by Sunniva Dee
Tatiana walks toward me, and I open the door for her. She lifts a hand to my cheek. I close my eyes turning into it, kissing the pillow below her fingers.
“You don’t look happy. Did you get bad news?”
I shake my head. “Just trying to figure out how to get Gabriela home.”
“Her trip is supposed to be short anyway, though, right?”
“Not short enough. There are reasons for her not to be safe in Venice.”
“The Santa Colombini.”
“Yes. We have family there. Enemies. And after everything that’s happened in California, they’ll be digging in from all angles to find our weak spots.” I follow the driveway with my eyes, to the bend until the road disappears behind the trees. “I’ve got weak spots in that city.”
“What do you mean?” Tatiana is rubbing my back in slow, soothing strokes. I miss it when it stops.
“I can’t now.”
She doesn’t disagree, but she’s not happy with my postponement. I can’t talk about her. Ariadna isn’t a sober, middle-of-the-day type of conversation. Then again, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to talk about her. She’s mine only.
It’s after dark, and we’re going strong. On the first day of filming, Gianni’s impressed, muttering about fucking talents, passion, and what-the-hell. Emil and Zoe’s round was done in one take. That’s because they’re naturals, but also because my crew are total pros; the way Gianni read them at first sight, brightening all lights, hooking cameras off stands and letting his instincts play with the impulses of his subjects? His master’s in film and television isn’t what taught him to do that. In this business, it’s always about individuals, and they have to be captured differently.
Elias is on red sheets, giving it hard to a Somalian beauty as we speak. He doesn’t know her, but his style was so singular, there was no doubt in any of our minds when we selected her.
Gianni can transform bland to interesting in seconds. It’s not that Elias lacks passion. He just doesn’t show the crazy of our first couple, Emil and Zoe, or the secretive seduction Bo and Nadia robbed us of by walking off the set.
It’s midnight. There’s definite chemistry between Waris and Elias, but they’re not keeping my attention. Tatiana just returned from her self-appointed hostess duties upstairs. McRoy and Kimmy were supposed to be in charge of that side, but Kimmy’s better at typing up invoices.
I watch as Tatiana approaches. It’s odd when you’re not used to wanting someone in your life. A sweet-smelling, sweet-swelling woman from work used to be enough for me to relax after a long day, but since Tatiana appeared, shit’s been different; I’m glad she’s here with me.
There’s something about the way she walks. She’s changed clothes too, her waist doing its inward curve over a long, narrow skirt that accentuates her hips and ass. Does she know how she looks, with that slight cleavage protruding under fabric that’s so soft I could rip it apart with my teeth?
I narrow my eyes at her. In the background, Waris puffs out her own ecstasy at Elias’ ministrations. With Tatiana approaching, I bite my lip, stare rolling down slender arms, to dainty hands I’ve held and kissed and want to kiss more.
She folds them in front of her when she reaches me. Her move makes me shake my head slowly. “You’re a lot to take in, do you know?”
“Hmm,” she hums for me. “How are you, boss?”
“I’m okay. How about you?” I shoot my arm out and hook her in quickly. “Nothing disturbs my ice queen. People die around her, and she doesn’t react. The only thing that melts her ice is a little bit of love.”
Her amusement expels against my ear as she licks it playfully. “Is that what you call it, my king? ‘A little bit of love?’”
She kisses my temple and runs her lips down my throat, as Elias groans out his release through the cracked door. I shut my eyes, enjoying the sensation.
“Wrap!” Gianni calls out, and everyone claps. “Good job, guys. Very hot.”
“Damn,” Elias laughs, accepting a towel. “I’m a fucking porn star.” He rubs himself dry. Then he relieves the producer of Waris’ robe and wraps her in it. “You are too, babe.”
She smiles sweetly. “Thank you, rocker-boy. Great sex.”
“Yeah? Where’re you sleeping tonight?” he leans in, all seductive business. My ice queen turns to me, narrowing her eyes playfully.
I open my palms. “I don’t control these people.”
She snickers. “Are we done for the day?”
My stomach rumbles. I could’ve gone to the kitchen when food was served, but I was being pulled between Nascimbeni updates and filming. Tatiana hears me. I harden my abs and lift a somewhat innocent gaze to her.
“Come on. I’ll feed you. What do you want?”
I drag her close and bite into her lip. “Can I have a few eggs, over-easy, with some sort of bread?”
“White? Rye?”
“Whatever you think I should have. I’ve got a phone call to make, then I’ll be upstairs.”
She walks backward, one step at a time, her head angled adorably to the side. “Okay, handsome, but only because it’s you.”
“I’m not available right now, but leave a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Aishe, this is Isaias from Lucid Entertainment. You’ve probably decided not to partake in the music video, but since we haven’t talked since our meeting, I wanted to give you a courtesy call.
“We’re rounding up first day of filming, and it’s been a blast. Emil and Zoe are done. Elias’ round just wrapped. Interesting cats, both Emil and Elias, I must say. My director is very happy with the takes. Tomorrow, the rest of the gang is going in front of the camera: Bo and Nadia. Then Troy and whoever steps up.
“I’ve got my own girl here, who’s dying to sleep with a rock star on film and be the one to go viral with Troy. He seems fine with our choice—I believe she’s chatting him up as we speak—so he knows what he’s getting himself into with Belen.
“It’s just that I can already tell. They don’t have the chemistry of Bo and Nadia, or of Emil and Zoe. Elias rocked it with someone he just met, but I have a feeling that won’t happen with Troy.
“So long story short, before your beep cuts me off: it’d be fantastic if you came up here. Thanks, Aishe. Hope to see you.”
It’s the middle of the night and the lodge is silent when my phone rings. I kiss Tatiana’s shoulder and sit up. “Felix?”
“There are Colombinis down at the truck stop before the mountain pass. Not sure yet if they’re coming our way or just passing by, but we’re keeping an eye on them.”
“Seriously doubt they’re passing by.”
“Agreed. At the backside of The Summit, there’s a dirt road. It takes you farther into the mountains, but it’ll eventually hit the main road by the Pasos restaurant, taking you to the opposite side of the mountain chain. Worst case, you’ll be looking at escaping that way.”
“Gotcha. As long as the band never learns of anything.”
“Right, that’s what I’m trying to say. We’re ready for them, but we won’t attack until we’re sure they’re trying to get onto Summit property.”
“Perfect. Thanks, man. I’m lucky to have you with me.”
“If it weren’t for what you did for my father…” Felix says.
“Personally, I’m damn glad I was there to help him,” I retort. “I pay you well, though.”
“You do. But I broke some lucrative contracts to take care of you.”
“And for that I’m thankful.”
I hang up and accept my father’s call. The Santa Colombini has reached Oceanside. Nascimbeni and Felix’s guys fight side by side, keeping them from entering the one-story ranch house of my great aunt Giulia. My aunt and uncle live there with their little ones too. None of them are fighters, and they’re loc
ked up in the basement as we speak.
I let Il Lince know, again, what I think about his business. Best case scenario, only a few of us end up in jail and fewer perish. Worst case, Il Lince and the closest famiglia are taken to justice for his stupidity, and the rest die on the way there.
Gabriela doesn’t pick up, no surprise. Rocco doesn’t either, but he’s left a text about delays and having tracked down a re-routing from Zurich. It’s a temporary relief to have Gabriela in transit. The chances of an incident on the flight are small.
The Santa Colombini are systematically tracking down Nascimbeni and our loyals in the U.S. With Gabriela showing up in Italy, it’s only a matter of time before they discover the connection between Ariadna and me too. When they do, it’s over. If anything in this world, she cannot be over.
At three in the morning, I hang up after talking with my mother. She’s calm but worried, a good wife. My heart beats with heavy, slow thuds. Doomsday seems to step closer one step at a time.
“Come here. There’s nothing more you can do in the middle of the night.” Tatiana’s hands curve over my shoulders and pull me to her.
I sigh and shut my eyes, feeling the frown between my eyebrows deepen, my face contracting with the fear of losing someone I never had. There are so many people I love, all of them complicated, difficult, good-mixed-with-bad beings. But there’s nothing complicated about the way I love Ariadna.
Tatiana makes me sink into her embrace. She senses my sadness, and I let her hold me and drizzle kisses over my face. Her lips are too soft to rasp against my stubbles like this. I need to shave for her when we get up.
“I see how you work. It’s nonstop, baby. Your mind goes a million miles per minute, never taking a break. About the studio. About softening the blow of your father’s actions. Saving Gabriela. Keeping me out of danger. You work so hard to keep everyone safe.”
Her breath trails over my skin. She cups my face and seats herself across my hips. Nipples sloped upward in the embodiment of femininity, she lowers herself until her breasts meld with my chest. I let my hand find her neck, freeing it of hair so I can massage it.
“It’ll all be over soon,” I whisper. “And when it is, I’ll have my one priority. You.”
Something taps its way up the covers to my left, until it brushes against my arm. For a second, I’m confused. Until it gives me a needle-sharp bite. Tatiana laughs quietly, picking up the little fur bundle and turning it to face her. How pretty is this sight, the most beautiful woman in the world nuzzling a kitten?
“Seems you’ll have to have one more priority, Mr. Nascimbeni.”
“Apparently so.” A smile loosens on my face. Here they are, the two of them, making me feel lighter on the inside. “An ice queen and a devil cat.”
Tatiana and I are up at eight, prepping breakfast. “You look wrong doing that, you know,” she tells me while I cut tomatoes and put them on a plate. I grab a cucumber to give it the same treatment.
“Wrong? Why?”
“You look fake, like you’re not supposed to be doing domestic chores. You’re feral, fakely gone domesticated. You just can’t pull it off. You know what it makes me want to do?”
“I do not.” I pop a piece of cucumber in my mouth and crunch down on it.
“Makes me want to fuck you.”
“O-o-oh, hell yes, maybe you should be on our video too,” Emil says, sauntering into the kitchen, as always with Zoe under his arm.
“Morning!” Zoe eyes me first, then Tatiana. “You’d be hot. There must be a market for the owner of an adult entertainment company porning it up with rockers.”
Soon, the rest of the band enters too, some more tousled-looking than others, Elias in particular. He wears a sated smile, though, and seconds later Waris appears. I was wondering where she ended up last night. Now, Elias kisses her sweetly on the forehead, seats her at the industrial-sized breakfast table, and asks, “Coffee, babe?” Guess that answers my question.
I’m relieved I’ll get the four of them out of here; Elias, Emil, and Zoe will be leaving after breakfast, and I’ll be dismissing Waris as well. The fewer people I have here with the Santa Colombini sniffing around the mountains, the better.
While we eat, I fall silent, considering my options. Nadia and Bo aren’t awake yet. They seemed happy during dinner last night, but they’re not of the sharing kind, and I still don’t know where they stand on today’s shoot.
Then, there’s Troy. Across from me, Belen’s trying to catch his attention, but he’s not all that receptive at the moment. Deep in his coffee, his expression is closed. He replies to her in distracted monosyllables.
I’ve brought a few backup girls. Irene is here, and so is Jean. I’ve been using them as assistants, their main task so far to make sure everyone’s comfortable, but either would be delighted to step in for Belen if she can’t keep Troy’s interest. That’d give me a different set of problems, of course; Belen isn’t big on rejection.
She had a hands-down toddler fit at my preference for Tatiana instead of herself yesterday. I’m glad I took the time for preemptive damage control; with a mixture of threats, promises, and comfort inside Gianni’s van, I snapped her out of it before I even introduced her to Tatiana.
Gianni nods at me from the doorway. Tatiana remains where she is, coolly watching me raise to my feet. I excuse myself. Ask Irene to pour more coffee in the meantime.
“We have a solution for Bo and Nadia,” he says as he waves me toward the bedrooms.
“We do?”
He mhms and rakes a hand over his balding head, a gesture he commits only when he’s extremely pleased. “Bo and I had a chat over coffee and cognac late last night. We discussed his worries and how I could appease them, and I wanted to show you the new set.”
We enter their suite. The biggest bedroom was set up for the band leader and his wife yesterday; even if the commodities aren’t five stars, you want to give your VIPs the best.
Bo and Nadia’s bed has been transformed from the utilitarian lodge look it had to a luscious, intimate setting with flowers, a wooden headboard, even an alarm clock and a picture of the two of them on the nightstand.
“Wow. You’re filming right here?”
“Yep. I sent them off to get something to eat, but this is what we’re doing: we’re stripping the shoot down to the bones. Doors will be closed. We’re only using two cameras, both handled by women, and I’ll be the only other person onset.”
Gianni sweeps the room with an open hand, scissoring over the green screen behind the bed and the white sheeting that covers the upper corners of the room in its entirety. “See the lighting?”
I squint, trying to understand what he’s doing. “Yeah. What’s up with it?”
“For intimacy and comfort, all lighting is directed away from the couple. To receive enough light to film, we’re pointing double the number of spotlights we typically use toward the walls and the ceiling.”
“Gianni.” I slap his shoulder. “You’re a genius. And they’re okay with this?”
He shrugs. “Seems like it. Nadia was relieved, which seems to be the culprit when it comes to her husband. They’re still not sold on being naked with each other. They’ll need to lose the underwear though, if we’re to get shots free of fabric lines.”
“I know.” I rub my fingers over my chin in thought. “Editing hasn’t started on Emil’s material yet, I assume?” I turn to meet his gaze, and Gianni instantly knows where I’m going with this.
“Actually, Williams started playing around with it last night. He was curious to see how the visuals could back up the music. He’s never worked that way before.”
“Right, he’s used to the music only as background to the visuals,” I say.
“Exactly. I should have him play with it a bit more, huh?”
I grin. “How about we do this: I take the band for an after-breakfas
t walk through the beautiful wilderness here, while Williams and you put something together. Make it as PG as possible, but highlight the necessity of bare skin where you can.”
“Yes, that won’t be hard. I’ll use the top of a boob without straps marring it. The side of a hip and thigh without panties interrupting the flow of bare skin.”
“Perfect. Then we’ll do a show-and-tell with the whole group present, under the excuse of a goodbye toast.”
Gianni rubs his hands together. “This should be good.”
“You’d want to add some of Elias and Waris’ work too,” I say. From his expression, he’s already on it.
Even rock stars can be manipulated. As we speak, Nadia and Bo are in their bedroom, making sweet love to each other with Gianni’s professional assistance. They didn’t openly agree to losing every thread, but I have a feeling it’ll be natural for them to do so once they’re in the groove.
I smile to Tatiana and pull her against me.
“You’re quite the puppeteer, aren’t you?” she murmurs, angling up on her shoes to kiss me.
“Naw. I just work with talented people.”
“And to do that, you’ve gotta have the instinct to find them. Like they say, ‘it takes one to see one.’”
We descend to the ground-floor living room, where Gianni’s producer is getting Troy’s set ready. There’s no telling how fast Bo’s shoot will be finished, but damn, it would be nice to wrap Troy’s up too and get people out.
According to Felix, the Santa Colombini have been up and down the mountains a few times already. I chuckle to myself. They’re like blood hounds on my trail. It’s only a matter of time before they catch a whiff of me.
With Tatiana behind me, the hand of my nun-turned-accomplice secured against my lower spine, I survey Troy’s set. A green screen is stretched behind grey cushions on black sheets. Here, the lighting is back to normal, with spotlights already switched on, waiting for the actors.
“Ethan.” I use two fingers, waving the producer over to me.