17. Josephine

17

JOSEPHINE

" A re you sure you don't mind keeping him for a few days?" I ask Monique as we rearrange the living room in her one-bedroom apartment. Jett's bouncing off the walls with a cotton candy slushie in his hand which is turning his lips blue.

"I swear, Jo, if you ask me one more time…" She giggles. "I need the distraction after getting stood up by Ronan, the studly doctor."

"I thought he had to remove a bullet from someone? That's not exactly ghosting you."

"I think he made that up to sound like a tough guy because who calls a doctor to have a bullet removed in the middle of the afternoon? Besides, watching Jett gives me a reason to be active. I don't want to baby this sprain."

"You don't have to rush it, either. I have Luca adding you into the budget for childcare, and once we fix the script, I can get him to write in a role for you."

She lets out a sigh of relief. "That would be great. What are you changing about the script?"

"This Cadence the Siren character is a predator. She assaults and murders men endlessly for no reason other than she's sick of men after being alive for over a century."

She chuckles softly. "So, I'm guessing she'd choose the bear."

"Don't start. I'm serious. I want to change her character into someone deeper, empathetic, compassionate. I want it to be about more than revenge. I suggested the main male lead is a siren but doesn't know it. He sings a death song which lures Cadence to him and when she tries to understand and then help him, he refuses."

"Oh, so she's going to assault him with assistance? Way deeper, Jo," Mojo scoffs with a roll of her eyes. "I love you, but you have a tendency to turn every role you land into you instead of you transforming into the character."

"What? No, I don't."

She plops a pile of linens and pillows onto the sofa that pulls out into a bed and sits down, propping her foot up to keep the pressure off it. "Why can't Cadence be a serial killer who assaults her victims? It's a horror film that's going straight to streaming."

"Just because it isn't heading to theaters worldwide doesn't mean we can't make it into an award-winning project."

"Jo. I'm not saying you can't do that. I'm saying you don't have to. I think you're so uncomfortable with Cadence not taking any shit because you put up with the most insane bullshit from Duke. I think you should tweak the story if it's necessary, but use this role to dig in and find a deeper part of yourself. Stop being scared, Jo, and take what you want, like Cadence."

"So—"

She cuts me off with a smirk. "No, don't kill and assault people. Look where assaulting Duke got me. A swollen ankle and stood up by a hot doctor. I want you to do things that make you uncomfortable, to challenge yourself."

The sound of Jett rummaging through her closet of outdoor equipment pulls us from our conversation. She goes into babysitting mode while I'm left to stew over her words. Am I really trying to change the story written for this film because I'm uncomfortable taking charge?

I don't want to murder anyone, yet I can't help but remember how good my first time with Luca felt. The idea of him being helpless did something to me that I can't shake and this role forces me to look at a side of myself I didn't know I've been hiding from.

After dinner with Jett and Mojo, I make my way to the house on the cliff. Guilt wrestles with my excitement because I don't want to put him out. I don't want to mess with Duke popping up at my house, either.

Shit. I need to warn Collin that me and Jett won't be home for a few days. I'm sure he'll be too busy dealing with his suspension to notice it. Maybe he can use the peace and quiet to reflect on making better choices for himself.

By the time I arrive at Luca's house, there's a voicemail message waiting for me on my phone. It details how to get inside his garage and the main house with breathtaking views of the bay. I can't believe people actually live in homes like this. He gets to wake up to this view every day.

My heart races as I walk through the kitchen toward the elevator which takes me down to the lowest level of the three-floor home. The doors open into a hallway where the first door to my right is open to the guest bedroom. I leave my bags in there before going to search for Luca.

The short hallway stops with a door in front of me that leads to the weight training room and pool, with another door on the right that's open into his bedroom. There's an array of suits and other clothes on his bed as if he's packing to go on a trip.

"Luca?" I call out before stepping inside his bedroom. Flashes of him on his hands and knees ignite a fire inside my body as Mojo's words ring through my head.

Challenge yourself.

I can take what I want. I can stand up for myself. I don't need to change Cadence's character. I need to be more like her.

"I've had some ideas about the script changes," I call out, but still no response.

The soft slap of arms hitting water bring me through his room and out to the balcony that shares a pool with the weight training area next to it. Luca's moving through the water like a missile. Smooth, controlled strokes show off the muscles in his back, rippling beneath the pool's surface.

I can watch him like this all day, but I don't have to as he emerges from the clear water with the pinkish hue of the sunset dancing across the sky. It's beautiful. He's beautiful.

Beads of water cascade down his muscular frame. The power of Luca's arms and legs steal my attention until my eyes trace his sexy physique up to his face. It has an oddly familiar injury to it. He's got a fresh bruise under his eye and new scrapes to his knuckles.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, grabbing a towel off a nearby bench to hand to him.

"I'm fine."

"Are you going to let me patch you up?" I ask him.

"I swear I'm okay, Jo. I needed the swim to burn off some stress. I'll be out of your hair in a minute. I'm going to put a bag together and you can settle in." There's something distracting him, irritating him, but that's to be expected, considering he's been in another fight.

"Luca, it's ridiculous for you to leave your home. Stay here with me. We can work on the script." It's clear my words help shift his energy as he takes a few steps closer to me, backing me into his bedroom.

Luca uses the towel to dry the excess water dripping off his hair, his body. I find myself moving closer to him, running my hand down his chest as my core heats with desire. Mojo's words continue to echo through my mind.

Take what you want. Make yourself uncomfortable. Challenge yourself.

"What would you like to change first, Josephine?" he asks, seduction riddles his words.

"That you're wet and I'm not." The words come out of me as I peel out of my clothes until I'm naked in front of him. I stroll past Luca, letting my hair trickle down my back as I step into the pool before lowering myself under the surface.

The water is warm, but the coolness of the night breeze makes my nipples perk as I stand up to see the pool's only about four feet deep. My arms sway, weightless in the water until I hear the sleek sound of Luca diving into the pool. He's like a shark, ominous in his approach as he holds his breath, moving under the surface until he's near my legs.

Luca breaks the surface in front of me, with my back against the side of the pool. He leans down to kiss me. As our mouths collide, the energy between us is in agreement to shed the stress of this day. His hand slips between my thighs, stroking between the slits of my sex while his tongue circles mine.

My breathing quickens when Luca pulls away from the kiss, a devious smile on his lips and he lowers his face to my breasts. He uses one hand to finger my pussy while the other pinches and squeezes my nipple. Pleasure explodes from every spot he touches, caresses, and licks.

The softness of his tongue's surface as he devours my nipple draws a moan of anticipation from my throat.

"You don't have to be quiet out here, Jo. No one can hear us. Let go." He tells me in a brief gap between sucking my nipple and moving his mouth back onto my body. He kisses along my neck, creating a path for his tongue up to my ear where he nips at my lobe.

Luca moves his mouth back to mine, positioning himself between my legs where I reach down to grab his erection. He's hard, and getting harder with every stroke of my hand over his shaft. He whispers in my ear. "If you want it, take it, Jo."

The encouragement is all I need to hike my leg around his waist, pushing my pussy against the throbbing head of his cock. When he slides inside me with ease, it feels right, like home. The warm water cocoons us, splashing between our bodies as Luca's movements sway it like a soft breeze.

It's slow going at first until we both get into it. Our passion collides like our mouths. Kissing and grabbing, I run my fingers through his hair, yanking his head back as his hands grip my pelvis to move me in a rhythm to match his own.

In and out.

Up and down.

The smoothness of his shaft gliding in and out of me, pushes me over the edge of ecstasy. I fall into bliss, into a melody of our bodies being perfectly in tune with one another. I love the way he feels inside me. Every inch belongs to me.

Our kiss syncs with his thrusts as the splashing water becomes more violent. Waves explode around us, drenching the platform beside the pool as Luca's strokes lose their tenderness. I want him to use me and he does. The slow thrust is now a passionate pounding into my walls until I'm certain my juices of satisfaction coat him.

My moans morph into unbridled yelps, loud as my mind tries to wrap itself around how easily Luca can coax an orgasm out of me. One, two, three… My walls clench as my clit tries to explode with the feeling of pleasure pulsating through my body.

My nails claw at Luca's back and he pulls me away from the wall. We swirl in the water with my legs around his waist and his cock fully seated inside of me until we on the other side of the pool which overlooks the beach and water below. He pulls himself out of me to turn me around, fucking me from behind while I enjoy the view.

One of his hands holds me steady while the other moves my hair to one side for him to kiss my neck. That hand drops to rub my clit while he drills his cock deep inside me.

In and out.

My pulse races with enjoyment, tension, another orgasm on the brink of consuming me. When suddenly a thought intrudes on this moment of sexual bliss. I push away from the wall and let myself sink under the surface. Luca has no choice but to follow me where our kiss under the surface signals this can't last long.

Holding my breath, I slide him back inside of me, taking control as I push myself to straddle him. I ride Luca, using his cock to bring me to heights of pleasure that are dangerous as I breach the surface, but Luca remains under.

I can see the grin on his face through the water as he moves me back and forth over his erection. My hand reaches down to hold the back of his neck and bring him to the surface. He takes a gasp of air before letting himself sink back under.

Luca pulls his erection out of me, replacing it with his mouth as he uses his tongue to flick across my pulsing nub to bring me to another orgasm. He slips his thumb into my entrance while his middle finger rims my other entrance. When the digit slides easily into my ass, I have a convulsing climax that shakes my body as he fingers me in both entrances.

Luca comes up for air, still fingering me. He moves his hand to slide his cock back inside me with his middle finger still thrusting in and out of my ass. His back is against the edge of the pool as one of his hands spreads my ass to give his hand enough room to finger it. The thrusts of his cock and finger tear a yell out of my throat I try to silence with a kiss.

Luca moves away. "No, sweet Josephine. Let me hear how good I make you feel. Come for me. Come all over this cock, Jo."

His words are quiet but demanding, forcing me to oblige as my body tenses. My walls tighten around him as I let out another groan and grunt of satisfaction. The water splashes as he picks up his rhythm, bringing him to his own climax a few moments later.

When he slips out of me, we're both panting as if we swam a hundred laps. The water is so heavy around me. My body feels full all over. I’m sated and the stress of the day has been thoroughly sexed out of my limbs.

Eventually, we leave the pool and settle into the kitchen to pick through the food he brought home. There are burgers, fries, steak, vegetables, and a few different salad choices.

"I can have pasta brought in or if you don't mind waiting, I can cook something for you."

"This is all fine. I can have the steak with steamed vegetables. What I want you to do, Luca, is tell me about your black eye."

"I had a run in with one of Vito's goons after work. He hit me from behind and when I turned, he got off a clean shot." Luca tells me as he gingerly touches the spot under his eye.

"A random guy showed up in the parking lot and hit you for no reason? This is why they choose the bear," I mumble to myself, thinking of Mojo.

"There's a reason. Vito decided not to share it with me. If I had to guess, he's upset they didn't get to take a crack at me earlier."

"What is it between you and that Vito guy? What happened? He claims you stole one of his actresses."

Luca shakes his head. "Piece of shit. I didn't steal one of his actresses. I rescued my mother."