Vamp Pt. 03

The main course was Anatra all Arancia and he never had a more succulent duck. Juanita beamed as she served him again, spooning the orange sauce over the roasted bird.

After dinner, they spoke of the amazing discovery of the missing child. Jade was hesitant, for some reason the conversation touched her but she did not know why.

Juanita rolled the cart into the living room, bowls of spumoni and dishes of rum cakes and chocolates. Giovanni watched for the women's reaction to the ice cream. It had been specially made for several small Italian groceries and restaurants.

He carefully put his fork to a rum cake, having no desire to embarrass himself. He felt he was under some sort of scrutiny, unaware that he had already been accepted by Jade and more importantly, by Lorelei who could have killed him before his body touched the floor.

He struggled at the intensity of her smoldering eyes, unable to look away.

Lorelei looked at him. "There's only one thing I want you to do and I want it more than anything." She licked her lips, letting him be aware of her unnerving concentration. "I know you'll think this is a presumption..." she started to say, knowing that she could just 'convince' him to be Jade's lover but that would leave something missing from their relationship. She knew what Jade had done. "...but, do you love Jade?"

He was shocked, knowing it was the moment of truth. For a short second, he wondered but then he looked at the Asian beauty looking back at him. "Yes, God help, but I do."

Jade stood up, her hair loose now, tumbling on her shoulders, her eyes shining. He stood up, meeting her, his kisses on her throat, suddenly easing down her zipper as his teeth suckled her pearly shoulders while his hands caressed her back.

Her starvation had been too long, too deep and though she found pleasure in loving Lorelei, nothing like this. She threw her head back and moaned deeply in her throat. The cool air from the Bay touched her body with its chill, caressing her. She was almost naked now, her dress whispering down to her feet. Blindly she kicked off her shoes and lifted her hands to his face, kissing him with deep passion, sobbing with need, frantic in her efforts to help him remove his clothes.

"Let us take this to the bedroom," said Lorelei, unspeaking in the silence. She could hear their labored breathing, his body against Jade's warm and hard to her coolness and yielding. They staggered across the room and climbed the stairs to the bedroom, kissing as they went, their hunger rising with every step. And then, when they reached the room, Jade felt him bearing her down to the bed and they sank down together with a moan of satisfaction.

Giovanni's mouth was on every inch of her straining body, each kiss a torment of passion. She felt as though she wanted to touch the whole surface of his skin, to appease her own mouth where it had been so long starved for the kiss of a man. She arched against him as his tongue played with the rigid peaks of her breasts.

Satisfied, Lorelei left the room and went back downstairs to finish her dessert while her lover stayed with Giovanni.

Suspended between pleasure and torture, Jade reached out to cradle his head, afraid and excited, all of her senses focused on the sensations raging inside her. It was love and it wasn't wise but she couldn't stop... didn't want to stop... refused to stop.

He looked at her with eyes so primeval, so burning with shocking sexual desire that she moaned again, drawing him to her for a long, impassioned kiss. Sliding on his skin, her arms and legs tangling with his, the terrible ache inside her clamored for satisfaction. Her hips ground into his and suddenly she felt a wonderful, velvet warmth inside her and she cried out aloud with the relief of it because it was so right, gentle enough not to hurt yet hard and relentless to ease her hunger.

All the time they continued to kiss as though their mouths couldn't get enough of one another, his hands now holding her head tenderly, his body driving deeper into hers while she, who had never know such male passion, wrapped her legs around his body and forced her heels into him, matching his rhythm, flying... flying... flying.

The core of her body was melting, liquefying and enclosing him with ever tightening spasms. She cried out again and again, heard his hoarse whispers in her ears, the tension and the release lifting her to a moment of pure, soaring joy and then she shuddered in his arms, felt the nerves in her skin quivering as she subsided, she lay quietly beneath him while he gently kissed her neck.

..........

The next morning, she woke. It felt strange, almost miraculous, that waking. Almost never sleeping, it was impossible to wake. Her hand reached out to touch him and found him missing. Would he leave her so soon? Wasn't there the look, the touch of love?

"Buona mattina." He returned to the bedroom from the hallway, wrapped in a bath towel. "Lorelei said I could use the shower."

Jade put out her arms, beckoning. Giovanni sat down on the side of the bed, letting the sheet fall to her waist and his attention went to her breasts. His hand reached out, touching, caressing, loving.

"Giovanni." She made it sound like a prayer, a supplication to God for love.

"Jade, I love you. You make me complete." He brought her to him, holding her tightly to him, kissing her, wanting to love her again.

Jade looked up. Lorelei stood in the doorway. "Good morning," she said. "Breakfast is ready. Giovanni, do you have to leave soon?"

"No, thank you. The market can wait, all I want is here."

"Come down as soon as you can." Lorelei left and returned to the kitchen for her morning coffee.

..........

"How long has your family been in San Francisco?" Lorelei asked him.

"We came from the old country just before World War One, thank God. My great-grandfather became a fisherman. Imagine that, he was a farmer in Italy and suddenly he's a fisherman on the Pacific Ocean. My God, he must have been terrified but he did what he had to do to provide for his family. I would do the same... for Jade... for family."

Lorelei looked at the man before her. She already knew who he was, what he was, what he could be, what he would be if they all continued down the path before them.

There never had been a question of money, for she had more money than could be spent in a hundred lifetimes. It was the man's integrity that interested her.

But, the question remained... what to do with him? Jade wanted him, that was obvious. He wanted Jade, that was apparent in everything he said and did. But still, what to do with him? In all her years, she had only brought Jade into her life like that. Would Jade do that with him? Would he even want that? Would he run in terror?

She would have to think about it. Jade would have to think about it. Giovanni would have to think about it. How to tell him, though, that was the question.

..........

Giovanni, in his ever-present white apron, wrapped the Genoa salami with a flourish. The world looked differently, now. Everything looked differently, now. He thought, once, that he had been in love but that was just a lie. Not on his part but on hers. She wanted what he could give without risking anything... not her body, not her heart, not her soul.

He had fought with his friends when they told him what she was and it took years for the rift to mend after he found her with someone else. After her and before Jade, there had been no one for he preferred to live the life of a monk; it was easier than trying to live again.

As soon as Jade walked in, he stopped and looked. She wore a light colored pastel-pink dress, such a change from her usual green colored clothes. Her hair looked different, also, now looking darker. 'Had she colored it?' he asked himself. He seemed to remember it being lighter, almost white, he was sure. Was it just his imagination?

"Bella," he whispered and went to hold her hand, to touch her, to feel her in his arms. "Bellisima." He quickly cut some salami and cheese and put them on a piece of waxed paper, offering as a supplicant to his goddess. "Let me get you something to drink."

Somehow, he knew she liked Strawberry Crush and carefully poured some into a Styrofoam cup. He smiled. She smiled. She drank.

"Buona mattina, Giovanni. Sono venuto per tu."

"Of course, of course. Let me close up here. Signora Regatti, lo porta, sulla casa. Arrivederci." He put the woman's now free purchases into a paper bag and ushered her out of the store and locked the door behind her. He turned and swept Jade up in his arms and swung her around, kissing her all the while.

Jade and Lorelei had come to a decision. She would talk to him, tell him, show him, invite him. If that wasn't enough, she would take the memory from him and return to her life as it had been. There wasn't much else that could be done, the two women had decided.

"Come with me... to the house," she said, quietly, so quietly that he thought he only heard it in his mind. Pulling off his apron, letting it fall to the floor, he followed her out and walked up the street to the house.

"Buon giorno, Giovanni. Benvenuto," said Lorelei with words unspoken. 'Please, sit down, there is much we have to speak of."

Over the next few hours, a long, strange tale was related to him, starting centuries in the past and ending the previous evening. He was relaxed... more correctly, Lorelei had relaxed him, preparing him for the story of her life, of Jade's life, of possibly his life. It would be so easy, she knew, to just 'convince' him to accept his fate but Jade wanted him to accept her on his own, to love her on his own.

"...and that is where we are." No one had noticed that the sun had set long ago and the light was from the even now setting moon. "And now, you have to make a decision. Can you truly accept Jade for who she is? Or will you leave? It is your choice and should you choose to stay, will you live as she... as we do? Or will you be satisfied to grow old and someday leave her alone, again?"

Giovanni sat there, in the living room, on the sofa, unable to speak. For hours, he had listened to a long and strange account of Lorelei and Jade's life together. Never in his life had he heard of such things. My God, he thought, that such people would exist.

But as surprised, as fearful as he was, he was more in love with Jade. Not once did he question how he felt for her but now, what to do? He was torn for some reason he could not understand. To stay young forever, to love forever, such were the things of dreams, not of nightmares.

Jade felt his hesitation and was hurt. She had hoped that he would agree immediately to be her lover for all time. Even now, she wanted to cry and cursed that she could not.

He stood, unsure of what to do. His mind said to escape, to run for his life, to never return; for a moment, he thought to do so but his heart said to embrace the woman he wanted to love. Giovanni extended his hand to Jade and pulled her from the sofa. He kissed her, his mouth unable to get enough of her. "Gio..." she started to say but he put a finger to her lips, saying nothing, his hands now roaming her slim body, seeking, exploring as if it were the first time.

The core of her body was melting and she desired to enclose him with hers, to take him within. He gently kissed her neck, his heavy breathing in her ear.

She hadn't realized that she had slept but she awoke, covered by gentle kisses on her collarbone and drowsily she smiled because she felt wonderful.

"I want you," he said.

"I'm tired," she replied, something she had never said before.

"You don't have to do anything but love me," he whispered but then aroused her languid body so intensely with his agonizing caresses that she had to move, to encourage him, to enjoy him again. This time it was raw and pagan lovemaking.

Jade whimpered, as this time it was deeper and more powerful than anything she had known before. Their minds coalesced into a single entity seeking more. She begged him to take her again, to use her and it shamed her because it was so utterly pleasurable and she couldn't seem to be satisfied enough.

They continued until the early morning light entered through the windows. She felt complete in so many ways, in her body, her aroused senses, her mind, her heart, her emotions.

"What time is it?" she asked, wondering for the first time how the night had passed so quickly.

"I don't know, it is morning, that I know. Are you all right?"

For her answer, she kissed his chest and then moved farther down, her hand encircling, her mouth enclosing. The sense of power made her feel light-headed and incredibly sexy and incredibly fulfilled.

What of Lorelei? she suddenly thought, wondering where her once and future lover was. Jade rose from the bed and after wrapping herself in a robe, went downstairs to find Lorelei.

"Good morning, darling," Lorelei spoke quietly. No further words were necessary, Jade's emotions glowing with passion. "I'm glad. Come, it's breakfast. He will be down shortly. I believe you have worn him out." The woman laughed. "I see that he has made his choice, completely."

Juanita appeared from the kitchen, bringing a dish filled with eggs and bacon and cinnamon toast. "Buenos dias." She put the plate down and left the two women to themselves.

Jade and Lorelei meshed, sharing emotions, sharing new memories, sharing the desire to share Giovanni. "Yes, dear," thought Lorelei, "all in good time. Now is the time for you. You are happy... I am happy."

"Buon giorno," Giovanni said, walking down the stairs to the dining room. His hand trailed across Jade's shoulders as he sat down. Juanita appeared again, bring another plate of food.

"Good morning, Giovanni. I would ask if you slept well..." And it was then that he realized that no one had actually said a word.

"Sono molto felice." The man smiled and leaned over to kiss his lover, his hand enclosing hers. He nuzzled her ear and whispered his intentions while she tried to stop his hands from wandering all over her body. Jade felt herself melt under his touch.

..........

"I came by earlier but the store was closed." The old woman stood there, dressed in traditional black widow's garb, daring him to explain.

"Uh, yes," he said. "I'm sorry. Something came up. What can I give you? Today, for you... free."

The woman, astonished, only asked for some ham and spaghetti, which he wrapped with a huge smile and followed her to the door. "Grazie per la venuta oggi." She looked back at him before walking down the street away from the store.

He wiped his hands, one to the other, and walked back into the market.

Some time later, his mother arrived, somehow sensing that something had changed with her son. "Dove tu era questa mattina? Tu non era alla chiesa."

She was right, he knew. He had missed Sunday Mass, almost a mortal sin in his family. By the time he had left his lover's arms, Mass was over. If it was a sin, then he was a willful sinner, he thought.

"Mama... La voglio incontrare il mio amante, la donna che sposerò."

The words she longed to hear for so many years... finally! But, who was this mystery woman? Where did she come from? Was she Italian? Was she Catholic? The woman's mind was filled with questions that only a visit would answer to her satisfaction. "Certo, quando?"

"Ora... right now." He took off his apron, put the 'CLOSED' sign in the door and took his mother by the hand, leading her up the street to Lorelei's house.

When they arrived, he walked right in, amazing his mother. Lorelei happened to be in the living room as they entered and she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Mamma, Lorelei."

If the woman was shocked, she controlled herself very well. So, she thought, this is the woman that my Giovanni wants to marry. How old is she, though? With that white hair! My God!

Jade came into the room at that moment, causing everyone to turn their heads. "Mamma, questa è la mia amore, Jade." As his mother turned to see Jade, she was stunned. 'This wasn't a woman, it was a girl! And, she was Chinese! OH, MY GOD!"'

"Oh, Dio!" she exclaimed as she fell to the floor before Giovanni could catch her.

Later, she felt the cool washcloth on her brow as Jade wiped her face. "Lei stanno bene, Mamma?" she asked, showing more concern than the old woman would have thought.

"Dove sono? Oh, la mia testa..." She put her hand to Jade's and stopped her from moving the cloth. "È come questo possibile? Lei è appena ragazza".

"Oh, Mamma. Jade is my fiancé. She and I are going to be married. I have been waiting for her all my life."

"But... she is just a girl!"

"Oh, Mamma, she is a woman. How old were you when you got married? Sixteen, weren't you? Jade is twenty-six."

"But... she's..."

"Beautiful... and is going to be the mother of my children. Now, sit up and talk to her. She is just as anxious as you are, don't you think?" Giovanni helped his mother up from the sofa and gave her the glass of water that Juanita had just brought. "Easy, easy..." he said as she drank.

"Grazie... thank you." Although the woman sounded contrite, Giovanni wasn't sure if she meant it or not. When he looked at Jade, he saw a beautiful, loving woman. Why couldn't his mother see the same thing?

Lorelei looked at the dining table and then at the Giovanni's mother. "Signora Ragucci, per favore, è venuto siede con noi per la cena. Abbiamo preparato diversi piatti speriamo che lei piacerà". She extended her hand in welcome, hoping the woman would take it. It would be so easy, she thought, to just 'convince' her to accept Jade into her life but Jade didn't want that, no matter how hard it might be otherwise. She questioned Jade's wishes, hoping that they would not be dashed beyond hope.

Giovanni's mother accepted the proffered hand, stood up and followed Lorelei into the dining room. For the first time, she looked around the room and saw wealth... not a gaudy exposure of money but without taste, rather a wonderfully subdued expression of a classically trained mind.

"Thank you," she said, quietly. For the first time, she felt assured that her son had not dropped her into a living nightmare like her other son had done, bringing home that putana of a wife who then left him with two children to raise by himself.

Lorelei started. "I am sure that this is all a shock to you, Mrs. Ragucci... as much as it was to me. When Jade came home and told me that she had met the man she wanted to marry, you can imagine... well, I guess you know what a surprise that was."

Juanita brought in a bottle of champagne.

"Vino veritas, as the Romans used to say, eh? Here, this is a particularly good vintage, 1986. Allow me." Lorelei filled Giovanni's mother's glass and then the others. Raising in a toast, she said, "Let love find itself."

A strange toast, the old woman thought, but so true. Love finds itself. She looked at her son and saw the seeming stars in his eyes for he had put his attention to nothing but the young woman since they had sat down to eat.

This was not the old country where arranged marriages took place... loveless marriages that occasionally found a certain fondness if luck had its way but America, where men and women married for love. Was it better? She didn't know, so many marriages ending in divorce every day. But, who was she to stop her son from trying?

Lorelei smiled. Although Jade had expressly wished for his mother to love her for herself, Lorelei was more pragmatic and decided to help acceptance along a bit... just enough to open the woman's mind, to see who Jade was, within reason she thought, but to see what a loving person her Jade was and would be for Giovanni.

Lorelei was especially careful as she nudged the woman along, making sure that Jade remained unaware of her machinations. Not for all... well, she was going to say, all the tea in China but that seemed somehow inappropriate... not for all the wealth in the world would she hurt her Jade and if nudging the old woman along to accept the girl was what it would take, then she would do it.