Baby Steps

by Lily Zante

  “What’s the latest update?” Nico asked and listened as he followed Bruno as they made their way to the staff quarters.

  Bruno told him and Nico questioned everything, the budget, the projected finish date, the expected delays, and the expected date of the second safety check. Bruno had answers for everything. This time, Nico wanted to leave no stone unturned. The hotel had to open on time, no delays, no interruptions, no nasty surprises.

  No interfering politician creeping out from the corners, on the pretense of lobbying for workers’ rights.

  Nico was overly obsessed by the need to ensure that he had all corners covered.

  “We have to hit the February date,” he said quietly to himself. Their publicity drive and marketing campaigns had already had to be delayed once.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be ready for February?” Bruno asked.

  “We have to be.” Nico replied, unsure why Bruno seemed to think this might be a problem.

  ‘You must expect to be surprised and outsmarted at every turn,’ his father had once told him, ‘and it is your duty to make sure you come out winning.’

  Edmondo had told him that he’d never been fond of giving an exact date for hotel openings, preferring instead to start quietly and let customers come slowly. But his father’s hotels had opened decades ago and back then word of mouth recommendations spread slowly. Business was slower. Things took time. That had been the way Edmondo Cazale had always operated, but Nico knew that in this new world, this smaller, more connected world where word of mouth and reputation weren’t as dependent on footfall but on social media reach, that things could go spectacularly well, or die an embarrassing death in front of a global audience.

  Once the Cazale Ravenna was open, he’d have to sit down with Ines and begin an aggressive marketing plan for the other hotels for he had as good as forgotten about them.

  “The work will be finished by the end of this month, Nico and hopefully we’ll have the safety inspection soon after—I’ve already submitted our application but even so, expecting to open a few weeks after might be wishful thinking.”

  “Maybe so,” replied Nico slowly. “But losing money each day is crippling me.”

  “We were unlucky,” said Bruno. “I have a friend who worked on a similar project and he told me that their building got inspected and passed the same day. We could have done without Armando Vieri sticking his nose in where it’s not warranted.”

  “He’s an interfering son-of-a-bitch,” said Nico. He’d not heard a peep out of the man or Silvia since that day. But Nico kept an eye on the man’s dealings, or as much as he was able to from reading about him in the papers and online. Vieri had done the damage and had moved onto other matters.

  “Politicians,” Bruno said the word with disgust. “Did you know he’s screwing around with a blond almost half his age?”

  Nico didn’t answer but leaned against the wall and coughed.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” warned Bruno. “It’s a health hazard.”

  And for once, Nico agreed with him.

  Chapter 6

  Elisabetta had fallen asleep as usual after her 10pm feed and Ava hoped she would stay fast asleep until 2am, or longer. An uninterrupted night’s sleep was something that Ava craved, though tonight she had other things on her mind.

  Tonight, she was hoping to woo her husband back. She’d showered and donned what she hoped was sexy but not too revealing—a midnight blue satin baby doll slip; something she hadn’t bothered to wear for months. She surveyed her reflection warily. Andrea’s visit last week had been the wake-up call she’d needed. Her friend had looked so glamorous in such a simple but striking outfit, that Ava had decided to make more of an effort herself. She was always on call for her baby, and for Nico, and for her business but she had to make time for herself, too. This was something her mother had often told her but she now saw the truth for herself. Unless she made the time, the whole day would be swallowed up in taking care of everything, and everyone else.

  This evening, Ava had done just that. After putting the baby to bed, she’d taken her time having a long bath, shaving her legs and underarms, and using a face masque. She’d pampered herself for the purpose of enticing Nico. The poor man’s romantic attempts had been rebuffed so many times that he’d given up trying and she wondered if sexual frustration added to their current problems. It was time to get the intimacy back, now that she felt fully recovered from giving birth.

  Primped and preened and shaven, with silky skin moisturized by Kukui oil and shea butter, she sashayed into their bedroom smelling like a summer bouquet. She clambered into bed from Nico’s side, since the crib was lined up flush with her side of the bed.

  “You’re still reading?” she asked, half-pleased that he was still awake. A part of her was half-anxious, too because it would be difficult to pull him away from his paperwork. Once, it would have been easy to command his attention, no matter what work he brought home but those days seemed to be in the past.

  “I was reading through the marketing plan Ines has been working on,” he said, his head still lowered, his mind still on his work.

  “Ines?” asked Ava, crawling seductively like a lioness, onto her side of the bed. Her heart hammered high up in her chest and she felt nervous again, like a virgin. He looked up momentarily, and if she was hoping he’d noticed her sexy lingerie, she was mistaken. “The new marketing manager,” he said, and immediately turned his attention to the paperwork again. “Didn’t I mention her?”

  “You did,” she said, settling under the duvet. He continued to read but Ava wasn’t going to back down so easily. She sidled closer to him. Even now, dressed down in bed, he was a handsome sight. In the past he used to wear boxers and not much else apart from an inviting look. That time seemed distant now, as if it belonged to a different man and woman. Now he wore a loose t-shirt. Tonight she hoped to change the way things had become.

  “What’s she like, this Ines?” Ava asked, resting her chin on his shoulder and letting her breasts brush against his biceps. She ran her fingers slowly over his arm, and trailed them gently down to his forearm.

  “She’s…she’s…,” he turned to look at her, a film of confusion coming over him for a brief moment. “She seems good at what she does and she has a lot of interesting—” He seemed to have lost his train of thought.

  “She has a lot of interesting what?” Ava purred, as she continued to stroke his forearm, knowing how much he liked it.

  “Ideas,” he replied. “She has lots of interesting ideas and Gina likes her.”

  “Then she obviously has something going for her,” replied Ava, before dropping a kiss on his shoulder. It felt strange at first, making this move after such a long time but the old familiarity quickly returned and her heart began to gallop as lazy waves of desire rolled through her. Her senses slowly reawakened as she kissed his shoulder a second time, then trailed her lips softly down his bicep.

  He made a noise, a low rumble deep in his throat, and shifted back against the headrest, throwing his paperwork onto the floor. She moved back with him, then felt his hand brush her cheek before he cupped it. It was all the reassurance she needed. In one fell swoop she straddled him, pushing his head back against the headboard and drawing courage from the hungry look he gave her. “The paperwork can wait, can’t it?” she murmured, the flat of her hand resting firmly against his chest.

  “Yes.” He took her hand and kissed her fingers, making her smile. The Nico she loved was slowly coming back to her. “Sit up,” she ordered, overcome by a rush of bravado. He did as commanded and she lifted his t-shirt from the bottom and tried to roll it up and over him. He pulled it off himself, revealing his wide and finely sculpted chest. His stomach wasn’t as flat as normal, on account of his exercise regime falling to the wayside, but still, he was a fine specimen of a man, and he was hers, and in her bed. She swallowed, the hairs along her arms and the back of her neck prickling with the excitement of being this close to her hal
f naked husband.

  “I like this,” he said, his voice husky and low, his eyes glittering as his gaze traveled slowly along the length of her chemise. It wasn’t revealing; there was no see-through lace to tease, but it had a plunging neckline and two spaghetti straps that begged to be pulled down.

  “You like this better than my maternity wear?” She asked, teasing.

  He growled, unable to utter a coherent word. “Sexy as hell,” she thought he said, and she leaned in to kiss him because that mouth of his was calling her. They kissed softly at first. Lips softly touching lips, to gauge a feeling, a reaction, to experience and feel the thrill but it didn’t take long for him to get excited and his hands soon claimed her body, exploring feverishly over her back and sides before they settled in front. One hand caressed her stomach, just below her navel, while the other palmed her breast. With his thumb he stroked it, fast and rhythmically, soon teasing it to a hard peak and she couldn’t help but let out a moan. It had been too long since she had felt this; a throbbing between her legs and prickles of heat spreading across her stomach and chest. He kissed and breathed into her mouth as his hand cupped her breast again, kneading, and pulling, and tweaking and then he pulled her body closer to him so that her breasts fell against his hard-as-rock chest. Heat in her body slowly spread from her stomach to the tips of her toes and she felt his hardness through her panties. She melted into his mouth, tasting and sucking his tongue, biting his lower lip.

  She had missed him, in her bed, in her arms, in her thoughts.

  His hand slipped to her shoulder and he pulled her barely-there straps down so that the flimsy satin fell and revealed her nakedness. The look in his eyes was desperate and hungry and as his lips parted, she arched her back, anticipating the feel of his mouth on her. But in the next moment, the familiar sensation of release—and the sudden gush of milk from her breasts—made her gasp in shock.

  Nico’s eyes and mouth opened wide together. She thought she heard him chuckle. “You’re leaking!” Her milk shot out onto his face and she clasped her hands over her chest and scrambled off the bed, embarrassed and humiliated as she rushed to the master bath.

  “Ava!” He called after her but she locked herself away in the safety of the room. Milk squirted out full speed until she quickly pulled her old nursing bra out of the laundry basket and grabbed two nursing pads from the cabinet, stuffing them into her bra to absorb the flow.

  So much for a night of seduction.

  “Ava.” Nico’s voice was soft when he knocked on the door a second time. “I’ll be out in a while,” she replied, but she had no intention of showing her face anytime soon. Shaking with humiliation, she waited it out and stared at the flimsy baby doll slip that lay in a crumpled heap in the basket.

  She had to face him at some point, and after a good while, she crept out, only to find Nico sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her.

  “Sorry,” she said, feeling sheepish, and embarrassed, as she glanced at the cot, hoping that Elisabetta would wake up and provide a welcome distraction.

  “Sorry, for what?” he asked, his voice a whisper. He took her in his arms but she squirmed, trying to move out of his hold. He held her even tighter. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he said, kissing her nose. “I’m sure this happens to many women.” She could only whimper in response and turned to stare at her baby.

  “Hey,” he said softly, moving her face so that she couldn’t look at anything else but his face. “Don’t be embarrassed. We can try again. We can try now,” he said.

  But her libido had vanished.

  “Or we can wait,” he said, when she didn’t answer. “I didn’t mean to laugh, Ava.” He still hadn’t let her go.

  “I know.” But he had laughed and the situation had been humiliating enough, even if he hadn’t.

  “Come and lie down with me,” he urged, tugging at her wrist.

  “I…” She hesitated, not wanting to lie down with him or to talk about it. “I need to check some emails.”

  “Now?”

  “Now.”

  He let go of her wrist that very instant.

  Chapter 7

  Nico sat back in his chair in the conference room and observed his new team. He observed how good it made him feel to know that he finally had a team at all. Four minds were better than two and discussing their ideas and obstacles during these meetings took a load off him.

  It was only now that he was able to delegate so many of his tasks to others that he realized how much he’d taken on. When his father had been alive, Nico had barely noticed it. A few years ago when he’d decided to finally heed his father’s words and to follow in the family business, he had started off by helping Edmondo but he hadn’t noticed the vast breadth of what was involved in running a chain of hotels. Now that he had sole responsibility for the business, it was plain to see that it was too much for one person, or two, with Gina, to take on and run successfully.

  He often caught himself thinking of what Edmondo would have made of all this; of the progress he’d made in trying to honor his father’s legacy. In April it would be a year since his father’s death, yet Nico felt his presence by his side every day. It spurred him to do better and to make his mark and he was only sorry that Edmondo wouldn’t be around to see it.

  “If you have any questions or concerns, you know where to find me.” Nico told them, as they got up to leave. Ines and Gina were deep in conversation as they left the room but Demetrio hovered around the door waiting for Nico.

  “Make sure you order all the hardware you need,” Nico told him as they walked down the hallway towards the main reception area. “Gina can sign off on the invoices if I’m not around.”

  “I’m looking forward to visiting the other hotels,” Demetrio announced. “I’m proud to be a part of this business.”

  “Why’s that?” Nico asked, wondering what sort of smooth answer Demetrio would have.

  “It’s small enough that I can make a difference and large enough to matter.”

  “Are you saying small things don’t count?”

  “I’m saying it’s good to get noticed. The Cazale hotels aren’t as well-known as they could be, but some of my friends have heard of them. It was an eye-opener for me and when I told them I was the Chief Technical Officer for the chain, they were really impressed.”

  Nico cleared his throat. “But you do understand that in this early stage, where you don’t have a team, that you’re going to have to do that grunt work yourself?” Nico wondered if that might cause a problem.

  “Yeah, of course. I get that. We’re only going to grow. It’s great that I’m here from the start.”

  Nico considered what he said. “Well, no. Not exactly. The hotels have been running a long time. Over twenty years, but we’re taking them to another phase now.”

  “That’s what I’m excited of being a part of.”

  “We’re expanding, as you know.”

  “I know. There’s an interesting article about you in The Verona Times.”

  “Oh?” Nico didn’t give many interviews, but there had been a recent flurry after Edmondo’s death and he knew people were watching him.

  “It was a few months ago,” Demetrio said. “Obviously, expansion is the right move for you. You can’t trade on your father’s legacy forever.”

  “I’m glad you agree.”

  “And I’m certain that all of your efforts into the Cazale Ravenna will pay off.”

  “They will,” Nico replied, drily. He turned his head, and thought he’d heard the sound of a child gurgling. And then he saw them. Ava was near the reception desk, watching proudly while Gina and Ines gushed over Elisabetta.

  “Could I run some things about the upgrade project by you?” Demetrio asked.

  “What things?”

  “The timescales.”

  “What about them?”

  “Gina has me down to spend four days at each site but I think it’s going to take five or six. I’m certain that her estimation is off.�
��

  Nico turned his heard towards Demetrio. “Then revise your plan and discuss it with Gina. You don’t need a meeting with me for that.”

  “I don’t think she’s technically minded enough.”

  His words startled Nico. “She doesn’t need to be an IT expert to make estimations. She’s basing it on how long its taken before.” Nico narrowed his eyes at Demetrio. “I’m focusing my efforts on the Cazale Ravenna and Gina is your first line of support for any issues.”

  “I’ll speak to Gina,” said Demetrio. Then, “Is that your wife and daughter?” Demetrio asked.

  “It is.” Nico walked towards them, leaving Demetrio behind. “I didn’t know you were coming here today,” he said, genuinely happy to see his wife. He dropped a light kiss on her cheek.

  “I wasn’t planning to,” Ava replied. Things between them were almost back to normal again after that night. Almost. And ‘normal’ was still being fine with one another, but without any sex. Not even kissing. Nico brushed it off with the notion that being parents required an adjustment. This was temporary, and they would figure out a way back to their relationship

  “She’s adorable!” shrieked Gina, cradling the baby in her arms. “Look at her. She’s grown so much.”

  “You haven’t seen her in a while,” Ava replied.

  “Not since before Christmas. Do they grow so quickly?”

  “Yes, and no,” laughed Ava. “She’s all dressed up in layers and coat.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Nearly two months.” Nico replied. Two months which had whizzed by as if they’d been a couple of weeks. His friend had told him that it seemed as if time had sped up ever since he’d had children and Nico now understood what he meant. He couldn’t wait for Elisabetta to be walking and talking, and needing him as much as she currently seemed to need her mother.

  “I think she likes me.” Gina’s face was a picture of happiness and Elisabetta seemed content to be the object of everyone’s admiration.