Turn Towards the Sun (10 page)

“I’ve never let a woman into my personal world, you’re the first. I want you here with me very much. I like being able to think about how I feel without blurring the lines with sex. It’s new for
me,
but I think it’s important. Can you understand?”

His words hit me like a freight train. That’s it. That’s what’s bothering me. I can’t figure out how to impress him, how to show him how he makes me feel inside without sex. This is truly
uncharted territory.
For both of us. I feel tears start to well in my eyes and try to blink them back.

“Yes Enzo, I understand. Thank you.”

“Fo
r what
?”

“For everything.” I bury my face in his chest, relishing this moment of closeness.

“Wh
at am I going to do with you
?” He murmurs in my hair.

“We’ll figure it out Enzo.”

“We should pack up and get going.” He moves to stand.
Oh,
no I don’t want this evening to end. I plant myself on the floor, not budging.

“
Seriously, we have to go. I have a busy day tomorrow.” He blows out the candle.
I watch a cool demeanor wash over him, replacing the romantic one that was present just seconds before.

I reluctantly pull myself off the floor. He turns off the single lamp illuminating the room, blanketing us in
darkness. He
takes my hand as we walk towards the door.

“What about all of this?” I ask.

“It will be taken care of.”

He opens my door to the
car,
and I wonder if he will always do
this
and if I will ever get tired of it.

“So tomorrow, what are your plans?” He interrupts my replay of the evening.

“I don’t know. I was thinking I would do some more
exploring
and drink water all day.”

“Yes, the water is a good idea.” He grins. “Do you need anything?
I can send Grayson with you.
”

“No I’m good. I can entertain myself all day.”

“I’ll be tied up all day in the conference from 9-4. After
that,
I’d like to spend the evening with you again. There’s another dinner I’d like you to attend with me. Would you like that?”

“I would.” Is he kidding? I just want to be wherever he is right now.

“Good. Go get another dress for the evening. Cocktail. And Wednesday, I’d like to help you get settled in your new place, make sure it all goes well.”

“Okay.” Crap, when he sees my hand me down sofa and
beat up
bookshelves,
there will probably be another showdown.

“You can go back to Sassy for your dress.”

Oh great
.
B
ack to Bitchville.

“Sure Enzo.
”

We pull into valet and step out of the car. Enzo takes my hand and walks me back to the room.

“I’m not coming in there
.” He says it with such resolve I decide not to try to persuade him.

“Well then kiss me here
.” He leans in and kisses me. Then grinning, he plants a deeper kiss. He pulls away and keeps his hand on my cheek, shaking his head.

“What?”

“I don’t know what it is about
you,
but I can’t stay away.”

“
Nothing wrong with that is there
?” 

“
Not at all
Miss Bradshaw.”

This time the Miss Bradshaw thing makes every nerve in my body stand at attention.
We stand, silently exploring each other’s eyes.

His eyes shift downward. “
I have to leave town on Thursday
.”

“Oh.” I have less than two days left of him.

“
I’ll be back after I take care of some business in Boston.” 

“I’ll be getting settled and starting my job anyway.”
I feel sad, which is totally ridiculous. I just met him, I have no reason to feel anything at this point.

“Hey, look at me. I’m going to see you again Ava. I’m going to see lots of you.”

A lot of me. I sure hope so.

“But tonight, it’s time for sleep.” He kisses m
y cheek and bids me good night.
“Buona notte Ava.” 

Ugh! This man is exciting and frust
rating and intense and amazing.
I have never met a man like this before.
He comes into my life like a tornado and sweeps me up. I need to get some clarity though. It would be very easy to get caught up in all of this and lose my footing. Still, i
t’s so nice to be a part of his world for as long as I can.
Maybe the best I can do is just see where things go.

chapter
three

I wake feeling refreshed. I can’t believe how good my skin
looks,
and I’m still loving my hair. Today I need to swing by Sassy and get a dress from Cruella Deville then I want to find this area called Kierland Common.
Apparently,
outdoor shopping malls are very popular in Arizona. I guess the six or seven months a year when the weather is pleasant makes it worth it. Unfortunately, today is not one of those days. I’ll just have to bear the heat
.
They have a lot of great stores I want to check out. By the time I get out of Sassy and shop around there for a
while,
it should be time to get ready for my evening with Mr. Hotty. I hear my phone ringing as I walk over to Sassy. I don’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Ava?” I hear a heavily accented female voice.

“Yes?”

“Ciao Ava, it’s Francesca, Enzo’s sister.
How are you?”

“Oh hi! I’m good
,
thank you. You?”

“Yes
,
I’m very well. My brother, he says you are moving into your place
tomorrow,
no?”

“Yes
,
I am.”

“Yes
okay, I meet you there
tomorrow,
and we see what you need.”

Shit, already? I haven’t even gotten
into
the place yet.

“Sure Francesca. That’s great. Thank you.”

“Yes
,
it’s no problem.”
Her accent is different from her brother’s accent.
Enzo h
as the slightest British slant to his accent
.
Francesca’s is pure
Italian,
and she has the cutest way of saying yes before most of her sentences.

“Okay thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yes
,
Ava. Ciao.”

I walk into Sassy.
There she is, Anna in all her bitchy glory. She’s dressed in black
again,
which suits her attitude. I walk in and wait to be addressed. A cute girl with long, honey
blond curls folds
sweaters nearby. Anna looks up and scowls.

“You’re back Miss Bradshaw. What can we help you with today?”
H
er voice
strains with
sarcastic venom. The other girl looks up and smiles in my direction.

“I need another dress Anna.” I’m already tired of dealing with her.

“Well Stephanie here will be happy to assist you.”

“And I would be happy to have Stephanie assist me.” I emphasize Stephanie’s name to make a point.

Stephanie walks towards me, her eyes looking back and forth
,
clearly sensing the hostility between Anna and me.

“What would you like to see ma’am?”

“Please call me Ava.” I smile. “I need a cocktail dress for this evening.” She nods and walks me to a section in the back of the store with a variety of little black dresses.

“What size do you wear?”

I always hate this question. I’m hardly
fat,
but I feel like a cow in this town. I must be at least three or four sizes bigger than both Stephanie and Anna.

“I’m a size six or eight depending on the cut.”

“Must be nice.” She sighs.

“What must be nice?”

“To have curves. I’ve been working out for months trying to create a little booty on me.” She confides.

“Well maybe you should try cupcakes, that’s what I do.”

Her eyes open wide and she laughs. “Why don’t you go to the dressing room and I’ll select some options for you?”

“Sounds good.”

She selects several dresses in various sizes for me to try on.
I intentionally avoid looking at the price tags knowing it will only upset me that he’s spending so much money on me again.

“Can you bring me some shoes too Stephanie? Size six please.”

“Of course.” She hurries off. The third dress I try is pretty. It’s got a crew neck with cap sleeves. It’s blousy on top but then becomes more form fitting as it goes down, stopping just above the knee
.
The back of it is the best part though. It has a button at the neckline but then opens dramatically to the waist. I have no idea how I will contain my ample bosom in this
dress,
but I love it. Stephanie knocks at my dressing room door.

“So what do you think?” I step out of the dressing room.

“Really hot.”

“How do I deal with the girls?” I motion to my chest. Her face lights up and she runs off for a moment, returning with a
stick-on 
bra.

“No straps.” She smiles.

“Will those little patches hold me up?”

“Oh yes, even better than a bra.” She assures me.

“Great.” I slip on the shoes she brought me. They are a simple pair of black platform pumps at least three inches, perfect for this dress.

“Your legs look amazing in that Ava.” Staring at my reflection, I actually have to agree. This dress is very flattering. I feel confident.

“The shoes are perfect Stephanie. Thank you. I’ll take them.”

“Would you like to add some accessories?” She asks like a good salesgirl.
I know I don’t have anything dressy enough to go with this
outfit,
so
I grab a clutch bag and find a necklace and earrings that complement the dress.

Stephanie grins. “This dress is great. It’s classy in the front and sex kitten in the back.”

I hope that is exactly what Enzo thinks when he sees it. We walk to the front to ring up my purchases.

“Um, these will be charged to Mr. Milano.” Stephanie looks
up,
and I can see she’s figured out why Anna hates me.

“Of course.” Her tone is
professional,
but I see a smirk across her face.
Is she aiming
that
at
Anna or me
?
I can’t tell. She walks me to the door with my purchases.

“Ava,”
she whispers, “you don’t have to deal with her when you come in, I’m always happy to help.” She nods in Anna’s direction. 

“She really hates me.”

“It would be very easy for an insecure woman to hate you Ava. You’re very beautiful. And now you’ve got him.” She is obviously referring to Enzo.

“Fortunately,” she adds, “I’m not
insecure,
and I’ve got my own man.
”
She giggles. I knew I liked this girl.

“Thank you Stephanie.”

“You’re welcome Ava.” I decide Enzo needs to hear what a great asset Stephanie is to his business.

“Bye Anna.”
I wave in her direction. She scowls. Mission accomplished.

Note to self: no outdoor malls in the middle of an intense heat wave. I lasted only a couple of hours before I gave up. I’m tired again but much better than yesterday. This heat takes a lot out of
a
girl,
but I did remember to drink water all day. I got three adorable glass vases at Crate and Barrel for my
place,
and I did some damage at Ann Taylor. My professional wardrobe is now locked and loaded for Monday morning.