Amorino Valley

Katy Point of View

I would totally change my dream wedding on the beach for one here at Villa Amorino. The house, the gardens, the Tuscan landscape, everything was impressive. I had seen photos of Italy in books and on the Internet, but the photos did not do justice to the reality.

There had been some awkward moments with Ronny on the plane, but once we agreed to think of our relationship as a friendship, he seemed to relax, which made me relax, too. That allowed me to focus my attention on this trip that would be once in a lifetime, and I made a promise to make the most of it. I would take photos, even though I knew they wouldn't be as good as the real thing. I wanted to share it with Silvia as much as possible. I took out my phone and took a photo of the house to text him.

Paolo parked the car and got out, opening the door for me. On the way down I breathed in the clean air of Tuscany and sighed; It smelled like Italy should smell.

Ronny came out next to me and put his hand on my back. Oh yes, we may be friends, but we had to pretend we were lovers. I leaned a little closer to him.

The door opened and Christian LaMont walked down the stairs with a broad smile and a stunning woman, like a model, next to him.

"Welcome... or as they say in Italy, Benvenuto. " He took my hand with both of his and kissed each cheek. He did the same with Ronny. This is my wife, Martina. He"did the same when greeting me and Ronny.

"Welcome. Please come in. “They must be exhausted from the trip,” she said, her French accent matching that of her husband.

"It was a little long. " I wasn't sure how I was feeling. She had slept a little on the plane, but it was strange that it was noon when it seemed like it should be midnight.

"Let me show you the wedding setup…”

"You might want to clean up first, my love," Christian said to his wife.

"I'm sure they want to see the place where they will unite as husband and wife," he added, looking at me.

"Yes, of course," I answered, trying to have the enthusiasm of a blushing bride.

"Here. "He guided us into the house. It took all my effort not to stare at the house; the beautiful works of art that Silvia would have fainted over; the lovely furniture that took me back in time. We reached the back of the house, where there was a large terrace overlooking the lush Tuscan landscape. Several rows of chairs were already set up.

"We weren't sure how many guests would come, but we have more chairs if we need them," Martina said.

Oh, wow. Guests?

"It's just Katy and me," Ronny said. "Christian frowned.

"Isn't your family coming?

Ronny swallowed as if he recognized that this could be a problem.

"Oh ok.

"Ronny's grandmother has some medical problems and her doctor suggested that she not fly. " Ronny rubbed my back, and I took it as a thank you.

"And my brothers have several important business matters.

"I can't imagine a wedding without family. "Christian looked at his wife completely speechless.

"We've decided to run away," I blurted out, hoping to save the situation. I put my arm through Ronny's. It seemed very romantic to me to run away to Italy to get married in a place as beautiful as Villa Amorino.

Martina smiled wistfully. Christian's frown softened, but he was still there.

"It was short notice, Christian," Ronny said. We accepted your offer because we knew Katy was getting tired of waiting and I wanted to make her happy. But it was too fast for our family, so we decided to come just us.

"Yes, just us. " I nodded. I wondered if I should worry about how easy she was becoming to lie.

Christian laughed, and the worry in my gut dissipated.

"I understand. I didn't want to wait to marry Martina either. Of course, she had many rivals of hers competing for her. I had to get it off the market quickly”.

Martina blushed.

"You're overreacting. There were only two rivals”.

I laughed.

"Let me show you your room so you can clean up and rest," Martina said.

My gut tightened again when I realized that he had said room, in the singular. I looked at Ronny, whose face was impassive, but I suspected she had noticed it too.

"This is the María Elena suite. It belonged to Marie Elana Giordano. She and her husband had a long and happy marriage in this house. It will bring you a lot of happiness in your marriage. "I looked at Ronny, who also looked at me. I wondered if he felt a little uncomfortable fooling these nice people like me. Everything you need should be here, but if not, just ask. You have a maid, Gianna, who will come shortly to check on you.

“This is lovely, Martina,” I said, wanting to be grateful, but trying not to be effusive. After all, being with a rich man like Ronny she needed to act as if she were used to all this beauty and opulence.

"I leave you to rest.”

While she was leaving, I looked at the room. Like the rest of the house, it looked like something out of a design magazine. We were in the living room of the suite, which had a large window overlooking the gardens. I approached the bedroom, looked inside and saw a large bed.

"I'll sleep on the couch," Ronny said, as if he knew what was going through my head. Then again, maybe he was worried about that too. He couldn't decide if he was worried that I would sue him for sexual advances or some kind of inappropriate behavior, or if he was afraid that I would try to seduce him into falling in love with me so he could be a part of this lifestyle. Either way, he couldn't take his behavior personally. And he wasn't wrong. It's not that she was a gold digger, but since he started this whole plan she had begun to see it with different eyes. I had had interactions with him beyond work. And I was discovering that there was something more to it, and I was liking what I was learning. In a romantic setting like this, it might be easy to blur the lines and allow myself to live in the romantic fantasy. I couldn't afford that.

"Do you mind if I take a shower? " I wanted to wash the day away and clear my head. I would need to be careful if I had to pretend to love my fiancé and, at the same time, avoid being seduced by that same man and his surroundings.

"No Please. He took off his coat and left it on the back of a chair.

I was about to ask for our bags when I realized they were already in the room.

"I won't be long. "I went to open my bag. I wondered if they realized it was cheap. I hadn't thought about buying a fancier one when Ronny sent me shopping. Then again, Christian knew I was Ronny's assistant, so I wasn't really from that socioeconomic background.

pouring himself a drink. I watched him for a moment.

"Are you thinking better of it?” He turned to me.

"No. Because?”

"It's just that you seem insecure now. " He shook his head.

"I'm just trying to keep my head in the game." Are the papers in your bag?

Yes. We were here on business. Things like this were why I needed to keep my head in the game and not get lost in the beauty, the glamor and the romance.

"I'll bring them to you.

"No. It can wait. Go shower. " She took his drink and poured herself another. I had never seen him drink before, and I wondered if it was normal for him or he was just more stressed and wanted liquid courage.

Instead of asking, I took out my cosmetic bag from the suitcase. The bathroom was not connected to the bedroom, but was through a door near the living area. I walked into the bathroom and was once again blown away by the beautiful tiles and decor. I undressed, stood under the stream of water and took advantage of the time alone to psych myself up.

When I finished, I felt refreshed and ready to explore this exquisite place. I stepped out of the shower, grabbed the plush towel, and sighed as the softness of it brushed against my skin. I wondered how much towels like this cost and if I could afford to buy one. Or two, so Silvia could enjoy the luxurious sensations.

I brushed my hair back and ran my fingers through the thick waves. Since she wasn't working, or at least wasn't supposed to, I decided to pamper myself a little. I cleansed my face with a toner and then put on moisturizer. I would do my makeup later, when I was dressed.

I stopped dead. Dressed. I looked around the bathroom. I saw the clothes I had discarded, but I had forgotten to bring clean clothes. I searched the room, but there was no robe. Weren't there bathrobes in places like this? Oh wait, this wasn't a hotel.

I didn't want to put on dirty clothes, so I wrapped the towel tighter around my body again and opened the door to peek into the living area. Ronny was sitting on the couch looking at his computer. Knowing him, nothing would get you out of his email or other work" related task.

Taking a deep breath, I ran out the door and hurried to the bedroom, closing the door quickly. I let out a breath, thanking God that I had arrived without him seeing me almost naked.