A Leap in Time (23 page)

I was a little surprised by Catina’s admission. For as long as I’ve known her, she’s never hinted at curiosity or envy for modern day lifestyle. I wondered where the sudden shift in perspective came from.

“A lot of things have led me to this conclusion. For starters, I hate that Antonio and I need to sneak around to be alone when we’re not doing anything wrong. I envy that you and Marcus can be openly affectionate and loving in your world. It makes me wonder whether I want to bring up a child in a society that’s so oppressed toward women. I just wish things were different, that’s all.” She sighed.

“Catina, I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way. I had no idea this was hard on you.”

“I am happy, but now that we’re planning for the future and a family, I want things to be different.”

“Don’t lose heart. Things take time to change, but they do change. My world is a testament to how much things change and it’s up to us now to pave change for the generations to come. Speaking of which, I had an idea for a project—that we could do together, maybe with Augustina.”

I sat on the edge of the bed. “I want to open a school for underprivileged girls. The school would accept all girls, but it would be especially dedicated to girls who would otherwise never have a proper education. And it would be free of cost to their families. Marcus will help finance it, Antonio can be our first teacher and if you’re interested, you can be a partner as well.”

“Really? Oh, that would be wonderful. What made you decide on that?”

She sat next to me on the bed and with focused determination we discussed the plan for improving the lives of young Roman girls.

“What are you two doing in here?” Antonio’s voice startled us.

“Lexi and I were just catching up and talking about a business idea.” She extended her hand for him to hold. He walked toward her and looked at me shyly before pulling her close. I felt a tug in my heart at their obvious love for each other, reminding me of another couple that struggled to find their way not that long ago. Knowing he was in safe company, Antonio kissed her gently on the mouth. She blushed deep crimson before she wrapped her arms around his neck to return his kiss.

I ducked out of the room to give them privacy and went in search of my own sexy husband. I found Marcus in the dining room pouring wine while his mom and Marta brought platters of food from the kitchen. Juliana had outdone herself again.

Marcus placed the wine bottle on the table and strode toward me with open arms. “I missed you. Did you have a nice visit with Catina?”

“It was great to catch up with her. We talked about the idea for opening a school.”

“This could potentially be the perfect project for her as well.” He kissed my neck oblivious to Marta and Juliana going in and out of the kitchen.

I wiggled out of his embrace with great struggle and willpower, leaving us both gasping for air as Marta walked into the dining room with yet another platter. Was his mom planning on feeding the entire city?

“Where are Catina and Antonio?”

“Talking in our bedroom.”

“Ha! If they know what’s good for them, they better not be
talking
on our bed.”

“Marcus, they can barely muster the courage to kiss each other.” I rolled my eyes and secretly prayed that they had enough self-control to not make love on our bed.

The next morning, Catina and I sat down to formally discuss our business plan with Juliana and Antonio in hopes of fast tracking the process. With absolute confidence, I knew Marcus’s family would be our biggest supporters and the least of our worries. What we needed was to convince the citizens of Rome that getting an education wasn’t a deterrent or hindrance for marriage prospects. The opposite could actually be true, preparing them for wifely duties among other things like motherhood and managing a household.

Juliana agreed to tell Maximus our plan and talk up the idea with her girlfriends as soon as we returned to Rome. She was even willing to ask for donations to get the school started. Antonio was over the moon by our idea and volunteered to help find an empty home to turn into a school as well as his services of teaching. Given his passion and dedication to education, he was thrilled about our business idea.

By Saturday afternoon, we had a plan of action and a mighty force to help turn our idea into reality. With everyone pitching in, the school could possibly be open within a month.
A month
! Marcus watched me with pride as I gave everyone a task and agreed to a follow-up discussion before the wedding plans became too intense. With the date being four weeks away, we needed to move fast on every front. That meant I had to be a lot more aggressive completing the work proposals for Adam so I could focus on my passion project in Rome.

Wait. Rome. How will I do this if we’re living in Pompeii?
Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath
.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I gave myself one last look in the mirror. Soon, I had to leave for my first check-in meeting at work. Before that, though, I would do a quick regroup with Joanna about our process. I’d emailed all ten proposals Friday morning as soon as we arrived back in Los Angeles. So far, the system we had put in place seemed to be working.

Exactly on time, I entered Adam’s office. To my relief, he looked pleased with the proposals and my recommendations to the potential clients. By the time we met in his office, he had read through all ten proposals, made notes and was prepared to make final edits before giving the packets to Joanna to mail out.

“So, I was thinking, I know it’s early still, but...as long as we can figure out a way to continue sending the packets and receiving proposals on a monthly basis, we can eliminate the need for you to come into the office. I know the travel is taxing and expensive. What if every six months, you come in for a regroup meeting where we’ll review what hasn’t been working, and assess the recommendations we’re making to clients. I think we can play it by ear. I trust you and I trust that we’ll get quality work from you no matter which continent you live on. Besides, we have a new business team so it’s not like we’re relying on these proposals alone for new business. Your work is an added bonus for us. It’s seeding long-term opportunities.” He leaned back in his chair indicating he was done with presenting his perspective.

“Right. Long term strategic planning…that works for me, but honestly, I don’t mind coming in once a month. It helps keep us all on track. When and if the day comes that we decide that less frequent visits would be more efficient, we can reconfigure the plans.”

If only Adam knew the real logistical challenge I was trying to sort out. A part of me liked the idea of not having to come into the office once a month, but the reality was that I needed to come back so I could email the proposals. It’s not like I could email them from ancient Pompeii!

“Well, the upside is that we’re being proactive going after new clients and since we’re not responding to an RFP, they’re not necessarily on deadline for anything specific. This gives us flexibility with our timing as well.”

“Thank you, Adam. I won’t disappoint you.” I staggered back to my desk in a daze at the new developments. With the exception of staying on track with the deadlines, the rest was child’s play.

At home, I found Marcus cooking dinner. Aside from my mom, no one has ever cooked for me before. As soon as he saw me, he poured wine and joined me on the couch where he wrapped me in his strong muscular arms kissing my face, cheeks and mouth tenderly and leisurely. This is the stuff romance novels were made of. He arranged my legs over his lap caressing my thighs with his long possessive fingers.

“Hello there, wife. You look very happy and I don’t think it’s just because you’re happy to see me making a mouth-watering dinner. I take it Adam loved the proposals?” He sipped wine waiting patiently for my news.

I blurted out the details of the meeting with my boss. “Isn’t this great? Someday, maybe he’ll agree to lessen the frequency that I send through new proposals. Maybe I become a part-time employee instead of full time. I don’t know how all the details will play out yet, but I think that living in Pompeii full time isn’t the best scenario for us. I know you said that you could run the family business from there, but it’s less than an ideal situation. I think the ultimate option for us is to stay in Rome and return to Pompeii once a month. I’ll muster the courage to travel by boat since it’s the quickest and most efficient route. What do you think?” I couldn’t wait for his response.

“Think about it Marcus, you could officially run the business without hiring a middle man to manage the business contracts between Rome and Pompeii. And we could be there to enjoy our friends and family. I asked Adam for two months off to get settled in our new home and he agreed. Marcus, I can’t believe how nicely this is working out.”

A wide smile lit up his sparkling green eyes that had captivated me from the first second we met.

“I agree that living in Rome is much better for our future. When can we go back?” He placed his glass on the table and got up to check on dinner.

“Well, I need another day or two here at the most to get things sorted. I need to buy more laptop batteries, make copies of the apartment keys for Mrs. Ashton and the girls in case they need to leave something for us, and of course, I need to wait for the new packet from Joanna. After that, I’d say no later than Wednesday. From Pompeii, we could start for Rome immediately. Oh, one more thing. I would like to buy a wedding present for Catina—here.” I sipped my wine, letting the aromas of dinner take over my senses, forcing my stomach to rumble with hunger. Since meeting Marcus, I’ve been insatiable for sex and food.

“What is here that she can use back home without raising suspicion about its origin?” He raised an eyebrow at me and moseyed back to the living room.

“I’ll think of something appropriate. Now to more important things. I think you should come here and kiss your wife right away. All day I couldn’t stop thinking about you…naked…in the shower.” I embraced him full of anticipation for his sultry kisses, the butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the electrifying pleasure that would soon consume us.

The next day, I dragged Marcus with me on my slew of errands. I received a call that morning from Joanna: my new packet would be ready at two o’clock and I needed to swing by to pick it up. Almost by coincidence, we ended up on Robertson Blvd and impulsively decided on a quick lunch at the same Italian café we dined at across from the antique store.

“I have an idea,” I said between bites.

“God help me…what’s your idea?” Marcus teased, nibbling on an olive.

“Let’s visit the antique store. Maybe we can find a wedding gift for Catina and Antonio’s new home. Something from the exact store that led me to you would really touch her.”

“All right,” he conceded and took another bite of his panini of melted mozzarella, basil, and tomato.

“I was prepared for a little resistance,” I confessed, chuckling.

“Well…I know I don’t have a choice in the matter so what’s the point in resisting.” He eyed me provocatively, causing me to laugh harder.

“I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it before kissing my wrist and sending shock waves through my already-vibrating body.

“Marcus…”

“Let’s get this gift buying thing over with. I have other ideas.”

“Do you have any idea what to buy? We’re at an antique store, which means we’re searching for a hidden treasure that will be meaningful to Catina and Antonio. I have a good feeling about this. Trust me.”

After thirty minutes of rummaging through piles of decorative dishes, linens, books and silverware, I began to lose hope of finding the perfect wedding present.

I headed upstairs for a quick look around before taking Marcus up on his idea. The attic hadn’t changed much since the last time I was here. To my disappointment, nothing caught my eye.

“Don’t look so sad. You’ll find something exceptional before we leave. I promise to be more helpful.” He took hold of my hand. We went down the stairs. We were halfway to the exit when, from the corner of my eye, I spotted a small painting. I stepped closer. It was in oil, of course, a landscape of homes scattered across a mountaintop. I knelt on the floor to examine it more closely. In the foreground was a valley with a blue dome erected proudly amongst the homes. I knew the painting wasn’t of Pompeii although there was some resemblance, especially the mountain in the background.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Marcus?”

“What is it with you and paintings of ancient-looking cities?”

“I happen to like ancient looking cities. A similar painting led me to you, didn’t it?” I whispered.

The small white stone homes scattered across the scenery looked so beautiful against the crystal blue sky. The sunbeams cast their rays over the city, illuminating the blue dome. The majestic mosque with its towering minarets gave it away as a Muslim city, but nothing else hinted at its location. Maybe the store owner knew more.

I picked up the painting, prayed it didn’t cost a fortune, and hurried to the cash register. Behind me, Marcus was becoming impatient. All he had on his mind was spending the afternoon in bed
. And a fine idea it was, after the purchase of this painting and—damn, the work packet.

I quickened my pace and flashed him a triumphant smile.

“Hello, it’s you again.”

I was surprised by the store owner’s recognition.

“Hi. Great memory.”

“Not many people come shopping for old artwork of ancient, forgotten cities. So I see you’re expanding your collection to the Middle East.” He laid out a sheet of bubble wrap and secured the corners with shipping tape. “No charge. This is a gift. The frame needs to be replaced, which will cost you more than the painting is worth, my dear. To be honest, this painting was a donation. An elderly man dropped it off about a week ago. He was moving in with his daughter in New York and he donated what he couldn’t sell of his things. That’s the unpleasant side of life. Getting older isn’t as easy and graceful as everyone describes. So I’m gifting this painting to you.”