Turn Towards the Sun

by Jennifer Domenico

  “Ava… he loves you. He thinks he scared you, and you will run away. He’s just trying to protect his heart.”

  I melt, knowing he confided in his baby sister about me.

  “I love him too Checca.” I continue sobbing.

  “Give him the week Ava. He’ll be back.”

  I throw my arms around her. “Thank you.” I wipe tears from my face.

  “Now,” she says, kicking into designer mode again, “Let’s hook this machine up, no?”

  I count the days waiting for Enzo to return. I’ve kept myself busy, exploring the city with Gabby. I’ve looked for a few jobs but found no leads. My parents begged me to come home until I finally convinced them that I’m not starving and penniless. Yesterday, I celebrated July 4th with Gabby and her family. We went to a park to watch fireworks and had a cook out. It was fun but the irony of celebrating Independence Day alone was not lost on me.

  Every time I stop and think about how much has happened, I just can’t believe it’s been such a short time. I thought I was going to enter my thirties a bitter and lonely woman. Now with my birthday a week away, there’s still a chance that will be my reality.

  Enzo should be back tomorrow. I haven’t heard a peep from him in six days. New code name- Mr. Control.

  Maybe he’s gotten over me. He has women at his beck and call constantly. He can have whomever he wants.

  I tossed and turned all night and know I’m gonna look like a hot mess. I just hope he wants to see me.

  I study my face in the bathroom mirror. My sun kissed glow is a distant memory. I put on some blush trying to perk up my complexion. I go in the kitchen and make some coffee. My phone vibrates.

  Hot and Bossy: I’ll be there in thirty minutes.

  Thank God. He wants to see me. I run and brush my teeth and spritz on some perfume. I grab a book and try to relax. His knock comes precisely thirty minutes later. I let him in and stare for a moment at his perfect face. Enzo’s expression is neutral, revealing nothing. He came straight from the airport and is dressed in a gorgeous Italian business suit. Still can’t get over how he stays so cool in the heat.

  I try to smile, but his face remains blank. I brace myself. He’s going to end it. Just accept it and try not to cry until he leaves. He walks over to my dining table and puts his phone and his laptop bag down, keeping his back to me. He runs his hands through his hair before he turns to face me.

  “Well?” His voice is emotionless. “What have you decided?”

  I feel tears at the back of my eyes threatening to fall again. Francesca’s words come back to me. “He’s trying to protect his heart. He’s afraid you’ll run.” I move towards him but he stiffens, stopping me in my tracks.

  “There was nothing to decide Enzo. I’m in love with you. I want to be with you.”

  He turns away.

  I approach cautiously and run my hands down his back.

  “Please Enzo, talk to me.” His head is down, and I don’t know what to expect at this point. “Please,” I whisper.

  “Ava.” He speaks but doesn’t move. He hasn’t turned to face me.

  “I need to know you take me as I am. I need to know you want to be in my life and won’t run away. I know I’m intense. My life is not traditional. I can’t have the love of my life stuck in Phoenix while I travel the world. I need you with me.”

  The love of his life?

  “I know Enzo. I didn’t realize how much I need to be with you until you stopped talking to me. I can’t go a day without seeing you or hearing your voice. It was torture.” My voice is small as I try to get him to understand. “I thought you were going to leave me.”

  He swings around and grabs my shoulders.

  “Leave you? I’m not even capable of it Ava. Do you know how difficult it was for me not to call you for a week? I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wondered constantly what you were doing, what you were thinking. Who you were with.”

  “Why didn’t you call?”

  “I know I overwhelmed you with my question. I wanted you to have time to think alone, and I knew if I called you, I would beg you to get on a plane and come to me. I want you to be here with me in my world because it’s your decision.” His eyes finally reveal the soft, sweet man I know. “I just hoped your decision would be yes.”

  “It was always going to be yes Enzo. I never questioned it. Yes, I was overwhelmed. I was raised to take care of myself, and I’ve never had a man come in and take control of my life like you have. I didn’t know how to handle it. I went to work the day you left and found out they closed the office. I wanted to call you, but I didn’t want you to think I was running to you because of that.”

  He’s staring at me as I speak. “And then you got drunk with your friend.”

  “I did. I was a mess that day Enzo.”

  “I’m not controlling you. This is just the way I live. I love that you are smart and have your own ideas. I would never want to change that about you. But my life is different. I don’t work nine to five like regular people. I’ve worked hard for everything I have, and I want to share it with you. I want you to be happy and have everything your heart wants.”

  “All my heart wants is you.”

  He softens his grip on my shoulders and pulls me to him. His tight embrace swaddles me as my mouth finds his. I feel my entire body relax as I revel in the pleasure of his kiss.

  He pulls back and stares at me with those eyes again. Saying nothing, he walks me over to the couch, sits me down, and promptly starts undressing in front of me. I’ll never get sick of seeing his naked body.

  “Lift.” He motions to my hips and removes my shorts and panties. I lift my arms, so he can remove my tank top, he plants soft kisses along my body as he does. Oh what a glorious feeling to be kissed and touched by this man. He opens my legs and runs a finger up and down the length of my labia, sliding his finger in and out occasionally. I moan.

  He raises his finger to my mouth. “Suck.”

  I suck gently in response. I’m surprised this doesn’t freak me out. How is it possible to feel so comfortable with him already? I would do anything he asked me to do right now.

  “See how delicious you taste?”

  I’ve never had an experience like this. It blows my mind a little. He’s so erotic, completely in touch with himself. In touch with me.

  His hands stroke the inside of my thighs as he blows hot breath directly on my clit. I move my hips in response. His tongue replaces the motion of his finger. He is so fucking good at this. I rock my hips in time to his tongue, coaxing him to keep going. My hands tangle in his hair as we move in unison. I know I’m going to climax, and I can’t wait to feel the release. The pressure is building, building, oh yea right there, right there.

  He stops and pulls me down in a kiss, once again allowing me to taste myself on his lips. He slips two fingers inside me and pumps them in and out quickly. I’ve never seen as much passion and intensity in his eyes as I do right now. I throw my head back and close my eyes.

  “No. Look at me Ava.” His voice is hoarse and breathy. I look up and hold his stare. He lowers his mouth between my legs again, keeping eye contact with me.

  “Do you want to come baby?”

  “Yes.” I breathe.

  “Tell me.”

  “I want to come Enzo.”

  He sucks hard on my clit, pumping his fingers in and out of me. I know it’s going to happen any second now.

  “Oh Enzo, oh fuck!” My body convulses with pleasure as I collapse back into the couch, sated. He lays his head on my lap, breathing heavy.

  My Enzo is back.

  I reach down and stroke his hair. “I want to please you now.”

  “You already did. Your pleasure is mine. And we need a towel.” He points to the floor. He came because I came? Hot Damn!

  I run in the bathroom and grab a towel. He takes it from me and wipes my wood floors. He crawls back on the couch, wrapping me in his arms.

  “Happy?” He whispers in my
ear.

  “I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Stay with me?”

  “Always.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep Ava.” He teases, echoing my own words. He holds me in his arms as I drift off to sleep.

  I open my eyes to see Enzo sitting next to me typing away on his laptop. I blink several times and look at the clock. Three o’clock. I slept the day away. After the restless week I had, sleep was just what I needed. And sex. I stretch and smile and realize we are both still naked.

  “Ciao.” Enzo’s sweet tone comforts me.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Booking our plane tickets to Italy.”

  “Italy!”

  “We’re going next month. You have a passport I hope?”

  “I do.”

  “We’ll go to Florence where you will meet my sister, Sophia. Francesca is coming too.”

  Hmm. I wonder if he’ll let me bring a friend. “Can Gabby come?”

  “You want your friend to come?” He stops and considers my request.

  “That’s a good idea actually. Francesca and I will have to work some of the time.” I sit up and kiss his cheek.

  “Make sure she has a passport.” I grab my phone to call Gabby, still butt naked.

  “Hey. Do you have a passport?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Because we’re going to Italy next month.”

  “Italy? Are you serious?”

  I explain Enzo’s business plans and how he thought I should have a friend. “How often will you have a chance like this Gabs?”

  “Um how about never.”

  “Do you want to join us?”

  “That’s a dumb question. Of course! What should I pack?” We chat like giggling schoolgirls over outfits, shopping, and shoes.

  “I’ll call you later with all the details.”

  “Thanks Ava, this is incredible.”

  Laughing, I reply, “Welcome to my world.”

  Enzo glances up at me. “What does that mean, welcome to your world?”

  “She said this was incredible. That’s how my life is now, incredible.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me to him. I stand in front of him bare, his eyes traveling up and down my body.

  “You’ve lost weight.”

  “Have I? Well I admit I didn’t have much of an appetite, what with losing my job and almost losing you.” I lower my eyes, remembering what a tough week it was. Normally, I would have pigged out with that much stress going on, but strangely enough, I could barely get myself to eat anything at all.

  “You were never in danger of losing me amore.” He kisses the back of my hand. “Come, let’s get you fed.”

  We jump in the shower, focused only on cleanliness. I put on my blue sundress with the yellow daisies and wrap my hair back in the bun.

  “Don’t put any makeup on. You’re most beautiful naturally.”

  Enzo stands in the doorway to the bathroom, watching me like he does. I rub in some eye cream and apply a light coat of lip gloss and leave it at that.

  “Ta da!” I exaggerate.

  “Perfetto.” Perfect. He thinks I’m perfect. I grin.

  “Why don’t we go to Girasole and eat with Paolo?”

  “Sure, sounds great.”

  We drive over to the familiar hotel and swing into valet.

  “Can we go say hi to Stephanie?”

  “Certo.”

  I look at him with a puzzled expression.

  “Of course.” He smiles.

  “Certo.” I repeat. It sounds like chair-toe when I say it but when he says it, it sounds like music.

  “Very good Ava.” He rubs the small of my back, and I feel a tingle throughout my body.

  We walk into Sassy and see Stephanie setting up a new display. She looks up and waves happily. The store looks completely different, and it’s buzzing with activity. Several women are waiting to check out while the salesgirls rush to take care of them. Enzo is pleased.

  “The store looks really good, Stephanie.” Enzo says.

  “Thank you. Normally I wouldn’t set up a display during such a busy time, but we just got this shipment that I know is going to be a hit.”

  I pick up a gorgeous deep red dress. It has strategic cutouts along the bust line in various spots and a form-fitting design. It’s the perfect going out dress. Stephanie is holding a sign that says, ‘Check out the latest design by Suzette’. I don’t know who Suzette is but Enzo’s eyes widen.

  “How did you get those?” He asks.

  Stephanie’s smile widens. “My sister is her hairdresser’s best friend. I just called and asked if my sister could get me in touch with her. I called Suzette’s assistant and explained we were re-launching our product line and would like to feature her dresses. A week later I received approval for ten dresses. If they sell well, Suzette will consider an exclusive line for Sassy. We can carry it in all our retail outlets nationwide.”

  Enzo looks at Stephanie, then at me, his eyes wide in disbelief. His face spreads into a smile.

  “Ava, Suzette is a young French designer who has been creating a lot of buzz since she hit the fashion scene last year.” Enzo explains.

  Stephanie raises a finger and runs in the back office, returning with some papers.

  “Here are the profit sheets for the last two weeks.”

  Enzo looks them over, then his eyebrows rise. “A thirty percent increase in profits?”

  “Yes. It’s just a two-week period, but I think the Suzette dresses are going to be big.” She states proudly.

  “Where are the Maca dresses?” Enzo looks around. Oh yes, the infamous Maca dresses that took down little miss bitch.

  “I’m not reordering them. In my opinion, they are the wrong demographic for this store. In the last year, I’ve seen our clientele get younger. Maca is for women over fifty. Our primary group right now is between 30-45.”

  A group of women have already started gathering curiously around the Suzette display. We step back to give them room.

  “I’m going to finish okay?”

  Enzo nods. She turns her attention back to the display and puts the sign on top of the rack, quickly hanging the ten dresses. I hear the excited squeals of rich women on a shopping high.

  “Do you want one of them Ava?”

  I shake my head even though the dresses are stunning.

  “There are only ten. Let the store sell them.”

  He ignores me and walks to the display. The group of women part like the red sea as he approaches. He selects my size and then turns to me and smiles. The eyes of the women follow his to me. That’s right bitches, he’s mine. I get a little thrill as I gloat internally.

  He walks back and hands it to me.

  “I want you to have it.” His voice does that raspy thing he gets when he wants me.

  “Okay.” How could I resist?

  He walks to the now deserted sales counter and hands one of the girls a credit card and the dress. All the women in the store have flocked to the Suzette display and Stephanie and another girl are managing the throng of women. There aren’t enough dresses for all of them, and I hope I’m not about to witness a shopping withdrawal riot. The display is quickly emptied as the women rush back to ring up their purchases. Enzo returns with my wrapped dress. We stand watching the frenzy.

  “The dresses sold out in less than five minutes Enzo.” I say, in disbelief. He nods.

  Stephanie rushes back to us, giddy.

  “I can’t wait to report this back to Suzette!” She uses her phone to take a picture of the women holding the dresses at checkout. “We just made fifteen thousand dollars!

  Each dress costs fifteen hundred dollars, and I have one? Un. Freaking. Believable.

  “How did you have the right size selection Stephanie?” I ask curious.

  “I just ordered a variety up to a size ten. In this town, these dresses are so prized that you’ll go on a diet if it’s the only size left.”

  “
You’re doing a wonderful job Stephanie. Keep it up.”

  Stephanie smiles, satisfied with Enzo’s approval.

  Dominic, Enzo’s new hotel manager, greets us as we walk through the lobby. Dominic is very Spanish and very gay. His Spanish good looks and European charm fit in nicely with the lush Mediterranean feel of the hotel. He’s perfect. They chat for a moment about the property, and Enzo nods, satisfied all is well.

  “It’s such a relief everything is running the way it should. Thanks to you.” He squeezes my arm. I smile back. Entering Milano, Paolo welcomes us. The restaurant is full, but we have Enzo’s table reserved in the corner.

  “I love this place Enzo. It’s this hidden paradise in the desert. But can I make a suggestion?”

  He looks up at me, interested.

  “The name of the hotel is Girasole right? Sunflower. But there are no sunflowers anywhere. There should be art or murals or something.

  “We have pictures in the lobby.” He says.

  “I know. But what about the rest of the property?”

  He ponders my suggestion. I know Francesca designed everything, so I tread lightly.

  “What would you like to see?”

  “I think it should be subtle and not in your face. Just touches here and there.”

  He pulls out his phone.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Checca.”

  Shit. They have a discussion in Italian and of course, I’m lost.

  “She’ll be here soon.”

  “Is she mad at me?” I don’t want to be the one that lights the fuse on that little firecracker.

  “Mad at you? No. She wants to hear your thoughts.”

  “I don’t know anything about design. I shouldn’t overstep my boundaries.”

  “Ava my love, you have no boundaries. You know more than you think. Your instincts are very good. And Checca genuinely wants to hear what you think.”

  Francesca arrives in a flurry of Italian sophistication. She’s cut her dark black hair into a dramatic bob that suits her petite frame. Her rich, olive skin contrasts beautifully against the sleeveless yellow dress she’s wearing. She’s lined her huge blue eyes in dramatic gray eyeliner and smeared her lips with nude lipstick. She’s wearing stunningly high gold wedge sandals and walks like a pro in them. She has a huge red handbag tucked in the crook of her arm and enters the restaurant speaking loudly on the phone about fabric swatches. I can only hope to aspire to her level of class. She ends her call and kisses us both on each cheek.