The rich jewel colors on an opaque white base forming the dome were symbolic of the art form developed by the artisans of Vietri. Their ceramics were sought by collectors from all over the world.
Guilio was supervising this last shoot. She had to admit she coveted the huge vase he’d chosen from one of the studios to place in the passenger seat of the sports car. It was worth thousands of dollars, decorated in colors of greens, oranges and browns on white.
The rich lagoon-green of the vase matched the painted green exterior of the Amalfi convertible. This model had been upholstered in a light tan to pick up the other colors.
Annabelle wore a sleeveless Etruscan print dress. A cape, denoting royalty, was fastened at the back of the shoulders and fell to the hem of the pencil-slim skirt. The outfit had been coordinated to match the design on the vase. Her light brown high-heeled sandals had straps wrapped to the ankle.
The hairdresser had taken a long time to form Annabelle’s hair into braids, like the Etruscan women wore. The braids were caught at the back of her neck with a gold clasp. It matched the bracelets on her arms. These pieces represented some of the most fabulous jewelry she’d ever seen.
Marcella explained they were reproductions of Etruscan jewelry. Gold had been soldered to wide metal bands in hundreds of little dots. They glittered like gold dust in the sun.
For this shoot, her makeup had been applied in more dramatic fashion. They’d given her elongated eyes in darker eyeliner and she wore a dark bronze lipstick. The whole crew let out a collective cry of astonishment when she emerged from the van ready to pose.
“My dear—” Guilio walked toward her “—your hair rivals the jewelry. I knew you were the one to help me launch my new car, but not even I guessed how far you would surpass what I had in mind when I approached you.”
Annabelle couldn’t swallow for the emotion. “Don’t tell me that now or I’ll smear my makeup.”
She noticed he had to clear his throat. “Today you’re here on a buying spree and have stopped to pick up this treasure.”
“Please don’t ask me to hold it. I’d die if anything happened to it.”
He chuckled. “Nothing so potentially dangerous. Pretend you’ve just bought it and are putting it in the car.”
“All right.”
The shoot b
egan. Giovanni tried it from several angles and kept snapping away. Marcella rearranged the cape several times for the best effect.
Tourists had gathered round at a distance. They always did, but even with the security Guilio provided, they came closer than usual. When Giovanni announced he’d gotten the pictures he needed, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. A lot of them wanted an autograph, but Guilio, along with the security people, waved them off with a smile.
She hurried back inside the van and began removing clothes and jewelry. Once that was accomplished, she got rid of the makeup, then checked her cell phone. She’d been hoping Lucca might have called, but he was probably busy with workmen who were supposed to be coming to the house today.
Heartsick because her days with Lucca were numbered if she went home, she emerged from the van sober-faced. Guilio had been waiting for her and picked up on it.
“Come with me. We have much to discuss and we’ll do it over a late lunch. The seafood here is excellent. See that little restaurant farther along the sea wall? We’ll just walk over there.”
They both said goodbye to the crew. Within a few minutes he’d ordered scampi for them with scallops for hors d’oeuvres. He eyed her with affection. “Did you hear that applause today, and at the hotel in Amalfi?” She nodded. “We’re going to be taking orders for so many cars, we won’t be able to keep up with the supply.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.” He poured them a little wine. “Now let’s get down to business. Tomorrow Marcella will come to the villa with her team to get you ready. You’ll be wearing the outfit you wore during the shoot in front of the jet. We’re going to do two launches. The big one in August is going ahead as planned with the media people from the television studios.
“Tomorrow night before dinner will be a sneak preview in front of the dealers and the family. It will be for Lucca, of course. I’ll give my speech to honor him. We’ll do it in the screening room with a slide show of all your shoots including today’s.
“Giovanni is going to have to do a rush on this last shoot so it will be included. I’ll explain that these slides will represent the pictures in the calendar we’ll be sending out in August.
“When it’s over, I’ll ask you to come into the room and introduce you as the Amalfi Girl who will help launch the full-scale blitz in August. Be prepared to be besieged. The picture of you in front of the jet has been made up into three-by-five posters for them to take back to their places of business and display as a teaser. I’m afraid you’ll be signing a bundle of them as the Amalfi Girl. Will that be a problem?”
“Of course not.” He’d thought of everything and sounded in complete control. But Annabelle was pretty sure she had a fever. After worrying for so long about both men’s feelings, the day was almost here. She didn’t want anything to go wrong now.
“Maria phoned me while you were getting changed. She told me Mel is already at the villa. I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do.”
Mel was already here? That was good. She needed to stay occupied until tomorrow was over. Surely when Lucca found himself the center of attention and realized what Guilio had been planning all this time, there’d be nothing but an Amalfi sun shining on his horizon.
“Since you refuse to relocate here and work for me in my office, you’ll probably want to fly back with him when he leaves. It’s entirely up to you, my dear. If I had my way, you wouldn’t go, but you’re too much like Lucca. No matter how much I might want it, I can’t talk either of you into anything you don’t want to do. You’re your own people and I have to respect that.”
He gave the waiter his credit card. When the other man returned, Guilio said, “Shall we go? I have a dozen details to attend to.”