by Carol Grace
“Don’t move,” he muttered. “It’s part of the celebration. Whatever they do can’t compare to our own fireworks right here in this room.”
They lay together on the narrow bed in the darkness, listening to the cherry bombs going off, wrapped up together, lying under an ancient but immaculate quilt. Courtesy of the girls or the Princess Alessandra?
Sabrina’s lazy mind drifted around the possibilities. She didn’t want to think. She only wanted to feel. The way she felt was blissful. Vittorio had one arm around her, his hand splayed against her bare hip, his other arm draped over onto the floor. He was asleep again. Her face was pressed against his shoulder. He smelled like wine and candles and chocolate.
“Tesoro,” he muttered.
She sighed. “I’m here,” she said.
“I know.” He opened his eyes. I want to take a bath with you.”
“Now?”
He kissed her long and lovingly on the mouth, until she was weak with desire. She saw him light the candle then leave the room and go to the bathroom with the candle in his hand. She heard a rush of water falling into the tub.
“It’s warm,” he called out. “The tank is on the roof, heated by the sun, grazie al dio.”
In a few minutes he called her to come in. She wrapped herself in the blanket and stood in the doorway to the bathroom. She’d seen him smile before. Once. But she didn’t know what he’d look like with a satisfied grin on his face visible even in the candlelight. Until now. He stood by the tub totally naked, looking prouder of filling a tub with hot water and lighting the room with a candle than if he’d pulled off a bank merger.
“Your bath is ready,” he said, taking the edge of the blanket and unwrapping her slowly like a Christmas present. His intense gaze made goosebumps pop out on her skin. She’d never felt so beautiful. How did he do it with just a look?
She sank into the deep hot water. In a moment he’d joined her, sitting behind her with his legs stretched out around her. He massaged the back of her neck until she had only enough strength to lean back against him until they were wedged together in the warm water. Now he was drawing circles with the soap on her back. He lifted the hair off her neck to kiss her there again and again.
She wanted a chance to do the same to him. With the fragrant bar of soap in her hand she reached for him and massaged his whole body until he told her to stop in a tense, guttural voice. He lifted her out of the tub and they returned to the bedroom where he dried her off with a large towel.
She knew what to do. She pushed him down and pinned him to the bed, her hands on his wrists. Again that grin on his face she couldn’t believe she’d ever seen before. How long had it been since he’d grinned like that?
“What are your plans for me?” he asked, his eyes gleaming in the semi darkness.
“You’ll see,” she said leaning down to lick the droplets of water from his chest and his flat belly. “I have you at my mercy.”
He laughed. But not for long. In minutes she could see his eyes darken, his muscles tighten, and his lips part.
After she’d made a tour of his body, he called her name. “Sabrina. What are you doing to me?”
“Just what you asked for.”
He pulled her over and now she was the one beneath him and at his mercy. He knew all the sensitive spots as if he’d been there before. He forced her to her focus on one special part of her body and only one. Until she was begging for release. She was ready. She’d never been so ready. Her whole body was throbbing. She was on fire. Only he could put out the fire.
“Vittorio,” she called, her voice sounding ragged in her ears. “Now.”
He was there for her. If only it could always be that way. But the fireworks were over at last, outside and inside the tower room. They slept at last, twined together under a frayed cotton sheet. And tomorrow? They had food, wine, water and each other. Who could want more than that?
At dawn, Vittorio awoke. He looked at Sabrina, her hair spread out on the pillow, a small smile tilting her lips. Was she dreaming? Remembering last night? All he wanted to do was to wake her and start again – eating, bathing and making love. It had been the most incredible experience of his life. But she was his nanny. After this weekend she was leaving. He had no business making love to her. It only complicated her life and his. How could he give her up? How could he keep her here? There were no easy answers.
He eased out of bed, got dressed quietly and went to the window. The lake below shone like glass in the sunlight. He looked at the view as if he’d never seen it before. He felt as if his eyes had been opened after seven years of darkness. All because of a night with the one woman he shouldn’t have made love to. His nanny. How could he ask her to stay now? He couldn’t. Everything had changed. Even the red roofs of the villas on the lake were more vibrant, the ochre colored buildings along the shore more subtle and the green firs and cypress trees more lush. If he were an artist… But he was a banker with two girls to support.
If he were free of obligations, would he be out there on his boat? He had to admit, if he weren’t locked into this room, he wouldn’t be out there on his boat or picnicking in the park. He’d be in his office. Wasn’t it better to spend the weekend here making love to the only woman he’d wanted since Maddelena left?
There was a man standing in the gardens below. A messenger? One of his staff who didn’t know it was a holiday and therefore no work? He could have shouted to him, but he didn’t. He waved.
Now what? He reached into the picnic basket and came up with a baguette, some butter in a crock and some strawberry jam.
When Sabrina stretched and opened her eyes, he said lightly, “Buongiorno, Signorina. So sorry there is not coffee. The twins have thought of everything but they couldn’t come up with hot café au lait.”
She stared at him for a long moment, as if she’d forgotten where she was and who she was with.
“We should leave,” she said sitting up quickly.
He pointed to the window. “Be my guest,” he said, noticing the man was gone. Was he wrong to keep her here when she obviously wanted to go?
“About last night,” she said.
He froze. Was she going to say she regretted every moment, or just every other moment while he’d had an amazing experience he wouldn’t trade for anything.
“What is it leading to?” she asked.
There she had him. He had no answer. “Does it have to lead to something? Can’t we just take advantage of the time and the place and make it a weekend to remember?”
“Yes, of course,” she said, but she didn’t sound convinced. What was she worried about? What did she want?
Sabrina knew that’s what he’d say. He’d told her he’d never marry again. What did she think it was leading to? Nothing. She couldn’t do this. It was almost as bad as the last time she fell in love with her employer. Only she’d never had sex with him. Now she was in deeper than before. She had seen another side to Vittorio, his teasing, flattering, sexy side and she wanted to see more. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew she had to. Otherwise she’d end up the nanny everyone gossiped about, who everyone knew was sleeping with the boss. Soon the twins would hear the rumors, they’d suspect and that would be a terrible example to set for them. They wanted a mother, not a mistress for their dad. She wouldn’t do it. She couldn’t do it.
She dressed quickly and went to the window. A black car came up the driveway. “Someone’s coming,” she called to Vittorio. “We’re saved.” Someone would hear them shout and let them out. She glanced back at him. And she almost changed her mind. The look on his face was unmistakable. He was staring at her as if what she’d said had shocked him. Why? Did he want to spend the next two days there with her that much?
She weakened. If that was true, no one would ever want her the way he did. How could she give him up? She’d never feel this way again. She wanted to stay so badly her whole body ached. But what about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow? How long could they keep it up knowin
g that she would leave, the girls would be crushed their plan hadn’t worked and all she would have was her memories.
What about the nanny rule about not having an affair with your employer? How many times had she warned the nannies she interviewed about that pitfall? No nanny in the history of hired help had ever married her employer except for Jane Eyre and that took a fire in the house to change everything. Instead they’d all been fired or quit while the employer moved on to greener pastures. It was time she took her own advice. It time to end this charade.
She was about to yell for help as a uniformed chauffeur got out of the car and called to her.
“Signora, Sigore, he yelled. “Un paccetto per il signore principe.”
“What?” Vittorio leaned out the window. Then he shouted instructions to the driver, something about unlocking the door and in a few minutes they heard footsteps pounding on the stone steps and when the bolt was pushed aside, they were suddenly free.
It was a strange feeling, Sabrina thought as she walked slowly down the stairs behind Vittorio and the delivery man who handed Vittorio a small package. Freedom had never prompted such mixed emotions. She was relieved to be out of course, but she was unbelievably deflated and let down. Instead of dwelling in a tower like a princess, she’d suddenly been returned to earth with a painful jolt that made every bone in her body hurt. She wasn’t a princess, she was a servant. How many times did she have to remind herself?
Not only her bones but every muscle ached as if the jolt were real. It wasn’t, neither was her experience. She’d slept in a narrow bed wrapped around this man and of course her muscles hurt. It was only normal. The whole thing was a fantasy and it was over. She’d been on a high for just a day and a night, just hours really, but it had been hours full of magical discovery. At least for her. She had no idea how Vittorio felt. He’d enjoyed it, no doubt about that, but only because there was nothing else to do, no work, no other people, no distractions. Now that they were back to reality, he’d find something else to do than make love to her.
She stood on the terrace watching the delivery man drive away when Vittorio came up behind the steps, the package in his hand.
“If he hadn’t come, we might still be up there.” He glanced up at the turret three stories above them. His expression was unreadable.
“We were lucky then.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Lucky? That’s your opinion. You wanted to get out. I saw the look on your face. You were going to call to him. Why? Were you bored? I thought we had something. I thought it meant something to you.”
“Of course it did. But you have work to do,” she said primly. Better for her to she mention it than him. The wanton sensual woman who’d begged him to make love to her was gone. And just in time. Another day and night and there would be no turning back. She’d leave but she’d never recover. Never smile again and never love again. Surely he didn’t expect this affair to last any longer than their imprisonment. She certainly didn’t. “I have work too. I want to help you make arrangements for the girls.”
He ignored her remarks as if she hadn’t spoken. “We could have let him leave the package. But you wanted out, didn’t you? You’d had enough. You could have told me.” He looked as if she’d slapped him in the face when all she’d done was stand at the window. Yes, she would have called to the man if he hadn’t called first.
“You have to understand…”
“I’m trying Sabrina, but you make it hard for me. What happened up there?”
She shrugged. What could she say that wouldn’t make her more vulnerable? She could tell him it was the most magical, romantic, incredible time of her life and then what? He’d say too bad it can’t last because it was clear that it couldn’t.
“Nothing happened, did it?” he said with an intensity she’d never seen before. His eyes were black. His face was like a mask. No emotion, no anger, just something she didn’t understand. “That is nothing as far as you’re concerned. I can see it in your face. All right. If that’s how you feel. We’ll chalk it up to experience.”
He rubbed a hand across his chin with the shadow of a beard on his handsome face. “Right now I need some coffee.”
“I could check the kitchen.”
“We’ll go into town,” he said. “Give me an hour and I’ll be ready.”
She opened her mouth to protest the “we” part. She almost told him to go ahead without her, but he had that determined look on his face she’d come to understand.
“We’ll walk,” he said. “We need the exercise after our imprisonment. But first the package.”
He leaned against the pillar on the terrace and ripped it open, inside was a small box. He held it out for her to see. “Aurora’s engagement ring.” He put it in his pocket. “We’ll take it with us and feed it to the fishes in the lake.”
“No,” she blurted. It was huge and stunning. It must have cost a fortune.
“Then what?”
“I don’t know. Are you sure she really means it? She may want you to offer it again.”
“You think she’s playing hard to get?”
“I guess not,” she said. “But you should keep the ring. You need a wife and the girls need a mother. Don’t judge all women by Aurora’s standard.”
“What else can I do? Once again I’ve made a mistake. I’ve chosen a woman who’s wrong for me. Who wants something or someone else. It seems I’ll never learn,” he said ruefully.
She didn’t have an answer for him. She wondered the same thing about herself. Once again she’d fallen in love with the one man she couldn’t have. And now she’d done it again. She went to her room to change. The clothes in her closet were a stern reminder of how entrenched she’d become in this place with this family in only a short time. These were not her clothes. These belonged to another woman, a nanny who’d arrived only a two weeks or so ago. Now who was she? How would she pay him back for the clothes? Could she leave them? Sell them?
She went through her closet. What to wear? There was no problem with her previous wardrobe, not much choice. But now…. It was a holiday in town and she’d be walking and eating with Vittorio. They might see his friends. After trying on a few outfits, she chose crisp linen walking shorts and a camp shirt the color of the lake. She slipped into a pair of sturdy but stylish soft leather sandals as soft as butter. She shouldn’t feel a sense of anticipation, but she did. That’s what Vittorio did to her, not matter when, no matter under what circumstances. With him anything could happen and often did.
“Expect the unexpected,” she murmured to herself on her way down the grand stairway to the front entrance. The warning applied not only to nannies, but to everyone. Especially Sabrina.
When she saw him she was once again bowled over by his looks. He left her breathless. The memories of what they’d done last night would stay with her forever like a secret place in her mind. Memories to keep for a rainy day, of which there were sure to be many.
He’d changed clothes too. He was wearing designer jeans that fit him perfectly with a casual but expensive collared T-shirt and leather moccasins. His hair was combed reminding her of how he’d looked in the throes of passion when fashion and hair were the last of his worries.
When he saw her he raised both eyebrows. Was he too thinking of how she’d looked last night, wrapped in a blanket or wearing nothing at all? His expression revealed nothing, only a slight shift in his gaze, his eyes narrowed to slits as he surveyed her.
She almost stopped and turned back. Made some excuse that she couldn’t walk to town. She’d hurt her ankle or she had something pressing to do. They shouldn’t be seen together in town. His friends might get the wrong idea. Having breakfast at a café, they might think he was having an affair with his nanny.
He held out his hand as if he knew she was having doubts. “Come on Sabrina, you need some fresh air and you need something to eat.”
She gave in. He was right of course. They took the same route they’d taken the day she arrived, only in r
everse.
“The last time we walked here the girls told me about the rose garden and the apple tree.”
“They didn’t want another nanny, you know,” he said, “but you won them over.”
“We’ve had a good time together,” she said wistfully.
“You won me over too. You were so sure of yourself.”
“I was acting sure. I needed the job.”
“And now…?”
She felt a sharp pang in her chest. As if he’d shot an arrow there. He wanted her to spill her feelings but keep his to himself. She knew better. “Things are different now.” She admitted that much when they finally arrived at the small café on the lakefront. Mid-morning there were only a handful of people seated at the wrought-iron tables, no tourists, just locals like themselves. If only she was a local. If only she belonged there in this beautiful town, nestled on the world’s deepest and most gorgeous lake, but she didn’t. Where she did belong was not clear. It was time to find out.
“Things are better now,” he said, correcting her and reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. Then he ordered small fresh hot croissants, and a pot of jam made from the local berries and of course two cups of café au lait.
The lake shimmered in the distance. Small boats putted across the water. She pressed her lips together to keep from blurting the questions she wanted to ask. Why don’t you keep the ring? Why don’t you try to find another woman to marry? What happened? She knew he would never marry again. She didn’t know why. She didn’t understand why he hadn’t recovered in seven years. Unless theirs was a love like no other, that transcended time and space.
“You must have had an ideal marriage,” she said wistfully. “Or…”
“Or I wouldn’t still be recuperating?”
“I can understand your being sad, but you, you..”
He leaned forward with his elbows on the small table. “I can’t seem to snap out of it, is that what you’re thinking?”