“Thank you. I’m unsure how I can breathe at all.” I laughed along with the lady I was chatting with, who had pointed out how tight my dress was. She wasn’t wrong. If I wasn’t used to dressing this way, I would have heaved over.
“Well,” Mariano huffed by my side, “I wanted you to meet my business partner, but he needs to do his part up there first.” He nodded toward the podium.
“That’s all right. I can wait.” I sipped my drink, enjoying myself in a room full of high fashion and good times. It had been too long since I’d let loose and done something that wasn’t calculated to the tenth degree.
“There he is.” I followed where he was pointing and did a double take at the man with a killer smile onstage.
The crowd whistled and cheered. They obviously loved him, and even the men seemed to be under his spell.
“Welcome.” He smiled, feeding off the room’s vibe. “I could stand up here and thank you all for coming, but I think my uncle did that already, so instead, let’s have some,” his gaze swept across the crowd and suddenly landed on me, “fun…” His word trailed off, and I nearly dropped my glass. “Ah.” He struggled to find his words while I struggled to breathe.
This couldn’t be real.
He couldn’t be real.
No one had said his name yet. Maybe it wasn’t really…Elio. “I’m sorry.” His eyes were locked onto mine, both of us stuck in a strange point in time. “Please be sure you eat lots, that your drink is never empty, and that you bid on anything here that might pique your interest. After all, all the proceeds are for St. Paul’s Church. Cheers!” The crowd went wild as he hopped off the stage.
“That was odd.” Mariano shrugged and sipped his drink.
“Mariano,” my throat was dry as sand, “what is your friend’s name?”
“Elio Capri.”
A puff of air escaped my lungs, and I felt the Earth tilt slightly. Then something strange passed through me. I knew he was there. I could feel his presence deep in my chest, sending it into a dangerous chaos of butterflies. It was like an addiction. The craving was starting to spread, and my will to stay away was being tested.
I scanned the faces in the crowd, eliminating them one by one, while my heart played tug of war with itself.
“Are you all right?” Mariano leaned down too close, and I struggled not to jerk back. “You seem nervous.”
“No,” I barely breathed, “I think I just need some air.”
“I’ll take you outside.”
“No.” I froze as I spotted his dark eyes at the bar. I blinked to see if he was real, and he was gone.
I can’t do this.
“Would you mind if I stepped away alone for a moment? I think the wine may have gone to my head.”
He seemed uncomfortable with me leaving by the way his jaw flexed.
“Of course.” He lowered his eyes and waited for me to leave.
“Thanks.” My exit couldn’t happen soon enough. I needed to get out of there. Gathering my dress in my hands and utilizing the high slit in my skirt, I rushed for the door.
My heart thumped so hard it made me lightheaded.
I felt disoriented and bumped several shoulders as I made my way out, desperate to find some space. I stumbled backward and turned when I was suddenly face to face withhim.
“You’re not real,” I barely whispered, sure he was going to disintegrate into the air.
The dark eyes that had held me prisoner since I was very young seemed to carry many secrets. Time had been good to Elio. Just as time had in its turn slowly picked away at my core, reminding me that I had been left alone in the wake of his existence. He seemed uneasy.
I shook my head and tried to ignore how dangerous and sexy he had become. His dark suit and crisp white shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders gave him an elegant look. His light beard suited him and matched his jet back hair that he wore slightly long and was gelled back.
“Sienna,” Mariano handed me a glass of water, “I thought you could use this.”
“Thank you.” I turned to take it, and when I turned back, Elio was gone.