by Lise Gold
Years later, they found out her mother had moved to Nashville, and that she was singing in a country band. The private investigator her father finally hired after Rome had been begging him to do so, also informed them that she’d lived in New York and San Francisco for a while. Rome had stopped tracking her after that. She’d thought of visiting her mother when she was younger, of showing up unannounced, but was glad she hadn’t. Maggie had thrown her daughter to the curb like a piece of garbage and it was too late now for any excuse to make her feel better.
A number of therapists she’d seen in her teens had told Rome she’d become emotionally detached, and although she’d tried to work on it, her job had always been her priority and eventually she’d given up, because it was easier to throw herself into her life’s work than to deal with the pain she’d buried so deep that she couldn’t feel it anymore. Apart from last night.
There were many scars she hadn’t dealt with, and throughout college she’d been so afraid of anything more than a superficial friendship that she’d been a loner. Her lonely life had been comfortable to her, and the solitude protected her from the risk of getting hurt again. Barbara was her only good friend, perhaps because she’d always been there, living next door since Rome was eight. Now, it seemed that a second person had managed to dig her way in. Why had it bothered her so much, seeing Nadine with Flavio? Was it because she’d trusted her, and felt betrayed? She knew that was ridiculous, because what she and Nadine had shared was nothing more than a two-day fling at this stage, but it hurt nevertheless. It had been a long time since she’d felt so emotional, and although these feelings toward Nadine were barely a scratch on the surface, it felt like a dam was about to break. Still, she desperately wanted to stay in touch with Nadine, and she told herself to get over her silly infatuation and get a grip. Nadine was the first person who’d made her feel really good in a long time, and maybe it was time she started letting people in a little. As long as she avoided intimacy, she’d be fine.
Rome had made herself a chamomile tea and pulled herself together after shoving the photo albums under her bed. It was getting late, and tomorrow she’d have an early start, meeting and briefing the roll-out team that Nero had hired for her. Always having worked by herself, she was nervous to be in charge of fourteen extremely smart people, but she figured that as long as she was respectful and nice to everyone, they would all get along. Matteo was sure to make things a little uncomfortable now and then, but he had no business getting involved apart from their monthly board meetings in which Rome would update the board members on their progress.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead after making the bed and plugging in her chargers. The apartment was warm, but she didn’t like to use the air-conditioning unit as she loved the breeze, the noise and the smells pouring through the four open windows. It would cool down later, and she only needed her thin cotton sheets to sleep under. Naked. She’d never considered sleeping naked before but since spending those two nights with Nadine, she hadn’t worn her pajama shorts and Buffy T-shirt once. The small bottle of perfume was on her nightstand and she sprinkled some over her pillows, then put some on her wrists. It was all she needed to wear to bed.
22
Nadine put the last bottle back in the box after examining the samples for over an hour. They looked and smelled great, and the sampling and packaging process that had been carried out in a factory in the north of Italy had been a smooth operation. Her twelve perfumes were ready to be tested, beautifully presented in a simple test-tube inspired bottle, each displaying a handwritten label that had been reproduced for the finished product as she wanted it to look as authentic as possible. The boxes were white with a subtle silver foil illustration of the star sign they represented, every image and word meticulously designed by herself. The samples came with a stainless steel test-tube holder for the retailers to present the twelve testers in store. They looked perfect together, and seeing the finished product should have excited her, but instead, she felt a choking dread. Her work was done, and now what?
She had a plan, of course, and she’d already booked the agency that would run the consumer tests, enabling her to make claims on the product, if it worked. She’d had a long meeting with them three months ago, and even then, it had seemed so far away. Just like Rome, this was her life’s work, and she felt panicky at the thought of pushing through to the finish line now. Next year she’d turn thirty, would have to give up escorting, and would have to live without the security of her generous income, only relying on her perfumes and her business sense, which she wasn’t sure she even had. If her perfumes didn’t sell, she’d have to give up her apartment, her lifestyle, and she wouldn’t be able to continue making more perfumes either. Nadine realized then that she was afraid, and fear wasn’t an emotion she was familiar with.
Burying her head in her hands behind her desk in her perfume room, she took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to stop the nausea that threatened to take over. Eight years ago, this moment had seemed like a distant dream, but one she loved to build on, nevertheless. Now, playtime was over, the pressure was on and she would have to make it count. She suddenly felt warm, even though she was naked under the white lab coat. Being naked made her feel free when she worked, and she liked to sample the oils on her own skin in the final steps of the process.
Her phone lit up and grateful for the distraction, she picked it up and read the message from the escort agency, requesting a last-minute booking for tonight. She checked the client’s details and immediately accepted, thinking the elegant woman she’d been on two dates with previously, was exactly what she needed to distract herself from her fears, and to get Rome out of her head. It was clear that Rome wanted nothing more than friendship right now, and she would respect that. She’d missed Rome during the time she’d been back home, and her rejection Saturday night had hurt way more than expected, so it would be better to get back on the horse now, rather than suffer through worse later.
Nadine gave her consumer testing agency a ring to pick up the boxes containing five full sets of samples. The three sets on her desk she’d keep for herself, and she made a mental note to give the Libra perfume to Rome next time they met as she was curious to see if she liked the fragrance and whether she felt it suited her personality. Whether they were sleeping together or not, Nadine was still immensely attracted to her; nothing could change that, and she wanted her to be one of the first people to test her product.
‘How is your first day going?’ she texted Rome. She’d been able to refrain herself from contacting her for thirty-six hours, but that had been hard because she just loved talking to her. A smile lit up her face when she got a reply, almost immediately.
‘It’s going great actually, nice team. How are you?’
‘Also great,’ she lied. ‘Just looking at my final samples and I’d like to give you a bottle.’
‘That’s kind of you. I would love that. How about we meet up for dinner later?’
Nadine groaned in frustration. God, she would love to go for dinner with Rome. She wanted to hear about her team, her plans for the app, and she wanted to know if she liked the apartment she’d found for her. ‘Can’t, sorry. Working tonight. How about tomorrow?’
‘I can’t tomorrow. Matteo wants to go for dinner. Not happy about it and not sure what the deal is. He says we still have some loose ends to tie up. Can you do Wednesday?’
‘Sure.’ Nadine felt her stomach sink at the thought of Rome going out with Matteo. She didn’t like the idea of him preying on her and she didn’t trust him one bit. Before she could enquire further, another message came in.
‘Man or woman?’
Nadine frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Your date. Are you going out with a man or a woman?’
“Fuck,” she cursed out loud. It bothered her to tell Rome she’d been booked by a woman, but she didn’t want to lie to her. ‘Woman.’ She expected Rome to ask her if she was a regular, or if she was attractive, but none
of that happened. Desperate to hold onto their exchange, she asked: ‘So I’ll see you Wednesday?’
‘Yeah. I’ll let you know when I finish. Have to go.’
Nadine realized her hands were trembling, and she felt like throwing her phone against the wall. This, between her and Rome, was messing with her head and she hated being out of control. She flung her lab coat over the chair and walked out of the room, barefoot and naked, and stepped under the shower, even though she’d already had one a couple of hours ago. The second blow of the day arrived when the water turned cold after only three minutes. It happened more frequently lately, but today she couldn’t seem to shake off her annoyance. She was craving a stiff drink, but couldn’t leave the house as she had to wait for the delivery of her dress for tonight, so she rummaged through her cupboards and found an old unopened bottle of Chianti. “That will do,” she mumbled, and poured herself a generous amount, before she put on a robe and went out onto the balcony to calm herself.
23
The meeting space at Nero’s headquarters was nothing like the meeting rooms Rome was used to in the US. Comfortable couches, La-Z-Boy recliners and designer chairs were set up in a semi-circle around the digital board she could operate from her iPad. The room smelled of coffee—the quiet espresso machine constantly working to fuel the energy of the commercial masterminds in front of her.
Rome had spent the morning demonstrating her app and answering questions, and now they would need the rest of the week to scope out their road to market and tackle potential obstacles. The manufacturing part was straightforward and didn’t come with any issues; the actual credit card was the only tangible item that needed to be produced, and they had an expert on board who promised to create a bidding war between several major banks who were interested in collaborating.
They’d decided to take the same collaborative approach when it came to the full roll-out; big department stores, supermarket chains, fashion brands or any other brands who prided themselves in being consciously driven would get the first chance to work with them on the marketing side and show the world they were revolutionary by endorsing such a forward-thinking concept. The small but powerful PR-team headed up by a woman called Eliza Ricci, was hired to approach celebrities; both global and local, from pop stars to athletes to general influencers. Rome’s team members were some of the best in their field, who respected not only the brilliant product she’d created, but also her analytical ability to bring together every aspect of the launch, creating a logical platform that enabled them to reach as many people as possible within their given budget.
Rome noted it was five pm and decided to wrap it up. Although she could have easily continued for another couple of hours, she wanted to keep the team happy and driven, and longer workdays were proven to be ineffective in the long run. “I think that’s it for today,” she said, smiling at each and every one of them. “Unless there’s something urgent I’ve forgotten?” She was pleased to see the faces of her team members light up. Apart from a couple of locals who spoke English, most of them had moved from abroad to be on the project, and she was pretty sure the newcomers were eager to explore the city in their free time.
A young man in one of the recliners held up his hand. “I don’t know how everyone else feels about this, but maybe we should go out for drinks? Get to know each other better? We’re a new team after all, and I for one don’t know anyone in this town.” He looked around the room. “My guess is a lot of you don’t either.”
“Sounds like a great idea.” Rome narrowed her eyes, digging though the list of names she’d memorized. “Jonathan, right?” She also remembered he was only twenty-three, and already considered a branding and design genius. He’d been hired to work on the house style Rome had created for the brand, perfect the logo and the app visuals, and to design the Carbon Card, the website, and all other graphics-related materials. “Okay, Jonathan, why don’t you set up a WhatsApp group, so we’re all connected and perhaps one of you locals can suggest a good place to meet?”
Two hours later, Rome was on her second beer of the night and enjoying the animated conversation that was flowing between the groups of people in the supplì bar in Trastevere. The bar with standing tables outside sold beer, cocktails and deep-fried rice balls to soak up the alcohol and although it was a Monday night and quiet, their party had livened up the quirky little place tucked away in an alleyway. They weren’t far from Nadine’s apartment, but Nadine was ‘working’ tonight, and Rome tried not to think about that as she felt a stab each time her mind went there. Sometimes I sleep with the women. Wasn’t that what Nadine had said? But only for my own pleasure and free of charge, of course. Their first conversation had apparently impacted her so much that she remembered it word for word. Was she flirting with her client right now? Would she have sex with her? Rome shook it off and took a long drink of her beer, turning back to Eliza, the head of her PR team. Eliza had worked for some of Italy’s biggest fashion brands, a couple of global sports brands and a cosmetics brand. She knew everyone who mattered and was a master in networking, but she was also surprisingly down to earth and funny, and Rome liked her a lot.
“Are you married? Kids?” Rome asked her.
“No. To my mother’s horror, I’m single and very, very happy to mingle.”
“Your mother’s not happy about that?”
“No. Believe me; being single at thirty-eight in an Italian family is a challenge. They’re convinced I’m about to pass my sell-by-date soon, and they try to set me up at any given opportunity.” Eliza rolled her eyes. “But my brothers are married and have kids so luckily they take some of the pressure off me.” She paused, clearly contemplating on how much to share, then continued in a whisper. “I don’t ever want to settle down, but they don’t need to know that.”
Rome laughed. “And why is that?”
“Because I’m addicted to the excitement of meeting someone new and live for the feeling of oxytocin ruling my system.” Eliza shrugged. “As soon as the first wave of euphoria fades, I bolt, in search of the next hit. I know it’s not fair to my boyfriends, but I can’t help myself; I just love being in love.”
“You’re not just passionate in your job, then?” Rome studied the tall woman, who was very pretty despite her unconventional looks and extravagant dress style. She had lilac hair, pale skin and wore lilac colored contact lenses that made her look a little alien. Her tight, black dress and enormous platform shoes made her even taller, and she guessed Eliza might be intimidating to some, but that she could also mingle with famous and influential people without blinking an eye.
“What can I say? I’m Italian; passion is in my blood.” Eliza waved her hands as if to emphasize the fact. “So, are you married? Boyfriend?”
Rome shook her head. “I’m married to the Carbon app.”
Eliza snickered. “I figured as much. You wouldn’t be where you are if you hadn’t given it everything.”
“Yeah, it’s been an intense ten years, but I could say the same for you.”
“I work hard,” Eliza said. “But fun always comes first. Because without fun, what are we doing it all for, right? Don’t forget that now is the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, so go out and live your life to the full.”
“Yeah, I haven’t exactly been a social butterfly. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I had a casual drink with someone back home.”
“Well, it’s not just you anymore. You have a whole team to support you, and although these six months will be crucial, I promise you, it’s going to be a huge success and we’re going to have a lot of fun along the way.” Eliza’s animated tone and wild hand gestures were infectious, and Rome had a feeling she was right about the fun part.
“I know. I’m just so used to working twenty-four-seven that I need a little time to get used to this.” Rome thought of Nadine again, and how she’d made her forget about everything during those two nights. How she’d only been aware of her senses, feeding her lust in the most primal of wa
ys.
“You know, the Italian men are charmers. It would be a shame not to drown yourself in romance while you’re in the City of Love, right?” Eliza held up her beer and took a sip.
“Isn’t Paris supposed to be the City of Love?” Rome asked with a chuckle.
Eliza waved a dismissive finger in front of her. “No. It’s what they say, but they’re wrong. Rome is the epicenter of love and romance, trust me. Right here is where people flirt like crazy, and where couples make out on park benches, in squares and on the steps of ancient fountains while the sun sets. It’s the place where people serenade each other, share ice cream, and sometimes go a little crazy with passion. You can wake up next to a stranger in Rome and leave with a smile on your face instead of feeling ashamed.”
“You’re really selling it. I take it you’re from Rome?”
“I am.” Eliza couldn’t have looked prouder. “I was actually born in a small village outside Rome, but I’ve lived here since I was nineteen. My job has taken me just about everywhere in the world, but I always love coming back.” Something dropped on her head and they both laughed as she held up a pair of white panties that had fallen from the clothing line above them. She walked over to the front door under the line and stuffed it through the mailbox. “Anyway,” she continued, as if it happened to her all the time, “as I said, you should be open to dating while you’re here. Who knows? You might fall in love…”
Rome was getting sucked into their conversation, and suddenly felt an urge to talk about Nadine. As much as she’d tried not to think of her in any other way than merely a friend, she’d been on her mind the whole day, the delicious memories of their nights haunting her mind. “Can you keep a secret?” She looked around, making sure no one was listening in.