Page 87 of Joey

Ethan

The flight to Naples was late on Sunday afternoon, but it was only two and a half hours long. It took less time to fly to Italy than it did to drive from London to Whitby, which blew Ethan’s mind.

They grabbed their bags from the carousel and headed towards the exit when Ethan noticed a sign with Joey’s name on it. He nudged him.

“Is that for you?”

Joey glanced at it and grinned. “It is.” He tugged Ethan over in the direction of the man wearing a black suit, white shirt and black hat. “This is us.”

“Good evening, gentlemen. Signora Ginevra has sent a car for you to use throughout your stay in Italy.” The man’s English was tinted with an Italian accent, but perfect. “My name is Lorenzo. Whatever you need for your stay, please just ask.”

“Thank you, Lorenzo. That means a lot.”

“If you have everything you need, follow me,” Lorenzo said.

Ethan just gaped at the exchange and moved when Joey guided him.

“Close your mouth, Ethan. You’ll catch flies,” Joey whispered.

Ethan backhanded his chest, and Joey laughed. “Shut up. I’ve never had a chauffeur before.”

Joey slid his arm around Ethan’s shoulders and kissed his temple. “You’ll love this experience then.”

And he did. There was champagne in the car, which they cracked open when Lorenzo took them through the streets to their destination. When the car stopped, Ethan frowned, not seeing the hotel he’d booked. Joey had kept him talking throughout the journey.

“Where are we? This isn’t where I booked.”

Joey grinned. “Where we’re staying this week.”

Ethan snapped his gaze to him. “Week?”

Joey nodded and smiled. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

Lorenzo opened the doors for them, and Ethan said nothing while they took the bags into a large house. Ethan glanced around him at the open space. He could see for miles. It was stunning.

Arms came around him, and he smiled. “How did you manage to get this over on me?”

Joey chuckled. “I had help.”

“Ani,” they both said at once.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” He turned in Joey’s arms and gripped his nape. “A week?” he asked. Joey nodded. “What about the shop?”

“Well… that’s the other thing. Ani booked me a few more clients this week. Ginevra was more than happy to let people know I was here, so I thought it would be nice to extend our holiday. This place,” he gestured to the house, “belongs to a tattoo artist friend of mine, Rocco. He’s on holiday in Australia right now, but he let us use his house instead of a hotel. I even have free rein with his tattoo room and supplies.”

Ethan chuckled at Joey’s excitement. “That’s why you didn’t bring much with you.”

Joey nodded. “No point when it’s already here.” He lowered his head. “I need to practise with his tools. How about we get your tattoo done?”

Ethan bit his lip. He wanted it done, but he was still nervous. “Yes.”

Joey kissed him, exploring his mouth beneath the warmth of the sun, in full view of anyone who was passing, and Ethan couldn’t care less. A week in Italy was just what they needed.

An hour later, Ethan entered Rocco’s tattoo room. It was a lot bigger than Joey’s, not that he was comparing.

“So, I’ve been thinking about the design, and this is what I’ve come up with.” Joey placed a sheet of paper on the table, and Ethan stared down at it.

“That’s the Claddagh symbol,” he said.

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