Page 142 of Valentino

Soon.

4 p.m.

I go through the spreadsheet on my computer.

Buzz…sounds through the apartment. Buzz….

“The doorbell, oh no. What if the police are back?” I get up from my place at the kitchen table and go to the phone near the front door. “Hello,” I answer.

“Hello, Miss Russo, this is Barney from concierge.”

“Hi.”

“You have a visitor.”

“I do.” I frown.

“Sending an image now.”

The screen on the phone lights up and my mother comes into view, she waves at the camera and I giggle. “That’s my mother, that’s fine, send her up.”

I see Tomasso walk over to her and he waves to the screen too. “Thank you.”

I rush back into the kitchen and sign off from work for the day and throw the dishes into the dishwasher. Ahh…this is exciting.

My mom coming to visit me here makes it all feel real.

The door clicks and I hear my mom talking to Tomasso, and her beautiful face comes into view. “Mama.” I laugh.

“My darling Anna.” She pulls me into a hug.

“Thank you, Tomasso.” I smile over her shoulder, to see he’s smiling at our warm interaction too. With a kind nod he disappears back into the elevator.

“What are you doing here?” I laugh.

“Can’t a mother visit her daughter?” She smiles as she looks around. “Well, isn’t this lovely.”

“It is.” I smile, there’s no mistaking why she has come to visit, she wants all the details of what’s going on between us.

“So….” She walks around and acts casual before she gets to the juicy questions. “This is where you’re staying?”

“Yes.”

She looks around. “Wow.”

“I’ll give you the tour.”

“I’d love that.”

I show her the ground floor and the gym and sauna to the sounds of her oohhs and ahhhs; I open the office door. “Office.”

“Oh, this is lovely.” She widens her eyes. “Isn’t it?” She walks in and looks around. “That’s a big strong desk.”

I get a vision of us doing the wild thing on it. “Very strong.” I blush.

“I’ll show you upstairs.” We go from room to room all while she gasps in admiration.

“He has such good taste, doesn’t he?”