CH.6

The day after.

It was lunch time and she still felt her eye hurting. She had also a bad headache. She arrived at the garage with a big lunch box as usual. "Hy Annie" said Vince . She greeted him but didn't take off her sunglasses. It was not polite, but. "Annie" Leon waved his hand. She smiled him back. "Guys, here it is your lunch" announced Annie putting the lunch box on the table. "Yeah!" said Jesse and immediately came.

"Here I have: shrimps cocktail, some homemade pizza, chicken salad and two cheeseburgers for you Vince" she smiled knowing his taste: "Oh! I also have strawberry salad if you want and some mint tea, all done with my own hands" she ended. "Wow, wow, wow! I love pizza!" said Jesse enthusiastic. "You spoil us" said Leon smiling, joining her and looking into the lunch box: "But it smells so damn good!" he added. Annie smiled amused . Everyday she came with something different and they liked a lot what she prepared. "You're a great cooker!" said Vince smiling and putting her hand around her waist and tightening her to him with a familiar gesture. She unfastened herself, uneasy nearby him after their last encounter.

"Thought that if I appealed to your love for food maybe Dom would have made me a little discount to my debt" she said smiling. Dom appeared from the back of a car cleaning his hands. He slowly looked up and down her with a lazy look. As usual, she adjusted her dress under his gaze. He made her feel always nervous. "Yeah, you're my good cooker, but I won't make you a discount" he said smiling ironically "Where did you learn to cook like this?" he asked her interested.

"Don't you know? I'm Italian. We know three things: cooking, play soccer and make love" she said teasing, looking at him and smiling. "Oh, oh, oh!" said the others all together, laughing. He smiled ironically looking mischievously at her. He liked that game. "Interesting" he said turning around her. She swallowed. Dangerous game, she thought.

He looked at the lunch box, than raised his head up slowly: "How are you?" he asked with his usual direct tone. studying her and her soft short sleeveless dress with small flowers. She had bruises and scratches on her arms and on her face and she wore very dark sunglasses. "Fine" she replied feeling uneasy. It was always like that, when he looked at her in that way. "Where is Letty" asked Annie looking around . "She's gone paying some bills" answered Bryan. "Annie?" called her Dom: "Could you help me take some beers?" he asked her, motioning to come. She followed him backyard the garage to a freezer.

"Show me your eyes" he suddenly asked her. "W-what?" she frowned surprised. "Here" and before she could say anything he took her sunglasses and lifted them up. "N- no!" she tried to protest, but too late. Her eye was a rainbow of colors from blue to violet and from green to yellow, taking part of the jaw. She looked away from him, couldn't standing no more to his attentive look. "Fuck" he whispered moving softly his finger on her eyes making her starting a little.

"Seems that your girlfriend knows how to fight" she said ironically. "She's exaggerated" said Dom seriously. "Both of us" replied Annie. "No, she had more responsibilities, since she'd started" he insisted. "She was marking her property" replied Annie, justifying Letty for someway. "I'm property of no one except for myself" he seriously replied. She looked at him. He seemed seriously worried for her. "It's nothing, just bruise. Nothing." She repeated to reassure him. "It's the first time that two girls fight for me" he suddenly said grinning ironically.

"Always the same usual arrogant, aren't you?" she replied using the same tone raising her chin up, with a defiant look. "You know, you talk too much!" he softly said. But he wasn't offended, on the contrary he grinned amused. C'mon Annie! Go! Go away! She said to herself. You have to go! You have to. too late. He was already bending on her and holding her face with his hand and kissed her delicately, like he was afraid to hurt her, so sweet that she shivered, then he pressed a little more to deepen his kiss, while his fingers caressed her chin and down to her neck, she grabbed to his arms, as her legs couldn't no more support her. It was all so beautiful and magic that they forgot everything around them. "Dom? Dom, you arrive?" someone shouted from the garage.

He left her abruptly. Both panting hard. He said nothing, just stared at her, lost in her eyes, as he was searching for an answer then he took the beers and left her alone there. She leaned against the freezer's door, twinkling her eyes, trying to regain her self control, still not believing in what had happened. Was it possible that she was always lost when she was in his arms? She waited a little then joined the rest of the team.

They were eating silently. "So? How do you feel today?" Leon suddenly asked her. "It could be better" replied Annie vaguely. "Letty is a very tough one!" said Jesse: "But you! Wow! You're brave!" "Or just stupid" recognized Annie. "Nooo, you lack only in experience" said Leon. Annie nodded doubtfully. "Maybe you could teach me two, three things about fighting." dared to say Annie after a while to the group. Dom grinned ironically while eating but said nothing. "Why?" asked Jesse: " You want to revenge of last night?" he continued. "No, it's.you know , just in case of need.." simply said Annie blushing a little, lowering her eyes down embarrassed.

"Ok" said Bryan standing up and cleaning his hands on his pants. "But you have to take off your sunglasses" he ended. She waited for a while as thinking if it was a good idea or not. Dom observed her curious. Than she took them off.

"Oh, shit!" said Jesse. "Hell!" said Leon. All were astonished and worried for her eye. "Ok, let's go" said Bryan after a moment of surprise: "Hit me!" "What?" she asked embarrassed frowning. "You told me, you want to learn about that, so come on! Hit me!" he encouraged her. "Ok" she said hesitantly. And she gave him a light punch against his arm. The others laughed softly. It was a funny show. She looked at them irritated and they stopped.

"What was that?" asked Bryan. "Listen. Ok, it has been a bad idea. Forget it. I cannot fight against you. You're my friend" said Annie embarrassed. "No! no, come on! Try again!" he insisted. She snorted and tried stronger. All the guys chuckled again.

"It's the position. You got the wrong one!" Dom spoke after having watched the whole scene amused. He stood up and joined them. "You have to use all your arm and move your body toward the direction of your punch!" he told her. "Like this" and he placed himself behind her, placing her arm in the right way and showing her the movements. It was funny/sensual what they were doing thought Annie. She could smell his male scent of oil, sweat and his after shave all mixed up. She could feel his imposing body against her back. "You understand?" Dom was ending to say. "Yep" she replied. "So try now" he said making a step back to see her. She tried again against Bryan but without strength.

"C'mon! Stronger than that!" Bryan encouraged her. "I.I'm not able, I really can't" she said blushing . What a bad idea I've had! "Ok. It's because of you Mr. Arizona, you're a too nice guy" said Dom ironic. All the other guys laughed out loud.

"Try against me" suddenly proposed Dom with an arrogant smile defiantly. His eyes shone mischievously. She looked astonished to him, than slowly her lips bent in a grin. "C'mon. It's your moment" his voice was seductive and defiant at the same time. He was teasing her. It was a game. A sexy one, with a double meaning in it. A reference to something that only Dom and Annie could know.

"Try to look at me as a kind of an arrogant asshole" he teased her smiling. He knew he was provoking her and liked it a lot. "I know, it's hard for you but.try" he insisted, seductively. She smiled again and without waiting she punched him. Strongly. "Good! That's my girl!" said Dom amused. The guys chuckled amused and looked very interested. Obviously she hadn't absolutely hurt Dom, but she had tried. "See Bryan? It's all about motivation" said Dom smiling without stopping to stare at her, provoking her more. The other guys laughed but she didn't care. She liked that game and yes, she'd wanted to make him leave his ironic smile from his face.

She punched him again. "C'mon! Again!" he encouraged her.

Now all the other guys encouraged Annie. She prepared her fist, she wanted to give him a very good one, she decided. He stared at her defiantly his eyes glimmering of interest. Annie punched him with all her strength but with a swift move he parried the blow with his big right hand, grabbing her fist and making her arm twisting on her back and holding her tightly with his other arm around her waist, against his body. All the guys laughed out loud and came back to eat. The game was over.

She tried to react but he held her firmly. "Always be aware to the counterattack of your enemy" he said loudly as he was explaining it to the rest of his team. "Yeah!" they said still laughing.

She tried to free herself but he still held her, than his mouth came near to her ear: "Love when you look at me like that" he whispered her mischievously, teasing her, in a tone that only Annie could hear. She shivered because of that intimate and sexy moment, blushed and with a strong tug, she freed herself, but only because he'd left her. She looked at him defiantly. She was breathing hard.

"So? Was it useful?" he asked her in an ironic tone and a smile of victory on his face.

"A lot" she said through her teeth, adjusting her dress and wearing her sunglasses again.

In that moment Letty came back." Yo, guys, I'm back!.oh!" said Letty seeing Annie and becoming suddenly serious. She didn't like what she saw. All the guys stopped to laugh. Tension filled the air. Annie and Letty weighed each other with their look.

"Gotta go know" said Annie seriously and tacking all her stuff, went away.



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