A T H E N A

"Can't keep my hands to myself. No matter how hard I'm trying to, I want you all to myself, you're metaphorical gin and juice. So come on give me a taste, of what it's like to be next to you. Won't let one drop go to waste"

° ° °

Lucy and I left Victoria Secret – I bought the set – and after we walked around the mall for another hour, we decided to go home. 

With the bag of Victoria's Secret in my hand, I walk up to the front door of my house. Lucy dropped me off at my house before she took off to hers. I enter my house, to find it empty. I drop my bag at the door and take off my shoes and jacket.

"Mom? Dad?" I yell.

"Athena?" Chris yells. Chris?

I frown, and follow the direction of his voice. "Chris?" I ask confused.

"I'm in the living room," he says.

"How did you even get--"

I feel my heart drop when I spot Chris sitting on the couch, with Vincenzo next to him. My breathing gets ragged, and my heart starts pounding furiously against my chest.

"H-hi," I stutter, and Chris gets up. He walks over to me, and pecks my lips. All the time, I keep my eyes on Vincenzo, who has a naughty smirk on his lips, and an evil glint in his eyes.

Well shit.

"How did you even get in?" I ask confused, and watch how Chris takes a seat next to the man who made out with me a couple of hours ago.

Vincenzo licks his lips and leans forward, his forearms resting on his knees.

"I ran into Chris at the mall, and he told me he wanted to come to you, so I offered him a ride," Vincenzo explains, but I know he didn't do that because he wanted to do a good deed.

"Yeah, so he drove me here, and your parents let us in, telling us they were going to do some grocery shopping," Chris says, explaining why my parents are gone.

I nod, and just stand there uncomfortably. "So, why didn't you let me know you were coming?" I ask him. If I knew that, I wouldn't have left with Lucy.

He shrugs. "I just wanted to surprise my girl," he smiles.

I see Vincenzo clench his fists, and press his lips together out of anger. I force a smile and take a seat on the couch in front of them.

The air is filled with tension, one Chris isn't aware of.

"Would you like anything to drink?" I ask them, and fiddle a little with my hands.

It's funny how they both shake their heads. I'm so nervous, and sweaty. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest, and I don't know what to do.

Chris stands up and takes a seat beside me, throwing a hand around my shoulders.

"I was wondering if we could go to the movies or something?" he asks, and strokes my cheek with his thumb. Normally my heart would flutter at the loving gesture, but right now, I want nothing more for him to move away from me, because I can't take the heated gaze burning into my skull.

"Yeah, that sounds good," I whisper and send him a smile, before I avert my gaze from him.

I don't dare to look at Vincenzo, afraid of his burning and angry gaze. But when I slowly look up at him, I'm surprised to see he's not looking angry at all. All I see is a confident look in his eyes, and a knowing smirk around his lips. I don't know what he's planning on doing, but I'm sure I'm not going to like it.

"Athena, what's that on your neck?" Vincenzo asks with a frown. My blood runs cold once I see Chris turning and focusing his gaze on my neck. 

"Is that... a hickey?" Vincenzo chuckles, amused. I clench my jaw, wanting to murder him. He's well aware that he's the one who gave me the hickey.  

My hands start to sweat, my heart is pounding so hard against my chest that I'm afraid they will hear it and I have trouble breathing.

"Athena, are you alright? You're trembling," Chris asks and wraps his arms around me. Having his secure arms around me makes me calm, makes me feel safe from the man sitting opposite us. "Yeah," I say and look up at him with a reassuring smile, even though it's forced. He smiles back, his warm and blue eyes lighting up as he does so. I love him so much.

Vincenzo stands up, and for a moment I look up to him in fear, afraid what he might do. He straightens out his suit and focuses his gaze on us.

"I think I'll just probably--"

He gets interrupted by the front door opening, a sign that my parents have arrived. We all look up and see my parents stumble into the living room, with their hands full of bag with food and other things. When mom sees me she smiles.

"Oh hey, you're back," she says and goes to the kitchen. Dad follows her and puts the bags on the table.

"Yeah," I say. Chris stands up and walks to the kitchen.

"You need some help?" he chuckles as he sees my mom struggling. She flashes him her billion-dollar smile and nods. Vincenzo and I just stand there in the living room, watching them put everything away.

After a couple of seconds, he decides to speak up. "Well, I'm leaving," he announces, and I mentally thank God for saving me out of this awkward situation.

"Aren't you staying for dinner?" mom asks and looks up from whatever she's doing.

"Oh no, I have a lot of work to do so I better hurry," he says. Dad nods and says goodbye to Vincenzo. So does mom.

"Athena, honey, could you walk him out?" mom asks sweetly.

Just great.

I nod and force a smile, before I turn to Vincenzo and motion for him to follow me. Chris yells to Vincenzo to have a good day, but the only thing Vincenzo does is nod at him, before following me into the hall.

But I knew it was a mistake to let him walk behind me. As soon as we're in the hallway, he grabs me from behind and spins me around, pulling me flush against his body. He grabs my cheeks with his hands, and as soon as his lips descent on mine, all the tension leaves my body.

I instantly relax against him, and let myself enjoy the feeling of his lips on mine. His tongue swipes against my bottom lip, and I part my lips. His tongue meets mine, and I moan quietly into his mouth. I move my lips in sync with his, and he deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring every corner of my mouth.

But then reality sets in, and I realize that my parents and boyfriend are in the room next to us.

My hands slide up to his chest and I slightly push him away, looking up to him through hooded eyes.

"Non vedo l'ora di poterti rendere finalmente mia," he breathes against my lips, and lets his teeth sink into my lower lips.

I don't know what part of him speaking Italian turns me so much on.

"Vincenzo," I whimper. "What is it, mia cara?" he asks and leans back so he can look at me. "My parents are in the other room, and my boyfriend," I tell him and take a step away from him. He sighs and rakes a hand through his hair.

"You're right. This is way too risky. I need you all to myself," he says and looks at me with dark, lust-filled eyes.

I frown. "That's not what I meant..."

But he cuts me off. "No, you're right, baby. But right now, I have to go before they come to check on us," he says with a low voice. I nod, not able to say anything.

"I'll text you," he says and pecks my lips before he turns to the door.

"But I didn't give you my number," I frown. He turns his head to look at me with a smirk.

"I have my connections," he says before he winks at me, opens the door and leaves.

I roll my eyes at the door before I turn to walk into the living room again, and put on a mask of happiness.

° ° °

"Do you ever wonder what the future is like?" Chris asks me while he toys with my hair. We're lying on my bed, my head on his chest and his hands in my hair.

"Sometimes, why?" I ask him, and look up to his ocean blue eyes. He shrugs.

"I just hope I'll still have you in my future," he says and looks down at me with loving eyes.

My heart breaks, and some lump forms in my throat. I force out a smile. "I hope so too," I say honestly. He gently strokes my hair and presses a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you, Athena," he whispers. It's hard trying not to cry, especially if Chris is like this. The problem about Chris is that he's way too kind, too sweet and such a romanticist. Which makes this so hard for me.

Chris notices the stressed look on my face. "Hey, are you alright?" he asks and grabs my chin, forcing me to look up into his eyes.

"I-I'm just fine," I whisper and bury my head in his chest, trying to swallow away the tears and guilt.

We keep lying like this for a minute; my head on his chest, his hands on my back and on the back of my head, holding me closer to him.

Maybe, just maybe...

I look up to him, finding his eyes on me. I put my hand on the back of his neck, and bring his face closer to mine. Our lips barely touch each other, and Chris wants to draw away but I deepen the kiss. I start kissing him like Vincenzo kisses me, and he moves along with me.

His hands grab my cheeks, and he kisses me back. His tongue licks my bottom lip, asking for permission. I part my lips, letting his tongue enter and search mine. I climb on top of his lap, leaning into him while kissing him furiously on the lips.

I'm trying to feel something, but nothing happens. I don't feel that familiar spark in my belly, there's no sexual tension and I just can't feel it.

He moans into my mouth, his hands sliding down to my waist. I expect him to go lower, but he doesn't. He hands just stay on my waist, not moving an inch. I can't help but feel a little disappointment, but I ignore it.

Vincenzo would've grabbed my ass and...

Don't compare Chris to him!

I try to erase Vincenzo from my mind, but as I start thinking of him, I imagine it's him lying underneath me. Chris' blonde hair turns into a dark brown, his skin becomes more tanned, his posture becomes bigger and his hands start growing. His moans turn into husky, throaty groans, his voice much deeper.

I start kissing him with more lust. Our kiss is getting sloppier, and I imagine him sliding his hands down to my ass, squeezing it. He would bite my lip and trail kisses all over my body, whispering filthy words.

"Athena," he rasps, his voice thick of lust. When I open my eyes, I almost gasp as I don't see dark eyes, but ocean blue ones staring up at me.

"Chris," I whisper shocked, and he smiles up at me, with a little confusion hidden behind his eyes.

"Yeah," he says. I swallow, and get off of him. I rake my hands through my hair, confused at my own actions.

"That was fun," he says and sits up. I blush and look down.

Why did I do that?

This is so embarrassing. I'm so stupid—

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed. It's normal," he chuckles and takes me in his arms. He's right. It's normal for boyfriend and girlfriend to make out. But I just can't do this.

I smile at him, even though it's not genuine and hug him.

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too," I say, even though I know deep down I don't mean it.

° ° °

I turn the page of the book I'm reading, and my eyes absorb every word. my phone pings, taking my attention away from my book. Curious as to who it is, I grab my phone and open the message.

Unknown; Hello, mia cara

I roll my eyes, already knowing who it is.

Athena; How did you get my number?

Vincenzo; Hello to you too. I told you I have connections.

I sigh, again rolling my eyes at his message.

Athena; What do you want?

Vincenzo; Can't I just say hi to my baby girl?

I can't help it, but I blush at the nickname.

Athena; No, you can't when I'm not yours to begin with

Vincenzo; Ouch, you hurt my feelings, baby. But I'm wondering, what are you wearing right now?

Athena; I'm so not doing this with you.

I smile at our little conversation. After a couple of minutes, I don't get a response back, and I think that was the end of our conversation. I turn back to my book to read further, but my phone pings again.

Vincenzo; Sorry, I just had a call so I couldn't respond

Athena; No problem, I was reading anyway

But instead of texting me back, he calls me. For a moment, I start panicking, not knowing what to do. With a trembling hand, I accept the call and bring my phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I ask, nervously twirling a strand of brown hair around my finger.

"Athena," he rasps out, sending chills down my spine.

"Vincenzo," I whisper, like a secret.

My secret.

"Hello, baby."

My breathing gets ragged, and I find it hard to swallow with a dry throat. I clear my throat, suddenly turned on by his voice. I clench my thighs together and clear my throat.

"Why are you calling me?" I ask him with a quiet voice, not wanting to catch my parents attention.

"I wanted to hear your voice," he says. I blush a deep red and hide my face in the pillows, my phone still pressed tightly to my ear.

"Well, you heard me now," I mumble. This is so awkward.

He chuckles. "Don't you wanna hear what special news I have?"

My curiosity is awoken.

"And what's that?" I ask him.

"I just got an interesting call," he says. I shift in my spot, "And?"

He chuckles. It's dark and throaty, making me want to moan and ask him to do it again.

"I have to go for a week to New York," he says. My mood suddenly drops, and I feel disappointment start seeping in. Was he calling me to just tell me that? That he'll be leaving?

"Oh," I say, trying not to let the disappointment show through my voice. He laughs softly.

"And I wanted you to accompany me."

My head shoots up, my eyes wide and mouth wide open. I'm glad he can't see me.

"W-what?" I ask dumbfounded. He can't be serious.

"You heard me, bella. I want you to come with me to New York. Would you like that?"

Yes!

But what am I going to tell my parents? I can't tell them that I'm leaving for a week without them knowing where and with who.

"Uh, I don't know, Vincenzo... I mean, what should I tell my parents?" I ask him, frowning.

"I can't just say that I'll be gone for a week with you. That's going to raise suspicion."

He sighs on the other side, and I imagine him raking a hand through his dark hair.

"I don't know, just tell them you'll be with that friend of yours, what's her name again? Lily?"

"Lucy," I mumble, correcting him.

"Right, tell them you'll be spending some time with her, that you're going on a trip or something, I don't care. Please, amore mio?"

He drops his voice a few octaves lower, making it sound seductive and so incredibly sexy.

How can I say no to him?

"Fine, I'll ask tomorrow. I'll let you know what they said," I tell him, giving in.

I can tell he's smiling. "Alright, baby girl. I'm looking forward to it," he tells me.

Even though I won't admit it, I'm looking forward to it too. And is this actually a good idea? Going with him to New York, all alone in one bedroom...

I clench my thighs at the thought.

"So, you never answered my question," he says after a while. I frown.

"What question?"

"About what you're wearing."

I giggle. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"What can I say? I'm a very curious man," he jokes. I smile.

"I'm just wearing some shorts and a top," I answer.

"Are you wearing a bra?"

I roll my eyes at his question. He's just like a teenager.

"No, you silly. I never sleep with a bra on."

His breathing has increased. "Never?"

"Nope, it's not healthy," I say and roll over in my bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Hmm, what kind of underwear are you wearing?"

That burning sensation finds its way to the pit of my belly.

I swallow. "Just a black, lacy one," I answer, my voice now low.

"Cazzo, Athena, I want you to do something for me," he rasps out. I can come anytime just listening to his voice.

"What is it?" I whisper.

There's a long silence filled of his ragged breathing, followed by a groan.

"Touch yourself for me."