Page 26 of Dark Masquerade
“Darling, shall we go? You look a little ill.”
Go away, Aldo, go away …Elli pushed past him and sought out her lost love, but he had gone. The look he had given her had been one of hatred.Indio hates me? Why? How?She pushed through the guests, getting more and more upset as she sought out her lost love, the man who had broken her heart—her Indio. She wanted to scream his name out to make him stop and come to her, but she couldn’t find him anywhere.
She was on the steps of the art gallery when Aldo caught up with her, his face creased with concern. “What is it, darling? What happened?”
Elli couldn’t speak for a moment. How cruel to give her that one look, that one glance of him …was it a cruel joke? Just as she was getting used to letting a new man into her heart?
God.Aldo’s hand was on her back now, and she forced herself to turn to him, knowing her pain was written all over her face. “I just …saw an old friend. A friend of my brother’s …I haven’t seen in him eight years.”
And I still love him. God help me, but it only took that one look to prove that Indio Navaro has my heart captive.Elli started to cry, and Aldo, seeming to sense her despair, merely wrapped his arms around her and held her as she sobbed. Usually his arms warmed her, but tonight she found no comfort or heat against his big body. Even when partygoers looked at her in concern, Elli couldn’t find a way to pull herself together, until Aldo finally led her to a car and guided her inside.
He patiently sat with her in his lap, not asking any questions, but simply accepting her sudden torrent of grief. And even that infuriated Elli unfairly. Why didn’t he ask more questions? Why didn’t he offer to fix the situation? Of course, she hated it when he tried to fix things and he couldn’t fix this ever, anyway, but her rational mind seemed to have fled along with Indio …
After a long, long time, Elli drew herself back from Aldo’s sodden shirt, and although she knew she owed him an explanation, she asked him to take her back to her apartment. “I just need some time,” she said. “Seeing him was like my brother being back in the room for a moment.” It was only half a lie.
Aldo kissed her damp cheeks. “Of course, my love, take all the time you need. I am always with you.”
Half of her didn’t want to let him go, knowing if she were alone, she would brood. He escorted into the apartment, then insisted on getting her some aspirin before making sure she was okay.
Elli swallowed them with some water and curled up on her bed. Aldo bent down and kissed her forehead. “Call me when you’re ready, my darling. I’ll have a bodyguard outside your door.”
And he was gone. Elli dragged a couple of deep but shaky breaths into her lungs, but the sobs came easily until she cried herself out and fell into a deep sleep.
A gentle knocking at her door. Elli opened her eyes. From the blue light in the room, she guessed it was just before dawn. She dragged herself out of bed, shuffling her way to the front door. Why did she feel as if she were walking in mud? She leaned against the door as she looked through the peep hole—and everything in her world changed.
Her heart thumping, she pulled open the door. Indio Navaro looked at her with hooded, troubled eyes. Elli didn’t know how to form words to speak to him. He looked haunted, desolate—and so beautiful she could cry, his green eyes intense on hers, his dark lashes thick and full.
Indio stepped forward and took her face in his hands, pressing his lips to hers, and it was like a shot of pure heroin in her veins. She kissed him back, pulling him into the room, and pulling at his clothes as he tore her dress from her shoulders.
Both naked, Indio swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, his eyes never leaving her face. When he covered her body with his, Elli wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him close, not believing that finally, finally, she held him in her arms. Indio kissed her passionately, and then she felt him slide his long, thick cock into her ready cunt. Elli was in heaven, her heart exploding with love and desire and a never-ending need. They made love slowly at first, then as it got more and more intense, Indio picked up his pace, long measured strokes driving her on and on toward ecstasy. Elli couldn’t take his eyes off his beautiful face. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and had always, would always love him, but it somehow didn’t need to be said. It was there in the meeting of their bodies, in the shivering, trembling climax that they both shared as they gasped for air, panting and moaning with desire. This was love. Elli knew it in her soul. She tangled her fingers in his dark curls as he gazed down at her. You are mine, I am yours …forever …
Elli woke, shivering and sobbing, still wearing the lilac dress she had worn to the exhibit. For a long moment, she panicked, stumbling out of bed to try to find him. But Indio was nowhere. It had been a dream; he had never been there. Elli sank to the floor, her head in her hands, and sobbed until she had no tears left.
Somehow, a week passed. A whole week since the masked orgy, Maceo’s party, and, of course, seeing Indio again. The fact that both the orgy and Indio had happened on the same evening made things even more surreal. She’d spent the afternoon fucking various men with abandon, only to spend her evening mourning the one man she’d never fucked or even made love with. All that lust, desire, and love, then the shock of seeing the hatred on Indio’s face … Elli felt broken by the entwined memories.
Aldo was patient, as always, but she knew he was getting frustrated by her pre-occupation and by the obvious half-truths she was telling him. When questioned, she would insist that it had brought back memories of her brother and that she missed him terribly, but she realized Aldo knew that it wasn’t just her grief. Still, he didn’t press her. Nor did he push her for sex, which they hadn’t had since that night. Elli couldn’t. Something in her had closed off at the sight of Indio, even as wild questions had opened up.
Why was he at the party in the first place? Why had Indio looked at her like that? If he didn’t want to speak to her, he could have just smiled and nodded, then walked away. She would know, then, that he was happy and safe—that he still cared, but he still had to go away from her.That would have been fine,Elli thought. But the anger in his eyes …what had she done to deserve it?Why does he hate me?
And then there were the phone calls. Her stalker was back, and his threats were ever more violent and descriptive. Aldo reported it to the police and even had his own people try to trace the calls to no avail. It was remarkable how much her tormentor could say in under a minute, the threats keeping her sleepless and scared.
Elli finally decided that she needed to be proactive. She went to Maceo Bartoli’s gallery and asked to see him. People obviously couldn’t just stroll straight in and ask to speak to such an important man, but as soon as the receptionist gave Maceo Elli’s name, he hurried downstairs.
Maceo was surprised but delighted to see her. He gave her a hug and kissed her cheeks. “Elli, please, come in. I’ll make some coffee.”
She went into his plush office, the one he shared with Ori, and there was artwork everywhere, both desks piled high with papers. Maceo brewed some coffee, and they sat on one of the velvet couches next to the huge glass window, overlooking the Lagoon. The beautiful afternoon light reflecting off the water almost brought Elli a sense of peace, as it once had. Almost, but not quite.
They chatted informally for a few minutes before Maceo got to the point, obviously busy. “So, what can I do for you, Elli? I’m sorry Ori isn’t here, but she’s gone to Milan with Lucia to see an artist, despite the fact she’ll give birth any moment, the crazy woman. She never stops. She’ll be sorry she missed you.”
“And I, her, Maceo, but it’s you I’ve come to see.” Elli took a deep breath. “I need to ask you about one of your guests, and I hope it’s not overstepping, but this guest and I go way back.”
Maceo’s smile faded and he sighed. “Indio.”
Elli was shocked. “You …you know about Indio and me?”
Maceo nodded. “I have been friends with Indio for the last few years. He doesn’t often come back to Venice; once, when we were drinking, I asked him why. He told me that the woman he loved was in Venice and that if he saw her, he would break her heart again. I saw you two staring at each other at the party and guessed who that woman was.”
Elli’s heart was beating out of her chest and she almost stood up from the couch, so wired were her nerves suddenly. “He loves me?”
