Hello everyone! How are you doing? I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, we’ve had lots of awesome visitors of late haven’t we?
Well, I’m going to focus in on my latest release today, Tasty Italian.
She wanted pizza, she got love.
Fiona was bored with her life but she didn’t realise that simply deciding to visit the local Italian restaurant for dinner one night would change it forever. When she laid eyes on the fit, young Italian waiter she fell instantly in lust. Carlo returned that ardour but how could their relationship develop when he had to move back to his home in Italy?
So how about I introduce my main characters to you? Okay, here we go.
Fiona works. Alot. She’s a mid-manager in a big department store and she goes in early and often finishes late. She’s not particularly sociable, especially since she broke up with her long term partner. She has a bit of a complex about her weight, she’s curvy and she is very sensitive to the jibes she gets from subordinates. She’s a lovely lady with big dreams and aspirations but she’s just stuck in a rut and she’s too scared to try and break out of it.
Roberto owns an Italian restaurant and he loves to cook, he loves to serve good food to hungry people and he is in his element when he is entertaining. He has a warm heart, a welcoming smile and a wisdom all his own. He takes to Fiona immediately and wants to look after her. He can see that she needs a little pampering and he knows just the person to do it.
Carlo is Roberto’s nephew and he is over in the UK studying. He lives with his uncle and works in the restaurant in lieu of rent. Carlo is smooth, confident and sweet. The women customers adore him and the men don’t mind him either. He has a way with words in both his native Italian and in his well spoken English.
Carlo loves a woman with curves and he instantly appreciates Fiona’s figure. He doesn’t mind that his uncle is obviously trying to get them together, he is intrigued by Fiona and really wants to know her more.
And here’s a little excerpt featuring all three of the people you’ve just met:
“Yes, certainly. I can’t keep away.”
“Bellisimo,” he cried and leant in to kiss Fiona on both cheeks.
She responded in somewhat of a daze as she hadn’t been expecting kisses. “I shall look forward to it. Well, maybe I’ll see you next Friday, Carlo.”
“Oh, you for sure will.” He unlocked the door. “I always work here in the evenings while I live with Roberto. It’s to pay my rent, you see.”
“All right then, I’ll see you next week.”
She shuffled forwards anticipating Carlo opening the door, but he stepped back. They crashed into one another.
“Oh, sorry.” He grabbed Fiona around the tops of her arms. “I’m so clumsy.”
“No, no, it was my fault,” she replied, holding her hands in fists as she fought the urge to reach around his waist and pull him close. “I’m sorry.”
“An accident.” He grinned, then leant forward to kiss one cheek then the other.
Fiona’s skin blossomed with heat with each touch of his lips, her nostrils flared to take in his spicy, male scent and her hands trembled with withheld desire.
“See you next week, Fiona.”
She expected him to pull back away but he didn’t. His gaze focused on her lips and split seconds before he did it she realised he was going to kiss her properly. She would have panicked but she didn’t have the time so she just accepted the press of his lips against hers.
If she had thought she felt hot before she was greatly mistaken. When his lips touched hers she felt as if her body was on fire. She pressed her lips harder against his to ease the burning in her veins but a moment later he pulled back just as she expected the kiss to deepen.
“Bye,” she whispered, her voice hoarse and her throat dry. She thought that maybe Italians did two cheek kisses and a snog as a regular thing.
She didn’t expect him to shuffle closer, to push his body to hers and kiss her with a passion that blew her mind and flooded her pussy with arousal.
When he did pull away she was speechless. He just winked and guided her out of the door.
Wow. She was pretty certain that was not just a friendly kiss goodbye.
She couldn’t possibly be imagining the heat between them, could she? Fiona knew that Italian men were extravagant with their affection. Maybe he was just naturally flirtatious. Maybe the heat of the late June evening made her think crazy things.
The sun hadn’t been down for long and the stifling heat of the day still lingered. There was a light, pleasant breeze and she enjoyed the gentle caress on her bare arms as she walked down the street to her car. She rarely got time to enjoy the short English summer as she was inside the store from early morning until late at night. Not for the first time she wondered why she persisted in the job at hand and admitted to herself that if she wasn’t so worried about her bills she would have given it up months ago.
The year had been tough for Fiona though on paper it looked pretty good. She’d got her promotion and a raise, had moved to a terraced house from a flat. In reality she’d suffered from a very serious broken heart when her fiancé told her it was all over and he had found his real soul mate. He left her and flew fly half way round the world to be with some tart he’d met online. Fiona had to put the flat on the market just six weeks later. He came home to tell her that he was going to marry his new bit of fluff and move to Australia to be with her. He wanted his half of the money he’d put into their shared home in England.
The flat sold quickly. Fiona used her new managerial position to purchase a house and a hefty mortgage to go with it. She had her new start but felt lonelier than ever rattling ’round her two up two down. She worked hard to bury her emotions and most days she was asleep before she could begin to think about all the sadness she had inside. But when everything caught up with her she felt fat, unloved and alone.
She had taken forever to find someone who accepted her as she was. Steve had been her first boyfriend, her first kiss, her first everything. He saw past her dress size to the funny, sexy, bubbly woman underneath. Fiona was an upbeat girl. She didn’t let her size hold her back. She’d tell people she was happy and that diets were for losers but behind all the bravado she was just a lonely big girl with a need to feel loved and accepted just as she was.
She’d like to travel, see some of the world. Her mind flicked back to Carlo and his soft lips on hers. She wondered what visiting Italy might be like. He was going to go home at the end of term, Roberto had told her so. Maybe Carlo would take her with him, sweep her off her feet and rescue her from her mundane existence.
At first she thought that the voice calling her name was merely her imagination but on the second call she realised it was real. She stopped just before she reached her car and looked over her shoulder.
Carlo was running down the street with a small cardboard box in his hand. “Cara mia, you forgot your cake.” He panted slightly as he pushed the box into her hand.
“Oh, I did, didn’t I? I’m sorry. You didn’t need to chase after me, though.” She turned to unlock her car.
“No, I had to. Roberto ordered it so, but also I wanted to speak to you.”
“Oh yes?” She dropped the cake box into her car with her handbag without caring where they landed. What did you want to tell me?”
“I wanted you to know that the words I spoken earlier were really real, not just Italian hot air. I think you are so very beautiful and I would like to know more of you.”
“Oh.” She was lost for words. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell him to kiss her, to ravage her right there but her mouth just wouldn’t work.
“Fiona?” He put his hand on her arm, “Are you all right? I can go if you’re not, how do you say? If you do not want me.”
“No, Carlo, no.” She took a shuddering breath. “It’s not that, I do want you. I do, I’m surprised to hear you say it.”
“I must be losing my touch,” he said as he stepped closer to her. “I was trying my best to seduce you.”
“I, well…yes. Mmm.” Fiona struggled to think, but he stood so close to her that she swore she could hear his heartbeat.
Then she realised it was her own. Before she could formulate a sentence he reached around and rested his hand on her back. She tipped back her head to look up into his face.
His lips lowered to hers.
The kiss was not as she had imagined, but was twice as hot and a million times more intense. He tasted of strong coffee and mellow sweet cheesecake, a perfect combination.
To find out what happens to Carlo and Fiona pick up Tasty Italian from Total-E-Bound!
