“You have an exquisite cunt,” the suitor said, panting, but Elli was almost delirious with pleasure then, gasping and crying as she was fucked to the most intense orgasm of her life. The suitor came, thanking her as he pulled out. then Aldo’s cock was inside her, fucking her hard.
“That was incredible,” he said, ramming his hips hard against hers, his cock reaming her into submission. Elli came again and again, feeling woozy and like her body wasn’t her own as she fucked Aldo. They had attracted an audience, and Eli found she liked the feeling of being watched as she was made love to. Four other men made approaches, and she gave permission for two of them to fuck her. The men she turned –down—mostly out of exhaustion—simply nodded, shook her hand, and moved on. Elli was amazed how safe she felt in this bizarre, erotic situation. Never had she dreamed she would be a part of this world.
Hours later, she and Aldo left the erotic party on their way to Maceo’s own gala, via their favorite pizza restaurant first.
“Did you enjoy that, my darling love?” Aldo asked over a cheesy bite.
“It was …out of this world. But I am glad it’s only once a year. I think I broke my vagina.” She grinned up at him, her eyes soft with love.
Aldo chuckled. “It will weird to go back to normal life for a few hours, I warn you.”
Then he eyed her dress, which she’d put on after showering their earlier antics away. “I thought you were going to wear that red dress again?”
Elli looked down at the lilac, form-fitting dress she wore, grateful she’d kept all traces of pizza off it. “You don’t like this?”
“You look beautiful …I just love you in red, is all. No problem.” He grinned and kissed her, but Elli had thought, for a moment, she had seen something else in his eyes. Anger. What was that about?
But he chatted away to her, and clearly, there was nothing bothering him now, so she brushed it off as her imagination. They wandered the streets, finishing off their meal before arriving at Maceo’s water-front gallery. It was already packed with people, some of them still wearing masks from the various Carnival parties around the city. Elli hoped that she wouldn’t recognize any of the masks from the orgy.
Orianthi Bartoli broke away from the crowds and threw her arms around Elli as soon as she spotted the couple. “I’m so glad you came!” she exclaimed, kissing Aldo’s cheek before whisking Elli off to introduce her to some people, who, Elli found, had already been briefed about her. Some of them knew about the nasty op-ed about her and were firmly on her side. “I’ve read all your work for the last few years,” said one rather stately gentleman. “And whatever idiot wrote that piece is a fool.”
Several other people said the same, and Elli was starting to feel appreciated and valued as she talked to the people Ori introduced to her. She spent what felt like hours discovering the artists and artisans who worked with Ori and Maceo and was introduced to some of their international friends too. Grady Mallory and his wife Floriana, Theo and Jessica Storm, and Maceo's best friends, Benoit and Lisander, both alone, as their wives were both home with their children.
Ori grinned at Elli. “They have a million kids between them—personally, I don’t know how Shiloh and Kate keep up.”
“Do you have plans for any more after this one?”
Ori glanced down at her swollen belly. “Right now, I’d rather shove needles in my ears, but ask me again when this little monster is two or three. Of course, by that time,” she said in a stage-whisper as she saw her husband approach. “Maceo will be way too old for any more kids.”
Maceo, gloriously handsome in his early fifties, chuckled. “Yeah, well, that’ll teach you for marrying an old man.”
Ori chuckled. “My old man,” she said and kissed him. Elli grinned at the happy couple and excused herself to find Aldo.
She saw him talking to Theo and Jess Storm. Jess smiled at her as Elli took Aldo’s hand. “Hello again …oh, are you two together?”
Elli nodded, smiling. She looked down at Jess and Theo’s daughter, Lily, who stood shyly at her mother’s side. “Are you having a good time, Lily?”
Lily blushed red and nodded, half-hiding behind her mother. Jess chuckled, looking apologetically at Elli. “She’s still a little jetlagged. We only got to Italy this morning.”
“How long are you here? It would be lovely to have lunch sometime.”
Jess looked regretful. “Only until tomorrow, I’m afraid, but if you ever get over to Seattle, I would love to see you.”
Seattle. There it was again. Elli smiled at Jess as she, Theo, and Lily said goodbye. Then Aldo turned his attention back to Elli.
“I take it those were your Seattle friends you mentioned?”
Aldo smiled. “Yes, and now that you’ve met Theo and Jess, maybe I can persuade you to take a break with me there?”
Elli laughed at his mischief. “You can, but not just yet. We have a busy month coming up.”
She was starting to feel tired now, and noticing, Aldo kissed her cheek. “I just have to go speak to someone,” he said. “I’ll be back in a moment, and we’ll go home.”
Elli used the time alone to look around at the art works, wondering why she’d never come here before. She was staggered by the beauty and artistry in the gallery. Maceo Bartoli had certainly put on an exquisite show.
Elli finished her drink and looked for somewhere to set her glass down. She moved through the audience and found a table. She was putting her drink down when she heard a man talking. His voice was low, mellifluous—and heartbreaking familiar. All the breath left her lungs as she turned and saw him. From the back, his hair looked shorter, neater, and not as wild, but still that glorious dark brown. The person he was talking to was distracted by someone interrupting, and the brown-haired man turned around, his bright green eyes fixing on her.
Elli saw him pale a –little—he looked as shocked as she was—but still, he was the most gloriously beautiful man she had ever seen. At that moment, and with a sinking heart, Elli realized there was, and always would be, only one man she truly loved, and he was standing right in front of her.
Indio.
“Darling, shall we go? You look a little ill.”
Go away, Aldo, go away …Elli pushed past him and sought out her lost love, but he had gone. The look he had given her had been one of hatred. Indio hates me? Why? How? She pushed through the guests, getting more and more upset as she sought out her lost love, the man who had broken her heart—her Indio. She wanted to scream his name out to make him stop and come to her, but she couldn’t find him anywhere.
She was on the steps of the art gallery when Aldo caught up with her, his face creased with concern. “What is it, darling? What happened?”
Elli couldn’t speak for a moment. How cruel to give her that one look, that one glance of him …was it a cruel joke? Just as she was getting used to letting a new man into her heart?
God. Aldo’s hand was on her back now, and she forced herself to turn to him, knowing her pain was written all over her face. “I just …saw an old friend. A friend of my brother’s …I haven’t seen in him eight years.”
And I still love him. God help me, but it only took that one look to prove that Indio Navaro has my heart captive. Elli started to cry, and Aldo, seeming to sense her despair, merely wrapped his arms around her and held her as she sobbed. Usually his arms warmed her, but tonight she found no comfort or heat against his big body. Even when partygoers looked at her in concern, Elli couldn’t find a way to pull herself together, until Aldo finally led her to a car and guided her inside.
He patiently sat with her in his lap, not asking any questions, but simply accepting her sudden torrent of grief. And even that infuriated Elli unfairly. Why didn’t he ask more questions? Why didn’t he offer to fix the situation? Of course, she hated it when he tried to fix things and he couldn’t fix this ever, anyway, but her rational mind seemed to have fled along with Indio …
After a long, long time, Elli drew herself back from Aldo’s
sodden shirt, and although she knew she owed him an explanation, she asked him to take her back to her apartment. “I just need some time,” she said. “Seeing him was like my brother being back in the room for a moment.” It was only half a lie.
Aldo kissed her damp cheeks. “Of course, my love, take all the time you need. I am always with you.”
Half of her didn’t want to let him go, knowing if she were alone, she would brood. He escorted into the apartment, then insisted on getting her some aspirin before making sure she was okay.
Elli swallowed them with some water and curled up on her bed. Aldo bent down and kissed her forehead. “Call me when you’re ready, my darling. I’ll have a bodyguard outside your door.”
And he was gone. Elli dragged a couple of deep but shaky breaths into her lungs, but the sobs came easily until she cried herself out and fell into a deep sleep.
A gentle knocking at her door. Elli opened her eyes. From the blue light in the room, she guessed it was just before dawn. She dragged herself out of bed, shuffling her way to the front door. Why did she feel as if she were walking in mud? She leaned against the door as she looked through the peep hole—and everything in her world changed.
Her heart thumping, she pulled open the door. Indio Navaro looked at her with hooded, troubled eyes. Elli didn’t know how to form words to speak to him. He looked haunted, desolate—and so beautiful she could cry, his green eyes intense on hers, his dark lashes thick and full.
Indio stepped forward and took her face in his hands, pressing his lips to hers, and it was like a shot of pure heroin in her veins. She kissed him back, pulling him into the room, and pulling at his clothes as he tore her dress from her shoulders.
Both naked, Indio swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, his eyes never leaving her face. When he covered her body with his, Elli wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him close, not believing that finally, finally, she held him in her arms. Indio kissed her passionately, and then she felt him slide his long, thick cock into her ready cunt. Elli was in heaven, her heart exploding with love and desire and a never-ending need. They made love slowly at first, then as it got more and more intense, Indio picked up his pace, long measured strokes driving her on and on toward ecstasy. Elli couldn’t take his eyes off his beautiful face. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and had always, would always love him, but it somehow didn’t need to be said. It was there in the meeting of their bodies, in the shivering, trembling climax that they both shared as they gasped for air, panting and moaning with desire. This was love. Elli knew it in her soul. She tangled her fingers in his dark curls as he gazed down at her. You are mine, I am yours …forever …
Elli woke, shivering and sobbing, still wearing the lilac dress she had worn to the exhibit. For a long moment, she panicked, stumbling out of bed to try to find him. But Indio was nowhere. It had been a dream; he had never been there. Elli sank to the floor, her head in her hands, and sobbed until she had no tears left.
Somehow, a week passed. A whole week since the masked orgy, Maceo’s party, and, of course, seeing Indio again. The fact that both the orgy and Indio had happened on the same evening made things even more surreal. She’d spent the afternoon fucking various men with abandon, only to spend her evening mourning the one man she’d never fucked or even made love with. All that lust, desire, and love, then the shock of seeing the hatred on Indio’s face … Elli felt broken by the entwined memories.
Aldo was patient, as always, but she knew he was getting frustrated by her pre-occupation and by the obvious half-truths she was telling him. When questioned, she would insist that it had brought back memories of her brother and that she missed him terribly, but she realized Aldo knew that it wasn’t just her grief. Still, he didn’t press her. Nor did he push her for sex, which they hadn’t had since that night. Elli couldn’t. Something in her had closed off at the sight of Indio, even as wild questions had opened up.
Why was he at the party in the first place? Why had Indio looked at her like that? If he didn’t want to speak to her, he could have just smiled and nodded, then walked away. She would know, then, that he was happy and safe—that he still cared, but he still had to go away from her. That would have been fine, Elli thought. But the anger in his eyes …what had she done to deserve it? Why does he hate me?
And then there were the phone calls. Her stalker was back, and his threats were ever more violent and descriptive. Aldo reported it to the police and even had his own people try to trace the calls to no avail. It was remarkable how much her tormentor could say in under a minute, the threats keeping her sleepless and scared.
Elli finally decided that she needed to be proactive. She went to Maceo Bartoli’s gallery and asked to see him. People obviously couldn’t just stroll straight in and ask to speak to such an important man, but as soon as the receptionist gave Maceo Elli’s name, he hurried downstairs.
Maceo was surprised but delighted to see her. He gave her a hug and kissed her cheeks. “Elli, please, come in. I’ll make some coffee.”
She went into his plush office, the one he shared with Ori, and there was artwork everywhere, both desks piled high with papers. Maceo brewed some coffee, and they sat on one of the velvet couches next to the huge glass window, overlooking the Lagoon. The beautiful afternoon light reflecting off the water almost brought Elli a sense of peace, as it once had. Almost, but not quite.
They chatted informally for a few minutes before Maceo got to the point, obviously busy. “So, what can I do for you, Elli? I’m sorry Ori isn’t here, but she’s gone to Milan with Lucia to see an artist, despite the fact she’ll give birth any moment, the crazy woman. She never stops. She’ll be sorry she missed you.”
“And I, her, Maceo, but it’s you I’ve come to see.” Elli took a deep breath. “I need to ask you about one of your guests, and I hope it’s not overstepping, but this guest and I go way back.”
Maceo’s smile faded and he sighed. “Indio.”
Elli was shocked. “You …you know about Indio and me?”
Maceo nodded. “I have been friends with Indio for the last few years. He doesn’t often come back to Venice; once, when we were drinking, I asked him why. He told me that the woman he loved was in Venice and that if he saw her, he would break her heart again. I saw you two staring at each other at the party and guessed who that woman was.”
Elli’s heart was beating out of her chest and she almost stood up from the couch, so wired were her nerves suddenly. “He loves me?”
“Completely. But he’s also haunted, I think, by his past. There was another woman, a woman he loved. I’ve never known the whole story, but I think she died.”
“Yvetta.” Elli’s heart was sinking and she closed her eyes. God, it couldn’t be true that Indio would kill another person, a woman …but the hatred she had seen in his eyes that night at the party …
“Elli? Are you okay?”
Maceo leaned forward as she opened her eyes, his handsome face creased with concern, and Elli nodded.
“Maceo …was there something going on between Indio and Aldo at one time? A business deal, or a friendship perhaps?” It was a question she desperately needed an answer to, while simultaneously dreading it.
Maceo looked uncomfortable. “Elli, you should know that I don’t know Aldo all that well. He sought me out about a year ago, wanting some paintings for his house and also to commission an artist for a painting. We got to talking and he mentioned his fiancée had been murdered, and that he knew Ori had been attacked a few years ago, and did I have any advice? I just told him that it never gets easier, losing someone you love. Thankfully, Ori survived, but the man who attacked her killed three of my friends. Aldo seemed a little …lost. When we saw him with you, he looked like a new man.” He smiled at her and Elli felt the tension lift a little. “Elli, all I can tell you is to follow your heart, whether it be Indio or Aldo. Don’t be afraid to get hurt because it’ll happen anyway.”
He got up and went to his de
sk, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. “Indio will probably kill me for this, but here.” He handed it to Elli. It was an address out in the countryside. “It’s where Indio is hiding out. He still designs and builds houses, except now he doesn’t have to advertise his business. Go to him. Talk. Be happy.”
Elli stared at the address, thoughts tumbling through her, before she got to her feet. “Thank you, Maceo. I mean it. And good luck with the baby.”
Maceo grinned. “Thank you. I can’t wait to see him or her. I’ll let you know when the baby arrives.”
They exchanged a goodbye kiss on the cheek and Ellie departed, feeling lighter as she walked home from the gallery through the streets and over the bridges, breathing in the smells of the canals, the street food, and the people. She would go and see Indio and finally have it out with him—seek closure so she could give herself entirely to Aldo, as he deserved.
There was a small hope inside her that Indio would beg her to stay with him, to love him, and Elli knew, in her heart, she would go.
No, stop it. You’re going to him for closure and that’s it. Aldo loves you and you love him. Elli drew in a deep breath and when she got back to her apartment, she was happy to see Aldo waiting for her outside. He smiled at her, but it didn’t quite cover the hurt in his eyes.
“I haven’t seen you for days,” he said lightly. “So, I thought I’d come to you. I was about to text you to see if you were nearby.”
Elli took his hand and led him upstairs. She made him sit with her on her couch. “Aldo …I haven’t been honest with you and I’m sorry. Please know this first …I love you. You are the best man for me in this world.”
“Why do I sense a ‘but?’” Aldo’s eyes were wary even though he stroked her cheek with his hand.
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