Turn Towards the Sun (37 page)

“Why are they just standing there Enzo?” I whisper even though they probably don’t understand me.

“They are waiting for our reaction to the food.”

Enzo scoops a large helping of the first platter on my plate explaining that it is polenta, a creamy dish made of yellow corn meal
.
He then plates some of the second dish and tells me it is a braised beef short rib in a red wine sauce. The wine is Barolo, a very famous Tuscan wine.

He pours two glasses of the Barolo for us to drink. The man and the young girl are still
watching
,
anticipating our reaction. Enzo takes a
bite,
and I follow. My face lights up as I taste the creamy, cheesy polenta. I dig into the short ribs that fall off the bone. They are so tender I don’t even need to chew really. The sauce is tomato-ey with a bold wine undertone.

“Oh my gaw
d
Enzo
, this is freaking amazing.” I shovel
polenta in my mouth as I speak, you know like ladies do.

“Bravo signore, bravissimo.” Enzo praises the man and his food
.
The man’s face spreads into a huge smile.

“Sono contento.” The man and the young girl walk away.

“What did he say?”

“He said he was pleased we like the food.”
Enzo pulls my plate away and scoots closer to me.

“My turn.” He takes his fork and di
gs into the polenta, then adds
some of the meat to it.

“Open your mouth.” I do as I’m told. He watches me chew as he takes a bite. He repeats this several more times, not speaking in between. I have no idea why this is turning me on so much. I’m obviously capable of feeding
myself,
but this is so…erotic. The whole meal goes like this, a bite for me, a bite for him. I’m getting excited for what we might do later.

Enzo stands to pay the bill. The man and what I know now to be his family stand around Enzo, speaking rapidly. Enzo is smiling so I know he is praising the meal.

We walk back slowly to the hotel, hand in hand.

“Why do you like to feed me Enzo?”

He tilts his head and looks off in the distance for a moment. “I’m not sure exactly. I’ve never had any desire to feed a woman before you.” He pauses, then continues, “
It
makes me feel like I’m taking care of you.” He squeezes my hand.

“You take excellent care of me.”

We cross the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and look in and out of the many shops. Gazing out in the darkness at the Arno River, Enzo wraps his arms around my waist.

He buries his face in my hair and whispers, “I love you so
much,
Ava. I don’t know if you even understand how much. You are the most important person in the world to me.” I try to turn
around,
but he holds me tight.

“Tell me Ava. Tell me how you feel about me.” His vulnerability is showing again. How can I get him to understand that I feel the same?

“Enzo, you have to understand. I love you too, completely, with everything that I have inside of me. I have never felt this strongly for someone. Never. I didn’t even know it was possible. I think about you every moment of the day, even when you are standing right next to me. I want nothing but your happiness. I want to give you everything you give me. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever felt like I was the priority, like I was at the top. Do you know how amazing that is? Enzo, you are my everything.”

He turns me around and kisses
me,
and I feel like we are the only
people
on the bridge at that moment. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close.

“I need to make love to you.
Now.”
He tugs my arm as we start walking back to the hotel room.
We walk so fast I can barely keep up with
him,
but I enjoy his excitement.
In the
elevator,
he presses me against the wall
and kisses
my neck passionately, running one hand up under my skirt. He grips my wrists with his other hand, pinning them above my head.

“Is this what you want tonight?”

“Yes, please.” I groan. Elevators are so hot.

He pulls my hand leading me down the hall to our room. He opens the door and scoops me up, throwing me over his shoulder, causing me to explode into a giggling fit. He lays me down on the sofa and removes my shoes. I put my arms under my head and watch him closely, a smile still spread across my face. He stands and quickly removes his clothes. He’s standing naked in front of me, his face filled with love and passion. For me!

He
pushes my skirt up around my waist and yanks my panties down, leaving the rest of my clothing in place. This is so exciting. He turns me so that my feet touch the floor. Dropping to his knees, he prepares to enter me. He hasn’t said a
word, which
is only adding to my excitement. He’s going to take me like this? Awesome!

He waits at my opening and moves slowly
back and forth
, teasing me.
I can’t take it anymore. I need him now.

“Enzo—”

“Shhh. No words.”

Suddenly,
he slams into
me,
and I inhale deeply. He pumps quickly, silently, his head thrown back as he does. He reaches one hand up and rubs my clitoris rapidly. I try to keep my hip movements in time with his. This. Is. So. Fucking. Amazing.
I feel tears building in my eyes as pleasure spreads throughout my body. I feel like a goddess right now.
This man loves me so much. I can’t even wrap my head around this. I open my eyes and meet his intense gaze.

“I love you Ava, so much, so much.” His voice breaks as he pounds into me.

“I love you too Enzo. So much.”

I grind my body against him, desperate for climax.
He arches his back and explodes into me,
as my own orgasm erupts.
He slumps onto me and we slide onto the floor together, bodies entwined. I stroke his hair as he lies against me. He looks
up,
and I see tears falling down his face.

“Enzo, baby—” He kisses my mouth to silence me.

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. You are my happiness. Stay with me.”

“Always.” And I know I mean it.

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“You mean it?” Vulnerable Enzo.

“I always keep my promises.”

He kisses me again and rises to lift me to my feet. He looks at me, my clothes half on and crumpled, and begins to laugh.

“I guess I couldn’t wait any longer to ravish you.”

I grin and kiss his delectable mouth. “I’m yours to have whenever you want me.”

“Let’s go to bed.” He leads me to the bedroom.

Francesca blows into the hotel on a cloud of Italian designer clothes and kisses me on both cheeks. She hands me a notebook and a pen and starts talking rapidly about plans for the hotel. I am overwhelmed. I can barely understand a word she’s
saying,
and I wonder if she
accidentally
switched to Italian on me.

“Wait.”

She stops and turns to me.

“I need you to go slower.”

She smiles. “
Sì, c
erto.” She says. “Yes, okay where should we start Ava? In your opinion?”

I collect my thoughts for a moment. “I think the common areas make the most impact to a visitor. We should start there.” I have a slight questioning tone in my voice.

She smiles wide. “Yes! That is correct. We start in the lobby and work to the rooms, no?”

We head into the lobby and start discussing her ideas. She thinks we need more sitting areas around the large lobby. I agree.

“Checca, this area of Florence is so pretty and perfect for people watching. What do you think about enlarging the front window on both sides and adding seating areas facing the outside?”

Francesca surveys the area, tapping her pencil on her bottom lip. The existing windows are old and not very
large,
and the area has no seating.

“Yes. This is a good idea. The tourists they sit here, drink the coffee, make the plans. Yes. I like this idea. What else?”

We walk through the room pointing at things that could be changed or updated. The entire space needs to be
modernized,
and new materials brought in. I didn’t realize how interested I am in the design and appeal of a room until I started hanging out with Enzo and his sister. This is more exhilarating than I thought.

“Ava, you are very good at this, a natural. Someday you will be able to lead the projects too. We will accomplish more together, no?”

“Yes.” I can’t stop smiling thinking about my new amazing life.

“I have a surprise for you my prince.”

Enzo looks up from his blueprints, curiosity all over his face. “I like surprises.”

“For the next five days, I’m taking an intensive Italian course here in Florence.” I found a school online that is three blocks from the hotel and could private tutor me on short notice.

“Are you serious?” He stands and walks towards me.

“Quite.”

He reaches for me and pulls me tight. “I’m very pleased to hear that Ava. What is Gabriella going to do?”

“She’s going to join me of course.”

“She wants to learn Italian?”

“She does after spending time here. Besides, Calvin speaks Italian and she loves opera so it will help her understand the words more.”

“That’s wonderful amore. Thank you. For lots of things but especially for caring enough about me to learn my language. It’s always been a dream of mi
ne to speak Italian in my home
with my children. And my wife.”

I feel myself blushing again. The thought of being this man’s wife someday fills me with joy.

“This is the place guys.” Grayson and Gabby follow behind me as I walk up to a small building and press the doorbell.

“Sì
?” A woman’s voice crackles over the speaker.

“We’re here for the Italian class.” I sure hope she speaks English.

The door buzzes and we all quickly enter. We walk to the top of the stairs where a woman stands waiting for us, smiling.

“Hello, please come in.” I can just barely understand her through the thick accent.

“My name is Ava. This is Gabriella and Grayson.”

“
The professor will be right with you.” Gabby
and I
sit in a cozy room on a well-worn couch. Grayson stands in a corner looking out over Florence.

“Buon giorno!” We look up to see a short man, about sixty, bursting into the room.

“Io sono Lorenzo. Sono il vostro professore.”

We stare at
him.

“I am Lorenzo, your professor.” He repeats in English.

“I am Ava and this—”

“No. Try in Italian. Io sono Ava.” He repeats slowly.

“Io sono Ava.”

“Io sono Gabriella.”

Grayson
jumps in
.
“Io sono Grayson.”

“Bravi studenti. Andiamo.”

He motions to the door. “Today we go out to learn Italian. This is the best way. We will touch, taste, and feel Italy. Okay?”

“Okay.” Gabby hooks her arm in mine as we head out.

“Good job Grayson.” I nudge his arm as we walk.

“I might as well learn something. I’ve been hanging out with Italians long enough I suppose.”

We spend our day along the Ponte Vecchio, sampling food at the market, shopping for goods, and asking for directions, all in broken Italian
.
Lorenzo praises us at every turn. If this is how we learn
Italian,
it’s going to be fun.

“Don’t worry so much for the grammar, you will learn that later. For now, just use the words, speak as much as you can. Think in Italian. Dream in Italian.” Lorenzo is very encouraging.

“Are you guys ready to go home?” I ask my tired traveling partners.

“I sure am. My brain needs a break.” Gabby rubs her forehead as we walk back to the hotel.

“I think I might order room service and go straight to sleep tonight.” Grayson chimes in.

We start our short walk back to the hotel. I feel Grayson’s hand on my arm. “Ava, slow down.”

I stop and look behind me. Grayson stands frozen on the sidewalk looking around with a frown on his face.

“What is it Grayson?” I grab Gabby’s hand.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. I thought I saw someone following
us,
but I think I was just seeing things.”