Mrs Raphael Maestri.
Mrs Aretha Maestri.
I still can't get used to it.
I'm married to the love of my life.
He was asleep beside me as we headed to our honeymoon destination. Apparently he was aware of wherever it is we're going, and I was kept in the dark, but I didn't mind. I was too happy to care about where we were going.
I was with my husband.
After much protest, he finally agreed to sleep. I could tell that despite him being happy, he was also tired. I had already spoken to Johan who had informed me of the stressful days before our wedding. I wanted him to rest.
The plan was for me to also get in some sleep, but my mind wouldn't let me. I was afraid that I'd fall asleep and wake up to everything gone. I wanted to live in the moment for as long as my body would allow me to.
I looked down at my glimmering rock. Jonathan had managed to coax Raphael into choosing a wedding ring for me from a Tiffany's catalogue. He told me that my husband was quite annoyed with him since he felt he still had ample time to choose, but that he fell in love with the ring the moment he saw it.
I was on the same boat.
I fell in love with it the moment Raphael put it on my finger as well. It's a less flashy rock than my engagement ring, together with the simple joint diamond bands, and that's why I love it even more. It speaks to me more than my engagement ring did.
I looked to my sleeping husband, watching him sleep soundly. His breathing was light and as I shifted, he pulled me in closer. We were in the bedroom of the jet, still dressed in our wedding attires. He had whispered some things about what he wants to do to me that had me flushed and almost out of breath.
It's safe to say that he's excited and wants to be the one to take my dress off.
Meanwhile, I'm absolutely nervous. I mean, I'm excited that I'll finally get to fully be one with him, but it's also an absolutely terrifying thought. Once we consummate the marriage, everything will finally be set in stone.
He stirred, bringing my attention back to him. He had a scowl on his face and sweat was beginning to form on his forehead. I reached out to wipe it away before he started mumbling. At first I couldn't hear him, but then he got clearer.
"My brother was killed because of you Gabi. I hate you."
I was shocked. I didn't know whether it was a dream, a nightmare or a memory, though I had a strong suspicion it was the latter. I always knew that Raphael's hatred for Gabi was deep, but I guess I don't know to what extent.
"I'm not a part of that life anymore. Leave before I kill you myself."
I didn't want to hear anymore, especially since his frown had deepened, and he was turning red. I have never seen anyone get enraged in their sleep, and yet my husband was successfully doing so. I kissed him, and it only took seconds before he responded.
"Mrs Maestri, you can't keep your hands to yourself already?" he teased once we pulled away.
"I wish that was the case mio caro. You were having a nightmare," I told him honestly, caressing his cheek.
"I was?" he scowled. I nodded.
"I haven't had those since I met you," he informed.
"Really?" I asked, not masking my surprise.
"Yeah! I sleep better with you next to me. I don't know what happened this time," he sighed.
"It's probably because I haven't actually slept since telling you to," I confessed.
"Mia moglie, you have to rest as well you know? You were sick and you didn't have all that much time to recover," he scolded.
"I know mi amore, but I couldn't sleep. I was afraid I would wake up and this would all be a dream," I ended on a whisper. He gave me an understanding look before kissing me.
"I'm real Ari. All of this is real and I'm never going to leave you. You have to believe that," he sighed before kissing my forehead.
"I do. It's just that..." I trailed off.
"It doesn't matter. Please sleep so that I can also sleep without nightmares?" he pouted.
"Well, now that you're bringing out the big guns," I giggled.
"I love you Signora Maestri," he smiled.
"And I love you Signor Maestri," I replied before kissing him.
I managed to calm myself and my thoughts down long enough to fall asleep. I don't know how long I was asleep for, but I didn't want to wake up. I know, I'm a confusing person, but I was reliving my wedding in my dreams and I didn't want it to end.
"Buonasera mia moglie," my husband's sexy voice greeted as I slowly woke up.
"It's evening?" I asked in confusion.
"Well, we're close to landing and you woke up just in time. It's six in the evening where we're headed right now. You can just freshen up in the bathroom and then we'll go and take our seats," he informed.
"Got it," I nodded.
I did as instructed and got out of the bathroom to find him patiently waiting for me. We went to buckle up in our seats before finally landing. It had taken a while to get here, but I was excited to know where we were. We'd landed at a private airport apparently, and we stepped out to be met by four bodyguards.
Before we'd left, I reminded Raphael that Celine was still out there, so it was agreed that Sven and his selected team would stay with the girls and our closest family members and friends, while Sven hired a separate team for us on our honeymoon.
I was led into the SUV before Raphael got in behind me. We took off, and again my husband wouldn't share anything with me. We reached a dock and I could see boats up ahead. My husband helped me out of the car, before leading me to a yacht. I was impressed, until I saw the name of the yacht.
Mi Bella Amore, Ari.
"Rafe," I turned to him, tears in my eyes.
"The girls helped pick out the name. It's their wedding present to us but the name was allowed to be about me because I paid for it," he chuckled lightly.
"I can imagine how that conversation went down. It's beautiful," I smiled.
"You are," he smirked.
"Cheesy much caro?" I giggled.
"I am allowed," he shrugged, the smile still on his face.
"Well, are we getting on it or what?" I asked.
"That we are mi amore," he chuckled before leading the way.
It looked even more stunning on board. There was white everywhere, and I could tell that only the classiest decor had been used. I was surprised to learn that we were having dinner first. My husband pulled open my chair for me before sitting opposite me. Our waiter for the evening approached us and he and Raphael spoke in rapid Italian, but I caught every word.
"My, Signor Maestri, you have certainly outdone yourself. When did you have time to plan all of this?" I asked.
"I didn't. I was told the entire plan by my grandmother when I danced with her at the reception," he chuckled.
"So she wasn't kidding when she said she paid for everything?" I scowled.
"Nope, she wasn't. She paid for everything but our destination for the next week," he replied.
"Interesting. So how are you enjoying married life?" I asked as the waiter brought us our wine.
"It's incredible really. Sitting here and looking at you, knowing that you are my wife, is a feeling I truly can't describe. It feels like no word will do it justice, much like when I saw you in that dress," he smirked.
"You're obsessed with this dress," I blushed.
"No, I'm obsessed with you in that dress. I have never had this conflict in my life. I can't decide whether I want you in the dress or out of it, but I am sure that I'm going to enjoy peeling you out of it," he said, his eyes darkened.
"You've made your intentions quite clear Signor Maestri, and something tells me you can't wait for that part," I teased.
"I've wanted you from the moment I saw you cara mia. You said you wanted to wait until marriage, and here we are, so yes Signora Maestri, I cannot wait to seduce you, tease you and then make sweet, uncensored and loud love to you," he said, his voice sounding much huskier.
"Raphael," I said with bated breath.
The truth is that my whole body had come alive from his words. I was feeling a heat I had never felt before, and the pull in my stomach threatened to drive me over the edge. His heated gaze never moved from me, and I could feel the goosebumps spreading over my skin.
"Here's your food," the waiter said, distracting us both from each other.
I wish I could say that we talked and laughed, but that wasn't the case. The sexual tension between us was too charged, so we settled for an uncomfortable silence. I hadn't even noticed that the yacht was moving, until the waiter announced our arrival and asked us if we'd like to have desert or take it to go.
We chose the latter option.
I was helped off the yacht and onto the long deck. Raphael had a few words to share with the captain of the yacht, while three guys took our luggage off the yacht. They walked up ahead, until I couldn't see them anymore.
And that's when the lights came on.
I gasped at the mansion before me. It looks as big as our house in Florence, except it has the structure of a beach house. I couldn't tell much more about the outside since the lights were bright, but not bright enough to give me all the details.
"Welcome to the Caribbean mia moglie," my husband whispered in my ear, arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Caribbean?" I gasped.
"Mhmm! We're on our private island," he informed.
"I could've sworn you said our private island," I laughed disbelievingly.
"It's my wedding gift to you," he chuckled. I turned to face him.
"You're crazy Raphael," I told him, and this time I was serious.
How could I ever compete with this?
"I know what you're thinking, and I want you to stop it right now. Getting you this island was nothing. It doesn't compare to the gift that you've given me Ari. You've given me the gift of a mother for my children, a wife for me and the ultimate gift of love. Nothing on this earth could ever match up to that," he assured me.
I wish I could say that I accepted his reasoning without a hitch, but I wouldn't be myself if I did. Of course a huge part of me felt like this was too much, while the smaller part of me could accept his reasoning and see his intentions behind it.
He took my hand and led me to the house just as the guys were coming back. We thanked them for their help before they left. As tradition would have it, Raphael carried me over the threshold before placing me down inside the house.
I was instantly blown away by the sight before me.
It is a beach house as I said and it is decorated with a theme of blue, white and red. It looked breathtaking, and the kitchen is just as much a dream as the one in Italy. Raphael showed me the upstairs rooms as well, explaining that it was this big because it's a family vacation home, especially since we plan on having more kids.
"Exactly how many more kids do you see us having Rafe? This house has eight bedrooms, and that's excluding this room," I giggled. We were in the master bedroom.
"Lots Ari. I don't want to put a number on it, but I definitely know that I want to see you pregnant as much as possible," he smiled.
"How come the house was already bought if our intended date of marriage was so far away still?" I asked curiously.
"I was in the process of getting you the island in any case. The sale was approved three days ago, and since my grandmother was involved in the process, she suggested we honeymoon here. I agreed and had the idea of gifting you the place as a wedding present," he explained, his arms around my waist.
"Colour me impressed caro," I grinned.
"Well Mrs Maestri, I believe I have waited long enough for this moment," he smirked.
"That's a strong personal opinion," I teased. He dipped his head into my neck before kissing it.
"Your sass may disagree with me, but your body says otherwise," he said cheekily. I was about to retort when he kissed my sensitive spot, causing me to moan. I could feel him smiling on my skin.
"You were saying?" he teased.
This time, before I could reply, he lightly bit down on the spot and I was surprised my knees didn't give in altogether. My head was facing the ceiling as I granted him more access to my torture. I realized that the only reason I was still standing was because he was actually holding me up.
"Let's get you out of this dress," he murmured onto my skin.
I will never forget the look on his face as I stepped away from him. While the lust was there, it was the admiration and love that got to me. I reached into my hair and pulled the pins out, letting my hair fall effortlessly down. I then took off my earrings and put them on the table.
His tongue swiped his bottom lip as I swept my hair to one side. I turned so that my back was to him, and he knew what I was requesting as I felt his cool fingers on my back. He worked to take my necklace off before placing it on the table.
My breathing quickened as his cool fingers returned to my back, this time on the zip. I was almost breathless just hearing it descend. He reached the bottom, which is at the small of my back. A single digit travelled on my bare skin, causing goosebumps to decorate my flesh.
I felt his body warmth so I knew he had stepped closer to me. His fingers worked to remove the top of the dress from me. I watched the sides fall onto my arms, while I felt his soft lips on my left shoulder. I threw my head back, allowing him to further push the dress down. Once my arms were free from it, it pooled at my legs.
I was now in just my lacy panties since the dress didn't require me to wear a bra. He turned me to face him. I always thought I'd feel self conscious, but with the lust in his eyes, I felt wanted. He was looking at me like he'd never seen anything more beautiful.
"You are a most extraordinary sight my love," he said huskily.
I bit my lip, gathering my bravery. I put my hands on his chest before pushing outward, helping him out of his jacket. Next, I worked on the buttons on his shirt. I knew he was eager, but I took my time. I wanted to savour the moment.
My breathing hitched at the sight of his bare torso, and for a few seconds, I'd forgotten what I was doing in the first place. When I finally got his shirt off, I couldn't help but trace my hands along his defined abs.
I pushed him back onto the bed and for whatever reason, he was letting me control the situation, despite the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. I managed to unbuckle his belt and get him out of his pants, and I was met by black silk boxers. My eyes widened at the bulge beneath, so I looked away to keep from panicking.
I straddled him before leaning down to kiss his defined chest. He had a little bit of chest hair, and I could almost hear his heartbeat, beating is sync with my own. I kissed down his chest, but before I could get to his stomach, he sat up, grabbed my face and kissed me.
The kiss was passionate and urgent, and I knew then that I'd just relinquished any control I had. He managed to flip us over, so that he was now on top, his lips never leaving mine. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins, the pull settling itself in my stomach.
His lips left mine on a scorching trail down my neck. His fingers were travelling, and I thought I would convulse from just the smallest touches. He captured one of my nipples between his teeth, and I could only moan as he teased the other.
He spent his sweet time on my bosom area and I was thankful that we were on a private island. My reverberations of pleasure would have me crimson knowing that anyone else could hear me. His attention moved further south as he planted feather kisses on my stomach. He increased the pressure when he reached the waistband of my panty.
I squirmed at the strange feeling in my stomach.
"Where have you been all my life?" he murmured on my skin. I couldn't gather my thoughts enough to come up with a sensible sentence.
"You are so beautiful Mrs Maestri. I am the luckiest man in the world," he caressed in his mother tongue.
He stood up and took off his boxers and my eyes were glued to his enormous male anatomy. He has to put that thing in me? My vagina will not survive it! He moved to take off my panty, torturously might I add. His gaze caught mine as he held onto my foot.
He leaned in and kissed the top of my foot, not breaking eye contact. He continued his trail, kissing up my leg as I barely kept it together. He kissed the insides of my thighs and I jumped, closing them. He simply spread my legs again and I watched the excited gleam in his eyes before his head disappeared.
"What are yo- oh my heavens!" I moaned out loud.
What is this man doing to me?
If I thought I was losing my wits before, now I was just losing control of my entire body. My back was arched in a way that would've amazed me at any other time and I couldn't keep still. My husband was assaulting me in a way that was befuddling my mind.
"Rafe," I cried out as my stomach clenched.
"Let go mi amore," he said, the rumbling from his voice sending me over the edge.
The foreign feeling intensified until I couldn't hold it anymore. My mind was blown as my hair stuck to my head. He kissed from my stomach up, before kissing my lips. The taste of myself was both strangely erotic and disturbing, but I was too gone to care.
"I love you so much Ari," he breathed onto my lips.
"I love you too Rafe," I barely managed to say before kissing him.
I got so lost in the kiss that I wasn't paying attention to the fact that he'd centred himself, until he entered. I gasped at the invasion and he waited for me to adjust to him before looking to me for confirmation to move.
My husband made love to me well into the early morning. It was a sacred bond, one I'd never shared with anyone else, and one that I would never want to share with any other man. Raphael Ambrosi Maestri is my soul mate.
I woke up hours later, but I was alone in the bed. I was delectably sore everywhere, but I was happy; happier than I've ever been in my life. I sat up and that's when I saw Raphael standing on the balcony, watching the sea. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants with his back to me. I got up and put on his shirt before walking to him.
"Hey you," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. I was about to kiss his back when he stepped out of my hold.
Well that hurt!
"Rafe?" I scowled. He looked extremely pissed off as he walked back into the room.
"Raphael," I called his name again as he sat on the bed. He looked up at me, amber eyes glowing with fury.
"You lied to me," he said.
"What?" I gasped.
"You lied to me Aretha. We've been married for a day and already you've lied to me," he shook his head in disbelief.
"What are you talking abo-" I started off, only for him to get angrier.
"YOU LIED TO ME! YOU WERE NOT A VIRGIN!"
I froze.
"What?" I whispered, my heart threatening to escape my chest.
"Gabi was a virgin when I slept with her, and I'm not a stupid man so I know all the stories about what it's like for a virgin female to lose their virginity, and I am one hundred percent sure that you were not a virgin before last night," he replied. Tears filled my eyes.
"So that's it? You're not even going to try and explain yourself?" he asked, the anger still on his face.
"It's not whatever you're thinking," was all I could manage to say. Where would I even begin to explain myself?
"That's what you come up with? I don't believe this! I know I went into this knowing that we would both reveal things to each other that wouldn't please the other, but for you to lie to me about something so big? Do you even feel any remorse for lying to me?" he asked, the anger washing away to be replaced by hurt.
"I, I-" I stammered. I didn't know what to say.
"Unbelievable! I never thought our honeymoon phase would end this quickly," he scoffed, getting up to leave the room.
"I was abused," I managed to whisper with a sob. He froze mid-step before turning to face me.
"What?" he asked, shock settling on his face. I wiped away the lone tear that escaped before telling him.
"I was a virgin by choice because my virginity was taken from me without my consent. It was Rhonda's idea. She hated watching me hate myself for something I couldn't control, so she told me that no one had the right to dispute my words. I went with it because it made me feel better about myself. It made me forget what was done to me and I didn't know how to tell you. I was afraid you wouldn't want me once you knew the truth. I didn't mean to lie to you or to upset you. I'm so sorry," I said, my tears freely flowing. He put his arms around me faster than I could blink and I found myself sobbing onto his chest.
"You don't have to be sorry cara mia," he said, and I could hear the regret in his voice as I continued to drench his naked chest with my salty tears.
At some point he had carried me so that I could sit on his lap as he sat on the bed. We sat that way for the longest time and eventually my crying died down. He was running his fingers up and down my thigh, until he realized that he'd been brushing past a scar.
"This scar; you have multiple others like it on your body," he commented.
I was wondering why he hadn't asked about them much earlier. Even though we'd been living together, Raphael hadn't seen me naked before last night, so he wouldn't have noticed the scars before then. I have one on my chest, one on my neck, three on my back, two on my stomach, two on both my arms and one on my thigh.
That night was one of the three worst nights of my life.
"I'll tell you on condition you don't get mad," I sighed.
"That's not a good thing to say when you don't want someone to get mad because now we both know that I'm going to get mad," he pointed out.
"Ok, good point. Can you at least try to not let it ruin our honeymoon?" I pleaded.
"That I can try and do after beating the crap out of the punching bag in the gym," he nodded. The gym is downstairs.
"Fair enough. All the scars are either a stab wound or an incision. The two on my stomach, two on my back and the one on my thigh are stab wounds, while the rest were deep incisions. My ex-fiancé said he was scarring me so that no other man but him could ever love me. We had just come from a business meeting he took me to, and the men there wouldn't stop staring at me. When we went back to his house, that's when he first beat me, before realizing that I could easily heal from his beating, so he scarred me. He said the scars would remind me not to be such a whore because no other man would want me if they saw me like this. He raped me just weeks after that," I retold, tears once again flowing from my already red eyes.
I was eighteen at the time. I'd met Daniel while I was working at some high class restaurant. He was taken with me the moment he met me, even though he was already on a date at the time. Back then, he was still shadowing his father, learning the ropes of the business.
I didn't fall for his charms, but he was pretty adamant, and eventually I agreed to go on a date with him. He whisked me off my feet, and after two months, I agreed to be his girlfriend. This incident was the first of many times that he harmed me over the next three years, and I was too terrified to leave. I agreed to marry him from the same fear.
I only got to finally leave when his staff walked in on him hitting me and they threatened to testify against him if he didn't let me go. He spent the next year trying to get me to go back to him, but I refused to. While he'd called me multiple times, that day on the bus was the first time I was actually calling him.
"Excuse me," my husband said, putting me aside before leaving the room.
I wasn't hurt that he hadn't said anything since I knew that what I'd told him was probably a lot for him to take in. I wiped away my tears and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. When I was done, I put on one of his t-shirts and boxers since I was too lazy to get fully dressed.
I headed down to the kitchen to make us something to eat. It was late in the afternoon, so a late lunch seemed reasonable, but I decided to just make dinner as well. I chose chicken Panini's with orange juice for lunch and venison with steamed vegetables and rice for dinner.
I'd been cooking for quite a while, lost to my thoughts, when Raphael entered the kitchen. Because I was so unfocused, I didn't hear him, until he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. I was stirring the gravy pot. He leaned down to kiss the scar on my neck.
"I'm going to burn the food at the rate you're going," I told him. He just reached out and turned off all the plates on the stove.
"Rafe!" I scolded, but he couldn't have cared less.
He turned me to face him, looking down at me with an emotion I couldn't read in his eyes. He looked freshly showered and this time he was in jeans. He trailed his fingers very slowly from the top of my head. He made sure to mould my body until he reached my butt.
"All of this, I love, and all of it, is mine," he said possessively.
He claimed my lips in a searing kiss that let me know just who I belonged to, and I didn't mind it one bit. He squeezed my butt and I moaned into his mouth before he picked me up and placed me on the island, far from the stove. My hands were tangled in his hair. We pulled back after a while, both breathless, and I'm sure my lips were swollen.
"I love you Ari, and I am so sorry for what that monster did to you. I'm sorry for putting you in a position where you had to tell me something you weren't ready to. I love you so damn much. I could never bring myself to hurt you in any kind of way. I am so sorry."
My heart shattered as I watched the tears leave this beautiful man's eyes. He was crying for me; the very man who had been called heartless by many. Here he was, crying because of what had been done to me. How could I ever dispute his love for me?
"It's ok Rafe. It took a very long time, and it still haunts me, but I've come to terms with it. I deal with it better now. You're the man who truly took my virginity because I gave it to you willingly. I don't doubt your love for me because here you are, crying for me. I love you mi amore," I smiled, my tears inevitably making their presence known. He wiped them away before kissing me sweetly.
"It's going to take me a while to accept this. I know it was probably hard to tell me in the first place, especially since I basically cornered you, and I know you wont tell me who it is right now, which I understand, but I'll always be here for you and I'll never let anyone ever harm you again. You have my word," he said with so much conviction that it wasn't too hard to believe him.
"I know you will, and I promise to tell you when I'm ready," I sighed.
"Good," he said before kissing me.
"I do need to finish cooking though," I said in between kisses.
"I'm only agreeing because I need you energized so that I can drain your energy once more," he said lowly in my ear before nipping my earlobe.
"You're insatiable mio caro," I giggled.
"Have you seen yourself woman? I'd be a crazy man to not want to ravage you, especially since I have the legal right to do so," he smirked, desire clear as day in his eyes.
"Signor Maestri, such enticing words. Too bad I am yet to know of this ravaging you speak of. I thought you were merely teasing me last night," I taunted.
"Signora Maestri, you might not want to wound my ego like that. I might have to seriously redeem myself," he mock gasped, a hand to his heart.
"It's not like your wife wouldn't be a willing participant of this redemption," I flirted.
"Why mi tesoro, are you flirting with me?" he grinned.
"So what if I am?" I cocked my head to the side.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you that I am a happily married man, lady," he chuckled.
"Surely your wife wouldn't mind sharing you with me," I played along.
"Fantasies, fantasies! I'm afraid I only have eyes for her," he sighed, pretending to be sad about that.
"What a shame. I could've shown you things men only dream of," I purred.
Where this confidence was coming from beats me!
"I'm sure your husband wouldn't mind being a recipient of such things," he said, eyes dangerously darkened. I bit my lip before leaning in until our lips were centimetres apart.
"You know, you're onto something there. Too bad I have pots to attend to," I said before jumping off the counter.
"Nah uh Ari, you can't do that," he groaned as I switched the stove plates back on.
"Oh yes I can," I laughed.
"I'm going to get back at you for that," he murmured.
"And I'm sure I'll be devastated by your revenge," I smiled.
I just didn't know how right I was, later that is.
"Now what am I supposed to do while you cook?" he complained.
"You're the CEO of a major company. Check your emails or something. There's your Panini for now," I told him. I'd already finished mine.
"You actually want me to work on our honeymoon?" he asked, taking his plate and juice.
"I'm not saying get immersed in your work Raphael. I'm saying keep busy," I warned.
"In that case, I wont check my work things. Instead, I'll start searching for some properties for your bakery, restaurant and museum," he said, getting up to fetch his laptop from the lounge.
"You were serious about that?" I asked. I didn't think he was, despite my excitement when he told me.
"Why wouldn't I be when it's clearly my wife's dream?" he scowled, returning with the device in hand.
"I didn't think you were serious, or at least not so soon. I thought you'd wait until we got back," I admitted.
"Cara mia, I told you that you have full control of them and that you'd get to work on them when we get back. I'm merely looking for property. You can pick what you like and we can get it. You can open either when you're ready to," he explained.
"Ok, that makes sense. Thank you caro," I smiled.
"Anything for you cara mia," he returned the smile.
He sat looking at the screen for a little while before he got up and left. I assumed he left for the bedroom and I was proven correct when he returned with his glasses on. He rarely wears them, but when he does, it takes everything in me to not jump him.
I continued cooking, until our food was eventually ready. The sun was setting out but it was too early for us to eat. Instead, we spent the next two hours going through properties and checking in on the girls, who scolded us for doing so.
"So much for worrying about our kids," I giggled.
"Right? I have never been scolded that much by seven year olds," he chuckled.
"They're turning eight soon," I said in realization.
"Exactly four months from today," he sighed.
"Do you know what they'd like for their birthday?" I asked.
"I thought they would've mentioned something to you," he scowled.
"Nope! So this means we'll have to ask them the next time we see them," I smiled.
"Sounds like a plan. I'm hungry now," he pouted.
"Let's go and eat then," I giggled.
He set the table for two. He even lit candles for us while I dished up our food, decorating the plates. He poured some red wine for us before turning on some soft music in the background. I set our plates down before he opened my chair for me. He sat down and we said grace before we started eating.
Our dinner was great and we got to talking about a whole lot of things, like enrolling the girls into the Maestri School of Advanced learning in the fall. They'd be starting school just after their birthday since it's April.
We finished up with our dinner just as a text came through on my phone. Jonathan was making me aware that I had painting supplies in the study, which excited me a little. I knew that I couldn't very well paint on my honeymoon, but the thought was tantalizing.
When the dishes were done, my husband was very eager to make me eat my words. As I mentioned earlier, he got back at me, and not in a way that I liked either, but soon enough, all was forgiven and forgotten as he took me to the heavens and back.
I woke up in the early hours of the morning and managed to free myself from his grasp so that I could go and pee. When I returned to the room, he was still asleep and the sun was rising. I could see it clearly from the window on his side, and the whole view with him laying there was magnificent.
I had to get it down.
I just had to.
I got dressed in his t-shirt and boxers before I went in search of the painting supplies that Jonathan had mentioned. I found them and I even had canvases to paint on, which I was grateful for. I quietly managed to make my way back to the room without waking my husband up.
For the next three hours, I was immersed in painting him. I'd painted the scene I'd wanted to, but then I got sucked in; from his delectable torso and detailed back, to his immaculate face and sleeping form.
"Mia moglie, what are you doing?" he sleepily mumbled.
"I'm baking," I sarcastically replied with a smile on my face.
"First of all, you're in the wrong room for that, unless you'd like to bake a bun in your oven, which I'm all for, and secondly, I don't think baking involves a canvas," he sassed.
"Whatever!" I pouted, making him chuckle sleepily.
He sounded so adorable!
He got up from the bed and I bit my lip at the sight of his full form. He stretched and I could feel my face heat up from all the dirty thoughts in my brain. I am a woman and I am no nun, so of course my sexy, naked husband turns me on.
Sue me!
"Let's see what you've been up to," he said after putting on his sweatpants. He came around to analyze my works, while I waited with bated breath for his response.
"These are incredible cara mia, and not because they're of me," he commented.
Ever so cheesy.
"You think?" I asked.
"I know. I especially love this one," he said, referring to the painting with the scenery.
"That's what made me paint in the first place. I couldn't resist capturing it," I admitted.
"Well, this is most definitely one of the things you were born to do. You have a natural talent for this, especially for someone who discovered their talent just a few days ago," he said, looking very impressed.
"Gia said something along those lines too. They believe that I'm one of the selected few people who were born with the talent and that it will only groom itself with time without needing me to go to school to learn anything. They gave me the basics of everything and I knew everything by the time we left Argentina," I informed proudly. He kissed me.
"What was that for?" I asked breathlessly.
"Besides the obvious fact that I love you, it's the first time I've seen you so fired up over something. I thought I'd seen you fired up when you were planning our Maestri introduction to the world, but this is definitely more your element," he smiled, to which I blushed.
"I'd like to think so too, but I'm not sure what I love more between painting, cooking and baking," I sighed.
"Which is why you don't have to decide between the three. You can just do all three remember?" he winked.
"Oh yes, because I have the world's awesomest husband!" I beamed.
"You know it," he chuckled before kissing me.
"What's on schedule for today?" I asked. Before he could reply, his phone rang.
"I thought you turned it off last night," I said amusedly.
"I thought I did. I'm sorry mia moglie. It's Shelby," he scowled.
"Shelby? Why would she be calling you?" I asked.
"Exactly what I want to find out," he replied before pressing the green button. He put it on loud speaker.
"Maestri," he said in his business voice.
Such a turn on!
"Mr Maestri, it's Shelby Callaway, the manager of your D.C hotel," Shelby's voice came through.
"I know who it is. How may I assist you Miss Callaway?" he asked.
"Right! Sir, I do not mean to alarm you but it is my duty to report that there was a heist at the hotel last night. Our guests were robbed of their possessions and some company files were also stolen. We are still in the process of accounting for those missing files," she explained. I watched the rage slowly adorn my husband's face, so I got up and wrapped my arms around his waist.
"I want a full report by the end of the day," he said before hanging up the phone.
"Mi amore, please do not get angry or stress," I pleaded.
"I'm not, but I need to ask a favour of you," he sighed.
"Anything," I nodded.
"When Maestri Telecoms was tampered with, the report that was sent to me showed that some of the activity involved in the tampering stemmed from Washington. It seems like from the day you left the hotel, more activity was going on, which proves your innocence obviously, but I need to go there myself. I need to see these things for myself," he explained.
"You mean you want to cut our honeymoon short?" I scowled.
I know for a fact that Raphael is more than capable of handling the situation himself. While my husband may not have any degrees to his name, his intelligence doesn't require them to show for it. He knows I.T, finance, marketing and strategy like the back of his hand, so I'm confident in that he can figure the problem out on his own.
I just wish it wasn't at the expense of our time together.
"No mia moglie, I'd never do that to you. We'll simply be pausing our honeymoon. We'll come back once I know exactly what's going on down there. Plus, since our marriage will only be exposed next month, I'd love to see the look on Shelby's face when we get there," he smirked.
To see the priceless look on Shelby's face when she finds out who her precious boss is married to would be worth it.
"You sure do make a tempting offer mio caro," I huffed.
"Say yes and I'll extend our honeymoon," he bargained.
"Did our honeymoon even have a time limit? We hadn't exactly decided yet," I argued.
"True! I was honestly going for two weeks, but if you agree to Washington, then I'll agree to the month long honeymoon," he replied.
"Seriously?" I asked excitedly.
"I swear on our marriage. I'll take you anywhere that you want to go and not places that have been chosen for us," he smiled. I couldn't help but kiss him.
"Yes! Let's go to D.C," I said happily.
I hope this pause doesn't bring any trouble with it.
**********
ELO SMURFLETTES!!!
So, your response on the last chapter had me breaking my parents rules and typing this instead of studying. I have a paper in two hours and I'm instead uploading for you guys.
I'm glad you guys loved the previous chapter, and I hope that this just keeps adding to the joy.
Please keep commenting, voting, adding to your library, sharing and following. I love you guys!
Katee (^^,)