Page 15 of Giovanna

Mum frowns at me over Dad’s shoulder and in response, I bend over and wiggle my arse into Massimo’s crotch. He plays along, slapping it and we burst out laughing.

He’s right, it is hard to be sad when you’re dirty dancing.

My hair is damp on the base of my head and there is a sheen of sweat on Massimo’s forehead. I wrap my arms around his neck and, drunk and emotional, tell him I love him.

“Love you too, Cheska. Always.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you. I pretty much hate the rest of the world.”

“Me too. Always me and you, girl.” He grins as we sway together.

“The two secondi mafia brats.”The second course.

We dance for so long that we avoid having to socialise with anyone else. We are still dancing when we look around and see that the only people left are members of our Marino and Rossi families.

Eventually, my parents leave without me, and Sandy and Peta disappear up to bed. I roll my eyes as I see Elio attempt to discreetly shepherd a peroxide blonde up to his wing of the house.

We all see them tiptoeing upstairs and I’m not jealous, but I am embarrassed. It would have been nice if he could have shown me the respect of not getting his dick wet at our engagement party.

“Hey Ches,” Massimo’s eyes are twinkling mischievously. “Last one in the pool is a rotten egg.” He pauses, challenging me with a raised eyebrow. Being a ‘rotten egg’ was a terrible fate when we were kids.

I hold one finger up to him and quickly unbuckle the straps on my heels, kicking them under a coffee table. “Ready?”

“Set,” Massi grins, crouching like he is about to take part in the Olympic 100-metre race.

“Go!” We both shout and take off toward the pool. Elbows fly as we dodge furniture, the sounds of my squeals filling the room.

Massimo pulls ahead and reaches the glass doors before me and it looks like my chances of victory are dashed.

“Ouch! Shit!” I cry out and grab my foot. Massimo stops immediately looking back to check I’m okay.

“I think I rolled my ankle,” I say as I hop toward him. He reaches out and lets me lean on him and as he focuses on my foot I quickly jump out of his reach, dash through the door, sprint the ten metres or so to the edge of the pool, and perform an elegant dive.

The water is cold, but not uncomfortably so. It’s refreshing and I relish the thrill of jumping into the pool wearing my mother’s expensive dress.

I hear a large splash somewhere nearby as I surface and I wait for Massi to appear.

“Ahahaha! Sucker!” I tease him.

“Come on, that was just bad sportsmanship,” he protests. “I can’t believe I fell for that basic shit.

“What is wrong with you two?” Matteo calls out as he and Giovanna wander over to us. They’re both shaking their heads.

“Jump in,” Massimo challenges them.

Giovanna takes a swig of her beer. “Uh, no.”

She is stunning with her serious expression and that slightly-quirked dark brow.

“Why not?” I’m doggy paddling to stay afloat but my dress is so tight around my thighs that it’s increasingly difficult. I bet I look like a drowning chihuahua.

“Why not?” Gio repeats with a frown. “Well, because I don’t want to.”

“But why? I’m genuinely curious. When was the last time you did something silly?” I poke my tongue out and chuckle to let her know I’m just teasing, but she stops, clearly thinking about what I’ve just said. Then, without responding she kicks off her brogues, chucks her blazer on the outdoor sofa, and leaps over my head into the pool.

Massimo roars with laughter. “How did you manage to get her to do that?”

I just wink in response and turn to Matteo. “Your turn, Matty. Don’t be a Nigel-no-mates.”

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