by Patricia Mar
Under the angry gazes of the other people waiting, who looked ready to insult her or rearrange her features, she walked to the front of the queue. She could tell from their faces that if it had been The Walking Dead, she’d have been one of the first to get chewed up by a zombie.
“Hey, there’s a queue!”
“Oy, you with the trainers – get back in line!”
“Excuse me!” she said in a loud, confident voice that belonged to an important person… well, almost. The young boy with the porcupine hairstyle on the door didn’t even lift his head. Great, it was always so gratifying to discover that you were invisible. “Excuse me!” Sara repeated, more loudly this time and standing up straighter as though she could make herself taller through sheer willpower.
“Name!”
Hmm, what a charmer! And a good talker too…
“Sara De Michele. I’m Daniel Gant’s girlfriend!” A subdued murmur rose from the people behind her… Take that.
Mr Porcupine raised his head and smiled. “Of course – please go inside, they are waiting for you!” His smile became a little confused when he noticed how she was dressed, but he carried on as normal. It was evident that Sara had an exclusive pass. She could have arrived in her pyjamas and slippers and he would still have let her in. She was a VIP in spite of herself – it was just a pity that she didn’t feel like one. Sara let her shoulders slump and peered around her, feeling very much as though she were being watched.
“Hey, Sara!” shouted someone who was waving at her from the end of the queue.
Sara blushed and returned the wave shyly. Having a secret weapon is all very well, but she still had to get used to it. She slipped inside the club, took off her jacket and left it in the cloakroom along with her bag. She was definitely dressed too casually, but she decided that today was the day when Sara De Michele would launch a new fashion: an extremely casual streetwear look suited to every occasion, for that year’s winter collection.
The room that opened up before her had a very high ceiling upon which white strobe lights were flashing frantically, and the music – a techno version of White Christmas, which almost made her throw up – was even faster. On one side was the mile long bar with five barmen behind it doing the type of things Tom Cruise did in Cocktail.
She turned her attention away from the dance floor where a crowd of young people were dancing as if possessed, to a corner of the room. Everybody there was beautiful and looked perfect. Were they all models?
Here were the famous reinforced steel tables that the partygoers danced on. Their real party was going on up there, a metre above the floor, and they looked to be having plenty of fun too. Sara approached cautiously, trying to locate Daniel.
Suddenly she saw him, and her heart jumped just the way it always did. Daniel’s presence made everything else fade away and seem unimportant. There was only him. Sara’s face softened. The fact that he was so gorgeous certainly didn’t hurt at all: his handsomeness put her at peace with the cosmos.
Daniel was wearing a light blue shirt, open at the neck with the sleeves casually rolled up. His chin was framed with a few days’ growth of stubble, giving him an even more charming and mature look, and he was moving his hips with such sensuality that Sara almost began to feel excited.
He was so irresistible… so downright sexy… And most importantly, he was all hers!
But when she noticed the two blondes dancing near him, everything instantly came back into focus. They’d had the decency not to get too close, though, so their lives would be spared. And so would his, as he danced away nonchalantly, seemingly blissfully ignorant of what was going on around him.
Sara waved at him to get his attention in the confusion and Daniel saw her immediately, drawn to her by that magical alchemy that always made them find each other. He smiled at her – one of those smiles that could kill on the spot and Sara felt like a chocolate brownie, crunchy on the outside but melting within. All of her irritation was just a memory now. She was exhilarated, because Daniel was there, holding out his hand to pull her up onto the table, hugging her and kissing her enthusiastically in front of everyone. That feeling of belonging took her breath away, every time.
“So you finally made it! What an amazing party, eh?” He looked as serene and happy as some carefree teenager. Daniel loved parties, loved being the centre of attention, but, more importantly, he loved her more than anything else or any other person in the world, and that was enough.
Sara moved her lips close to his ears while Daniel put his hands on her hips and slowly slid them up and down. “This place is huge! And there are so many people!”
“The people at the magazine managed to get it organised in a couple of hours! I don’t know how they do it, they must be nuts!”
Daniel and Sara began to sway in time to the music, and she pressed herself tightly to him, just to clarify things for anyone looking who might not have grasped the concept. The two blondes moved a bit further away. If they’d only move just a bit further still, they would fall off the table. Why not… Sara shook her head, put all thoughts of revenge out of her mind and threw her arms around Daniel’s neck.
“Everyone’s looking at us…” she said, amazed by the sudden position of power. He is mine and I am claiming possession of him.
“No, Sara, it’s just the two of us. Let’s enjoy the moment together. I just want to hold you tight and dance. Don’t think about anything else – just let yourself go.”
She did as he said, and as their bodies entwined, they were soon lost in one another. They might as well have been alone in the room.
Until Daniel suddenly felt someone tugging at his trousers. He looked down and waved.
“Jim! What a surprise!”
“Can I disturb you two lovebirds a moment?”
James Simmons, a.k.a. Jim, was one of the photographers from Inside Look magazine who Sara had met in Chamonix a few months earlier when Daniel had invited her to spend a weekend there with him while he did a photo shoot.
Daniel and Sara climbed down from the table and Daniel hugged his friend.
“What a surprise to find you here.”
“Karen invited me, and so I decided to come along.” He turned his attention to Sara and pulled her to him, throwing his arms around her. “And you’ve got even more lovely – you’re absolutely glowing! I’d like to photograph you one of these days.”
Taken aback by his words, Sara went bright red. Daniel smiled and gently pulled her back to him, away from James.
“Hey, don’t try your moves out on my girlfriend!” he said as he glared at his friend, who laughed loudly.
“It’s the first time that I’ve seen you in love – you’re so possessive, it’s disgusting!”
Daniel repeated himself with a smile, “All the more reason for you not to try your moves on Sara!”
“Joking aside, I’ve had an idea – how would you two like to pose together for me? I wanted to propose a piece about you both to the magazine, and I’ve got a fantastic set up in mind for it.”
Daniel’s face grew puzzled, and he gave Sara an inquiring look. He knew how much she hated being the centre of attention and how uncomfortable it made her, and even though he thought it was a fantastic idea, he wanted her to be the one who made the decision.
“Erm… I…” Sara found herself stammering. She had no idea what to say. She was flattered, but she was scared to death too.
“You two are the couple of the year, you’re in love and so united, I would really like to take a few snaps of you together… If you want to think about it, talk it over…”
Her head began spinning as the pros and cons of doing a photo shoot with Daniel flashed through her head at the speed of light. Damn it, it was so frustrating to always be so meticulous. But she was learning. Being the girlfriend of Daniel Gant made thinking like that seem silly and unnecessary, because if she was going to be with him then she had to take risks and, if necessary, jump without worrying about whether she had a parachute
. After all, she was about to marry him, what was wrong with making their relationship even more official with a photo shoot? She shouldn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed. She glanced fleetingly at her boyfriend. He was so wonderful and she thought of herself as being so normal, so ordinary. Together in a fashion magazine they would look like beauty and the beast, but with the roles reversed. Unless, of course, the miracles of photoshop managed to save her.
“But Jim, look at me! I’m not a model!”
“I don’t want a model, Sara, I want you… The camera will love you, take it from someone who knows what he’s talking about.”
It was Sara who laughed this time, and Daniel patted her back gently as though to reassure her. “It’s fine with me if you don’t want to do it, but you know he’s right – you’re beautiful, darling, and in a photo shoot you would look amazing.”
“I’d shatter the lens, more like.”
“Just like you’ve shattered my heart,” chuckled Jim, as Daniel raised his eyebrows at his friend’s comment.
“Oh, come on…” Sara smiled, finally feeling more relaxed. What could possibly go wrong? After all, doing a photo shoot with Daniel would be a way to be a part of his job, which she knew meant so much to him.
“So, will you let me know?”
Sara turned to Daniel. “Okay – if you want to do it, I’m in!”
Daniel couldn’t hide his surprise. “Seriously? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know!”
“I know I don’t, but I’d be proud to be in a photo shoot with you.” She gave him an affectionate look and Daniel kissed her cheek then reached out to shake Jim’s hand.
“It’s a deal then. I’ll be in touch.”
“Fantastic. Okay, I’ll leave you to your dancing.”
“Off you go, then…” said Daniel, pushing him away.
“See you soon, guys! And merry Christmas!”
“Same to you!” Sara just had time to say before Jim was swallowed up by the crowd.
“Are you sure you want to, baby?”
“I’m totally sure. It’ll be fun – and for once, I’ll feel like a superstar!”
“You already are a superstar. You’re really quite determined when you put your mind to it… Come on, let’s have a drink and I’ll introduce you to some friends.”
“Okay, boss!”
Sara was feeling enthusiastic: the idea of indulging in such madness was liberating. Sara De Michele, fashion model for a day, and for the same magazine she’d once arrived late for a job interview for. The idea tickled her – in fact, it made her want to gloat, and all of her plans for revenge were instantly forgotten. Everything was going smoothly, everything was…
Oh no.
It couldn’t be.
Delphina was there?
Delphina McDougal, Daniel’s ex, wearing a dress made of some fabric so flimsy it looked like some kind of bikini… She was there? Why wouldn’t destiny let Sara forget about her? Why did karma always make her appear in front of her, half naked and beautiful? Thinking fast, Sara diverted Daniel’s attention with the nonchalance of a hardened strategist, distracting him enough so that he wouldn’t notice the shark at ten o’clock ready to tear him apart with her sharp, perfectly white teeth.
Suddenly, Fiorella Benzi, a consultant for Inside Look and someone Daniel had once had a quick fling with, appeared in front of them. Sara stiffened and positioned herself in front of Daniel.
What the hell, they were surrounded by women from his past!
Okay, she told herself, be a modern girl… but she felt the killer instinct rising up inside her and realised that with all the women there who might have had a fling with Daniel, there was a good chance of her ending up on the front pages, charged with murder.
“Listen, how about if we went and danced back at home, then made love and ate junk food in bed?” she asked with imploring eyes, while her hands caressed the taut biceps under his shirt. She knew a few things about the art of seduction too – and it was time to put them into practice.
A flash of desire crossed her boyfriend’s face, and he caught his breath. “That’s a great idea, you read my thoughts exactly. Dancing with you on that table has really put me in the mood! As far as I’m concerned we can leave right away!” And so saying, he grabbed her hand and dragged her off towards the exit, asking her as they went, “Anyway, how come it took you so long to get here?”
“Oh, nothing important – I was stuck in an elevator.”
“You were what?” said Daniel, but Sara promptly began to pull him towards the cloakroom. She was in something of a rush to get him away from Fiorella Benzi.
“Never mind that, you stupid model! Hurry up and take me home – it’s time to celebrate!” Sara gave him a big smile and turned victoriously towards Fiorella who had reached the point where they had been standing before.
By now it was clear: Sara had won the war and his exes had lost on every front.
3
The Model and the Elf
Daniel Gant was at the steering wheel, feeling relaxed, despite the snowflakes that had started to fall onto the windscreen.
The car continued along the road, which was pretty free of traffic, while the reassuring, light breathing of Sara, who was dozing at his side, kept him company. Every now and then he glanced lovingly over at her and a happy smile, framed by his beard, formed on his lips. The memory of when, only a few days before, he’d found himself organising a flash mob – a real live flash mob, with a bunch of kids he barely knew – in Villa Borghese was still vivid. It had been like one of those videos you saw on the web, and all to make her give him a second chance – to ask her to marry him.
Insanely romantic? Over the top? Maybe it had been, but it hadn’t left Sara any room to wiggle out of it. He had seen for himself from the expression on her face just how much she loved him, how much this unexpected surprise had made her feel like a queen – like his queen. And now he found himself engaged to be married – and it wasn’t just one of those fake engagements unscrupulous gossip magazines used to sell a few more copies – it was a real engagement, for a marriage that would last forever.
Who would have imagined it? He’d never thought of himself as a man who would end up getting married or having a romantic love story, perhaps because after his own parents’ experience he’d always been convinced that true love didn’t exist.
But everything had changed now and as he drove along the highway that would take them to Gubbio, Daniel couldn’t help going over all the various stages of their incredible relationship in his mind. They were so absurd, they sounded like the script for a romantic comedy: an elevator, an ordinary girl, a terrible panic attack. In no time at all, Sara had turned his life upside down, throwing out of the window all his certainties about the impossibility of a serious relationship. She was the one, the one he had been waiting for without even knowing it. He hadn’t thought it possible to get along so well with a woman. To want to read her thoughts and to realise that actually he knew how to, to really know what was going on in her head.
Sure, there had been the odd difficult moment, but their feelings for each other had only grown stronger over those past few months. He was a different man now: she had transformed him, in spite of himself, into a knight in shining armour, ready to save his princess. Although it was strange to admit it, his ego felt flattered at the idea of being her hero, even though he had never done anything heroic in his entire life.
Thanks to Sara, he felt incredibly alive and, for once, like a normal person who was able to live out his feelings and dreams without shame, without hiding. In his life as a famous person, Daniel had learned to protect that intimate, private part of himself that he didn’t want other people to see. He had no intention of making his past public. The suffering he had endured after the abandonment of his father, who’d had no scruples about leaving his family in a time of need. The need to support his mother when she was too lonely and too tired to smile. The choice to follow a profession that had turned
him into an object of desire for complete strangers who would study every inch of him under a microscope. At first it hadn’t been easy to accept, and he felt as though he’d thrown himself to the sharks. But gradually, with the passage of time, it had become easier, until eventually the narcissistic side of his character had taken over. He knew he was handsome, so why let it be a problem? Taking his clothes off and showing how uninhibited and self-assured he was had become a routine, nothing to worry about, because what mattered most about him was kept hidden from the media and nobody, except his nearest and dearest, could really get close to him.
When he’d met Sara, he had taken her on as a real challenge. She was sweet, pretty and one of a kind. During the terrible panic attack he’d had in the broken elevator at the offices of ‘Inside Look’, Sara had tried to help him. She’d put up with his rudeness and had ended up using an infallible method to distract him: she had kissed him – and what a kiss it had been! Right away, Daniel had been amazed by the intensity of the emotions that had overwhelmed him. He’d felt as animated as a puppet that comes to life – like Pinocchio who finally becomes flesh and blood. He had wanted more, eager to taste her, to get to know this woman who was so passionate and yet so modest at the same time. Hell, what an experience!
That was why he had immediately asked her for her number and why he had called her from Australia. He’d been convinced it would impress her enough to allow him to have a fling with her. After all, why not? He’d loved the brief time he had spent with her, so it might be fun.
But to his surprise, Sara had rejected him and his self-esteem had taken a beating. Daniel was not used to being rejected and, after a good chat with his best friend, the solid and pragmatic Alessandro Gualtieri, he’d decided not to bother her any more. He had recently broken up with his girlfriend, he wanted to have fun and the world was full of women. Sara wasn’t indispensable. But right when he’d been on the point of cancelling all traces of her from his phone book, he’d found that he couldn’t do it. Something had stopped him, so he had turned up at her house with a bunch of red roses, determined to win her over.
