Uncorked (52 page)

After a long,
hard week, Friday evening had
arrived. Mitch had planned a trip for them and Chella had no clue where he was
taking her. She was surprised when they checked in with British Airways, which
meant it was an international flight.

After getting comfortable in the
first-class lounge, she smiled at him and said, “Aren’t you going to tell me
where we’re going?”

“I’m taking you to Monte Carlo,
in Monaco, France. If you’re up to it we can even watch some tennis. There’s a
tournament going on there this weekend. The final is on Sunday.”

“Are you serious?”

He handed her their boarding
passes and a copy of their hotel reservation at the Monte Carlo Bay Resort.

She sat on his lap and circled
her arms around his neck. She gazed into his eyes and kissed him gently on his
soft lips.

“I can’t believe you did this.
Thank you.”

“Are you happy?”

“I am. I almost forgot what if
felt like to genuinely smile.”

“We’ll get through this,
Sweetheart.”

After a one-hour stop in London,
they arrived at the Nice International Airport. They picked up their rental car
and took the stunning, picturesque, half-hour drive to their hotel in Monte
Carlo, Monaco. It was seven in the evening and the sun had already set. There
was a beautiful pink glow over the Maritime Alps that surrounded Monte Carlo
and the Mediterranean Sea. A sprinkling of lights glowed over the mountains,
creating a romantic ambiance.

They pulled into the circled
entrance and a beautiful neo-classical structure stood before them. The valet
and bellhop opened their doors and welcomed them. Inside, the lobby was grand,
contemporary and sexy. Sleek lines in shades of brown, creams and a pop of
vermillion graced the space. Staff with friendly smiles greeted them at the
entrance.

Their suite was stunning with two
balconies—one overlooking the ocean, and the other, the beautiful Alps that
soared over them. The décor was elegant.

“This is beautiful. Thank you so
much for doing this.”

“We both need this. Why don’t we
change and take a walk around? Maybe pick up some dinner later?”

“Sure.”

They walked through the lobby,
and exited at the opposite end onto a wide staircase outside. It overlooked the
beautiful gardens and massive lagoon that deviated across the grounds and
through a surrounding building or two. Even under the night light, the crystal
clear waters sparkled, along with the colorfully illuminated plants and flowers
sprinkled methodically through the enormous space.

Beautiful arched bridges
connected the spaces, transporting them from one side to the next as they
meandered around the various nooks and crannies. The sounds of waves lapping
against the shore created a serene feeling, and as a light breeze came through,
Mitch felt the goose bumps that instantly appeared on Chella’s arms. He
immediately took off his blazer and draped it over her shoulders then folded
her in his arms as they stood at the railing.

“I still can’t understand why
this happened. Why come so close to have it taken away?” Chella said sadly,
gazing at the full moon over the water.

“I wish I had the answer.”

“I feel like we’re being
punished.”

“Maybe they’re tests that we’re
being put through to see if we can handle a long-term commitment. Maybe the
reward will be so much greater than the pain in the end.”

“I hope you’re right. I feel like
I’m losing my mind. I don’t know how much more bad news I can take.”

“You’re stronger than you give
yourself credit for.”

“Sometimes I get tired of being
strong. For as long as I can remember I’ve had to be strong for one reason or
another. I’m tired...”

“That’s why I’m here. For those
moments when you feel that way.”

“I hate putting up with myself
sometimes. God alone knows how you’ve managed to do it for this long.”

“I’ve done it because I love you.
If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that we’ll get past this.”

“You seem so sure.”

“I’m sure because I believe in
you. And in us.”

“Thank you for being you. And
thank you for bringing me to this amazingly beautiful place.”

“It was my pleasure. I want for
us to be able to get through this, together.”

After going to
watch the tennis match the next
day, Mitch and Chella took a stroll along the water’s edge. They took time to
admire a mega yacht or two along the way and stopped at a restaurant to enjoy a
cocktail, remembering to take pictures.

Mitch was in car heaven. Monaco’s
streets were never-ending eye-candy views of exotic cars in every direction.
When they couldn’t be seen, they could definitely be heard. It amazed them
both—the number of exotic vehicles they saw in a few short hours and the
variety of shapes and colors.

When the sun started its decent,
Mitch told Chella he made dinner reservations at another resort, so they
returned to their hotel to get ready.

Chella swept her hair to one side
so it cascaded over her bare shoulder in elegant waves. She settled on a blush
maxi dress with a blouson halter bodice that gathered and hugged her body at
the hip and kissed her feet at the floor. She added a touch of eyeliner, blush,
and lip-gloss and a pair of silver thong sandals. Along with her
recently-acquired jewelry, her outfit was complete.

As they zigzagged through the
narrow, winding roads, Chella noticed the longer they drove the higher they
went in altitude. She stared out the window along the way. The City of Princes
dropped away.

Ahead, she saw what looked like a
hotel perched into the cliff-side overlooking Monte Carlo. It was the Vista
Palace Hotel—she remembered seeing the property from their suite. The big V
mounted to the top of the building was her reminder.

A host escorted them to a lovely
outdoor terrace. Elegant candlelit tables were set with fine white linens and
sparkling stemware. Beyond the railings were stunning views of Monte Carlo, the
Bay of Monaco and its picturesque mountains. Thousands of lights created an
unbelievably romantic setting. As the host departed, Chella leaned over, kissed
Mitch, and thanked him once more. Not that she had been out with many men, but
he was the most romantic and endearing man she had ever met.

As they sipped a glass of wine,
the sounds of romantic French music played softly in the background. The
woman’s soft husky voice and the light strings that accompanied her added to
the amorous feeling.

Their meals were delectable. They
enjoyed different entrees, but shared an Opera cake with chocolate coffee syrup
for dessert.

“La Vie En Rose” by Édith Piaf
began to play. Despite the fact that there was no dance floor, Mitch pulled
Chella into his arms in a slow and sensual dance.

Although she could not understand
the words, Chella knew she had heard the melody before. The way it was sung
told her it was a love song. Immediately after the French version was done, the
English version by Louis Armstrong played. As they both listened to the words,
they smiled at each other. It was as if the lyrics were written just for them.
Mitch pulled her closer, brushed her lips with his and whispered, “I love you,
Sweetheart.”

“I love you, too. It’s safe to
say this trip was your best idea ever. This place is magical. You’ve made this
weekend really special for me. I will never forget it.”

“I take absolute pleasure in
making you happy. It turned out better than I could ever dream. I love
traveling the world with you.”

“Me, too,” she said as she
tightened her arms around his neck. The song continued. When it ended, he
kissed her softly once more. They returned to their table and some of the other
patrons applauded. Evidently, they had attracted some attention. Chella blushed
at the unexpected attention. Mitch smiled politely and sent their admirers a careless
wave. Soon after, they paid the bill and started their descent. At their hotel,
they went for a walk in the gardens.

“I’m not looking forward to
leaving,” Chella said softly.

“I know how you feel, but we’ll
be back some day. I promise.”

“Next time for much longer. We
managed to squeeze in a lot of trip into two days, though.”

“And it’s not even over yet. Who
knows what might happen tomorrow?”

“What do you have up your sleeve,
Mr. Mariani?”

“How about a great breakfast and
a heli-ride back to the airport?”

“That sounds great. The aerial
views of the Côtes d’Azur must be magnificent.”

“So I’ve been told, but we’ll see
it for ourselves tomorrow. Let’s sit.”

He led the way to one of the
round loungers. It was quiet and mostly private with views of the lagoon and
sounds of the water fountains nearby. He sat on the lounge, circled her in his
arms, and kissed her lightly on her neck.

They chatted for hours under the
starry skies of the French Riviera. In that moment, Chella seemed to have
forgotten about the last week. That night she smiled on many occasions, and in
two instances, she even laughed aloud, all signs the old Chella was returning.
He caressed her body as he kissed her softly on her shoulders and the side of
her neck. She turned to face him. He pleasured her lips with his. She indulged
him, allowing him to explore her mouth deeply. He pulled away slightly,
brushing aside her hair that brushed her face and gazed into her eyes.

“Feel better?”

“I do. This weekend has been
wonderful. Thank you.”

When they returned
to their room, Chella went to
get a shower. Mitch pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and realized he had
several missed calls, two from Detective Carter and one from their lawyers.
Something was going on in San Diego, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know what
it was right then. For his sanity and for Chella’s he ignored them for now.
Chella was starting to come out of her shell again. Upsetting her with any bad
news was completely unacceptable. That being said, he knew he’d have to find out
what it was before they touched ground in San Diego.

Chella and Mitch
enjoyed breakfast at a lovely
outdoor restaurant for the last time on this trip. It was a beautiful day with
clear blue skies and mild wind. As they ate, they admired the rocky-faced mountains
that had become one of the signature views of their trip.

After one last short walk around
the hotel, they checked out and took the cool walk over to meet the helicopter
that awaited them at the hotel’s private helipad.

As they hovered over Monte Carlo
and Nice, Chella understood why the area was called the Côtes d’Azur. Many
things were amazing shades of blue. The seas were royal blue—very fitting for a
principality called the City of Princes. Then there were the blues skies. Even
the mountains in the distance seemed to have a slight tinge of blue. It was the
perfect way to end their trip and say goodbye to what Chella thought was the
loveliest weekend she had ever experienced.

On the layover
in London, when Chella took a
break and went to the bathroom, Mitch finally checked his messages from the
night before. The one from his lawyer was news about the magazine article, but
Detective Carter had called him twice, urgently requesting him to call.

Jade’s sentencing would be in a
few days, so he thought that perhaps this had something to do with her case. He
hesitated a bit, but finally called the detective.

“Detective? It’s Mitch. What’s so
urgent?”

“The fact that you’re asking me
that tells me you’re not in San Diego.”

“No, we’re not. We’re out of the
country. We’re on our way back home now, but we won’t be arriving until
tomorrow.”

“Jade is dead.”

“What?”

“It’s all over the news, and it’s
caused discussions about Ms. Noon’s case to hit the national media.”

“How was she killed?”

“It’s under investigation.
Possible suicide.”

“How did this get on the news?
I’m sure prisoners die every day.”

“Someone obviously leaked the
information. With the cross-section of people who would know this information,
it’s hard to say who.”

“Unbelievable. So what happens next?”

“An autopsy will be conducted
within the next couple of days. Hopefully, we’ll know more then.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“Just be aware—there are
reporters outside both your offices. They haven’t yet figured out where Ms.
Noon lives.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

Seconds after he ended the call,
Chella returned.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I was just thinking. Maybe we
should get off on our layover in L.A. I’d like to see Emily. I have to travel
sometime next week; I’d like to see her before I leave for an extended period
of time. Besides that, I don’t want to leave you alone right now.”