my hand in his, "Olivia, Im not going to stand here and deny that you turn me on and that I want to ease your way with your new abilities. If I could, I would turn every minute youve had to suffer into pleasure."
I sniffled a little, "But Cristoforo said Im not your usual type. That you prefer long legged blondes."
Roberto ran his hand through his long hair "Okay, so you dont fit the physical description of women I usually date. But then again Ive never felt the way about them that I feel about you."
"Really? I dont know whats wrong with me. Im not normally a jealous person. And I still dont understand why you would want me? You are so handsome and Im just average." I said quietly.
Roberto grabbed me by the arms, "I find it amazing that you have no idea how sexy and beautiful you are. You will devastate men everywhere when you come into your own Olivia. I just hope I will still be the one at your side by
179 then." He said rather sadly.
The idea of me devastating men was ludicrous. Even more ludicrous was the thought that one day I wouldnt want this man at my side.
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight, "Roberto, Im sorry for being so emotional tonight. I think Im on overload. Too much has happened in a short time."
"Cara, why dont you spend the rest of the evening with Janel and catch up?" He chuckled. "I have a feeling she has a lot to say."
He kissed me, "Though I will miss you, one day I want to wake up with you beside me or on top of me." He groaned and took my hand to the front of his pants. "Feel this Olivia, this is for you, not to calm you or control you. This is desire to be inside the woman I care for."
Being on the short side, my head was about even with his chest so I leaned forward and put my mouth on his shirt and found his nipple and tugged the little nub gently with my teeth. Roberto stood very still and as I moved on to his other nipple, I ran my tongue over it through the silk of his shirt and he moaned low in his throat. When I backed up he was breathing hard and from the look of things his erection was now probably at the painful stage. I walked away but turned my head around to say, "Being short has its advantages, wouldnt you say?"
I ran up to the house so that I wouldnt change my mind and go back to Roberto and beg him to make love to me. When I got back to the house Janel was in the kitchen, batting her big blues at Juan. "Oh good youre here, Juan. Are there enough bedrooms for everyone?" I asked.
"Sure, maybe some of us will have to double up though." He winked at Janel.
Janel giggled. Oh brother. I hoped to God that I didnt act like that with Roberto.
"That sounds great. I will double up with Janel." I
180 smiled at Juan.
"Uh oh, dont tell me you cut Roberto off Chica. That is cold."
"No, not thats its any of your business, but Roberto thought I should spend some time with my best friend tonight."
Janel rolled her eyes, "Um sweetie, we all heard the argument that you had with Roberto."
My cheeks reddened, in what seemed to be a perpetual state of embarrassment. "Great, now everyone probably thinks Im an emotional mess."
Janel came over to hug me, "If I had gone through what you have the last few days Id be more than that. Id be totally bonkers."
Juan added, "Yeah, shes right Chica, you have kept it together through all of this. Gotta admire that."
Roberto came in, with Cristoforo right behind him and said, "Theyre right you know. You are stronger than you think Olivia."
"You all are making me sick, treating the little Sensay like shes made of porcelain. Why dont you just tell her?" Cristoforo said.
"Tell me what?" I asked looking at all of them confused.
"That they want you to sleep with the enemy."