An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel (29 page)

Adriana

Mother’s
party to celebrate my new role as lead dancer in Seraphine makes the Hilton
sisters look like amateurs. After our little exchange yesterday, I have the
feeling this night can only end one way ... disastrous. The world couldn’t get
any more stranger than it has been lately, so I don’t consider the suddenness
of her announcement about tonight’s gala to be strange. However, this is my
mother and anything she does on a whim has an ulterior motive.

Mother
has gone all out in decorating her Bellaggio home for my coming out celebration
tonight. Blue and green streamers made of silk—the colors of my costume—are
strewn throughout the living room. A bar is set up in the dining room and most
of the guests stand outside in the backyard. The atmosphere makes me think of
the Martuccio family reunion, but without the warmth and sincerity of the
attendees at that celebration. That was until Giovanni showed up and killed
everybody’s joy.

My
best friends, Lis and Jojo, look stunning in their little hot pink dresses and
it makes me get giddy to see there’s no Jeremy D’ Onofrio latched onto her
tonight. Alek and Erin are working their hardest to avoid making lovey eyes at
each other, but I don’t miss the glances passing between them and I’m sure
Mother doesn’t either. Nikolai sticks to the shadows of the trees inside the
yard, the place he feels most comfortable except when he’s performing, a good
way to avoid me without actually ignoring me. I’ve caught him staring several
times, but he looks away as soon as I return his gaze.

And
Luca, my Sicilian-Roman lover, hasn’t shown up yet. We both know we run the
risk of being found out, but we also agreed no one would suspect anything since
Black Butterfly designed our costumes. But how can I keep from gawking at
someone who makes the world stop for me each time we’re together? Also, his
mood darkens each time he returns from Venice. My heart aches for him and
Simona. I’m sure he’ll be here. The notion of avoiding a fight doesn’t run in
his blood. That’s what I admire most about Luca. His nobility.

Everything
goes well until we get to the dedication toast. Mother stumbles up to the mini
podium she has set up outside, using Nikolai’s lead dancer, Mikhail, as both
her crutch and drink holder. With her hair piled up in a bun, a few tendrils
loose around her face and an ankle-length golden dress that makes her look like
a goddess, Mother radiates as she hogs the spotlight, something that comes
naturally for her. I find myself wishing that for once in my life we could have
a normal relationship, the kind where she brushes my hair before performances
and big parties the way Simona did for me just before we attended her family
reunion.

Sighing
deeply, I return my attention to my mother who reminds me of Rachel Zoe more
than ever this evening. I think the podium idea is a bit much, but everything
she does tends to be extreme. Alek and I exchange glances; no good ever comes
out of her mouth when she’s on one of these binges.

“Here,
here. Now, all eyes should be on me, please. Your hostess of the night is up here,”
she announces, waving her hand in the air to get everyone’s attention. The
guests standing around the backyard quiet down at once. She radiates power in
that way. “I should make a toast to my talented daughter, but I’m not going to
do so tonight. Instead, I’d like to make an announcement to the world. Katerina
Dostovsky is not perfect. Ha! Surprised ya, didn’t I? She fucks up a lot. I
have done the things I did to protect both my children, especially my daughter.
In fact, I hate that the world has taken away her smile. She blames me for her
sadness. I think she turned out fine. What do ya’ll think?” A stunned mumble
flows through the crowd. She turns her gaze toward me. Lis and Jojo move to my
side, caressing my arms. “But that, my lovely attendees, is the essence of a
Dostovsky, the scandalous assholes you all hate so much. To use, be abused, and
ultimately to lose. You may return to the festivities now.”

She
steps down off the mini podium, grabs Mikhail, and presses a hard kiss up
against his lips. The crowd around us gasps and chatter roars throughout the
area. Alek dips his head, blinking and shaking it. Beside him, Nikolai shoots a
concerned glance toward me. A few looks of pity are passed our way. The guests
probably think Mother has lost her mind, but I’m not anymore surprised by her
behavior or embarrassed by it than I have been at any other time she pulled one
of these drama moments. I just hate that this one has been caused by me. She
might not believe it, or show me the same respect, but I do care about her
feelings.

“That’s
enough of this debacle,” Alek says as he walks over to our mother, takes her
hand, severing the lip lock she has going on with Mikhail, and begins leading
her away, glaring at Mikhail as he does so.

“Are
you all right?” Erin asks, her warm, dark eyes searching my face. I didn’t even
notice her walking up to us.

“Sure.
I’m the little dancing dolly. You heard my mother. We always survive being sad
or lonely. Excuse me, I need some air.” I offer a tiny smile to my friends
before walking away, my mind whirling.
Where’s Luca? I need him so much,
right now.

I
search the crowds at the far end of the yard, the part hidden by trees and
evergreens inside her garden, until I find him. Luca. Wasting no time with
words, he crushes his mouth against mine, parting my lips until I open my
mouth, giving his tongue complete access to mine. Swirling, plunging, tasting
and then starting all those things over again, our tongues connecting in
acrobatic ways. I never thought me having the ability to feel something for
someone else—besides my destructive thoughts of being with a man who loves
advancing his career more than he could ever love me—would happen, either.

“Behave,
Luca. Someone might see us.”
Do I really care who sees us after experiencing
Mother’s humiliating toast?
He flinches. His gorgeous features harden and
it’s kind of like I can see fumes rising from his head.

“Would
that be such a terrible thing? For the mighty Dostovskys and their society
friends to see your new guy? Or maybe there’s someone else you want to
protect.” He’s pissed. I wonder if this night can get any more stressful.

“That’s
not a fair statement, and you know it. Don’t you think I’ve had enough drama
for a while?” I ask.

His
face softens as he pulls me into his arms, but his body is still tense. “Mi
spiace, amore,” he says, embracing me as we stay hidden in the shadows of the
trees. “You’re right. I’m an insensitive asshole. Case closed.”

“No,
you’re not, but I’m thirsty. So make some of your magic and conjure up a drink
for me,” I say, pulling back so I can kiss him, wrapping my arms around his
waist and sucking his bottom lip into my mouth.

In
return, he moans, “Hold that thought until after the spell is all done.” Easing
his mouth away from mine, he leans down and kisses my forehead.

“The
lady wants a magic drink. You got it.” He kisses me one last time and walks
toward the bar set up inside the house.

~Nikolai~

My
blood is boiling.

Luca
has a touching issue. The kind where he cannot seem to keep his hands off Adriana
for longer than a minute or two. From where I stand across the way, neither
Adriana nor Katerina’s designer can see me. She looks divine in her bright
green geisha inspired mini dress, a design from him, I have heard. He knows how
to make the best parts of her body stand out.
Because he knows her body in a
way that you do not.

Have
I lost her? If so, I deserve it. Regardless, a thug like Martuccio, a man who
probably has a string of illegitimate children like the one I found out about
in Capri, doesn’t deserve to own such a rare jewel, either. Time to enlighten
my Rishka on the one thing I’m almost certain this bastard hasn’t mentioned.

“Adriana.
You look stunning,” I say, walking up to her.

“Nikolai,
you finally decided to speak to me.”

She
is feisty and strong, even more so than Katerina who dabbles in moments of
instability such as the one we just experienced. “Well, I did not want to
intrude on your ... moment with Katerina’s designer.”

She
glances toward Luca, who is walking in the direction of the house, and turns
back to me, smiling sarcastically and shaking her head. “You saw that.”

I
ignore the statement and instead go for a strategy we used to employ when I was
an accomplice to a madman—go straight for the jugular, a person’s life line. In
this case, I am aiming to grab hold of the small part of Adriana’s heart I know
belongs to me.

“Tell
me you have no feelings left for me. For us.”

Opening
and closing her mouth several times, she glances toward the place where the man
who has managed to take advantage of her beauty and kindness has gone.
“Nikolai, things are different now. We talked about this.” I can hear the
conflict in her voice, can see the doubt brewing in her wonderful eyes, hidden
behind the hair hanging over them.

“The
quiver in your voice doesn’t match your words, Rishka.” I ease closer to her.
“We have a history, you and I. A bond. No one can destroy such a thing. No
one.”

“Do
you mean the one we formed after you—when you murdered your cousin for me?”

I
briefly lose my edge. “How did you find out? Do not answer. Katerina. Do you
see the extent of how far I will go for you? What I will do to keep you safe? I
know you still feel something for me. I know you want me.”

Crossing
her arms, she frowns and her bottom lip begins to tremble. “Please stop this.”
I close the distance between us, pulling her into my arms, dipping my head and
devouring her lips, something I’ve wanted to do since she rejected me a couple
of weeks ago. At first, she doesn’t open her mouth, but when I feel her gasp
against mine and her body go limp as she collapses into my arms, I seize the
moment. I’m a Belikov and this is what we do ... take what belongs to us. No
matter who we have to crush in order to do so.

Parting
her lips, she makes a little squeak; that small sound fires through my body and
straight to my cock. I get hard at once and plunge my tongue between her lips,
feeling relieved when she finally opens her mouth to accept me. She’s still
mine, I haven’t lost her.

“I
brought the drinks you requested, signorina.” The designer’s voice cuts into
our moment. Adriana shoves away from me at once, her face screwed up and her
gaze locked on his as she shakes her head. Luca gives a short laugh. He is
good, holding back his temper; but his hands are trembling, and I can see the
fire in his eyes. The beginning of a war for him, a challenge for me.

 “Belikov,
why am I not surprised to find you standing here?” he asks, grinning.

“Do
you have a problem with me kissing your boss’s daughter?” I ask.

He
passes a hurt look to Adriana, and a hard glance back to me. “She’s a big girl.
Besides, Signora Dostovsky does an excellent job watching over her daughter, I
hear.”

He
has opened the door I needed. “Why, I bet you know all about protecting
daughters, do you not? Considering you have one of your own,” I announce.
Adriana’s head snaps up, her questioning gaze studying my face. “Does she not
live with her mother on Capri? What was the woman’s name again? Leona. I am
sure the little girl wants to see her grandmother one last time before she
passes away. Considering Leona’s mother is such a good friend to your mother, I
should think you might want to see if your estranged family knows about Signora
Martuccio’s condition.” I raise my glass and smile as I feel the air around us
turn cold, the laughter of Katerina’s guests drifting all around the area. The
expression on Rishka’s face tells me everything; she doesn’t know about the
daughter or that her seducer has slept with the grandmother of his child.
Luca’s smile fades.