by Emily Bex
“Well, Italy is not exotic, and wine is just grapes. But it is a living that has given me much. It sounds as though you work at a very prestigious agency. I am quite impressed. I own a few Bugatti's myself.” He chuckled deep in his throat. “I think this is the longest conversation we have had without you bolting from me. So, tell me Kate Reese, have you ever been to Italy?”
She laughed softly, “Like I said, you made me...nervous, or something. I'm not usually like that, I promise. But yes, I’ve been to Italy. Shannon, the girl who was with me last night, we went to Italy right after graduation. We went to Rome, of course, and Venice. But Florence was my favorite. I fell in love with Florence. We even rented a little cottage in a vineyard in Tuscany for a few days. Who knows, Mr. Medici...Shade...I could have been staying at one of your vineyards. Now wouldn't that be a coincidence?”
He smiled to himself, he could see her face as she laughed while she spoke, and it melted his heart. The sound of her voice did something to him. It was not sexual; it was something much deeper, deeper than any female had ever touched him. He wondered if she could be the one. Shaking his head, Get your shit together, Shade!
“That is quite possible, quite possible indeed. I am from Florence and I do love it there, my family home is there.”
Grabbing the schedule from Rissa out of his jeans pocket, he scanned through it and saw there was another event this weekend. “Maybe, someday, you will return to Florence? But while I’m here, perhaps we could arrange to have a coffee? Meet at a local shop, si?”
“I...yes, I’d love that. And I promise not to run away this time.”
“I will hold you to such a promise, mi amore. I will not let you run away the next time.”
He stood bare chested, jeans slung low on his hips, in the dark of his condo, watching her. He ached to touch her. He knew the sooner she got to sleep, the sooner he could enter her dreams and be with her. “I shall see you soon then. I will let you go for this evening, I am sure you are quite tired from your work.”
“Shade, thank you for calling. It was really nice talking to you, and I look forward to seeing you again. Good night.”
“It was my pleasure, very much my pleasure. Buonasera.”
Hanging up the phone, he stood there motionless and closed his eyes. The sound of her voice flowed through his head. He had to hold himself back from just going the fuck over there and ravishing her. Turning from the window, he went to take one fucking cold ass shower, and then he had a little shopping to do.
Kate laid her head back against the chair. His pleasure, he said it was his pleasure. But she realized he hadn’t actually made another date. A ‘perhaps we could meet for coffee sometime’ was not asking for a date. She tried to read her book, but all she could see in her head was him.
She turned off the gas fireplace, and headed to her bedroom. The half empty bottle of wine was still on her bedside table. She climbed into her bed and wondered if she’d ever see him again, or if he was just indulging some foolish girl.
6
Finishing up his shower, Shade dressed quickly before teleporting to Italy and going directly to one of the high-end designer shops. He knew exactly what he was going after, and it wouldn’t take him long to find the right pair. Browsing, he asked the assistant for her help in choosing. She brought out some brand-new designs that hadn’t hit the American market yet. He knew the exact pair when he saw them.
“Those will do quite nicely.” There was nothing like a pair of Jimmy Choo’s to woo a woman to your side. He knew, just from looking at Kate, the shoe size she required. He’d been with enough women in his life he could accurately guess the size of any garment she may be wearing. Five hundred years of exploring every aspect of the female anatomy would do that.
He asked the assistant to wrap the shoes for him. She did so with a special gleam in her eye, letting Shade know she was more than available, if he was looking for more than a pair of shoes. He thanked her graciously, leaving a huge tip, then teleported his ass back to his penthouse. Setting the beautifully wrapped package down, he looked out the window and found his bel rosso asleep. Taking out a small card, he hand wrote a note for the package. ‘Such a beautiful woman should own the newest pair of Choo’s. Shade.’
Attaching the card to the package, he walked back downstairs and asked the concierge to please have the package delivered to Miss Kate Reese at the Brunswick Ad Agency in the morning. “Nine o’clock would be an excellent time.”
He tipped him a fifty and headed straight out the door, walking to a dark corner on the street, he teleported inside her condo, wrapping himself in shadow to begin the journey.
He watched her sleep for some time as he sat on the bed, gazing at her. He couldn’t help himself. Just looking at her like this brought out his vampire and he felt a need to protect her. Even his beast seemed a bit at ease just watching her sleep. As exciting and entrancing as she was, he was surprised the brute didn’t roar up and take over. But the beast stood on the edge of his darkness, waiting his turn.
Shade finally stood and carefully slid his hand along her cheek, letting his thumb glide over her lips. He laid his hand in those crimson locks and walked into her dreams, as if it were normal. As he manipulated her dream, she watched him slowly walk toward her. He could feel she liked this. She was able to look him in the eye and wasn’t intimidated. He could tell she felt as though she could trust him to protect her. Now, he wanted her to feel that way when she was awake, not just in her dreams.
He held her in his arms, pulled her close and held her head to his broad chest for some time, feeling her heart beat against his, feeling her blood rush through her veins. He snuggled his head down along her neck, nuzzling and inhaling her scent, the thick, sweet scent of roses calling him. He pulled a red rose from behind his back, and slid it along her cheek, her beautiful, big brown eyes rose up to greet his blue ones. He kissed her gently on the lips, letting the rose fall from his hand as its petals escaped their tightened bud. He watched as she backed away, holding up her hand, palm out as to stop him.
“Please, mi amore, I mean you no harm. Let me kiss you again...come closer.” He smiled and held out his hand to her, but she backed away slowly, moving farther from him. Her subconscious was telling him she wasn’t ready to give her heart. Something was holding her back, something she feared, but it wasn’t him.
He quickly walked from the dream and found her moaning softly in the bed. He stayed seated on the bed by her side until the sun approached and he left her to awaken and go to her employment. Once again, he’d remind her he was here, and he very much wanted her to be his and his only.
***
The sound of the alarm woke her, and she reached from beneath the warm blankets to smack at the clock. She sat up in the bed, the room still dark, rubbed her eyes, and pushed the hair back from her face. She sat quietly, remembering. She’d had the oddest dream, him again. She tried to pull the dream into focus. It was so fuzzy around the edges, but it was definitely him.
He was holding her in his arms, kissing her, and drawing a single rose across her cheek before...Before what? She backed away, and the rose petals fell around her...What did that even mean? She shook her head and reached to turn on the lamp, while sliding her feet over the side of the bed. A hot shower would clear her head.
As she stood and looked back at the crumpled white sheets, she found several bright red rose petals scattered in the bed. Her heart sped up, as her hand automatically went to her throat. She took a few steps back. Not possible. Not possible.
She stared at the rose petals in disbelief. She stepped forward, reached out her hand, extended her finger and touched one petal before withdrawing her hand quickly, like it was burned on a hot stove. It's real! How can that be? She reached again and picked up a petal, feeling it between her fingers, and then turned her head quickly from side to side, looking around the room.
She ran to the front door of the condo and checked the door. It was locked. No sense. This makes no sens
e. She leaned with her back against the door, running possible scenarios through her mind, were there any roses in the house? No. Maybe...maybe...There must have been rose petals stuck to my sweater somehow. When she climbed in the bed, they became dislodged. She looked down at the over-sized sweater and the socks she wore to bed. This was too confusing for this hour and she was letting her imagination run away with her.
She walked back to her bedroom, pulled the sweater over her head and stripped the socks from her feet, as she headed for the shower. She stepped beneath the hot water, letting it wash away the confusion, as she scrubbed herself with her rose scented body wash, the scent of the roses rising on the hot steam from her shower. The memory slammed into her, the feeling of being held by him. Her heart raced as she fought to control her emotions. She stepped from the shower, wrapped a towel around her hair and began her routine of getting ready for work, letting the memories of that dream tumble around in her head.
She finished getting dressed, grabbed her laptop case and headed out the door for the metro station. You are losing your mind, Kate Reese.
***
Shade watched from his window, but he must also watch the time, the sun would approach very quickly, and he’d feel the burn on his skin. He watched her closely when she sat up and stretched. As she shook her head several times, he automatically found his hand over his heart, watching that damn hair, wishing it was being tousled around him. Then he saw the shocked look on her face, her hand to her throat. What in the hell was wrong? His eyes went to the bed and the rose petals strewn across the white sheets. She could be severely freaked out by this or maybe...Nope, she was freaked. He realized he’d just lost ground. “Cazzo, stupido bastardo!”
***
She was late, as always. She was so not a morning person. Stopping at Starbucks she grabbed her coffee. The barista had her ‘usual’ waiting for her, as she ran in and slid the $5 bill across the counter, before running back out the door, and up the street a few buildings. She rushed to her cubicle, trying to slip in un-noticed. As she sat at her desk and started her computer, Shannon rolled her chair into Kate’s cubicle.
Shannon gave her a once over. “You're looking a little frazzled this morning. Did you call him? Wait, why am I even asking? Of course you didn't call him.”
Kate spun her chair around to face Shannon, and gave her a smug smile. “No, I didn't call him. He called me.”
Shannon’s eyes bugged out of her head. "What?” She scooted her chair in closer, before whispering in a dramatic voice, “Details!"
“Last night, I was just reading, and my cell rang. I thought it was you, but it was him.”
Shannon responded in exasperation. “Okay, when someone says details, they mean details, like he said this, and then you said that. What did he say?”
“He was very sweet. His voice sounded very sexy on the phone.”
“Kate, his voice sounds sexy in person, so of course he sounds sexy on the phone. What did he say?”
“I thanked him for our dinner and the wine. He asked where I worked. I told him. Said I traveled in my job and that I’d been to Italy. I told him about our trip there, when we stayed in that cottage in the vineyard in Tuscany. He said he was from Florence. That's...about it.”
Shannon rolled her eyes. “Okay, that is literally the most boring story I've ever heard. Did he ask you out? What? What happened?”
“Not really. I mean, he said maybe we’d have coffee sometime. Or perhaps, he said perhaps we’d have coffee sometime. Doesn't sound like a date. I don't know. This guy is so out of my league, and then this morning...No, never mind.”
Shannon nodded. “It could be a date. He's just probing. He’s trying to gauge your response. See if you're interested, or if he's going to get shot down. But what about this morning? Don't start something and then say never mind.”
Kate was hesitant to share what even she didn’t understand. “I...this is nothing. Just, weird. I had this dream of him, again. He was holding me, and he kissed me and stroked my face with a red rose. And then, this morning, when I woke up...no...It’s nothing. You'll really think I've lost it.”
“Hate to tell you, but I already think you've lost it. So, what? You woke up, and what?”
“I woke up, and...there were rose petals in my bed.”
Shannon looked at her with her mouth open. "Yeah, you're right. I definitely think you've lost it, Kate. That's impossible, you know that, right? What you're thinking? I mean, I'm sure they were there, like I don't think you were hallucinating or anything. But you don't seriously think they dropped out of your dream or something. Or he was there? Do you think he was physically there?”
“I thought maybe he was there. But the door was locked. So no, it couldn’t be. I think the petals may have been stuck to my sweater. Maybe I brushed against someone and they were on my sweater. I don't know, it just freaked me out a little.”
Shannon nodded. “That's got to be it, right? I mean, there’s a logical explanation. Don't go all voodoo on me.”
Drinking her coffee, Kate looked at her over the rim of the cup. She knew Shannon was right. She couldn’t let her imagination run out of control. As they sat there, the guy from the mailroom came up. “Miss Reese? There's a package for you.” He handed her a large gift box, beautifully wrapped.
Shannon's eyes were bulging out of her head again. Kate took the box and noticed the small gift card attached under the bow.
Shannon was bouncing in her chair. “Who's it from? Is there a card? Open the card.”
Kate slipped the small envelope from under the bow, removed the card and read it out loud, “Such a beautiful woman should own the newest pair of Choo’s. Shade.” She looked up at Shannon and their eyes locked.
Shannon shouted, “Well, don’t just sit there. Open it!”
Kate tried to remove the ribbon and the elaborate wrapping paper without tearing it, while she smacked at Shannon's hands to keep her from grabbing at the paper to rip it open. She removed the paper, set it aside, opened the shoe box, and pulled out the shoes. Jimmy Choo heels with a zebra toe box with black straps that laced around the ankles, and a bright red rose on the toe. They were from the upcoming Spring Collection. Their agency just shot the pictures for that ad campaign. These shoes weren’t even on the market yet.
Shannon grabbed one of the shoes from the box. "Fuck me! Girl, if you don’t hang on to this guy, I'm going for him. Just sayin'. Any man who can get Jimmy Choo’s before they even go to market, now that’s a man-skill to be envied. Forget taking out the trash, or cooking on the grill."
Kate kicked her own shoes off and slipped on the Jimmy Choo’s. They fit perfectly. She wound the straps around her ankles and tied them, then walked outside her cubicle, and they looked...awesome. All she needed was a black sheath dress and these shoes and she’d have the perfect outfit. As she walked around modeling the shoes, she was struck by the fact the shoes had a rose on the toe. The memory of rose petals in her bed came rushing back to her. Stop it! You are making yourself crazy.
“Shannon, do you know how much these cost? I can't keep a gift like this."
“Are you crazy? A man gives you next season Jimmy Choo’s and you want to return them? No way, there is no way I'm letting that happen.”
Kate shook her head. “I don't know. I think a gift like this has expectations.”
“Oh. My. God. You did not just say that. I would fuck the pimply-faced kid from the mailroom for a pair of shoes like this. You’re not seriously telling me you're going to return these shoes because he may want something in return? Like climbing into bed with that man would be a hardship? Kate! Hello! Twenty-first century.”
Kate started to remove the shoes and return them to their box.
“Oh no, girlfriend! You are wearing those shoes today. And tonight, when you get home, you're going to call him and tell him how much you love them. Got it?”
She looked at the shoes on her feet, and they did look fabulous; beyond fabulous. "Okay, against my b
etter judgment. But if this guy breaks my heart— ”
“If this guy breaks your heart, you'll still have a great pair of Jimmy Choo’s. Get over it.”
7
Kate wore the hot shoes around the office. They were a little on the dressy side for work, but every man she walked past took notice, and said, “Nice shoes,” with a sly smile. And every woman said, “Nice shoes,” with a note of jealousy. She took them off at the end of the day, not wanting to wear them on the metro and the few blocks back to her condo. She slipped them back in the box, loaded up her laptop, grabbed her jacket, and headed out.
At seven o’clock, she grabbed a sandwich to go, at Panera Bread and took it home with her for dinner. Once she got home, she put the shoes in the closet, wondering what event she could wear them to. They really were too dressy to wear to work again. She changed into jeans and a soft cashmere sweater and went to the living room. She turned on the gas fireplace and started eating her sandwich, as she opened her laptop to check email. Rissa had sent an invitation to a big charity event this Saturday that required semi-formal cocktail wear. That was unusual to receive two invitations from Rissa in two weeks. Rissa had always been friendly to her, but they weren’t really friends. But hey, who was she to turn down an invitation, and maybe he would be there.
She checked the time, 8:30 already. She finished the sandwich, and drank a green tea. She scrolled through her contacts on her cell phone to find the number Shannon entered for her, Shade Hot Stuff. She laughed out loud. It was the first time she’d seen how Shannon programmed him into her phone. She hit dial.
As he picked up the phone, Kate could hear some serious head-banging music in the background. It sounded like “Hail to the King” by Avenged Sevenfold. Really? The man in the hand-tailored suits listens to heavy metal? His response was short, abrupt—“Medici.” His voice struck a chord in her, and she started to stumble over her words. She took a deep breath and composed herself.
