Chapter 10: Just Darling

The following weeks seemed like a serious challenge for Joey and Deirdre's relationship. The frequency of tests and quizzes increased until it seemed that they had at least one every day. They made up for that by studying together as much as possible. Deirdre was almost living at Joey and Tess' house, even spending many nights in Joey's bed. Joey switched bis bed against a queen size bed from their guest room, allowing for a better sleep.

They did not always have sex on weekday nights or mornings but they made up for that during the weekends, causing Tess to mock-complain about the noise coming from Joey's room. Since Deirdre's birthday they had tried a lot of things and Deirdre loved oral sex in particular. Often it was she who initiated their love play and it was she who scanned the internet for ideas to improve on their experiences.

In late May, Felix Di Rosa married Gabriella Feliciangeli. With Maureen's blessing, Deirdre accompanied Joey to the wedding and to the huge party at Vincent Di Rosa's mansion. She found herself the subject of considerable interest from Joey's family and she had to dance with at least twenty different cousins. They all treated her with respect, but she also caught remarks that it was a pity that Joseph Di Rosa was not joining the family business.

She even danced with Vincent Di Rosa and she was surprised at the ease and agility with which he led her around the dance floor. They spoke a little, and Deirdre found him a cultivated and polite man. She gave him an honest smile when the dance ended and thanked him. The old man shook his head then and smiled.

"My grandnephew is a lucky young man to have found a girl like you. You are a good match for him. He will be a great scientist some day, and that is good. Our family never had a scientist. It will be a sign that we have become a true part of society." He smiled again. "Joseph speaks highly of you, and I can see why. I hope to see more of you in the years to come. Poor Joseph deserves happiness."

Deirdre blushed. "He has made me happy, too," she asserted.

"Yes, he is a good youth. Now, I believe I have used up more than my fair allotment of your time. Please, give your mother my respect."

"I will. Thank you for the dance."

Joey claimed her back after the dance, and they were able to practice their Viennese Waltz and their Foxtrot for the Prom. The live band was really good and the young couple enjoyed the dance.

Deirdre also had a chance to speak to the bride while they were both doing emergency repairs to their make up. Gabriella, or Gabi, was a warm hearted woman and quite sure of her goals in life. To Deirdre's surprise she learned that Gabi had no intention to give up her job. She was a nurse in the ICU and as such she was used to bearing responsibility. She was studying to become shift manager. The more Deirdre learned about Joey's family, the less it computed with the preconceptions she had. The men had no funny bynames and most of the women held well paying jobs. It had to be true then that the family was getting close to being a part of the society around them.

Seeing the easy going, genial Felix Di Rosa, Deirdre could not imagine him as the "Family Hammer", the executioner who supposedly had those Kaçanis strung up in their own basement. That was how some newspapers had labeled him after the Olympic Massacre. The man she met had a great sense of humor, and he took honest delight in the pranks played on him. It seemed impossible to Deirdre that the laughing bridegroom could be the coldblooded mobster of the news articles.

Deirdre also noticed that Joey was very much an outsider. Sure, they slapped his back and joked about him becoming a professor, but he was not a real part of the family. By contrast, Tess was right in the middle of things, even hanging with some rather scary looking guys. From what Deirdre overheard, young Madonna-faced Tess held her own, showing a brazen self-assurance. She also saw Tess a lot around her great-uncle. To him, she showed palpable deference. Deirdre was not sure what to make of this.

When she, Joey, and Tess left around eleven p.m. Deirdre had a lot to think about. She called Maureen after they arrived to tell her they had returned safely and then joined the siblings in the basement spa for a soaking in the whirlpool. It did not bother her anymore to be naked around Tess. She could even watch her boyfriend's sister without feeling awkward. To her mind, Tess' body was beautiful. Her breasts were a solid handful on top of a well defined chest, and her limbs were sinewy without being overly muscled. Nothing was left of the jerky movements she had shown last fall. Tess moved like a cat, and like a cat, she purred with sheer lust of live, enjoying the hot, bubbling water.

"What?" Tess asked, noticing Deirdre's stare.

"I just thought that you look great," Deirdre said simply while snuggling against Joey. "It's amazing what you accomplished since last year."

Tess shot her an outrageous grin. "You're not turning lezzie on me? I mean, you're hot looking and all, but I couldn't steal Joey's girl."

Deirdre shook her head. "Naw, not a chance. I'm a breeder, that's settled. What about you?"

Tess blushed a little, but then she shot them a challenging look.

"I'm not sure. Sometimes when I'm in the sauna bath I look at the other chicks and I'm thinking: What if? How would it feel? But then, I can't deny that certain aspects of the male anatomy also appeal to me. I guess I'm not a hundred percent of anything. There you have it."

"Did ... Did Karen hit on you?"

"No! Never! Anyway, she's too butch for me, and I don't think I have a submissive streak."

Joey, who had kept silent during the exchange, laughed out.

"What?" Tess asked.

"I kinda imagined that, you with some wannabe Domme. They'd come out of the encounter with a new outlook on life."

Tess grinned at that, and Deirdre could see her puckered nipples.

"Yeah, turning the tables, that's a neat thought."

"Karen says, you're leaving the Karate group?" Deirdre asked, trying to shift the topic a little.

"Yeah, it's too much of the macho shit there. I found a Wing Tsun studio. It's a little better tailored to girls, but I'll keep up the Aikido."

"Why Aikido?" Deirdre asked. Aikido seemed so stylized. Tess grinned.

"Because once I get the Black Belt, I get to practice with a real dai katana, you know, a samurai sword. Even the bokken, the wooden practice sword, is awesome."

"Doesn't that take a lifetime, to reach a Black Belt?" Deirdre asked again and Joey chuckled.

"Not with Tess. Look under the roof. She's got her private studio up there already. She'll have that Black Belt before she attends senior prom."

"Stop that nonsense, Joey. It will take more time. But once I get the first Dan I can earn good money on the side as an instructor."

The ten minutes were up now, and they switched to the Roman steam bath. That was something Deirdre loved. The moisture combined with the heat made her relax unlike anything else. They stayed for 10 or 15 minutes and then took cold showers to cool down. It was after midnight when they reclined in the deck chairs to relax. Joey and Deirdre lay side by side, their hands entwined.

Tess giggled lazily. "You guys are a sight. Like an old couple on a nudist cruise."

Joey laughed softly. "We have to make the most of this summer. You know, girls are different than boys. I must give Deirdre the impression that she is more to me than a hot babe or she may fall for some sweet-talking tree hugger."

"You're being an ass, Joey," Deirdre replied. "Just concentrate on that 'hot babe' thing and we'll be just fine."

"So, brother, watcha doin' for prom? Limo and the bridal suite for afterwards?"

"Can't tell you. It's a secret. Deirdre doesn't know yet."

Deirdre gave an exasperated snort. "Joey and my mom have been in collusion over this for weeks. She won't tell me either. Deborah and Liz are clueless, too. I guess, all the guys are in this together."

Joey's smug grin gave credibility to Deirdre's assumption, and Tess giggled again. "Oh, boy, I can't wait to hear about it."

Deirdre's curiosity grew steadily over the next two weeks, almost superseding the anticipation of the upcoming prom night. She could not wheedle any information out of either Maureen or Joey, and being a bit of a control freak it unsettled her. By Saturday morning she still had no clue as to where she would spend the night after the Prom. She had spent the night in her own room at Maureen's and she kept needling Maureen at breakfast while Karen watched them surly. At one point, after a smiling Maureen again denied Deirdre any information, Karen butted in crudely.