"B, we're gonna be late for our reservation if you don't get your ass out here… now."
Silence.
"Don't make me come in there and get you."
No reply.
Gio set down his jacket on the bed and tapped lightly on the door of the bathroom, suddenly concerned, "Betty? You okay?"
"Ah… yeah… I'm just, um, I'll be a minute."
Pull yourself together, she thought, It's just dinner with Gio.
"Can I come in?"
"What for? I just…" the door opened and Gio's head poked around.
Betty was standing in front of the mirror, still wearing the clothes she'd slept in, glasses in hand, teary-eyed and looking defeated. He ducked around the door and swept in behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and kissing her cheek.
"Hey! What's wrong? Don't you want to go out?"
"I do, I just…" How could she explain it? Betty looked at Gio's reflection. He looked sad and worried.
"Do you miss your family?"
"No! I mean, yes, but that's not it. It's stupid, don't worry…"
"If it's making you feel sad then it's not stupid." He took the glasses from her hands and sat them down next to the basin. Then he turned his head to kiss her neck and cradled her in his arms. "Talk to me, B."
She felt like an idiot.
"I just, well… I mean normally I don't care! I know I'm not model material but I'm fine, you know? And at MODE I can just ignore it but, here, Gio, the women are beautiful!"
Her eyes widened at his reflection, and he nodded his head, finally understanding, "And I should be used to the whole ugly duckling thing but I just feel like they're looking at me and wondering why I'm with you and I can't relax and I…"
He cut her off mid-sentence.
"Betty. Listen to me. I'm going to tell you two things, and I want you to remember them. Okay?" He looked at her intently.
She bit her lip and nodded back.
"Firstly, you're right. The women here are different."
"That's for sure," she rolled her eyes, remembering the theatrics she'd witnessed earlier.
"Women in New York dress for other women."
Betty raised her eyebrows. What the hell was he talking about?
"You think straight men care what label you're wearing?" Gio raised his eyebrows in reply. "If we're admiring your clothes it's because we're imagining them on our floor." Gio said, matter of factly.
Betty chuckled, despite herself
"No. The difference is that Italian women dress for their men." His tone changed, he was smiling now, "They're confident and beautiful because they're not constantly looking at each other! They notice the way men react to them. Plus they spend about three hours every morning getting ready. I know – I've lived with them."
Betty smiled a little, and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"What's the second thing?" she asked.
His matter of fact tone returned.
"That you're beautiful."
Betty switched her gaze and saw him staring straight into her eyes. They were beginning to well with tears again.
"You know the first thing I noticed about you?"
She opened her mouth.
"…And don't say braces." He interrupted.
She closed her mouth self-consciously and looked down.
He lifted her chin and met her gaze in the mirror.
"Your eyes" he smiled at the memory. "Those eyes of yours! I love those little red frames and the colour of your eyes was just… wow."
Betty started to blush as she saw his expression change.
"And you were funny!" He added with a grin. "Then your smile, the way you said 'welcome'!" tilting his head and mimicking her voice.
"And you ordered a real sandwich," Betty grimaced… "and then you kinda pissed me off." Gio shrugged… He was still standing behind her and now he lifted his arms either side of her body, "I guess it helped that you had these to keep me distracted…" he gestured in a circular motion at her breasts, smiling a cocky smile as Betty scoffed, her mouth and eyes wide in disbelief.
"And mmm…" his eyes left the reflection and he took a step backwards to admire her figure as he slid his hands down over her hips. Betty spun away from him but he called her bluff and grabbed her by the waist again, pressing her against the basin. She grabbed hold of the wall on either side of her to keep her balance. He kissed her gently on the mouth and continued.
"These lips Betty…. These are lips to kiss…" He kissed her again, slightly longer.
"I swear, sometimes when you're talking to me I just tune out watching them… mm!" He bit his lower lip and stared at her mouth.
Betty was calm now, just listening to him, a warm sensation rising through her body.
He lifted both hands and slid them either side of her neck, lifting her long hair up and away from her face. She half closed her eyes at the feel of his fingers,
"That beautiful neck," he leant forward and brushed his lips along one side of it, inhaling the smell of her perfume, "those cheekbones," he kissed them close to the corners of her eyes, both sides, "and you have this little spot where your jaw line," he traced it with the tip of his nose, "meets your neck," he breathed the words almost silently "…just below your ear" he took one gentle bite at the lobe of her ear, then slid his lips down to find it, "and it's so soft" he sunk his lips into the spot and kissed slowly, massaging the skin gently with his tongue, trailing around under her ear, nuzzling aside her hair as he went. One hand supported her neck, the other slipped back around her middle, holding her firmly as her spine tingled and her breathing became heavy.
She whispered "I think we're gonna be late for dinner"
He growled into her neck,
"Fuck it" and kissed her on the mouth, dipping his tongue to taste her lips briefly, "I think I wanna get straight to dessert…"
Betty was gobsmacked. She'd never been told she was beautiful. Well, not like that anyway. And the way he looked at her… it was like she was a delicacy that had been prepared especially for him. Come to think of it, that was kind of how he kissed her – like he was tasting her, enjoying every bite, every lick, every aroma. The thought gave her butterflies in her stomach. Betty lifted one hand to rest on his arm, feeling the cotton of his black shirt. With the other hand she guided his head up and found his lips with hers. She ran her fingers through his hair and his lips trembled as he moaned in response.
Betty smelt good enough to eat. Like jasmine and orange blossom, with a slight hint of spice. He made a mental note to try and recreate the taste of her in a dessert, then felt her tongue dipping into his mouth. He met it with his own and crushed his lips against hers. Betty slipped her tongue over his lower lip and bit gently, sucking on it rhythmically. The tip of her tongue danced at the point between his chin and his lip. As she began to nibble his lip again his hand around her waist began to move of its own accord. It travelled across the small of her back, down the line of her hip, and rested just above the curve of her butt. Gio focused on her reactions as he moved their bodies closer together, slowly advancing until his hips met hers.
Betty let a slight moan escape her lips as she felt him pressing against her. She felt her knees weaken for a fraction of a second and his hand grasp her body more firmly, pulling her towards him. As he slowly ground their bodies together she felt a tingling warmth rise from the soles of her feet.
Gio noticed as her kissing slowed, her soft lips parted from his and her breaths lengthened. When her kisses stopped altogether he stood still. He kissed her gently on her still parted lips and drew back. Her eyes were closed, her hands clung to him, and it took her a few moments to shake off the daze, "mmm," she pressed her lips together, tasting him.
"Now we wouldn't want that pep talk to go to waste, would we?" Gio whispered into her ear, "Be ready in five, I'll see you downstairs."
Gio smacked her on the bum as he slipped out of the room, smiling to himself about what was to come that evening.
Betty staggered a little as she turned herself around to look in the mirror. Her face was warm, pink across the cheeks. Her hair was messed up, her lips red and full, and the strap of her singlet had slipped off again. She'd never felt more beautiful.
AN:
Sorry for the teasing ladies... I promise it will be worth the wait
M
