Page 115

“We have put in a call to Fish. I should hear from him soon.”

“You okay?”

“Si.” Dominic said, his gaze then shifting over to Catalina. Giovanni recognized the hurt and pain in his brother’s eyes. He too felt bitterness over letting her go off into life without his protective influence. She was another man’s wife and as such Giovanni had to see her as a woman, not the little girl that he adored.

“I understand your feelings, Domi.”

“Che?” Dominic said.

“We’re losing her.” Giovanni nodded in the general direction of Catalina. “She’s no longer our girl. A married woman, soon to be a mother possibly.”

“She looks so beautiful today.” Dominic said. “Like an angel.”

Giovanni felt his chest swell with pride. “Papa would be proud of her, and Mama too. I want you to stay close to her, make sure she settles into married life. Make sure she doesn’t need anything.”

Dominic shook his head. “Gio, get someone else for the job.”

“Why?” Giovanni looked down at him. “What is it?”

“I’m needed at your side. You’ve elevated my position remember?”

Giovanni let go a gust of laughter. He smacked Dominic on the back. “Of course. Put someone on it. Just take care of our girl.”

Dominic’s gaze shifted back to a laughing Catalina who was seated on her husband’s lap. She looked up and blew them both a kiss. Dominic sighed and turned to walk away. “I’ll see to it.”

****

After seeing Catalina off with her new husband to their honeymoon in Greece, Mira found herself alone.

“Ciao Bella,” Giovanni said as his arms slipped around her waist. She relaxed into him and closed her eyes. “Take a walk with me.” She turned in his arms and kissed him. They walked off down the side of the villa along a slender path through flowers and trees. The staff began taking down the festive decorations, and a few family members posed and snapped pictures with each other. The sun had set, and the large full moon hung high in the sky, lighting the path. “These roses are everywhere. So beautiful,” she said, his hand in hers as they walked down the trail.

“Did you know that seventy percent of the buds are imported from Kenya, Africa?”

Mira lifted the rose to her nose she became intoxicated by its scent. “Really?”

“It’s cheaper for breeders to cultivate them there. Actually they pretty much have the market cornered on the blue rose.” he said walking over to her taking the delicate flower from her hand. Mira watched as he snapped the stem, flinching from the destruction of perfection, but understanding when he then placed it behind her right ear.

“My mother loved roses, but the blue rose was her favorite. Once my father discovered this he made sure they were planted everywhere she lived. Mira listened attentively while he made sure the rose fit perfectly inside of her dark locks. Once done he brought her long tresses forward over her shoulder, looking into her face adoringly.

“L'azzurro è aumentato. It is just like any other rose. It has petals, thorns, leaves and a stem. It blooms and it dies like any flower would. But the rose is different, isn’t it Bella?” he said lifting her chin with his index finger causing her to tilt her head slightly. “Because its beauty is beyond compare. Make no mistake, Bella. It’s not your physical beauty that has me spellbound. It’s your sweetness. It separates you from all the rest.”

“I’ve never known a man like you.”

“Ti Amo,” he said and kissed her.

Chapter Fifteen

Mira walked inside. Rather she floated now after the day she’d had with the Battaglia’s. Even when alone, she found herself constantly smiling. She suffered a dull ache of desire at the thought of the night he promised her. She agreed to let him handle some business affairs and to pack a bag. Where they were headed, she didn’t know. However, he made it quite clear what he intended to do once he had her alone.

A sly smile tugged the corner of her mouth.

“Signorina?”A voice said behind her. He cleared his throat in a resonant way, and she paused. A very distinguished man with stern grey eyes stepped into view. “Flavio Pricci. I work for Giovanni,” he said politely, touching his silk tie and smoothing it flat to his chest. He wore a dark grey suit with a black shirt and tie. He had the most compelling grey eyes.

“CiaoFlavio. Yes. I met you a few days ago.”

“Can we share a cup of cappuccino, talk?” he gestured to the open parlor that faced the back of the estate. Mira glanced inside. A staff member had prepared a tray and was setting things in order. It appeared Flavio had been waiting for her. The challenge in his unwavering stare made it impossible to refuse.

“Sure,” she said.