Chapter 3: Living Together
Brenda looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, nervously adjusting the simple dress she had worn for their fake wedding. Although she knew this marriage was just a temporary arrangement, she couldn't help feeling anxious about what awaited her at Giovanni's house.Finally, she gathered her courage and stepped out of the bathroom to meet Giovanni in the living room. He greeted her with a calm smile, but Brenda couldn't help but notice the glint of complicity in his eyes.Her stomach fluttered slightly, but she remained composed, at least on the outside."Welcome to our temporary home," Giovanni said, gesturing towards the house they would now share.Brenda nodded, trying to hide her nerves as she followed him inside. The house was impressive, with high ceilings and elegant furniture that seemed straight out of an interior design magazine. However, Brenda felt a little uneasy when she realized she didn't know where she would be sleeping."Where's my room?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.Giovanni gave her a strange look."I've prepared the guest room for you. Don't worry, I won't intrude on your space," he assured her, with a friendly smile.Brenda felt somewhat relieved, but she couldn't shake off a slight sense of mistrust as she followed Giovanni to the room designated for her.She didn't know why, but something in the air made her suspicious of her new husband's intentions."Thanks for this," she murmured, trying to sound grateful as she entered the guest room.Giovanni nodded understandingly."Don't mention it. I want you to feel comfortable here," he replied, before disappearing down the hallway.Brenda sat down on the bed, feeling slightly overwhelmed by everything. This marriage was just an agreement, a deal between two people who needed something from each other. But despite that, she couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment when she realized Giovanni had no intention of touching her."What the hell is wrong with me? It's obvious he's not going to touch me. Why would he?" It's in the agreement.She couldn't deny that he was an attractive man. She had been impressed to see him dressed in that leather suit when he had told her he was the CEO of his family's company. She imagined he would get married in a suit and tie.A small smile adorned her lips as she thought she was like a rebel, but she quickly erased it and prepared to change into her sleepwear.She looked towards the closed door of the room."Calm down, Brenda," she told herself, trying to shake those thoughts out of her head. "This is just temporary."She decided to put on an old and worn-out pajama, a ploy so her new "husband" would be disillusioned with her appearance and wouldn't try anything strange."Anyway, we are alone," she thought, clearing her throat.She decided to go out to the living room after brushing her teeth, where she could see Giovanni's surprised and apprehensive look at her neglected and holey clothes."Nice outfit," he commented with a mocking tone. "Is it the new fashion in your country?""I like to be comfortable," she said, shrugging. "I don't need silk suits or anything too fancy, I'm just going to sleep.""As you wish," he said disinterestedly, making her smile.It seemed she had achieved her purpose.But as the minutes passed, Brenda couldn't help but notice the way Giovanni looked at her. It was subtle, barely perceptible, but it was there.As if he were seeing something in her that she couldn't see herself.She quickly slipped away to her room with the excuse that she needed to sleep, but the truth was that his gaze made her nervous, and she hated feeling that way.“Everything all right?,” asked Giovanni, suddenly appearing in the doorway of the room.Brenda nodded, trying to hide her discomfort.“Just thinking about what the next few months will be like," she replied, trying to sound carefree.Giovanni smiled, but there was something in his look that made Brenda shudder.“Don't worry, Brenda. I have no interest in you in that way," he assured, although his eyes seemed to contradict his words.Brenda was relieved for a moment, but then she remembered the picture of the woman she had seen on the mantelpiece in the living room, a face that had looked vaguely familiar on the day of her quickie wedding.She didn't want to wonder who she was and why in the photo she looked very intimate next to him, but she assumed she was a bride or something special.She didn't even know what her name was, but the mere thought that Giovanni had someone else filled her with a strange resentment.“Does the door have a lock?,” she asked suddenly.“No, it doesn't... I don't usually attack my guests at night," said Giovanni, mockingly.He was amused by so much suspicion on her part, he looked like a frightened and trembling little mouse.“I'd like to put one up," Brenda grimaced, crossing her arms.He raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips."If I wanted to come into your room, I wouldn't be stopped by a deadbolt," he said seriously, a shudder running down Brenda's spine, "but you don't have to worry...I've got my sex life perfectly covered.”"That means he does have a girlfriend or something," Brenda thought.“Hey..." she started to speak, but he interrupted her.“You see, I don't need to rape schoolgirls. I like women," he said in a jocular tone.Brenda pressed her lips together, trying not to feel offended. Did he consider her a child?“It's better this way," she said with a harsh tone, which Giovanni noticed immediately. Good night then.She closed the bedroom door with a soft knock.She let down her hair and slipped under the covers, trying not to think about the way Giovanni was looking at her. She placed a chair in front of the door, just in case, before turning off the light and closing her eyes.Meanwhile, Giovanni stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door to Brenda's room with an amused smile on his lips.He found it witty and amusing the way she had protected herself, something he had not expected from her.“Good night, Brenda," he whispered, before retiring to his own room.They both went to sleep, aware that this marriage was only a temporary arrangement, but unable to ignore the growing tension between them.Chapter 4 - Clearing Things UpFortunately, Giovanni didn't try to enter her room.Brenda got out of bed after a night of not being able to sleep very well. She had breakfast and set about unpacking her luggage and exploring the house calmly.She observed the photographs decorating the living room, all of them of Giovanni with various people, except for a wedding photo, presumably of his parents.The man in the photo resembled his son, only with a less fierce, more friendly expression; the tough expression he had inherited from his mother, undoubtedly.One photo caught her attention, taken in front of a large company with the sign "Stella d'oro." Apparently, that was the name of the magazine where he worked, and his family owned it.Giovanni appeared in a photo with a very beautiful girl, he had his arms around her shoulders, and her face reminded her of having seen it at the courthouse."Perhaps he referred to her when he said he had his sexual and emotional life covered.""Could she
Chapter 5 - CuriosityThe next day, as Giovanni had announced, Marco showed up at the apartment to accompany her to the academy."Hi, I'm Marco!" he greeted as soon as Brenda opened the door. "Do you remember me? I was there on the wedding day.""Vaguely. There were so many unfamiliar faces, and I was so nervous...""Yes, that's understandable. Giovanni has asked me to accompany you to the academy and help you with the paperwork.""Yeah, I barely speak Italian and couldn't do it alone," she said apologetically."Well, whenever you're ready, we can go."Marco was a blond, slim guy, just a little taller than Brenda. She immediately felt comfortable in his company.Like Giovanni, he spoke Spanish perfectly and had no trouble communicating with him."It's a relief to talk to someone other than Giovanni. Since I hardly know any Italian...""You should enroll in an academy. If you learn it just by ear, you'll speak it wrong for the rest of your life. If you want, I can ask Francesca to find
Chapter 6 - Welcome DinnerOn Saturday, Brenda carefully dressed for the dinner organized by Giovanni's company in her honor.She had opted for a black dress with sequins that made her look older than she was, so the age difference between them wouldn't be so evident.The dress was low-cut, but not overly so, elegant and discreet at the same time.She wore shoes with the highest heels she could bear due to her lack of habit, also to compensate for the height difference. She also applied more makeup than usual to make herself look a few years older.When she saw herself in the mirror, she felt satisfied. She hoped to make a good impression and to perfectly represent the role of the wife she had been hired to play.So far, he had fulfilled his part of the deal in every way, and she had not yet been able to reciprocate.The balance of their first week of marriage had been positive for Brenda. Her expectations had been met, and the only inconvenience was that she couldn't quite relax when
Chapter 7 - Just for AppearancesAfter a while, the music changed, and ballads began to play; beautiful songs that Brenda had heard in her country in a translated version, but sounded even more pleasant in Italian.She had to admit that this language was ideal for speaking about love. Perhaps someday an Italian would say words of love to her in that language.The image of Giovanni trying to say them to Francesca came to her mind, but she couldn't imagine it. The idea of him, with his husky voice and fierce appearance, saying words of love to anyone seemed impossible to her.Francesca must have been very desperate to get involved with Giovanni in that way, and moreover, to pretend to be so calm seeing them together.Would she be able to pretend if she were on the other side? She was sure she couldn't.Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize that some members of the group had gone to dance until she felt Giovanni's hand on hers."Let's dance too," he said.She looked at him surprised,
Chapter 8 - Jelousy?Brenda felt all eyes pinned on her and began to feel irritated. Because of this, she asked:"Well, since the guest of honor is very busy. Does anyone want to dance with the honoree?""Can I serve you?" Marco offered."Of course," she smiled eagerly.She stood up, and they began to dance in turn. Brenda immediately felt much more comfortable dancing with him than with Giovanni.After several songs, they sat down while Giovanni and Francesca continued on the dance floor. Francesca commented:"Your wife is beautiful.""Yeah, not bad.""I couldn't see her well on the wedding day, I was too far back, but she doesn't seem as childish as you say," she spoke thoughtfully."Well, she is, I assure you. You're not jealous, are you?" he smirked."Of course not, silly. I'm looking forward to having someone to share the responsibility of taking care of you," she said, playfully hitting his shoulder."You're my favorite girl, and no woman in my life will make me stop loving you,
Chapter 9 - Irrational Desire"You're a box of surprises... Brenda Harper," Giovanni said with a hoarse voice, swallowing hard."I'm just practical," she shrugged. "I didn't like the way people looked at me, as if they pitied me."He chuckled, needing to lean against the wall for a moment as a sudden dizziness washed over him."Let me take you to bed..." he requested without thinking."Excuse me?" Brenda's heart skipped a beat.Giovanni smiled, despite the unintended implication of what he had said. It hadn't been intentional, but he found the girl's reaction quite amusing."You're about to fall...""I can do it myself."Despite her words, she stumbled again, and Giovanni caught her in his arms, ending up even closer to her than they had been on the dance floor."Are you sure?" he raised an eyebrow, looking at her teasingly. "Let's suppose I believe you, what will you do when you smash your pretty face against the floor?""That'll be my problem," she snapped, annoyed, and Giovanni mov
Chapter 10 - A Special GiftBrenda remained somewhat uneasy about Giovanni, but even though she didn't understand the reason, she decided to put that aside.The important thing now was to focus on her studies and not on the stupid dreams she occasionally had.That night, as she was going to bed, Giovanni surprised her with some news that made her very happy."Tomorrow I'm going on a trip. I'll be away for a few days."Brenda wondered if it was for work or pleasure, but either way, she would enjoy the house peacefully.She could stop wearing the dreadful nightgown that smelled of mothballs and dress comfortably, without fearing that he would see her in skimpy clothing.Although the truth was that she had never intended to overstep boundaries or even hinted at anything. She had simply installed the lock he himself had bought at her request, adding afterwards that she hoped she wouldn't get sick with him asleep, because he would either have to let her die inside... or drag her out the w
Chapter 11 - Too close Brenda got out of bed like every day and stepped into the shower. The sheets had stuck to her a bit, and she was running very short on time.The night before, she had taken a long time to fall asleep because she had heard Giovanni awake until very late. He had been working in his office until the early hours of the morning, and she couldn't sleep peacefully until she felt him asleep.Even though in the month she had been there, he had never tried anything other than teasing her on any occasion he could, she still didn't trust that he didn't want to claim some kind of sexual relationship.She felt especially tense when he returned early from work and realized he hadn't been with Francesca. On the days he returned after dinner, which had happened two or three times, she slept better.The previous night, she had stayed awake listening to the noises and fearing to hear his steps stopping at her door or the sound of the doorknob turning, but finally she heard Giovan