Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain (10 page)

“We’re going to San Diego tomorrow.”

“San Diego? What for?”

“I’ve been invited to an important dinner and I want you to go with me. We can stay in my hotel and I can take you around the city and to the beach. I’d really like you there with me.”

“Of course. How long are we staying?”

“Three or four days at the most. I know you wanted a break from traveling but this is a necessary event and San Diego is close, no?”

“Sounds great. I need a gown, I assume?”

“Yes, it’s a fancy dinner, as you call it.” He smiles and closes down his computer. “I’m getting an award for the eco friendliness of the property.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m so proud of you, you know that?”

“Ah, well then, I have met my goal.”

“I’ll go pack and tell Cass she’s got her first dog sitting gig.”

“Perfect.”

I walk down the hall to Cassie’s room and knock softly on the door. She opens it slightly and peeks out, grinning. “Not now, sista.”

I can tell she’s naked and realize I interrupted some quality time with her and Chris. “Let me know when you’re free.”

She winks. “You betcha,” she says and closes the door. I chuckle to myself as I go to pack my bags for my trip.

****

Enzo looks down at his ringing phone before answering it. I notice his expression change slightly as he notes the number. “Enzo,” he says into the receiver.

I watch him listen to someone speaking on the other end of the line from my spot on the sofa. I’ve been enjoying the afternoon reading while Enzo finished his San Diego obligations. Last night’s dinner was beyond boring and I’m actually ready to get back home. In the meant
ime, I’m taking advantage of our posh room overlooking the ocean right outside our window.

I notice Enzo is very quiet as he listens to
the person speaking to him. His face switches from pissed off to misery to sheer concern in a matter of seconds.

“When did this happen?” he asks, before nodding his head and listening again. “Do you have one?” As he speaks, he paces the living room, his free hand balled into a fist.

I sense that something is wrong. This doesn’t look good at all.

“We’ll be back late tomorrow, around nine. I don’t want this affecting Ava at all. Whatever you need to do to make that happen, do it. Got it?” Enzo listens some more and then his eyes shoot towards me.

A feeling of fear washes over me. What the hell is going on?

“Good. Okay. See you tomorrow.” Enzo hangs up, but continues to pace while running his fingers through his thick hair.

I sit quietly, waiting for him to tell me what is happening. When Enzo finally turns to me, his face is pale and his eyes are dark. Sitting next to me on the sofa, he says, “Ava, I have to tell you something.”

I take a deep breath. I have not seen this particular reaction from him before, and my imagination runs wild, thinking of the possible cause. He takes my hand in his and rubs it sweetly. God, did someone die?

“Ava, someone wrote a book and I’m in it, and…” He stops, seemingly unable to explain the rest of the story to me.

“What’s in the book, Enzo? Why are you so upset?”

His eyes shift away from me. “The book is by a woman I used to know. She wrote about her exploits and apparently I have a chapter. It’s very graphic.”

I’m confused. “Graphic how?”

“Sexually graphic.”

My blood turns cold. Someone wrote a book about having sex with my husband? That’s fantastic. I keep calm. “Okay, so why were you called about this
now?

Enzo sighs. “One of my attorneys called. He wanted me to know because the book has caused quite a sensation. She’s a fairly well-known person herself and she named names. And, as we all know, sex sells.” He delivers the last sentence like he just tasted something foul.

“She’s famous?”

“She’s well known locally in Phoenix.”

I don’t know what to say. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a handbook for handling famous women who have fucked your husband and wrote a book about it.

“Ava, I’m sorry, I…” He falls silent, at a loss for words, obviously embarrassed and concerned.

“Why are you sorry? You can’t control something like this. It must have been some night for her to be able to write a whole chapter about it.” I try to lighten the mood. As jealous as I want to feel, this happened before me. I rub Enzo’s shoulder, but his body tenses.

“It seems we’ll be returning t
o
a media circus in Phoenix. That’s why Alex called. My offices have received calls for days, attempting to locate me and get a statement.”

“Do you think anyone in San Diego knows about it yet?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, it seems contained in Phoenix so far.”

“Okay, well, we can deal with that. What are you going to say about it?”

Enzo finally looks up at me with those amazing eyes of his. I’m taken aback by how dark and sad they are. “I haven’t decided what to say. I don’t know the content of the chapter. Alex is going to call me back later and read it to me.”

“We could look it up online and see if it’s there.”

“I don’t want you to read any of this, Ava,” he insists. “You are my wife. This is not appropriate.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to avoid it? I am your wife, so I’ll be asked my feelings about it. Don’t you think I should know what I’m responding to?”

He gazes at me for a moment. “No. It doesn’t feel right.”

“You can’t stop me. I can read it if I want to. This is obviously going to be a problem for us, and I have every right to know why.”

Enzo sighs again, heavy with his thoughts. “Fine.”

I grab my iPad and start my search by typing in his name. Whoa. Ten news stories populate the page, all about this new tell-all book. Enzo sits next to me, aloof, and seemingly disinterested in the results.

“Emma Carlyle, well known for her position as production manager at Channel 14, has released a memoir of sorts,” I read aloud. “The book regales details of her salacious love life. It includes intimate descriptions of many high-profile men, including the former president of Channel 14, Ben Thompson, married anchorman Timothy Peyton and, most notably, the extremely private architect, Enzo Milano. The details regarding her peculiar relationship with Mr. Milano are laid out in painstaking detail and will likely be required reading for the many women interested in his personal–”

“Stop,” Enzo demands, standing and walking away. “I don’t want to hear this, and I don’t want you to read it.”

I put the iPad down on the sofa and follow him. Placing my arms around his waist, I press close to him, so he has no choice but to look at me.

“I’m your wife now. Whatever happens to you happens to me, too. I accepted that responsibility when I said my vows to you. You can’t protect me from this.”

Enzo’s eyes soften when they meet mine. “I know I can’t and it’s killing me. I don’t know why she had to do this, and why now.”

“Well, she did, so let’s not worry about that,” I say, calmly. “Let’s just figure out how to deal with it.”

Wrapping his arms around me, he pulls me close. “You blow my mind sometimes, Ava. You fit me so well. You must love me not to run for the hills, dealing with all the shit that comes along with me.”

“We all have shit, Enzo. I do love you, and you are worth any trial we have to go through. Besides, the positives outweigh a few women from your past.”

“I’m not so sure, but thank you.”

Enzo leans his head down and kisses me. “What do you want to do tonight, amore? It’s our last night here, so let’s enjoy it.”

“We can go and get a bite to eat, and then come back here and make love in the peace and quiet of this place.” I kiss his cheek. “Let’s just keep the outside world away, just for one more night. Tomorrow we’ll deal with whatever comes our way,” I suggest.

“Yes, I like that idea.”

****

I roll over in bed and notice that Enzo is not here with me. It is the middle of the night and the room is silent. I creep into the living room to find him looking out the window into the darkness. He is holding his phone to his ear with a grave expression on his face.

“Is that the extent of it? You’ve read all the applicable pages that include me?” He listens intently for a while before answering, “I’m so pissed right now. That was years ago. Why now? How am I going to explain this to Ava? I can’t believe she published this. Fucking bitch.”

I jump a little, shocked by his language. Explain what to me? It is clear that he’s talking about the infamous book, but whatever is in it is really bothering him. I don’t know if I should sneak away and let him be, or try to comfort him. I know one thing for sure: I don’t like angry Enzo.

He continues to pace in front of the window, listening to
the caller silently. I strain to hear from my vantage point in the hallway.

“I want legal action. I can sue even if it’s true, right, for invasion of privacy or defamation?” He listens. “Well, find me a reason. She’s not going to get away with this bullshit.”

He wants to sue her? Oh shit. It must be worse than I imagine. Enzo is an amazing lover, so whatever she wrote must be flattering, even if it is an invasion of his private life. His reaction makes me wonder if there is something more damaging in those pages.

“I want a meeting first thing Tuesday morning. And I do not want any fucking media at the airport when we arrive. I don’t care what you have to do to make it happen. Understand?”

Turning, I sneak back into the bedroom and climb back into bed. When I hear Enzo walk in, I pretend to be asleep. I sense his body pressing up close to mine. His hand strokes my hair and he whispers in my ear, “I’m sorry, Ava. I love you so much. I’m so sorry.”

I try not to move, but my breath catches softly. Why is he sorry? He sounds so tortured. How bad is it going to be?

“Ava, can you hear me? Are you awake?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“I need to talk to you. I need to tell you…” His voice breaks.

My heart breaks a little inside, scared to hear what he’s going to say. Where is the strong, stoic man that I know?

“Enzo,” I say, “you can tell me anything and I will be here. I will love you no matter what. Tell me what it is.”

He holds me tightly for a moment, and I inhale his closeness as though this might be my last chance.

Taking a deep breath, he begins, “I met Emma a few years ago, maybe three or four. I was at a party, and she was there with a date that was treating her poorly. I stepped in and ended up getting the guy kicked out. She was drunk, vulnerable and thankful.” He pauses. “I took her home and she asked me to come in, so I did. Obviously, I had sex with her.”

Obviously… The word does not make it any easier for me to hear. I know he has a past, but it makes my skin crawl to actually hear him discuss it. And it makes me sad that he is forced to because of this book.

“You know how I told you that I rarely saw a woman more than once?”

I nod my head and rub his hand softly.

“Well, I saw Emma more than once. It went on for a while because she…” Stopping, he glances down.

“Because she what, Enzo?”

“Because she had a certain quality that was appealing to me at that time of my life,” he says.

Oh, hello, Mr. Cryptic. What the hell does that mean? I cock my head.

He sighs. “She was willing to participate in a certain lifestyle choice that interested me.”

Now I feel like I’m about to freak out. I sit up in bed and stare at him. “What lifestyle choice? Could you just spit it out, please?”

I can tell he does not want to have this conversation with me. I think I’m about to learn a dirty little secret about my husband.

“Ava, I…” Enzo wrings his hands. If he were standing, I’m sure he’d be pacing at this point. “There was a time that I liked to be dominant…”

“But you’re always dominant. What are you trying to say?”

“Dominant in bed.”

I still don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. He’s always dominant, regardless of the activity. I sigh. This is a frustrating conversation.

“Apparently I don’t understand,” I tell him. “What do you mean?”

Enzo’s eyes shift up to me, slightly surprised. “It means that I like to assert power over women. I like to be rough. I like women to be submissive.”

It does not escape my attention that he’s using the present tense. I narrow my eyes at him.

“I used to. Not anymore,” he quickly adds.

I remember the spanking and robe tie that morning months ago, and how expertly he controlled the situation. At the time it was exciting, and I enjoyed giving myself to him in that way. Now I’m starting to understand where he got those skills.

I take a breath. “Okay, so you like to be dominating. She wrote about that, I assume?”

Enzo nods. “In great detail,” he adds.

“How many times did you see her?”

“Many.”

I tense up. He had a relationship with her? Yet he told me that he never had one since Lucia. Was this woman somehow important to him?