Page 23 of Wicked

As I travel around the building, I’m reminded of how messed up the castle sale is. I decide to walk around the castle’s outerwall again, and really take her in. After circumnavigating the glorious old building and family stronghold, I sigh in the sun.

There is no way we can sell it. No fucking way. I just need time to form a strategy.

I look around the coast and down the cliffside into the cove, glancing down towards the villa.

It’s a spectacular view and likely why in the day they built the castle here. I find myself staring back at the villa and wondering if Raven is writing or if she is laying down. And if so, what she is doing.

I shake my head and lecture myself on getting my act together.

“You’re just like a kid,” I say, “Get it together!”

After carryingdozens of swords from several rooms in a wing, I place them carefully along a wall. I then place a dozen shields from around the castle in the same area. Boxes of rare antiques sit in lower rooms and there are lines of canvas oil paintings.

The castle is not damp, and the weather is dry. Nothing at all is in danger of aging.

The castle has modern and electronic alarms outside, and the details are in the back of the small notebook my mother gave me.

After doing another sweep of the wing, I find the last Renaissance era carpets and I roll them and bring them below.

As my phone chimes, I check my watch. It’s time to Zoom Nico to discuss his streaming channel.

After sipping sparkling water, and watching his new presentation, I nod. I’ve just seen what is likely one of the best montages ever cut in the world.

“Bravo, Nico. Spectacular.”

“Grazie,” my friend says before updating me on our plans.

We talk about the timeframe, schedule, and budget, and I agree to all proposals. The channel is his baby, and it will go out in a dozen nations and languages.

I am simply a silent investor, buying hours of airtime to show off my brands.

I lose focus twice during the Zoom, and Nico calls me out on it. Embarrassed, I reassure him I’m good. I do not tell him a virgin is doing bad things to me.

Part of me wants to race down to the villa and tell Raven I must have her. Part of me wants to tell her I need to be inside her, and now.

Another part of me wants to tell her I’ll teach her all I know. That I’ll have her coming like a waterfall.

After Nico and I end the Zoom, I walk away distracted. I eventually get back to work and growl at the universe. I do not deserve this, especially when I’m here and trying to do good.

There is no way the universe should be trying to derail me or play with me with a hot, tight, wet, and pure young thing. No way! Nothing good will come of this.

Nothing at all!

11

RAVEN

After eating the cooked Italian breakfast with amazing Italian coffee, I return to the suite and consider my options. I need to plan, and I want to complete the draft of the Italian travel article ASAP.

Crafting it to make Italy seem plain or dull, as per the brief, feels weird and wrong. Delivering it, even if I don’t agree with the concept, is oddly my job.

I’ve come to not like Italy and its traditions, architecture, landscapes, and culture. I have come toadoreit.

The people are also spectacular, all except for one grumpy, arrogant bastard and his shocking manner.

I decide to write a positive article on Italy, as a second version in a day or two, and I hope they use it instead of the damning version.

As I settle in the villa’s dining room with my daypack, notepad, and laptop, I focus on my last polish of the negative article. I gloss over it again and again, and I’m finally satisfied. It is short, sharp, and to the point. Feeling calm and knowing the article is tight, I hit send, and it is shot off to my boss, the Overlord.

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