"I'm sooo bored. Why did Dad make us come on this trip to Rome if we're not allowed to go out of the hotel on our own? We've been here before and we're old enough to get around without needing a parent hovering over us all the time. I'd rather be enjoying a gelato by the Trevi Fountain," Saundra complained.
"You know why, but I agree with you. I tried to persuade Mom to let us stay home with Gran over spring break, but nooo! 'We're gonna miss you when you leave for college in the Fall, so we want to spend more time as a family while we can,' she said when I brought it up. Thank God I'm going to an out-of-state university. At least there, I won't have her breathing down my neck all the time," Marisa replied.
"Well, you won't be doing me any favors while you're gone. I'm going to have her undivided attention without you around to distract her, so guess who's gonna catch hell over every little thing for the next two years until it's my chance to escape from Momcatraz?" she fired back.
"Poor baby! You've had it so much easier every step of the way than I did. Who do you think she practiced on while you were being her sweet little baby? And don't even get me started on how much it sucks that every boy who asks me on a date gets the third degree from Dad and a security check that would make a proctologist envious. If we'd stayed at home, I could've snuck out and had a real date with Bobby, if you know what I mean. Instead, I'll have to find a handsome Italian guy to take his place," she teased.
"I swear to God, if you sneak out and leave me behind, I'll tell on you so fast you won't make it down the block, so don't even think about it," Saundra promised her.
"Oh, come on Sis, you know I'm not serious. I'd never get to the elevator down the hall with Dad's security detail watching, especially when we travel out of the country like this. Doesn't mean I can't dream about it though," Marisa sighed.
"I'm still bored," her sister said again.
"Look, we've got the private tour of the Coliseum tonight with some of the other diplomat families while Dad's at the summit with the European ambassadors. I guess a local businessman arranged it in appreciation for getting awarded a contract for something. If we're lucky, there'll be some cute guys on the tour, and think of the fun we could have with them in those dark passageways if we slipped away from the group," Marisa said mischievously.
"Do you ever stop thinking about boys and getting laid? I swear you'll be a lot easier to live with when some guy finally takes your cherry. You'll stop obsessing about it all the time and I won't have to listen to you fingering yourself in the shower anymore. You're pretty loud you know," Saundra said, quickly ducking the pillow that sailed toward her head.
"You think I don't know why your bed squeaks so much after your light goes out every night? You're not very quiet either. I've seen you staring at Malique during lacrosse games, especially when he takes his shirt and chest pad off after the game. He's a fine specimen to be sure, but he's a senior and out of your league, Sis," Marisa retorted with a laugh and caught the returning pillow easily.
"Come on, let's get out of the room and swim a few laps in the pool before dinner. I think we both need to exercise some of this frustration away," Saundra suggested as she started undoing her jeans.
Marisa knew her sister was more right than she realized. Bobby was a senior in her English class at the prep academy they attended. He'd personally invited her to his 18th birthday party a month ago, but her parents had said no when they found out his parents were going to be out of town. She tried to argue that she was already an adult and shouldn't need their permission, but they came back with the 'my house, my rules' reply that infuriated her so. Nevertheless, they'd become an item. The school was strict with interactions between students, both in and out of the classroom, but there were ways to avoid the staff long enough to sneak a few puffs of a cigarette or a passionate kiss. She and Bobby had taken advantage of such opportunities multiple times over the past month. The stolen kisses had eventually turned into tentative touches, and lately, open groping of each other's body.
She felt herself become wet as she remembered the one time he'd been especially bold and reached under her uniform skirt and inside her panties. The touch of his fingers there had been exhilarating and unlike anything she'd experienced on her own, which is why she thought of that feeling every morning in the shower while masturbating. She hadn't worked up the courage yet to touch Bobby in the same way, but he seemed to enjoy her hand rubbing him through his trousers as much as she did. She fantasized about what he'd actually look and feel like wrapped in her hand. She had hoped to find out this week, and perhaps even more, if she'd been able to persuade her mother to let them stay at home. She sighed in frustration and finished putting on her swimsuit.
The laps in the pool had indeed exhausted some of their pent-up energy and they were now resting on deck chairs warming in the sun. A young man in his early twenties came through the changing room door and dropped his towel near them. Both girls watched him adeptly slice through the water for the next several minutes and paid particular attention to the bulge in his Speedo as he finally came out of the water to lie on his back on his towel, his hands behind his head. Marisa felt herself getting aroused again and decided to take a chance.
"You must be a competitive swimmer. I mean, the way you make those turns at the wall and your strokes are quite good," she said to him.
She mentally kicked herself for making such a lame comment. She'd wanted to sound older, but that really did come out sounding like something a teenager would say. Instead of the bland response she'd expected, he turned his head toward her voice and opened his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when he smiled as if it wasn't a silly thing to say at all.
"I was while in high school, but since joining the Navy, my swimming is competitive in a completely different way. I don't get to focus on these particular skills unless I'm on my own time, like now. Are you here on vacation?" he asked.
"Yep, Dad's here for work, but it's our spring break, so we get to tag along and have fun," Saundra interjected to annoy her sister and avoid being left completely out of the conversation.
"I'm Thomas by the way, and I'm here for work as well. Mostly it's the kind of job where I spend a lot of time waiting for orders, so I try to stay busy with swimming and other exercise. If I have the time while I'm in town, which sights do you suggest I visit first?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Marisa.
"I'm Marisa and this is my sister Saundra. Well, you can't turn a corner in Rome without seeing something that's centuries old, and everything has some historical or artistic significance it seems, so I guess it depends on what you're looking for," she said, with the implication that she wasn't referring to sightseeing anymore.
"We're visiting the Colosseum tonight, but it's a private party," Saundra offered smugly.
Just then the alarm on his watch buzzed and he sighed.
"Time to report in. You'll have to let me know what you think of the place next time we run into each other. Hopefully, that'll be soon," Thomas smiled as he looked directly at Marisa.
"Talk about out of your league! Do you seriously think you have a chance with someone older like him?" Saundra asked once they were alone again.
"I might if you stop butting in all the time. He's probably only 2-3 years older than me, which doesn't matter as much for me as it does for you. I'm 18 and you're still 15, little sister. He didn't seem to have a problem with the age difference, so stay out of my business or I'll tell Mom that it was you who...," she replied, but was quickly cut off by Saundra making a zipping gesture across her closed lips.
- -
Their SUV pulled to the curb in front of the Colosseum just before 8pm. The female protection officer exited the vehicle and scanned the area before opening the rear passenger door next to the sidewalk so the girls and their mother Connie could get out. The driver watched as the four entered the building, then drove to a staging area nearby to wait with the other security vehicles.
Dinner had been eaten sitting outside a restaurant down a narrow alley with cars passing just a few feet behind them. Marisa's father finally set down his fork and excused himself after telling them to enjoy the tour and that he'd see them at the hotel later. As his protection detail drove him away, she wondered at the odd premonition she suddenly felt. It was vague, but she didn't like the way it made her feel. However, it was soon forgotten when the waiter asked them about dessert a couple of minutes later.
Their previous visit a few years ago had been during the morning and Marisa was surprised at how different everything looked with the setting sun casting shadows everywhere. The attendees had split into small groups, each with their own guide to explain the history of what they were seeing, and Marisa found herself actually interested in what they were saying this time. Their guide was talking about the underground passageway the gladiators would take from their nearby barracks which allowed them to enter the building unseen by the crowd until they took an elevator to the arena floor above. There was sudden movement as a small canister rolled past her legs and began hissing as smoke poured from an opening on one end. Her vision immediately went blurry and the last thing she saw before crumpling unconscious to the ground was a group of figures wearing gas masks approaching from the passageway she had just learned about.
Consciousness slowly returned and the first thing Marisa felt was a pounding headache. The second feeling was a rope binding her hands in front of her and a gag in her mouth, which immediately made her forget the headache. She looked wildly around and saw the other members of her group sitting on a rough stone floor with their backs against the walls of a small room with only a couple of small windows near the ceiling to provide light. It was bright daylight streaming into the room, so she guessed it was at least the next day. A small amount of relief came when she saw both her mother and sister, bound as she was, but seemingly unharmed. Neither appeared awake yet. Their security officer was not in the room, however. She didn't know the woman well, but hoped she was all right even though a part of her suspected otherwise. She wanted to cry, but the shock of the situation was still too overwhelming to grasp completely.
