An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel (27 page)

“You
feel divine. I’ve missed you, little Maia,” Luca says, his handsome face
shadowed by the sadness in his eyes. “I’m happy you sent that text.”

“Me
too,” I beam, turning toward Lis and winking. I’m so glad she has more balls
than me. Or maybe I should say she’s more impulsive than me, because I don’t
think someone who has enough guts to have sex on a red gondola would be a
person I’d classify as un-ballsy.

Luca
and I lose ourselves in the tune that
Cold Sistas
is playing. Wrapped
around each other, we become lost in a medley of kisses and dirty dance moves,
a collision of hips and a tangle of arms and hair pulling, that even Byron and
Lis, the second hottest dancers on the floor, can appreciate. The notes to the
last song fades as Jeremy finishes the set with a drum solo that could make
Slash sweat. He might be an ass, but no one can take anything away from his
guitar game.

Luca
and I pull apart, our hands still intertwined. Then, he bends down and kisses
me. I’m not sure what we’re doing, but I really like it. A lot. Lis and Byron
head our way, her dark eyes gleaming as she stares at Luca.

“Okay.
You won this time,” I mouth before she makes it all the way over to where we’re
standing. In return, she motions for us to follow her toward the side of the
stage. Most of the band members have gathered at the bottom of the stairway.
Walking up to our friend, Lis and I both grab hold of Jojo and congratulate
her, squealing like high school girls as we do so. Instantly, Jojo’s gaze finds
Luca standing behind me.

“Well
hello there, Signor Martuccio,” Jojo says, beaming a smile at Luca. She’s such
a flirt. “I’m a huge fan of your designs.” Beside her, Jeremy regards Luca with
a look of disdain. I can tell he doesn’t like the way Jojo’s practically
drooling over my unintentional date. Quite frankly, I don’t like the way
Jeremy’s glaring at her when he thinks no one’s paying attention. Females gawk
at Luca this way no matter where we go. I find it flattering because he has
chosen me over his Juliettes, even if he has to wear hoodies to conceal his
identity, which isn’t working very well. That lip ring, along with his gorgeous
face, works against his hiding-in-the-dark strategy.

“Call
me Luca. No formalities, please. You have a gift for music,” he states, making
sure he addresses both Jeremy and Jojo.

“That
she does,” Lis exclaims. “Our Jojo’s going to be the next Stevie Nicks.”

Byron
wraps his arms around Lis and says, “And we, my sweet dumpling, need to get
going.” Okay, we’re so going to pick on her about the sweet dumpling statement
later at practice tomorrow. I know what Byron’s anxious to go home and do.

My
phone vibrates in my handbag and I make a little jump. It has been quiet all
evening. I know I shouldn’t pull it out and check the screen, but I do.

N:
Been watching you all evening.

N:
Now I understand what I have lost.

N:
Good-bye, Adriana.

A
mixture of adrenaline and alcohol surges through me, screwing up my good sense,
I think. Nikolai was here. He actually chased after me. Being the proud,
stubborn Russian I know him to be makes doing something like that a milestone
for him. The words ‘Good-bye, Adriana’ hit me hard in the chest, especially
after what he told me earlier. Panic sets in.

Before
I can think about what I’m doing, and who’s about to be affected by me doing
it, I turn and rush back to the side exit. Being a creature of habit, or maybe
I should say being a child of shadows and circumstance, Nikolai never chooses
to park his vehicle in parking lots like the one out front. He always finds a
place somewhere near an alley or a side street, a spot where he can easily
escape if necessary, a leftover habit from a past that hasn’t been very kind to
him.

Me:
Where are you?

Complete
silence. No birds chirping. Nothing. Only the sound of passing cars and the
frigid slap of chilly air greets me when I rush out the door and into the back
alley, setting off the alarm as I do so. He’s gone. My heart’s thudding so
hard, I can hear it beating over the music. I suddenly become aware of someone
standing behind me. Spinning around, I find two people watching me.

“No
one is allowed to use this door, signorina,” a burly guy, a bouncer I assume,
says to me as he switches off the alarm. Luca stands beside him, his eyes
storming with questions. It’s the tensest moment between us yet. His designer
eyes notice everything, so I’m pretty sure he read the messages on my phone
before I took off running out the door.

“Does
this woman belong with you, signor?” the bouncer asks Luca.

He
hesitates before saying, “I’m not sure.”

Adriana

Something’s
in the air and I haven’t been able to figure out what that thing could be.
Maybe it’s the feeling I’m getting from knowing Nikolai has been avoiding me
over the past week, or maybe it has something to do with Luca’s sudden desire
to spend more time at Black Butterfly, preparing for the launch of next year’s
spring clothing line, or so he says. I might not have control over the men in
my life, but I can honestly say the trip to Venice has worked wonders on my
technique.

Practicing
the final moves in my portrayal of Seraphine, the mermaid who loves a human
boy, I can almost feel Simona’s spirit dancing along the stage with me. My body
moves to the music and becomes a foreign vessel, as though I’ve turned into the
very essence of song and dance personified inside a human body. At the end of
the act, I get showered by applause from my troupe mates. It means a lot to
know other, more experienced, ballerinas can see my progress.

Ines
is happy. Lis has inducted me into the dirty girl’s pillow talk club, and I
love my new membership. I have a man with the appetite of a sex god waiting for
me to leave practice today. I spoke to Simona on the phone earlier, and she
sounded tired, but very interested in hearing all about my practice. The
medicine I was able to help Luca purchase must’ve worked well.

Next
up, Jojo and I have a complicated set where the three sisters in our show all
dance together to celebrate Seraphine’s new love. As soon as we complete the
sequence, nailing each move with both precision and abandon of our senses the
way Ines has taught us to do, Jojo gets summoned by the boss. Ines has a
serious look on her face as she calls our roommate over to the office in back.
Lis and I exchange worried glances, and that damn pinch inside my chest rears
its ugly head for the first time in days.

About
a half hour passes. Everyone continues to practice, but several heads keep
turning toward the door. Suddenly, Jojo slams out of the office, her face
screwed up and her gym bag slung across her shoulder.

She
catches the other girls staring and stops walking. “What the fuck are you
looking at bitches? Satisfied now?”

Abandoning
my spot on the stage, I trot over to where Jojo’s standing, her body trembling.
“Jojo, what’s wrong?” I ask, fearing the worst.

“These
stuck up bourgeois bitches lied on me,” she answers, even though she’s glaring
at the Tomczak sisters. “I’m out.”

“Glad
somebody finally decided to clean this place up,” Melody says as Jojo turns
toward the door. “Trash needs to be in a dump. Not in a repertory company.”

“Shut
up, Mels,” Harmony barks at her sister. The other girl’s mouth falls open, her
features frozen in a shock as though hearing her sister’s protest has zapped
the life out of her. To be honest, I’m surprised, too; along with half the
other girls in the room.

“Fuck
you! Dried up cunt!” Jojo yells. I cringe. For her to be acting this way means
she’s lost control.

“Signorina
Mills,” Ines begins as she strolls back into the room, “you will refrain from
using obscenities in my presence.”

“What.
The.
Fuck
. Ever!” Jojo yells and storms out the door. I take off behind
her.

“Jojo,
wait!” I call. She stops and turns her tear-streaked face to me when I catch up
with her outside in the parking lot. “I’m sure I can talk to Mother. She can
help you get back in.” However, I know that Ines doesn’t tolerate things like
drug use among any of her girls. I’m not sure how I know that’s what this is
about, but after seeing the white packet fall out of her bag the night before I
left for Venice, I’m pretty sure my hunch isn’t too far off base.

“Save
it, Adriana. I’m all good. Go on back inside before the wicked witch decides to
turn you into mush.” She flicks her palms open and stretches her eyes,
emphasizing her point. “Then she’ll make you disappear, too.”

“I
don’t think so.” Nobody makes a Dostovsky disappear until we’re ready to do so.
Mother taught me that.

Lis
comes rushing out of the building, runs over to Jojo, and hugs her. “What did
they do? I’ll kick somebody’s ass if you need me to.”

“Great!
Just what I need. My two best friends getting canned because of me.” Jojo’s
voice cracks and we all hug each other.

 “Ines
shouldn’t have fired you. She’s wrong. I know you didn’t do whatever they’ve
pinned on you,” Lis says, but she doesn’t sound sure of herself. We both know
Jojo has a substance abuse problem, and Jeremy D’ Onofrio’s name is written all
over it. “Those damn Tomczak sisters had something to do with all this. I—”

“The
bag of weed is mine, Lis,” she says, silencing my friend, the strongest one in
our three-girl group. “Somebody turned them it to Ines. The only person who saw
me using it a couple of days ago was Melody Tomczak. And she’s pissed because I
stole her fuck toy.”

My
mouth falls open. “Jeremy and Melody were ...” I can’t even finish the
sentence. Jojo nods. Figures the two most hateful people in the world would get
together and pull my friend down into the weeds with them.

A
taxi eases up to the curb. All three sets of eyes are filled with tears. “Well,
guess I gotta go. See you girls later on.” Situating her bag on her shoulder,
she starts toward the car. I know she’s planning to head out and meet
him—Jeremy—the worst thing she can do given her current state of mind.

“Don’t
go. Please,” I beg, taking her arm. “I’ll leave now. We can go watch a movie,
or something.”

“And
I’ll come with you,” Lis offers.

“No
freaking way. I’m not causing any more trouble for my friends today. Love you
lots.” I can see the light in her face, a glow that’s hard to define, fading by
the second. And then, our friend hops into the taxi and rides straight out of
our lives.

“Ines dismissed Jojo today,” I say to
Luca as we lay in each other’s arms, exhausted from the marathon sex we just
had, a way to replace the words we haven’t spoken since that night I ran out of
the Alcatraz in order to chase down a man who claims he doesn’t want me. Wait.
That was the state of the situation before Venice. Now, he seems about ready to
jump off a roof or do something else insane to get my attention, and that
worries me. Nikolai gets what he wants; he’s like my brother. The only thing is
sometimes the two of them don’t stop to consider whom they might be hurting
during the conquest.

“What happened?” Luca asks, lifting his
head and propping it on his palm so he’s glancing down at my face. He’s wearing
the lip hoop-tongue ring combo again, and yes, he was just as brutally good
with using them this time as he was the first night he introduced my body to
his jewelry.

“The Tomzcak sisters happened. They’ve
had something against Jojo ever since they both started working with
Aterballetto last year,” I explain, sighing. “Well, Jojo kinda stole Melody’s
slimy boyfriend, Jeremy.”

“
Mi spiace
. I’m sure this must be
painful for her.” This makes the first night Luca and I have spent time
together since the incident last weekend. He leans down and kisses my forehead,
but I can almost hear the question echoing in his mind before he even asks.

“Tell me why you keep having this
nightmare. I need to know. Help me understand you, baby.” Luca’s eyes are
pleading. I want to please him, to see him smile. He’s about to lose his mother
and I promised both of them I’d do what I could to make this easier on us all.
I’m pretty sure I’ve failed.

Sitting up in the bed, I pull the covers
around me and glance around Luca’s room. The high end metal furniture, mirrored
ceiling—a freaky thing I had to get used to, but enjoyed once I did—and blue
walls are all an extension of his personality. The rest of the house mimics
this bedroom. He’s a minimalist, which surprises me considering the extent of
the detail he uses in his designs. There’s a peace I feel when I’m inside his
house, a calmness. Telling Luca about my nightmare is the right thing to do;
both of us need to hear this confession of mine in order to heal and move on.

Luca sits up beside me and begins
massaging my back, putting pressure on the tension between my shoulder blades.
“It’s all right. Take your time.”

Inhaling deeply, I close my eyes and
begin, “Eight years ago, my mother left my father. She took Alek and me with
her. And Nikolai. He’s always been like an adopted son since his family barely
paid him any mind. I somehow got separated from Mother, Alek, and Nikolai. One
of the thugs chasing us down found me. He wasn’t one of Father’s people. He was
someone else. Anyway, I tried to fight back, but he was strong.” I close my
eyes and release a deep sigh. Luca deepens his massage, giving me strength to
go on. “My attacker seemed familiar to me for some reason. He threw me up
against some crates, roughed me up. I knew what he wanted. When I tried to
fight for what he was trying to take from me, he slammed me into the wall and
beat me, so hard I couldn’t breathe. Nikolai found us before the man could have
his way with me. And he ... he ... I’ll just say he took care of him for me.” I
feel Luca’s hands go still as soon as I say Nikolai’s name. I turn to face him
and state, “He saved me, Luca. Killed someone for me. I’ve never told anyone.”

“And now, you feel indebted to this man,”
he says, his concerned eyes searching my face.

“No. It … it’s not like that. I just … I
…” Maybe that does explain why I’m so fascinated by Nikolai; because I feel
like I owe him my life, which I do.

Luca turns my face toward his and gazes
deep into my eyes. “I will always protect you, Adriana. I would give my own
life before I let anything happen to you. But no more secrets. If we’re going
to be together, we have to trust each other.”

“I understand. I want to have mad,
passionate sex right now. And I don’t want it to be nice, either.” I surprise
myself by how bold I’ve become.

“Tell me what you do want.”

Inhaling a shaky breath, I say, “I want
to lose myself inside your eyes, to feel like a woman. I want to give myself to
you. Only you.”

Glancing into my eyes for a long moment,
as though he’s struggling with his thoughts, or maybe trying to figure out my
level of sincerity, Luca slams his mouth down over mine. His breath increases,
panting, almost as soon as the skin of his lips comes in contact with mine.

“Do you know how it made me feel to watch
you chase after another man?” he whispers through pants and gasps.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I
promise.”

He pulls back, stares into my eyes, and
caresses my lips with the pad of his thumb. “You are mine, Adriana Dostovsky.
All mine. These lips. Those gorgeous eyes. And especially these.” Dipping his
head down to my collarbone, he trails a kiss from the delicate skin between
them to the curve of my breasts. Finally, he takes his time devouring each
nipple, the meaning of the words he just said, along with what he’s doing,
driving me into a heated frenzy. My body fires up, allowing the side of me—a
wild, uninhibited me—to burst through the binds that have been holding me back.

In Moscow, I was this scared little girl
sheltered by her parents, afraid to step outside of her door for fear of the
things my parents kept from me. But now, I have Luca, and somehow I know he
will do what he has promised in order to keep me safe and make things right.