An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel (10 page)

Glancing across the room at my friend,
the man who rescued me from a life of crime and abuse, someone who almost lost
his life in return, I decide to keep Adriana’s secret. She wants me to assist
with creating the opportunity for her to discover who she really wants to be,
then the least I can do is support her in this.

Who am I kidding? My motives are
completely selfish. By allying myself with her decision, then I get to play the
double-edged sword card; I get to say that she left here of her own free will
with no one around to stop her … because they will not know where she has
really gone. In return, I set up the bait for my trap, the part of my
subconscious where I can say that if she really means all those things she told
me, that she loves me, then by setting her free she will either come running
back into my arms or betray me.

Then, I will have my answers.

I will know everything and nothing.

Adriana

We arrive in Venice, my heart thudding as soon as we take the
first step off the plane. Immediately, I sense the change from being surrounded
by the smog of living in a city that’s not much different from New York, to the
scent of water that reminds me of a beach, but with bistros and houses for
sidewalks, a really huge canal instead of a boardwalk, and an ocean sloshing in
the far distance. I think Luca’s mom chose the most perfect time of day to
arrive, that gorgeous moment when the sun’s preparing to set over the Venetian
Canal. The scenery steals my breath away.

I glance behind me to where Luca stands beside his brother,
and I’m not really surprised to catch him staring at me. He has done that a lot
since we left Milan. It’s almost as though he’s sorting out his opinion of me
in his head, or trying to figure out my intentions; or that’s what his
expression makes me think he’s doing, anyway. In return for my perusal, I get a
gorgeous smile with a touch of Luca cocky in a crooked grin that says: “Yeah, I
caught you watching me.” I narrow my eyes, smirk, and turn my attention back to
Simona, who’s much more humble than her sons, thank goodness.

I’m almost certain there’s more to this trip than the
Martuccios are letting on, but I can be patient. Right now, I intend to lose
myself just as Jojo, Lis, and he-who-must-not-be-named because I’m mad as hell
at the way he treated me this past weekend, suggested I do.

The last time I visited Venice was during a trip with Mother
to meet a potential investor. She hates the floating city. No, wait. She
doesn’t like the smell of the air, although, I think it has more to do with my
father than bad odors. Venice was one of his favorite places to visit when they
first met. Anything that has to do with my father tends to wind up on her list
of top ten things to avoid in life. How can a place with such stunning visuals
as the sun setting in the midst of its waters that forms canals of streets, black
gondolas driven by men who speak Italian in such a way that their accent makes
it sound like a language from another time period altogether, and splashes of
Gothic on everything except the boat we’re riding inside be repulsive in any
way?

Gargoyles perched on spires mixed with hints of East Asian
elegance inside the domed spires of churches peek out as we sail toward the
part of the canal where our hotel, the
Baglioni, is located, giving me
chills as I think of the thousands of years of history associated with the
structures. Yep, I’m a history whore. Love the stuff. Alek teases me to no end
about being this way. I never understood what people meant when they mentioned
Venice’s uniqueness, its collection of cultures, styles, and musical history,
the sweet scent of water mixing with the aromas of various entrees lingering
inside the air. The city contains a living, breathing soul of its own, and I
can already feel every part of my body falling under its spell.

Standing beside me, Simona smiles, her dark eyes
gleaming and making her appear to be more of a thirty-something woman than the
forty-eight years she claims to be. She links her arm with mine as Luca lifts
our luggage.

“Come, darling. There’s so very much to see in such a short
amount of time,” she says to me as we head toward the Vaporetto’s exit ramps. I
nod and follow her to the iron stairway, the first step toward my decision to
enter a life of rebellion and change.

The boat we’re riding, the Vaporetto Dell ‘Arte, sails across
the water, giving me a close up view of the gondolas carrying couples,
families, and even loners across the Venetian canal inside a city stuck in a
time long gone, the beauty of its innocence untouched by modern technology. I
feel like a queen from the medieval times, instead of a girl who has to lie to
her family in order to experience life’s most beautiful gifts. My mind briefly
wanders, thinking of the way I’d hold Nikolai’s hand if we were ever to visit a
place like this one. But then, I think of the way he scorned me yesterday and
my mind clears almost at once.

“You haven’t been music fucked until you come here to get
worked over by Lady Venice,” Luca’s voice says in my ear, startling me. He’s as
quiet and slick with his moves as a ballerina, yet as crude as a rock star with
that mouth of his. However, I have to remember who I’m dealing with—a famous
designer who’s known for his scandalous past and womanizing ways.

I can’t resist a witty comeback. “And why would I want a
female of any type to … um, screw me?”

“Because she is not human.”

“Sounds scandalous,” I say, holding his gaze.

“What’s scandalous? Getting fucked?” I cross my arms and
smirk. A smile spreads across his perfect lips, a golden hoop shining in the
bottom one. My eyes drift toward it. I can’t help myself. It’s sexy as hell on
this guy. Plus, he has the tongue piercing to go along with the lip jewel, and
I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what to do with the two of them together. The
thought excites me. The thud in my chest makes me feel like the Grinch of romance.
Kind of like I’ve been dead to every man in the world besides Nikolai … wait,
he-who-musn’t-be-named, and suddenly, the sight of a tongue and lip ring
ignites my black heart, causing it to start beating again.

“Look at you. So innocent. Can’t even bring yourself to say
the word fuck,” he teases, a dimpled grin lighting up his face.

“Shut up, before your mother hears you,” I warn, glancing
over to where Simona stands. Thank goodness she didn’t hear her son’s foul
mouth. This makes the first time he has ever been so bold in teasing me with
his family standing near us. I can’t let him get away with this or I’ll lose
the leverage I’ve gained on him.

I lean toward him and say, “Talk is just a cheap excuse to
hide weaknesses. It’s overrated. Action is where it’s at for me.” Not too bad,
but the excited look that crosses Luca’s face, the glimmer in his eyes and the
way his mouth falls slightly open as though he’s subconsciously tasting my
lips, tells me that somehow I’d better be prepared to deliver on what I say.

“I’d love to be the test subject for your theories any day.
Anytime. Anyplace,” he responds, his hungry-eyed gaze blazing a trail from my
eyes to my nose, and finally to my lips. In return, my pulse quickens and the
hot wind blowing through the boat feels a lot warmer than I recall when we
first got on. “Tell me, Adriana. Will I get a lesson on how to be more
proactive
in my ways at some point during this trip?”

“Thought I was off limits. What was the name you called me?
Soup line bait? The girl who’ll make you lose your job.”

“I’m not worried about your brother firing me. It’s your
mother who scares the hell out of me. She can stab the shit out of you with
just one look,” he answers, and even though we both share a laugh, he’s right
on point about Mother. Staring in my eyes, Luca moves a hand up to my cheek,
caressing it. Suddenly, his face turns serious. “Each time I glance into
Katerina’s eyes, I see yours.”

Whoa! I didn’t expect to hear something like that come out of
his mouth. “Mine are … um, blue. Mother’s eyes are gray.” He’s good, but I’m a
Dostovsky, so naturally, I should be better at the game. Instead, I find myself
stumbling over my words. At the rate we’re going, I’ll have won the bet with
Lis and Jojo by the time Luca and I make our way to the hotel. From the other
side of the boat, Rafe clears his throat, jerking me out of Luca’s spell. Both
Rafe and Simona are staring at us. My face heats, and I’m pretty sure I’ve
turned purple instead of red. I immediately find the first available spot on
the floor, something that looks like a big oil stain, and focus on it.

After leaving the widest part of the Grand Canal,
the boat eases to a stop
at the beginning of a pier situated next to a smaller waterway running between
the buildings.
Luca and Rafe transfer our bags to two separate gondolas, then we split
up and head toward our boats. Rafe and Simona get situated inside one vessel
while Luca and I are paired together inside the other.

“Wouldn’t dream of splitting up our star couple,” Rafe
teases, making smooching noises as he hands my final, and largest, bag over to
Luca. I scowl at him and take Luca’s hand as I step into the boat.

“At least I shall have a reason to dream. Unlike you,
brother, who will only get to listen and weep,” Luca answers back.

“What will I hear? The wind whistling outside my windows?”
Rafe laughs so hard he has to throw his head back. He’s referring to our
arrangement and implying that Luca won’t get anywhere with me because of that.
I think of the way he told me his brothers used to tease him and react with my
own salt to throw in the wound that Luca has somehow opened in his brother.
Obviously, Rafe didn’t expect me to follow through with our arrangement.

Live. Enjoy life.

Lose yourself the way they all told you to do.

Something about Venice makes me want to fully embrace those
words with a passion. I can see why Luca’s parents chose to get married here
and spend most of the early stages of their lives in such a place.

Luca and I step onto the gondola. I move over to Luca and
throw my arms around his neck, holding him this way for a long moment, before I
lean back and say, “I intend to enjoy every single sound you can get out of me.”
A shudder goes through Luca’s body as he leans in to kiss me, hungrily, and
with a fervor I’m not quite sure I’m prepared to satisfy for this man born with
both the blood of the Sicilian goddesses and the genes of the Roman gods mixed
together inside him. No wonder he drives females insane with his designs, hot
body, and overall sexiness. Just the thought of his dual heritage, which comes
from two of the most fascinating cities to ever exist on this planet, creates
enough excitement inside my body to make me respond by returning his kiss with
as much passion as I can muster. At some point, we come up for air, gasping for
breath as we stare at each other. Wow!

“But alas, I do believe the angel of love and mercy has
decided to grace our presence,” Luca says, his dark gaze lingering on my lips
as though he wants to have another go at them. The crazy thing? I think I want
to do it again, too, even if it’s only to continue making Rafe burn with
jealousy.

“Lovely couple. I remember when your father first brought me
here,” Simona’s voice says from across the way, ripping both of us back to
reality. With hesitation, Luca and I move apart. “He kissed me with as much
passion. I can still feel the touch of his lips.” She moves a hand up to her
mouth, a faraway look clouding over her delicately dark features.

“Yes. That was beautiful,” Rafe mocks, unable to hide his
jealousy as he passes a hard look to his younger brother. “Ready, Mama?”

We sail down the canal
in black gondolas, moving through the oldest part of Venice, a ghost of a
history long gone. My heart thrashes inside my chest, and I don’t even mind
Luca taking my hand and holding onto it. In return, I smile, and after a brief
hesitation, I squeeze his back. I cannot believe my luck. Mr. N. would be so
jealous right now.

We arrive at the Piazzo
del Mula, the part of Venice where our hotel, the Baglioni, is located. Across
the canal, we have a view of a domed structure that reminds me of the Taj
Mahal. The Basilica of St. Mark is the ultimate example of Gothic architecture,
which I love. Alek always teases me and says I was probably a witch in another
lifetime. Also, I believe we pass the University of Venice, which makes me
think of Lis and Jojo and our plans to crash our first Carnivale celebration,
the Venetian equivalent of Mardi Gras, with the two members of Jojo’s band that
attend classes there.

“I cannot wait to attend
Carnivale next February.”
I steal a glance at Luca, barely able to
hold back my grin as I recall the way he said he ran out of his parents’ room
that time when he first saw his father’s mask.

“Go ahead. Have your fun
at my expense,” he says, unable to contain his smile.

“Think I just might do
that,” I say and lace my arm through his, smiling as the wind whips my hair
around my face and tousles his on top, giving him a bed head look that
seriously works on him a lot better than me, I’m sure.