Voices echo in the foyer, and I immediately recognize Luca's voice. He talks quietly to someone else, advising them carefully.
"When we get there, I will let you know. When he gets back and he asks where I am, say nothing, if he asks again say you do not know. You are the only one I can trust with this, make sure you keep an eye on him, and tell me everything. Every move he makes and every thing he does."
"I will, Signore, I will," the same feminine voice from this morning answers back, and I stop at the top of the foyer, hidden behind the wall. I inhale and exhale one last time, then pick up the dress in front of me and begin to walk down the stairs.
The maid gasps and lifts a gentle hand to her mouth as she sees me first, "Oh my," she whispers, her eyes glimmering.
At this, Luca immediately fixes his attention upward, and his jaw slightly drops, his eyes seemingly sending him into a trance.
"Beatrice," he manages to breathe, the hair on the neck standing straight up as he says it so slow and so kind, "You, you look-"
"Absolutely stunning, oh my goodness!" The maid squeals and I beam at her brightly, my smile reaching ear to ear. Luca lifts a nervous hand behind his neck to scratch it as I try so hard to suppress a giggle. It was funny watching a man like him get nervous, it was cute. Really cute.
"Thank you," I say, making it to the last step of the stairs.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" The maid reaches down to the floor to pick up a box that was sat beside two black suitcases. "Shoes to complete the look," she hands them to me, her petite figure a full head shorter than my own.
"Thank you," I opened the lid of the box, and my eyes must've bugged from my head causing Luca to laugh an attractive, low laugh.
"Do you like them?"
"I love them, t-they're gorgeous," I admire the high heels in the box, the gold a perfect match with the navy blue color of the heel. "I've never worn heels before."
"They're a bit hard to walk in at first, but you'll get the hang of it, come on! Try them on!" The maid claps her hands excitedly, her young face lighting up in extreme elation and joy.
I giggle a little, taking them out of the box as Luca holds it steady for me. One by one, I place them on my feet, and immediately lose balance. Luca is quick to grab my waist to steady me, and I feel my cheeks become flush.
"See, they're a bit hard, but you'll get the hang of it, miss."
"Call me Beatrice," I say to her, my kindness taking her off guard, but she smiles up at me brightly.
"If you insist."
"We gotta get going," Luca pipes in, his hand still holding my waist. His palm fit perfectly on my body.
"Alright," the maid opens the front door and snaps at someone outside. Within seconds, a man dressed in a neatly pressed black tuxedo steps inside the door and takes the two suitcases outside.
"After you," Luca says, holding a hand out for me to head outside. I walk leisurely, scared of falling down the stairs stupidly. Luca follows closely behind me.
"Don't forget to tell me when you get there, Signore," the maid calls after us, still standing at the threshold of the grand front doors.
"I won't," he calls back, waving at her one last time as she closes the door.
"All ready for you, sir, here is the key," the man in the black suit comes around the car and hands the key to Luca, and I stare down at the car in amazement, something that continually hits me with every passing second.
Large printed letters glisten under the sun reading Dodge Viper, a chrome matte double stripe painted on the hood all the way to the back of the luxurious exterior.
"Thank you, Alejandro, please make sure to keep this place in check while I'm away."
"Of course, sir, I will keep your brother in place," he says, staring at Luca through his shades.
"I know you will," Luca pats the man's shoulder, his body standing just a few inches taller than Alejandro's.
Alejandro bows his head in respect, and walks back towards the house. Luca quickly walks to the passenger side and opens the door for me, taking my hand and helping me climb inside.
He closes the door behind me and gets in the driver's seat, starting the car with an automatic push of a button. The great engine roars to life, the pulsing of the engine unlike anything I've ever heard.
"Where are we going?"
"Florence, it'll be safer for you there. I can't afford to be stupid and put you in harms way," he says, his indigo irises studying my face warmly, his tone genuine yet worrisome. "It's a bit of a long drive, less than three hours, so get comfortable."
"That's far," I say.
He nods and agrees.
He drives off towards the gates, clouds of dust following behind us. The gates are already open and then close automatically once the car passes the sensors. The time passes in silence, the car the only noise between us. Every step of gas is audible as the car lurches forward at fifty and sixty kilometers per hour.
"You, uh, you look stunning, by the way," Luca stutters after some time.
I smile uncontrollably to myself, then peering over my shoulder to stare over at him, a nervous grin of his own spreading as we momentarily connect eyes.
"Thank you."
YOU ARE READING
Pretty Poison
Romance[COMPLETED] The question has always been about love. What is it? What does it feel like? Where does it come from? For her, this question lingers like an unanswered prayer. For him it was the same; blessed with a family of riches yet abse...
