CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
N adia came close to me and held me at arms-length, her eyes scanning over my clothes. “This dress looks amazing on you. I mean, wow. You look sensational.” She kissed my cheeks.
I beamed at her. “Thank you. I love it.”
She tilted her head. “Honestly, I wasn’t as sold by this choice. But my friend Xander was right: this style is you. You breathe new life into vintage Eighties.”
I only knew about the Eighties from movies. The actors always had big hair, wore obscene neon, and danced on the street. “That’s great…uhm, tell him I said thank you?”
She chuckled. “Xander meant it in the best way. He’s Eighties obsessed and dying to shop with you. Expect him to drag you through every vintage shop when you visit Paris.”
A wave of excitement rushed through me. Paris was always a dream, but never a place I’d thought I’d go. “Wow, I’d love it.”
“Then we’ll make sure you come and stay a while…You both had a long flight. Are you exhausted?” Her expression changed to concern.
I shook my head no. “We slept most of the way here.”
We both turned towards Rocco and Paul, and they were animated as they chatted. I lingered on Rocco. He looked rested and relaxed, and it pained me to think he’d have his chaotic schedule back. Or did I want the honeymoon to last?
Rocco’s head turned towards me, and he grinned.
My pulse went faster.
“He looks happy,” Nadia said and then squeezed my hand. “You both do.”
I was happier than I’d ever been. “I am happy, Nadia. Rocco’s a wonderful man,” I said, and even I could tell it was said somewhat dreamily.
Nadia smiled. “You married a good one.”
Rocco and Paul joined us.
Paul stepped close and kissed me on both cheeks. “You look beautiful, Adelina. That’s what Rocco calls you…Bella?”
I grinned and ducked my head bashfully. “Yes, he does.”
Rocco placed his hand on my back. “Adelina calls me Superman.”
He loved that nickname. It’ll have to stick.
“That name suits you,” Nadia said, kissing Rocco on the cheeks. “How are you, Mr. Handsome? Or should I dare ask, how was the honeymoon?” She wagged her brows at Paul. He chuckled.
I turned my head to Rocco, and my face burned. He gave me a quick kiss and rubbed my back.
Nadia fanned herself. “Adelina’s expressive. Her face tells us everything we want to know and other things you don’t want to share.”
“Well done,” Paul said, squeezing Rocco’s shoulder.
Rocco winked at me.
The host had covered trays on a cart behind us, waiting to serve.
“Prepare yourselves for the best curry in London,” Paul trilled.
“Mmm, now that’s a tall order,” Rocco added as we all sat in a pale blue leather booth that felt as comfortable as a couch. Its color harmonized with the saffron wall and the glass chandelier above us.
Then, the host removed the candles from the highly polished oak table, replacing them with rich sauces, meats, naan, and fragrant rice dishes. The spicy aroma smelled delicious.
Nadia folded her napkin next to me. “Do you like curry, Adelina?”
“I do, but I’ve only tried it a few times.”
Rocco held a piece of meat on a fork to my lips. “This is the chef’s signature dish, Tikka Masala.”
I took a bite, and the meat melted in my mouth in a creamy, spicy delight. “Wow, this is so delicious.”
“Glad you like it,” Paul said, adding more rice to his plate. “Wait until you try my mom’s. She will be excited to show off her culinary expertise.”
A nervous rush went through me as Paul Crane casually invited me to his home for dinner with his family. “I…I’d love to try it. Thank you, thank you very much.”
Nadia waved off my nerves. “Relax, Adelina. You’re among friends now.”
“You didn’t relax right away,” Rocco mused between bites. “You kept asking if whatever you did was okay. It was so sweet.”
“Yep,” Paul said. “Hugged everyone for the littlest thing.”
Nadia let out a laugh. “I still do that.”
I tried the yogurt fruit drink, which cooled my mouth from some of the spicier dishes on my plate.
“What’s this I hear about you rescuing a family?” Paul asked Rocco.
Rocco put his fork and knife down, his chest swelling with pride. “A hero never rests.”
“Come on, Rocco. Tell us the whole story,” Nadia pressed.
I nodded and Rocco winked at me, then started to share what happened.
“Okay. I first sent Adelina back to safety then headed out on a boat with my home manager, Henry, to see if we could help. The thick smoke stung our eyes and the heat of the flames was intense. It was a struggle to see through the haze.”
I tensed in my seat remembering how close he’d been to danger.
Rocco took my free hand and squeezed it under the table, but continued his story.
“We hadn’t seen the family, but I asked Henry to try closer because I thought I saw something light in the water. Sure enough, it was the mother and her baby under a dock. I think she was too scared to swim with her baby.”
“Oh, God, that must have been terrifying for her,” Nadia said. I was thinking the same thing. I couldn’t imagine that terror she was feeling.
“She was so brave, honestly. Protecting that little one. Once we got close, I jumped in the water and took the baby first. Then, the mother.” Thank God.
“What about her husband? Where was he?” Nadia asked.
“She told us the father was unconscious.”
“Where was he though?” Paul asked.
“He was near the beach.”
“Do they know what happened?” Paul asked.
Rocco squeezed my hand. “There’d been an accident with the open firepit. It exploded and started burning the house. The husband was near the water’s edge, but the wife had taken the baby into the water to get away from the fire.”
I covered my mouth. Oh no.
“I can’t imagine,” Nadia whispered.
I wasn’t a mother, but I was shaking. This poor family. I loved how Paul held Nadia close, knowing she needed his comfort.
“The fire department was there fighting the fire but hadn’t found them,” Rocco continued. “Luckily, we had. Once we calmed her down, her husband went to the hospital. I learned it was his boss’s home, and they didn’t know anyone on the island. So I called my friends, and they agreed to take them in. I arranged for them to get clothes and food for the baby and hired a car and driver for them to get around. But that’s about it.”
“Wow, you are a hero,” Nadia enthused.
“I agree, my love. Our Rocco’s superman.” Paul concurred.
Rocco shrugged his shoulders. “The firefighters and police are the heroes. I just helped out a little.”
I shook my head. “No way, Rocco. You saved that family. You’re amazing.”
He lifted my hand and kissed my palm. “Now enough about me. This is a big feast for two people that have to perform tonight.”
Paul piled on more food. “We can handle it.”
“We’re not performing the whole night,” Nadia announced, listing a variety of singers participating in the event. I was excited to go and had always wanted to attend concerts but couldn’t afford them.
Rocco loaded his plate and also added more curries to mine, which I was too shy to take. Everything was tasty.
“So I hear you’re making more beautiful art, Adelina,” Paul told me. “My stepmother Lily is obsessed with you.”
I scrunched up my face. “Oh, please don’t tell me that. I’m already nervous.”
“Don’t be,” Paul said, breezy.
“Don’t be? Like it’s easy,” Nadia said and playfully rolled her eyes at him. Then he kissed her cheek. She kissed him back, and they laughed. Paul and Rocco must have gone to the same school of confidence.
Nadia touched Paul’s arm, and they shared a look before he turned to us with a more serious expression. “I have some news that I should prepare you both for. Marjorie Storm will be in the VIP section tonight with Morgan Steele.”
Rocco let out a huff. “Two of the last people I want to see.”
Rocco placed his arm around my back to comfort me. I hated that I liked it.
I whispered, “I’m fine.” Marjorie annoyed me. She wasn’t letting him go even after he married me. Now she’s “dating” his openly married friend Morgan, who had tried to use The Age of Sin’s Cannes premiere to generate more buzz from their breakup scandal . Was he trying it again?
“You can stay backstage if you prefer?” Paul offered.
Rocco shook his head. “No, we’ll be fine.” He looked at me imploringly, and I smiled at him, nodding. Marjorie and Morgan couldn’t derail our time unless we allowed them to. I honestly didn’t know how Rocco dealt with some people in Hollywood. I’m glad I don’t have to be around them much.
He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, then whispered. “Thank you. And thanks for the heads up.”
“It’s good to face things straight on,” Nadia said, her eyes switching between us. “The art circles are small, so you’ll likely run into each other. It’s impossible to avoid people you don’t like.”
“And if you do, you will miss out,” Paul added.
Rocco scoffed. “I’ll never let anyone keep me from what I want to do.”
I beamed at him and squeezed his arm. I lived for his certainty about everything.
Paul sighed. “There are a few people tonight we don’t want to see, so we’re leaving immediately after our set.”
“Where are you going?” Rocco asked him.
“The Mid-Summer Night’s Ball,” Nadia answered, then took a sip of a sparkling water.
“You’re going?” Rocco said in a shocked tone.
She grinned at him and lifted her drink like she was giving a toast. “Why not?”
Rocco gave Paul a reproachful look. “You’re allowing this?”
Paul kept smiling. “Nadia makes her own decisions.”
Rocco scoffed, aghast. “But you’re a mother, Nadia.”
Paul gave Rocco an incredulous look.
Nadia lifted her chin. “I’m also a woman, Rocco. Come back from the Dark Ages.”
“We’ll need to avoid Mustique Island, my love,” Paul mused.
Nadia grinned. “Yeah. It’s turned our Rocco into Reverend Parris from The Crucible.”
Paul and Nadia laughed hardily. But I held my laugh in.
Rocco rolled his neck. “Laugh all you want.”
“We love you, Rocco,” Nadia said, smiling endearingly.
“A Mid-Summer Night’s Ball? Like a Shakespeare Ball? I’d love to go,” I said, and all eyes turned to me. Of course, I believed there was some sexual element that I didn’t fully understand, but dressing up and hearing my favorite soliloquies recited seemed something I could get over.
“It’s an orgy,” Rocco whispered.
“It’s not,” Paul and Nadia said at the same time.
I shrugged. “So there’s some sex, but there’s probably dancing, too.”
Nadia and Paul’s expressions became more amused.
Rocco tutted. “They aren’t just dancing or reciting sonnets. The invitation said, ‘Clothing is allowed by approval only. Sexual exhibition highly expected.’”
“We can wear masks and capes,” Nadia said casually. “Like Eyes Wide Shut. But we have Shakespeare themed ones.”
“Oh…ohh,” I said and covered the “O” my lips had formed. My cheeks heated as I tried my best not to imagine our friends naked later. Would they have sex in a room with other people watching? Do I want to watch? Yes, but I’d be a nervous wreck.
“We’d be in the garden as nymphs naked in front of an audience,” Rocco warned.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players,” Paul teased between bites.
I bounced a little on the seat. “As You Like It. I love that quote from that play.”
“You can recite it during our sex session in front of a crowd that’s close enough to rub your arms and legs,” Rocco joked. Or I think he was joking . His take on the event was more detailed than I expected, and I wondered if he’d done it before. He takes extra care of his body and is very proud. I could easily see him showing it off. Me, too, since he likes me naked a lot.
I worked hard to turn my face into a blank calm. “Reciting would be uhm…difficult.”
Paul chuckled.
Nadia groaned and scolded. “Stop scaring her. I can’t believe this is coming from you, Rocco.” She left whatever she knew unsaid, and I pricked my ears, hoping to hear the rest.
“Rocco’s going through the newlywed territorial phase,” Paul mused.
“I see that, and it’s so weird,” Nadia said, squinting at him.
“Oh well. I’m happy,” Rocco said and took my hand again.
My heart beat faster. “I’m happy, too.”
“We’re happy too and will be happy still after The Ball.” Paul leaned over and kissed Nadia. They gazed at each other with much adoration and love. It was sweet. The magic remains even with their Shakespearean sex orgies.
Nadia clasped her hands together. “Wait. I don’t want to leave Adelina with the impression that we share. We like to—”
“Next topic,” Paul said, cutting her off.
“Oh, I thought we needed to modernize and leave the Dark Ages,” Rocco mocked.
Paul gave Nadia a quiet look.
Nadia waved her hands. “Fine, you win. We all do what we want to do without judgment. Now, let me change the subject to tonight. I’d love to sing a song for you both. Any requests?”
“Can you sing “Only You” by the Platters,” Rocco requested.
“Oh, please,” I said and clasped my hands together.
“Then we will,” Nadia said, and Paul agreed. She hummed it and sang a few bars. Her voice was amazing and transported me back to our dance lesson.
I learned to swing dance and had my first slow dance. Later that week, we danced to the same song at our announcement party, and his kiss left me breathless.
“Mrs. Marini,” Rocco said, and I turned my head. His eyes bore into mine, and our lips met for a tender kiss.
I remember thinking Rocco was a danger to my heart that night.
But now, I’d willingly give it to him.
Te adoro, Rocco.