Lady Claire

by Teresa Roman

  He’d already ordered for me by the time I walked into the gelateria less than thirty minutes later.

  “Something is bothering you,” he said as I sat down across from him.

  I was usually better at restraining my emotions, but I couldn’t help but spill the whole ugly truth to Alessandro about the way seeing Kat in her wedding dress had made me feel. But I didn’t stop there. I told him about meeting Kat for the first time at a charity event in Paris, the way I’d tried embarrassing her, and how I’d set her up to make it look like she was planning to sell secrets about Nico and his family to the tabloids. When I was done I half expected Alessandro to get up and leave, but instead he reached across the table for my hand. I looked up at him. “You must think I’m an awful person, don’t you?”

  “That’s not what I’m thinking at all.”

  “Then what?”

  Alessandro sighed. “You’ll probably think me simple for saying this, but your story just makes me thankful my parents are farmers and not Lord and Lady anything.”

  That wasn’t what I expected him to say at all, and I had no idea how to respond. I’d always liked that I came from a noble family. People respected us, we had money and could buy fancy clothes and cars and travel all over the world, but it suddenly dawned on me that despite all those things I wasn’t happy, and Nico and Kat had nothing to do with that. What was the alternative though? Alessandro seemed happy, but he hadn’t grown up the way I had, he didn’t care about Prada or Chanel because he’d never become accustomed to those things.

  “Let’s talk about something else,” I said. “I’m tired of thinking about Nico and Kat.”

  Alessandro looked at his watch. “It’s almost dinner time. Why don’t I take you for some pizza?”

  “But I just had a big bowl of gelato.”

  “You’ve never heard of dessert before dinner? It’s my favorite thing to do.” When he realized he hadn’t convinced me, Alessandro continued. “Oh, come one. I know the best pizzeria in Monterra. Each slice is guaranteed to make you think you’re in heaven.”

  Reluctantly, I agreed to try this miracle pizza he was raving about and wound up happy that I did. Alessandro was right about the heaven part. “I am seriously going to gain twenty pounds spending time with you,” I said, reaching for my second slice.

  “So I am turning out to be a good distractor?”

  “The best.”

  “Don’t say that until you’ve tried the wine here. You may decide a bottle of it is better than time with me.”

  “I seriously doubt that.”

  Alessandro wound up being just as right about the wine as he was about the pizza. By the time he had finished paying for our meal, I’d had way too much to drink. I wasn’t drunk, but tipsy enough to ask him to come over to my apartment without giving any thought to how he might receive my invitation.

  By the Alessandro pulled into a parking spot in front of my apartment my heart was racing in anticipation of another kiss. I led him inside my apartment. As he walked through the foyer and into the living room I couldn’t help but notice the way he kept looking around.

  “When you said apartment I was expecting something smaller.”

  “I suppose it’s more of an apartment home. You don’t like it?”

  “It’s very nice, although I’ve never really been one for such fancy things.” Alessandro ran his hand over the top of my couch. “I’m afraid I might ruin something in here.”

  I reached for his hand. “Don’t be silly. It’s just furniture.”

  “Yes, that’s true. I just didn’t think you’d see it that way.”

  “There’s nothing in here that can’t be replaced,” I said, and then noticing the look on Alessandro’s face continued. “Except you, of course.” I smiled and pulled him closer. “In fact, I’m beginning to think you’re entirely one of a kind.”

  “Hmm. Thinking I’m one of a kind isn’t good enough. I intend to for you to know it. And I think the best way to start showing you is with another kiss.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when his lips found mine. His kiss was hungry and full of desire. I wasn’t used to being wanted the way Alessandro seemed to crave me. I knew men found me attractive, but I’d always thought of being petite and blonde as rather dull compared to the tall runway models that captivated so many of the men in my social circles.

  “You are so bellissima,” Alessandro whispered into my ear as his lips traveled up my neck. The way his breath felt on my skin made me shudder. I’d barely known him a week, had only gone out on two dates with him, and already I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted a man in my entire life.

  His hand slid under my shirt and the feel of his skin on mine made my heart feel like it was going to pound right out of my chest.

  “You are so soft.” Alessandro began lifting my shirt. “I want to kiss every inch of you.”

  And I wanted him to, but I was also afraid that things were moving way too fast. I grabbed Alessandro’s hand and pulled it away. He leaned back and looked at me quizzically.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No…I just. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

  “Mi dispiace, Claire,” Alessandro said. “I’m very sorry, but I thought this was what you wanted.”

  “It was. I mean it is. It’s just that…well I thought I was ready, but maybe I’m not. I want my first time to be special. I thought it would be with Nico, but of course he’s married now, so that’s not going to happen.”

  “You wish Nico was here with you instead of me?”

  “No. I actually don’t really care about the whole Nico situation at all any more thanks to you.” I shook my head, feeling bad that I’d made Alessandro think that way. It hadn’t been my intention. “I couldn’t imagine kissing Nico like I just kissed you, much less doing anything else. But still, I feel like…”

  Alessandro held one of his fingertips up to my lips. “You don’t need to explain. I understand.”

  “You do?”

  Alessandro nodded.

  “So you’re not upset with me?”

  “No,” Alessandro replied. “But I do have a question.”

  “What?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Are you a…virgin?”

  I could feel myself blush. This wasn’t a conversation I was very comfortable with. “It might seem old-fashioned, but I’d hoped to save myself for the man I would one day marry,” I explained. “I mean, I’m not really religious or anything, and I know it’s the twenty-first century, but don’t men still prefer that?”

  “Do women prefer that?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Then it’s hardly fair for men to,” Alessandro replied.

  “How very evolved of you to think that way.”

  “Maybe we should revisit those rules of yours and add a few more just so that I don’t cross any more lines.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Kissing is okay, yes?”

  “Very yes,” I said trying not to grin like a silly school girl.

  “Then I will be satisfied with that until you decide you want more.”

  Alessandro pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me and sighed. Everything about him felt so right, except that he wasn’t, and never would be. I just hoped that by the time I was ready to return to England my heart and my mind would be on the same page when it came him.

  Chapter 5

  Nico and Kat’s return from their honeymoon was celebrated all over Monterra. The local news channels behaved as if there were no other newsworthy stories to broadcast. I was certain that a welcome home party had been thrown for them, but no invitation ever arrived for me—not that it came as a surprise.

  I’d thrown myself into getting ready for classes by buying practically an entire new wardrobe. And when I wasn’t spending money, I had Alessandro to cheer me up, who, it turned out, was actually far better at bringing a smile to my face than a new
pair of shoes. Between classes and spending time with Alessandro, I hardly ever thought about Nico or Kat even though their faces seemed to be plastered everywhere in Monterra. What few invitations I did get to parties or social events I declined to attend for fear of running into them. I was also well aware that word had gotten out about how badly I had treated Kat. It seemed like everyone in Monterra loved her, which meant they hated me.

  Surprisingly, I didn’t care all that much. I liked wearing comfortable clothing instead of dresses I could hardly breathe in and shoes that hurt my feet. My mother didn’t share my sentiments. She called me one morning as I was getting out of bed. I almost didn’t pick up the phone, but I knew she’d only keep calling.

  “Good morning, mother,” I said as I pressed the phone to my ear.

  “What is going in with you dear?”

  “What ever are you talking about?” I said, even though I knew full well what my mother was referring to.

  “Your father and I hardly hear from you. You haven’t been attending any events, it’s like you’ve disappeared off the planet.”

  “Perhaps you’re being a bit melodramatic. I’ve been busy with my studies. Isn’t that what you and Dad wanted?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “Listen, Mum. I’m fine. But I’ve really got to go or I’ll be late for class.”

  “Well, okay. If you say so.”

  Maybe I should’ve felt a bit more guilty about lying to my mother, but I was too excited about my lunch date with Alessandro later to care that I’d only told my mother I’d be late for class just to get off the phone with her.

  An hour later, Alessandro showed up at my apartment to take me to lunch. I opened the door to find him standing there with two motorcycle helmets.

  “What are those for?” I asked tentatively.

  He leaned in to give me a kiss before answering. “They go on your head to protect you from head injuries just in case of an accident,” he teased.

  “Very funny,” I said, still eyeing those helmets with apprehension. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.”

  “Then it’s a lucky thing you’re not the one driving,” Alessandro said continuing with his jokes. He noticed my hesitant expression. “C’mon, you have to give it a try. I swear there’s nothing more distracting than the adrenaline rush of a motorcycle ride.”

  “Or a few broken bones.”

  “I’d never let that happen to you, bellissima.”

  “Well, all right,” I said, reaching for the smaller of the two helmets.

  I followed Alessandro out to the street where his motorcycle was parked. My heart thudded as I got on behind him.

  “Hold on tight,” he said. Once I had my arms wrapped around him, he headed off. Alessandro drove away from the shops and restaurants of downtown and into the countryside going slowly enough that I was able to truly appreciate the beauty of Monterra. Finally, he turned off the road and drove in through a giant set of wrought iron gates that read Cantina Russo.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I promised you lunch.”

  “At a winery?”

  “The Russo’s serve the best pasta, in not just Monterra, but all of Europe. And the views…you’ll never want to go back to England.”

  Part of me already didn’t. The past few weeks I’d spent with Alessandro had been perfect. But I knew eventually the bubble the two of us had been sharing would have to pop. He wasn’t the type of man I could bring home to meet my parents and I suspected I wasn’t the girl his family imagined him with, either.

  Alessandro drove up a long, winding hill, finally stopping at what looked almost like a barn with a shop attached to it. He parked his motorcycle, helped me off and took my hand. We walked inside the shop, where an older lady stood in front of some shelves stacking bottles of wine. She turned as she heard the two of us come in.

  Her face brightened and she came over to us with her arms open wide. “Alessandro.” She gave him a bear hug and a kiss on each cheek. She spoke Italian so fast that I could barely catch a word she said.

  Alessandro introduced the two of us and then I also received a warm hug and several kisses on my cheeks. Mrs. Russo led us to the barn, which was stacked high with barrels of wine. I saw nothing that looked like a restaurant until we stepped out through the back door of the barn and onto a large patio. Several tables were set up with crisp white linens, floral bouquets and rustic tableware. But it was the view that truly amazed. As far as the eye could see grape vines stretched out across the rolling hills.

  Mrs. Russo said something to Alessandro quickly in Italian before rushing off. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat down.

  “This place is absolutely gorgeous,” I said.

  “It’s very exclusive also. The Russos hold weddings and parties here. When I told Signora Russo I wanted to show you around the winery she insisted on making us a private lunch first.”

  For the first time in forever I was completely speechless. It wasn’t my money or title that had brought me to one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. It was Alessandro and Mrs. Russo’s clear affection for him that had gained me entrance to this little slice of paradise.

  For the next few minutes there was a flurry of activity as Mrs. Russo and one of her helpers returned with wine bottles, a basket of bread and, eventually, our meal. A plate of steaming pasta sat in front of me making my mouth water with its divine aroma.

  “So what do you think?” Alessandro said after I took my first bite.

  “I…I really don’t know what to say. Everything is amazing, this place, the wine, the food.”

  Alessandro smiled and my heart, which had already liquefied into a massive puddle, melted a little bit more.

  “Why are you doing all this for me?” I asked. “I don’t get what’s in it for you?”

  Alessandro frowned. “I don’t know what you mean?”

  “You take me to the nicest places and never let me pay even though…well, I’m not trying to be rude, but I’ve got quite a bit more money than you do.” I was too embarrassed to go on and mention that the two of us hadn’t moved beyond kissing and fondling and for all Alessandro knew we never would. “What I’m trying to say is that you’ve been so nice and I feel like I haven’t offered you anything in return.”

  “You underestimate yourself Claire. You’ve convinced yourself that there’s nothing more to you than your money and title, but you’re wrong. Whether you believe it or not, I enjoy spending time with you. And as for the money part, I may not be a rich man, but I have enough, and my mother raised me to be a gentleman.”

  “Yes. She certainly did.”

  Alessandro leaned back in his chair. “The thing is, when you said you needed to be distracted, I understood how you felt. Our reasons were different, but I know how it feels to want nothing more than to find someone that will take your mind off your troubles.”

  “So you’ve had your heart broken by someone before? Do tell.”

  “I have, but it isn’t the way you’re thinking,” Alessandro said, his expression changing. “When my mother died, I was devastated. She was very special and losing her was hard on my father and brothers. It felt like our family was falling apart without her. I finally left home because I couldn’t take being around all that unhappiness.”

  I reached across the table for Alessandro’s hand, feeling both sad for him and terrible that I’d been so upset over Nico when he’d lost so much more than I had. Giving up on the idea of becoming a princess was nothing compared to losing someone you loved. All of a sudden I felt silly and childish for even caring that Nico had married someone else. Hearing Alessandro talk about the heartbreak he felt after his mother died put things into perspective for me.

  “What happened to her?”

  “She had cancer,” Alessandro said. I could hear the pain in his voice. “My mother never liked doctors. By the time she found out it was too late. She died a few months later.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, know
ing that my words were woefully inadequate, but unable to come up with more. I wasn’t used to conversations like this, to opening up or having other people open up to me, but somehow Alessandro got me to do all sorts of things I wasn’t used to.

  “It’s all right now. Things are better. I took the time I needed to heal, and after I did, I realized how much I missed my family and the farm and came back home. At the time, leaving was the right thing to do. I needed to be someplace else. I needed a change of scenery, but eventually I realized Monterra is my home and always will be.”

  “So you don’t think you’ll ever leave again?” I asked, knowing that his answer probably didn’t matter. Even if he agreed to come to England with me after I finished my studies, my parents would never approve. The thought made my heart sink, because the better I got to know Alessandro, the harder the idea of saying goodbye to him became.

  “No. I love it here too much.” Alessandro swept his arm out to his side. “Just look at this place. How could I not?”

  “I suppose you do have a point.” Monterra was beautiful, but so were many other parts of Europe, including England. Yet somehow I got the feeling that Alessandro wouldn’t agree. His heart was here, in the country he was born and raised in, and truthfully, a part of me admired his passion.

  After finishing almost my entire plate of pasta I was sure I had no room for more food, but when Mrs. Russo brought out tiramisu for dessert, I could hardly say no. After lunch she took us on a mini-tour of her family’s vineyard before leaving me and Alessandro to explore on our own. As we walked by some vines heavy with reddish-blue grapes Alessandro plucked one and fed it to me.

  “What do you think?”

  “Delicious,” I said, pulling him closer and giving him a devilish smile. “But I know something that tastes even better.” As I planted my lips on Alessandro’s his arms came around me. I wound my fingers through his hair as he deepened the kiss. My breath hitched when he lowered his head and grazed his tongue over the hollow of my neck. I ran my hands over the rippling muscles in his arms and then his chest. I’d never seen him without his shirt but decided then and there we were long overdue for a beach date. I could feel how well sculpted he was under his clothing.