Dark Redemption (9 page)

An
hour or so of playful ribbing, shameless flirting, and casual conversation
passed before the limo slowed to a stop.

“Where
are we?” Kate asked, craning her neck and squinting to see out the tinted
windows.

“My
hotel and restaurant,” Giovanni answered with a smile, his chest visibly
swelling with pride. “Dominic refused a reception for obvious reasons, but I
insisted we needed to celebrate a little before he whisked you off to bed.”

The
rear door of the limo opened and the group filed out. Dominic stepped out ahead
of Kate and extended his hand to lift her out of the vehicle. Kate blinked as
her eyes adjusted to the bright light of an expansive foyer.

Gio’s
hotel was an architectural
feat unlike anything Kate had ever seen before. The ground beneath her feet was
the golden brown natural stone of the surrounding cliffs, smoothed and polished
until it shined. The walls were stone as well, but manmade with a
brick-staggered pattern of rectangular slabs. It seemed the building had been
built as part of the rocky cliffs, not merely atop them.

Massive
columns towered in all four corners, hewn from the same rock as the walls and
floor. An etched horizontal pattern of ocean swells lined the top and base of
each column. A colorful mural depicted an aerial view of sea life, covering the
entire expanse of the high ceiling. Dried white coral, crafted into an
elaborate chandelier-like light fixture, reached downward from the center of
the room in a stunning sunburst pattern. 

“Welcome
to
Palazzo
Grotta
sul
Mare
, Kate,” Giovanni said with a proud smile, gesturing to the empty lobby
with the sweep of his hand.

“This
place is gorgeous, Gio,” Kate said,
then
cocked her
head to one side. “But where are all the people?”

Giovanni
smiled. “I closed the hotel and restaurant for a few days for you.” Lowering
his voice into a conspiratorial whisper, he added, “Don’t think too much of it.
It’s the off-season for this region anyway, too cold and rainy for tourists.”

“Regardless,
it was very thoughtful,” Kate said, beaming at her new brother-in-law. Perhaps
he didn’t totally hate her guts after all.

“It’s
my pleasure,” Giovanni said with a slight nod of acknowledgement. “Follow me.”

He
led them across the expansive lobby, past groups of tasteful, contemporary
couches and a concierge desk made of a giant, crescent-shaped salt water
aquarium, to a beautiful dark wooden staircase winding down into the rocks
below. Kate lifted her skirts and entwined her arm through Dominic’s as they
descended the sweeping staircase.

They
emerged in a massive cavern, its rugged ceiling arched high above them before
giving way to the night sky. Warm can lights, embedded in the rock above,
provided an ambient glow in the open dining room. Dark planks of unstained, raw
hardwood ran the length of the room, extending out to a balcony overlooking the
sea.

Circular
tables, covered in crisp white linen, were arranged in strategic clusters with
their matching chairs throughout the room. White paper lanterns floated over
each table, hanging from a hooked centerpiece to bathe each table in soft
light.

The
stone bar, topped by a thick glass counter, ran the majority of the length of
the wall on the right. Dark wooden cabinets with sliding glass doors were built
flush into the stone wall behind the bar, their extensive selection of
beverages proudly displayed on the floor-to-ceiling shelves.

A
curtain of water danced down the wall on the left. Long tables lined its
perimeter, covered in food too pretty to eat. A three-tiered chocolate fountain
flowed amid an elaborate spread of flower-shaped fruits and pastries.

A
beautiful white and dark chocolate fondant cake, its contrasting square tiers
stacked at offset angles and topped off with red roses, sat at the opposite end
of the table.

Dominic
may have told Gio ‘no reception,’ but his older brother clearly chose not to
hear him. It was a shame
Gio’s
efforts were wasted on
just the five of them, but it had to be. Their wedding was risk enough on its
own.

“
Woot-woot
!
Let’s get this party started,”
Lindsey cheered, dancing her way to the bar and the handsome bartender behind
it.

Dominic
froze in place, bringing Kate to a halt beside him.

“What
about the bartender?” He asked Giovanni, glancing at the man in question,
concern marring his handsome features.

“What
about him?” Gio shrugged.

The
furrow in Dominic’s brow deepened. Gio rolled his eyes.

“I
have a bare bones staff on tonight, all my most trusted people,” Giovanni
assured his younger brother. He slapped Dominic on the back. “Now
relax,
little brother. I won’t let the boogeyman get you.”

“It’s
not me I’m worried about,” Dominic said softly, his brown eyes drifting to
Kate.

Kate
squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine, Dom. I can
take care of myself.” Before he could point out the half dozen or so instances
to the contrary, Kate added, “And I know when I can’t, you’re here to help me.”

“I
always will be,” Dominic promised, leaning down to brush his lips against hers.

Kate
nuzzled his nose and kissed him back. Hungry for the taste of him, she deepened
the kiss. When Dominic’s tongue touched hers, the butterflies in her stomach
took flight and she melted into his arms.

“Oh,
get a room already, you two,” Gianna huffed, pushing past them to the bar.

They
broke apart and Dominic grinned at Kate, his brown eyes sparkling. “Okay, just
show us the way and we’ll be out of here.”

“Not
so fast,” Giovanni chuckled. “Although Gianna may not appreciate the company of
you two sappy lovebirds, she’ll have to stomach your nauseating presence for
just a little longer. We need to celebrate. Go get a drink.”

Obediently,
Kate and Dominic headed toward the bar.

“Have
whatever you want, it’s on me,” Giovanni called after them.

Dominic
flashed Kate an evil grin and turned to the bartender. “We’ll take a bottle of
Taste of Diamonds, compliments of my big brother.”

The
bartender’s nervous gaze bounced from Dominic to Gio and back. “Hey, boss,” he
called across the way to Giovanni.

Dominic
laughed. “Relax, kid. I’m joking. Well, about the tab anyway, not the
champagne. Put it on my tab. I’m good for it.”

The
bartender nodded. He slid his rolling stepladder halfway down the wall of
cabinets, climbed to the top, and retrieved a blackish-green bottle from the
top shelf. Kate gave Dominic a curious look.

“What
was that about?”

“That’s
a two million dollar bottle of champagne,” Dominic laughed. “I don’t think my
brother’s generosity extends that far, even for a wedding gift.”

Kate
gaped at him as though he’d lost his mind. “You want to
drink
two
million dollars in champagne?”

Dominic
shrugged.
“Why not?
It’s our wedding night, the most
important day of our lives. I want to celebrate the day I finally made you
mine. Money is no issue.”

“But
it’s
two million dollars,” Kate protested.

“
Cara
,
I would light every last one of my billions on fire for you. This is a drop in
the bucket comparatively.”

Kate
shook her head and smiled. “You’re insane, you know that?”

Dominic
smirked and kissed her. “Yeah, but you’re equally insane. You agreed to spend
forever with me.”

The
bartender returned with the bottle, uncorked it and poured the clear bubbly
liquid into two elegant glass flutes.

“Oh,
I almost forgot. You got any A-negative back there?” Dominic asked the bartender.

The
bartender’s brows furrowed in confusion.

Kate
choked on a giggle and swatted his arm. “Stop it. You’re going to scare him.”

“Fine,”
Dominic sighed in mock-resignation. “Just don’t get too hungry. I don’t want
you grumpy. I’ve got big plans for tonight, Mrs. Ridolfi.”

The
teasing words, paired with the promise in his eyes, set Kate’s blood on fire.
Reveling in the hunger Dominic ignited, Kate leaned in to him with a knowing
smile.

“Is
that so? I’d love to hear more about these plans, Mr. Ridolfi. Maybe there’s
somewhere we can go to… discuss them further.”

“Oh,
no you don’t,” Lindsey protested, popping her head between the two of them.
“There will be cake and, damn it, there will be dancing before you two sneak
off and are never heard from again.”

“We
got married, Lindsey. We’re not moving to Mars,” Kate protested, sipping her
champagne. She’d savor the over-priced beverage with the reverence its price
tag warranted, as though it truly was made of liquid diamonds. Hell, for that
price, it should’ve been.

“Not
what I meant, Kate,” Lindsey said with a giggle. “I know if I married a man
like Dominic, it would be years, probably even decades, before you could drag
me out of his bed. Even then, it would be kicking and screaming.”

Dominic
winked at Kate. “Remember that, okay?”

Heat
flooded Kate’s cheeks. “Believe me. I have a hard enough time as it is.”

“I’ll
bet you do,” Lindsey smirked. She didn’t have to say ‘lucky bitch’ at the end.
Kate heard it all the same. She lived it every day. She
was
lucky.

Taking
a long swallow of his champagne, Dominic set his glass on the bar. “On that
note, I think it’s time to get the dancing over with, you know, in the interest
of much more exciting activities. May I have this dance,
cara
?”

Kate
smiled and nodded.

“Please
excuse us, Lindsey,” Dominic said, taking Kate by the hand and leading her onto
the dance floor. He drew her into his arms and they rocked gently back and
forth to the music.

Lindsey
grinned and stepped aside. “I don’t know how you can dance to this lame ass
instrumental shit,” she called after them, indicating the soft background music
floating from hidden speakers in the ceiling. She raised her voice even more.
“Hey, Mr. Big-Shot-Hotel-Owner Ridolfi, can we get some real music up in here?”

Giovanni
laughed.
“Anything for the lovely Lindsey.
You want to
deejay now too?”

“You
know it,” Lindsey grinned, fishing her phone out of her bra.

         
“Come with me,” Gio said, jerking his head in the direction of the bar.

         
“I already did, but I could go another round,” Lindsey quipped with a saucy
smirk.

She
followed Gio behind the bar, winking at the bartender as she brushed past him.
The pair disappeared behind the counter, presumably to work on the sound
system. The instrumental music paused and within a few seconds Salt N
Peppa’s
‘What a Man’ blared from the speakers.

         
“That’s more like it,” Lindsey cried, jumping to her feet. She danced out onto
the floor, shaking her hips and rolling her body to the beat. Kate and Dominic
laughed. Still dancing as close as possible to one another, they changed pace
with the music. Giovanni and Gianna joined them on the floor and the five of
them danced in the middle of the empty room.

Lindsey’s
playlist transitioned through every 90’s dance song Kate could remember:
‘Vogue,’ ‘
Gonna
Make You Sweat,’ ‘
Whoomp
!
There It Is,’ ‘Ice Ice Baby,’ ‘Can’t Touch This,’ ‘Unbelievable,’ ‘Baby Got
Back,’ ‘Good Vibrations,’ ‘I’
Jiggy
Wit
It,’ ‘
Da
Dip,’ ‘No
Diggity
,’ ‘
Tootsee
Roll,’ ‘This
Is How We Do It’… and even ‘Macarena.’

         
The five of them snacked and drank, laughed and danced, bumping and grinding to
the music of the past. Kate and Lindsey rattled off every lyric of ‘
Shoop
’ in unison, dancing and laughing together like they
used to in college. Giovanni performed his best Gianna-catwalk-strut imitation
to ‘I’m
Too
Sexy,’ performing dramatic pivots with his
hands on his hips. Gianna, for the most part, ignored him. It was a moment of
joy and fun, a stolen moment in which the war between immortals no longer
mattered.

When
the time for cake came, Kate doffed her veil in anticipation of a messy affair.
Lindsey and the twins huddled around the newlyweds as they cut the bottom tier
together and fed small pieces to each other. Dominic, of course, was gentle and
sweet as he fed Kate. Kate, however, grinned and smashed the cake in Dominic’s
face. Laughing, Dominic dragged Kate’s clean face to his dirty one for a kiss,
smearing it onto her face in the process. Kate kissed the cake away, reveling
in the taste of Dominic and chocolate.

Giovanni’s
staff produced warm washcloths and the two of them cleaned their faces. The
cake was served to the wedding party, then the five of
Gio’s
staff who stuck around to eat cake and enjoy the festivities. Lindsey ducked
behind the bar again and the music changed. The Goo
Goo
Dolls’ ‘Iris’ played softly over head.