Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
We are sitting in a bar having a late and lazy lunch in Venice. Our guards are strategically out of sight, up against the walls. Andrea laughs at something on his phone before he shows me a meme as he scrolls through Instagram. I smile.
We’ve been here for a week. Drea had a break from work and wanted a short getaway. We’ve laid in the sun, eaten, drank, and laid low. While he’s so relaxed that he’s nearly asleep… I’m not. I’m not sure I even know how to relax anymore.
It’s been such a long time.
“Can I get you anything?” the waitress asks as she smiles down at Andrea.
I smirk as I watch her. She’s been circling him for hours, and knowing him like I do, she will be beneath him in his bed tonight.
“Yes,” he replies. “Two more Aperol Spritz, please.” He gives her a cheeky wink.
“Yes, sir.” She smiles.
I look through the crowd and see a woman in a red dress with blonde hair. I sit up suddenly.
Is that her?
“What?” Drea asks as his eyes follow my line of sight. “What are you looking at?”
“That woman in the red dress over there.”
We both watch, and then she turns. I exhale heavily and slump back into my chair.
It’s not her.
Andrea looks over at me and frowns. “Are you still thinking about her?”
I pick up my drink and sip it. I crunch on a piece of ice as my eyes go to him.
“How long has it been?” He frowns.
“Since what?”
“Since you’ve seen her.”
I shrug. “A long time.”
“You still picturing her to come?”
I drain my glass, unwilling to answer his question. I don’t know why I told him that. Momentary drunken insanity.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
I shrug. Fuck knows. Least of all me.
“You can have any woman in the world you want. Every beautiful Italian woman on the planet is madly in love with you, yet you choose to pine over an Australian who lives on the other side of the world.” I exhale heavily. “She’s probably happily married to someone else by now, Rico.”
“She’s not.”
His eyes widen. “You’ve been watching her?”
I pick up my second drink and sip it as I stare out over the sea. “Maybe.”
“And?”
I crunch on my ice. “She’s still single.”
“So, bring her here.”
“And offer her what, Drea?” I sit back in my chair, dejected. “We both know...” I pause as I try to articulate my thoughts. “I can’t. It’s not like she lives here. If I bring her here, I have to have an offer.” I sigh sadly. “No woman in their right mind is moving to the other side of the world for a mob boss. Not a woman like her, anyway.”
He watches me for a moment. “What if she was working here and you accidently ran into her?”
“But she’s not.”
He smirks. “You’re Enrico Ferrara, aren’t you?”
My eyes hold his.
“I’m pretty sure you have most of Italy on your payroll, brother.”
I stare at him.
He raises an eyebrow. “Something to think about, right?”
“Hmm.” I smirk as his plan begins to play out in my head. I sit back and sip my drink. My mind begins to run at a million miles per minute.
What if I brought her here and ‘accidentally’ ran into her?
For half an hour, I go through the possibilities in my mind.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Drea says.
“Yeah, sure,” I reply, distracted as I begin to scroll through the names in my phone. I get to the one I’m looking for: Giorgio work. I dial the number.
“Hello, House of Valentino,” he answers.
“Giorgio,” I say. “It’s Enrico Ferrara.”
“Ah, Rico. Long time no speak, my friend. How can I help you?”
I smile. “I… need a favor.”
9
Olivia
April, two months later
I close my eyes as I stare at the email in my inbox. “Please let this happen.”
This is it; the moment I’ve been waiting for. Three months, seven interviews, an hour-long conference call last week, and it all comes down to this.
One email. I either got the job or I didn’t.
All my hopes and dreams rest on this.
I’m either moving to New York to take up a position in the designing team for Valentino. Or I’m not.
And damn it, I really, really want to.
It seemed crazy when I applied for the position on the other side of the world, but now I’ve gotten used to the idea of moving, I’m excited about it. More excited than I’ve been about anything for a long time. I’ve been looking at rental apartments over there, and I have worked out the area I want to live in.
Now, it just has to happen.
I’m still designing pyjamas. It’s still a great job with a great company, but my life in Sydney is still batshit boring. I’ve bought an apartment and pottered along for a while, even been on a few dates, but I’m itching. I don’t know how I find out what makes me happy but I do know that designing pyjamas and living alone isn’t it.