Page 13 of A Treasure To Keep
El and I stand in silence, neither of us sure what to say or how to start it. “Andrea.”
“No. Don’t speak. I’m willing to do anything necessary to save us. If that means handing you over to the man who could destroy us, I’ll do it.” El turns to me, tears and hurt in her eyes at my statement.
“You wouldn’t be handing me to Marco. I think this is a terrible fucking idea. If it means I’ll get you back, I’ll do it. I love you, Andrea.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and she leans into me, embracing my touch. “I love you too, mon trésor. I—” Marco barges back into my apartment, still pissed but not ready for this conversation to completely end.
“When is this happening?” That is a good question.
The three of us stare at each other, waiting for the other to answer. Someone has to talk eventually. Fuck it.
“It should be spontaneous. El and I never invite someone we know into bed. When we invited you to join us, it was brought on by the excitement of New Year’s Eve. The only way to ensure that we have the same excitement is to be spontaneous. If we plan this, we could go into it with preconceived expectations. Until then, we will keep on with our normal lives. El, we’re going to continue healing our relationship. Marco, you’ll make an appointment to get that suit fitted. And we’ll continue to live our lives as normal. No one else can know this is going to happen. Oui?” Marco and El nod their head in agreement before we go back to sitting in silence.
Marco rocks back and forth on his heels, waiting like a child who’s getting a gift. “If no one is fucking today, I need to get El home.” Did he think spontaneity was going to happen now? Joke's on him. I planned on making love to El once he left. Except she came with him, meaning her parents potentially have no idea she’s here.
“Uhhhhh, excuse me. I’m a grown-ass woman. I’ll go home when I want to. If you need to go, I will find my own way home.”
I grab El’s hand, preventing her from poking the bear more than she already has. Immediately, she stops arguing with Marco, holding tightly onto my hand. “No, he’s right, mon trésor. The last thing we need is to rock the boat with your parents more than it already is.”
“Promise me we’ll see each other at work tomorrow?” I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
“Of course. We will come here afterward and talk over everything.” We lean into each other for a kiss. My breath is knocked out of me by the intense love she displays in that kiss. Until Marco clears his throat, snapping us out of our blissful moment.
I escort El out of my apartment, holding onto her hands for as long as we can until she gets in the truck with Marco. This could potentially be the dumbest thing I've signed up for. At the end of the day, I’d do anything to save my relationship with El.
The next night, we had dinner, discussing everything that had caused the kiss between her and Marco. Normally, after working through any tiff, we make love, soft and slow, until we might as well be one person. Instead, we hold each other, promising to do anything and everything we need to save our relationship. And in this case, it means bringing the man who threatened our relationship back into bed with us.
Chapter 12
Marco
Several weeks have gone by since Andrea, El, and I had our conversation. The only time I’ve seen them is when El came to see Luci and during that suit fitting with Andrea, where he got oddly close to my crotch. Does he normally get that close? Regardless, I left with a raging hard-on and no way to fix it.
Tonight is Alessandro’s bachelor party, and El is coming over to hang out with Luci while Alessandro, Andrea, and I are out for the evening. I check myself out in the mirror, looking fresh in jeans and a new suit jacket, thanks to Andrea. I never thought an olive green jacket would be a good piece to add to my wardrobe. Boy, was I wrong.
A final spray of my signature cologne and my vintage watch top off my fit before I run down the stairs. Andrea walks through the front door while I’m on my way to Alessandro’s office, ready to interrupt his phone call with Geno. Andrea is dressed in a black button-down shirt tucked into perfectly tailored gray pants. Calm the fuck down, Little Marco. If that’s what Andreais wearing, then what’s El wearing? Also, where is she? “Hey, where’s El?”
“She’s on her way. I took a ride-share instead of the bus. She wanted to come separately because she needed to bring some things. In her words, ‘I have too much shit to bring, meaning I don’t have space for your sexy ass in my car.’ Don’t ask. El doesn’t want anyone else to know the details.”
“Of course, she fucking doesn’t. Let’s grab Alessandro. He needs to stop working if we’re going to make the game.”
I got us seats in the box for our local football team before playing cards in Alessandro’s gambling room. I’m not a huge fan of American football, but I am a fan of any sports team whose fans love to party. And this fanbase 100 percent knows how to party. Ironically, the team they’re playing is also known for their intense partying. Their fans enjoy jumping through tables. I couldn’t convince Alessandro to get his shit together for an earlier leave time, or I’d end up through a table already. If we hurry, I may still have the opportunity.
When we approach Alessandro’s office, I can hear him finishing up a phone call with, if I’m correct, which I normally am, Geno. He’s too damn predictable. I wait a second before I bust in, waiting until he’s about finished.
“Alright, boys! Let’s go party!” After the last few weeks of anticipation over what may or may not happen with El and Andrea, I’m ready to let loose and not worry about it anymore.
As Alessandro goes to answer, the door slams, and a loud voice comes from down the hall, which means one thing. El has arrived. Andrea has already said something and headed out of the room. I do a double-take, eventually rushing to follow him when I run into him and El alone in the hallway. Her neutral-colored makeup balances the burgundy wrap dress and black pumps. All I can imagine is stripping her down to those heels and stuffing her full of my cock.
El has several bags in her hands and more behind her as Andrea takes them from her, puts them down, and takes her in his arms. She wraps hers around his neck, sweetly moaning when he kisses her. Seeing them both together turns me on just as much as it pisses me off. What have I gotten myself into with the spontaneous plan to fuck them again? And why am I jealous that I’m not involved in their non-sexual yet romantic moment?
El peers over Andrea’s shoulder and notices me before smirking. “Can I help you? I didn’t think you’d be the voyeur type.”
“There’s a lot you’d be surprised to know about me, Eleanora.” I’ve stepped up to her and Andrea, her arms still around Andrea’s neck as her head is turned toward me, tension radiating between the three of us.
She goes to answer back, but Andrea ends up answering in return when he hears feet coming from Alessandro’s office. “Shush, you two, Alessandro is coming back.” We’re all quiet when Alessandro comes into view and must see the bags El has behind her.
“Remember our conversation, El?” El sees any confrontation as a challenge, something and someone she can fight back with. And the more power someone has, the larger a challenge she sees it as.