The Scent of Rome

by Lise Gold

  “They’re like bizarre castles.” Rome took her phone out of her purse and snapped a few pictures. “It’s so cool.” She was quiet while they wandered the streets, passing buildings that incorporated crazy combinations of materials like brick, marble, stone and wood, covered in frescos and with psychedelic patterns in their entryways. After putting away her phone, she stopped under the shade of a tree and turned to Nadine. “Now, tell me about your passion because I’m awfully curious.”

  “I’m not sure where to start,” Nadine said. Deciding it was easier to just demonstrate her skill, she stuck her nose up in the air, then dragged Rome along to a bakery on the corner of the street. “Smell that?” she said. “It’s fresh ciabatta.”

  “It is,” Rome agreed. “And? You love bread?”

  Nadine laughed. “I do, but that’s not the point. There’s garlic in it and rosemary, of course, but also a hint of orange peel to bring out the sweetness in the dough.”

  “Clearly your favorite bakery. Did they give you the recipe?” Rome asked.

  “No, I can smell it.”

  Rome stared at her in surprise. “You can smell the orange peel in the bread that is baked in the back of that building? I don’t even get a hint of it.”

  “Yes, I can smell everything.”

  “Hmm…” Rome looked up at her, clearly not convinced. “What else do you smell?”

  “Are you sure you want to know? Because I’m going to start with you.” Rome didn’t answer, so Nadine continued. “The fragrance you wear daily is Pure Grace by Philosophy. You’re loyal to the brand, no exceptions. Its trace is incredibly pure on your skin, so I’d know if you wore a different perfume last week. It’s an interesting choice in my opinion because although it’s not expensive or fancy, it’s very clean and elegant and it really suits you. Not many people get it right with fragrances. Your face cream is possibly Japanese because it contains cucumber essence but I suspect you put it on last night, not this morning. Your shampoo has traces of pine which is unusual for shampoos, and the fabric conditioner you use on your clothes has the same undertones, which makes me think you like being outdoors, love walking in the woods?” She frowned. “Or maybe you just like the idea of the scent of the woods because it makes you feel calm. You actually strike me as more of a city girl.”

  “Are you serious?” Rome looked shocked.

  “Am I right?” Nadine shot her a self-satisfied look. “Don’t even answer that, I know I am. But best of all is your own scent. I wish I could bottle it; it’s sweet and feminine and so innocent because you don’t use any artificial crap on your body, but rather natural and organic products. You smell like the sun. It’s rare and extremely arousing.”

  Rome was silent for a long moment, her lips parting as she processed Nadine’s words. “Is that why you sniffed me in the restrooms last night?”

  “Uh-huh.” Nadine moved closer and nuzzled against Rome’s hairline inhaling along her temple. She liked how goose bumps appeared on Rome’s arms when she was close, but she also knew she was pushing it now, and didn’t want to scare her away. “I’m sorry.” She tried to compose herself. “That was intrusive.” A smile played around her lips. “But so good, though.”

  Rome blushed profusely as she sniffed her arm, then shrugged casually, although she couldn’t have looked more disoriented. “Sorry, I don’t get it.”

  “That’s because you can’t smell yourself. I mean you can, when you sweat. That’s a different thing because it’s an out of the ordinary state. But the pureness of you, you’ll never get to experience, and I’m so terribly sorry to tell you that because it’s divine.” Nadine proceeded to walk toward a square with a big fountain, surrounded by benches, and Rome followed. “What’s your favorite natural scent?”

  Rome had to think about that. “I’m not sure, no one’s ever asked me that question before… After it rains, I guess.”

  “Interesting.” Nadine smiled. “Pine, woods, the smell of nature after rain… see? You like calm things and you don’t even realize it. You instinctively pick the fragrances you’re drawn to and they all merge well together.”

  “You’re right, I do. So, what’s your favorite?”

  Nadine sighed. “I have so many. Sea breeze, the smell of trees in a forest—like you—burning wood, old books, freshly cut grass, citrus, sex…”

  “Sex?”

  “Yeah. I like scents that make me feel something. All in all, I prefer pure scents but right now, my favorite one is you.” God, she couldn’t help herself. You just had to say it again, didn’t you?

  “You’re lying. You’re just turning on the charm again and I already told you, that’s not going to work on me. I’m as straight as an arrow.”

  Nadine quirked her brow. “Okay, maybe I am turning on the charm but I’m not lying when I say you actually are my favorite scent right now. I’ve never smelled anything quite like you.”

  Rome chuckled and shook her head. “Well thank you, I’m flattered. So, what do you do with it? With your gift? It is a gift, right?” she asked, moving the conversation away from herself.

  “I guess you could call it that. I’m highly sensitive to my surroundings because of my unique sense of smell and it enables me to read people.” Nadine sat down on a bench and closed her eyes as droplets from the wet breeze wafting from the fountain blew in her face, cooling her down a little. When Rome sat down next to her, she fought the urge to put her arm over the bench’s backrest behind her. “I develop perfumes. It’s an expensive hobby, hence my lucrative side business. It’s also a slow process, as I won’t settle for anything less than perfection and there’s a lot I’m trying to bottle. Hopefully, I can go to market in the near future.”

  “That’s impressive. So you’re a perfumer?”

  “Yes. I don’t have a chemistry degree. I’m self-taught, but I’m probably as good as any, if not better than most master perfumers. I’ve got what’s known as a Nose.” Nadine rolled her eyes. “I know I sound cocky now, but it’s true; I can bottle the essence of just about anything.” She turned to Rome and grinned. “Anything but you, I guess. Although technically I might be able to bottle you too.”

  “Now you’re creeping me out,” Rome said, nudging her. “I assume you’re familiar with the book Perfume: The Story of a Murderer? Am I safe right now?”

  Nadine gave one of her deep, lyrical laughs. “Of course I’m familiar with it. Don’t worry, I’m not a serial killer who wants to kidnap you to extract the essence from your skin. I just want to sniff you,” she joked.

  Rome joined in her laughter. “Good. So what do you love about creating perfumes? Apart from the fact that you can put your natural talent to use?”

  “Everything.” Nadine turned to her, pleasantly surprised that Rome seemed interested and maybe even a little intrigued. She looked gorgeous with the sunlight on her hair and her skin shimmering from the condensation from the fountain. “Everything from the science to the emotion it evokes. A fragrance should perform a function or take you somewhere; make you want to travel, make you dream, cause attraction or bring forth memories… If it doesn’t do any of that, it’s not the right one for you.”

  “That makes sense… And beautifully said,” Rome added. “What are you working on?”

  Nadine hesitated. “Can you keep a secret? I’m really private about it because I’m terrified of someone stealing my idea.”

  “Of course,” Rome said, and Nadine believed her.

  “Okay, well, I’m creating a set of twelve perfumes.” Nadine was a little unsure about telling Rome more as she never talked about her creations—especially with strangers—but for some reason, she really wanted to share her concept with Rome. Following their meeting, where Rome had pitched her app, she could see that Rome was as ardent as she was about what she did and talking about her enterprise with another creative person felt like too good an opportunity to miss. “You seem too much of a logical thinker to be into horoscopes. Do you hate that kind of stuff?”

  �
��No, I don’t actually. I find it interesting.” Rome grinned. “Doesn’t mean I believe in it, though.”

  Nadine smiled as she gave her a slow nod. “So, what’s your star sign? Is it Libra?” It was just a hunch—she tended to gravitate toward Libras—and she felt a wave of victory when Rome’s face pulled into a baffled expression yet again.

  “Jesus, how do you even know that? Are you some kind of mind reader? And what has that got to do with perfumes?” Rome frowned and Nadine could almost hear her analytic brain ticking over. “Wait… twelve perfumes, you said. I get it now. Clever.”

  “It’s only clever if it works and I’m not quite there yet. But yes, you guessed right. I’m creating a unique perfume for each star sign. It’s all about attraction, you see. Certain star signs are generally speaking naturally attracted to each other because the universe tells them they make a good fit. The perfumes are unisex and very subtle—barely noticeable—yet in theory you, as a Libra, would be likely to be attracted to an Aquarius, like me.” She smiled when she saw Rome blush, then added: “Hypothetically speaking of course, if you weren’t quite clearly straight. And the idea is that if I wear my Aquarius enhancing perfume, you’ll have a greater chance of noticing me and the other way around if you wear yours.”

  “But it only makes sense if a lot of people actually wear it,” Rome argued. “Otherwise the chances of meeting someone through attraction of scent is very small.”

  “Right. The attraction part of that is true. But the perfume will still be the perfect fit for you, enhancing your personality no matter what. And when I say perfume, it’s not necessarily floral or anything that stands out. It’s deliberately subtle and registers in the subconscious rather than in the direct sense of smell. I’ve done a lot of research into this, and I can back it all up.”

  Rome nodded. “I like it, it’s a fantastic idea. It sounds super commercial and I have no doubt you’ll be able to pull it off if it’s marketed well but being a nerd and all, I have to see the test results before I believe it will actually work.”

  “Of course.” Nadine sighed and sank further down on the bench, crossing her legs. “But it will work. It has to.”

  7

  “Okay, you’ve convinced me, I love Rome already.” Tucking into a delicious seafood pasta, Rome felt relaxed and happy despite the underlying nerves as she waited for a phone call from Flavio. They were in another old and beautiful non-touristy neighborhood, sitting among locals who all seemed to know Nadine. Rome was impressed by her Italian since she’d told her she’d only lived here for four years and to her untrained ear she sounded as fluent as everyone around them. Lunchtime was a busy affair in the small establishment where the red cloth covered tables were placed so close together that they might as well have been attached. Waiters were running around with bottles, topping everyone’s glasses up with the house wine, and the tables were decked out with baskets of freshly baked bread and plates of steaming hot food. It was brightly lit, and both the background music and the chatter were really loud, yet she was pretty sure it was one of the most charming places she’d dined at.

  Nadine looked like she was in her element, joking with the people sitting to their left as she joined in with their conversation. Being a woman with interesting passions, Nadine was fascinating to talk to, but she also made a really great listener. As she sat there watching Nadine playfully tease the older couple, Rome knew she liked being around her and she really wanted Nadine to like her back.

  “Why did you come here?” She asked. “Why didn’t you stay in France? Wouldn’t that be the obvious choice, since it’s all about perfume there?”

  Nadine took a sip of her white wine and nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It would be the obvious choice. I was in Paris, mainly. However, the escort work that I do to provide the funds to finance my goal is only available in certain cities, at least through my current agency, and it was unlikely that I’d be able to find clients in Grasse, where most perfume factories are based. Also, the laboratory in Paris I worked with was crazy expensive. It’s much cheaper here and they’re just as good. Italians speak the language of passion, so they understand perfume. It’s easy to communicate with them, they just get it. Besides that, I’ve grown to love Rome and I never want to leave.” She paused, swirling her linguine around her fork. “Before I came here, I wasn’t sure how long I’d stay, but it only took me a week to realize this was the place for me. My father was Italian, so I knew the basics of the language, and it felt like coming home, even though I’d never been here before.”

  “So basically you’re half Italian,” Rome said. “That’s where your dark and mysterious features come from...” She straightened herself, realizing she sounded a little flirty. “I just meant that it all makes sense now that you’ve told me,” she hastily added. “And it also explains how you picked up speaking Italian so quickly.”

  Nadine studied her, a small smile playing around her lips. “Yes, I look like my dad, and have dual citizenship. And yes, it also helped that I spoke Italian with him when I was little. Language fades if you don’t practice, yet somehow it sticks too. It made it easier to learn it properly when I came here, even though I hadn’t spoken Italian in twenty-one years.”

  “So what happened to your dad? Do you mind me asking?” Rome looked at her while she pushed her plate to the side. She couldn’t possibly eat any more and wondered how Nadine stayed so slim, living here.

  “No, I don’t mind. He died when I was eight. Heart attack.” Nadine paused, clearly reluctant to carry on the topic. “But enough about me, I want to know more about the passion project you’ve dedicated your life to.” She dabbed her mouth with a napkin so elegantly that Rome wondered if she was raised like that or if it was a result of her many years of escorting. But then again, now that she was getting to know her a little, everything Nadine did seemed effortlessly elegant, even hitting on women and driving like a maniac.

  “Sure. I’ll tell you more about it, but I can’t promise you I won’t bore you.”

  “Bore me?” Nadine slowly shook her head as she locked her eyes with Rome’s. “You could never bore me. Just hearing you read the dictionary would be fascinating.” At that moment, Rome’s phone rang, and she gasped when she saw it was an Italian number.

  “Excuse me, I need to take this.” Her heart sank to her stomach when she heard Matteo’s voice say her name. Shit. Flavio sent his minion. It’s bad news. “Yes, it’s me,” she said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “How are you, Matteo?”

  “Excellent, thank you.” Matteo cleared his throat. “I’m happy to inform you that we’d like to go ahead with the funding for your app and that we’re accepting the terms stated in your proposal.”

  “Seriously?” Rome wanted to jump on the table and scream to release the adrenaline that was rushing through her. She couldn’t quite believe what he was saying because she’d been picturing this moment for over two years, hoping, praying that it would happen, but it hadn’t felt nearly as good in her fantasies as it did right now. Trying to tone down her excitement, she took a long drink of her wine and calmed herself before continuing. “That’s great news, I’m very happy.”

  “So you’ll be ready to sign in a couple of days?” Matteo asked. “I’ll email you the contracts and supporting documents, so you can forward them to your lawyer. In the meantime, we’d like to take you out for dinner again to go over some further details. Are you free tonight?”

  “Absolutely.” Rome grinned as she gave Nadine a thumbs-up, then tried not to laugh when Nadine stood up and did a victory dance, almost knocking over their neighbor’s wine. “Just let me know where and when and I’ll be there.”

  “Great. My assistant will contact you and she’ll also arrange a cab to pick you up at eight.”

  “Thank you, I’ll see you later.” After she’d hung up, Rome needed a moment to process what was happening. Her precious idea, her lifelong dream, was about to become a reality after she’d just about given up all hope. />
  “Well, looks like I’m your lucky charm” Nadine said, sitting back down. “You should seriously consider spending a lot of time with me.”

  “I think you are lucky for me.” Rome sank back in her chair and let out a long sigh. “I thought it was over when Matteo called. I expected Flavio; I thought he was the one calling the shots.”

  “Nah. Flavio is probably busy having his back waxed in the hope of getting some action tonight.”

  “I owe you big time,” Rome said. “I don’t even know how I can repay you.”

  “I can think of a way or two.” Nadine grinned. “Just kidding.” She held up her hand to high-five Rome. “Who would have thought I’d be sitting here having lunch with the smart and gorgeous woman that I was hitting on last night without even knowing I was about to have dinner with her, huh? Coincidences don’t exist, this was meant to happen. It was written in the stars.”

  Rome laughed and felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she didn’t care. Nadine had been her knight in shining armor, buying her time with her investors, perhaps even pushing them over the edge to make a decision and today, she’d saved her from a nerve-racking waiting game. The distraction had not only helped calm her down, but it had also been incredibly fun to see such an amazing city through the eyes of a captivating and interesting local. “I assume you’ll have to go soon, then?” she asked. “To get ready for tonight?”

  Nadine shook her head and smiled, keeping her gaze fixed on Rome while she pushed her own plate to the side. “No. I only need half an hour and we haven’t even had dessert yet. And you really need to try the tiramisu because this place is famous for it.”

  8

  The choice of venue for tonight’s dinner was significantly better than yesterday’s, Nadine decided as she walked the red carpet that led to the dimly lit courtyard. Round tables were elegantly laid out under blossoming orange trees, and burning torches were placed along the wall of the old building where the inside dining space and the kitchen were situated. Classical music was playing softly in the background, and the waiters were immaculately dressed in white uniforms. The setting was way too romantic for a business affair, but still, she preferred dining outside when she was working. It made her feel less trapped in a way and there was more distraction to save her from boredom over the sometimes dull conversations. She doubted tonight would be dull though, since Rome would be joining them.