Roman locks him up in a headlock as my dad’s momentum takes them to the ground. They’re rolling around in the pine needles and I’m holding Roman’s shirt in my hand. I can see his skin is getting shredded, as two huge grown men are Greco-Roman wrestling on one of the most famous isles in the world. It’s like a live reenactment from the days of the Coliseum, but this is Maximus versus Maximus.
I hear a mix of Chinese, Spanish, and English behind me and watch as tourists are lining up on the railing snapping pictures. Just what I needed.
Roman manages to subdue my dad after a solid three or four minutes. I think they’ve both come to the conclusion that this can’t happen here, not now, and they get up bloodied and bruised.
“Get your shit!” my dad yells at me. “We’re fucking out of here.”
“Larry, come on. It’s not what it looks like,” Roman says from a distance. I jump from the rock to run to him, but my dad’s hand latches onto my arm first.
“Throw it in the trash. Shame this motherfucker like he deserves.”
“Larry!” my mom says.
“Take a lot more than a shirt to clean up what he’s done,” my dad says. Thirty minutes later we’re on the ferry back to Naples. My dad confiscates my phone and as soon as the taxi gets us back to Rome we check out of our hotel.
CHAPTER 14
Roman
T he hotel says they’ve checked out, and there’s no answer from any of their phones. The numbers are going straight to voicemail. I think about how much I fucked this whole thing up, but the thing I’m most upset about is what I ruined between Lisa and me. My Mona Lisa. The girl who came into my life just as quickly as she left.
But it’s not going to happen like that. The ending to this story hasn’t been written. I’ve still got time. There’s got to be some way to make this right.
It’s killing me that Larry won’t at least pick up his phone and give me a chance. It’s easy to see why he’s angry, but I would hope our years of friendship would allow me at least the opportunity to state my case for my reasons for wanting to be with his daughter. No wait. Scratch that. I don’t want to be with his daughter, I need to be with his daughter.
I’m not about to tell him how she pursued me either. It will just make me come off as childish and less of a man. I am the man. I made the move. It was my cock that was deep inside her, and now that I’m in this mess it’s my brain that must find a way to get me out.
I pull out my phone and open the email from Larry with his itinerary. They’re set to leave tomorrow morning. He wouldn’t reschedule for a flight just twelve hours earlier. He either checked in to a separate hotel, or he has his family sleeping at the airport.
I search for a very special phone number in my contacts and get to work. This isn’t going to be easy, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to convince Lisa, and Larry, that I’m the only guy in the world for her.
Life is about those few single moments that shape the course of your future, and my future is with Lisa. I’m going to make motherfucking sure of it right now, dammit!
CHAPTER 15
Roman
I ’m up all night, crazy and frantic as hell. As an actor I get paid to be crazy sometimes, but this is a case where art can’t come close to comparing with real life. This is crazy on steroids.
I fold the printout twice and stick it in my pocket. Giovanni’s got the Ferrari pulled around and the gate’s already open. I’m well above eighty, seconds after I hit the highway.
My speed is fast, but I’m under control. All the electronics in this thing won’t even let me get too close to other cars or endanger myself. My car has a virtual memory of the road programmed in. I’ve driven this stretch so many times that it knows how fast I can approach turns. Technology really is amazing, but it’s always going to be that human touch that wins the day.
And today is my day. Mine and Lisa’s. My Ferrari is my chariot and I’m pushing it to the limit to take me to her, and sweep her off her feet for the happily ever after.
I leave the car at the curb when I arrive at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome’s international hub.
“Sir, you can’t park—” I stuff a hundred Euro in the cop’s pocket and he looks the other way.
Nothing will stop me from getting to Lisa.
Thankfully Italy’s security isn’t as strict as the States. The girl at the counter tells me the Lane’s have already checked in. I missed them by fifteen minutes. At least I know they’re still here. Now it’s just a matter of finding them.
I search the duty free. Nothing. I run to the restrooms. I think I see Lisa’s hair down the long corridor, but as I slide along the floor in my leather oxfords just before the door shuts, I can see it’s clearly not her. I consider paging them, but only as a last resort. I want to do this right and I want to do this myself.
I run to the passport check and the guard sees me. He braces for impact, with his arm extended, but I pull a spin move and leave him in my dust. He’s chasing me now, but it doesn’t matter. I thank my lucky stars for all the times A.S. Roma’s football coach has let me workout with the team. The spins and changes of direction are priceless as I hurdle the Plexiglas gates of passport control and stiff-arm a second security guard. I always loved that move from American football. Locked arm and hand to the face…they can’t get you . It gives me separation from the pack, but now they’re closing fast.
The ticketing agent told me the gate, and I can see the sign for it. I’m ten seconds away. I see the guard ahead talking into his walkie-talkie. They’ve identified me. He points and starts jogging my way. Shit, they’ve got me surrounded. I’m scanning the area, but no sign of Lisa and her family.
I’m running out of options, and I’ve got to do something fast!
CHAPTER 16
Leah
S weetheart, you remember how my parents were with you.”
“This is different. There’s a huge age difference here. Lisa doesn’t even know what she’s doing.”
“True, she may not, but she’ll figure it out.” I take my husband’s hand and put my arm around him, massaging his shoulder. “That’s what life’s all about…figuring it out as you go. It’s what makes it so fun. Just think of all the crazy jams we’ve gotten into, and out of.”
“But it’s different.”
“Honey, love is blind. It doesn’t care if you’re white, black, brown, or any shade in-between. It doesn’t even care if you’re blue. I mean…look at the Blue Man Group, or the Smurfs.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re comparing our daughter to the Smurfs?”
“All I’m saying is that you never know what might work. You might be surprised.”
“I didn’t even think she was having sex! Oh my god, just the thought of it.”
“I don’t think she was, and I think that’s what makes this all the more special for her.”
“So special that my so-called friend wanted to take…I can’t even say the words.”
“She’s been saving herself for the right guy. Larry,” I say, hugging him tight. “He’s your friend for a reason, right? He’s a great guy.”
“He was a great guy.”
“He still is, and what attracted you to him are probably some of the same things that attracted her to him.”
“We’re guys, it’s different.”
“Honey, he’s an Italian movie star. He’s good looking, rich, well educated, well mannered, elegant—”
“Okay. Okay. Jeez! I’m starting to wonder who in my family doesn’t have the hots for him.”
“Just look at Lucas. Roman fulfilled our boy’s biggest wish. He trusted him enough to put him behind the wheel of a quarter of a million dollar automobile.”
“He’s got insurance.”
“Quit thinking logically and start thinking with your heart. He cares about people. He cares about you…and now he cares about our daughter.”
“It could never work.”
“We don’t know that. We
’ve never given them a chance.”
“Well if he really wanted her, he would come and get her.”
Breaking down my husband’s defenses was not an easy task. I’m trying to stay positive but need a break. More importantly it will give him time to cool off and to process what I’ve said. If I can just chip away at him, maybe Lisa and Roman have a shot.
I take a deep exhale and turn my head, looking for the nearest water fountain.
I feel my chest rise and fall as I laugh to myself. My eyes water, and I realize this famous Italian movie star may have saved his very best performance for real life.
“Maybe he did come and get her,” I say, tapping my husband on the shoulder and pointing towards the lunatic running in our direction…the lunatic also known as…
“Roman?”
“Lisa! Lisa! Where are you?” Roman shouts his head spinning in every which way.
“He’s making a fool of himself. The paparazzi will be all over him. You’ve got to go help him.”
“But…I…”
“Larry, go help your friend.”
My husband gets up out of his seat and motions with two fingers for Roman to come and join us. The cops are circling him, shuffling to form a wall he won’t be able to escape, or so they thought.
He fakes left and then right, before sliding under their locked arms. One cop reaches for him, but only gets his collar. His linen shirt rips to a roar of applause from the ladies waiting on their flights. Little did they know their holiday had just begun, in the form of one of the world’s sexiest men running shirtless in front of them.
But he wasn’t here for them, he was only here for her. My daughter.
Roman runs to Larry and grabs him by the arm.
“Come with me! Quick!”
Larry seems to resist at first, but his mind is subconsciously reminding him that this is his best friend, and he needs him in this time of battle.
The cop lunges for Roman, but Larry steps in and drops him with a shoulder. Roman nods to my husband as they fake out two more cops and run to the bathrooms.
I bury my face in my hands and laugh. This is turning into the most exciting vacation ever…and we’re just in the airport!
CHAPTER 17
Larry
I ’ve never locked myself in a bathroom before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. Just when I thought there were enough firsts on this vacation to last a lifetime, I’m surprised by one more, but how can I really be surprised anymore?
We emerge from the bathroom and willingly agree to go outside. The cops aren’t taking any chances until they recognize Roman.
“Roman D’Angelo? The actor?”
“Please guys. I’ll sign whatever you want. Let’s not make a scene…at least anymore than I already did.”
“Sign! I need a picture for my wife!”
“My sister!” another policeman shouts.
“My wife!”
“My girlfriend!”
“For me,” a man headed to Mykonos says as he paws at the airs.
I laugh, but it just goes to show how broad Roman’s appeal really is. He’s done his best to calm me over the last few minutes. He really has a way with people, and it’s become apparent to me how easily my little girl could fall for him too.
Roman snaps a few pictures with the police and also some passengers. The police promise him ten minutes to sort out his business, and no charges will be filed, but after his ten minutes he must leave the check in area. Knowing Roman he’ll only need a fraction of the time.
Lisa and Lucas are sitting with my wife. They had stepped away to have one last gelato when Roman so gallantly arrived.
Lisa’s ice cream hits the floor.
“You wasted it. I would have eaten it,” Lucas says.
Roman approaches Lisa and takes her hands in his.
“Lisa,” he begins. “We have some of the top universities here in Rome, from Sapienza and Marconi to American universities like Saint Johns. I also have connections in film and television as you know.” He pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolds it. “These are all declarations from different universities and cinema companies here in Rome, promising you admissions and jobs. I would like to invite you to explore my country, and what can be between us, here in Italy with me.”
I can see my daughter’s face. She’s shocked and overjoyed at the same time.
“Just for one semester, and if for one second you are unhappy here I will pay for your ticket to return home, but I know you will love it here, just as much as I have grown to love you.”
The passengers of gates 37, 38, and 39 erupt in applause and clapping.
“Lisa, please. Give me a shot, and I will show you that I can be the gladiator who can keep you safe, entertain you, and give you the life that you deserve. And one day, I am sure, you will sit on the queen’s perch, just like the days of before in the Coliseum, and you will look out over Rome with me. We can own this city…you and me. What do you say?”
“Sì,” she says, as tears stream from her cheeks.
As a father I always thought it was my job to make my little girl happy, and I thought I did a pretty darn good job of it up until now, but now I see there is a new man to take my place. It’s what he wants, and most importantly it’s what Lisa wants. And now that I see just how happy he makes her, it’s what I want.
EPILOGUE
Lisa
Four months later
I step out onto the balcony in my white robe and stare at it. There it is, the Eiffel Tower. I have a clear, unobstructed view while I drank my morning coffee.
“Today, you’ll get to see your namesake,” he says, as I feel his arms wrap around me from behind and I see two tickets to the Louvre in his hands.
“Can you believe I thought she was in Rome?”
“It would make more sense, but the Mona Lisa lives at the Louvre.”
“Lives?” I giggle. “She’s a painting.”
“But she’s alive. She inspires artists. She beckons tourists from around the world. She may not be living and breathing herself, but she once was and now she breathes that life into others…just like you’ve breathed life into me.”
“Awww,” I say, turning to kiss him. “But you had a great life before you met me.”
“I did have a great life, you are correct, but now I have the perfect life.”
“Perfect?”
“Ask me again in one minute.”
I laugh. “I don’t get it. Why do I ask you in one minute?”
He drops to a knee and I quickly sit my coffee down on the table, before it falls from my hands, which are now covering my face.
“Lisa, just like the famous paining that bears your name, you belong in Rome, but with me. You have given me a renewed since of life and purpose, and brought me more happiness than I ever knew existed. I’ve been on cloud nine since I met you, and I must stay there, with you. Today we wake up in Paris. In the future we’ll dine in Dubai, tango in Argentina, and ride waves in Australia…together. My life means nothing if you are not by my side. I want to share this journey with you, and you with me. Do all the things we’ve always wanted to do, as we watch each other smile just as much as we are the ones who bring out those smiles and laughter in the other. Will you make me the happiest man in the entire world? Will you make this the best morning of my life? And will you please make this the last time we wake up as two separate people, without formal arrangements to become one? Tomorrow I want to wake up with you as my fiancée. Will you marry me?”
He had given me the ultimate life, one I couldn’t have ever dream of. I had come to Europe on a backpacking adventure and never left. I hadn’t come to find myself, but I had found the man of my dreams, and now my future husband.
“Yes!”
He stands and wraps me in a big hug before kissing me on the forehead. He holds me tight as we embrace and then kiss on the lips.
“I love you,” he says.
“I love you,” I say.
“You see that,” he says, pointing off into the distance.
“You mean the Eiffel Tower?”
“That’s one name for it.”
“Is there another?”
“There is now. The place where Roman and Lisa will have their first glass of champagne as fiancée and fiancé.”
Italian Stallion: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 17) Page 6