Swept Away by the Venetian Millionaire

Maya wanted to ask Vito to take back the question. She could still taste him on her lips. That’s what she wanted to focus on right now. And the chance that he might kiss her again before the night was over. She didn’t want to think about her ordinary, mundane, daily routine. This was supposed to be her fantasy, after all.

A fantasy which didn’t involve her boring cubicle behind the front counter of her uncle’s plumbing business.

* * *

“Tell me, cara.” Vito prompted. “What do you do for a living? We can start there.” Vito realized he was genuinely curious about her. His first impression of her as a jilted bride-to-be had gradually worn off and now he could see the dynamic and fascinating woman she truly was.

He wanted to know more.

“Let’s see if you can guess what the answer to that may be.”

“Ah, I am being challenged, I see.”

“Let’s see how well you do.”

Vito rubbed his chin, not that he hadn’t speculated about what career she might be in. “Hmm. Well, I recall reading in an article that Boston is quite the location for movie shoots. I believe several recent blockbusters were filmed there. Are you maybe involved in the film industry?”

Maya gave him a thumbs-down with her free hand and shook her head. “Try again.”

“All right. I also know that several well-known international ad agencies have satellite offices in Boston. Do you work for one of them? Designing ad campaigns, perhaps?”

She gave him a smile that could only be described as sad. “I’m afraid it’s not as exciting as any of that,” she told him. “In fact, it isn’t terribly exciting at all.” Then added under her breath, “What an understatement that is.” She must have thought he didn’t hear her.

Maya took another small sip of her wine, deep in thought. Then she released a long, resounding sigh. “I do the numbers for a business my uncle runs. A plumbing business. I keep the books for him.”

Her response took him by surprise. She didn’t seem the type for an office job. Frankly, she didn’t appear as if she could sit still long enough. But then, what did he know? How often would he have to remind himself that they’d literally just met a couple of days ago?

“If you don’t mind me saying, cara, I can tell by the look on your face that you quite hate it.”

“You are quite the observant one.”

“So then why do you do it?”

Maya appeared to be weighing her answer. But before she spoke, the waiter appeared once more to announce they were to be seated for dinner. They followed him off deck to an intricately set table with a tall lit candle as the centerpiece. Vito heard Maya’s gasp of pleasure as she took her chair.

He’d felt torn when he offered to accompany her. Her disappointment as she’d talked about having to miss this cruise had sent a mixed bag of emotions churning around in his chest. He didn’t need to complicate things by spending any more time with her. But watching her earlier as they’d stood on deck sipping wine, and given her delighted reaction when they reached their table, he had no doubt coming here with her had been right.

It felt right.

Now that they were in the better-lit dining room, he indulged himself in studying her. She wore a simple red satin dress. But it looked far from simple on her. The delicate material hugged her feminine curves and accentuated her figure. The bright color did wonders for her olive skin tone and chestnut hair, which she wore in some type of complicated up-do that made him want nothing more than to take it down and run his fingers through her thick curls.

“I know I keep saying this, but this is all so spectacular.”

So are you, was the immediate thought that came to his mind. Vito bit his tongue before he could say the words out loud. He’d learned long ago that empty compliments could sometimes do more harm than good.

One waiter set a large wooden salad bowl in the center of the table while yet another placed the first pasta course in front of each of them.

“I can’t believe the sheer number of calories I’m consuming on this trip,” Maya remarked. “I’ll have to walk for miles each day to even come close to covering it. For the sake of my hips,” she said with a small chuckle.