Mafia Desire (Erotica)

For dinner, Gabriella made a large lasagna with fresh garlic bread. Gelato for dessert if anyone had the room.

Everything was ready, and her guests would be arriving shortly. Ben had called to warn her that Hannah found out about their… physical activities and was very upset with her and Cat.

She sighed. She knew Hannah was just concerned with Ben’s well-being, but when she’d left Ben, he was looking happier and more at peace than she’d seen him in weeks. Hannah was just going to have to be convinced that what they had done was helpful, not harmful.

The doorbell rang at ten minutes to the hour, and she went to answer it. She saw Hannah’s stern face through the window. She had hoped Ben and Catherine would be here first, but… she opened the door.

“Gabriella.”© NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

“Hannah, come in, please. Let me get your coat.”

Miriam and Daniel showed up to see if it was Ben.

“Oh! Hello, Mrs. Cooper!” Miriam said happily.

“Hello, Miriam, Daniel!” the woman smiled.

“Could you two wait here for Ben and Cat and bring them to my office when they get here?” Gabriella asked her children.

“Yes, mom,” her daughter answered.

She gestured for Hannah to follow her to her office at the back of the house and closed the door behind them. The two women took seats across from each other.

Hannah seemed to be trying to get control over her emotions. Gabriella gave her the time she needed and sat quietly.

“How… I… what were you thinking?” Hannah ground out before she clamped down again. Gabriella saw the pain and anger in her face.

“While it may not seem like it from where you are right now, please know I would never do anything to hurt Ben,” she began.

Hannah gasped, and her eyes went wide as she stared at Gabriella. “Are you kidding me? The man has intimacy issues, and you and Catherine HAD SEX WITH HIM!” she yelled.

“Ben is afraid to love because he’s terrified of hurting the ones he loves. He’s afraid of driving them away. I told Ben this morning that he is loved. I love him, Catherine loves him, and Tina loves him. I know he loves us back, but he couldn’t cope with the fear of hurting one of us by showing love to any of us. His concept of love didn’t include the possibility that being loved by more than one partner could work. His experience with betrayal left him convinced that love from more than one person leads to heartbreak. We’re not insisting on exclusive relationships as that would just hurt him. Catherine is my best friend, and I love her. She loves Ben as much as I do, so I wouldn’t keep them apart! Tina needs Ben, and he’s so good for her. That’s wonderful! Speak to Ben before you pass judgment on us. He is much happier than I’ve ever seen him.”

“But why did you have sex with him!” Hannah asked.

“Ben is a very… physical person. Do you recall when you first brought Beth over to Catherine’s? Remember how he was all over her? Comforting her with hugs and rubbing against her? Even though he has trouble mentally and emotionally accepting love, he’s the opposite when physically giving it. I had no intention of having sex with Ben when I went to his place. Then he kissed me. Yes, I kissed him back, and when he picked me up and carried me to his bedroom, my intentions were moot.”

There was a gentle knock on the door.

“Come in!” Gabriella called.

Cat poked her head around the door with a worried look. Ben reached over her and pushed the door open with a look of annoyance.

“She said come in, not look in,” he said.

“Hi! Sorry we’re late,” Catherine said with a blush.

Hannah closed her eyes and struggled to control her anger.

Ben slipped into the room and knelt down in front of Hannah’s chair. When she opened her eyes, she yelped in surprise since he was right up next to her. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Please don’t be angry with Gabriella and Catherine. They really helped me a great deal today. I can’t begin to tell you how much Gabriella’s talk helped me this morning. She really eased my fears and made me re-examine some of my damaged views on love, relationships, and my place in the lives of people I care for. Gabriella and Catherine, their love for me, may help save my sanity. I won’t break my promise about speaking to the counselor. I know I’m not cured by any stretch of the imagination, but at least one of my fears has been greatly reduced.” He sensually kissed her knuckles, and she gasped gently. Her eyes darted to Gabriella as she recalled her words about his physicality.

“I know you’re worried about me, and I truly appreciate that. You are an amazing friend, and I consider myself lucky to have you in my corner. I’m also concerned about you. We’ve talked about how unhealthy it is to hold onto anger, and now that you know there’s no value in anger for this, I want you to release it like we practiced,” he said, looking her directly in the eye.

She smiled and leaned forward to pull him into a big hug.

“That’s not how we did it, but I suppose hugs also work really well,” he said, squeezing his friend warmly.

“Are you ready to eat?” Gabriella asked.

“YES! I’m STARVING!” Ben said. He stood up and kept his arms around Hannah, so she left the ground and hung against his broad chest. She yelped as her breasts were squeezed against him. She put her hands on his shoulders to push him away, but his grip was too secure.

“Ben! Put me down! NOW!” she shrieked.

Miriam and Daniel were standing in the doorway, grinning madly at Ben. He winked at them.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there, Hannah. Down you go,” he said as he gently set her back on her feet.

She straightened her blouse and jacket and then turned her back to them as she tugged her bra back into place. She turned around to look at his happy grin with a scowl, but she couldn’t maintain the look. She gave him a playful swat. “Bad man! Bad BIG man!” she growled as she tried to ignore the tingles and the flush running up her neck.

The kids came in and grabbed Ben’s hands to drag him out to the dining room. They sat him at the head of the table then took chairs on either side of him. Gabriella and Catherine went into the kitchen. Miriam indicated that Hannah should sit next to her. The two friends brought the food out to the table, and Gabriella served it onto the plates, Ben getting a very generous portion, much to his delight.

Miriam and Daniel dug in and were surprised when Ben mimicked their enthusiasm. More giggling ensued.

Ben’s face showed his enjoyment, and his food quickly disappeared.

Daniel watched in awe as Ben finished off the enormous portion. “Wow! You must have been playing hard today to work up THAT kind of appetite!” he blurted.

Hannah was sipping her water at that moment, and it spurted right back into her glass. Her face went red, and she began coughing as the water had gone straight through her nose. She held her napkin to her face and tried to catch her breath. Gabriella looked at Hannah with an embarrassed expression.

Catherine had a big mischievous grin on her face as she watched the blush grow redder on Ben’s frozen face. “Did you have fun today, Ben?” she asked.

Ben gave her an exasperated look. “Yes, I did very much.”

Miriam had missed the not quite so subtle nuances of the conversation and looked at Ben in delight. “What did you do today?”

Ben was trapped. He couldn’t tell her he’d made love to her mother and her mother’s best friend, but he couldn’t lie either. Hannah came to his rescue.

“I’m sorry for interrupting Miriam. Ben, before I forget, could you get my purse by the front door?” she asked.

Ben gratefully left the table, and Gabriella asked her kids to start tidying the kitchen. Once they’d left the room, Gabriella swatted her friend’s arm.

“OW! Why-”

“Don’t put Ben on the spot in front of the kids like that?” she said quietly but firmly.

“I was just teasing!” Cat sulked.

“Yes, but Ben can’t or at least won’t lie.”

“Oh! Right! Sorry, I forgot,” Cat said

“Forgot what?” Ben asked as he returned to the dining room with the purse.

“Sorry I teased you, Ben,” Catherine apologized contritely.

“Not in front of the kids, please,” was all he said.

“Don’t do what in front of us?” Miriam asked Ben when she returned.

“Never mind, Miriam,” Gabriella said firmly. The young woman scowled at her mother. She’d obviously been left out of something adult and, therefore, interesting to a sixteen-year-old. The fact that it was about Ben made it that much more interesting.

Ben gave Hannah her purse, and she dug out the appointment card. She handed it to Ben. “Tomorrow morning is the initial consultation. Dr. Rao is brilliant, but this is a very personal interaction, and you have to feel comfortable. If you don’t click with him, I have others I will introduce you to. Okay?”

“Thank you, Hannah,” Ben said and kissed her forehead.

She looked over at Gabriella once more to acknowledge she was right about how physical Ben was.