by P. M. Thomas
“Great, I'm parched.” her voice heightened with its heavenly delight.
“Also, you have another autograph request.” Tommaso reported, reaching his hand in his pocket to add the scribbled note to the pile.
“Wonderful.” she said with cheerful exuberance, that was another fan's name added to her beauteous collection “I'll sign them all later.”
“It's another sexy photo job.” Tommaso whipped out the scribbled note, looked at the name. “The bartender, Luigi, wants one to drive his friends wild, and himself, no doubt.” he placed the note down on the desk with the others.
Sara did not mind one bit, she was used to the sexy photographs, she didn't become a sex symbol for wearing as many clothes as she could. “I know just the photo.”
Sara's footsteps approached the other end of the bathroom door. “It's so completely sexy, Luigi and his friends will be took straight off their feet.”
The door was opened, revealing the one and the only Sara Sarracini, she was an immensely beautiful woman who was forever young in appearance and spirit, she never let age bring her down, she was absolutely timeless.
Tommaso never would have believed she was turning fifty-three, she was and always would be youthful and radiant with her immense girlish beauty and immense young energy flowing so gloriously and so fully like a freshly bloomed flower. She looked like she had not aged a day, like she was you frequently bathing in an ageless fountain of eternal youth, making her forever a truly young woman in her early twenties to him and to many who gazed upon her.
That was what she was, inside and out, a truly youthful and truly energetic eternal and immortal goddess.
Her beauty and sexiness was intensified by her slim, radiant bikini showing off her perfectly trimmed and preserved figure. Tommaso's professional demeanour faltered, he was succumbing to her womanly excellence. All he could do was let out a breathless “Wow.”
Stunned beyond words, Tommaso's hand accidentally lost its grip of the glass, without any warning he flinched at the intrusive calamity of it hitting off the carpet. He did not have to look down, he could tell he had blundered and spilled her drink all over the burgundy carpeting.
Sara was understanding and sympathetic towards the accident, the iced tea could be replaced, Tommaso could not.
She couldn't help finding his reaction to her bikini both flattering and funny.
“Just like that.” She giggled at his enthralled clumsiness. Sara could plainly see he had been taken off his feet.
She grabbed herself a towel from the bathroom. Tommaso protested, “I'll do that.”, it was his mess, he would take care of it. He kindly relieved her of the towel and its responsibility, he took it upon himself to wipe up the iced tea from the carpet. “I'm so sorry.”
Sara looked at him sweetly. “Don't worry about it.”, it was a minor hassle, not a major catastrophe. It was easily cleaned up, as Tommaso showcased with drying the carpet.
“There we are, nice and clean.” Sara smiled like the angelic deity she was.
He looked up at Sara, the sparkle in his eyes, the infatuated smile, it meant one thing, a detail he knew too well in his heart: he was in love with her.
“See you by the pool.” Sara said, offering him a personal invitation to join her in some sun, sea and relaxation. There was no one else she would rather spend it with.
She left the cabin, she had a public to see and astound with her glorious presence. His enamoured eyes followed her. He marvelled at her stunning elegance, he was so glad to have been born a man to fully admire, fully appreciate and fully adore a true perfect creation of beautiful womanhood.
Gone, he looked down at the glass on the floor, clicked his tongue disapprovingly at himself. He could not fathom why he constantly lost control of his professional front and degenerated into an uncoordinated mess whenever he was around her. Every time he looked at his darling Sara, he frequently let himself slip up, going from a man with nerves of steel to a pile of wobbling jelly. His composure went straight out the window and only returned when she was not close to his proximity, it was like he became an entirely different person with her.
“Nice one dropping the glass, real professional.” he scolded himself hard. He was often tough on himself, he was his own demanding boss and unforgiving enemy in a sense. “How am I ever going to impress her?”
CHAPTER 7
Sara walked by the pool, everyone was compelled to stop and gaze at her graceful magnificence on display for their viewing pleasure. They were all left breathless and speechless by her immense presence. Several snapped pictures of her, many recorded her on their video phones and camcorders. She loved the attention and devotion, it was thrilling to be back in the limelight, she had been away from it for too many years.
“It's great to be back.” she grinned to herself, it was just like old times. History had a knack for repeating itself, as it was right by the pool. She was getting a glaring case of serious deja vu.
Back in the eighties, Sara, a dazzling rising superstar in her twenties, breathtaking in every way, no matter the year, walked by the pool of an elaborate producer's mansion in an equally stunning bikini. The guests reactions were exactly identical. Reporters were snapping endless photos, crews were recording her every movement, gaining excellent coverage.
Sara climbed onto the diving board, she stood over her adoring public, so beautiful and so breathtaking that astounded all with her true glorious and true captivating presence, standing over all like a truly tremendous and a truly wonderful monarch that she was. The crowd watched in silence, enthralled to watch her latest spectacle.
Sara's younger self looked at the pool below, a towering and spectacular queen to her adoring public, then and now. The crowd watched in equal silence. She gathered her balance and prepared to jump.
Tommaso stepped outside to see Sara getting ready to dive, he watched in his regular quiet admiration. It brought on memories of his past, working with her all those wonderful years ago, of all the stars he was employed by, she was the best star he ever found himself associated with, it was the best job he ever had. It was miraculous to be her personal assistant again, it was where he belonged, at her side, there for her beck and call, to do everything in his power to make her pleased, it gave him such gratification to know he was making Sara Sarracini happy.
Tommaso, a twenty five year old young personal assistant recently hired personally by Sara, he was as charming and kind back then as he was now, watched her in the same admiration. Revelling in her company, loving every second of her prestigious employ. He had no interest in finding another client or working his way up to a higher position in the agency, he had found his calling and his purpose, he was content where he was, serving his spectacular diva who sent his body numb and tingly just thinking of her divine name, Sara Sarracini.
Sara bent down, perched over the deep end of the pool below her toe nails. Her muscles tensed, the board curved under her applied pressure. She rose up, released her muscles. The board flipped upward, propelling her as she dived majestically into the air. The crowd gaped at her majestic grace and flawless form like a crane soaring through the sky.
The crowd gaped at her equal grace and perfect performance all those years ago when she pulled the same sensational stunt. The youthful Sara landed into the water with perfect finesse and a big splash to top it off.
Sara landed in the water, her form was still flawless after all those years. She emerged from the azure water, like an enchanting goddess of the sea. The crowd let out a rip-roaring round of applause.
Sara in her early years of twenty emerged from the water with the same elegance and majesty, she was and always would be a goddess of any terrain, the land, the sea and the air. The crowd let out the same kind of rip-roaring round of applause. She looked at the adoring crowd and blew them a kiss.
Sara observed the crowd, still as adoring in their fevered devotion as ever, it was just like old times. In the same manner, she blew them all a kiss.
The
youthful Sara climbed out the pool. Her young and lively personal assistant watched her approach a sun bed. He was smitten by her then.
Sara approached a sun bed. Tommaso watched her, his admiration for her was still as strong, he was still smitten by her now. Sara lay down onto the sun bed, ready to bask in the glory of the beautiful day.
The admirable and respectable Captain of the renowned star celebrity cruise stopped by the sun bed to speak to Sara, both formally as a professional captain and informally as a long time fan.
“Ah, Ms. Sarracini, you make the brightest of days that extra bright.” his accumulated mass of greying fuzz around his mouth and face were pulled back to form a smile with the exposed pair of purple lips.
Sara beamed at him more dazzling than the sun above shining on her golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. “How kind of you to say, Captain.”
“Having you on board has been a true honour for us all.” he said with his pleasant, posh tone, speaking on behalf of the ship and himself.
Sara was flattered by such a heartfelt compliment. “The honour is all mine, Captain.”
The Captain stood proudly at her words, he was complimented greatly.
“It's a true pleasure being on your wonderful ship and meeting all you beautiful people.”
The Captain was astoundingly honoured. “The pleasure is all ours, Ms. Sarracini.”
“Please, call me Sara.” she sweetly requested. Sara preferred to be treated informally by her fans, it made the conversations feel more relaxed and real, she wasn't above others, she was a down to earth kind of woman, there was no requirement for any pretences or formalities.
“Certainly, Sara.” it seemed strange using a first name but he would get used to it “Forgive my formality. An old habit that comes with the job.”
“No need to apologise, I know how it is, being formal is key in my line of work too.”
The Captain's beard widened as his smile grew in size, Sara's kindness was unmatched.
“So, what brings you Captain? Have we reached land or do you want an autograph?” she giggled adorably.
The Captain couldn't help breaking his professional front and chuckling in delight. She was making him feel more casual and comfortable than he had ever been in his demanding and serious line of work to make his luxurious celebrities pleased on his cruise and recommend using his vessel again in the near future, his heavy responsibility was a lot lighter since meeting his favourite celebrity of them all in the flesh, she was even more wonderful than she gave off on the silver screen and in interviews. He had watched every film, caught every interview on the smaller screen and printed on magazines to have been painted a pretty clear image of the real Sara Sarracini. The actuality of her was grander than any painting could convey. “I just came to let you know that we should reach land in an hour.”
Sara sat up from her sun bed, overjoyed at the news, she could hardly wait “Great.”
“There is one more thing.” he interjected.
“Yes?”
The Captain pulled out a photo of Sara from one of her movies out of his clean white and gold uniform.
He held onto the image of Sara Sarracini's star-studded days in his fingers, she was wearing a classy reporter's suit wielding a six shooter, standing next to a swat officer loading his pump action shotgun, surrounded by a hoard of rotting zombies, craving the warm taste of flesh, and the refreshing nectar of blood to satisfy their ravenous hunger and rampant thirst which knew no relief or any end, it just kept going on like their undead existences.
Both of the sole survivors were ready for action, to fight to live or die trying in the film's gripping and shocking climax which left many movie-goers in the audience stunned during the end credits and after leaving the cinema. The Captain himself, when he wore a second-in-command's uniform, was one of them, he could not get the ending out of his head for many days after seeing the zombie film to end all zombie films. Her stand-out performance made it more than just a low budget exploitation movie, she gave it a touch of class and grandiloquence not seen in other movies of the same genre.
It was a cut above the rest, the crème della crème. Without her sensational presence, the movie would have been another dime-a-dozen zombie film, but with her enigmatic portrayal of a woman searching for the truth to a chemical outbreak infecting the living and mutating them into the living dead, it was a much more powerful film with an important message of never giving up, no matter the cost or how hard the obstacle may be, in this case a hoard of flesh eating monsters. It was a cult classic for her sincere and dynamic performance that made it so unique, much like herself.
He was instantly a fan of the upcoming talent Sara Sarracini, it was only fitting that be the photograph he would choose for her. “May I have the privilege of your autograph?”
“What kind of an actress would I be if I said 'no'?” she gently took the photo, looked at the captured scene, nostalgia came over her. “I haven't seen this photo in a long time.”
It brought back a ton of memories of shooting the film in the sun soaked, lush plains of Barcelona during a beautiful and radiant summer in 1980, she was having the time of her life along with the cast and the crew.
It was rough to begin with, the beginning of an educational experience that moulded her into the compelling actress she was. Her nerves of carrying the weight of a film by herself in the leading role was intimidating at first, her first few roles were supporting parts, she was at the side while someone else had the responsibility, this time it was her turn, her one shot to prove her worth as a leading lady. She could hardly sleep a wink in her hotel prior to the first day of the shoot. But when push came to shove and she stepped in front of the camera, it was all washed aside by a sense of duty and commitment to everyone working on the movie and the people who would pay good money to dedicate their time to see it.
It was her first feature as the main protagonist and she was determined to give it her all to make a lasting first impression to the public eye, she sure did that. After gaining her confidence during the first day of filming and the rest of the momentous days that followed, it was safe to say she was a natural talent in the acting business who kept getting better and better with each film that came her way. She even amazed herself on several occasions at breaking the barriers of acting to deliver a convincing and passionate portrayal, making the character anything but cardboard, she turned any name on the script into a three-dimensional, genuine human being, believable and credible every time, in every film.
Sara looked up to the Captain, “Do you have a...” she paused, had no need to ask, he was one step ahead of her.
The Captain was holding a pen at the ready for her. He handed the ballpoint to her. Sara gratefully took the pen and looked back to the photo of a grand debut.
“Ah, Inferno of the Zombies, I had quite the time working on that one. It's where I discovered the beauty of Barcelona. And most of all, left my mark in the world of cinema.” Sara said reminiscently as the experience unfolded before her, living it out for a second time.
She signed the photo with a brisk ease, she had written so many in her time, it was a part of her every day living. She admired her handwriting, it was another perfect masterpiece. It was what Sara's fans' deserved “There we go.”
She handed the signed photo to the Captain, he cheerfully took it off her. “Much appreciated.” he thanked her with a combination of professional restraint and informal jubilation.
He had to look at what she wrote to him, to wait until later would have been an insult.
To my dear Captain, many kisses, love Sara Sarracini xxxx
The Captain loved it, she turned a great photograph into an extraordinary one. He looked back to Sara, his reserved front was giving way to the avid fan within him. “It's great to have you back.”
Sara's incredibly expressive eyes glistened with an intensity like the ocean all around them. She was glad to be back, and fans like him made it all the more worthwhile.
C
HAPTER 8
Paulo and Gloria stepped outside their grand hotel, full and satisfied with their breakfast to start the day off and get their many romantic activities going. They took in the fresh sea air and calm tranquillity. The perfect mood for some romance between the youthful couple was spoiled by the intrusive sound of Paulo's belch.
“Excuse me.” he chuckled with a hint of embarrassment. He didn't plan on it sounding as loud as it did.
Gloria rolled her eyes, he was embarrassing her out in the public “You always get gassy after breakfast, every single time. Why is that?”
“It's the anise rings. I love them but they sure don't love me back.”
“So why do you keep having them?” came the expected question from his puzzled girlfriend.
Paulo told it how it was for him, “Simple, I love the taste, I'm not going to let a little indigestion stop me from enjoying my breakfast.”
“The good outweighs the bad, huh?”
Paulo nodded, “They do.”
Gloria had to throw her contrasting opinion into the matter, she was always too outspoken to keep her thoughts to herself. “Personally if I ate something that kept giving me real bad indigestion, the first thing I'd do is stop having it.”
The more he dwelled on it, the more it was apparent to Paulo, “You and I are two very different people. Maybe that's why it works between us, being opposites.”
“Seems that way.”
Paulo and Gloria walked down the side-walk beside the chromatic beach coated in a deep blue. A scenic stroll, it was the perfect way to start the morning.
