She reached for her glass and took a sip of her juice before she closed her eyes and exhaled loudly.
“I don’t remember the last time I tasted that,” she said, and he shrugged.
“What? Fresh OJ?”
“Not just fresh OJ. Fresh OJ with real pulp. And it is real pulp too, not that GMO shit…Even the fruit tastes different…lively if I may use that word.” She shook her head.
“Not like the GMO shit,” he echoed her, and she nodded.
“Not at all. You know, it’s pretty sad that I know the difference.”
“To be honest, it is probably because of where the fruit is from. A friend of mine has an orchard not very far from here…does his own wine too.”
“So, he is the one who supplies you with fresh produce?” she asked, and he nodded.
“We can go down there and walk around the field. It’s beautiful…Italy’s own little wine country but a little small scale.”
She shrugged and then nodded before she took another bite.
“Sounds like a great idea,” she said as Fabio came back out with the eggs and bacon. “Wow, Fabio. You keep this up and I might just decide to stay here forever.”
“That would be pretty nice to have you here. It is about time the place got a woman’s touch,” he said, and she smiled up at him.
“You are quite the smooth talker, aren’t you?”
He shrugged.
“No, I am just being honest. It is about time Signore Leander got himself someone to tame him so he can stop traveling so much,” he added before walking away, leaving a blushing Natasha looking at Matthew.
“I hope you like turkey bacon. I like to stay away from traditional bacon as much as I can,” he said, and she nodded.
“Turkey’s fine.”
“I’m sorry I seem fidgety…it’s just that I have never really had someone here…a woman here at the villa,” he said. “And the women I meet…it’s usually a short-term thing. I don’t even think I have ever had a proper meal with them.”
She shook her head.
“So, Fabio was not just buttering me up?”
He shook his head.
“It’s just been me and Fabio ever since I got this place. I am thinking of getting a dog or two just to fill the place up and everything, but I am still thinking about that.”
She took a sip of her juice before taking a bite of her bacon.
“This might take some getting used to,” she said, and he nodded, smiling.
“Yeah, I know.”
She took another bite and took a long deep breath before she put her fork down and looked up at him.
“Look, Matthew, we need to talk about the elephant in the room because this damn tension is killing me,” she said.
“We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Well, I want to…I do.” She shrugged. “I think it’s about time I did anyway.”
He leaned back and nodded.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” she started. “Kyle, the man I was supposed to marry, was the last…is the only man I have been with in four years. And before him, I had been single for almost two years. And back then I was not…” She shrugged. “Not like this.”
He shook his head.
“Like…what exactly?” he asked, a little confused.
“I was a smaller person. A size ten. And I had it all…or at least I thought and then after Kyle died, I started Big Ideas and I hardly ever ate anything like this. It is always takeout food…Chinese, pizza, a Big Mac every now and then, and now I am this plus size woman who…” She exhaled loudly. “I don’t know how to be myself anymore, Matthew.”
He took a long deep breath, shaking his head.
“I don’t really think I understand what you are saying.”
“I don’t feel sexy anymore, and the last time anyone saw me naked, I felt good about my body but now…like this…”
He reached for her hand and gently began rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.
“You are beautiful,” he said in a soft voice. “Just the way you are…you are the picture of perfection.”
“You are just saying that,” she pointed out, and he shook his head.
“No. I mean it. That is why every single time I see you I just want you so damn bad. That is why I wanted to take you right here this morning, because believe it or not, you turn me on, Natasha. You turn me on like no one else has ever done before.”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“I’ll tell you this,” he started. “I was not always like this either. I put on a few pounds after I got started with Matt the Nomad. I guess I became a little too comfortable. It is part of why I got Fabio here because otherwise I was always eating out…and having sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost daily.”
She smiled, showing off her dimpled cheek.
“You don’t look so bad either,” she said, and he shrugged.
“Not too bad. That is what I was going for,” he said, and she laughed. “Listen, since you are here, why don’t we have Fabio teach us a thing or two about having easy to make healthy meals?” he asked, and she nodded.
“Sounds like another good idea.”
“Great. Maybe we can ask for the first lesson to be tonight for dinner after we come back from the orchard,” he suggested as he looked into her eyes. “And then maybe you can allow me to spoil you a little and get you a few things at the mall.”
She shrugged.
“You know you don’t have to,” she said, and he shook her head.
“Actually, you may need a few more airy clothes. It gets pretty hot during the day.”
She took another bite of her bacon and nodded.
“Okay.”
*****
Matthew and Natasha spent the afternoon at his friend’s orchard like he had promised. And it was beautiful too, just like he had said.
It was not until she was out there that she realized just how much she was missing out on in the world by living and working in the city. Walking in the sun-kissed orchard, feeling the warm afternoon weather on her bare skin…and sharing a bottle of well-aged pear wine. It was the first time that Natasha felt alive in a long time. The first time she felt like her life had any meaning…the first time in a long time that she was actually looking forward to the future. To seeing what the future had in store for her and possibly with Matthew.
Every single time the thought crossed her mind, she found herself blushing. It was almost like she was a young girl again. An innocent teenager thinking about her first crush, wondering how she was going to act when he finally asked her too prom.
She could feel the hairs at the back of her neck stand up every time he brushed softly against her, every time he took her hand in his and gently interlaced her fingers with his. She was still having a hard time staying awake during the day and she had taken an energy drink just to get her through the afternoon, and by the time they made their way back to the villa, it was almost half past six.
“This is such a beautiful country,” she said as they walked into the villa. “I get why you bought a place out here.”
“You like the quiet?” he asked, and she nodded. “So, I guess that’s a no to visiting the Colosseum?”
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“I am not going back home without taking a few hundred selfies at the Colosseum. That is as bad as going to Egypt and not checking out the pyramids,” she pointed out matter of factly, and he laughed.
“Come on, Fabio’s waiting,” he said as he led her to the kitchen where Fabio had just finished preparing the ingredients for the food they were going to make.
“Signore. Signora.” A smile played on his lips. “I hope you worked up an appetite.”
“We did. We definitely did,” Natasha said, smiling.
“Good. Put these on, and we are going to get started,” Fabio said, handing them two aprons before he rubbed his hands together.
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“And what’s on the menu tonight?” Natasha asked as she put on the apron.
“Yeah,” Matthew said. “I would like to know that too.”
“Beef teriyaki over rice and a side of cucumbers,” Fabio said, smiling. “It is quick. It’s easy, and it is delicious.”
Natasha looked at Matthew and shrugged.
“It does sound delicious,” she said in a soft voice.
Matthew looked at Fabio and took a long deep breath.
“Thanks for doing this,” he said, and Fabio shrugged.
“It is a pleasure, signore Leander,” he said. “Now, should we get started?”
Chapter 8
Over the next few days, Natasha and Matthew learned a whole lot about cooking healthy from Fabio, and Natasha wasn’t sure if it was because of the fact that she had been an active participant of every meal they had, but whatever it was, she was enjoying food a whole lot more now. Plus, Matthew not only had a personal chef but a personal trainer too, and by the end of the second day of her visit, she was joining him for his workouts and already feeling so much better about herself.
She had been at Matthew’s villa for maybe all of seven days when she finally decided to take the plunge. She had just gotten out of the pool when she walked up to where he was. She had a smile on her lips that made Matthew realize that something was up.
“What’s cooking in that beautiful head, Miss Bailey?” he asked as he looked at her.
“Well, I was thinking that maybe you should let Fabio leave early today,” she said on Thursday evening.
He raised an eyebrow over the other.
“Oh?”
She nodded.
“Does the lady have something planned for the evening?”
She smiled and nodded again.
“I was thinking of making us dinner tonight.”
“Wow, okay…guess that sounds like a great plan.”
She smiled and shrugged.
“I was hoping you would say that.”
Matthew shrugged.
“Well, I would never say no to a dinner offer from you if you paid me to.”
“Good. Then I’ll leave you to give Fabio the news as I go get started,” she said as he stood up and looked into her eyes.
“I think you better put something over that before you have a grave accident in there,” he said as he looked at her still-wet swimsuit.
She smiled and wiped some water off her brow.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “And by the way, I will expect you to dress up for dinner. And bring the wine,” she added, and he smiled, nodding.
“Done. And done.”
“Good.”
He leaned in and slipped an arm around her waist before he kissed her softly on the lips. But even though he had started it as a soft kiss on her lips, it ended up being a deeper, more sensual kiss. She had her eyes closed when he finally pulled away from her.
“Good,” she said again, in a whisper.
She whimpered when she felt him beginning to get a hard on against her thigh.
“Maybe I should just take a minute before I go on inside to talk to Fabio,” he said in a soft voice, his hand at the back of her neck. She bit her lower lip and nodded.
“Yes, that would probably be a good idea.”
He stroked her hair and nodded.
“We wouldn’t want to give him the wrong idea about our relationship, now, would we?” he said, and she looked into his eyes. “By ‘our,’ I mean me and Fabio and not me and you…because I know he has the perfect idea about me and you.”
She smiled and pulled away from him.
“For the wine, bring red. I am thinking of having fish.”
“Fish, huh?” he asked. “Someone suddenly feels quite confident about her culinary skills.”
She smiled and walked into the house.
She got the salmon from the fridge and quickly prepared the maple syrup and soy sauce marinade. Matthew might have been right about her taking the dive as far as making fish was concerned, but she didn’t really care. The little secret about the fish she was making was that it was one of those meals that when presented made people think that you had been slaving in the kitchen for hours even though it only took a ten minute prep and twenty minutes to cook…in the oven, which gave her enough time to get upstairs and freshen up after she took the fish out of the oven and left it to rest for a while. It only took an hour for her to get dinner ready and take a quick shower before she put on a floral halter neck maxi dress that showed off her generous cleavage. And for the first time in a long time, she had straightened out her curls, leaving her shiny black hair to fall luxuriously on her shoulders. She put on a pair of sandals and made her way to the kitchen where she began to set the table.
“Music,” she thought as she looked at the near perfect table. “I need music.”
She was about to walk into the living room when she locked eyes with Matthew who had just come downstairs. He was in a pair of linen pants and a loose fit burgundy shirt with sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows.
“Hey there,” he said in a soft voice. “Wow.”
She bit her lower lip and shrugged.
“Hey there.”
He slowly began walking towards her. And with every step he took, she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. It seemed like forever before he finally got to where she was.
“I brought the wine,” he said in a soft voice. “I thought a Pinot Gris would be a good choice.”
Natasha nodded in agreement.
“It was a good choice.”
Her head was almost spinning by the time he stood in front of her. His eyes were running down her body, savoring every curve. It was almost like he was seeing her for the first time. He brought his hand up and gently ran his fingers through her hair.
“You changed your hair,” he said, and Natasha nodded.
“Yeah, I thought I would just do something different this time around,” she said. “You hate it?”
He shook his head.
“You look beautiful in anything and everything,” he said. “You would actually look great even with a sack on your head.”
She forced out a laugh and reached for the bottle in his hand.
“Well, come on. We don’t want the food getting cold,” she said. “It has been sitting out of the oven for almost half an hour.”
“Yeah, we should probably get started,” he said and followed her to the table. “When I said you went all out, I guess you really did the whole nine yards, didn’t you?”
She shrugged as he sat down, and she put the plates on the table.
“I haven’t quite mastered the art of baking or anything, so I think we will just have one of Fabio’s leftover pies for dessert and as far as the starter goes…let’s just say I was also not as confident to make a leek soup just in case it became a disaster like the first time I tried making soup and almost burned the house down.”
He raised an eyebrow over the other.
“You almost burned the house down just by making soup?” Matthew asked, and she shrugged.
“To be quite honest, no one ever got to try it since…you know, the fire department had to come in and everything was pretty much waterlogged.”
He smiled.
“Exactly what happened with the soup?” he asked, and she shrugged.
“I don’t know really…I just stuck to the usual after that. Simple meals…rice, potatoes, slow cooked beef,” she said as she sat down. “I was not about to make the same mistake here just in case I happened to make my mark with the Italian fire department or anything.”
“Well, not that I am trying to make you feel better or anything, but this looks amazing,” he said as he looked down at his food.
“Thanks. Fabio told me to serve it over asparagus and have a side of some couscous just in case. So…” She put a bowl of couscous in the middle of the table and sat down. “There.”
“I must say, Natasha, this is going to take a lot of work for me
to make it up to you,” he said.
“Well, I hope it tastes as good as it looks,” she said as she struggled to open the wine.
“Here.” He held out his hand. “Let me do that for you.”
He opened the bottle and poured two glasses of wine before he looked across the table at her.
“I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, right?” she asked, and he nodded before he picked up his fork and took a bite.
She could not help but feel nervous as she looked at him taking the bite. She did not know why she expected the worst case scenario. Maybe a picture of him choking or puking his guts out. She had taken a bite earlier to taste, but she did not feel confident enough to serve it to him. After all, he was used to eating food prepared by a Michelin star chef. Even his eggs were top notch. She didn’t think he had ever had a bad tasting meal at least in the last three to four years. Her heart was beating harder and faster by the minute as she watched him chewing before he looked at her and nodded.
“Perfect,” he said, and she laughed.
“Are you sure you are not just saying that?” she asked, and he nodded.
“Oh, yes.” He took another bite. “This is exquisite. I really think we should save some for Fabio. I am sure he would like to know what kind of a great job you did with this.”
She raised an eyebrow over the other.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“Yes, really. Honestly, I am a little offended that he has never made this for me.”
She smiled.
“Maybe it is a good thing…I mean, if he had, I am not so sure I would have been able to measure up to what he would have served.”
“Well, I think he is the one who has to measure up to you.”
A smile played on Natasha’s lips as she took a bite of her own food.
“Oh, darn it,” she said in a soft voice.
“What? Did you bite yourself?” he asked in a concerned voice, and she shook her head.
“No, I was on my way to get some music on before I ran into you and kind of completely lost my train of thought.”
He shrugged.
“Don’t worry about that. I can work it out from here,” he said. “The beauty of Google Home, which, by the way, is way cooler than Amazon Echo as far as I’m concerned.”
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