by Patricia Mar
ALL I WANT IS YOU
Patricia Mar
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Table of Contents
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About All I Want is You
Sara De Michele is now engaged to the most beautiful male model in all the world, Daniel Gant. But this can come with its fair share of problems: from jealous ex-girlfriends to long distance relationship issues. Sara just isn’t sure if she can really ever fit into his glamorous world…
And then Daniel’s cousin, the beautiful Giovanni moves in, and begins to cause more meddling problems for them both…
Meanwhile, rumours are flying all over the place about Daniel’s escapades in Hollywood… can Sara really trust him? Will they ever be able to make it despite the odds?
Contents
Welcome Page
About All I Want is You
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
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Copyright
To my parents, who taught me what love is. To my husband and my
daughter, who are love. To all those who believe in true love.
1
Here and Elsewhere
She couldn’t stop humming, she just couldn’t help herself. Jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way! The tune was just so darn catchy that made her feel incredibly optimistic. What could possibly go wrong on a day that had started this well?
It was a special Tuesday because it was the first day of her life when the solitaire diamond that Daniel had given her sparkled on the ring finger of her left hand. She was going to become Mrs Daniel Gant.
As soon as Sara De Michele had opened her eyes in bed that morning, even though her boyfriend hadn’t been there to keep her warm, she had smiled and looked at the pledge of love on her finger with the joy of a child about to unwrap a Christmas present.
Christmas… Presents…
Suddenly all the things she had to do that day began to crowd her head. It was time to get up.
The first thing she did was go over to the stove to start making some cookies for her nosey neighbour, Gina. Gina was always around, opening the door of the condominium building for everyone just for the sake of picking up the odd bit of gossip about the lives of the rest of the people in the building, but Sara had a soft spot for her. She would be spending another Christmas alone and sad, and nobody should be sad at Christmas.
When her sister Virginia eventually managed to get up and join her, Sara started packing her suitcase. She and Daniel would be joining her family in Gubbio in a couple of days, but she was the organised type – she needed to have everything under control and so she preferred getting things done in advance.
While Virginia mumbled that she needed to pack too but that she didn’t want to, the biscuits, which were almost ready, filled the apartment with a delicious aroma. Sara closed the zipper of her suitcase with great satisfaction.
Still humming Jingle Bells, under the scornful gaze of her sister who even at this early hour of the morning would quite happily have put on a bit of Linkin Park at full blast to dampen any excessive Christmas spirit, Sara arranged the biscuits on a nicely decorated tray and started preparing herself to spend an hour with Gina, who was bound to bombard her with questions about her boyfriend. She’d taken that into account and was ready for it.
The morning flew by, just as the only guided tour the company had entrusted to her that afternoon did, but there were still tons of things she needed to do. Carrying a carefully wrapped present, she rang the doorbell of Lia, her closest friend, who lived on the sixth floor of an elegant apartment building in Parioli. She wanted to leave the gift for her to put under the tree.
They had a cup of herbal tea together while they chatted away happily and the cold city took on the rosy colours of the sunset. But the best part of the day was still to come: Daniel. She would be meeting him for cuddles, sex and love. What better way was there to end the day?
She said goodbye to Lia, promising to call her on Christmas Day and then went out onto the landing. Just before the elevator doors opened, she was overcome by a nauseating aroma of cigarette smoke. Turning her head cautiously, she looked behind her and saw a man in his fifties who was coming out of the apartment next to Lia’s. He was wearing a dark jacket covered with whitish spots, and holding a tin of paint in one hand and in the other a bag from which emerged the end of a builder’s tool. Sara instinctively smiled at him – he must have had a hard day.
“Good evening!” she said cheerfully as she walked into the elevator. The man followed her, answering in a hoarse voice. Smoking is bad for you, Sara thought as the elevator doors closed and she pressed the button for the ground floor.
Daniel, I am on my way…
She bit her lip, imagining the amazing personal model who was waiting for her with open arms, and felt her body temperature starting to rise.
But then, just as he was about to take off his boxer shorts in her fantasy, a jolt interrupted her steamy thoughts…
The elevator had stopped and everything had gone dark.
“Noooo! This can’t be happening!” muttered Sara. “Not again…”
“What do you mean, not again?” asked the man, an alarmed expression on his face. “Has this elevator broken down before?”
“No, I don’t think so… The same thing happened to me months ago, but don’t worry, it wasn’t here.”
“So you reckon I don’t need to worry, then?” The clang of metal objects falling to the floor made her jump. He must have put his tools down none too delicately.
“You’ll see, the elevator will start working again soon,” she said, in an attempt to reassure him, while she remembered the offices of Inside Look magazine, another elevator and another fellow elevator passenger who had ended up becoming the love of her life. She relaxed and her voice softened. “The day I got stuck, I met my future husband. We were stuck in there together while we waited for them to get us out. It had been a rotten day for me and he kept teasing me and saying that he’d ended up in my personal Bermuda Triangle because of my negative vibes.” She chuckled.
“Oh, well that’s good to know. And how was your day today, then? Nice and calm?”
“Oh, yes, thank you…” she said, before breaking off with a frown – was he making fun of her? How rude, and she’d only been trying to distract him. “My day was perfect!” Feeling a little annoyed she looked for the alarm button and began to press it, but to no avail. There was no sound, nothing at all.
The smell of stale cigarette smoke soon filled the small lift and Sara found herself wrinkling her nose in disgust. It was then that her cell phone lit up and started ringing. With a guilty expression she met the eyes of the workman, who was staring at her as she fanned herself as though that would disperse the acrid smell that surrounded her.
“Gosh, it’s so hot in here, isn’t it?” she stammered as she pul
led out the phone and answered.
“Tell me you got to the car,” said a worried Lia.
“And what if I told you that I didn’t and that I’m trapped inside your lift?” Sara muttered.
“I’d say you’re in trouble – there’s been a blackout of the whole area. I’m looking out of the window now, it’s pitch black.”
“A blackout?”
“Shit!” shouted the man.
“Is there someone in there with you?”
“Yes, a… gentleman,” she said, lowering her voice a little. “And he seems to be a little worried.” After a moment of silence she heard Lia burst out laughing. Sara rolled her eyes.
“Are you going to kiss him to calm him down too?”
“No!” she said very loudly. She glanced sideways at the stranger as he slumped against the side of the lift and slid to the floor, his forehead beaded with sweat.
“Lia, you’d better call someone – this guy doesn’t look well at all!”
“Ok, I’ll call the fire brigade – you stay calm.”
“Oh sure, yeah. It’s easy for you to say that when you’re not the one stuck inside a tiny little box with a man who’s having a panic attack.”
“I feel okay… at least, I think I do,” the builder whispered. “Am I okay? Oh God, we’re gonna die, I know we are!”
“I’ll talk to you later, I think I’d better be going,” said Sara with some urgency and then sat down next to the builder.
How long would it take them to get them out of there? Maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours. Her evening with Daniel was becoming a distant dream.
“They’ll soon have us out of here, don’t worry.”
Sara put her hand on the man’s knee. “Like I told you before, this has already happened to me. Just try and think of nice things, like a sea with gentle waves…” The sea hadn’t worked with Daniel, but maybe it would with this guy.
“I want to go home. My wife’s making lasagna tonight.”
“Ooh, that sounds nice – what’s she putting in it?”
“How do I know, she’s the one who’s making it!”
Second attempt at conversation failed… Excellent. “I’m going to see my boyfriend tonight. We got engaged a few days ago… he’s a model. He’s such an amazing guy…”
A subdued mutter was the reply and it occurred to her that he probably wasn’t interested in her declarations of love for Daniel. Anyway, talking of Daniel, she decided she’d better call him to reassure him she was okay – seeing her not arrive on time for their appointment and knowing her proverbial punctuality, he would certainly be worried.
She called him and waited.
His phone rang once… twice… Maybe he was busy. It was odd, though – it was 7:48 p.m., he should already have been at home. His photo shoot had been in the morning. After it had rung ten times she decided to hang up – that was too many rings even for her. She didn’t want to look like she was trying to check up on him. With Daniel, she had to behave herself, and recent experience had taught her that she needed to be patient and to trust him. His work and his fame mustn’t become a cause of friction between them again.
But why hadn’t he answered? She thought, leaning her head against the elevator wall. In that moment, some suspicious movements attracted her attention.
“I can’t breathe!”
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of air in here… and the lights will come back on soon!”
“I knew I shouldn’t have accepted this job, I could just feel it… but my wife said, “go on, it’s only three hours’ work and it’s good money. I’ll make you a lasagna for dinner’. What an idiot I am, I shouldn’t have listened to her!”
Sara’s phone rang again, and when she saw her photo of Daniel on the screen she smiled.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said happily, but the noise she could hear coming from the other end of the line made her frown with irritation: there was loud music and chatter in the background. By the sound of it, Daniel wasn’t at home.
“Sara, I can’t hear anything, are you there?”
“Where are you?” she replied suspiciously.
“I’m at The Mistress – they’ve organised a kind of surprise Christmas party… It’s a bit noisy!”
“The Mistress?” The Mistress was a swish club that was famous for its aperitifs and exclusive clientele. She had never set foot in the place, of course – nobody had ever invited her. “Weren’t we supposed to be seeing each other at your place?”
“Kelly the photographer forced me to come. He said that everyone was going to be here and I that couldn’t miss it.”
“Daniel, are you coming?” said a woman’s voice – one that she didn’t recognise and which sounded much too close, and much too friendly. Who the hell was that? Ok, she mustn’t get jealous, she mustn’t get jealous, she mustn’t get jealous.
Meanwhile, the man in the elevator continued his desperate chant. “I mustn’t be scared, I mustn’t be scared, I mustn’t be scared, I’m not going to die….”
“Sara, do you fancy coming down here and joining me? I want to introduce you to some friends of mine.”
“I was hoping for an evening all to ourselves. You know that we have to leave and that tomorrow evening we’re having dinner at Alessandro’s.”
“You’re right, baby, forgive me, we won’t stay long, I promise…”
Sara pouted. She could still hear female voices in the background. “Leave your girlfriend in peace, Daniel! Come on, come and have a drink with us.”
Who the hell was that who dared to talk to Daniel in such a familiar way?
Meanwhile, the builder was rubbing his forehead and, suddenly gripped with fear, seized Sara’s arm. “I feel terrible!”
Yet again, the voice of the stranger near Daniel urged him to end his phone call.
“Sara, who’s there with you?” asked Daniel suddenly. “I thought I heard a voice, but there’s so much noise here… they’re dancing on the tables, you see.”
“How nice, dancing on the tables, how very ‘nineties… you should give it a go,” Sara exclaimed. Daniel, if you do anything, I’ll… I’ll…
“You’re right, it looks like fun.” Was he teasing her?
“I… I can’t breathe,” the man tugged at her arm in desperation.
“Excuse me, but I’m busy, can’t you see?” she replied, sounding rather annoyed. “I’m talking on the phone…” And I’m going to scalp that girl…
“Where are you?”
Apparently, Daniel was in detective mode that night, too. Served him right!
“In the elevator in Lia’s condominium!”
“Ahhh, right, you went over to give her her Christmas present. Listen, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to go, they won’t leave me in peace. I’ll be waiting for you at home, then. See you soon. I love you lots.” And he hung up.
“I don’t believe it, he’s hung up. I’m stuck in this elevator, you stupid man!” She stood up furiously. “He’s off partying and dancing on tables while I’m stuck in here.”
“And we’re going to die in here…”
“And we’re going to die in here…” She shook her head. “What?! What are you talking about? No we’re not going to die in here, we’re going to get out of here and he’ll be the one who dies, believe you me!”
She had to find a way to get out of there, and soon…
Cursing never worked, but praying might be an idea. Put your hands together, raise them to your forehead, concentrate intensely, focus on all that positive energy and…
“Let there be light!” she proclaimed with conviction. But annoyingly, everything remained silent and the darkness continued to envelop them. “It doesn’t work, damn it,” she grumbled.
“You need to get your head seen to, you do!” cried her accidental companion, increasingly convinced that he was going to die of suffocation in an elevator with a madwoman who needed tying up and keeping at a safe distance.
2
Mistre
ss in Distress
Bag over her shoulder and trainers on her feet, Sara De Michele found herself standing in front of the club. Loud music was blasting out from inside the renovated former warehouse that was just as cool as any club in New York with its modern design. Well, not that she’d ever actually been to New York, but that was what the adverts said.
A long line of people were standing in a messy queue outside the entrance while a guy with a headset and gelled hair sticking out in every direction was checking his list and making mechanical gestures with his head to indicate who could enter and who could not.
A list! Daniel hadn’t told her about a list – he’d said it was a surprise party. Sure, right, a surprise party with a guest list! She hoped that it would have occurred to her boyfriend to add her name to it, otherwise Sara would be adding a new item to the list of tortures she was planning to inflict on him.
Though she always did her best to keep her locked away – and almost always managed to – her inner Glenn Close occasionally emerged… too bad that this was really the worst moment possible! She’d been locked in that elevator for more than an hour, forced to listen to her companion in misfortune complaining about his wife, about his job, about the air, about the elevator that was about to plunge to the ground and then about his wife again, his job, the lack of air and the elevator, all in the same order as before. And all the time, all she could think about was the fact that Daniel was out having fun at The Mistress with who knew who. Yes, it was just about the worst moment for her to start losing control.
She diligently placed herself in the queue and waited for her turn. She couldn’t help but notice that all the girls she could see in front of her were wearing high heels, miniskirts and designer clothes.
The minutes passed, and she’d been biting her lip anxiously for so long that it was as numb as if she’d had a dose of botox. Ok, it was time to take out her secret weapon. She hated doing it but Daniel was dancing on the tables in there and there wasn’t a moment to lose – she had to act quickly.