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“Maybe for someone like your sister. She seems to get antsy if she goes a few days without it. For me, not so much. It’s the emotional side I’m struggling with and getting attached. How do I turn this off?”
I lean forward, eager to hear her wisdom. She’s been there, after all. Before Lex, casual fun was all Rhia was interested in. And now she wants to get married. I never thought I’d see the day.
“You do it like you do everything.” She raises her glass to her lips and takes a long sip. “You gather all the facts, consider your expectations and likely outcomes, so there won’t be any surprises.
“Now, I have been saying all along this could be the beginning of a great love story, and I stick with that. There’s something special going on. I feel it in my bones. And if it’s meant to be, it will be.
“But just in case it isn’t, here are the facts. You’re on vacation. Gualtiero lives in Sicily, and you’ll be returning to Dublin by the end of the week.”
Shit. For some reason, that reminder cuts deep, and I feel part of my heart breaking already.
“No matter what, El, make the most of it. Experience five days of Sicilian perfection with no regrets,” Rhia continues. “Let loose, be wild… nobody will ever know. As for the likely outcome, if you two can’t work it out, then you both return to your normal lives, having made memories you’ll revel in for a lifetime.”
Is there really more here? Could there be a future for Gualtiero and me?
I shouldn’t be thinking past this trip. What would be the point? Why hope for something that’s not likely to happen? It can only lead to disappointment.
The fact remains that I really don’t know the man. We live very different lives that don’t seem compatible.
A holiday fling, I can see, but hoping for more is foolish.
It could never work… even if we had feelings for each other. And at least for my part, that’s already a given.
Heartbreak is inevitably on the horizon, but it won’t stop me from enjoying the man while I can. Given today’s shenanigans, the rest of the week promises to be an adventure. I wonder what other things Tiero has in his arsenal of tricks.
“Go for it, El,” Rhia encourages, chewing on her lower lip. “If this turns out to be just sex, so be it. Fuck him out of your system, and then go home and add this trip to your memoirs.”
I ponder her words as I go to sleep that night. Just sex… Well, it was that when he took me hard and fast the first time. That last time on the boat, though? We made love. It was raw and intimate and hit the nerve connected right to my heart. And I know that if I continue down this path, I’ll get hurt.
Run. Now!
But I’m already in too deep. How would I explain to him that I don’t want to see him anymore?
Maybe I should just fly home with Rhia?
No, that would suck. It’s my first proper vacation in two years, and I won’t let a hunk of a man intent to capture my heart steal it away from me. I just have to build stronger walls for protection.
As I hug Rhia goodbye, I resolve to truly live it up for the rest of my time here. If I have to spend the next few days without my best friend, I might as well do the things I wouldn’t have done had she stayed… namely, one Gualtiero Leandro De Marco.
We’re on the way back from the airport, and Tiero’s black SUV is bumping along the busy streets of Palermo. A middle-aged man called Fabio is driving. Apparently, he’s Tiero’s regular driver, though I’ve not seen him on the job before.
The passenger seat is taken by a muscly guy who introduced himself as Alonso. He looks very Italian with his tanned olive complexion, dark eyes, and black short-cropped hair. I assume he’s one of Tiero’s bodyguards, though I’m not sure why he’s with me and not Tiero.
From the backseat, I watch the scenery change from city life to the quiet green countryside.
I’m sad Rhia had to cut our trip short. After Zoe left, I looked forward to our time together. But, clearly, it wasn’t meant to be. At least we had a bit more than a week together. That’s better than nothing, right?
And I can’t fault her for flying home. This is an amazing opportunity for her. If she wins this account, it will set her up to expand her business, and she’s been working so hard for that.
While Rhia’s leaving is unfortunate, now that Tiero is in the picture, I have to admit, being here alone makes it a lot easier to spend time with him without feeling guilty for neglecting my best friend. In that sense, the timing couldn’t be better.
Lost in thought, time flies by, and the hour-long trip to Catania is over before I know it.
We arrive at Tiero’s office building, and Fabio drives through enormous gates with two guards on each side.
Everything around Tiero is always well guarded. I guess whenever I’m with him, I couldn’t be safer.
Fabio drops me off in the courtyard near the front door. As I slide out of the car, I take in the De Marco Headquarters. It’s probably the most unusual office building I’ve come across. It’s an old-style Catanian Palazzi, which I suspect is centuries old.
