Chapter Twenty-Five
Maria
I had a full day today with Dad starting to transition me into the editor-in-chief role more and more by giving me more editor-in-chief tasks. It was early, but I needed the time in my office before things really got started.
What things? In thirty minutes, I was sitting down with the features editors, then I’d stay in the conference room and the digital team would come in for a meeting. Perla had also sent me pictures from her latest two shoots and had asked me to review clothes that she thought warranted modeling and photographing for an upcoming cover. Usually, fashion and the cover were my domain, but this transition meant that I had to learn to delegate, otherwise I’d fail before I even started, which I couldn’t have.
Another thing I was learning: my hands-off management style as fashion editor was exactly what the editor-in-chief role needed, too, which was perfectly fine with me. I didn’t think I’d have time for much of that anyway to be honest.
Just as I was about to get up to head into my first meeting, my phone rang and I considered not answering it but thought better of that.
“Maria Morelli,” I said, slipping my earpiece on.
“Morelli, it’s Jeff. Glad I caught you.”
Dom’s agent? Why was he calling me? “You almost didn’t.”
“I’ll talk fast. It’s about the fragrance shoot with Dom. I need to run through the details, assuming you haven’t changed your mind.”
Man, I’d almost forgotten all about it. Things had been so hectic lately. What day was it again? I scrolled through the calendar on my computer. “Why would I change my mind?” I asked, closing my laptop screen. “I made a commitment. I don’t go back on my commitments.” Especially when they involved Dom.
“I don’t know. Anyway, legal is couriering over some paperwork for you to review and sign. The usual, a couple contracts and a waiver. Nothing special.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll have a car pick you up—”
“Wait. Why isn’t Dom going over all this with me?” And why weren’t Dom and I driving to the shoot together?
Jeff cleared his throat. “He’s busy. He asked me to call you.”
“Oh,” I said and noticed how flat my voice sounded to even my own ears.
“Now, as I was saying,” Jeff said and continued rattling on, but truth be told, I only heard snippets here and there.
My mind was reeling. Was this all because of Paolo? It wasn’t like Dom didn’t know how this worked—we dated. We were never meant to stay single forever. And there was that thought of Mrs. Dom Deluca again that had my heart rate spiking. I shook my head. It would happen eventually. And it didn’t bother me—really, it didn’t. So why was my dating Paolo bothering him? Unless it wasn’t, and he really was busy. But too busy to even call me? That was what I found odd.
By the time Jeff hung up, I realized I’d only retained about five percent of what I’d even heard him say. But I didn’t have time to let it weigh on me, so I buzzed Daphne. “Daphne, please call Dom and get the details of the shoot we’re doing together. He’ll know what you’re referring to.”
* * *
Thirty minutes into my meeting with the features editors, and we knew we were missing something.
“We need to make a splash. I want this issue to stand out. I’m open to ideas.” I made my plea and waited.
“You’re writing the letter from the editor,” one of the girls said, sitting up while she alternated between chewing on the back of her pen and hitting it on the mahogany table, “but what if you also did a full article?”
I considered the idea. It wasn’t bad and not unheard of. In fact, often the editor-in-chief contributed articles—Mom certainly had done it plenty of times before. “On what?” I asked, looking around the table, still waiting for the ideas to start pouring in.
A seasoned editor spoke up, “What if you brought back the how-to ? You could add your voice to something totally unique and rare since we don’t do them often anymore.”
“Yeah, why is that, by the way?” I asked the group. I always enjoyed reading how-to articles myself, but she was right, we hadn’t done many of them in recent years.
She shrugged. “They became overused. Your mother didn’t like that they weren’t special, so she challenged us to find new ways to feature the information.”
Tapping my finger on my chin, I recognized the truth in her words. “I respect that, but I also really like the concept, so I’m running with it. At least for this issue. I just have to find a good topic. Thanks for the idea, Suzette. Okay, good work here, everyone. Send me drafts as you get them. I look forward to seeing what you all put together.”
With everyone slipping from the conference room, I stayed put because, while it was one meeting down, I still had another to go.
Doodling on my notepad, I toyed with a few topics for my article and jotted down notes and some very rough ideas, but nothing felt right. It had to have a fun, flirty vibe, but also make a real contribution to the issue—my first issue. Did you know how hard it was to come up with something like that? It was like asking for lightning in a bottle.
* * *
After the day I’d had at work, I was actually excited to see Paolo and take the evening to relax. Usually, I’d insist on taking my work home and getting back to it after I put Isabella to bed, but then Paolo called and reminded me—not so subtly—what we’d talked about on our first date. You know, the line about living my life. So when he’d invited me to have drinks at his hotel’s pool, I agreed.
Honestly, it was a great decision because this was exactly what I needed. I couldn’t have been more at ease than I was sitting in the hot tub as I scrolled through social media on my phone, kicked my feet in the water, and waited for him to come back with our drinks.
The decision I’d made that I was regretting was telling my sisters about the date because my phone chimed with a text, and I knew it was them. They’d been all over this thing with Paolo like white on rice.
Jade: I’d call him Daddy.
Perla: Why would you do that?
Maria: Because he’s older?
Jade: That’s one of the reasons.
Maria: All right, well, I won’t be doing that, but I guess I could understand the whole daddy thing. There are things he says or does that makes me think he has that way about him where he’d take care of me.
Bianca: Aww, that’s sweet.
Allegra: Maria doesn’t like people taking care of her like that. She’s way too independent for that. Hello, are we forgetting who we’re talking about? Maybe Paolo’s not for you. Best to leave your date with him and not string him along.
Maria: Allie! I’m not stringing him along.
Allegra: Sleep with him.
Maria: What?
Allegra: Sleep with him. Then you’ll know for sure. It’s a big tell.
Bianca: Chemistry is a big tell. I had known my feelings for Knox before I slept with him because we had chemistry. It’s more than just sex.
Jade: It is a big part, though. No pun intended.
Maria: He’s back with our drinks. Talk later!
“For you,” he said, passing a glass to me and coming to sit beside me in the water.
He was wearing red trunks that were short enough that I could revel in the way his thighs were sculpted, but not too short that I could catch a sneaky peek of his manhood. He definitely worked out, and something told me he knew how sexy he was.
His eyes caught hold of my phone, and he shook his head. “The phones ruin everything. Put that away so we can focus on what really matters.”
I rested it on the ground and nodded. “You’re right. It was my sisters. They’re always texting me. I love it, but I do get caught up in my phone sometimes.”
He angled his head. “Anything important?”
I shook my head, swallowing as I remembered their daddy talk. I hated them, by the way, because now that was all I could think about. “No, nothing important,” I confirmed, licking my lips.
“It’s just as well because I want to spend this night in one of the most beautiful cities with one of the most beautiful women. Do you think we can do that? Just spend the night together?”
I searched his dark eyes, trying to understand if there was an underlying message there. Was he asking me to stay the night? Did I want to? “Paolo,” I started, not sure where I was heading with this. “I didn’t pack anything to stay over.”
He chuckled, brushing his fingers around my ear in a move that I thought was just his attempt to touch me because I didn’t sense any stray hairs. “We can go as slow as you’d like. I was merely suggesting we enjoy the here and now. In this hot tub. With each other.” The way he spoke with such conviction, such certainty, had my hairs standing on end.
I had no doubt that at one point in my life being with him would have made me very happy, that I wouldn’t have imagined life getting much better than this, but then everything with Dom had happened. Things had changed with us recently. Things weren’t the same with our arrangement as they had been three years ago. I was different. He was different. And he made me yearn for more. Made me think I could have more.
Ugh, what was I thinking? There was no Dom. He was my friend, damn it.
I took a sip of my drink and let the bubbles from the champagne tickle my upper lip. “Are we celebrating again?” I asked, holding the glass up.
He cocked his head to the side. “Any day we wake up is a day worth celebrating.” Then he took my glass and set both his and mine aside. “Come on. Let’s go in the pool.”
I patted my hair and shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. My hair—”
“Will look even more captivating wet,” he finished my thought in a way I wasn’t going to.
“Okay,” I gave in, following him into the pool and sinking down in the water.
Paolo’s hand grazed mine under the water, so I entangled our fingers together and smiled. “How is it that you’re still single?”
“I hadn’t dated you yet,” he replied, his eyes sparkling in the night. He was the very definition of a charmer. There was no other way to put it.
I blushed, my cheeks burning even with the cold water up to my chin. “I’m serious. Why is it that you’re not off the market?”
He raised a brow. “I haven’t found the right woman, and I don’t believe in settling. I only want to marry once and have children with her, start a family.”
What did he think about dating a woman who’d already started their family? Who had a daughter? I knew he knew I had Isabella, but had he really thought about it? I knew some men said they were okay with it, but then when they had more time to sit on it, they changed their tune.
Before getting into the heavy, I closed my nose and tipped my head back in the water. As I came back up, I went for it, asking, “And you’re okay with it that I already have a child?”
He gave me an inquiring look, his eyes reading me closely. “Of course. Isabella is your flesh and blood. If we make this work, then she’s my family, too. I only meant I want to grow our family, not that we had to start one together anew. You misunderstood me.”
With a smile on my face, I shook my head, loving the way Paolo spoke. I placed my hands on his shoulders, letting them roam over his muscles. “No, I understand. I know what you mean. I just had to check.”
“ Va bene ,” he assured, placing his hands in my hair, almost entangling them in the knotty mess it had become from being under the water. “What draws me to you is that you don’t know how special you are, but you are. So special.”
Our eyes were connected, staring into each other’s. His hands never left my hair, only creeping to my chin, itching to cup it as his mouth drew closer to mine and he began closing the gap between us. Slowly. Slowly. Until—
I coughed. That was right, I coughed. Squarely in the man’s face.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice full of apology. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
It completely ruined the moment, and we broke apart. “Are you ill?”
Oh, you should probably know—it was a fake cough. I knew he was going in for a kiss, and I wanted him to. Or at least I thought I did, but then I coughed as though deep inside I really didn’t want to kiss him. Did that make sense? “No, I don’t think so,” I finally responded, getting out of the water and heading over to the chair to retrieve a towel.
“ Va bene ,” he replied, getting out and following me.
I was drying myself off when he came over and placed his hands on top of the towel near my shoulders. “Allow me,” he told me, his voice gravelly.
“I can do it myself,” I insisted, pulling back slightly and drying myself off as best as I could before giving up and wrapping the towel around me like a dress.
Not pushing, he sat on the lounge and groaned as he got comfortable before scooting over and tapping the spot next to him. I almost considered telling him I could sit in the chair next to his, but that seemed like something he wouldn’t want to hear. So I nodded and sank down beside him, falling into a slight dip and winding up curled into his side—not what I was going for.
Not that it wasn’t nice to be held by him, his arm coming around me, but for some reason, I wasn’t feeling it. It didn’t feel right to me. Maybe I was overthinking this. I gave in to the night, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing. “This is nice,” I said, at peace again.
“ Si. Italy is also lovely this time of year.” He began rubbing concentric circles on my arm. “Has Isabella ever been?”
I shook my head against the crook of his arm, but then answered, “No,” just in case he didn’t peer down and see me.
“She would enjoy herself at my estate.”
“One day I’d like to take her. My sisters think it’s a good time to take her. So does Dom, actually, and—” I stopped myself and backtracked. “Dom is my best friend.”
He adjusted himself in the seat, his eyes on me now. “Dom, she must be a smart woman.”
I shook my head. “He,” I clarified.
“You have a male best friend?”
I licked my lips. “Mmhmm. He’s the best. We’ve been friends for years.” And suddenly I was feeling bad about that fact, a fact that usually made me immensely happy. But between my concern over what Paolo would say and the way Dom was seemingly avoiding me today, having Jeff call me, it couldn’t be helped.
“Is this something I have to be worried about?” My gut clenched. But then he laughed. “I am only joking,” he quickly added, bringing me closer to him with his grip on my arm. “It’s lady’s choice at the end of the day anyway, right?”
Relaxing again, I laughed as well. “That’s one way to look at it.”
“That is how I was raised, Maria. You listen to the lady. She is always right.”
“Your mother is a very wise woman,” I replied, knowing that a lot of women would kill to be with a man who had the kind of values Paolo did, who believed the things he did. “I’d love to go back to Italy soon. The last time I was there was fashion week for our collaboration.”
“Then you must come,” he said, enthusiasm in his voice, as though it was as simple as getting on a plane and jetting off as soon as possible.
I wished it was, but I had responsibilities that kept me here. I couldn’t just go to Italy on a whim. Had he known me better, he wouldn’t have suggested it. “Someday.”
“That is not good enough, Maria.” The way he always said my name, the way the letter “r” rolled off his tongue made my spine tingle. “You mustn’t wait for these things. Someday means no day. I heard it all before.”
“It’s easy for you, Paolo, because you’re single and you don’t have a kid.”
“Isabella is only five, no? She will come with us. I don’t see a problem.” He shifted himself, and I took the opportunity to sit up straight. “I will plan everything, and you will come back with me at the end of summer.”
“Isabella is turning six, and she has school in the fall. I also have a lot on my plate. I told you, I’m being groomed to become editor-in-chief. That’s no easy feat. I want to do the job justice.”
“And so you will,” he insisted, his eyes darker than usual as he was impassioned, “in Italy. You can work virtually, and you will be able to fly back to New York whenever you need. Do you not think it’s time Isabella spends some time in the city of her ancestors?”
I placed my hands on my temples. I could feel a headache brewing. I didn’t want to talk to him about how I chose to parent my child. It didn’t feel like second date conversation. It didn’t even feel like third date conversation. It felt unsettling, that was how it felt. This was supposed to be easy and fun still. “Let’s talk about this later?”
“Okay,” Paolo agreed, getting up and walking over to my side. “Here, come sit on the edge.” I didn’t want to sit on the edge. I wanted to sit where I was. “Come on,” he insisted, his voice deep and husky. “Give me your back.”
I mentally exhaled a huge breath and rolled my eyes. On the outside, though, I did as he asked. His hands immediately came down on my neck, and he began working out the kinks. “Oooh,” I murmured on a sigh. “That feels good. Where’d you learn how to do that?”
“ Mia nonna . She taught me everything I know about finding a woman’s heart.”
“Oh.”
“ Si. ”
When he let up, I moved my neck one way and then the other, and it cracked both times. “I didn’t realize how tense I was. That was probably good fortune because I have a photoshoot soon and when they tell me to turn this way and that way, now my neck won’t ache.” I smiled, even though he couldn’t see my face.
He switched gears and started rubbing my back. “A photoshoot,” he repeated. “For who is this photoshoot?”
I chuckled. “Not another designer, if that’s what you’re asking.” I rolled my lips. “It’s for a fragrance. I’m doing it with Dom, as a matter of fact. It’s his thing. They just asked me to model opposite of him. He’s a model.” All right, why was I having motor mouth when it came to Dom? It was like I couldn’t stop myself.
“You model with your friend.”
I turned around and stared into his eyes. “Exactly.”
“You know, I can give you some pointers. I did quite a number of photoshoots in my day.” He crossed his arms and stood back, angling himself just so. “You want to look at the camera in just the right way, no blinking, and never smiling. Posing is all in the face muscles.”
I nodded. “All right. Thank you for the tips.”
“No problem. You know, daughter can model like mother.”
I laughed to myself because if he only knew how I was modeling, he’d realize just how highly inappropriate that would be.
Paolo continued, “I’ve been thinking of doing a line of clothing for children. You know, like Isabella’s age. I think she might be interested in doing a photoshoot like her mom. It could be good for her, too. She must start early in her career, otherwise it’s a big pond and she’ll be a little fish.”
I shut my eyes and shook my head. “I don’t want her to model at her age. She’s interested in dance right now, and when the time comes, if it comes, and she’s interested in modeling, she has Dom.”
“This Dom has a great influence over you and your daughter. Am I correct?”
“No, it’s not like that. He’s just a good friend.”
“If that’s what you say.”
“It is.” I darted my eyes every which way, suddenly feeling awkward about this date. “It’s getting kind of late. Maybe we should call it a night. I can call a car.”
He shook his head. “Nonsense. I have a car and driver. I’ll take you home.”
Four words never sounded so good. Something about this date was sounding off alarms in my head, and I couldn’t wait to get home and wash the whole thing off me.