Counterpoints Book 3 Page 18

  The guys were doing a little dance too, their arms on each other’s shoulders and they were moving towards Hillary and Isabella, the only two girls of the group - as usual.

  When they were close enough, Isabella was able to make out some of the words of the song.

  She covered her mouth and stiffened a laugh.

  It was an Italian song- or it was meant to be in Italian anyway- and they were getting one word every five but they were so cute, Isabella couldn’t stop laughing and smiling.

  The song was a classic, one of those tunes that everyone knew was typically Italian and it was of a man talking about how beautiful his girlfriend was.

  Fred, Christopher and Mark were singing, more like shouting the words and pointing at Hillary and Isabella as they did.

  “Awww you guys” Hillary clasped her hands together and looked at Isabella with sweet eyes. “You are so cute. But stop seriously, stop. Don’t quit your day job”

  To that, Isabella laughed hard, so hard that she stumbled on what felt like a small hole in the sand and fell to the ground.

  Hillary sat down next to her, laughing hard at the guys’ funny faces until Fred bent down to grab a now screaming Hillary and walked towards the water.

  “Help” she said, as her foot dipped into the sea.

  “Fred!” Isabella shouted, panicking a little as Fred wasn’t aware he was holding a pregnant woman in his arms.

  Fred turned her way and winked, mouthing the words “I know” and didn’t drop Hillary in the water but looked back at Christopher, who had started talking.

  “Let’s dive in” he said and looked around.

  Some of the guys didn’t even say anything back. They simply looked at each other and started stripping.

  In a few seconds, the sand was covered with shirts and pants and twelve of them were already jumping in the water in their underwear.

  Gently, Fred placed Hillary back on the sand and started stripping, too.

  “Come on” he said to both Isabella and Hillary and started running towards the water.

  Noah jumped in too, his muscular back disappeared in the dark, blue water.

  “I told Fred” Hillary mumbled to Isabella. “We are close, I’ve known him for years and he is the only one I am really friends with”

  “Did you tell him who is the father?” Isabella had lowered her voice.

  Hillary shook her head and without saying anything else, she pushed her short, black dress down and walked to the water in her black underwear.

  Isabella could hear the guys laugh and dive in the sea and having the time of their lives.

  She looked at Christopher and noticed he was pulling down his pants, his shirt was already on the ground. He flexed his arms and despite the darkness of the night, Isabella’s eyes captured the perfect lines of his toned body.

  “Come on” he told her and walked over to Isabella.

  He wanted to help her out of her clothes but he stopped midway, seeing Isabella had already started to push down the tank top she was wearing.

  Isabella kept her eyes on his- a soft cheeky smile playing on her lips- as she removed her top and then her tight skirt. She watched with a certain pleasure how Christopher was enjoying her stripping.

  He walked over to Isabela and lifted her up on his back, guiding her into the water.

  The water was warm and black as oil.

  When was the last time I did something like this? Isabella wondered as the water reached her hips and Christopher let her go.

  It had been ages, maybe she had been twenty or something, the last time she had dived into the sea with her friends at night.

  She had forgotten how exciting it was to walk into a sea of darkness, how good it felt to be cuddled by the waves, under the moonlit sky.

  Someone sent Robert flipping on his back into the water and the games begun.

  For a while, it was all about splashing and laughing, until John asked for everyone’s attention and pointed at the sky.

  “Look, guys” the thin yellow/orange line at the horizon had become thicker, brighter.

  “It’s sunrise” Hillary smiled and Isabella closed her eyes, welcoming the shy, thin, sunrays on her wet face.

  This is how I want to feel, always.

  Not a thought going through her head, just the pleasure of spending time with people she cared for and being one with the sea.

  She opened her eyes again and looked for Christopher. He turned her way too and smiled.

  “Let’s go, people. Time to get some sleep” Hillary said to the guys and started walking back to the shore again.

  Someone said he had once been told that jellyfish usually come to shore at sunrise and everyone started running out of the water.

  “Why the hell didn’t you say that before I got butt naked?” Hillary ran ahead.

  Christopher laughed hard and was still laughing when he grabbed Isabella by her thighs and lifted her up, on his back again, and started making his way out of the water.

  “I can walk you know” she kissed his neck and then placed her face next to his, on his wide, tattooed shoulder.

  “I know you can. I just don’t like the guys checking out your naked bottom” he grinned and placed his hands on her lower back, cupping her buttocks.

  “Are you jealous of my bottom?” Isabella’s mouth went wide and she giggled.

  “It’s mine” he said and squeezed it a little more, making Isabella giggle again.

  “I know it’s yours, they know it’s yours, the whole world apparently knows it’s yours. You can stop squeezing it now”

  “Never” he squeezed it again.

  Isabella closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his wet, naked body against hers.

  Just say it, now, tell him you love him.

  “Stay here with me” she said against his ear instead.

  “Stay here with you, where?” he asked as the water started going down and it now reached Isabella’s ankles.

  “Here, in Italy. Stay with me for a while” she bit her lip “I mean, I know you have sponsor duties and you are going to Spain next week before London, but you could maybe stay a couple of more days here. You could come home with me… if you want to that is. I mean” Isabella paused and shook her head a little, as her inner debate took place “We don’t have to say that we are together, not necessarily, not if you don’t want to. Or we could just not visit my parents and just…”

  “Is Isabella done talking to Isabella?” he looked sideways at her.

  “Yes, Isabella is done” she made a face.

  “I would like to stay with you a few days. That would be nice” he held on tight to her, his arms felt so big around her small body. “Meeting your father scares me, but I’ll wear a bullet-proof vest, just in case” he chuckled as the waves swayed against their bodies.

  “What? Why?” Isabella shook her head a little, surprised.

  “Italian father… meeting his daughters’ boyfriend. Don’t they all have guns where you come from?” he chuckled again, the sound coming from deep down his chest.

  “He’s not in the Mafia, you know” Isabella giggled a little and kissed his cheek.

  They were almost out of the water, the shore only a few steps away.

  “Besides, my father is nothing like that” Isabella told him and shrugged.

  He’s actually the opposite, she thought.

  He had always been a man of few words. He had always kept to himself, communication with his children had been exclusively formal – how was school, did you study, did you get good grades, did you behave?

  “I’m sure he is jealous of his signorina bella” Christopher teased.

  “I don’t know” Isabella said and looked ahead, at the rest of the group laughing and running out of the water.

  “Let me just call Alfred later in the afternoon and reschedule a few things I have planned. I’ll move an appointment I have at the drivers’ academy”

  The thought of Mr. Jenkins cast a dark shadow on Isabella
. His name ripped the smile off her face and made her body tense.

  I should tell him about Mr. Jenkins. I should tell him what he said to me in that café.

  But Isabella couldn’t. How could she have ruined a perfect moment like that one?

  It had to wait, that conversation had to wait a little longer. She would tell him one of these days, they would spend in Italy together.

  As her mind found another excuse to push back the conversation with Christopher, he placed her gently on the sand. They were out of the water and the sand felt even colder now.

  Isabella was shivering all over.

  “Here” Christopher handed Isabella her clothes and covered her up, as Isabella removed her wet underwear and bra from under her top and skirt.

  “You can use this too” he gave her his jacket and then took off his wet boxers –with the nonchalance of a person who hadn’t just stripped to the bone- and put on his pants.

  Isabella’s cheeks went red and she looked around, only to look down again, seeing everyone was doing the same.

  Oh my god, I hope there aren’t any police officers around, at this time in the morning.

  Christopher closed the zipper on his pants and looked into her eyes again.

  “Do you want to see something?”

  “You mean besides what you just showed me?” she tilted her head back and looked up at him. His chest was still wet but Isabella didn’t care, it didn’t matter that her tank top was going to get soaked, she embraced him tight.

  He moved down to kiss her lips and savored the salt on her mouth.

  “You left a big print in my life. Right here” he raised his right arm a little and showed her the inside of his forearm.

  There, just below a tribal was a word, written in cursive.

  Isa.

  She gaped at him, as she looked down at the tattoo again, stunned and speechless.

  It was small, maybe six or seven centimeters, but it was there, it was real and It was beyond words overwhelming.

  “When did you do this?” Isabella wondered. How could she not have noticed?

  “A few days ago, when you left for Italy” he smiled and picked up his shirt from the ground.

  Christopher looked back and saw that the rest of the gang was almost done putting their clothes back on. “You are my right arm” he winked.

  “This is… incredible” she kept her eyes on the tattoo, on how her name seemed to curl a little under his arm, little red spots still visible for how fresh the tattoo was.

  Even though it was small- in comparison to his other tattoos, the word stood out, like it had been branded on his skin.

  “I never wanted to keep anyone close to me, the way I want you” he told her, his eyes burning into hers.

  How could she have even thought to keep away from him, that it would have actually worked- spending all that time together and pretend nothing happened, pretend they were nothing.

  What was going on between them was impossible to hide, impossible to keep aside.

  It was as if the fire they shared was burning them alive, consuming their skins and they were enjoying every single moment of it.

  Burning never felt so good.

  In that moment, Isabella could sense the countless unintended words among them, as she searched for his face and a wide smile spread on her lips.

  “I never wanted to be anywhere else” she said and kissed the inside of his forearm, right on the letters of her name.

  Chapter 15

  The idea came to Isabella the following morning over breakfast.

  It struck her like a lightning, making her all jittery and excited, as she stood in front of the room service breakfast trolley, pretending to be interested in the wonderful trays of food.

  She wasn’t.

  All she could think of was this idea she had had, to get back at Christopher and to show him just how much she had changed, how much she trusted him.

  I want to do something special for him, she eyed him to the side and turned to stare at the tray again, as she saw a picture of him in the sports’ column of the morning newspaper.

  Christopher looked up from his plate and gave her a weird look, his brow up.

  Isabella grinned and busied herself with the food, finally taking some fresh fruit and toast with her to the table.

  But it wasn’t until lunchtime, when Christopher was busy taking an interview with the national Italian TV network in Rome, that Isabella could go through with the plan. Thanks to race driver Pietro Tommasini.

  He had called her back by two pm and had confirmed their arrangement. Everything was set.

  “Aren’t we going to your parents’ house for dinner?” Christopher asked, seeing they were heading north instead of south on the highway.

  “Yes, but we have to be some place before that. It’s an hour drive from here” Isabella said, keeping her eyes on the road.

  “Some place?” Christopher looked at her funny.

  “Some place” she repeated and couldn’t fight back a smile.

  “What game is this, signorina?” he turned to look at her.

  “It’s called ‘you never tell me where we are going, so I am not going to tell you where we are going’. It’s a fun game, I wanted YOU to try it for a change” and then she giggled as Christopher placed a hand over her bare thigh and squeezed it a little.

  “Are you getting back at me?” Christopher dared her.

  “Apparently so and I have to say, I am really enjoying it”

  “I can see that” he smirked.

  Isabella eyed him to the side and grinned.

  “Just sit back and relax. It’s – what did you call it the other time- showdown”

  “Are you trying to scare me?” he teased.

  “Does anything scare you?

  He laughed hard.

  They were ten minutes from their destination, when Christopher realized where they were headed.

  “International Circuit of the Center of Italy. Why are we going to the Circuit of the center of Italy?” he smirked at her.

  “Surprise” she grinned and didn’t say anything else, until they had parked the car, stepped out on the gravel pathway and reached the entrance of the track.

  “Isabella, what did you…?”

  “Trust me, ok? Nothing is going to happen to you. You are safe with me, baby” she winked and laughed, biting her lip as she did and Christopher pulled her in for a quick kiss.

  Then they walked to the entrance, Christopher’s arm wrapped around her neck, shaking his head with a huge smile on his lips.

  “Ciao” Isabella shook hands with the member of staff – driver instructor Massimo- that greeted them at the reception.

  “It’s an honor to have you” the man looked from Isabella to Christopher, while they shook hands.

  He was a fan, of course and told Christopher how much he admired him – even though being Italian, the instructor quite rightly supported Chiellini racing team.

  “It would be great to see you race in Chiellini someday” the man said, as they walked through the building.

  “Maybe someday. It would be an honor” Christopher said and watched the man breath in with pride.

  They pushed through a set of glass doors and Isabella’s legs began to shake.

  Right in the middle of the lane, shining like a diamond on the gray tarmac, was a white sport’s car waiting for them to climb in.

  “This is your car. Both helmets are inside” the man told them and ran a hand through his hair a little embarrassed. “I don’t need to tell you how to fasten your safety belts or any recommendation, of course” he gave Isabella the keys and told them they could take all the time they needed. The track was closed to the public, as a big sports’ car event would take place the following day, but they were allowed to drive thanks to their mutual friend.

  “What friend helped you with this?” Christopher gave her a funny look and Isabella tilted her head back a little.

  “One of my very, very powerful
friends” Pietro Tommasini, your friend. She held back a laugh.

  “Is there anything you would like to say to me now, Bresciani?” Christopher took her hand and placed a stray strand of curls behind her ear.

  “Yes, I would” she tilted her head to the side and looked straight at him. “I never felt like this before. I’ve never felt so alive, before I met you. I realized, as I got to know you, that I was holding back all this time. You changed all that” Isabella smiled and looked down at his hands.

  “I feel like I can finally breath out. I was holding my breath for so long, I forgot how liberating it is to breath out and just let go. I used to think that everything had to be perfect and safe to be happy. But I was wrong. I wasn’t truly happy. I was missing out and keeping things, keeping people at arm’s length. But with you…I am happy with you. It’s perfect now, that I am not in control all the time, now that I let you take my hand, now that I trust you” Isabella opened his hand and placed the set of keys in his palm. She closed it into a fist and kissed it softly. “I trust you. Take me for a ride. Teach me how to race. Teach me not to be scared”

  His hand ran down her shoulder, over her chest and lingered for a moment around her breasts before slipping in between her legs and the safety belt clicked.

  Isabella closed her eyes, while Christopher’s hand played with the belt on purpose, sending sparks across her body.

  “Are you ready, signorina?” he asked and his lips dived for her mouth, kissing her with such passion Isabella’s chest grew heavy.

  He’s excited, she could feel it, the excitement, the adrenaline pulsing in his body.

  Christopher took his place behind the wheel and secured his body to the seat. Then he placed his helmet on and made sure Isabella’s had tied hers correctly.

  He turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life, as Christopher’s foot stepped on the gas, before inserting the gear.

  “We’ll do a warm up lap first” he said, as the car gently started moving ahead.

  Christopher took the curves gently, studying every single one of them in silence, registering the ups and downs of the route. It took them a few minutes to complete the first lap.