Giorgio (Members From Money Season 2, #136)

Chapter 12

“You had no bloody right!’

“I had every right!” Alfredo shouted back; eyes blazing. “You had that poor girl hoping that you were going to offer something more, when all along you are planning to leave her. When were you going to tell her?”

Spinning away from the desk, Giorgio strode towards the window to stare out at the bleak skyline. Very soon it would be Christmas and along with it would come the usual frenzy of excitement. He had stopped celebrating the holiday a long time ago. Ever since he lost his mother. He had stopped celebrating a lot of things since she died.

“I was going to write her a letter.”

Alfredo stared at his son’s tensed frame in disbelief.

“I had no idea you young people know how to accomplish that. It is a dying art.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I just think you are a coward.”

That had him wheeling around in anger.

“Think anything you bloody well like.”

“She is in love with you.”

“She’ll get over it.”

“And I think you are in love with her.”

His eyes flared. “Love is an emotion people write about in order for books and songs to be sold. It doesn’t exist and even if it does, it’s a very destructive emotion. Look what it did to you.”

Alfredo felt his heart breaking as he stared at his only son. He knew that losing his mother had broken him and in retrospect, he should have insisted on him getting therapy, but now he was wondering if it was too late.

“I would never regret loving her. My quality of life changed because we loved each other.” He commented. “Our love culminated in producing you.” He leaned forward. “Son, I have seen how different you are since Juliana came into your life.

You are animated, caring, interested in what is happening in the company. You laugh, genuinely laugh and you look forward to spending time with her. Are you going to just let her leave?”

“Yes.” He bit out, his emotions making him feel as if he was on a rollercoaster ride. “I almost killed her with my recklessness, and I promised myself that I would never allow anyone to hurt her again, especially not me.” He rubbed his forehead wearily.

“She was crying, a few nights when I went inside her room, she was crying as if her heart was breaking. She just got her memory back and it came to her that she lost her dad, who was her hero. She told me he stopped living when he lost his wife, and it fortified what I always knew.”

“And what is that?”

“Love is a debilitating emotion, one should avoid.” He said bitterly. “It’s better that she leaves, distance will make us forget.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as the thought of her going shattered his peace of mind.

He was tormented, conflicted and angry that he had allowed this to go on. He should have nipped it in the bud from the initial stage. He should never have brought her into his space. If he had listened to his father, he would not be in this awful predicament now.

Tilting his head down, he gazed at the luxurious ash gray carpet beneath his feet. He had been running around doing errands and avoiding her. But he could no longer put it off. Now that his father had told her what he had planned, it was time to face the music. She would be hurt, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Son!”

“I have to go.” With that, he rushed out of the office, closing the doors behind him. Picking up the framed photo of the incredibly beautiful woman who had captured his heart since the first day he laid eyes on her, he studied the familiar features.

Maria Russo had not only been a great beauty, but she had also been effervescent and vivacious. There was a glow about her that had been unmistakable.

Her sultry dark eyes shone with laughter as she posed for the camera. Thick blue-black hair spilled over one ivory shoulder; her small chin perched on her palm. He had taken the photo while they were on a trip to Tuscany and were staying at their villa.

He missed her every single day of his life and had resigned himself to never loving anyone the way he loved her. A smile touched his lips as he reflected on the young woman who had come into their lives in such an unorthodox and unexpected manner.

“You would have loved her, darling.” he said softly, his thumb glancing over the protective glass covering. “She reminds me so much of you.” His smile faded. “But I am afraid, our son is determined to mess things up and there is not a bloody thing I can do about it.”

*****

It was late when he arrived home. He was told by one of the maids that ‘Signorina Juliana’ was in her suite and already had her meal.

He had not called to tell her what time he would be home. And besides, he was not hungry anyway. He had spent an hour driving around and trying to find the words to say to her.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, an open suitcase in front of her.

She looked up when he came into the room, their eyes connecting. His hungry gaze wandered over the now familiar features of her face. She had done something different with her short curls, which had grown since she had been here. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup, her mouth sending the yearning coursing through his body.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He nodded towards the suitcase. “When?”

“Early morning flight. Your dad offered to make the jet available, but I decided to fly commercial instead. First class, he would not offer anything less. He wants me to travel in comfort and style.”

“What time is the flight?”

“Six, I think. Aldo or one of the drivers will be taking me to the airport.”

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his ash gray dress pants, he rocked back on his heels. “You have everything planned.”

“As do you, or so I have been told.” She folded a silk blouse with the tag still on it. “When were you going to tell me?”

“Soon. I thought we had another week.”

“Would seven more days make a difference? Would that change your mind about me leaving?”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Well, then… “Bending her head to her task, she refused to allow him to see how much she was hurting. “I have so much to do…”

“I cannot be the man you want.”

Her head snapped up and he was taken aback by the blaze of fury in her eyes. “What kind of man would that be?”

He shrugged restlessly. “The one who would never hurt you, one who would be there for you always.”

“Oh, that kind.” She waved a dismissive hand. “You are absolutely right. Complete commitment is beyond you.”

“That’s right,” he bit out. He had no right to be angry at her words, but they were like spikes driving into his heart. “We would never have worked out.”

“Go to hell.” She whispered.

“Juliana…”

“Just leave me alone with some sort of pride, will you?” She cried. “Can’t you see what you are doing to me?”

“The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you.”

“And yet, here we are.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “God, when I think about what my brother said when he insisted on me taking this trip, I want to laugh. ‘Go and have a fling, find someone to have a mindless romance and return home feeling better about yourself.’ I laughed, because at the time it sounded so hilarious.

You see, when I got my memory back it was to discover that I had a lousy track record when it comes to men. And I told myself, I had this very interesting pep talk and said to myself that Giorgio Russo would never look twice at a woman like you, there was no way that could ever happen.”

She was unaware that the tears were streaming down her cheeks. “But my stupid heart had a mind of its own and now I…,” she gulped and pressed a hand to her heart.

“I love you more than I can even explain. I might not be one of those glamourous women from your society or your intellectual equal, but I truly love you and would have made you happy. Only you are too set in your ways and too damn stupid to see it.”

He had bridged the distance between them and was kneeling at her feet, his face a tormented mask.

“I am.” He whispered hoarsely. “I said I would never hurt you and that’s what I am doing now.”

“Go away.”

“I can’t.” He told her achingly. Rising, he gathered her into his arms and sat on the edge of the bed, cradling her against him. “I am set in my ways. I have these feelings inside me that I cannot explain, and I don’t want to hurt you even more, but I am not cut out for marriage. Papa called me a coward and perhaps he is right.”

He pressed her against his chest, feeling the aching emptiness stretching in front of him. He would never forget her, that much was true. He would carry her light in his heart as long as he lived.

Holding her like this almost made him believe he could have a life with her. But he did not want to fall into the trap of thinking that life holds any guarantee. His father had been madly in love with his mother, and she had died, leaving him alone in the grief.

It had been the same for Juliana’s parents. People left and he knew instinctively that if he allowed himself to feel anything more for her, if he acknowledged what he was feeling and acted on it, he would always be dreading the day she was taken from him. And he was not certain he could live. It was better this way.

Lifting her head, she stared at him with tear drenched eyes filled with a love that tore him to pieces. “Make love to me, please. Give me something to remember.”

*****

Perched atop the glossy black animal that personally belonged to him, Giorgio spent the bittersweet minutes on the plateau which gave him a perfect view of the cobbled driveway, Giorgio sat still watching as she walked out of his life.

He had left her bed at dawn and rode for half an hour as if demons were chasing him. Ignoring the cold finger of the icy wind whipping through his clothing, he had put his horse through a very brutal pace, before turning around.

He watched as she turned to look at the house, her head lifted to the second floor as if trying to catch a glimpse of him.

Lifting one gloved hand, he reached out as if he was trying to prevent her from leaving. His heart felt shattered, eyes burned with tears as she settled carefully in the back seat.

Aldo was the one driving her to the airport and even from this distance, he could see how gentle he was with her. They all loved her, but that was not difficult, it was almost effortless. She was easy to love.

Memories of last night came tumbling back.

“I cannot get enough of you. Your skin is like silk, so soft, so sweet, like honey.” he whispered, lips trailing down her neck.

“I love you.” She cried. “I don’t care if- “

He had covered her lips, stopping the rest of the words. He couldn’t say it back to her, even though he wanted to. And he admits it now. The words had been bursting from his chest. But he somehow managed to hold them in. They were locked somewhere deep inside him, and he was afraid to release it. To give it life.

He had wrung cries from her as he used his mouth on her body, tasting her flesh, drinking from her as if he was a starving man with a sumptuous banquet placed in front of him.

A groan escaped him as he recalled how she had returned the favor.

She had insisted on pulling him up and over her- He hissed out a breath, his body vibrating. She had turned oral sex into an art that had left him breathless. Her tongue had caressed his glans, sweeping across the reddened tip, until he felt as if the back of his head was going to explode.

Swear words had erupted and he had lapsed into his mother tongue. He had barely managed to pull away and when he did, he drove into her with a force that banged her head against the headboard. His control had diminished like puffs of smoke, and he found himself chanting her name over and over again.

The climax had been so powerful, it left him coming until the energy left his body. He had been having sex since he was a boy, and nothing had ever felt that good. It had stopped being physical and taken on a spiritual realm that left him confounded.

He had no idea he was crying until he felt the wetness on his cheeks.

*****

She had often dreamed about flying first class. She had teasingly told her brother that she could not afford to fly in supreme comfort, because she was not earning as much as he did. Now she was experiencing it, the extra space, the padded seats, the attendant courteous and friendly, arriving at her row to ask if there was anything else she needed.

She had declined the champagne and the cognac (She had never tasted cognac before and was not even sure she would like it!). But she was still on medication. And even so, her appetite was nonexistent. This flight back was so different from the one she had been on – was it four weeks ago? She wondered dismally.

It seemed like it was longer than that. It seemed like it was years instead of weeks. So much had happened. She had been the victim of an accident, lost her memory, broke parts of her body and fallen in love with a man way out of her league.

Now she was returning home, but it was no longer home for her.

She was trying not to cry and even though she was wrung out and exhausted, sleep evaded her. He had left her this morning while she slept. And had not even bothered to see her off. Turning towards the window, she blinked the tears away, her heart shattering into tiny pieces.

*****

“I must really look terrible.” Juliana said wanly as her brother brought her a tray and sat across from her. “You have not said anything derogatory since you picked me up from the airport. And you are treating me like I am made of very delicate China.”

“You have been gone for a month and during that time, you were involved in an accident. You scared the crap out of me,” he said gruffly.

He had seen the drawn look on her face and wanted to find the bastard, who put that look on her face, and beat him to a bloody pulp. He had also wanted to rail at her, reminding her that she had been warned. But how could he, when she looked like she was going to be blown away by the least bit of wind?

“Want to talk?” He asked quietly.

She had asked for the tea but was balancing the cup and saucer in her hands without taking a sip.

She nodded. Putting the tray on the end table, she clasped her hands in her lap and stared off into space. “I am in love with him.” Her eyes met his and she smiled woefully. “I know what you are going to say. You did warn me…”

“It doesn’t matter what I said.”

She stared at him and laughed shakily. “Where is my brother and what have you done with him?”

“He is looking at things in a different light,” he said lightly. “Jules, what happened over there?”

Settling back against the cushions on his butter yellow sofa, she curled her feet beneath her defensively. She had spent half of the journey cursing fate for doing this to her again and the next half deciding that she would get on with her life.

“We ended up together. At first it started out with us just talking,” a smile touched her lips. “He is a very fascinating man. I never expected…” She lifted her hands, palms out. “I was prepared for him to be the typical handsome, rich boy and behave as if he was better than everyone else. But he wasn’t.”

She laughed softly. “He has this amazing sense of humor and when we are together, I completely forget who he is. He is not pretentious, at least not with me. We would talk for ages and never run out of topic.”

She paused and he watched as she tried to gather her composure. “I love him more than my life and I don’t blame him for – for choosing to send me home. Losing his mother had an enormous effect on him…”

“Stop trying to justify…”

“No.” She shook her head. “I am not trying to make excuses for him. I felt his suffering as keenly as I am feeling mine. He is conflicted, Julian. This is a first for him and he is grappling with the enormity of what he is feeling.”

Her brother stared at her with narrowed eyes. “Are you saying he feels the same way?”

She nodded, a tremulous smile on her lips. “I am also saying that I am carrying his baby.”

Julian stared at her in shock. “That son of a bitch knocked you up and sent you back here? I am going to tear his head from his body. When I am…”

“He doesn’t know, and it’s not been confirmed. It should be about two weeks old by now.”

Julian felt as if he was in another dimension. “There is no way you can possibly know…”

“I do.” Her hands drifted to her flat stomach, a beatific smile on her face. “And I will be waiting until he realizes that he cannot live without me.”

*****

The silence around the dinner table was fraught with tension. Giorgio would have preferred to have something sent to his room, but he was avoiding his bedroom altogether.

Her floral perfume was still lingering there, and he had gone into one of the drawers to find some underwear he had shoved underneath his one night when he made love to her.

“Have you heard from her?”

“No.” His father’s voice stirred him from the misery he was facing. He had returned from his ride only to shower and change before going back out again. And had spent most of the time at the club, trying to drown his sorrows.

“I know her plane landed sometime in the afternoon.” Giorgio pushed away his barely eaten meal and picked up his wineglass. “Her brother would have picked her up from the airport, I suppose.”

Alfedo wanted to knock some sense into him. How he could be such a bloody cavalier was beyond him. “What now?”

He glanced at his watch. “I have been invited to a yacht party which will commence in an hour.” He grinned. “I intend to be fashionably late.”

“Who the hell are you?” Alfredo’s eyes glittered, his voice raised in anger. “You are going about business as usual? Is that your answer? Go back to the way you were before she came into your life?”

“She didn’t ‘come into my life’ as you put it papa. I knocked her down with my vehicle and she lost her memory. I almost ruined her life and now she is gone. End of story. We were never destined to be together.”

“So, the nights she spent in your room was what? Recreational sex?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“She loves you! How can you be so goddamned stupid that you cannot see that young woman was the best thing that ever happened to you! That letting her go was the worst thing you could ever do. What is it going to take to make you realize that you belong together?”

“Because I am a realist.” Giorgio told him tightly. “Now if you would excuse me, I must be on my way. You know how I adore a good get together.”