Mirage Beyond Flames (Coriola) (11 page)

“What have you got?”

“Soda, juice, red wine, white wine, beer and coffee
,” he enumerated, counting on his fingers.

“I almost never drink coffee. Just today I had to make an exception for an eme
rgency situation”, she said in playful reproach. “Some juice, please.”

“Coming r
ight up. Make yourself at home,” he urged. “The couch is over there, the remote must be around too.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

He left her sitting on his massive couch - typically masculine, in front of his massive TV - typically masculine. She found the remote under one of the couch’s cushions and began pressing buttons.

He brought
the drinks – orange juice for her and a beer for him – and sat next to her. 

“Who’s gonna feed your
fish while we’re gone?”

“Well, I get along
with all my neighbors, I’d trust any one of them. Still, I think I’ll ask Danielle. She’s on top of me,” he explained, indicating the ceiling. “She’s an exotic dancer.”

“What?” she
asked, looking ready to choke for the second time that day.

“Yeah, she’s a nice girl. W
e’re friends and nothing more,” he accentuated when he saw her dark expression.

Then he noticed the pearl-necklace around her neck and smiled.

“Gift from mother? It means she liked you very much if she gave you this. It was her biggest treasure, inherited from grandma. It’s very old.”

“I felt a bit em
barrassed. I can’t believe she gave me something so important to her. But you’re wrong. You are her biggest treasure,” Linda told him.

He smiled
fondly.

“True. Besides aunt Sophie, I’m all she has in this world. They both adore me and I them.”

“I can see you are used to women’s adoration,” she teased. “And now shut up, I wanna watch the show. It’s one of my favorites.”

“What’s this?” he asked looking at the screen.

“
Dynamo, magician impossible
. This guy fascinates me. He is not like other illusionists. In fact, I don’t think you could actually call him an
illusionist
, because I don’t think levitations and other things he does have anything to do with illusion. I probably speak unknowingly, but I think I can say one thing with a fair degree of certainness.”

“
What’s that?”

He watched
Dynamo slowly coming off the ground, rising in front of an entire crowd next to a huge statue of Jesus.

“I don’t think he’s come to having the abilities he has by practicing yoga. Some advanced masters reach the levitation stage after long per
iods of intensive training. I don’t think that’s his case though. And I don’t think him to be a fakir either.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked, intrigued by the topic.

“I’ve read somewhere he suffers from a terrible disease, Crohn’s disease. If he’d practiced yoga on a high level, he would’ve been long cured. Be as it may, I’m telling you, the guy is not a regular person. He has some special abilities and qualities…”

“Do you wanna
sit here all night so you can extol this Dynamo dude? I’m beginning to become jealous.”

“Why?” she replied
serenely, entering his game. “If Dynamo comes from Dynamite, the guy must be dynamite in bed! Do you realize? He must be able to levitate a woman using only his…”

“You want levitation?” he int
errupted slyly, his tone charged with amused threat. “I’ll show you right away how it’s done.”

So saying, he lifted her
effortlessly off the couch in a smooth fluid motion, placing her on his lap. She straddled him, his thighs hidden under her large skirt-dress. He drew her to him, as close as he could, until he felt almost every inch of her body pressed to his. Then he kissed her ardently, moving his hands on her soft skin. He detached the pins from her hair, sliding his fingers through that golden mass flowing down her back.

He kissed her neck, her shoulders, then his lips went lower and lower. He
tugged down her dress straps, burying his face in her cleavage, cupping her breasts, increasingly aroused by her every gasp and moan.

She
responded to his touch with a sensuality that he knew intuitively had remained hidden until then, undiscovered in the depth of her being. She rose over him, kissing his every feature. He let her have control, let the passion take him, throwing him in the vertigo of rapture. She grazed her teeth over his throat and a rough moan escaped his lips. Encouraged, she stroked his strong torso, then pulled his T-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor.

When he felt her hot
tongue over his chest, tasting his nipples, any shadow of control left him. He unfastened his jeans and lowered them slightly. Her eyes shone glassy with desire as he pulled her closer, his fingers digging in her thighs, pressing down, while his hips pushed up, higher, deeper, in the rhythm of their breaths.

There was nothing in the universe but the smooth motions of the two lovers, lost in each other, consumed by the intensity of their feelings.

After
the deluge of their passion was temporarily satiated, a euphoric calmness descended upon them. She collapsed on his chest, still holding him tight between her warm thighs.

“
Ti voglio bene, amore mio
!” he whispered, his lips touching the delicate lobe of her ear. It meant
I love you
. He wanted to make memorable the first time he said those words to her.

He felt her stop breathing for a moment.
The significance of this statement in the melodious sound of her maternal language must have triggered in her soul a very powerful emotion. He wondered if she’d recognized it as being complete happiness.

She must have, because he knew she was serious when she whispered back:

“
Anch’io ti amo, mio caro!
”

She embraced him tighter than she’
d ever had before.

Outside darkness had fallen. Only the inconstant TV light and the fairy-like multi-colored lights of the aquarium revealed the two silhouettes embraced on the couch.

Eventually, Linda raised her
head from his shoulder.

“Baby, you have to take me home. Pirata is alone, I can’t leave him like that. I’m going to the bathroom.”

“It’s in the bedroom, on the left,” he mumbled, sunk into a state of euphoric relaxation, then sighed and got up.

He felt invincible, as though
nothing could shadow his happiness. Linda had told him she loved him. He knew she meant it. He gathered his T-shirt from the floor and pulled it on.

When
Linda returned, she grabbed her bag and turned off the TV, then he locked the door behind them.

On the way to her house, driving on th
e illuminated crowded streets, they talked about various things, especially regarding the trip they were going to make together. At one point, he asked:

“You said the day after
tomorrow is your art exhibit?”

“Yes. Act
ually, it’s not only my exhibit. There will be the works of other artists too.”

“But you’re the best and the most well-known, right?”

She laughed, pinning her hair up.

“If you wanna put it like that. Sort of.”

“Do I have to wear a suit?” he complained in a martyr tone.

“If you want Francesco to let you in, yes. Fr
ancesco is the gallery’s owner, and a perfect gentleman who never breaches etiquette. I took him the sculpture of your hands, by the way. He was thrilled.”

He smiled
, glancing at her.

“O
f course. If it was made by you. No matter how banal the model, it’s still a masterpiece.”

“You, banal? Not in a t
housand years and you know it!” she exclaimed teasingly.

He
stopped the car in front of her gate, then got out to open her door.

She
entered the code of the alarm system and the gate opened. She turned to him.

“Won’t you stay here?”

“Do you want me to stay?”

“Yes,” she admitted, causing his
heart to throb with the pleasure and satisfaction of knowing she needed him, that she wanted him close.

He wrapped
his arms around her, kissing her softly and stroking her cheek.

“We became addicted to e
ach other in a very short time,” he remarked. “Does it scare you?”

“A l
ittle. Doesn’t it scare you?”

“No. On the contrary, it’s the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever felt for a woman,” he confessed, his eyes holding hers. ”
I’m sorry, my love, but I think I’d better go home. Tomorrow I’m gonna wake up very early. I have a hundred problems to solve so I can arrange our trip. I don’t want you to feel obliged to wake up with the sunrise.”

She sighed resignedly and said smiling:

“In any case, I wouldn’t want you to be next to me if I ever have to wake up with the sunrise. Trust me, it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for any of us.”

He laughed softly and
kissed her again, embracing her tightly.

“Go. W
hen I’ll see you get inside, I’ll leave too. Good night, baby!”

“Good night.”

She slid through the gates, resetting the alarm code, then walked along the driveway until she reached the house. At the front door she turned. He was still in front of the gates, watching her, leaning on the thick bars. Linda waved to him and he called:

“I love you!”

As though still unused to this declaration, she hesitated a moment. Then she traced an imaginary heart in the air with her index fingers.

He smiled back at her, thoughtfully, wondering when she’ll let herself trust him and be comfortable with displaying her love.

Chapter Twelve

The next day went by quickly for both of them.
Linda arranged for Mrs. Adams to take Pirata while she was away. After that, she helped the old housekeeper to clean the house. She personally cleaned up her workshop, sharpening and organizing her tools. In the afternoon, when the woman had left, Linda prepared a magnificent dinner for her and Gerard. He’d called during the day to let her know he had reserved plane tickets for Monday. He’d promised at seven o’clock he’ll be present for dinner.

She
carefully chose her outfit. She put on a long strapless dress, pink and diaphanous, with floral prints. Because she’d noticed Gerard loved to comb his fingers through her hair, she brushed it, letting it free to fall in soft, shiny waves on her back.

Gerard arrived at a quarter to seven.
He was unshaven and wore a white shirt, clean but extremely wrinkled. Looking at him, she marveled at the effect the man had on her. Was she so blinded by love that she thought he looked gorgeous even dressed far from presentable and having dark circles of fatigue under his eyes?

When he enveloped her in his arms, kissing
her deeply, with the passion which seemed to spring straight from his soul, the reason she loved him was very clear.

“My love, the air conditioning in my office has broken, that’s why I’m all sweaty and ru
mpled. I missed you like crazy,” he added, kissing her again.

“Me too.
I’ve made a delicious dinner. I hope you like boeuf salad and steak. This time I made dessert too.”

“Really
? What?”

“Y
ogurt and sour cherries pie, my special recipe. You’ll like it,” she assured him.

“Smells divine, baby,”
he replied, sniffing the air. “But I’m begging you, can I take a shower first? I need to get out of these clothes.”

“Of course, go upstairs. In the meantime I’ll set the table.”

“Don’t you wanna come with me?” he suggested playfully.

She stepped back making
a pirouette, allowing him to admire her dress.

“I went to so much trouble so I’d
look good for you and you already want me to take off my clothes? You didn’t even notice my new dress,” she pouted.

“Of course I’ve noti
ced it, baby, it’s lovely. Anyway, you look best in Eve’s outfit, in my arms.”

He winked, then
climbed the stairs to the bedroom.

Smiling widely – it seemed it was all she could do lately – Linda set the big guests table in the dining room, using the fine porcelain tableware and silver cutlery.

Seated on a chair at the top of the table, Pirata was carefully supervising his mistress’ preparations.

Gerard
descended, trailing a fresh scent of soap. When Linda turned around, she saw her lover was wearing only a towel around his hips. Her jaw almost dropped. He reacted the same looking at the festive décor, then down at himself and his attire, completely inadequate for the occasion.

They both burst out laughing at the same time. When their laughter subsided, he took her in his arms saying:

“I’m so sorry, my love, you’ve worked so hard for this dinner and I ruined everything. I thought we were gonna eat in the kitchen. I wasn’t expecting anything formal. Are we celebrating something?”

She kissed his naked chest, which was still damp.

“Just the fact that we’re together. Don’t be sorry, you don’t have anything to apologize for.”

He gesticulated toward
the festive-looking table.

“How can I not apologize? Ev
erything is perfect except me.”

She
smiled, giving him a long lingering kiss.

“You’
re the only perfect thing,
amore mio!
Let’s eat. Pirata, make room for the gentleman,” she ordered the cat who, obedient, moved on another chair.

Dinner was a
pleasant, if strange experience. She’d never had an almost naked gorgeous man sitting at her table. She couldn’t say she disliked it, not even close. She would have been happy to admire and enjoy his perfect body every day of her life.

They recounted to
one another the day’s events, making plans for the next day.

“What time do we need to be at the gallery?” he asked.

“At six in the evening is the official opening.”

“And what exactly do we have to do at such an event?”

“Not much. Smile, talk to people… That’s about it.”

She
took a sip of the red wine she’d specially bought for this occasion.

“It’s gonna
be an interesting experience to see my star in action,” he remarked grinning.

After dinner, she freshened their drinks and they went outside, on the terrace. They laid on the lounge chairs, illuminated by the dwarves’ and elves’ torches, admiring the few stars sprinkled here and there in the dark abyss above.

He put his glass on the small table placed between the lounge chairs, then rose and took off the towel from around his hips. Linda remained with her glass to her mouth, watching him motionless, while electric waves of desire were stirring her entire being.

He took the glass from her hand, helping her to her feet.

“I wa
nna test this pool of yours. It’s almost as tempting as the owner,” he told her as he undressed her.

The
thin strapless dress slid easily down her body and she was left in a minuscule lacy thong. In two movements, Gerard left her without even that insignificant garment.

Wordless, they
sank into the cool water. It made a steamy contrast with their hot bodies.

“I didn’t think w
e could… make love in the pool,” she gasped, abandoning herself to his relentless kisses and caresses.

“Every day I’m going to
teach you a new way to make love. We’re gonna learn together,” he told her, holding her tight, sinking deep into the water and into her hot body.

Chapter Thirteen

Gerard awoke before she did. Gathering his wrinkled clothes from the bathroom, he dressed quietly, consoling himself by thinking he’d get home fast and change into clean clothes.

“
Mon Dieu, how beautiful she is,”
he thought, while sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his lover sleep. He almost couldn’t believe this divine creature was his. At least for now. The thought he could lose her drove him to despair, to fear – a feeling he didn’t remember to have ever experienced.

He kissed her lightly
then headed to the door. Linda had given him the alarm code, so there was no need to disturb her for anything.

He s
topped by his apartment, took a quick shower, after which he dressed into a blue shirt and jeans. He fed his fish, watching them devouring their granulated food with greedy enthusiasm. He had to promise Danielle a special present from Romania, a bribe in exchange for her services as a fish-sitter while he was gone. The plane tickets were round-trip type, at a three days interval. They had to finish in that frame of time, solve all the problems he had with Jean-Paul in those three days. Two of them included the trip itself and were going to be spent more on the road.

He consulted his wardrobe to pick an adequate outfit for the upcoming night’s event. He chose a dark blue suit, a white shirt and grey tie. He checked to see
if the clothes were well-pressed, then he left for the clinic.

* * *

Linda awoke in a state of anxiety whose cause she couldn’t localize. She remembered the gallery’s opening was at six o’clock that evening. Groaning, she buried her head back under the pillow. Although she wasn’t a novice in the art world, such events made her nervous without a specific reason. She was by no means a sociable person. The thought of spending a few hours into a crowd of people who were staring at her sculptures making small-talk depressed her.

Gerard had promised he’d pick her
up at five, so they wouldn’t be delayed by the London traffic. She looked at the clock. It was almost eleven, which meant she had six hours of waiting. She took a long hot shower, then she called Giovanni and talked to him for almost half an hour, without any regard for the phone bill.

She told him about Gerard, leaving her brother more than thrilled because
his sister finally had
a guy.

She thought about
calling her father, but the perspective of exchanging giggles with the beautiful and completely imbecile Ariadna discouraged her. Same story with Giovanna and her husband - young, handsome, smart as a decorative vase.

After eating
, she dressed casually and went shopping. There was nothing more stress-releasing than a good shopping session and shop-browsing.

At five o’clock when Gerard came to pick her up, she hadn’t finished doing her makeup. She wore a simple black dress that reached her knees, with a discreet décolletage. Her hair was up into a French twist, as simple and elegant as her whole attire. Between her breasts laid the necklace Chantalle had given her. As a final touch, she’d added a pair of pearl earrings.

He called out, the
n climbed the stairs to the bedroom, whistling admiringly at her sight.

“You look fabulous, baby.”

He kissed her freshly rouged lips, getting them both smudged with peach-colored lipstick.