The Desire

26

Alessandro Morino

"Do we have time for this?" A hazy voice murmurs.

"Do we have any other option?" Another responds. The sound of shoving is what prompts my eyes, albeit unwillingly, to open.

Standing above me are Emiliano and Pietro. Should have known it would be the two of them bickering and fighting like children.

"Couldn't sleep without your sweetheart?" Emiliano patronizes.

The pillow under Gia's leg I throw at his head. When Pietro snickers Emiliano whacks him with it. Truth be told, I couldn't sleep without her last night. My whole life I've never had a problem when it came to sleeping. Whether it be thunderstorms, on a couch or a cot there wasn't ever an issue. Last night while Avalon was down here on this blow up mattress with Gia I tossed and turned like a little baby. At three in the morning I stomped from my room all the way to the living room. I slid onto the mattress and pulled Avalon into me. At one point I pushed the leg Gia had thrown across Avalon that somehow touched me.

"Why the hell are you guys so loud." Gia grumbles from the other side. "Go. Away."

"We would love nothing more but we can't leave without these two. We have a meeting at headquarters and then shit to do at Luxxe." Pietro rolls his eyes at Gia's commands. "Some of us actually work."

"I'm not old enough to work yet stupid."

"Oh god is this what I sound like, if so just punch me because this bickering is annoying as hell."

"Will do." I yawn, climb out the bed, and shake it until Avalon rolls off the side of the bed. "You have bed hair." Her bonnet fell off at some point. The usual smooth curl of her hair is pressed flat.

"If you weren't such a neanderthal it would have stayed intact." Her eyes cut me from where she hit the floor with a thud.

"Who's to say it's my fault?"

"My intuition."

"I completely agree."

"Ditto."

Ava's finger points at my chest with smug satisfaction. "And there we have it." Emiliano dramatically bows and holds his hand out to help her off the floor.

An annoyed groan comes from the blob still on the bed. "Leave so I can sleep." Gia pulls the covers over her head. It does no good because Pietro takes to jumping on top of the mattress. When she starts hurling threats in both English and Italian Avalon and I escape.

"I should get the living room cleaned before we go." The two of us are in my bathroom shower. The spray of the water glistens her skin. My tongue salivates at the sight before me. I could only resist the vixen so much. Personally I would say I did a pretty good fucking job so far seeing as I didn't drag her back to our room and rip her clothes off last night. Trust me the thought crossed my mind several times last night. Even those gaudy cheetah print pajamas did nothing to tame the want I had for her.

What usually takes twenty minutes to get done I drag out. Avalon is a distraction I wish to keep all to myself. It seems I don't even see her as much as I used to. The state of the organization has everyone alert and busy. If things don't start getting handled we'll be on a full scale shut down. It's why

"Mamma will have the staff handle it." The soapy loofah is dragged across her skin. It smells exactly like her. Warm and succulent. "Never run out of this." I mumble the sentence.

"My father was the worst caretaker in history but he didn't teach me to make messes and not clean them up." At the moment I am unconcerned with her father or anyone else for that matter. Having her so close in my reach renders my brain functionless. "Alessandro, you have to hurry up."