A Twisted Tale

War Zone

After we wound up with all the paperwork, Valerio stood up to stretch and asked "So, would you like to come over to my place tomorrow?"
I immediately answered with a yes. He gave me his signature smile and said "Great. I'll pick you up at 10. Wear something comfortable."
I was curious and almost asked him about it but then again, I loved surprises so I thought to wait until tomorrow.
I was so exhausted that I fell into a deep slumber as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I woke up at 7 the next morning and checked my phone. There were new messages but none of them were from Mark. It was mostly Claire scolding me for being irresponsible and not keeping her updated. I sighed thinking that the conversation with Claire was long overdue and dialled her number. She picked up on the second ring and said "You better have a good reason for taking this long to call, bitch."
I laughed and said "Hey, I'm doing great. Thanks for asking. But otherwise, I'm so sorry to not having called or sent a text to you in this long. Too much has happened and I seriously need some advice here. Your brother has been of help but us girls need to stick together. So here we go." I told her the whole story and awaited her response.
"I feel like I'm in a nineties movie where the parents decide whom the girl should marry. And I'm surprised that Dad didn't take your side on this. And even more so that Mark didn't totally lose his calm and punch the guy first and then do the talking."
"In their defence, Charles did say that it was totally my decision and he wasn't going to force me into anything I didn't like. And Mark did stand up for me but they both knew I could handle myself very well. And I did handle the situation. More or less." I said getting totally defensive.
"Tell me something, what is Valerio like? I've done a little research and boy he is handsome." She said without a pause.
I thought about it for a moment and said "I don't really know him that well just yet. I've spent some time with him, yes. Initially I didn't like him for being so old-school. But I think I understand him better now. From what I have observed so far, he's smart, dedicated to his work and loves his family. He doesn't leave any opportunity to flirt with me which is occasionally annoying. Also, there is this nagging feeling which makes me think that there is something else going on with him. He left saying he had work at the office and when I asked him as to how his work went, he looked at me as if he didn't know what I was talking about. I can't shake this feeling that there might be more to him than what meets the eye."
"Well, you'll be stuck there for a week. You better get your answers. If you make a conscious decision to spend the rest of your life with him, you need to know the man inside out. See if he has any skeletons in his closet. If you want, you can ask Mark to get a background check done on him. Money comes with the power which can be misused. You never know what he's hiding under that smile of his." She said in all seriousness. Later on she went on to say "I completely forgot to ask! How was the kiss?"
I laughed at her curiosity and her sudden change in spirit and said "It was very good. He's a very good kisser. And he's the kind who makes use of every opportunity he gets. He tried to kiss me one too many times but I have been very reluctant. If you know what I mean. I don't want him to think I'm one of those girls who falls for good looks."
Claire agreed with me on this and concluded the conversation by saying "You have one life to live Meera. Whom you choose to spend that with, is your choice. And he isn't stupid. He knows that you are smart and you don't fall for good looks. So him thinking of you to be one of those girls is out of question. Whatever you do, make sure you're consciously making the decision for yourself and not for someone else. Okay, I gotta go. Keep me posted. Love you!"
After talking to Claire, I looked at this whole arrangement from a new perspective. I was not opposed to marriage because I have always wanted what my parents had. Whether it was Valerio or someone else, I knew I would marry when the time was right. So I made up my mind to see how things work out between me and Valerio and then decide on what I would do next. With that on my mind, I picked out my clothes for the day. I remembered Valerio telling me to choose a comfortable outfit. So I chose to wear my black crop top and grey slacks paired with white trainers.
I was almost done when I heard the door bell. I opened the door and to my surprise found Valerio dressed in ripped jeans and a white tee paired with a black cardigan.
When he looked at me, his eyes widened and he said "Wow, you look amazing Meera. I am going to find it very difficult to keep my hands off you today." I blushed at his compliment and said "Thank you. You too look handsome. But why the white though? I'll only end up spilling something or the other on it."
"Well, that will give me an excuse to take off my shirt around you. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?" He wiggled his eyebrows while saying that for which I responded with an eye roll and said "My my, you are so full of yourself. Maybe you should stare at yourself in the mirror the whole day. Now that would be a sight to see." I burst out laughing remembering an episode from Grimm with a similar situation.
He came really close to me and whispered in my ear "Not when I've got a beautiful woman like you in front of me. You are the one I've set my sights on." Before I could process what he said, he asked me if I was ready to go. He grinned and handed over a helmet while saying "I hope you enjoy this as much as I do."
When he started to walk away, I took one look at his motorcycle and squealed in excitement and said "Oh my god! Ecosse FE Ti XX. I've read a lot about this one! I've pestered Mark to buy one just so that I could enjoy the ride but he's never been fond of motorcycles."
"Didn't peg you for a motorcycle lover. But I'm really glad and relieved that you are looking forward to the ride. Hop on." He said.
I slid on to the motorcycle and heard the engine roar to life. I held on to him tightly because as much as I loved this, I was shit scared of it. The only reason I preferred cars was for the safety they offered, however ironic it may seem.
I took a deep breath and inhaled his masculine scent. I could feel the warmth radiating off his body and I was very comfortable with it. I sighed and rested my chin on his shoulder as we started moving away from the apartment. As we were zooming past the city and getting close to the forest, the ride got a little bumpy. I could feel his hand on mine while he yelled "Hold on tight. This is going to get a little rough."
After a few minutes, I could see a clearing which had a huge gate guarding it. There were security cameras everywhere and the very minute one of the cameras spotted Valerio, the gates silently opened.
It was a two minute ride from the gate to his house. I was expecting a bachelor pad but boy was I wrong. The house was surrounded by trees on all the sides. It was a grey building with glass doors. I could literally see everything happening on the inside. As we walked in, I saw a huge Tibetan Mastiff run towards us. I remembered his name but decided to pet him once he lets his guard down. "Bubba! Come here boy!" Said Valerio. "Meera, this here is my best friend and my pet child Bubba. I've told you about him the other day, remember? You can pet him. As large as he is, he is a gentle soul as long as he knows you mean no harm to him or to me."
That was my cue to put my hand out and pet him. Bubba was absolutely adorable and I was so focussed on following him around that I completely tuned out Valerio. I was about to apologise for not listening when I found myself all alone in the living room. I looked around for signs of Valerio but couldn't find him. I walked around and came into the kitchen. A lady, probably around mid forties, was busy cooking. "Hi. My name is Meera. Have you seen Valerio?" I asked her. She looked at me hesitantly, reluctantly smiled at me and said that he would be upstairs in his study.
I didn't know what to make of her reaction. Nevertheless, I thanked her and went upstairs. I walked around aimlessly because there were about six rooms upstairs and I didn't know which one was the study. I was about to turn the doorknob when I heard voices from across the room. "When I explained to you why I'm doing this, I expect you to understand and comply with me! Don't make this about you! You and your stupidity will only ruin everything! And don't come here when you have clearly been asked to stay away." Yelled Valerio.
I could hear a woman speaking but it was muffled. Valerio continued to say something else but this time his voice too was muffled. I heard the doorknob turn and quickly retreated down the stairs.
I saw him come down the stairs but there was no one following him. I was confused and decided to ask him anyway. "I came upstairs looking for you but I couldn't find you. And then I heard you speak to someone so I decided to give you some privacy. Is everything okay?" I asked.
He gave me a smile and said "I was on a video call with my secretary. She was given some work to do and she ended up disappointing me which got me frustrated. Sorry you had to hear that." He apologised.
I wasn't convinced with his answer but I didn't question him any further. The lady whom I saw earlier walked into the living room and said "lei è molto arrabbiata con te."
Valerio looked at me first and then said "Lo so. Mi prenderò cura di esso."
She seemed to be satisfied with his response because she slightly bowed and left us alone. She came back a few minutes later with some green tea. While I was helping myself, the kettle slipped out of my hands and some of the tea fell on my slacks. I muttered a curse because the tea was scathing hot. "Shit! Let's get you cleaned first. He guided me upstairs to a guest room. If there was one thing I knew about tea it was that it left behind a nasty stain. I asked him if he had any shorts that I could borrow. He said yes and offered me a clean pair of shorts. My thigh was still stinging from spilling the tea. "Should I even bother asking why you have women's clothes in your closet?" I asked smiling at him for which he replied with a pompous "I like being prepared for such situations. Anyway, change quickly and come down. Greta has prepared lunch for us."
I nodded my head and closed the door. It took me a couple of minutes to change. As I got out, I looked around and spotted the room from which I previously heard the woman's voice. Though I kept telling myself to let go, there was this nagging feeling that made me want to confirm my suspicions. I made sure Valerio wasn't around and then silently tiptoed towards the room. I stood in front of the door and turned the door knob as quietly as I could.
I don't know what I was expecting to find but the place looked like a war zone. There were things broken and clothes scattered all over the place. The bathroom door was left open and I found used tissues with mascara on it. I figured that Valerio wasn't alone in this room when things went down.  I heard Valerio yell my name from downstairs. I hurried out of the room. I was determined to keep this knowledge to myself and see what else was being hidden from me.