An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel (33 page)

Adriana

Practice
today means dealing with a pissed off Melody and a confused best friend who
keeps trying to pry me for answers about my mood swings. Oh, and did I mention
that getting the lead didn’t necessarily mean things would suddenly get easier
for me. Ines has been harder on me than she has ever been. There’s this tough
part of the performance that involves spinning around on my toes numerous
times. It also means prancing by Melody’s line of dancers, the girls who
portray my mermaid mates, the ballerinas who usually dance behind me.

Walking
into the practice room after my break, I find the girls huddled over something
Ines holds in her hands. Our troupe leader towers over almost everyone, so it’s
easy to see she’s the culprit behind whatever thing she’s showcasing. As soon
as Lis’s gaze moves to where I stand behind the crowd, her eyes widen and she
barrels through the girls standing around Ines. “Adriana! OMG, girlfriend. Get
your little butt over here. Now!” she orders, coming to grab me by the arm and
pulling me through the middle of our troupe mates.

When
my gaze locks on what Ines holds in her hands, I almost stop breathing. No
wait! I think I already did. All eyes rest on the back of my head as I ease
toward the table. The dark green leotard is made of the finest silk I’ve ever
seen. The tutu has all of the colors of the sea inside the fine chiffon,
reminding me more of a peacock than a mermaid, but none of that matters. The
design has Black Butterfly written all over the intricate patterns, the type of
costume that will make me appear as though I’m glowing underneath the colorful
fluorescent lighting that Ines has ordered to have installed.

A
wave of emotion rips through me. I knew it; Luca’s words were lies. I know he
still cares about me. You don’t put a lot of effort into doing something like
this when you don’t give a shit about the person who’ll be wearing it.

“That
Martuccio,” Ines begins, gasping at my dress, “he puts as much passion into his
designs as he does his sex life.” The statement jars me back to the situation
that’s happening between us, and images of Luca and a dark-haired girl shoot
through my head. I shake them off. I don’t know why I’m imagining Marcello’s
sister with dark hair. It’s just a hunch, I guess. Or maybe I’m just losing my
mind.

“It’s
nice, but I can’t wear it,” I finally manage to say through the knot in my
throat. The other girls gasp. I turn and start walking away.

For
some insane reason, Melody sticks out her foot, tripping me up a bit. I spin
around, facing her, visions of Jojo crying in my bed clouding my view.
Suddenly, I lose it. I charge forward and shove her back. She doesn’t expect me
to attack, so she winds up on her ass with her tutu hiked up in the air. The
girl must bounce or something, because she’s on her feet in a flash and
charging back at me. “You’re going to regret that, pampered bitch!” she snarls.

“Girls!
I will not have you behaving as barbarians!” Ines shouts as she pulls us apart.
Lis steps in between us, holding me back because I’m determined to pull every
bit of coppery hair out of Melody Tomczak’s head.

“Fine.
I’m calm, Ines,” Melody hisses, snatching her arms away from our troupe leader.
“She needs to be in a cage along with her drugged up friend.”

I
step toward her, but Lis reinforces her grip on my arms, her gaze locked on the
other girl.

“You
are one twisted sister, Melody. It’s bad enough you put those freaking tacks in
Adriana’s audition piece. Now you gotta go and try to trip her up, too?” Lis
shouts, but she’s raising her voice a notch more than she has to, making sure
Ines clearly understands what she’s implying. If there’s one thing that ignites
the temper of our troupe leader more than someone screwing up a major audition
or performance, then us plotting against one another would be that thing.

“You
bitch!” Melody snaps at Lis. In return, my BFF—who I think may someday give
Mother a run for the most conniving award—tilts her head, smiling innocently.

“Is
this true?” Ines asks, her voice dropping a level that kind of makes her sound
like a man. Something about that look and tone intimidates all of us, and
Melody is no exception. Instead of stuttering the way most of us do, she shuts
down, crosses her arms, and stares at the floor. “Into my office, Signorina
Tomczak. Now!”

Revenge
feels good. Justice is even better. But to get the chance to see the way Melody
turns as red as her hair when preparing to be disciplined is priceless!

My
phone vibrates. It’s Nikolai, I’m sure. He’s been worse than a bodyguard ever
since the Extasia incident. Wrong. It’s Luca. My heart flips a bit. I answer
and can tell from the hoarse tone of his voice that the day we’ve been dreading
has come. I hang up and briefly close my eyes a short moment.

“What’s
wrong, baby?” Lis asks as we walk out into the hallway.

I
sigh loudly and answer, “Luca says his mother is requesting to see me. He
didn’t say much else, but I know what’s happening.”

“I’m
so sorry,” my friend says, embracing me. “Go to him. You know you want to.
Hell, I know you do, too. I’ve only been listening to you calling out his name
every single night since you moved back into the townhouse,” she informs me. My
cheeks flame. Guess I’ve got it worse than I realize. “I’ll go with you. How’s
that?” I love my friends.

“Okay.
But first, I have to make a couple of phone calls.” I have Alek to thank for
conveniently mentioning to me the day after I returned from my break-up moment
with Luca that our family owns a plot of land in the Venetian cemeteries. It
wasn’t hard to connect the Spirellis negative behavior toward Giovanni and
Rafe’s request that night at the club with the only logical reason for Luca to
behave toward me the way he did.

I
need to make sure Mother knows that if she or Marcello tries to interfere with
the Martuccio’s ability to bury their mother, then all of them will have a
ticked off Adriana to deal with. And I don’t think any of them are ready to
meet that other side of me.

Adriana

The woman lying in the bed doesn’t seem
anything like the vibrant person I left behind a month ago. Her tiny body
reminds me of a skeleton and her hair, which was once gorgeous, hangs in limp
threads, creating a strange sort of halo around the woman who has treated me
more like a daughter than my mother could ever manage in two lifetimes.

“Help me get out of this godforsaken bed,
my girl. I want to see the canal.”

“Is that a good idea, Simona?” I ask.

She scoffs, reminding me of the
high-spirited woman I spent time with in Venice a month ago. All of her
children have returned, including Giovanni, but they’ve agreed to give the two
of us some alone time. After checking with the nurse, I help Simona make her
way out to the balcony. We sit in the wicker chairs and watch the gondolas
until the sun’s setting rays begin to spread out across the Grand Canal’s
waters. Holding hands, we sit in silence for the longest time.

“Tomorrow the sun will rise and the mist
of the canal shall fall. And the papa and mama doves will fly together again,
soaring through the sky, their hearts united as one.” Her words fade as I’m
gazing up at the clouds gathering inside the clear sky. Tearing my eyes away, I
glance toward Simona. Her head rests against her chest. Panic slams into me.
“Simona, are you okay?”

Lifting her head, she opens her eyes and
says, “Um-hmm. I’m fine. I can’t think of a better person to watch over my
dreams for me, Adriana.” Another coughing fit snatches the rest of her words
away, but she still manages to point at something in the water. “Look there, my
girl. Do you see him? It’s Giuseppe rowing across the canal. He’s dressed in a
white tuxedo. Oh, he looks so handsome. So much like my Luciano.”

I look out across the canal. There’s no
Giuseppe, of course. I sigh through the knot in my chest, blink through my
tears, and say, “Yes, I see him.”

Simona’s head lowers again. Is she
sleeping? I don’t think so. Panic grips me. “Luca!” I call out. “Luca, come out
here! Quickly please.” Luca bursts through the doors leading out to the
balcony, his hair disheveled and his beautiful face screwed up in a frown. His
gaze moves to Simona and he acts at once.

Moving over to where his mother’s limp
frame sits, he lifts her tiny body and carries her to the bed. I pull back the
covers and help him tuck her inside. Her eyelids flutter open and she manages
to focus on Luca and me, taking our hands in her thin ones and bringing them
together over her abdomen. It’s almost like touching a skeleton. And I don’t
like the way her breathing sounds ragged as though each breath hurts.

“Never give up on each other, my
children,” she gasps out. “For you have something special. A love that only
touches us once in a lifetime. Cherish it always.”

“Rest, Mama. Please,” Luca says, his
voice raspy. I want to touch him, to tell him everything will be okay, because
I need the same comfort from him. However, he belongs to someone else now. Or
does he?

“The two of you are my great hope. Inside
you both lives the spirit of my Giuseppe and me. I noticed that magic the
moment I saw the two of you together. I love you, my beautiful son. My lovely
daughter-in-law to be.” Her eyes close and the tears shake through me. Behind
Luca, Rafe and Giovanni enter the room, their faces grim. But my eyes are
locked on Luca. I can only imagine how much this must be hurting him, because
it’s killing me.

“All right. Everyone out. Now!” the
hospice nurse orders as she shoves her way past the two older brothers. We all
file out of the room and walk downstairs, a silence hanging over our heads as
the wait begins.

Later in the night, Simona Octavia
Martuccio leaves this world behind, the absence of her spirit already making me
feel as though I’ve lost some part of my soul that strengthens me. And even
though the Martuccio brothers have long since prepared for this event, the
moment still feels like a rope slowly tightening around each of our necks,
stealing our life away.

The song Giovanni keeps rotating reminds
me of a less elaborate version of the Berlioz tune she and I danced to that day
in the field of purple flowers as any mother and daughter would do. The memory
still lingers in my mind, along with the haunting notes of a harp and violin.
Rafe buries his face in Kami’s arms and Luca sits on the couch, his head
lowered as he leans forward with his elbows propped on his knees. I ease toward
him and touch his shoulder. He glances up at me, his face distorted, the pain
in his eyes battling with everything negative I’ve been feeling inside me.
“Will you be okay?” I ask.

Shaking his head, he stands and pulls me
into his arms, the scent of his spicy cologne surrounding me. I don’t dare try
to move. In return, I wrap my arms around his waist, savoring this moment that
feels so natural.

“Will you at least stay for the
ceremony?” he whispers in my ear.

I pull back a little, so he doesn’t think
I’m trying to get away, and say, “Do you even have to ask?” He gives me a tiny
smile as we stare at each other, neither of us wanting to be the first person
to break the other one’s gaze, Simona’s last words still hanging in the air
over us.

I stay in Venice for two more days so I
can attend the dedication ceremony at Pia and Gustavo’s house, something Simona
requested instead of a funeral. I pack slowly the third day when it’s time to
leave, my thoughts wrapped around what I plan to say to Nikolai when I return.
Things might not have worked out between Luca and me, but the naïve little girl
who was crushing on my childhood idol a couple of months ago has flown away. I
think it had something to do with drowning in Mother’s blue bathroom the night
of my coming out party.

“Do you need some help?” Luca asks. I
almost jump out of my skin when I turn and find him standing against the wall
behind me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Thought about a career in stealth
lately?” I ask.

“No. But I’ve thought about you every day
for the last three weeks.” The air in the room changes and intensifies,
reminding me of the way Luca used to make my heart go aflutter.

The way he still makes me feel.

Instantly, I remember Leona and Julia and
wonder why the daughter, the girl who’s supposed to be Luca’s new girlfriend,
wasn’t at the ceremony.

“I’m sure Leona wouldn’t like hearing you
say that,” I reply, feeling extremely jealous even after all this time.

“It was a lie, little Maia. There’s no
one else in my heart. I told you what I thought you needed to hear so you’d be
free of me.”

Heat and relief well up inside me. “I
told you not to call me that.”

“But you came back to me because … You.
Are. Mine. Just as Mama said.”

“I only came back for Simona.”

“No you did not!” he shouts. “You love
me. You came back for me, too! Admit it.”

“All right you pushy asshole! I came back
for you. Satisfied? Even though you’re nothing but a liar.”

“And you’re a fucking saint these days?”
Luca shouts. I start shaking and the sobs choke me. “Tell me why you came back
for me, Adriana. Tell me what’s in your heart.”

“I came back because I had to, all right?
Because I— I can’t think of anyone else but you. Because it feels like I’m dying
without you. Are you satisfied?”

I attempt to storm out the door, but Luca
wraps his arm around my waist, holding me back. “Tell me everything. I need to
hear it. Please.” His voice cracks along with the leftover shreds of my
willpower.

“I can’t leave. You’ve become a part of
me,” I admit.

“I love you, Adriana Dostovsky.” He
scoffs, as though he can’t believe he just said the words. I can’t take it
anymore. I pull his head down to mine and kiss him first. We don’t waste time
with foreplay. The neglect, longing, and heartache built up inside us explodes,
turning into a war of ripped clothes, bruised lips, and sore scalps from all
the hair pulling. Luca has never been this rough with me, or maybe I should say
this desperate.

Falling down on the bed, Luca and I kiss
with a passion that consumes both my mind and my body. “I have missed you,
Adriana,” he gasps in between kisses, letting up only so he can pull my tank
top dress up and over my head, leaving me huffing underneath him while wearing
only my bra and underwear. He pauses as he hovers over me, his pained gaze
raking over my body. I massage his forearms, waiting for and wanting to feel
him inside me more than I’ve ever wanted anything or anyone. “What’s wrong?” I
ask.

“Tell me it still belongs to me.” He
turns his dark, jaded eyes on me, and for the shortest moment I feel vulnerable
and slightly afraid. But then I remember this is Luca and I know he would never
hurt me. “Talk to me, Adriana!” he urges.

“My pussy belongs to you, Luca. I belong
to you. Only you. I need to feel you inside of me. Please,” I say in a voice
that’s hoarse from heavy breathing.

“In due time, my little eager dove.”
Lifting my bottom with one hand, he slides my panties down my legs with the
other one and spreads my legs wide, fully exposing my sex. The tension between
us only heightens the waves of pleasure rocking my body as he dips his head and
devours me, his acrobatic tongue ruthless in its assault on my clit, stopping
just before I’m about to come. “This is mine. Do you understand, Adriana?” he
asks, lifting his head as he pushes two fingers inside of me, and starts
pumping them using steady strokes.

 With the other hand, he reaches up and
pops the clasp on the front of my bra, allowing my breasts to fall free.
Without easing up his assault on my sex, he manages to shift his body up on top
of me and begins sucking my engorged nipples. The double attack threatens to be
too much for me as my mind slips in and out of a place that’s caught between
waves of stomach clenching pleasure and semi-consciousness. Luca’s lips find
mine, forcing them open so he can slip his tongue inside of my mouth; I not
only smell myself on him, but I can now taste me as well.

“I asked you a question, Adriana,” he
whispers furiously between kisses, his hand still pumping inside me. My
shuddering body convulses beside him. I’m caught up in one of the hardest
orgasms I’ve experienced so far with Luca. As multiple shivers rock through my
hips, I stare into his eyes that are touched by a hint of satisfaction even
though his face remains jaded by his pain.

“I … I do understand. Oh God, I
understand! I’m yours, Luca Martuccio,” I answer, fighting back tears. “I need
you now.”

Moving to his feet, Luca removes his
T-shirt, jeans and underwear in a matter of seconds. I get a full glimpse of
his well-tanned skin and the Celtic tattoo that spans along his torso and up
the back of his left shoulder. He’s a true warrior. My warrior, just as I am
his queen. “I hope you started those pills we talked about last month, because
I cannot control myself a minute longer,” he says in a voice that’s hoarse with
passion.

“I did. We’re safe. Come to me,” I say,
holding out my arms. And he does come to me. “And do I have all of you?” I
whisper as he situates himself between my legs.

My answer comes in the form of him
entering me without any warning, filling me completely, his shaft a thick rod
of punishing pleasure. “What do you think? Does that feel like it belongs to
anyone else?” he asks as he slips in and out of me, pushing his hard cock all
the way inside me, slowly at first and then increasing both his speed and the
force behind his thrusts until he’s pounding inside me. He lifts his body up in
a way that he’s able to angle his cock in a diagonal line that rubs against my clit
with each thrust. Once again, I slip into a place that’s caught between being
real and imaginary. “Put your legs around my waist,” he orders as he pumps in
and out of me, not bothering with being gentle. I do as he says, and right
away, I gasp as he goes even deeper inside me. His sweat drips down on my face,
the saltiness of him on my lips. Both of our bodies fit together so perfectly,
as though every muscle, each leg, his cock and my sex were designed to mold to
one another.

“I’m coming, Adriana. I’m going to come
for you, mi amore.”