Thank God he isn’t coming to my shitty one-bedroom apartment in Sydney. If only he knew what a pauper he was sleeping with, he’d probably run for the hills. It took me a year just to save for this trip. I really should be cleaning his fucking bathroom.
“And this is my bedroom.” He opens a door at the end of the hall, and I smile in relief.
This is more like it.
It’s modern in here. There’s a large king-sized bed covered with white linen. Bright abstract artwork sits on the walls, and there’s an airy sitting room to the right with a brown leather couch and television. Huge palms in terracotta pots are dotted throughout the space. An all-white bathroom is to the left, which has a huge stone bath and a double shower inside it. The place is homey, and so much more like what I expected from him.
“I live mostly in here,” he says.
“You don’t like the rest of the apartment?”
“I do. I wouldn’t have it like that if it were mine, but I can’t change it. This building and the furnishings have been in our family for centuries.”
“How long have you lived here alone?” I ask as I walk around his room looking at things.
“Ten years.” He takes me into his arms. “Where do you want to go today?”
“Anywhere with you.”
* * *
The wind in my face makes me smile. Rico’s hand is protectively on my thigh as he drives. I kiss his shoulder, and I’m filled with happiness.
I’ve had the best day ever.
We’ve been driving around on his motorcycle. We went out for lunch and had a lazy afternoon sightseeing around Rome.
He is the tour guide of all tour guides. We’ve laughed and talked, and I think he may just be the most beautiful man I’ve ever met.
He’s gorgeous, that goes without saying, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. Sure, he’s an Italian stallion, and yes, he has a fuckable package, but I actually like talking to him. He’s interesting, intelligent, funny, and sexy as all hell. I imagine every woman he meets falls madly in love with him.
I can see why.
Not that I’ll ever tell him that. He has enough confidence for all of Rome. I don’t need to add to his ego.
But even I have to admit, every minute with this man is a gift.
A twinge of regret kicks in. Why, oh why does he have to live in fucking Italy?
I just have to make the most of it.
The memory of Rici Ferrara will be my ultimate souvenir.
He’s someone I’ll always remember.
* * *
The candlelight flickers across our faces, and I smile at the man sitting opposite me. Ironically, we are in an Italian restaurant having dinner. We spent the early evening in bed. Determined to make every second of our weekend count, he dragged me out to dinner. I was happy being naked in bed. Toast would have been fine for dinner if it were up to me.
“Tell me again what you do for work? I forget, I was blinded by your beauty the other night,” he says. “I know you said design, but for what?”
I smile. “I design pyjamas,” I remind him.
“You have your own shop?”
“No. I design for Kmart.”
“Kmart?”
“It’s an Australian department store.”
“Oh.” He raises his brows. “How did you train for this job?”
“I went to design school. I never imagined that this is the job I would end up with.”
“Why not?”
“I always wanted to design for a fashion label like Gucci, Hermes, or Chanel.”
He swirls his wine around in his glass. “Why don’t you?”
“I don’t know.” I exhale heavily. “I have tried but I know jobs are ridiculously hard to get with that kind of label. I mean, it’s not that I don’t love my job, because I do. It’s just not what I imagined. You know?”
He nods. “I never thought I would end up being a policeman.”
“Really?” I ask, surprised. “Isn’t that the kind of job kids want to do all their lives?”
He chuckles. “I guess.”
“Your bruschetta,” the waiter says as he puts our entrees onto the table in front of us.
“Grazie.”
Rico dishes out my serve and then his. He likes to be in control. Not that I mind at all. It’s nice having him fuss over me.
“Why did you become a policeman then?” I ask. “It’s not something that you fall into by accident.”
“My father wanted me to do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he wanted me to get some life experience. He got me an interview through one of his friends. I didn’t have my heart set on anything else, so I humored him and thought that I could always leave later if I didn’t like it.”
“What did you want to do?”
“I only ever wanted to be happy. A job won’t do that for me.”
What a wonderful thing to aspire for. I lean onto my hand and smile goofily across the table at him.
“What?” He smirks.
“You know, for a fuck boy, you really are quite endearing.”
He laughs in surprise. “A fuck boy?” He puts his hand on his stomach and really laughs, and I find myself laughing too. Other people in the restaurant look over at our table.
“What?” I ask.
“I have never been called that before. Even when I was a boy, I was never called that.” His eyes dance with delight. “You really are quite the surprise package, Olivia.”
I lift his hand to my lips and kiss his fingertips, his eyes have a tender glow to them as he watches me.
“Wait until you see me clean your bathroom.” I smile.
He chuckles again. “I look forward to it.”
* * *
“I have a surprise for you tonight,” Rico says as he lies down beside me on his bed.
I sit up onto my elbow.
“What?”
It’s Sunday morning, and he has been on the phone organizing something. He’s been speaking Italian, though, so I have no idea what is going on.
He grins. “Let’s just say that I think you’ll be pleased with me.”
We stare at each other as something runs between us. It’s been there since last night when we made love-a tenderness. A feeling of closeness. It’s unexpected and disarming.
Does he feel it, too?
I’m being completely myself and he likes me as I am. I feel cherished. I feel cared for and desired, and damn it, why the fuck does he live in Italy?
“What’s the surprise?” I ask to change the direction of my thoughts.
“It happens at 11:00 p. m.”
“I’m intrigued. Why that time?”
“That’s the time that the gods choose.” He rolls me over onto my back and smiles down at me.
“Are you going to fuck me at 11:11,” I tease. “Is that what the gods want?”
He laughs out loud and it’s a beautiful sound. “No, I’m going to fuck you at 12:11. 11:11 is for something else-something better.”
I giggle as his lips touch mine. “Nothing could be that good.”
* * *
It’s 11:00 p. m. and I’m standing at the side door of the Pantheon.
Enrico is behind me, and I am encased by his protective arms. We’ve had another amazing day and this is his surprise for me.
“Rici,” I whisper up at him.
“Yes?”
“I love this surprise already.”
He gently kisses my lips.