Can I just say my editors rock, thanks to MisterNik and VMC312 for really going the extra distance on this, I've exchanged so many emails with them both these last few days.
For this installment Literotica author Always_Yes has played a cameo role as beta reader, and her input has also been extremely useful. In the unlikely event you haven't already read her stuff you should, it's awesome.
Again I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, I shall endeavour to be more timely in the future.
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It was Friday, and after work Andrea was flying to Milan to spend the weekend with Stephano. She was both excited and anxious: it was the longest time she had gone without seeing him - nearly a month, she was missing him more than she cared to admit. She didn't like missing him; it made her feel vulnerable.
Sophia was spending the weekend with Andrea's mum Delores, who was picking her up from school. Her parents had split up when she was about the same age as Sophia was now. Despite this Andrea had always felt a tacit disapproval from her mother about what had happened between her and Sophia's father Joe. As though somehow it was her fault that he'd left, and if she had been a better girlfriend, more devoted to him, then he would never have started using drugs. But they had never talked about it, and although Andrea sometimes resented her, she also understood the underlying reasons behind it. Over the years she had grown to appreciate how much her mum was a victim of her own strict upbringing; a very traditional Catholic family in a tiny Spanish village. Her mother was supportive in other ways: she'd been happy to look after Sophia when Andrea initially began working part time again.
So although Andi didn't feel entirely comfortable about asking her mother to look after Sophia so she could go and spend the weekend in Milan with a man, she felt more comfortable doing that than taking Sophia with her. She wanted to spend more time getting to know Stephano before she would consider inviting him to become a more regular fixture in Sophia's life.
The day dragged by slowly, probably because she was nervous and distracted. It wasn't the first time Andrea had left Sophia overnight, not by any stretch, but she was worried about being so far away from her. She was worried that if something happened she wouldn't be able to get back to her quickly enough. She was still nervous after the fire.
It had been almost a month. Although their time together had sometimes been fleeting, they'd never gone this long without seeing each other. Recently he'd been too busy with work in Milan to come to London even briefly. She still wasn't sure what he did exactly, something in finance. They hadn't talked about it again since that day on the beach. It hardly mattered anymore, it wouldn't change anything. She trusted him. She still felt a surge of fear and gratitude every time she remembered that day.
Andrea hadn't flown very often, and when she had it had always been with a budget airline. This time she was flying with BA. Stephano had paid for the flight, something she had initially refused but she couldn't afford to spend that sort of money. He reasoned that they could only see each other if she came to him and she couldn't argue with that.
She'd bought some new clothes, although she couldn't really afford those either. As she sat on the plane, she worried about them not being appropriate; she couldn't afford to buy designer labels, she worried about not being able to meet his expectations, she worried about all of it.
As the plane started to descend, Andi felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter even more. The older lady sitting next to her noticed her obvious anxiety but mistook it for fear of flying and took her hand, smiling reassuringly.
"I hate landing, too."
She smiled gratefully back at the woman even though she was way off the mark Andrea was still comforted by the gesture.
He was waiting by the arrivals gate. Her breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of him. He seemed impossibly good looking, more handsome even than her memories of him. She could see, even from a distance, a familiar intensity in his eyes as he watched her approach.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to wait ages for my luggage." She said, when she was close enough to be heard. She was babbling, but he didn't seem register her words, he was just staring at her fixedly.
He strode determinedly towards her. Taking her bag and resting it on the ground beside them, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, kissing her urgently, pressing himself up against her. She needed to stand on her toes to meet his lips as her hands travelled upwards, clutching handfuls of his hair. She was assailed by the familiar scent of him, and desire tore through her like a freight train. Momentarily she lost all awareness of her surroundings as she was just swept away by him and the havoc he was wreaking on her hormones.
Eventually reality started to creep back in, she pulled back and glanced around the busy airport nervously. As she had feared people were watching their reunion, mostly with bemused expressions. As she felt a predictable blush creep across her skin she tried to convince herself that it didn't matter, that she was never going to see any of these people again.
Seeming to read her thoughts, he picked up her bag and grabbed her by the hand, leading her to his car. It was a red convertible. Small, nippy, and different as could be from the sleek black vehicle she had grown used to seeing him with in London. It seemed frivolous and boyish in comparison. She climbed in and he handed her the baseball cap that was sitting on the dashboard.
"For your hair."
She grinned at him shyly as she pulled it on.
She tried to take in her surroundings as they travelled through the city but the air between them seemed electric. His close proximity in the tiny car was distracting, and his arm brushed her whenever he shifted gears. Watching him drive was so very erotic; he handled the car with supreme confidence. His control was absolute - with every touch, the car responded swiftly to his command. She was so desperate for him right then that she would have found anything he did sexy. He seemed to be completely lost in driving, completely focused on the road. She felt an unwelcome tinge of self-doubt.
Milan was much bigger than she'd imagined and it felt to her like they were driving towards the centre. Finally they reached a big modern apartment block overlooking a canal, pulling into an underground car park beneath the building. As they travelled up in the lift he stood distractingly close to her; close but not touching, staring straight ahead silently. They reached the very top of the building before the doors finally opened.
She wasn't sure what she had been expecting when they arrived, but it was a surprisingly modest apartment. The open plan living space was larger than her entire flat, but it wasn't ostentatious. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the huge windows that spanned an entire wall and the balcony beyond them with a small table, and the view, the unbelievable view.
She wandered forwards, captivated by the spectacular city spread out below them. She could see a cathedral, big and imposing as it dominated the skyline. Beneath them was the canal she'd briefly spotted earlier, its banks dotted with little bars, restaurants, and shops.
