“Um, I can’t do this.” Nadine’s voice sounded annoyed. “It’s too small. We’ll literally be on top of each other.”
“I’ll share a bed with Marshall, we’ll be fine.” I offered.
Nadine shook her head. “No offense, Marshall, I’m happy you’re here, but when I booked this room, it was just Aly and I. And the pictures on their website were sorta…misleading.”
I felt bad. Nadine had taken it upon herself to plan our trip. I really hoped that she wasn’t truly bummed that Marshall had come.
“Let’s see if they have a bigger room.” I grabbed my purse and Nadine’s hand. “Marshall, we’ll be back. Get ready for the beach.”
Nadine ended up getting a room right next to us. They were all the same size. She was actually relieved to have her own room. “I’ve been told I snore.” She admitted and pursed her lips. “You’ll be happy I’m not in that room with you. I’m lucky that Marty snores, too. We’re made for each other.”
I nudged her shoulder as we waited for the keys to her room. “I don’t remember you snoring.”
“With my old age, I guess it’s gotten worse.”
When I returned to my room, Marshall was wearing white shorts with a white bandana wrapped around his head. He was shirtless, leaning back against the headboard with a pile of pillows comfortably stacked behind him. “Marshall, you look really great. Like, you’re all muscle, like a fitness cover boy. Way to go with taking care of yourself.”
“Thanks for noticing.” He smiled, flexing his muscles.
Without thinking about it, I stripped my shirt off, glancing over my shoulder. He was staring at me. “Um, you don’t mind do you?”
“Even if I was straight, I wouldn’t mind.” He smirked.
I kept my back to Marshall and quickly put my bathing suit on, thinking ‘who cares?’ if he can see my butt. “Marshall, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without your shirt on. Come to think of it, I never have.”
“Well, I’ve never seen your bare bum either, so we’re even.” He giggled.
I grabbed my sarong and stuffed my purse into a beach bag. “Okay. Let’s go. I’m dying to get in the water.”
That’s when I noticed what was lying next to Marshall, the yellow manila envelope which held Sienna’s book and he was tucking a few pages back inside. We locked eyes.
“Aly, don’t look at me like that.”
“Why are you reading it?”
“Because I’m curious and Jake asked me to…and so did Bobby.” His tone was hard-nosed. “You know Aly, Bobby’s part of this too and what affects Jake on tour will trickle down. I wanna know what this bitch has to say about it all.”
As soon as he called Sienna a bitch, it made me feel some sort of way. Jake had just as much to do with what had happened as she did, and there I was…basically jumping back into bed with him.
“Just don’t tell me anything.” I reminded him under my breath.
He threw a white t-shirt over his shoulder and slid his white-rimmed Jackie-O style sunglasses up his nose. “You got it.” He said, as I watched him slip the envelope into his bag.
I moaned inwardly.
We stepped from our room just as Nadine shut her door to meet us. She wore flowing floral patterned white pants with a bright coral halter bathing suit top, strapping her big boobs tight to her chest.
“Don’t you look totally South Beach?” Marshall observed. “Love it!”
Nadine did a double take, looking past Marshall. “Where’s Marshall?” She smiled slyly at him, pointing at his shirtless bare chest. “Because this boy isn’t the Marshall I remember.”
Marshall peeked over his glasses at her and covered one of his nipples. “Now Nadine, stop looking at my boobs.”
“Only if you promise that you’ll tell me if one of mine has popped out.” She adjusted her top. “These girls really don’t like being confined.”
I laughed at their exchange as I stepped down into the lobby with them trailing behind me. The sun was hanging low to the southwest. We would have a gorgeous sunset.
9
Alyssa
The fine, white sand was soft beneath my feet, almost like powder. Unlike my hometown beach, which was a wide, long terrain of naked, bare course sand. This beach had Marram grass growing wildly throughout its dunes, giving it a more natural, rustic feeling. Once we trekked through the narrow path up and over the little, sloping sand hills, we were met by shining turquoise water. The sight took my breath away.
“Wow.” I cried out, almost electrified by the sight of it.
“I’ve never seen water so blue except in pictures.” Marshall marveled and walked on ahead of us.
“Wow is right.” Nadine agreed, hiking her pant legs up by the fists-full and following Marshall across the sand.
I’d forgotten just how much distance there was between the sand dunes and the water. It was vast, almost a football field. The sand was now hard packed; soft, but very firm, as if there were cement just beneath the surface. It made me think of the nearby volleyball courts just on the other side of the dunes. I was happy that the sand was deeper back that way. I watched as Marshall dropped his shirt on the sand and took off his bandana. His bleached blond hair was unruly and stuck out in places like a porcupine.
“Come on, Aly!” He shouted, as he ran toward the water. “This is what you wanted!”
Nadine laid out her beach wrap and I did the same. “I bet I’ll beat’cha.” I taunted, running off to catch Marshall.
“No doubt! I would never try to challenge you.” Nadine yelled out.
By the time I reached the water, Marshall was wading out. Way out. I was surprised how shallow the water was. For yards and yards, you could walk out with the water knee high. Finally, I just bent down onto my knees, and soaked in the water. It was extremely salty, like it didn’t seem normal, not like the Pacific Ocean water at all. It seemed as if it were saltier than any ocean I’d ever been in. It certainly tasted that way. It was so warm it felt like a bath. I floated toward Marshall and he floated toward me. I turned over to float on my back, looking for Nadine. I didn’t realize how far we’d gone out from land. The sight of the sand, the dunes, and the beach city, with its neon signs blending with the purple haze of sunset and art deco buildings was picturesque.
The three of us floated there, silently, for a while until Nadine started crawling back and forth and doing lunges. Marshall and I floated to and fro. There was a peace about the moment, until Jake came to mind, followed by Sienna. I was about to bring her up, but stopped myself. After my lame tirade earlier, I didn’t need to go there.
Though it seemed Sienna was meant to be discussed. As soon as we made it back to the beach, Marshall laid on his towel and whipped out the manuscript so fast it was as if he couldn’t wait to get back to it.
I couldn’t help myself and blurted out, “You’re really into that thing?”
Nadine looked up from her horizontal position and stared long and hard at Marshall. “What’s that thing saying anyway?” Then she looked at me. “Sorry, Aly, I just wanna know what the big deal is. If it doesn’t say they fucked, then who gives a shit? We all know what happened anyway.” She tipped back, lying flat. A heavy exhale escape her, then Marshall answered.
“I’m just curious about who she really is and about her life with Dump. I didn’t know Sienna like you guys did.”
“We didn’t really know her either.” Nadine remarked, eyes closed.
He tapped at the papers he held. “It’s a really sad story if you think about it. I mean, without Jake involved. She married the love of her life, her high school sweetheart. She escaped an abusive upbringing, only to have her one and only person that meant everything to her, die of some atrocious disease.”
When he put it that way, it was a sad story. “Don’t make me feel sorry for her, Marshall. If she loved Dump so much, then she shouldn’t have fucked his best friend…over and over again.” I tried to sound bitter, but for some reason I was far from it. I supposed she got a re
ally raw deal. I wholeheartedly believed that if Dump hadn’t died, she and Jake would have never hooked up. At least, I wanted to believe that, seeing I was toying with another spin around the sun with Jake.
I moaned. “What’s it saying?”
“I’m on chapter two and it’s explaining how Rita’s Revolt was formed and how the band was named after Dump’s mom.” He looked over at Nadine to see if she was interested in this fact, then back to me. “See? I didn’t know that.”
“What?” Nadine piped. “That’s a known fact.”
“It wasn’t known to me.”
“You weren’t a Rita’s Revolt trivia major?”
“Nope.”
“You know…” I said cutting in and going to a place that I wasn’t sure was a good idea. “She lives here. Jake told me she lives here in Miami.”
“Yeah, Bobby told me.” He stared at me, pensively. I could tell he had more to say.
I gave him a lopsided smile and shrugged. “But what does it matter anyway?”
Then Marshall said, “I have her address.”
I went deaf.
#
It was dark and the street was teaming with tourists, especially in front of the infamous Versace Mansion, located right across the street from the ocean, just a short ten-minute walk from our hotel. The three of us stared at the palatial structure from the street and it looked as if it were open to the public. The grand metal patina gate was open and there were two guards and a valet podium at the bottom of the stairs covered by a white umbrella. A few well-heeled people walked through the gate and I was confused.
I decided to give the 101 on the location. “You do know whose house this used to be, right? The Italian clothing designer Gianni Versace; he was beyond the shit back in the 90’s.”
Marshall looked down his nose at me as if I were an idiot saying, “Aly, I’m in fashion. I know exactly who poor Mr. Gianni Versace was. He was shot down in cold blood. Murdered right there on those front steps as he returned from his usual morning walk.” He pointed and shook his head sadly. “Such a tragedy.”
“I didn’t know any of this. I know who Donatella is. I didn’t know she had a brother.” Nadine offered.
Marshall gasped. “He was THE Versace. Donatella took over after his passing. I suppose she’s done a fine job, in her own right.”
Nadine sighed, giving a dismissive wave of her hand. “Now it’s a hotel and an expensive one at that.” She tossed her hair, whispering. “They probably won’t let us through the gates.”
Marshall grunted. “If they try to turn their nose up to me. I’ll just rent a room for the night. It says here that it is a luxury hotel.” He was staring at his phone. He’d Googled the information.
Now I was thoroughly confused. “Are you sure you have Sienna’s address correct?”
“Yes.” Marshall insisted. “As soon as I realized what property this was, I texted Bobby and he confirmed with Jake that this is it. It’s indeed the address.”
I was stumped and I didn’t want to wonder about it. I bee-lined to the guard for answers. “Excuse me.” I said kindly to the linebacker sized Samoan man who’d been staring us down for the last fifteen minutes. “I’m a bit confused. My friend gave me this address as her residence, but this is a hotel, correct?”
He nodded. “Yes, Miss.”
“So, no people actually live here?”
“Some guests stay longer than others, but you’ll have to speak to the front desk.”
I took note of is nametag. “Thank you, Sam. Can I go in?”
He looked over at Nadine and Marshall, who looked as beached out as I did. But I supposed we didn’t look completely homeless. Marshall actually looked quite fetching with his white ensemble and Nadine always looked great, especially when her boobs took center stage. Unfortunately for us, we hadn’t gone back to the hotel thinking we could just bang on Sienna’s door when we realized how close the address was to ours. I was about to tell Sam that we’d come back later when we were more appropriately dressed when he spoke.
“You can go in. It’s to your left.”
I waved for Nadine and Marshall to come along and we scurried through the famous arched doorway of Gianni Versace’s former home. It was as opulent as you could imagine. Richly-woven, patterned rugs and heavy furniture covered the stone floors with vibrant colored fabrics in mix-matched patterns. A beautiful Puerto Rican woman with large, almond-shaped eyes and red lipstick stood behind a counter, smiling at us. As soon as our eyes met, she spoke.
“Hello, welcome to Villa Casa Casuarina.” She greeted in her swirly Spanish accent. Her nametag read Rasario.
“Hello.” I said nervously and stepped to the counter.
I’m not sure what came over me. I hadn’t wanted to know anything of Sienna, and now all of a sudden, I wanted to know everything she’d been up to since she vanished from Jake’s life.
“Are you checking in?” Asked Rasario.
“No, no. I’m actually looking for my…” My what? Who is she to me? “For Sienna De Luis. She gave this address as her residence.”
The woman paused, looking slightly shocked that I asked and recovered just as quickly. I knew right away that it was the correct address. “Ms. De Luis has checked out.”
That’s when Marshall butted in. “Miss Rasario, when did she check out? Do you mean she moved?”
Rasario cleared her throat, a bit flustered and forced a smile. “Let me get my manager.”
Oh, great.
The clap of a wooden heel at a quick pace echoed, mixing with the ambient music and murmurs of other guests. A handsome man of average height, looking polished and tan, wearing a perfectly fitted black suit and expensive dress shoes approached us. He looked like he would be attending the Oscars or going to The Governor’s Ball or something.
“Hello. My name is Roberto Luzzi.” His pompous air irked me. I knew he wouldn’t give us any information. Then I saw a twinkle in his eye as he extended his hand to Marshall and ignored us. I watched in amusement as Mr. Luzzi’s demeanor changed immediately. “How may I help you?” He took Marshall’s hand in his and looked like he was going to kiss it.
I watched Marshall for his reaction. I couldn’t read him. Marshall smiled as sincerely as he would have to anyone. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Luzzi. I’m Marshall and these are my friends, Aly and Nadine. Our friend, Sienna, gave this address as where she lived and we stopped by to say hello.”
“Mr. Marshall, I’m not inclined to give the whereabouts of our guests, but it’s my understanding that Ms. De Luis has departed from our establishment.”
“Will she be returning?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure, sir. She departed just today with her family.”
“Her family?” I spoke without wanting to and a sour looked jumped onto Mr. Luzzi’s face. He didn’t look at me. He only gave a fake smile to Marshall, who in turn gave him one back.
Mr. Luzzi straightened his posture, running his hand down his lapel. “Do you have a message for Ms. De Luis?”
“No.” Nadine finally spoke up. “We don’t, Mr. Loo-cy.”
I almost laughed and Marshall suppressed a smile.
“It’s Lu-zz-ee.” He nodded.
“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “We’ll get in touch with her and find out when she’ll be back. We’ll see you then.” Nadine turned on her heel and walked away toward the entrance and I slowly followed, waiting for Marshall.
Marshall gave a coy tip of his head to Mr. Luzzi, embarrassed by Nadine’s mockery, and thanked the pompous hotel manager.
We rushed down the street toward our hotel and when we finally reached Nadine, she begged to stop for a drink. “Please, after dealing with that stuffy fuck, I need one. Bad.”
“You get more with sugar than vinegar, Nadine.” Marshall advised.
Nadine leered at Marshall, biting her tongue saying, “So I’ve heard.”
Nadine walked into the next restaurant she spotted with an open patio table. She
sat and asked, “What family? You people need to fill me in on what the hell is going on.”
Marshall dug in his bag taking out the infamous yellow envelope, sliding his hand inside. He placed two pictures on the table in front of Nadine, pointing.
“That’s Sienna’s sister and her sister’s husband and their son. I’m guessing. From what
Jake’s told Bobby, they’ve been with her for some time.”
Nadine nodded and ordered a round of tequila shots from a passing waiter. “Okay. But why are we trying to see her?” Her eyes searched out mine. “Aly, what’s up?”
“I don’t know. Jake has his reasons due to the book she’s written…and I just wanted to lay my eyes on her. I wanted to wave that fucking envelope in her face and ask her what it’s all about.” I cradled my head in my hands, exhausted from the adrenaline and the barrage of thoughts. “I want to know if she was in love with Jake. I want to know if he ever told her he was in love with her.”
“Why would you want to hear those things?” Nadine yelled at me. “Why!”
“I don’t know why.” I whined. “Probably because he’s planning on meeting me here, in hopes of giving us another go? And I like being tortured.”
“Would it matter how she answered? Would it even change your mind if she said yes?”
“Did you even ask him?” Marshall cut in.
“Maybe once I asked him, in a mad fit, and I don’t remember what he said anyway. It was years ago.” I huffed. “I don’t know if her answer would change anything. I’d need to see her face. I’d need to see how she reacts to it all.”
The waiter arrived with our shots and Nadine didn’t wait for us to say cheers. She sucked on her lime and knocked it back. Marshall and I eyed each other.
“Nadine, I’m sorry if this is annoying to you.” I said, feeling guilty. “I didn’t plan this at all. She was the last person on my mind.”
She sighed. “It’s not bothering me. I think I’m just gonna be on my period or something.” She shouted out again to another waiter passing by. “Can we get three Coronas, please?”
“Sienna’s not around anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” I said, sinking in my seat. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Love Amplified (Heavy Influence Book 3) Page 6