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“I know what they look like.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m an art restorer, remember?”
“You may have looked at them, but you haven’t seen them. Look again.”
Raven began at the left of the painting with the figure of Mercury and moved to look at the three Graces.
“They’re certainly healthy.”
“Look on the Graces before examining Venus. Remember, these are depictions of the ideal of feminine beauty.”
“According to Botticelli.”
William squeezed her shoulders. “Botticelli recognized beauty when he saw it. He admired Simonetta Vespucci, for example, and she was extremely attractive.”
Raven turned her head to the side. “You aren’t making me feel better.”
“That’s because you aren’t paying attention. Look at the women’s stomachs.”
She did as she was told. “They’re rounded.”
“They’re healthy.” William brought his hands to her abdomen and placed them flat against her. “As are you.” His lips found her ear. “And their breasts?”
Raven shuddered at his nearness.
“It’s difficult to make out but they look full.”
William brushed her hands aside and cupped her breasts, reveling in the weight. “You’re far more voluptuous. Far more pleasing to my eyes, my hands, my mouth.” He kissed her ear. “What about their bottoms?”
“They’ve got back.”
“Back?”
“Um, they have substantial bottoms.”
“Hmm.” William slid his hands down the curves of her sides and her hips before gripping her backside. “You have an excellent, round bottom. It pleases me to hold it while I’m inside you.”
He stepped in front of her, facing her. “In other words, Botticelli’s ideal women look like women and not boys. They’re soft and curvaceous. Healthy and rounded. Women of the size figured in this painting were considered beautiful for centuries, if not millennia. They were the aesthetic ideal during my lifetime and long after.”
He brought his mouth to her neck before whispering, “My ideal hasn’t changed.”
Without a word, Raven wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him as he carried her to bed.
Chapter Forty-five
“Someone is happy this morning.” Patrick smirked as he saw Raven sitting at her desk with a dreamy smile on her face.
She was staring at an image of Primavera that she’d used as the wallpaper to her desktop computer.
“Earth to Raven?” He snapped his fingers, causing her to jump.
When she saw who’d surprised her, she shoved his arm. “Jeez, Patrick. What the hell?”
He laughed. “I called your name twice.”
“I was concentrating.” She turned back to her computer, logging out of the system.
“On what, your wallpaper?”
“Very funny.”
“Why so happy this morning? Is it because Batelli got turfed?”
Raven glanced around the room at their colleagues. Fortunately, they weren’t paying attention to their conversation.
“Ssshhh!” She gave Patrick a censorious look.
He lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry.”
“Summer is coming. That makes me happy.” Raven grabbed her cane and walked to the wardrobe to retrieve her lab coat.
“Right.” Patrick followed her. “Hey, if things with your wine collector are that good, why don’t we go on a double date? Gina wanted to plan something for your birthday.”
“It isn’t until July.”
“Well, she’ll plan a party for then. But we should go out before that. Bring your friend to meet us.”
“Um, I don’t know.” Raven tried not to look troubled.
“No big deal. I know how things are when it’s new.” He smiled again.
Raven returned his smile. “Things are pretty new with Gina. You guys have only been together a couple of weeks.”
“Yeah, but it feels like longer because we were friends first. How’s your collector?”
She directed her grin at her lab coat. “He’s good. Thanks.”
Patrick shook his head at her. “Now that we know everything is good, let me know when you’re free. We can go out to dinner or meet for drinks after work. You decide.”
He started for the door. “By the way, they’re going to reopen the exhibition hall in a couple of weeks. The Prado in Madrid agreed to lend us a few pieces.”
Raven gestured to him to come back. “Does that mean they’ve closed the investigation?”
“No. From what I hear, it’s just moved off-site. There’s no way Vitali is going to let the illustrations go without a massive investigation. By the way, be careful walking around the city at night. The newspapers are reporting that there’s a motorcycle gang attacking people. They shot a guy with a crossbow Monday night.”
“What?” Raven’s jaw dropped open.
“I know. Ridiculous, right? The BBC is reporting that both British and American tourists are canceling their travel plans to Florence this summer. The theft at the gallery, plus those bodies they found near the river, and now the motorcycle gang have all hit the news.”
“Is the gang attacking random people or are they targeting?”
Patrick gave her a quizzical look. “I have no idea. There were reports of attacks but when the police arrived, the victims had disappeared.”
“Thanks, Patrick. Say hi to Gina. I’ll let you know about dinner.”
Her friend nodded and made his way to the archives.
Raven thought of one word as she walked toward the restoration lab.
Hunters.
During her lunch break, Raven contemplated calling Ambrogio in order to leave a message for William.
But she didn’t.
He didn’t communicate by telephone, text, or e-mail. If she asked him to come to dinner with her friends, he’d decline, of course.
How could she introduce her . . . vampyre to her friends?
The answer was clear and concise.
She couldn’t.
Raven didn’t see William again until Saturday evening. He’d been busy day and night trying to locate the hunters.
It was a plausible explanation.
But Raven couldn’t help the doubt that crept into the back of her mind. She wondered if he’d seen the red-haired vampyre while he was hunting. She wondered who he was feeding from, since he wasn’t feeding from her.
She cursed herself for being jealous of his food sources.
On Saturday evening, at William’s request, she put on a little black dress that dipped very low in the back, exposing a great deal of skin. The dress would have looked better with stilettos, but now that her leg was back to its previous form, she couldn’t wear high heels without excruciating p
ain.
She took time brushing and styling her long black hair, curling the ends. And she made up her face with a light hand, accentuating the natural color of her lips and highlighting her green eyes.
William had said he was taking her out for the evening, but that she was to be ready before sunset.
A knock sounded at the door and she looked through the peephole.
It was Marco.
She opened the door to let him in and retrieved her purse. “Where’s his lordship?”
“In the car.” Marco moved past her, searching the apartment. When he seemed satisfied with what he saw (or didn’t see), he accompanied her to the landing, keeping careful watch on the stairwell as she locked the door.
When she entered the Mercedes, she found William in the backseat.
“Good evening.” He greeted her with a passionate kiss.
She kissed him back earnestly, for she’d missed him.
“I like this.” His fingers descended to where the dress began at her backside.
“You requested it.”
“I may have requested it, but only you could wear it.” He grasped her wrist, moving her bracelet aside so his lips could meet her skin. “You’re stunning.”
Marco pulled away from the curb and they began driving.
“You won’t need this tonight.” William undid the scarf that covered her neck.
Slowly and sensuously, he slid the silk across her skin, allowing the end to trail across her breast.
Raven stopped breathing for a moment.
“Why not?”
“We won’t be in public this evening.” He touched her neck with a single finger. “But I need you to close your eyes.”
“Why?” Raven looked out the window in alarm. “Are you taking me back underground?”
“No. Trust me.”
Raven didn’t trust him. Not completely.
But she swallowed her doubts and closed her eyes.
She could hear the sound of other cars and Vespas as they passed. She could feel the movement of the car, the acceleration and deceleration. There were several stops and several turns.
She had no idea where they were going.
All this time, William’s thumb stroked the back of her hand.
