Honeymoon For Three

by Lily Zante

  All he needed was for Ava to say ‘yes’.

  Against the backdrop of the darkened purple night sky, Nico felt a furious thudding of his heartbeat. He wanted to ask her to come with him, but he didn’t want to frighten her off either.

  “I’m leaving for a business trip tomorrow. I’ll be gone three days.” He paused to see her watching him carefully.

  “Oh,” she sounded surprised, “why don’t you come inside and tell me all about it, Nico. It seems silly to be discussing this on the doorstep.”

  “I’ve been…” He paused, his eyes narrowing. “I shouldn’t have missed that meeting. You know I have this …on-off situation with my father. We don’t always see eye to eye.”

  She brushed her hand lightly across his arm. “I know. I’ve watched the two of you together. I understand how difficult it must be for you sometimes. But I think your father is hard on you because he loves you so much.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. She understood him. Unlike anyone he had ever known, save his mother, this woman calmed him. She eased his tension and made him feel better about the rough and bumpy turn his life seemed to have taken all of a sudden.

  He so wanted her with him, but he was fearful of scaring her off. He understood her well enough now to know that talk of a commitment or anything which signified that might make her run the other way. They only had a little time left. He couldn’t afford not to try.

  “Why don’t you come with me? It would be like a little break, just the two of us. I want to make the most of the time we have left before you return to Denver.”

  He knew he had a lot to prove to her, too. It wasn’t just his father. Seeing her standing there in the doorway, with the hallway light behind her highlighting her hair, he knew it would be a picture of her he would never forget.

  If she was surprised by his request, she hid it well. He tried to read her expression, but it was cool, and she gave nothing away.

  Finally, she said, “Okay,” and beamed a beautiful smile at him. She hadn’t even asked him where they were going.

  A surge of irrepressible joy burst inside him. Three days with her all to himself. “Great.”

  “Are you sure about taking me along for a business meeting?”

  “Of course I’m sure,” Nico said, wanting to do a victory dance.

  “Why did you wait until the very end to ask me?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t want to frighten you off.”

  “You won’t frighten me off,” she said, “unless another one of your past girlfriends turns up.” She jested with him, but there was an element of realism in her words.

  He shook his head. “I don’t intend to ever hurt you, not if I can help it.”

  A hint of a smile crept back on her face. “So, where are we going?”

  “To pay a visit to one of the Cazale hotels in Riccione and to see another hotel nearby. I’ll be busy in meetings, but I’ll have time to spend with you.”

  Ava’s smile widened. Suddenly she stepped out and laid her palms flat against his chest.

  “I’m looking forward to it already,” she said.

  Just feeling the heat of her body close to him was enough to get him aroused again. When she then leaned in and gave him a long, lingering kiss, a kiss that promised much more, he reluctantly pulled away.

  “Ava,” he whispered. “You tempt me beyond all reason, but I really must go and prepare.” He tortured himself a moment longer by running his fingers gently down her face. His feet rooted to the ground, unable to move away.

  “So go now.” She shooed him away with a flourish of her hand. “What time are we leaving?”

  He stayed where he was. “Late afternoon. I didn’t even ask you if you had any plans for the next three days, what with your mom and sister still here.”

  “I think my family can keep themselves suitably occupied for a few days.” She winked at him.

  That was the kind of answer he liked to hear. Maybe, just maybe, there was time to show her that what they had was worth something. He leaned in and cupped her cheek softly with the palm of his hand.

  “Pack some light clothes. Goodnight.” He left her without a final kiss, leaving her wanting.

  Three days alone with Ava would be heaven.

  Chapter 25

  Going to Riccione, on the eastern coast, was a welcome break for them both. Nico didn’t mind the drive. He didn’t mind anything much, as long as Ava was with him.

  He had worked hard during the early morning to tie up all loose ends. The call he had missed with Matteo, the manager of the Cazale Roma in Rome, had been one of the loose ends. But although Nico had called him a number of times, he’d been unable to get a hold of him. He concluded that it was nothing urgent. Nothing that couldn’t wait a few more days.

  His father hadn’t mentioned anything either.

  They set off after he had tied up a few loose ends at the Casa Adriana and they arrived in the Cazale Riccione just in time for lunch. The hotel manager greeted them enthusiastically, almost tripping over himself to please Nico, his boss. He ingratiated himself with Ava, believing her to be of some importance since she was with Nico.

  They had just finished a sumptuous and decadent lunch. Too rich for Nico’s tastes. He knew the staff was doing their best to please him.

  “How do you manage all your hotels?” asked Ava, laying down her napkin.

  “My father takes care of it mostly. He’ll pay a visit to each hotel once every two months or so. But he has regular meetings by phone. He loves the idea of web conferencing, though he still needs to physically go and check out each place. He has to see the books, talk to the staff, inspect the property. Luckily, most of the managers he has hired are excellent.”

  “It sounds like a lot of work. Eight hotels?”

  “They’re small though. And they’re not in busy locations or anything. My father never liked the idea of those big, towering concrete blocks next to other buildings that were more of the same.”

  “He has excellent business acumen.”

  Nico nodded. These smaller boutique style hotels, which was what the Cazale hotels were, seemed more highly sought after these days. Most especially by affluent travelers who balked at the very idea of last minute cheap deals and the coupon culture.

  Being smaller, they were easier to manage, too.

  “This is the second of your father’s hotels that I’ve seen and I’m already in love with them all. Your father’s been so successful. No wonder he has such high expectations of you.”

  Nico jumped. She had it spot on. He hoped that the stop at Ravenna, on the way back, would help him gain a foothold onto the hotel property ladder. He wanted to prove, especially to himself, that he was capable and business minded, too.

  “It’s getting harder as time goes on. Competitors springing up everywhere. We’ve got lots to do to stay ahead. But my father seems to want to slow down now, especially this last year. I have ideas and getting my father to see eye to eye with me can be challenging at best.”

  “But if he’s worked hard to build all of this up, it’s only natural that he’ll want to slow down now. I can’t imagine it being easy for him to let go of the business easily.”

  “He seems quick enough to put out that he is willing to sell, for the right price,” Nico shot back.

  “Maybe it’s his way of testing you. Of seeing if you are up to the mark,” Ava offered.

  Nico shrugged. Whatever the reason, he was determined to show his father just how capable he was.

  “I’ll be busy for the rest of the afternoon,” he said apologetically.

  Ava smiled at him. “No, you go ahead and do what you need to. The drive down here was breathtaking. I’m so happy that I got to see a part of Italy that I might not have seen otherwise.”

  “We’re here for two nights. Tomorrow I should have finished most of my review of this place. I’ll be able to spend more time with you then.” Riccione, being the smallest of the hotels seemed a good one to
roll out his hotel blueprint to. If it worked here, he knew he had a system that could be rolled out to the other hotels. But that wasn’t the only reason he had come to this part of Italy.

  “Two nights?” she said in a husky voice.

  “Two nights,” he confirmed.

  The heat between them was obvious.

  ***

  Nico’s meeting with the manager was straightforward enough. He went through the list of processes he wanted to implement at the Cazale Riccione during the coming two months.

  The staff here were quick starters and very loyal and if anything went wrong here, Nico would know what needed to be improved on before he rolled it out elsewhere.

  Nico and Gina had worked through the plans in meticulous detail and with Nico overseeing everything and Gina ensuring that each process was carried out to the letter, the process for improving customer experience and increasing quality had gone extremely well at the Casa Adriana.

  If he could now follow the same process at the Cazale Riccione, and it worked, he had a blueprint to roll out to the other hotels. This was his vision for bringing all the other hotels to the same level of excellence.

  By the time Nico had detailed his vision and set proper milestones in place, it was late evening. He was anxious to get the bulk of the meetings out of the way today, so that there was only little required of him tomorrow.

  Tomorrow he wanted to spend most of the day with Ava. He had to make it up to her, dragging her all the way out here only to have her left alone. Though he knew she was quite happy to come along with him for the ride.

  Now that their recent separation was over, they had fallen into an easy camaraderie again. It was almost like how it used to be during their time in Venice.

  Nothing would ruin things now.

  He carried out the inspection of the kitchens and the rest of the hotel building and by the time he finished, he was relieved the day was over.

  Suitably happy that he had achieved what he had set out to do, Nico returned to his room.

  Ava had fallen asleep and beside her lay a magazine thrown open along the middle. There were photos of him at a Grand Prix party, taken alongside famous racing car drivers and beautiful women. The article was in English, which meant Ava had read it all.

  He sighed, shaking his head in anger. Even on a trip away, these things haunted him. He lay down beside her and watched her sleeping.

  The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt this woman.

  ***

  Light fingers tickled her face, and Ava stirred. She was a light sleeper at the best of times. Stretching out, she flickered her eyes open a little. Her gaze fell on Nico’s face and she smiled.

  His eyes never left her face. He looked tired and a little tense. Seeing his unease, Ava’s eyes flew open immediately.

  “What’s wrong?” She gave him a puzzled frown.

  “This.” He held up the magazine so that she faced the full page spread. Ava looked from the magazine to his eyes peering just above it. This wonderful man was doing his best to make everything perfect and right for her.

  She flicked the magazine away, at the same time annoyed with herself for falling asleep.

  “You looked so ridiculously boyish back then.” She pointed to the photos.

  His perplexed face spoke volumes. She moved in closer to him, enjoying his look of surprise. “I prefer the more mature, manlier version of you now.”

  His lips turned up and relief flooded his features, wiping away the tension that had crept in. She knew he had been worried about her response. And she didn’t want him to worry any more. It was an old magazine. Why the hotel had kept this she didn’t know. She had found it buried deep below the pile of magazines on one of the tables and had brought it up to read.

  “You’re not angry?” he asked, looking at her lips. She reacted by licking hers.

  “About which bit? The ‘rich and handsome’ Nico Cazale? Or the ‘playboy heartthrob’ who leaves a ‘trail of broken hearts’ wherever he goes? Or the ‘Romeo hunk’ who has no trouble finding women?” Ava reeled off phrases verbatim from the article. She couldn’t blame him for things that had happened in his past, no more than he could blame her for anything in hers.

  They were equal now and if there was a chance of anything further growing between them, she had to learn to deal with things from his past.

  Nico feigned a bored expression. “This is boring. It’s old news. They’re talking about someone else, of course.” He moved off the bed in one smooth movement and removed his tie.

  It was when he started unbuttoning his shirt that excitement danced in her veins.

  “I’m taking a shower and then I’m taking you to dinner,” he promised. His mood was instantly elevated and his eyes shone with promise.

  “How about something in between?” She lay on the bed like a seductive temptress, and he knew exactly the type of “something” she needed. Nico took off his shirt and walked over to her, a fire stoked in his gaze as he bent down and kissed her hungrily.

  “Don’t move,” he warned her and walked away, leaving her to admire his smooth, broad, naked back.

  Chapter 26

  Ava was happy, tired happy, sleep-deprived happy. Happy. Time alone with Nico made her giddy. Being away from the hectic demands of Nico’s work as well as the demands of her family meant they only had eyes for each other.

  They hadn’t made it out of the room last night and had ordered room service instead.

  The next day Nico had inspected the hotel and the kitchens and spoken to all the members of staff individually, his job had been done.

  He had taken Ava out to what he referred to as one of his favorite places, out in the beauty and quiet of the countryside and the hills of Riccione.

  Even though the Cazale Riccione was situated away from the trawling, sprawling, buzzing nightclubs, restaurants and nightlife of Riccione, where most of the tourists went, he had taken her out farther. It wasn’t until she was high up in the hills that she had realized how much quieter and off the beaten path most of his favorite places were.

  In a quaint little restaurant, they ate culatello, the prized white truffle, drank good wine and enjoyed a hearty meal.

  They stayed on at the restaurant, until even the kitchen staff had cleared up and were ready to go home. Then they drove back to the hotel and talked some more, into the early hours of the morning.

  And then, when they were too tired to do anything else but fall asleep, they did so—happy and full from the good things that life had to offer—in each other’s arms.

  When they left Riccione, it was with a wonderful picture book of memories. Here, where there had been no one else but the two of them, it had given her an idea of what life could be like, might be like, should anything further develop between them.

  If she wasn’t careful, he would take her heart forever.

  On their drive back to Verona, Nico stopped off along the way. Ava was grateful to get out and stretch her legs. She shut the car door behind her and stifled a yawn. “Is this another one of your hotels?” she looked up at the slightly shabby-looking white building in front of them.

  “I don’t know.” Nico scratched his chin and slipped his other hand around hers. “You tell me.” He cocked his head, waiting for an answer.

  “I don’t understand.” Nico wasn’t making any sense.

  “Then follow me.” He pulled her along with him and walked into the hotel.

  “Mr. Cazale.” An impeccably dressed man held out his hand and greeted them.

  Ava looked around her at the big lobby area, with its peeling wallpaper that exposed dank, stained walls, and faded curtains with falling swags. It may have been decadent once, but now it looked worn and weary.

  “What are we doing here?” she whispered, nudging in closer towards him as they followed the sharp-suited man around.

  Nico waved his hand at the man who had been speaking to him in Italian and gave her his full attention.

  “What do you
think of this place?”

  “It’s nice…a bit shabby and it’s empty.”

  “I’m thinking of buying it. It has potential.”

  “Buying this?” she looked around with new eyes.

  Nico nodded and waved his hand to the man who stood patiently waiting for them, signifying that he needed a moment more.

  He let go of her hand and walked around, excitement dancing in his eyes. “This place has potential. It’s been on the market for a few months. But I can already see how we could bring this in line with the Casa Adriana. It’s a risk, but not too big a risk. It’s near the coast, but away from the other cheap and cheerful hotels. I can already see in my mind’s eye how beautiful it could be. I see it as more than just a hotel, this would be perfect as a spa retreat, offering treatments. A complete sanctuary for indulgence.”

  “I’d stay here,” said Ava excitedly, she could see the possibilities he was painting. “I know you could make this work, Nico. But do you think buying a new hotel is the thing to do right now, when you have so many other hotels to look after already? I know you feel the pressure of doing so much in one year, but maybe some things can wait.” She didn’t want to dissuade him, but he had asked her opinion. She knew he was trying to prove himself but not at the cost of working himself to death. His face dropped a little at her reply.

  So she added, “I believe you can do this, but you need to make sure it’s for the right reasons.”

  “I’m all for looking after my father’s hotels, and maintaining and improving them, but I need to do something by myself. Something from the beginning. I’ve been lucky, I know, that my father has built up his empire. But sometimes, I think people look at me and think I have it all made.”

  “Do it because you want to do it but don’t make yourself ill by taking too much on. Besides, you shouldn’t worry about what people think. You don’t need to do it to prove anything to others. Or your father.”

  “I’m doing it for us. I mean—” His face reddened.

  “Us? Nico, I—” She hesitated. This little break had been a culmination of things; it had allowed her to begin to believe that they could become more. They had touched upon these very things in their late night, early morning pillow talks. But with Nico saying it out aloud in the cold light of day, her panic started to seep in. And when he didn’t say anything she still panicked. What did she want?