Scandal

by Grace Kagni

  Alessandro walked into his bedroom and found Alessia sleeping partially sitting up in bed with the bed light on and holding a book. He went over to her and slowly took the book, placing it on the night table and then moved her so she lay comfortably on the bed. Then after switching off the nightlight, he kissed her softly on the head and went to his dressing room to change. Moments later, he climbed into bed beside her and fell asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  Alessandro awoke early the next day, washed and dressed before Alessia woke up so he left a short note on his desk, telling her that he was going to his meeting which would most probably last all day but that he'd call her later in the morning to see how she was.

  Alessia awoke late morning feeling rested and ready to take on a new day of wedding preparations with the wedding planner, Signora Forlani.

  She had a quick shower and got dressed before going downstairs to have a light breakfast. The cook had left on the table fresh cornetti, homemade jam, homemade bread and a note on the coffee machine telling her that all she needed to do was turn on the flame to make the coffee.

  Alessia was familiar with the kitchen and made herself coffee before sitting down to have breakfast. She ate more than she wanted since the food was really good and after finishing breakfast, she loaded the dishwasher with the dishes she'd used. She didn't think it was expected of her to do this but she was not brought up expecting others to clean up after her, so she did what she thought was the right thing to do.

  The wedding planner was due to arrive and so Alessia went to wait in the sitting room, thinking about anything else that she may have forgotten to mention the day before. The only thing that came to mind was that she hadn't thought about before was her maid of honour or testimone as is used in Italy. She needed someone to stand by her during the civil ceremony and then again in the church. She thought about whom she could ask and realized that she didn't have anyone close enough that she could ask to stand by her. Then she thought about Valentina. She liked Alessandro's sister and after a few moments of pondering on the thought, she decided she would ask Valentina.

  A moment later, the wedding planner walked into the sitting room holding two bags full of samples.

  "Good morning!" Alessia said to her as she stood to shake hands.

  "Good morning," said Signora Forlani, shaking Alessia's hand after she'd put down the two bags. "I've found the perfect spot for your wedding and time is of the essence so why don't we sit down and I'll tell you all about it?"

  "Yes, I'd like to hear what you've been able to arrange," Alessia said as they walked to the table to sit down.

  The wedding planner pulled out two folders from one of her bags; inside one folder were pictures of the church and the reception hall that she'd been able to tentatively book for them if they were in agreement. Alessia didn't recognize either of the two pictures but was intrigued by the pictures.

  "The ceremony could be held at the Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie. The interior of the church is spectacular," she said as she pulled out more pictures showing weddings that she'd arranged in that same church. It was beautiful inside, with white marble ceilings and archways leading to the altar. Alessia was mesmerized by its beauty and agreed that this was the place she wanted her wedding ceremony to take place.

  "I really like it and I'm sure the Minister will agree. Is it available on the day we'll marry?" Alessia asked.

  "Of course and I've tentatively booked it for your date because I was sure it would be the place!" she said with enthusiasm. Then she opened the other folder and pulled out other pictures of the beautiful Villa San Carlo Borromeo. "This is what I found for the wedding reception. It has spectacular grounds and the history of the Villa I believe are appropriate for nobility. I was able to tentatively book this too so if you agree with the location, I can make a quick phone call to book both and we can proceed on the wedding details."

  "Yes, I don't think the Minister would disagree but let me give him a quick call to ask if we can go ahead with the bookings," Alessia said before getting up to make a phone call. She walked out of the sitting room and went into Alessandro's study to make the phone call.

  "Alessia?" Alessandro answered on the second ring.

  "I'm sorry to bother you but I just wanted to let you know that the wedding planner has found the perfect church and location for our wedding but before telling her to go ahead with the booking, I wanted to speak to you," Alessia said.

  "Tesoro, whatever you've found and you're pleased with will be fine for me so go ahead and book what the wedding planner has found," he said.

  "Ok, I'll leave you to your meetings then. Are the discussions going well?" she asked.

  "Yes, actually we may have found an agreement and finish by late afternoon. The President of our party has arranged an informal party after the meeting to celebrate the end of the Conference. Would you like to come and join me?" he asked.

  "I still haven't regained my full strength after the operation and am exhausted after meeting with the wedding planner, so I think I'll have an early night and go to bed. You have fun at the party though," she said.

  "I won't stay long, I'll try to be home before you fall asleep tonight," he said.

  They said goodbye and then Alessia went back to the wedding planner to book the two sites.

  The wedding planner had prepared several menu ideas for Alessia to look at and after carefully choosing each dish with the help of Signora Forlani, Alessia finally had a wedding menu. Next they looked at the flower arrangements for the church and the reception. Alessia really liked roses and since Alessandro had sent her red roses each time, she thought it symbolic to use the same flower and colour; so, when the wedding planner showed her pictures of center tables with red and white roses, white lilies and white orchids; Alessia was sure that was the right combination. The wedding planner told Alessia that Valentina Medici-Visconti would contact her directly to arrange for the wedding bouquet to complement the wedding gown.

  Signora Forlani had found an antique white Rolls Royce to take them to the ceremony and then to the reception and informed Alessia that the reception location had a honeymoon suite at their disposal for the night of the wedding if they wished to stay.

  Alessia couldn't believe how much progress they'd made in the few hours they'd met. They'd just about selected everything, including the wedding invitations. Alessia chose a delicate cream colour paper with elegant handwritten invitations. She'd never seen handwritten invitations but they were perfect, they seemed printed with a machine. She ordered the quantity Valentina told her she would need and then finally said goodbye to the wedding planner. They'd planned to meet again in the following days to go over minor arrangements that weren't necessary at this time.

  When Alessia was finally on her own, she went to sit in Alessandro's study for a moment to collect her thoughts. She went over all the things she'd selected, wanting to give Alessandro a detailed summary of what was planned. She had a late lunch and then went to lay down for a little while since her head was suddenly spinning from all the planning she'd had to deal with. Feeling the need to close her eyes for only a moment, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

  Alessia awoke hours later and the room was dark. She reached over to turn on the bedside lamp and looked at her watch which indicated it was 22:00. She'd slept straight through dinner! Sitting up she looked around and realized Alessandro wasn't back yet from his evening, so she went downstairs to the kitchen to get something to eat. The cook had left something for them on the stovetop with a note telling them to turn on the heat when they were ready to eat. The table was set for two with a nice table cloth and good china but she didn't feel to eat on her own so she took a small portion of the food and placed it in the microwave to warm up.

  After eating her dinner at the breakfast bar, she went back to Alessandro's study to wait for him but the evening wore on and there was still no sign of him so she got the book she started to read the night before and continued reading.


  * * * * * *

  Alessandro was relieved when the round of meetings finally finished and the tension in the room suddenly lifted. It had been a long 2-day meeting, finally ending with a positive outcome. The coordinator of the 2-day meeting announced that they'd arranged an evening to celebrate their achievement and were invited to the second floor of the hotel for their celebration party.

  Alessandro followed his other colleagues as they walked up the elegant staircase to the second floor. The entire second floor was guarded by private surveillance and Alessandro walked past the first set of guards. His guards followed him down the hall until he and a colleague, with whom he was talking about the events of the day, entered one of the private rooms and found a catering staff with aperitivi.

  Alessandro suddenly realized that he hadn't eaten very much that day, so he grabbed a glass of Prosecco and a few tasty finger foods to settle his stomach. He continued to talk with his colleague until more people entered the room and they were slowly pushed through a connecting room. There were young women in this second room with some of his colleagues who were already in a semi-undressed state.

  Two young women came up to Alessandro and his colleague. Their hands moved quickly taking off their ties and while he looked around and saw men and women engaged in oral sex. He suddenly felt disgust and seeing his colleague mesmerized by the attention of the young women, he walked out the door and entered another room where there were more young women with more of his colleagues, having group sex. Two men and a women were in the corner as the young woman was bent over the side of the sofa while one man pushed himself deep into her folds while she gave the other man, sitting on the sofa a blow job. Everywhere he looked, the men were in a state of frenzy as the young women pleasured them. A young women walked up to Alessandro and grabbed his belt with one hand while she unzipped his pants with her other hand. She was quick to pull out his erection and then got down onto her knees to put his aroused manhood into her mouth. Alessandro put his head back a moment feeling the warmth of her lips on his pulsing arousal, swaying toward the warm desire growing inside. Then he shook his head, clearing his mind while he pushed the young woman away, feeling regret and disgust all at once about what he was about to do and what was going on around him. He pushed his manhood back in his pants and zipped up while he left the room in a hurry.

  He found his guards down the hall and told them they were leaving. When he got into his car, he asked the guards to drive for a while, needing time to think about what had just happened. His blood was boiling over and he needed to calm down before going home to Alessia. He was so close to letting the young woman pleasure him that just the thought made his blood rise. He needed to stay calm and remember that he didn't do anything wrong. He was caught in a moment but he was strong enough to walk away.

  Finally he told his guards to take him home and when he arrived, it was past midnight and found Alessia asleep in his bed. He went to have a shower to wash off the feeling of the other woman and then got into bed beside Alessia. He decided not to mention it to her because it would only cause her pain so he put it in the back of his mind, not wanting to think about the evening ever again.

  Chapter Eleven

  They drove back to Rome the following day and during the drive, Alessia told Alessandro all about what she arranged with the wedding planner. He listened with interest but she could sense that he was preoccupied about something.

  "Alessandro, is everything ok?" she asked as she put her hand on his knee.

  "Yes, everything is fine. I'm just glad that the meeting is over and I want to get back to Rome to our normal life. We have a wedding to plan," he said smiling back at her.

  "Yes and I hope you'll be pleased with what I've arranged. I don't know how much it will cost - the wedding planner said she'd send you the bill but I'd be more than willing to make changes if the bill is too high," Alessia said as she stared into his eyes. His eyes looked tired and distressed, not the usual happy and sparkling blue eyes that looked back at her.

  "If you're happy with what you've selected, then I'm happy too," he said.

  "The 2 day meeting has taken all your energy. I'll leave you in peace the next couple of days and we can discuss the wedding plans when you're less stressed.

  He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it while he laid his head back on the headrest. He closed his eyes, thinking of the scene he left the night before. The burning in the pit of his stomach started again, knowing that he'd nearly lost himself at the touch of another woman. He was so angry when his first wife passed away that he would have thrived on a woman's attention but since Alessia walked into his life all that had changed. Now he didn't want any other woman in his life. He only wanted Alessia. Turning to look at her, his eyes were tender and affectionate while they took in her caring attention.

  "I can't wait to get home and pull you close to me when we get into bed. That's what I've missed most the past few days," he said as he leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips.

  They stopped for a quick lunch in Florence and then got back into the car to drive the rest of the distance to Rome. It was late afternoon when they finally arrived home and were both happy to go upstairs to put on something comfortable to lounge around the house the rest of the day.

  The housekeeper prepared a lovely dinner for them, which they took their time eating, enjoying as they drank water and then went to sit in the library by the fireplace to unwind. They were both exhausted and after a short time, they decided to go up to bed. They washed and climbed into bed feeling the fatigue of the past few days.

  Alessandro pulled her into his arms as he felt the warmth of her back while he spooned her. They closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  * * * * * *

  Alessandro got up quietly the next day so not to wake Alessia and got washed and dressed to go to work. He left a note on his desk before he departed, not wanting to wake her on his way out.

  Alessia awoke as the sunlight streamed through the windows and onto the bed. She lifted her head to see if Alessandro was still there but knew before looking that he'd be gone and as she ran her hand over his side of the bed, she sighed before getting out of bed. She would have wanted to wish him a good day before he left.

  She sent him a text message asking how he felt and he texted back saying that he was feeling better. Then she went to put on her housecoat before going downstairs to have coffee and breakfast, wanting to have a lazy morning. She was having coffee when Alessandro send her another text message telling her that he should be home for dinner and that he'd made special plans for them both. She suddenly felt butterflies fluttering in her belly knowing that he'd made plans for them.

  Alessia spend her day relaxing and reading the book she'd started. She went from the library to Alessandro's study until late afternoon when she thought she'd have a shower and get ready for Alessandro's arrival. She took her time getting ready and was putting on makeup when her cell phone chimed, telling her she had a new message. She went to see and it was Alessandro telling her that something had just happened in the office, not to worry and that he'd be a little delayed. As the evening went on and there was still no sight of Alessandro, Alessia turned on the television to drown the silence in the large house while she sat at the table going over the wedding plans. The news was on and the volume on the television was so low that Alessia didn't really pay attention to what the newscasters were saying but when Alessandro's name was mentioned, she looked up to watch. The scene showed Alessandro with other parliamentary figures being led to the police station and that was when she grabbed the television remote to turn up the volume. The reporter said that the Ministers were being brought in for questioning regarding a celebratory party that included sex - sex with minors. The reporter called it a "bunga bunga" party.

  Alessia felt the blood drain from her head and needed to sit before she fell over. It couldn't be true - Alessandro having sex with a minor? She watched the television while the
reporter continued to comment, describing the scene that evolved in the hotel the last evening of their meeting in Milano.

  When the reporter moved to the next news item, Alessia turned the channel until she found another broadcasting the same story. This time, the reporter on this channel said that the men had had oral and anal sex with 17 year-old girls!

  Alessia suddenly felt her head swimming, she was dizzy from what she'd just heard and couldn't believe what she was hearing. She took her cell phone and looked at Alessandro's last message.

  Darling, something has come up but please don't worry. I'll be home as soon as possible.

  Love Alessandro

  Something has come up? This is not just 'something has come up' - this is something incredibly important! I'm about to marry a man who has sex with a minor! I'm about to marry a man who can't control his sexual desires when he's with other woman? What kind of a monster am I going to marry?

  Tears started to stream down her face as she thought of the man she'd believed him to be. How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she have believed all those loving words he's spoken to her? How could he be someone completely different from what she'd believed and not noticed it before? Suddenly, panic groped her throat and she couldn't breathe. She needed to get away to think; she needed to - get away!

  She walked to the bedroom and pulled out her suitcase, filling it quickly without any care because she needed to get away from him - from his house so she could think this over.

  She sat at his desk in his bedroom and wrote on his monogrammed paper. She wrote what she had the courage to say.

  I'm sorry but I need time to think -

  Alessia

  She called a taxi and was sitting in the back of it moments later, crying as it drove through the city. She looked out the window at the nightlights while they blurred through her tears.