"I don't see why you two cannot be together, Eve," Pepa finally says, and I raise my eyes to her just to see the most honest expression she ever had. "Eve, your parents shouldn't be the ones to decide for you. Not anymore. If you both feel the same why the hell not?"

"You think?" I ask full of hope and grateful that there is at least one person around me who thinks that Enzo and I are not some abominable results of our sick desire for one for the other and we can give ourselves the chance to live our passion or... God knows what it's going to be.

I dream of him as my boyfriend. I fancy him as the man to finally have me the way I desire.

I knew he was the one from the moment his hands wrapped around me in the airport.

In just a few hours my entire life turned in a way I would have never imagined, and I was eager for that life, I longed for it as a baby child longs for his mother's breast so it can feed and grow strong and healthy.

Pepa cups my cheek with one hand and shifts my eyes towards her stare.

"What I think is that you should take it easy on yourself. And allow yourself to be happy. And if that means being with Enzo... so be it," she says confidently and shrugging her shoulders. "And I also think you need a night out. And a drink. Which is exactly what we're going to do tonight."

Oh, I need a crazy night out! And a drink. Something to make me numb, like a reboot of my brain, and then maybe, just maybe I'll see the things differently, maybe clearer.

Because for now, Enzo is a big no for me and a painful desire at the same time. He's the man that attracts me like no other and the one that awakens in me the need to be loved and cared for.

"Come on, let's get sexy and knock the door out," Pepa rushes me and stands up, smacking my butt lightly.

Two hours later we are both freshly showered, perfumed, dressed, and ready to go.

Unlike other times, choosing what to wear, and adding makeup and accessories to complete the outfit has been hectic and consuming.

Strange how nothing seems sexy enough for a night I'm having no expectations of. It's just a girl's night out and I truly hope a lot of booze.

I'm trying clothes for the past two hours and Pepa is shouting at me for the past one, so I just keep the last outfit I've tried, a silver short dress with a length to my mid-hip, naked back and low-cut neck, black high heels, just enough to break one's ankle, and hair arranged in perfect rings around my face, making me feel like a little girl, a perfect antagonism to my outfit.

Make-up? I've changed it three times and barely decided on just a bloody red lipstick.

"Eve, we have one before we go?" Pepa says when hearing me coming downstairs, twisting on her heels and grinning at me from the kitchen, holding two shots of whiskey in each of her hands.

I smile and move slowly towards her on a catwalk, rolling my hips and shoving my right hand in my purse from where I'm planning to take out some extra incentive for tonight.

"What?" Pepa says, gauging her eyes, and sensing that I so much have something she'll like.

I say nothing but take out one joint that I've rolled before getting out of my room and Pepa's eyes narrow in a thin line.

"You thought about everything, didn't you?" she laughs and leans comfortably against the kitchen island while I take my shot from her hand and raise it.

"To a crazy night!" I say and we both throw the burning liquid down our throats, groaning to the fire we feel all the way to the stomach.

"To a crazier future!" Pepa wishes us brewing a meaningful look in her eyes, and the second shot has the same fate.

We've spent half an hour more on the balcony of my penthouse, puffing the joint I've brought, hoping for an unbeatable mood.

The evening chill is a blessing because it helps to keep ourselves sort of... sober, building up just the perfect mood of having fun, and boy, we're totally in for it tonight.

We take a cab to the club and once we are in front of it I see Pepa walking straight to the entrance, ignoring the queue of people aligned to the right side.

She curls her arms around the neck of one of the closet-size bouncers, placing a kiss on his cheek, and the red ribbon is removed almost instantly before opening us the way in.

"Come on," she says, grabbing my hand and dragging me in, feeling as if jumping from one world to another.

The music is bouncing in my eardrums and vibrating in my chest, already making my hips roll with the rhythm.

Pepa, still holding my hand and making sure she doesn't lose me through the crowd, walks faster to cross the jammed corridor leading us to the bar, squeezing between the other people.

"Do you know the guy?" I ask while approaching the bar, still surprised by how easy we've accessed the club.

"No, but I'm damn sure he can bet he does," she replies and we both laugh out loudly, animated by her daring nature, the shots we have gulped before and the party mood already taking us over.

"Hey, handsome," Pepa says, raising a hand to the bartender.

"Hey to you too, beautiful," the guy replies, walking closer to us with a dashing smile, looking all hot and sexy.

"My friend here says she can bet you'll not guess our drinks tonight," Pepa tells him, leaning sensually over the counter and sweetly showing off her perfect teeth.

"I bet I know exactly your poison," the hot guy replies, piercing his blue eyes into mine, and sending shivers under my skin.

I blush and lower my gaze just when I hear him chuckle.

A second later he clears his throat, making me lift my eyes and meet his blue ones, staring at me, obviously flirting.

Damn! I swear I would have ended up in his bed tonight if it wasn't for Pepa, who jabbed an elbow to my ribs, snapping me out of his hypnotizing glare.

The hot bartender places in front of us four shots of tequila, salt, and slices of lemon, and Pepa grabs one as soon as they arrive.

"You're doing a great job so far," I praise him satisfied, tilting my head on the right shoulder and battering my eyelashes, lifting the first shot.

Call me whatever, high, drunk, or stupid, but I feel totally caught in the seduction of this good-looking guy, smiling diabolically sexy back at me.

I lock my eyes with him, and I smile. My cheeks are burning and true, I feel a little dizzy. Okay, I feel more than a little dizzy and the moment the handsome bartender smiles broadly at me, my thoughts freeze and stumble in the image of Enzo that has just popped up in my mind.

Happily, I'm not completely lost, so I break the eye contact, salt the base of my thumb, knock the glass with Pepa's, gulp it in one stroke, and bite the lemon.

I groan and squeeze my eyes tight, feeling the fire sliding down my throat.

Repeat. Salt, tequila, lemon, groan. Repeat.

It feels good, already tipsy and in a skyrocketing mood of shaking these curvy hips that I've brought here climbed on the highest stilettos I own.

"Come on, let's dance," Pepa shouts at me as if reading my kind and we both hit the dancing floor, music booming in the air, dancing and bouncing our hips like having no worries in the world, grinning our bodies to each other and others around.

I shake my head, kicking my curly black strands around my face, but my moves become sloppy as soon I see Jason from the corner of my eyes, somewhere next to the bar counter.

"Jason..." I whisper and my legs, having a mind of their own, take me to where Jason is standing.

I've been wanting for a few good days to talk to him and ask him why on earth he won't answer my calls, but he keeps asking Pepa about me.

I squeeze myself between people dancing till I finally reach in front of him, locking my eyes with his while he freezes in his spot when landing his eyes on me, and I can swear he has stopped breathing.

"Eve..." he mumbles and looks anxiously around as if searching for someone.

"Yes, Jason. My name is Eve. I see you still remember my name," I tell him pissed because he looks not only distant but scared as well, his eyes wandering around. "What the hell is going on, Jason? I call and you don't answer. You never call back, but you drive Pepa crazy asking about me. Why?" I speak in one breath, spilling out all the frustration I've collected not only in the past week but since we've known each other because he has always been a scared puppy.

"Eve, you know that... " he tries to justify.

"What do I know, Jason? Ha? Because until now what I seem to know is that you are too damn afraid of everything related to my family and you don't have the guts to fight for me..." I spit at him almost on the verge of crying, feeling my lips trembling already.

I don't even know why I'm having this tantrum. I don't want Jason that badly, anyway.

But he seems to be the only person who can keep me away from Enzo and Enzo away from me, and I've been planning to grab this chance with both hands before Enzo comes back into my life messing with it again.

It's two weeks since I've seen him last. He hasn't looked for me or asked about me and it's perfect this way. I'm sure that with time and having Jason around I'll forget about him. And maybe he'll travel back to Italy. Soon. Very soon.

Oh God, please make him travel back to Italy before I lose my mind and run to him.

No, I didn't look for Enzo either but couldn't resist one time and asked dad about him when I  visited my parents last week.

They told me that Enzo moved out to his own penthouse and I was so happy. I missed my dad so much.

It was such a relief to visit mom and dad without worrying about skipping heartbeats or butterflies in my stomach making me blush and sweat, much like Enzo's effect on me whenever he's around, but at the same time, with him being out of the mansion felt like a deafening void which I really didn't know how to cope with.

"We can't be together, Eve!" finally Jason shouts pulling me out of my thoughts. "We can't! Alright?! I'm not the bad boy mafia your family expects me to be. And I don't even think I want to be even if I could! I can't be a filthy mob guy just for your sake!" he spits and I stop his rattle, slapping strongly his face and jerking his head to his right side.

"My filthy mob family will always be a thousand times better than you, Jason!" I shout back and leave, twisting on my heels and distancing from him as much as I can.

So, I wasn't wrong. He was afraid of my family and I would never accept a weaker man than the ones I was used to. But hating my family! I never knew he felt that. And I never want to see his face again.

I decide to shove Jason into some hidden space of my brain and continue my fun night but his harsh words keep resounding in my ears and I swallow the sobs that threaten to ruin my night and hold back the tears forming in my eyes.

I turn towards the dance floor where Pepa is already spinning in solo dance and once I come into her view, she spreads her arms towards me, hanging herself on my neck, none of us sober enough to stand up straight.

"Eve, naughty girl, why did you pee without me?" she asks, drunker than what I would have thought she could get.

I ignore the question and take her back to the dance floor, hoping that Jason is smart enough to leave.

As soon as we're back in the middle of the people dancing I see Pepa spun by a dark-haired, tall guy wrapping his arms around her and swaying their hips together in the music's beat, while some other arms curl around me, feeling my back pressed to an iron-hard chest while one of his large palms lays flat on my navel, forcing my hips to move with the music and his own.

I smile to the comfort of the hug and raise my arms, pushing back my butt, grinning at his hard manhood that I can feel growing through the fabric of my dress.

His hot breath brushes the skin on my neck where my earlobe is, its heat making me moan.

I know these arms around me, I know this scent invading my nostrils, and I'm sure it's just my imagination and the effect of too many tequilas.

But soon my phantasy becomes real, making my breath hitch and my heart race when his words ring into my eardrums so clear as if it's the only voice in the room.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Uncle is here," he whispers, and the heat that has engulfed my body tenfolds.

"Enzo..." I breathe, while he hastily spins me around, crushing me to his chest.

One of his hands grabs the back of my neck and the other one presses my navel stronger to his hard shaft, while my eyes are in search of his, but I'm given no chance.

He deeply bows his head to reach my lips, hardly touching, breathing life into my open mouth.

I feel blissful gratitude for the touches I've longed for so much in the past days and now are rummaging all over my body.

"You look gorgeously naughty, little Eve," he says, painfully delaying the kiss I want so badly.

"Kiss me," I tell him and his mouth crashes on mine, making me moan and open the way to his tongue in search of mine.

Now, I know that four shots of tequila could have made me lose my mind and kiss the hell out of my 'uncle' but his presence in front of me did nothing but sober me up, totally aware that I've missed him like crazy and now, there is no way in hell I'll let him go.

*****
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