In his arms...

Katy's point of view

Ronny was acting strange, but maybe it was because he was getting too personal with me, especially when it came to his love life. I decided to ignore it and enjoy this once in a lifetime trip.

I enjoyed the pool wearing the stylish swimsuit that made my body look pretty good, although Ronny hadn't noticed since he came in. After swimming a little, I went out, lay down on one of the lounge chairs and decided to make a video call to Silvia. I tried to time the call so I could see the coliseum behind me.

—My God, is that the Colosseum in Rome? —Yes, she had noticed it.

-Is. Mr. LaMont has organized a week-long honeymoon for us in Europe. Now we are in Rome. —She blushes.

—So what is fake married life like?

-Esta bien. The same, actually. Is not very different. —She didn't need to know that she had kissed my boss, or for that matter, that he kissed me and then I kissed her back.

—You're hiding something. I realize.

-No, i do not do it. You're being too dramatic. You artsy types are like that,” I said, hoping I had been effective in hiding my deception. Have you received my photos of David that I sent you by message?

I sighed wistfully.

—Was it amazing in person?

-Yeah. And you're right, your hands seem disproportionate.

—And the food is wonderful too? Italy has to be the best place for everything... art, food, wine.

-If it is too good. —I felt guilty for being here when she would appreciate everything much more than I would. She had never envied the wealth of Ronny and his family. They have won it. But right now it didn't seem fair to me that Silvia could never come to Italy, and if I weren't here, Ronny wouldn't even realize she was in Italy. She had the world at her feet, but she didn't appreciate or savor what her money could bring her. It seemed like a waste.

—And your boss? Is he behaving well? —I snorted.

-Yeah.

—And you, are you behaving?

-Yeah. —In the end he and I are professionals. Hell, if it hadn't been for this fake wedding, I probably never would have noticed him in a sexual way. Once all was said and done, we would go back to the way we were before. The sun disappeared over the horizon.

—Hey Silvia, I have to go. Is everything going well there?

-Yeah. Everything is going well.

—I'll be home in a week. I'll let you know when I have the details.

—Have fun, Ka. —There was a gleam in her eye that suggested she thought I should sleep with my boss. But it was better that he didn't do it. In fact, I probably shouldn't have imagined it when he touched me either.

That night, a driver took us to a small restaurant hidden in a narrow Roman street. The dining room was small and full of people. There must have been people from the area, because there was also a lot of noise, with animated conversations. We were given a table in the back which allowed some privacy.

—I'm Umberto Belluci, the owner of this ristorante. Mr. LaMont has asked me to take good care of him. I have suggested the menu to you. Do I prepare it or do I prefer to choose it yourselves?

"We'll stick with what Signor LaMont suggested," Ronny said. I nodded.

-Very good. We'll start with the appetizer.

To start, he brought us sparkling wine and cheese. When we finished it, he brought wine and antipasti.

“I love prosciutto,” I said, taking a piece.

"It's very good with melone," Mr. Belluci said.

-Actually? —I had never eaten meat with my melon. He nodded, urging me to try it. He was right: sweet and salty, dry and juicy, they went well together.

He called the next dish primi, and I assumed it was our main meal, since it was pasta with a delicious red sauce.

—How do Italians manage to stay so thin with so many carbohydrates? Bread, pasta…” I asked, using my bread to soak up the red sauce, as I had seen other customers do.

I don't know. Maybe it's because of all the wine they drink. —Ronny poured more of said wine into each of our glasses.

—Or to walk. They seem to walk a lot more than we do.

Mr. Belluci returned with a waiter who took our plates.

—Are you ready for the second one?

-Second? -I was speechless-. How many plates are there?

—We have Vitello ai Funghi, which is beef with mushroom sauce.

"Dream delicious," said Ronny. He smiled amused, probably because of my reaction.

—We also have roasted vegetables with balsamic glaze as a contorni.

—Contorni?

"I think they call it a garnish," Belluci said.

And it really was a side dish, since it came on a different plate than the meat in mushroom sauce.

“I feel so luxurious,” I said, moaning with pleasure as I tasted the food. In San Diego we ate well, but not this. At least, nothing I had tried.

—Italians are passionate about all the main parts of life; food, drink, sex. —The comment made me look at it. She surprised me that he mentioned sex. “It's a sensual country,” she finished, pouring me more wine.

I watched him for a few seconds over the candlelit table. Maybe it was the delicious, and yes, sensual food, or maybe it was the wine. Whatever it was, I was captivated by how handsome, sweet and sexy he was. It was difficult not to get carried away by the environment and our fake marriage.

—Is Italian your favorite food? -asked.

—It's difficult to have a favorite. In Italy it is fantastic, but I don't know if I have eaten such good Italian in my country.

-Mexican food. We have very good Mexican food.

Serious.

-Yes we have it. “We're lucky to be so close to the border for that reason.” He reached out and wiped the corner of my mouth with his thumb. The moment her warm thumb touched me, we both froze.

-I'm sorry. He left-. You have some sauce...

I used my tongue to lick the corner of his mouth. Her eyes shone with a heat that made me swallow hard. It seemed like he wanted me for the next dish. Hell, I wanted it for the next dish.

"The insalata is next," said Mr. Belluci when the waiter took our plates.

—How many plates are there? —I asked again. He was filling me.

—Insalata. Then we have formaggi e frutta, and then dolce, coffee, and finally digestive. -My God-. Mr. LaMont wants them to have the full Italian food experience. They're on their honeymoon, right?

"Yeah," Ronny said, his jaw a little tense. It bothered me that the idea of us being on a honeymoon seemed to bother him. The food is delicious. Thank you very much for doing this for us.

"It is a pleasure to serve you, Signor Hush."

I did my best to eat the insalata and the formaggi e frutta. But dessert, well, all bets were off with that.

"I've had ice cream at home, but I bet it's better here," I said when Mr. Belluci said he would bring both ice cream and tiramisu.

"Sure thing," Ronny said, as he took a sip of his wine. He had lost count of the amount of wine we had drunk. It seemed like each dish had its own wine selection.

—Do you suppose it's better because we're here or is it really better? -I asked for.

His eyebrows knitted together as if he wasn't sure what he was asking.

"I imagine it's both." The source is almost always the best, and of course, the atmosphere plays in favor of enjoyment.

"I'm surprised you understand that," I said before I could think about my words.

—Do you still think I'm an automaton? -Damn. I had to stop drinking the wine.

-No. But you are so focused on work that sometimes I am surprised to see that you also stop to smell the roses.

He looked down, his fingers playing with the stem of his wine glass.

—We are in Rome...

At least he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

When we finished and returned to the apartment, I went straight to my room and put on my swimsuit. This time, I didn't bother putting on a robe because I didn't think it mattered. Ronny would go straight to the kitchen, she wouldn't accompany me, she was sure, so he didn't have to worry about her bothering him.

-I'm going to swim.

She stopped loosening her tie when she saw me. His gaze traveled over my body and I tried not to flinch. My nipples, however, responded, aching as they distended. For some reason, it was worse knowing it affected him but she could ignore it. I crossed my arms over my chest and hurried to the terrace.

The night was warm. I couldn't believe my good luck. I was about to swim under the stars in Italy. God, I wish Silvia could be here.

I dove in, loving the cool water on my heated skin. I climbed in and headed to the far edge of the pool overlooking the city.

—Can I accompany you?

I turned my head and saw Ronny. She was bare chested and the only thing I could think about was wanting to run my tongue over each of her sculptural pectorals. He was wearing a bathing suit and I wondered why he hadn't joined me before.

-Clear. I turned to take in the view, not wanting to risk jumping on him.

I heard the splash and, seconds later, his head popped up next to me. He shook his head, splashing me with water.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said with a smile that suggested she wasn't sorry. I dipped him back.

-Oh I'm sorry.

His eyes flashed with mischief as he splashed me again. I defended myself by trying to sink it under the water. He responded by grabbing me by the waist. Before he knew it, our lips were entangled in a passionate kiss that made my skin heat up and my muscles merge with him.

His hand slid over my ass and pulled me towards him. His crotch was long and hard against my belly.

.