Turn Towards the Sun

by Jennifer Domenico

  I have to stay in bed the rest of the day, which is fine because my head hurts too much to move. Enzo orders room service and feeds me water, fruit, and the most glorious chicken soup I’ve ever had in my life.

  “What else can I get you?’

  “Enzo you need to work. I’m fine.” Which is not even remotely true. I’m so thankful for him right now.

  “I am working. I can take a call and take care of you at the same time.” He leaves to answer the door.

  Gabby comes in with some pastries she picked up. She climbs in bed with me and opens the package. “Which one do you want to try first Ava?”

  Ten little adorable pastries grace the gold platter. Italians are so fancy about everything. They are so beautiful you almost don’t want to eat them. I point to one with a strawberry on top and gobble it up. It’s sponge cake with some kind of light cream in the middle.

  “These are so good, thank you.”

  “How’s your head?” Gabby asks.

  “It’s a little better now. Did you see what happened?”

  She shakes her head. “No, too short. Grayson watched you the whole time but when you came out, the crowd just went nuts. It’s like they saw a snake or something. Weird.”

  I try to think back and then, wait. Someone pushed me. I remember now. “I think I got pushed Gabby.”

  “Yea for sure.”

  “No, on purpose. Someone pushed me on purpose.”

  She looks at me wide eyed. “Who would do that Ava?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe someone was trying to rob me. I just remember being shoved, and it felt intentional.”

  “I wouldn’t tell Enzo that if I were you.”

  “Good point.”

  Enzo comes in the room to check on me. Gabby assures him I’m doing well and eating. She leaves after an hour, and Enzo climbs back in bed with me.

  “How’s your head?” He strokes my hair off my face.

  “It’s much better now. I have a question.”

  “What is it my love?”

  “Why do you make Grayson call you sir or Mr. Milano?”

  “I don’t. I’ve told him many times he can call me Enzo, but he insists. He says it’s more professional. Every now and then, he will call me by name but not often. Why do you ask?”

  “I told him to call me Ava today, and he said he would discuss it with you first.”

  Enzo laughs. “I assure you he is free to call you by your name. He’s a very shy fellow, it must be uncomfortable for him to be around such a beautiful woman.” He kisses my forehead. “Let’s go to sleep now. I’ve done enough work for the day.”

  I cuddle in his arms happy that my head stopped hurting, and that I’m safe with him. Still, the thought does linger that what happened today was not a coincidence.

  “I’m keeping you with me today.”

  I sit on the bed and watch him dress. Sometimes I shake my head at how handsome this man is.

  “Gabriella can come too but you’re not leaving my sight today.”

  I knew this would happen and know that it’s useless to argue.

  “Francesca will meet us at the hotel, and we can get started.”

  “What are we starting?”

  “The renovation plans.” He says it like I should know what he’s talking about.

  “What hotel?”

  “The Leonardo.” He looks at me like he doesn’t understand my questions, and then he laughs.

  “I keep forgetting you don’t understand Italian.”

  I shake my head.

  “I bought several hotels in Italy, and I’m going to renovate and rename all of them. In five years’ time, I hope to have several converted over. We are starting with the Leonardo because Florence is my favorite town in Italy, except my home.”

  “Is that why everyone was so excited at dinner the other night?”

  “Yes. I’m creating a lot of jobs in this renovation. Of course, I’ll eventually bring in my own management team, but I’m going to make sure that everyone who deserves a job keeps one.”

  I think of the efficient young woman who took us to the dinner hall.

  “So you’re going to fix up that terrible banquet room?”

  He laughs. “Absolutely.”

  “How do you keep up with all these projects?”

  “I have a lot of smart people around me who keep things moving along.”

  “How big is your company Enzo?” I am not at all sure. I remember reading about the worldwide empire, but I don’t know what that entails.

  “Are you interested in this?”

  “Very. It’s an important part of what makes you who you are.”

  “Well, let’s see. I have two resorts in France. One in London that still needs work. I had the ones in Boston that I just sold of course. Then there is one location in California. You know about Girasole and the new Downtown Phoenix location that is being planned. For the next several years, I’ll be splitting my time between Arizona and Italy.”

  Impressive. “How many employees do you have?”

  “I have no idea. You’d have to ask Franco for that information.” He laughs.

  “You always know everything going on at Girasole. You seem to be very hands on.” I’m ready for his hands to be on me again. I can’t help but smile at the double meaning of my sentence.

  “Girasole is special to me. It’s small enough that I can keep up with the property. Plus it just feels like home. I stay there the most during the year.” He pauses. “It used to feel like home. Now wherever you are does.”

  “Come sit with me Enzo.”

  He walks to the edge of the bed. “You should get up. We need to get to the hotel.”

  “Come on, just sit for a minute. One little minute.”

  He sighs and climbs on top of the bed with me. “I’m up here. Now what?”

  “Are you sure we have to leave right now?”

  “Miss Bradshaw, are you trying to tempt me?”

  “Absolutely.” I reach up and stroke his cheek. Rising up to my knees, I run my hands down the length of his body, stopping to rub what I hope will become an erection. He throws his head back and releases a quiet groan.

  “Seducing me won’t convince me to let you go out Ava.”

  Busted.

  I stop rubbing and he laughs. “Get up.”

  Humph. “Fine.”

  He pokes me in the side tickling me and making me laugh.

  We arrive at the hotel, and I’m ushered into a room with drab couches, dated televisions, and Gabby. She jumps up and hugs me.

  “Calvin told me Enzo won’t let you go anywhere.”

  I nod.

  “I don’t blame him really.” She says.

  “Well this is home for the day I guess. Hope you like Italian soap operas.”

  A few hours later, Francesca blows into the room like a gale-force hurricane. She’s dressed in little black capris and an orange top with black flats, very Audrey Hepburn.

  “Ava!” She rushes towards me and hugs me. “Enzo was so worried for you. We all were.”

  A man walks quietly behind her. He is about her size, only slightly taller with light brown hair and light blue eyes. He looks at me and smiles but says nothing.

  “I’m fine Checca, really.”

  “Yes, this is my boyfriend Eduardo. He doesn’t speak English yet, but he speaks Spanish and Italian.” Eduardo shakes our hands. This quiet little man is with the whirlwind that is Francesca?

  “We need to eat lunch.” She announces dramatically.

  “Enzo won’t let me leave the building. You know it’s pointless to argue with your brother.”

  She frowns then shakes her head. “I go find him.”

  A few minutes later, she returns speaking animatedly with Enzo, Calvin and a confused Grayson follow closely behind. I still can’t tell if they are angry. Enzo throws his hands in the air.

  “Fine Checca. Fine.” He turns to me. “You, Gabriella, and Checca can go across the street for lunch. I’ll
keep Eduardo here with us.”

  Her eyes flash victorious. “Come, we eat.”

  Very impressive Francesca.

  I look apologetically at Enzo, who simply flashes his beautiful smile.

  “Ready?” Enzo enters the room we were sequestered in all day except for our brief outing with Francesca. A bored Gabby looks up from her book. I jump out of my seat right away.

  “God yes.”

  “You stayed with Ava all day Gabriella?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t leave her while she’s being held hostage.” Oh good one Gabs.

  “Touché.” He bows towards her.

  “Can we just go please?” I ask.

  We walk back to the car, and Calvin rushes over to hug Gabby. He’s like a big, stylish puppy dog with her. Enzo and I get in the car with Grayson. We drive back in silence. I have to talk to him about today.

  “I know I gave you a scare, but you can’t keep me locked in a shabby hotel the rest of our stay.”

  He’s silent.

  “Did you hear me?”

  He turns to me. “Yes and I know. But I don’t know how to protect you.”

  “I’ll be really careful and I will stay close to Grayson, no wandering. I promise.” I squeeze his hand and offer a pleading smile.

  Enzo nods reluctantly. His phone rings, allowing us to change the topic.

  “Pronto?” I watch him listen intently then turn to me.

  “Checca wants to speak with you.” Enzo hands me his telephone.

  “Ciao Checca.”

  “Yes, we meet tomorrow to start the training.”

  “Training?”

  “Yes, I train you, remember?”

  Oh, the design assistant gig. I thought she might have forgotten about that.

  “Okay sure. Where are we meeting?”

  “Enzo will bring you to me and we start. Va bene?”

  “Yes. Va bene.”

  I hang up and turn to Enzo, but I know he already knows what is happening.

  “I gave Calvin the day off in order to escort Gabriella around town.” Clever.

  “Okay so what am I going to be doing with Checca exactly?”

  “She’s going to teach you what she does.”

  I sigh. I thought the extent of this was going to be the work we did at Girasole. But I can already tell I’m outnumbered.

  We pull up in front of our hotel and say goodbye to Grayson. I have no idea what Enzo has planned for us tonight, but I really hope it’s nothing fancy. I would like to get out and explore the city, but I don’t want to do it wearing evening wear.

  “What do we have planned this evening?” We walk briskly towards the elevators. Enzo looks seriously at me, and I can tell he’s still very much in work mode. He stops suddenly.

  “What do you want to do amore?” His tone softens, and his eyes follow suit.

  “I just want to spend time with you. Doing regular things.”

  He pushes the button for our floor. “Regular things? What does that mean?”

  “You know, like ordinary things non extremely rich and successful architects would do.” I smile, hoping he’s not offended.

  He grins. “Well, why don’t we put some comfortable clothes on and go out and walk around Florence. We can find a place for dinner and be regular people.” He opens the door to our room.

  “I don’t know if being regular is in your lane Enzo, but thanks for trying.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Everything you do is over the top, everything is extraordinary. Even your looks. The way you speak, dress, carry yourself, all very far from regular. Sometimes I still don’t get what you see in me.” I didn’t mean to say that last part out loud.

  Enzo turns to me and stares intently in my eyes. “Bella.” He whispers as he rubs his hand across my cheek. “Bellissima.” He kisses my nose. “I don’t know why you say this. You are the most spectacular woman I’ve ever met. It’s not just your beauty it’s what you do with your beauty. You’re so…natural about it. I don’t think you even know how beautiful you are.”

  He’s standing so close I strain my neck to look at him.

  “It’s you that is extraordinary. You are so warm, loving, open, and honest. I noticed right away on the plane you were different than the women I come into contact with, you were real. You’re not obsessed with your looks or your weight. You don’t care about the latest fashion trends. You are just you.”

  “You treat me like I’m different than you, somehow better than you. You’re wrong. For every fault I have you lift me up. Any faults you have are endearing to me. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect woman for me if I designed her myself. It was easy to fall in love with you.” He pulls me tighter and kisses the top of my head.

  Tears stream down my face. I’ve never had anyone say things like that to me in my life, and it feels amazing.

  He steps back. “Now let’s change and go get dinner before I ravish you.” He winks.

  “Sure as long as we get back to the ravishing part later.”

  “I assure you it will happen. It’s a promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep sir.” I add playfully.

  “I never do.” I get a brilliant smile in return.

  We head out into the perfect evening. It’s warm but very comfortable, and the sky is crystal clear. What a breathtaking place Florence is. Every street, every corner has something to see. I can only imagine how amazing it is through the eyes of an architect.

  “Tell me what you see Enzo, through your eyes.”

  He grins. We stop in front of a building that looks like it must be at least five hundred years old. The burnt yellow stucco is chipping off in spots. The front door is very grand, made of old dark wood with iron hinges. A green vine covers the top portion and trails down one side of the building. A small red bicycle leans against the house under a window.

  “What do you see Ava?”

  “I see a beautiful old house begging me to come inside.”

  “That’s exactly what I see.” Enzo replies.

  “You must see more than that.”

  “I see the beauty first Ava, always. Then I see the structure.”

  We continue on, discussing the various buildings. We walk to the nearest piazza and look for a place to eat dinner. We enter through a non-descript door opening and are met with a lovely, romantic little space inside. The place looks like it was carved out of the building surrounding it. There must be only ten small tables inside and all of them are full. A huge wine rack covers one whole wall to the left of us, and the kitchen dominates the back.

  “I want to eat here Enzo. Let’s wait for a table.”

  Enzo squeezes my hand as we walk towards a small man who looks to be an owner.

  “Signore?” Enzo addresses him in Italian, and the two men begin a lively discussion, about what I have no idea. I know it’s about me though based on their continued glances in my direction.

  “Si signore, okay.” The man smiles at me. He rushes off to the back.

  “What did you say Enzo?”

  “I told him you were in love with the restaurant, and I was in love with you so if there is any way we could get a table, I would be most appreciative.”

  Seriously.

  The man comes back with a small table, and two young boys follow him with chairs. They walk over in front of the wine wall and set it up in the corner. There are no other tables in this area except ours. This is definitely not regular.

  “Prego Signorina.” He says to me and motions for me to sit. Enzo guides me to the table with his hand on the small of my back.

  “What did he say?” I want to know what all of these Italian words mean.

  “He asked you to sit.”

  “Prego means sit?”

  “No.” He ponders what to say for a moment.

  “In this case it meant sit, but it can be used whenever you want someone to do something politely. Or it means you’re welcome.”

  I cock
my head, completely confused now.

  Enzo continues. “Italian does not always translate perfectly to English. It is a flexible language, and you must have the context of the situation to understand it. In this case, he just wanted you to sit.”

  The language just got that much sexier to me.

  “I asked the owner to bring us the specialty of the house, so I don’t know what we’re having yet.”

  “It’s an adventure.” I grin.

  “Is this regular enough for you Ava?” He teases.

  “No, this isn’t regular at all. But now that I think about it, I don’t need regular as much as I thought.”

  Enzo laughs out loud. I love that.

  A woman comes to our table and sets down a plate of antipasto- meats, cheese, and huge Tuscan olives. This seems to be standard fare everywhere we go. The Tuscans, and all Italians for that matter, are very proud of their regional offerings. She brings us a basket of fresh bread made in house. Enzo breaks off a piece and drags it through this amazing dark green olive oil. He leans over the small table and puts it in my mouth. I close my eyes as I chew and enjoy the peppery taste of the oil.

  “I love watching you eat.” He says, as I open my eyes again. His blue eyes burrow deep inside me.

  “Let me feed you tonight.” He adds, his voice thick with lust.

  I don’t know how to react to that. He pulls my chair closer to him. “Say yes amore.”

  “Okay Enzo.”

  “Ava, say yes.”

  I feel a tingle shoot through the lower half of my body. Why is this so hot?

  “Yes.”

  He smiles and relaxes. Why did he need my permission?

  “You can do whatever you want Enzo.”

  He strokes my hand. “It’s important to me that you feel happy and free. I don’t want you to do things just because I want to.”

  Damn. I feel my eyes tear. He’s trying so hard not to overwhelm me again. What could be sweeter?

  “Thank you.” It’s the best response I could think of.

  “Prego.” He laughs. I laugh too.

  The owner brings out a steamy dish and sets it down, sprinkling Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top. I have no idea what it is. He grins and steps back for a young girl to place another dish on the table. This one looks like some sort of meat dish. The man and the girl step back and smile.