“Well, it’s this movie that takes place in Verona. A woman discovers a letter that hasn’t been answered by Juliet, so she answers it herself. There’s more to it than that, but it’s sweet. To see the place in person…was pretty incredible.”
“I didn’t realize you wanted to see it so much.” A twinge of guilt burned in my chest, feeling stupid for not taking her there myself. The parts of Italy she’d seen involved her being homeless, so the experience couldn’t have been that great. I could give her a whole different experience of Italy, if I weren’t so focused on my next line that I needed to debut to the world.
“I didn’t either until your mom mentioned it. I totally forgot it was in Verona. Such a romantic place.”
“We’re technically in Verona right now.” I set my plastic entrée container off to the side, finished with the meal Dante threw together. My arms rested on my knees as I stared at the city in front of us, watching the light change as it reflected off the rooftops of the ancient buildings.
She turned to me, a slight smile on her lips. “I know…” She turned back to her food and took a few more bites. “It surprises me that Dante can whip up something so good. It sat in the saddlebags for forty-five minutes and it’s cold, but it’s still great.”
“He did train at the culinary institute in Milan.”
“No surprise there…” She kept eating until the container was empty. Then she returned the lid to the top and set it aside.
Carbine grazed nearby, eating stalks of grass and staying within fifty feet of us. He was a well-trained horse, and he wouldn’t ride off anywhere. He had an attitude and didn’t respond to people he didn’t know well, but once that bond was formed, he was extremely loyal.
She pulled her knees to her chest as she sat beside me, her curled hair catching the wind from time to time.
The sight in front of us was perfect, but I kept wanting to stare at her instead.
“So, what’s next for Conway Barsetti?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” My elbow touched hers as we sat on the wool blanket. I was in jeans and a t-shirt, and it was one of the rare times I wore boots. Since I was inside all the time, I usually wore casual shoes.
“You just reached a new height for your career. Does that mean you’ll get back to the studio right away?”
The sun started to set behind us, bringing the rooftops into brighter and more brilliant color. But as the sun continued on its trajectory, that brilliance started to fade. Light began to dissipate. “I don’t think so. It’s time for a break.”
“Really?” she asked. “You don’t strike me as the kind of man who takes breaks.”
“I’ve had more success than most people in the world, and I’m not even thirty yet. My father told me to slow things down and take time to appreciate these great moments. Before we know it, time will pass and our youth will be gone.”
“Very wise,” she whispered. “Your father seems to know everything.”
“Yes, he’s always right…” Even when I didn’t want him to be.
“So, what are you going to do? Sit around and watch TV? Take up a new hobby?”
“No,” I answered. “I have only one hobby.”
“Which is?”
“Travel. I’m thinking of taking a trip to Greece. I have a yacht and a villa in Santorini.”
Her eyes lit up like fireworks, and her grin was adorable. “Uh…are you planning on taking anyone with you?” She pivoted her body and pressed her tits into my shoulder as her hand snaked down my arm. “Because, I don’t have any plans…”
“Don’t you have work in the stables?”
Her grin dropped. “Marco can handle it while I’m gone.”
“I don’t know…” I was going to milk this as much as I could. I loved her enthusiasm, the way she got so excited the second I mentioned the trip. Spending the afternoon on my yacht in the Mediterranean with this beautiful woman laying out in her bikini sounded like the perfect vacation to me. We’d make the boat rock together. “And what are you going to do for me while we’re there?”
She pressed her face close to mine, her hands moving over the veins in my forearms. “Whatever you want…”
Good fucking answer.
She moved in closer and kissed the corner of my mouth, her lips dragging over the stubble on my chin. My coarse hair was rough, and I liked feeling her soft lips drag against it. “I know you don’t need inspiration right now…but I can do other things.”
“You have my attention.”
She continued to massage my arm, her lips still treasuring my jawline. “I can please you every night. I can suck you off on your yacht, let you fuck me in the ass in the hull of your boat…whatever you want.”