Alessandro (Members From Money Book 21)

by Katie Dowe

  “Surprise me.”

  “I will. Are you at work now?”

  “Heading there. What are you going to do?”

  “I am going to the church to see if I can be of some help. I feel so helpless but at least I can maybe serve a meal or listen.”

  “I will call you. Take care.”

  “You too, my love.”

  He paused and then told her goodbye before hanging up.

  *****

  “Hi.” Millie came over to where she was serving soup and handed her some cups.

  “Hi,” Jayda said coolly. She had not heard from the girl since they had had the falling out and both she and Winston had not been to church for the past two weeks.

  “I feel sick to my stomach about what happened,” she said in a grief stricken tone. “Maya was such a lovely kid always smiling. She reminded me of you.”

  “With prayers we are going to get past this.” She looked around the room at the people sitting around and not saying anything much. The parents of the dead girls had formed a clique as if trying to draw comfort from one another. Her mother was all over the place trying to comfort who she can. Her father was in his office or somewhere around the grounds. It was almost surreal as if it had not really happened. “I cannot begin to imagine what they must be going through.”

  “It makes you wonder if loving someone or even having kids is worth all this,” Millie said with a tinge of bitterness to her voice.

  “I want to fall in love and have kids even if I have no idea what the future holds,” Jayda told her fiercely. “It’s times like these that make you realize that life is precious and unpredictable and we should make the best of it.”

  Millie stared at her for a moment and then nodded slowly. “I am sorry about our argument. I really like Winston, Jay, and I am praying that it is going to work between us.”

  “I wish you all the best.” She nodded to a sister and turned to her friend. “I have always wished you the best,” she said as she turned away to go and find her father.

  *****

  She stood just inside the door as she looked at the man she had loved all her life. His face looked haggard and it was as if ten years had been added to his life. He had his head tilted back and his eyes closed. Her mother had told her that he had not eaten since he had gulped the coffee down this morning and she should try and get him to eat something. He opened his eyes as if he sensed her presence and forced a smile to his lips. “Your mother sent you to find me,” he said as he lifted his head.

  “You know her so well.” She came into the office and placed the steaming bowl of soup before him. “I was told not to leave until you have eaten every drop.” She pulled up a chair in front of his desk and placed her hands on it. “You were the one who always told me to take my burdens to the One who can bear them the most. Why are you not doing so?”

  He picked up the spoon and dipped it into the soup stirring it around for a little bit. “I guess when you have to stare into the eyes of parents who are grieving so badly that they cannot hold back the tears then everything slips away. I don’t know what to say to them, honey. I have my child with me and I cannot imagine what I would do if I lost you.”

  “They were beautiful kids, Dad, the best and they were committed to their relationship with God. I can only grasp to that and that is what is making me see past all the horror and grief of it all. I know that the parents won’t want to hear that now but you also told me that sometimes the best thing to do is to be silent.”

  He smiled at her gently. “You are right, my love.”

  “I had a pretty good idea that she would get through to you,” his wife said softly from the doorway. “Thanks, honey,” she said as she looked at her daughter.

  “You are welcome.” Jayda got to her feet and went around to hug him. “Take care both of you.”

  Chapter 8

  She was ready when he got there. She had come home and tried to get some rest but the scene at church kept haunting her. Those parents! People she had grown up seeing her entire life now had their lives turned upside down and life for them would never be the same again. The fabric of their church and their neighborhood had been torn away and things would never be the same again!

  She grabbed her jacket as soon as she heard him at the door and pulled it open. He was wearing a dark green sweater and had pulled his dark hair back into a ponytail. His dark eyes scanned her small frame and admired the denim and black blouse she was wearing. He noticed that she hardly wore makeup and for him who was used to women never going without it felt a little strange! She took natural to a new level!

  “Ready?” he asked her softly. Somehow he felt the insane urge to protect her and he had no idea what from!

  She nodded. She was not smiling and he missed that. “Rough day?” he asked as they walked to his car.

  “Very.” She pulled the jacket closer to her as he opened the door for her to get in. She closed her eyes as she leaned back against the soft leather. He came in and looked over at her. “Want to talk?”

  She turned her head to look at him. “You first.” Her smile came and he was so grateful he could have kissed her. He wanted to kiss her anyway! “How was your day?”

  His thick brows lifted and his lips quirked in a small smile. “We are going there?”

  “We are,” she said solemnly. “I don’t know anything about you, Alessandro, and I want to get to know the man I am going to marry.”

  He put the car in drive, annoyed that his hands were trembling. “You are starting to make me believe,” he said lightly as he negotiated traffic.

  “I want you to do more than believe,” she said intensely. “I saw tragedy today, Alessandro, and I don’t want to waste any more time. I love you and I know without a shadow of a doubt that you are the man for me. I pray for you constantly, more than I pray for anyone else.”

  “What do you say?” he asked her hoarsely.

  “I ask God to protect the man I love and to be his guide wherever he goes,” she told him softly.

  He did not respond but looked straight ahead at the road. He remained silent as they continued and Jayda did not break the silence but looked out at the changing scenery. She had passed this neighborhood on her way to the uptown mall. They had traveled several hours during which she had fallen asleep before he came to a stop at a gated area where he punched in a code and the gate swung open. He parked in an underground garage and switched off the engine. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked her quietly as he turned to face her.

  She reached over and touched his face. “You know exactly what you are going to do with me. You are going to marry me and we are going to have children together.”

  He stared at her broodingly before he released his seatbelt and got ready to exit. “I need to tell you something. Let’s go up.”

  The sheer luxury of the apartment took her breath away! It was on the top floor and was decorated in gold and some sort of chestnut color. The staircase was spiraling silver with shiny chestnut wood covering it. She glimpsed wide open spaces which made the place appear even larger. For a moment her heart constricted as she realized that he was not just wealthy but was out of her range wealthy! But she had been brought up by parents who had taught her that money did not make a person! He took her coat and hung it up on a fancy looking coat hanger. “Would you like some wine?” he asked her politely as he went towards the kitchen. She followed him and her eyes widened at the beautiful ultra-modern kitchen with all the latest modern amenities.

  “Yes, thanks,” she said looking around. He pressed a button and the wall moved to reveal rows upon rows of shelves with bottles of wine on them.

  “An Italian’s weakness,” he said with a slight smile as he chose a bottle of red wine. “Barolo.” He lifted the bottle to show her. “One of the best.” He uncapped it and went for two glasses to pour. Next he reached for a basket with different kinds of Rivera chocolates and set it before her. “My parents would have my head if I did not offer a gue
st one of ours.”

  “I am more than a guest,” she told him softly as she sipped the wine.

  He sat opposite her around the shiny marble counter and held his wine in his hand swirling it around as he looked at the texture. “I grew up for the most part in Italy, a place called Florence. I was born here but I was sent there to attend school and I loved it. I am more comfortable there than here. When I was in college I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. The mafia.” He smiled at her grimly. “I have ties to the ‘Family’ and for several years I thought it was the most exciting thing that could ever happen to me. Then I saw who they really were and barely escaped with my life and that was because my family had connections. I am not the person for you, Jayda. You are a clean wholesome church girl with a pastor for a father. I have my limitations and even I have no intention of passing that barrier.”

  Jayda put aside her wine glass. She had yet to touch the delicious chocolate but was planning on doing so after she was finished. “You have a past and I get that. It still does not take away from fact that I am in love with you and I would never do anything to change that. My parents love me and they are going to respect and love the man I am in love with. We make mistakes, Alessandro, for the mere fact that we are human and I am not going to hold it against you.”

  “I am not getting through to you!” he snapped as he got to his feet and came around to her side. “I am not the man for you. Find someone in church, someone who will never put you in danger.”

  “Where's the fun in that?” she asked him softly as she spread her hands over his chest.

  “Jayda-”

  “I am not going anywhere, Alessandro, and you already know that. Nothing you do or say will ever stop me from loving you.”

  His hands came up to frame her face and his body trembled slightly. “You are going to regret it,” he whispered.

  “Never,” she vowed.

  He bent his head and rested his head on hers, his breathing sketchy and his body hot. “I want to make love to you,” he said hoarsely.

  “I want that too but I have my standards and as much as I want to let go and give in I cannot do that, Alessandro. Not until we are-”

  He let go of her and stepped back, his expression inscrutable. “I cannot do this.” He felt as if he was suffocating.

  “I will wait-”

  “No!” His tone was explosive. “You are trying to get me to do something that I am not ready for.” He tunneled his fingers through his hair dislodging the rubber band he had put in. “I want you dammit!” He walked away into the living room and she followed him on trembling feet.

  “Alessandro, please look at me.”

  He stood with his back to her for a moment and then turned to face her. She was not nettled and he realized grimly that for the first time he had met his match. He had met a woman who was not afraid to stand her ground with him and it felt strange. “You think I am not feeling what you are feeling?” she asked him softly. “I go to bed at night wishing you were with me. I need you. You have become a part of me and I shudder to think of being without you but I want us to do this right. I want you to respect and love me for the person I am, the way I love and respect you for who you are.”

  “You don’t know what you are saying,” he said between his teeth as he gripped her arms. “You have this ideal inside your head and you have played it somewhat until it has become something you want it to be. I am not good for you, Jayda, and you are not listening. Right now I am exploding with passion for you. I want to take you upstairs and sink my dick inside you! I want to taste you! I want you naked beneath me and I cannot dance around that anymore. Do you get it now?”

  He almost ground his teeth in frustration as she stood there looking up at him with that calm serene expression on her exquisite face. Nothing he said to her was not getting through to her and he needed her to understand what kind of man he was. She was as pure as the driven snow and he was not and there was no way that he could ever just have sex with her and expect her to go on her merry way.

  “Are you done?” she asked him softly.

  “Have you listened to a word I just said?”

  “Yes.” She touched his chest lightly. “I see a Remington in the hall and I have a feeling that you play or is it just ornamental?”

  He stared at her for a moment in frustration. “I play.”

  “Good.” She went on her toes and kissed him on the mouth. “So do I.” She took his hand and pulled him into the living room where the piano was. “I am not an expert but I have been fiddling around with the one at church.” She sat on the bench and he sat next to her.

  “You are the most infuriating woman I have ever met,” he said softly.

  “I know.” Her dimples peeked out at him. “Now play.”

  They spent the next several hours trying out notes and he listened in fascination as her voice sounded clear and beautiful inside the room as she sang. He had never been with a woman the way he was with her before and he found it fascinating. She made him forget everything he had experienced that was bad in his life and he found himself genuinely enjoying being with her. Before now he would make love and maybe sit for a few minutes to have dinner and then he was gone. With her he wanted to spend time with her and it was not just the sex because he was not getting any at all, he thought wryly.

  “Remember I said I would cook for you?” she asked him as they finished playing.

  “I thought you were just saying that,” he teased her.

  “I was serious.” She got off the bench and took his hand so he could follow her into the kitchen. “I told you about the meatloaf so I am going to need the stuff.” She looked at the huge pantry. “Do you actually eat here?”

  “Not often.” He leaned against the counter and watched as she dug around in his pantry as if she belonged.

  “I need an apron.”

  “I have no idea where that is.”

  She shook her head at him and dug around in drawers and cabinets until she found some folded there. It was too big for her petite frame and almost enveloped her but she made do. She worked with deft precise movements and before very long she had the meatloaf in the oven and a delicious aroma invading the air. “How about some more of that wine?” she suggested as she sat around the counter with the vegetables to make the salad. “And some music.”

  His eyebrows lifted as he went to do her bidding. “Anything else?”

  She nodded, looking past his slight sarcasm. “Sit next to me. Cooking relaxes me but I don’t do it often. I have a vegetable garden at my house and I mostly give away what I grow to my neighbors and the church.” She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder a moment as she sipped the wine. “This is nice, isn’t it?” she murmured softly.

  “Maybe,” he lied. It was more than nice! It was comfortable and relaxing and something he had not experienced in a very long time, certainly not with the women he had been with! If his own family saw him now they would not believe that it was him! He put his arm around her shoulder and turned slightly so she was resting against his chest.

  “I like this wine,” she said softly as she continued to sip.

  “So do I.” He kissed the top of her head before he could help himself. “Tell me about your parents,” he heard himself saying.

  “They are the best. They are firm and yet loving. When I was little I thought they were angels.” She laughed. “They never argued or at least not so that I heard them doing it. They touched each other often and I used to think it was gross until I grew up wanting to have something like they do. But I kid myself into thinking that I was supposed to marry someone from church and I settled on Winston.” She felt him stiffen a little bit and smiled. “You don’t have to be jealous, Alessandro.” She twisted her head to look into his beautiful face. “I took one look at you and knew that there could never be anyone else for me.”

  His eyes were hooded as he looked down at her. For a moment time stood still with only the soft music playing in the background. The s
exual tension was there but more than that there was a sense of such peace and tranquility that he was trying not to shake it. Her eyes held his and he found himself drawn in, his body against hers feeling like it was the most natural thing in the world! She sniffed the air and moved away hurriedly, breaking the spell as she went to rescue the meatloaf.

  Alessandro looked at her and found his heart pounding inside his chest as he realized that he was dangerously close to giving her everything!

  *****

  “Chocolate giants ‘Rivera’s Chocolate steps in to help to alleviate some of the sufferings that the mass killing of several high school students by a fellow student who then later turned the gun on himself caused. A local high school was rocked by a tragedy leaving parents and the authorities in shock as tragedy rocked the small town. Rivera Chocolate has stepped up to do their part in all this by implementing scholarships in each student’s names as a way of making a terrible situation one could live with. One parent said tearfully that her daughter was dead but her name would live on and she was grateful to the company for their generosity!”

  Jayda read the piece and then called him. It had been a week since she had been at his apartment and apart from a few calls she had not seen him and she knew he was avoiding her.

  “Hi,” she said softly as he answered the phone. “Have you seen the paper?”

  “I read it a short while ago.”

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  “How do you know I was responsible?”

  “I know.”

  There was silence for a moment and then he spoke. “How have you been?”

  “Missing you like crazy and wondering when I am going to see you again. Alessandro, this is ridiculous. I need to see you.”

  “I am busy,” he said lamely.

  “Please don’t lie to me.”

  “Dammit it, Jayda, you are making it difficult for me. I want you and I cannot stop thinking about wanting you.”

  “And there is a solution for that. I always fancied myself getting married in October or November.”

  “I am not getting married.”