The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 60

Rachel

When the nurse and I arrived in the kitchen, the aroma of spaghetti and meatballs immediately enveloped us. The butler was finishing the dish, carefully placing the last meatballs in the steaming sauce. He saw us enter and, with his usual formality, said, "It's almost ready, ladies. You can wait at the table and I'll serve it myself."

The nurse, as always, couldn't contain her excitement. "And what's for dessert?" she asked with a mischievous smile, clearly more looking forward to the dessert than to dinner.

The butler, who seemed to be enjoying her energy, replied with a slight smile, "It'll be a special surprise. But I bet it's your favorite."

"I'll take that bet!" she replied, her eyes shining with anticipation.

We made our way to the table, where some appetizers were already laid out. The nurse sat down and, without hesitation, began to taste one of them, expressing enthusiastically, "Delicious!" I sat down across from her and took one of the appetizers, confirming, "Everything here is always like this."

As I ate, my mind began to wander. I found myself thinking about Vincenzo, and the worry began to weigh heavily on me again. Even though the nurse seemed confident and his condition seemed under control, I couldn't shake the discomfort. He was in such a vulnerable state... And thinking about how things had gotten to this point filled me with anguish. It was hard not to wonder: will he really recover completely? Will he ever be the same again? Lost in these thoughts, I was brought back by the nurse's voice, who noticed my distant expression and said with a comforting smile, "Rachel, don't worry. He'll wake up fine any moment. Vincenzo is strong, you know that." I tried to relax, but it was difficult. Even with the nurse's confidence, the idea of seeing Vincenzo in that bed, almost inert, haunted me. She, noticing my state, held my hand for a brief moment before letting go and turning her attention to the butler, who was already bringing dinner. He placed the spaghetti and meatballs on the table with the same meticulous precision with which he always did everything. The nurse, without wasting any time, got up from her chair and, to my complete surprise, planted a kiss on his mouth. The butler froze, his eyes wide, not knowing how to react. The nurse sat back down as naturally as possible, already picking up her fork to start eating, while the butler remained motionless, completely incredulous. I leaned back in my chair, barely able to contain my laughter. With an ironic tone, I said: "A thank you is all you're going to get from me..." I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. The butler, still stunned, looked at me as if looking for some kind of explanation, but only found my laughter as an answer. He shook his head, stunned, and walked back into the kitchen, still wearing an expression that was a mix of amazement and confused happiness. I knew he would never expect something like this, especially from someone like the nurse, but there he was, processing what had just happened. As he left, the nurse, already devouring her spaghetti with evident pleasure, casually commented, "Wow, he cooks as well as he kisses." I could only laugh harder, shaking my head in disbelief. "You really have no limits, do you?" I asked, amused. "Not when I'm hungry!" she replied between bites, her enthusiasm for food and everything around her always surprising me. Despite the intense day and the constant worry about Vincenzo, at that moment, I felt an unexpected lightness. The nurse, with her eccentric way, had the talent to transform any situation into something memorable and, in a way, comforting. As I watched the nurse devour the spaghetti with a smile of pure satisfaction, I couldn't help but let out a light laugh and began to eat as well. The taste, as always, was divine. The butler really knew what he was doing, and at that moment, the food seemed even better than usual. Maybe it was the relief of knowing that Vincenzo was recovering, or maybe it was the nurse's infectious joy that made everything seem lighter. As we continued to enjoy ourselves, the butler returned with the wine that the nurse had ordered. He set the bottle on the table with that meticulous calm that he always displayed, saying that he would be back later with dessert. The nurse, with her mouth full of pasta, just nodded in agreement, while I gave him a relaxed smile and told him that he could go.

As soon as he left, the nurse grabbed the bottle of wine before I could make a move. "I want to open it!" she said, with that uncontrollable energy. Without arguing, I just watched her, a smile on my face, as she opened the bottle with surprising skill and began pouring my glass. "Don't pour so much," I said. I was a little apprehensive, but the nurse replied firmly: "You've had a hard day, Rachel. Relax, you deserve at least a peaceful night."

I thought for a moment. Maybe she was right. The weight of the last few days, the stress and constant tension that I carried were finally starting to leave me. I nodded, and the nurse filled my glass. Then, in a spontaneous movement, she raised the bottle to her lips and took a sip. I couldn't help but laugh at her irreverence.

As time went by, between bites of spaghetti and sips of wine, we began to loosen up. The conversation flowed easily, and the atmosphere, previously full of worries, now seemed relaxed and full of light energy.

Right after dinner, the butler returned with dessert, an ice cream that looked absolutely perfect. The nurse's eyes widened, realizing that she had lost the bet. "Damn, you got it right! Ice cream is really my favorite dessert..." she confessed, with a mixture of surprise and playful frustration.

We laughed together as we ate the ice cream and drank more wine. It was one of those moments you want to freeze in time-simple, but full of joy. When we finished the dessert, we felt the wine starting to take effect. Suddenly, we found ourselves running through the hallways and, without even realizing how, we ended up in my room.

Between laughter and jokes, we started tickling each other, and in a short time my room was a mess. The bed was unmade, pillows scattered across the floor, and we were both laughing uncontrollably, intoxicated not only by the wine, but by the lightness of that unexpected moment.

I lay down on the bed, exhausted from laughing so much, with the nurse next to me. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, letting my head rest, and it was then that I heard a deep, firm voice, but with a touch of irony: "I sleep for two days and the house is... upside down ar..."

My eyes flew open, my heart racing, and I sat up in bed staring ahead in disbelief. "VINCENZO???"