Page 35 of Giorgio

“I will.”

He sat there a few minutes longer, reluctant to leave. Then removing her legs, he rose and bid her goodbye.

*****

A spate of Italian erupted throughout the game room sending the players into gales of laughter. The atmosphere was festive,the liquor running freely. It was not quite supper yet, but the room of the Elite Club was crowded with merry makers.

It was his usual scene, and, in the past, he would have been the instigator of the bawdy jokes and the piling up of chips, indicating his winning for the evening.

But he was not in the mood. In fact, since he set foot inside the club, he had wanted to leave. His friends had insisted on seeing him. And the word – ‘friends’ was even stretching it a bit. If they noticed his lack of participation and the fact that he was nursing one glass of quality scotch.

They did not comment because saying anything negative about Giorgio Russo was not the thing to do. He was wealthier than they were and better looking. They considered it a privilege to be in his company and in the past that had been acceptable to him.

For some reason, tonight it was not. He hated the superficiality, the forced laughter, and the constant drinking. These things had often brought him a great deal of empty satisfaction, which was missing tonight.

Because of her.

The unbidden popped into his head before he could stop it. She was changing him, and he was not certain he approved. What was even more astounding was that she was not making an effort.

She was not setting out to make him see the error of his ways. Aside from the comment she had made in the car about his state of mind, she had never said anything of that sort to him.

She was just being herself, never judging him or getting angry and lashing out at accusation. She had discovered that she no longer had a job and the man she had been seeing was no longer in her life, but that had not sent her into a dizzy spin.

She had not turned around and accused him of ruining her life even more. She had enjoyed the outing, listened with keen interest as he regaled her with the history of the landmark they had visited.

And had asked about learning his language. In return, he had stormed out in anger after dumping her in the library and had not bothered to call her. What had she done? When he returned with his tail tucked between his legs, she had welcomed him with a smile that did something to his stomach.

And had happily accepted his dinner invitation on her balcony, saying with her enchanting smile that she was going to dress up. He shook his head, watching the antics of Luigi as he stood in one corner of the room and balanced a full glass of amber liquid on one hand.

In the past, he would have been egging the man on, daring him to walk or run while trying to maintain his balance. But now he looked on with mild disinterest.

*****

“This is perfect, yes?” Lucia held up a dress, the color of ripe plums for her approval. The voluptuous maid with the large bosom had been assigned to her and Juliana found that she liked the girl a lot.

She was also relieved that the entire household staff had a fairly good handle on the English language, which made it easy for her to communicate with them. She had commissioned Lucia to help her with learning Italian and she was in command of a few phrases herself.

“It is…,” she searched around for the appropriate word. “Elegante.” She smiled at Lucia’s nod of approval. “That was an easy one. Semplice.” She added at the girl’s look of confusion.

“Va Bene.”

“I will fix your bath, yes?”

“Thank you, Lucia. A bath is preferable, and I can elevate my leg on the lip.”

The girl nodded and brought over the dress, putting it on the bed. Next, she went to fetch delicacies that Juliana knew without a doubt had not been included in her original clothing.

These were too fine, too expensive and the sheer, wispy lace felt as if they were made from fairy dust. She could not help but wonder if Giorgio had personally chosen them and dismissed the idea as being ridiculous.

The man owned the store. All he had to do was to call and tell them what was needed, and they would jump at it and choose the best ones. He probably did this for his many lovers. She had no inclination to examine why it bothered her so much.

Giorgio Russo was kind to her. He had almost killed her with his vehicle and was bending over backwards to make it up to her. She appreciated the effort and the fact that he was taking the time to spend with her. He could have simply handed her over to one of the many staff and be done with it.

But he was constantly there for her. This utterly gorgeous man was at her beck and call and even if this was just a fantasy, a fairytale that was going to end as soon as she returned home, then so be it. She was going to enjoy every minute of it. He was every woman’s wet dream and hope, and she was living it.

She was going to have to say goodbye to him in a matter of weeks, but she was not going to think about it. She was here now,and she was going to live each day to its fullest. From what her brother had revealed, it did not seem as if her life in the states had been all that fabulous.

She was in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with a man who was too beautiful to be real and staying in a palace. It would be something to tell her children about one day. She should record every moment of it for posterity. With the help of Lucia, she hobbled to her feet and went into the bathroom to take her bath.