A Woman's Empire

XIV

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Audrielle sat in the bath with her head back while she watched the lights of Rome. The bathroom was enormous and the bath was almost half the size of the room. Above, was a shower head that was in different modes from rain showers to massage. The mirror that lined one entire wall captured the city lights and with the lights in the bathroom on dim, Audrielle felt like she was having a bath amongst stars.

Moving the bubbles around with her hands, Audrielle sunk lower into the hot water when a knock on the door made her jump. Shortly followed by the knock, Leo popped his head through the gap and smiled.

"Dinner is here." He said and made his way into the bathroom.

"Thank you." Audrielle mumbled, watching Leo as he neared the bath. Audrielle suddenly felt the feeling of being small again. Like Leo was the feral cat and Audrielle, the mouse, was now cornered with nowhere to run. Scooping the bubbles closer to her chest and pulling her knees in slightly, Audrielle tried to make herself some cover but the bubbles couldn't really cover much as they would soon evaporate into the water and the water was clear.

"Would you like a towel?" He asked, pointing to the white towels rolled up and placed neatly on the marble cabinet. Audrielle nodded shyly and Leo grabbed one, unraveling it and holding it out for her.

Audrielle turned around in the bathtub so the her back was to Leo. Grabbing hold of the side of the bath, she pulled herself out and quickly leaned back into the towel as Leo wrapped it around her small body. Audrielle just stood there while Leo dried her body off with the towel and she was thankful that he didn't push it too far by running his hands along her chest. Leo's large hands then ran down the sides of her body, outlining her waist and Audrielle shivered.

The tension in the room was intense and when Audrielle felt Leo's hands rest on her waist, she let out a small sigh.

"I'll let you get dressed into your pajamas and I'll go set everything up." Leo muttered in a husky voice before kissing Audrielle's right shoulder. When she turned around, her eyes locked with Leo's dark, mischievous ones and before she could speak, their lips met. She gasped at the sudden contact as Leo attacked her lips before he suddenly stood back, the face of guilt quickly setting in.

"I-I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself." Leo apologised and a tiny blush keeps onto his face. Audrielle suddenly giggled and Leo looked like a deer stuck in traffic lights. It was rare to hear Audrielle laugh. Her parents took everything so seriously that it was hard to joke about a lot of things.

With butterflies in her stomach, Audrielle leaned forward, kissing Leo's lips which he gladly returned before she pulled away and the both of them had grins plastered on their faces.

"I'll go get dinner sorted." Leo mumbled, kissing Audrielle's forehead before leaving the bathroom. Wiping the remaining water and bubbles off of her body, Audrielle's feet carried her to the bedroom where with the towel wrapped around her body, she searched for some clothes to wear. After finding a set of pajamas which consisted of a pair of black cotton shorts and cami made from silk, Audrielle quickly put them on before drying her hair with the towel and then brushing it.

Walking back into the living room, the aromas coming from the dining room table made her stomach growl. She took a seat opposite of Leo and Leo bent over, pouring a glass of champagne for his beautiful wife. While Audrielle was getting dressed, Leo had time to set the table, placing a single white lily in the small glass vase that sat in the middle of them and to create a mood, he also decided to play some music.

"Thank you." Audrielle smiled kindly, taking the glass of sparkling alcohol and taking a sip before placing it back down. The two ate their entree and main quietly, only occasionally sharing a few words. But when dessert came, which was a strawberry champagne cheesecake, Audrielle only picked at the strawberry before yawning.

"This is delicious but I have had too much to eat." She mumbled and Leo chuckled.

"Sweetheart, we're in Italy. Us Italians know how to put on a show when it comes to food and if you can't handle a simple three course meal, then you're definitely going to be struggling tomorrow at my family's get together." Leo joked and Audrielle laughed, rolling her eyes at Leo's little side joke.

"Shall we dance?" Leo suddenly asked and Audrielle was taken by surprise for a few seconds. She wasn't much of a dancer even though her mother made her start ballet at the early age of five, Audrielle wasn't quite co-ordinated with her feet.

"Um, I can't really dance." She muttered, looking away from Leo's stare.

"Ha! And you think I dance?! I can't dance to save myself!" Leo barked and Audrielle's cheeks went red as Leo grabbed ahold of her hand.

"N-No I-I can't dance..." A shy Audrielle pleaded, as Leo dragged her out of her chair. Her chest crashed into Leo's and his hands gently held onto her waist, guiding her into the living room.

Music hummed in the background as the couple held onto one another and swayed from side to side. Leo held Audrielle close to him, his hands just brushing against her lower back while Audrielle kept her hands on his chest. The glass of champagne that Audrielle just had made her feel warm and fuzzy and as her gaze kept flickering to the streets of Rome and then to Leo's green eyes, she felt like she was in heaven. Like a princess straight from a fairytale except she was wearing skimpy pajamas instead of an extravagant ball gown and her damp strands of hair tickled her bare skin, reminding her that this is her fairytale, her story.

That even if this might be an arranged marriage, they might be able to make something beautiful blossom from it one day.