by Jill Sanders
“Oh!” She realized this was her new employer and felt her face flush with embarrassment. She’d assumed he’d been a hired hand, or just a passing farmer, not the owner of a million dollar, world-renowned corporation.
Her mother had fibbed to her employer when she’d gotten her this job. She couldn’t blame her mother; after all, it had sounded like the deal of the century.
“Airlea, you need to get out of town for a while and regroup. This job in Italy is perfect for you. The wealth in the Cardone family goes back for many years, and they are very well known. Their son was in a very bad accident a few weeks ago and they are looking for a nurse with your qualifications to help the boy mend, to get him back on his feet, something you were made to do. Plus, it pays more for a few months’ worth of work than you made all last year working at the hospital.”
She’d sat across from her mother in her small apartment and chewed her bottom lip, thinking that she did need to get out of town for a while. Things had not turned out well with Angelo and since she’d lost her job, she didn’t know what was left for her in Greece.
“Mama, what do I need to know about this job? How old is the boy? What are his injuries?”
“Oh, I don’t know these details, you can find out when you get there. The only thing you need to know besides being a great nurse, is how to speak English. You took two years of it in school, you will be fine.”
“I almost failed two years, you mean! Did you tell them I spoke good English?”
“Yes, Airlea, you will be fine.”
So she had packed up all of her belongings and left them in storage to come to Italy.
“I guess I’ll be helping your son recover from his accident.”
“Yes, Dante is having a hard time recovering. I don’t know how much my wife told you over the phone, but he isn’t adjusting well. I think he doesn’t like his medicine.”
“Well, it can be tricky getting the right dosage and the right prescription. Is he in a lot of pain?”
“I suppose so. I keep myself busy most days, since it’s almost harvest time for my olive grove, but my wife, Kathleen, tells me he is being unbearable.
The rest of the drive was a quiet one. She didn’t know what to say to the man. She held onto the door handle as the truck bumped up the muddy lane.
Finally, they turned a corner and she saw the house for the first time.
It was a huge half-stone, half-stucco house that sat at the top of a large hill. The grass and trees around it were well maintained, and she could make out a large swimming pool with a pool house to the side.
The stone archway held a balcony that ran across the front of the house and down both sides, with ornate black iron railings. There were huge stone pillars that held up the balcony and stopped waist high on the second level. Each pillar was topped with a huge pot filled with bright red flowers. Deep, wide steps led up to the tall retreat. There were a half dozen french doors along the front and the same number along the sides, both upstairs and downstairs.
The truck stopped in front of a large garage with six bays. Several doors were open and she could see other well-maintained and expensive cars.
“I’ll just see about getting your car up here. You go on in and make yourself at home. Kathleen will be somewhere around. I’ll bring your bags inside.” He pointed to a door, just under another balcony.
She watched him walk into the garage and then stood there, looking around the yard. The last hundred feet of the drive had been done in deep red bricks and the walkway to the house had large stone steps that sat down in the well-groomed grass. Taking the pathway, she had just reached the doorway when she heard a large crash come from the open doors above her, then she heard a low rumble of cuss words.
Her nurse’s instincts kicked in and she dropped her purse and rushed up the large, wide stairs. She was through the open glass doors before she could think.
There on the floor lay the most handsome man she’d ever seen. He looked large, all sprawled out, and then she realized he was very naked.
Chapter Two
His left leg had the standard pins and a brace just above his knee on the outside of his thigh holding his injured bones together. His shoulder was encased in white bandages. Muscles ran down his back and her eyes followed the path to his tight butt, then traveled down his legs as she noticed the very light covering of dark hair on his arms and his legs.
She returned her eyes to his head and saw that his rich black hair was on the longer side, and it looked like he’d been running his hands through it. He wore at least a day’s growth of hair on his face, which gave him a dangerous look. When she’d rushed in, he’d looked up at her with large chocolate eyes. Now he was giving her an even more dangerous look. He’d been scanning her up and down as much as she’d been looking at him.
She’d worn tan khakis and a dark burgundy button-up shirt during her long drive from the ferry that she’d taken last night across the sea.
“Are you all right?” She walked towards him with her hands out, ready to help him up.
“Out!” He bellowed.
“I’m here to…”
“Get out!” he screamed, and she could see the veins on his neck starting to pop out and his face turning a deep red.
She took a step back. “I’m here to help you.”
When he just looked at her with his eyebrows scrunched, she tried again.
“You’ll need some help off the floor.”
“I said,” he spoke in a calm voice laced with edge, “get out, now!” She didn’t move.
He still was laying on a very expensive looking Persian rug, front side down so that his very tight, very gorgeous ass was up in the air.
She put both hands on her hips and looked down at him.
“Mr. Cardone, if you ever care to get up off the floor again, just give me a call.” She turned and started walking back out the open doors just as a short, gray-haired woman came running in through the inside door.
Airlea nodded her head at the woman and continued out the doors with her head held high. She was stopped a few feet away by another woman. This one was younger and had rich, shoulder-length chestnut hair and wore a warm smile.
“You must be Airlea Rossi,” the woman said in English as she walked towards her, a large pile of flowers in one hand and her other stretched out for a hand shake. “I’m Kathleen Cardone.”
“How do you do? I’m sorry…” she motioned behind her. “I didn’t mean to… um, run in, it’s just that I heard a crash.” Airlea struggled with finding the right English words.
“Don’t worry about it, please.” Kathleen smiled and motioned for her to follow her down the stairs. “I’ll just go put these in some water and we’ll have a quick talk in the kitchen.”
Airlea followed her down the stairs and picked up her purse from where she’d dropped it earlier.
Following the woman inside, she stepped into the largest kitchen she’d ever seen. Stone pillars ran on either side of the room, and a dining area sat off to the side with a table that could easily sit a dozen people.
She stood in the doorway as the other woman walked across the tile floor, placed the flowers on the marble countertop, then started looking through the cupboards.
“They always seem to move things around,” she mumbled to herself. “Oh, here it is.” She pulled out a large green vase. “Well now, please come have a seat.” She motioned towards the large table.
When Airlea sat at the far end, the woman walked over and took the seat next to hers.
“I’ve known your mother for many years. Did she happen to mention that?”
Airlea shook her head no. Her mother never mentioned the connection.
“Well, that doesn’t matter. When she called me the other day and told me about your situation, well, I knew you were perfect for the job.”
“My situation?” Airlea looked confused. She didn’t have a situation. She was here because she’d been hired to help a boy recover from an accident. “
Mrs. Cardone, before we go any farther, I feel it’s my duty to mention that I don’t speak very good English.”
“I know. Your mother mentioned it, it won’t be a problem.”
“Well, I’m also used to working with children, not grown men. My mother told me your son had been in an accident, but she never mentioned that he was… full grown.”
Kathleen waved her hand, as if to wave her statement off. “That doesn’t matter. I’ve done my research and you’re perfect to help Dante out. There is nothing that a good,” she leaned forward and whispered the next words, “kick in the ass treatment couldn’t help him with.” She leaned back and smiled at her.
“I’m sorry?”
“Airlea—I hope it’s all right that I call you by your first name, please feel free to call me Kathleen—I -- understand your questions about taking on this job. Your mother and I agreed to keep certain details from you until your arrival. We thought it best to allow you time to feel more comfortable here, an see what the job entailed before you made up your mind. So,” she started to get up, “let me show you to your room.”
“Mrs—Kathleen,” Airlea stood, “I still don’t know what you expect of me.”
“Well, I would think that would be clear. I expect you to babysit my son and get him out of his foul mood. To help him heal and get back on his feet. You’re such a lovely girl, having you around will do one of two things.”
Airlea waited.
“He will either yell and throw things at you, then try to kick you out of the house, or worse…” she said with a smile.
“Yes?” Airlea asked when Kathleen didn’t finish her thought.
“Or he’ll become his charming old self and try to seduce you. Either way, it will be good for him.” She smiled as she walked toward the doors.
Dante lay on the floor trying to get his heart rate level again. He didn’t think the elevated beat had anything to do with his fall. He knew his aunt stood over him and he didn’t care.
He wondered who she was. He had looked up from his fall and at first thought he had assumed she was an angel. Then she had spoken and he’d realized she must be his new nurse, the one his mother kept talking about. He knew he’d been rude to her and he didn’t care. How could his mother hire a young nurse? And a gorgeous one at that?
She had dark caramel skin that was probably as soft as it looked. Her long, dark hair had flown over her shoulders and had been highlighted by the sun’s rays which had come in through the open doorway.
Her eyes had been the first thing that had drawn his eyes to her face. Dark, so dark, he’d had a hard time deciphering her emotions. Maybe it was the light shining behind her, but he could have sworn she’d laughed at him. Her lips had looked just as inviting, full, plump and painted a soft hue of pink. He’d wanted to immediately storm across the room and take them with his own.
Then he’d realized he was still lying on the floor butt naked, and he’d gotten mad that he’d been so vulnerable. He hated being vulnerable. So, he’d done the only natural thing; he’d yelled at her.
Now, looking at the floor, he realized it probably wasn’t his finest moment.
“Cucciola mia, my pet, please let me help you up.” His aunt walked over and placed her beefy hands under his arms and helped him back to the bed. He hated this bed. He hated this room. He wanted to go out on the balcony. He wanted a shower, not just his aunt trying to clean him with a wash cloth. He hated that.
Once he was back in his bed, covered again by the blankets, he sighed and realized he was in trouble. He’d never seen a nurse that looked like that before. When his mother had told him that she’d hired a nurse to help him with his recovery, he’d pictured an old, three-hundred-pound woman with beefy hands, much like his aunt. He’d never once pictured a young woman with chestnut hair, gorgeous deep brown eyes, and lips that just called to be kissed. Not to mention a body that was straight out of the mold built for goddesses.
“What is wrong with you?” His aunt leaned over him, tucking in the blankets around him, making sure to be extra careful around his left side.
“I want a shower,” he said out of the blue. Actually, he’d been headed to the bathroom when he’d miscalculated and had taken the fall that Airlea had witnessed the aftermath of.
“I will get the bin and washcloths.”
“No, I want a shower.”
“But, Cucciola, it is not allowed. You will get your bandages wet.”
“I don’t care. I want a shower and a shave.” He moved to get up again.
“Fine, I will—” Just then his mother walked in and behind her was the goddess.
“As you can see, your room is right next to Dante’s. Dante, this is Airlea Rossi. She will be taking care of you until you’re back on your feet.”
Dante just looked at her; she looked even better than he remembered. The afternoon sun was coming through his open doorway and the colors hit her face, causing it to almost illuminate the richness of her skin.
“How do you do?” she replied, looking him directly in the eyes.
He was speechless, so he just nodded his head.
“Airlea, this is Florentina Cardone, my sister-in-law. Florentina helps out with Dante as much as she can. I’m afraid she is wearing herself out h, though.”
“No, he is no problem, he has always been such a good boy.” Dante half-heartedly listened to the polite conversation between the three women.
He played her name over in his head a few times—Airlea—it -sounded good in his head and he itched to say it out loud, just to see how it would feel on his tongue.
His attention snapped back to the room when he heard his aunt start talking about him wanting a shower.
“Oh, if you will give me a few minutes, I’ll change and help,” Airlea was saying.
The last thing he wanted this woman to do was help bathe him.
“No, I don’t want your help.” He knew it had come out harsher than he had intended, but he had no intentions of revealing what the sight of this woman had done to him. At least not with his mother and aunt in the room.
“Dante!” His mother crossed her arms. “You will apologize to Miss Rossi right now.
“No, Mother. You’re the one that wanted me to have a nurse. I don’t need anyone’s help. I can shower on my own.”
“Really? Is that why you were lying on the floor a few minutes ago? Because I’m sure the fall did wonders for your leg, not to mention that shoulder. You’re right,” Airlea said in a sharp tone, then she turned to his mother. “As you can see, Mrs. Cardone, your son is perfectly capable of helping himself. I don’t know what all your worry and stress is about. We should just leave him to crawl around on the floor like an animal or a child until he decides it’s time to be a man and ask for help.”
Then she started walking towards the door, while Dante’s mother and aunt stood with their mouths dropped open, and their eyes almost bugging out.
“Good, go. I don’t need your help,” he said and smiled, thinking he had just solved his problems. Then she turned on him and marched to the end of his bed. Her eyes could have lit his mattress on fire.
“You are such an arrogant ass, can’t you see what you’ve done to these poor women? You’ve been running your aunt ragged, look at her. She looks like she hasn’t had a good night’s rest in weeks.” She motioned toward his aunt. He did look now for the first time, and realized she was right. His aunt’s shirt was untucked from her long skirt, her hair was a mess, her eyes had dark circles under them, and he could see the worry in her eyes. “And your poor mother, in the last ten minutes since my arrival, she’s walked around the house like she couldn’t find anything; her mind is obviously consumed with worry.”
He looked toward his mother and could see it clearly in her eyes now.
“Not to mention your father. Do you know the entire drive up here, he couldn’t stop talking about how great it was that you would be getting the help you needed?” She crossed her arms and took a step back. “But I can
see you have everything under control now. You’re right, Mr. Cardone, you don’t need me, but your family certainly does. Think about that.” She started walking towards the doorway, and looked over her shoulder. “Oh, and let me know when you want to take that shower, because something in this room stinks.” Then she walked out.
He couldn’t help it, he smiled as he watched her back disappear through the doorway. Then he looked at his mother’s face and the smile dropped away.
“Dante Damiano Cardone, is that how I raised you?” She moved to the edge of his bed and looked down at him with disapproving eyes.
“I’m sorry, Mama.” He looked over at his auntie. “Auntie, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was such a burden.”