Chapter six

Alessandro knew that Tanaka figured out he would not drop the subject, she let out a breath and started, “when I finished college I went to work for this senator back home and he treated me like I was his assistant and not a qualified interpreter or translator. He had me get his coffee, sweep his office and organise his schedule. Oh and guess what? He did have an assistant to help him with all those things, it turns out she was his niece so he let her get off easily. I was miserable but I needed the money so I stayed for another year. It wasn’t until he tried to get his hands in my pants while I was sweeping that I knew I had to leave. Alessandro felt a level of anger he did not understand rising inside of him, “he did what?” “He tried to rape me, I am so grateful that he did not manage to do it.” She had a faraway look on her face as she talked. “His niece came into the room as he was about to do the deed and she pushed him away.” Then her face suddenly came back to life, “You know now that I think of it I did not even cry about this.” I remember punching him when I stood up from the floor and two teeth falling out. Then he had the audacity to say he would report me to the police. She gave an empty laugh. The niece threatened to expose him over the other girls he had succeeded to rape in the past” “I am sorry I forced you into talking about this Tanaka. I had no idea.” He felt like a piece of crap for this, it was too early in their relationship to be going this deep. And what relationship was he referring to?

She broke into his thoughts “It’s alright Alessandro, I could have chosen not to talk about it but I did.” The oven dinged giving her a chance to change the topic. “Let us eat!” Alessandro failed to dial down the anger he was feeling. He watched her walk around, setting the table and taking the dishes to the table over the other side of the kitchen. He knew he should be helping her but he could not stop looking at her. He admired her strength. She had not been raped but almost getting raped could still affect a person, but here she was happy and independent.

“Come on Alex let us eat.” He stood up and walked over to the table where she was holding out a chair for him. “That is the first time you have called me Alex.” He was now standing so close to her he could feel her breath on him. She looked up at him with her ample lips parted open. He stared at those lips, they looked so delicious and capable. “I like how it sounds coming from those lips.” All she managed was an “Oh” and her eyelids flattered like the princesses he saw in his niece’s cartoon movie. He realized she did not even know what she was doing to him, the havoc she was causing inside of him with her scent, her voice, her hips and her lips she was oblivious to it. What was he going to do with this woman?

The way Alessandro had said that it was the first time she had called him Alex had been low and husky, so sensual. Or maybe her mind had made it up to sound how she wanted it to sound. But then he had come and stood so close to her and her heartrate had spiked up she had started to breathe so shallow. She tried with all she had to ignore the virile beard stubble coating his jaw. It made him look savage and that added to his beauty. He stared at her lips like he was going to bend down and kiss her. The disturbing effect of his riveting gaze made her paralysed on spot. How she had almost prayed for him to kiss her. Her eyes had fluttered of their own accord.

“I never noticed, is it really the first time I have called you that?” She tried to sound casual but it just wasn’t working, she was too flushed and hot. She just hoped he did not hear it in her voice. “Yes, you always call me Alessandro and even that sounds beautiful coming out of your mouth.” She bit her lip and gave a small nervous laugh. “I will call you Alex more often then. Sit” she ordered. She stood above him as she dished him a very generous serving of rice and the side dish with a small salad, then she did the same for her only her quantity was nowhere near as large as his. She walked over to the other side of the table and sat down. “This looks delicious,” he said in his deep voice. “It is,” she said so sure of herself. “bon appétit” she said while raising her glass of water. They ate in comfortable silence.

“That was the best home cooked meal I have had in years”, Alessandro announced holding his flat toned stomach. “Tanaka gave him a huge smile and said thank you. She stood up to take the dishes. “Here let me do that for you, why don’t you sit down and let me take care of the dishes. “But I can’t let you do that; you are my guest.” “Who just showed up unannounced at eight pm. The least I can do is clean your kitchen. She handed the plates she was holding over to him, “fine I will watch you.” That would be a pleasure he said while rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. He noticed her watching the action then she kept staring at his forearms. “What is it?” he asked her. “Nothing I think you need a little shave.” Then she burst out laughing, “I am kidding Alex. Now do the dishes please.” “Yes ma’am.”

He was enjoying this, playing house with Tanaka like this. The last time he had cleaned a kitchen was when his mother was alive, five years ago. He remembered how he had been cleaning the kitchen with her, talking and laughing and throwing soap suds at her when she had suddenly had the heart attack. He had sworn never to do dishes again. So why then was he standing at her sink by the island facing her with his hands deep in soapy water.

“What is wrong?” Tanaka asked him. Dammit he hadn’t been able to hide his emotions. This was not right at all, he always had his emotions under control nobody could read him. But he was an open book to this woman. It should have irritated the heck out of him but he seemed not to mind. “Nothing I am just thinking. The last time I did dishes was five years ago.” “That is a long time ago isn’t it?” “Yes it is” he said then he found himself continuing to speak, “It was with my mother, we were laughing and talking she threw suds at me and then a whole soap fight broke out. I had never seen her so happy. She was looking at him with a smile on her face. “Then she had the heart attack” he said without any emotion.

“Alessandro” she said on a gasp, she stood up from the stool and walked over to him. He continued speaking looking into the distance while she stood by his side. “I watched her shake uncontrollably before I realised what was happening, then I called to Nathaniel so that he could call an ambulance but it was too late. As soon as it had started it had ended.” Tanaka got Alessandro’s hands out of the sink, washed them under clean water and just held them while looking at him. His attention came back to the present and then he saw tears in her eyes. “Hey why are you crying when I am not? don’t cry okay.” He wiped a tear that had dripped down her face. Why had he told that story to her? Had it been because she had shared her story, it did not feel like that’s why he had told her. She was just easy to talk to and something had drawn him to her, to tell her. “How can I not cry when you went through something like that? I am sorry you had to go through that Alessandro.

“I still have all the memories of her and 90 percent of them are good and pleasant” he said with a smile on his face. “Let me finish doing the dishes, you just sit there. Do you want anything, a beer perhaps?” Why did it feel so comfortable sitting here in her kitchen while she cooked for him and took care of him? He needed to get out of here, why had he come visit her in the first place? And the fact that she cried so easily should have been warning enough to stay away from her. She got emotional easily and that was a mess he did no need. He should have gone straight home after visiting his aunt. She was patiently looking at him with her deep brown eyes, her hand on his forearm while waiting for an answer. Alessandro loved the contrast of their skin colours, hers chocolate brown his tanned to olive. He looked at her face, the kindness he saw there, she made the mistake of licking her lower lip while she was still staring up at his face.

“That’s it” he grunted. He assumed she had been about to say ‘what’ but his head had already lowered down to her face and he kissed her. That was not what he had been expecting, yes he had expected her lips to be soft and luscious but this was way more than he had bargained for. She tasted sweet like herself, her lips were plump and then she made another mistake of whimpering. Her hands were on her sides as he continued his assault on her lips. He knew he had to stop but something inside him would not allow it.