Renzo (The Ciprianos of Kellington)

by Bergman, Jamallah

  RENZO

  The Ciprianos of Kellington Book 1

  Jamallah Bergman

  Erotic Romance

  Secret Cravings Publishing

  www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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  A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

  Erotic Romance

  Renzo

  Copyright © 2013 Jamallah Bergman

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-796-5

  First E-book Publication: September 2013

  Cover design by Dawné Dominique

  Edited by Colleen McSpirit

  Proofread by Marja Salmon

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

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  www.secretcravingspublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  I would like to dedicate this book to my good friend and fellow author Jane White Pillatzke. Thanks for always lending an ear to listen as well as to laugh and I can’t say enough about how I am so glad to have you as a friend and confidant in life. Again I thank you and love ya.

  Also I would like to dedicate this book to another good friend Jimmy Thomas for just being as sweet as he can be and also being such a great inspiration for me as well as others whose book covers you grace. Thanks hon.

  And as always….my fans and friends….thanks so much for making this journey such a memorable one for me. Every day is always an adventure for me and I love how this has all gone. Much Love to you all!

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  **Forget Me Not, paranormal erotic romance:

  A war is brewing, a war that could destroy an entire vampire race if left unchecked, and Julian Marino has been requested to participate in it. He stops his search for a long time friend to go home and discovers there is more at stake than just his wants.

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  RENZO

  The Ciprianos of Kellington Book 1

  Jamallah Bergman

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  Droplets of rain softly pelted her head. Jaslyn knew she should have brought her umbrella with her, but she had been in a bit of a rush. Today, she was meeting with a potential buyer for a statue portraying a mysterious smiling woman. She had been trying to sell the piece for the past couple of weeks. It was raining harder than she thought possible as she entered her shop, Timeless Treasures. Her good friend Delia was dusting one of the shelves. “Are they here yet?”

  “No, not just yet, you got at least ten minutes.”

  Going into the back, Jaslyn went to make herself presentable. Even though she had opened up her shop only eight months ago, it was the talk of the town. Never would she have thought about moving to Kellington, Pennsylvania, but she needed a change. Her life back in New York had been something not even a novelist would want to write about. She was in desperate need of a new start when Delia suggested she move here. Once she came to visit Delia for a weekend, she immediately fell in love with the town and the people who lived there. It wasn’t like the hustle and bustle of New York. No, Kellington really had that feeling of belonging that she had dreamed of finding. It was like someone had opened up their arms, welcoming her into the safety and warmth she sought after her ordeal. Everyone had a smile on their face, always helping out their fellow neighbor in need. There was always something happening in town, nothing dramatic, but more positive and family oriented. Jaslyn needed more positivity in her life and she had hoped the town, as well as the people, would do the trick.

  She decided to rent an old store, moving most of her antiques from her other store in Greenwich Village to this one. It didn’t take long for the word to get out and it seemed like things were flying out the door faster than she could get new stuff in. With Delia helping her out in the shop, it made working more fun.
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br />   Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, she shook some of the water from her long, dark brown hair. When she got home, she would have to touch up her curls again. For now she had to settle with looking presentable for this particular client, who was someone well known in town—Filomena Cipriano.

  Anyone who lived in Kellington knew of the Cipriano family. They shaped Kellington into what it was today—at least from what Jaslyn had been told. When Delia took her to dinner her first night out, they went to an Italian place called Filomena’s. She had been to numerous Italian restaurants when living in New York, but the food had never been so amazing. It got to the point where she had to keep herself away for fear of gaining more weight. Even though she was a curvy girl, she was always self-conscience about her weight, however, never to the point it took over her life. She knew her limits and never went overboard. However, when her taste buds feasted upon Filomena’s marinara sauce for the first time, Jaslyn was completely hooked.

  Touching up her makeup, she smiled to make sure there wasn’t any lipstick on her teeth. Grabbing a paper towel, she dabbed some water droplets that had fallen upon her caramel brown cheek. Looking up at the clock, only eight more minutes before she will be here, she thought to herself. She decided to start making tea, thinking Mrs. Cipriano would want some after being out in the rain.

  “I hope she decides to buy the statue,” Jaslyn told Delia while waiting for the electric kettle to heat up the water.

  “I know what you mean.”

  “Hopefully, once she looks at the statue, she’ll buy.”

  “If I know Filomena, she will buy immediately.” Delia smiled, going over to the kettle to set up the tea.

  The bell that hung over the door rang as someone walked into the shop. Jaslyn went to greet the woman at the door.

  “Hello?” said Mrs. Cipriano as she took off the rain cap from her straight, long, grey hair, which was done in a neat ponytail.

  “Hello. Mrs. Cipriano, I presume?”

  “You presumed correctly, my dear. Please call me Filomena.” Her voice had a distinctive Italian accent, which made her sound as if she was royalty.

  “Please, come on in. I’ve made us some tea.”

  “Oh, thank you, my son should be here soon. He wanted to come with me so he could take a look at this statue I want to buy.”

  They walked over to the area that Jaslyn used to talk with her clients. Delia had already brought over the tea. Jaslyn sat down to pour a cup for her. “Would you like one lump or two?”

  “Two, please.”

  Putting in two lumps of sugar, Jaslyn handed her the cup and made her own when she heard the woman say, “When did you get this statue? I have been trying to find this particular one for a number of years. That is, if this is the one I am looking for.”

  “I came across it like a couple of months ago. I honestly loved it. It is an unusual piece of work. Whoever sculpted this statue really took their time making sure every line of it was perfect. I haven’t seen such work done like that in years. I do know the statue was made with Bianco Buca marble, which is from Lucca. I don’t know who the woman depicted was, but I do have to admit that whoever she was, she was very beautiful. Plus, I found it interesting that the sculptor even went into detail with her smile. They actually showed her teeth a bit. You don’t normally find something like this. The gentleman I got it from had kept it in his basement for a number of years. When I went to the estate sale, I was shocked how well preserved it was even though he had it under wraps for about twenty-five years.”

  Taking a sip of tea, Jaslyn heard the bell ring once more, guessing it must be the son.

  “Where are you, Mom?”

  “Over here, Renzo dear!” she shouted waving her hand.

  Jaslyn had heard about the Cipriano men before—how handsome they were and their reputation for sexual conquests with most of the eligible women in town. When she saw this particular Cipriano male coming toward them, she was dumbfounded by how handsome this man was.

  “I brought the umbrella from the car, even though I know you didn’t want to bring it out.” He smiled down at his mother.

  His voice sounded deep and smooth.

  “Thank you, sweetheart, why don’t you go and look around while Ms. Whitman and I have our tea.” Filomena continued to sip on her tea.

  The good looking Renzo nodded and headed into the shop.

  “If you have any questions, Delia can help you out!” Jaslyn called out to him.

  “Forgive my son. He doesn’t like going shopping with me much. I would have brought my other son, Gianni, but he’s away on business.”

  “That’s quite all right. Most men don’t care for shopping, but they always ask for a woman’s advice on things.”

  “So true indeed, how has your business been going so far, Ms. Whitman?”

  “Pretty good, I can’t complain.”

  “Well, I have plenty of friends that I will be referring you to, if I like what I see today. Let’s go and take a look shall we.” Both women made their way to the back of the shop. When she came over to the covered statue, Jaslyn slowly pulled off the sheet. She heard Filomena gasp. “Boun Signore, Renzo, come quickly!”

  Jaslyn was surprised as he came from around the corner at top speed. He was wearing a concerned expression. When he looked at the statue, he appeared relieved and reached out to hug her.

  Jaslyn did not know what to think when she saw the old woman tear up. She watched her walk slowly toward the statue, which was that of a young woman holding a flower against her cheek. Her small delicate fingers touched the woman’s smiling face while she continued to tear up even more. “Amore mio,” she softly whispered while wiping a tear from her cheek.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Cipriano, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Jaslyn whispered in concern.

  “No, my dear, no you haven’t upset me at all. You’ve brought great joy to my heart. It is overwhelming just to see this statue again.” She continued touching it while smiling sweetly. “How much do you want for the statue, Ms. Whitman?” Renzo asked going into his jacket to pull out a check book.

  “I quoted your mother four hundred fifty dollars.”

  Going over to the desk, he quickly scribbled out the check.

  Jaslyn continued to look over at Mrs. Cipriano, still wondering about her reaction to the statue. Hearing the ripping of the check, she turned to look at Renzo.

  He gave her a dazzling white smile as he handed it to her.

  She had never seen such a stunning smile.

  He was a handsome specimen of man with broad shoulders and black hair just starting to show grey around the temples.

  His brown eyes sparkled down at her and she feared she was going to blush. When she looked over at the check, her eyes almost bulged from her head. He had written her a check for a crazy amount of money. “This check is for five grand.”

  “Yes.”

  “But the statue is only four hundred fifty, why are you paying me five grand for it?”

  He chuckled. “You have to understand something about this statue, Ms. Whitman. When my parents came to Kellington to make a place for themselves here, my father had a friend back in Sicily make a statue of my mother. He had it shipped here, but it ended up being stolen. It was very upsetting for my parents, because my father had it specially made for their wedding anniversary. It was supposed to have gone in the garden my mother now has today as a centerpiece of their love and devotion to each other. After years of trying to find it, we couldn’t pin point its whereabouts anywhere. But my mom has been persistent with her search for it, and as you can see she is very thankful to have found it in your shop. You must understand, Ms. Whitman, you’ve made my mother happy and that is worth the price I have given you for it.”

  Filomena came over and hugged her, catching her completely off guard. Then, she started speaking swiftly in Italian to Renzo. “I’m glad to have been able to bring some happiness back to you, Filomena. I can have it delivered to you tomorrow morning.
”

  “That sounds just fine. Again, I want to thank you so very much for bringing a bit of happiness back into my life.”

  Jaslyn smiled as the three of them walked to the front of the shop and said their goodbyes. Renzo said, “Please feel free to come by my restaurant anytime you like, lunch or dinner is on the house.” The two walked out the door, leaving her completely dumbfounded by what had just transpired.

  Delia came into the shop by way of the basement door. “Did they get it?”

  She nodded, handing the check to her still looking at the front door.

  “Didn’t I tell you they would pay for the statue?” Delia shouted when she saw the amount on the check.

  “That you did, and it was a bit of nostalgia because the statue was of her when she was young.”

  “Wow! Such an amazing story and he gave you five grand for it too? I know she must have been happy.”

  “She really was. He also told me that I could come to the restaurant for lunch or dinner.” Jaslyn giggled walking over to the register to write up the order for the statue. This had to be her lucky day even though it was raining harder than ever outside. This was her biggest sale so far. She remembered the look in Mrs. Cipriano’s eyes when she saw the statue for the first time in years, the amount almost meant nothing to Jaslyn. Just the fact that she was able to have put a bit of happiness into someone’s life was good enough for her.

  “Do you want me to call Rodger to have him do the delivery?” Delia asked.

  “Jesus, I completely forgot to ask them where to deliver it.”

  “What about the check he gave you, it might have his number on it?”