Disclaimer: I don't own Max Logan or Eyes Only, the rest are mine!!
3) Rome
Logan and Max quickly departed the plane and went to collect their luggage.
"We will catch a cab to our hotel and then we should get ready. We have a party to attend tonight"
"A party? Logan, you said warm clothes, you did say bring a ball gown"
"Don't worry; I have some friends here who are very willing to lend some something"
"If you have friends here, why aren't we staying with them instead of some hotel?"
"Because we want to keep up appearances. These are Eyes Only friends, the ones who helped me track down Trimboli in the first place. Not exactly the sort of people that a rich couple from New York who are in town to visit old friends and do some business would be staying with"
They quickly collected their luggage before heading outside to catch a cab. Max stared out the window the whole time. The city was better than she had remembered. While the States was in a depression, Rome looked as if it was reaching a boom period. The Rome she had seen in photos at Manticore was a busy city with falling ruins. This Rome was buzzing and vibrant. The past decade had resulted in major projects to preserve and restore Rome's ancient architecture, and the results were obvious. The old buildings seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and the people in the streets seemed happy and content. Scooters zoomed about the streets, carrying young, laughing people.
They pulled up along side a large building and Logan asked Max to remain in the car as he climbed out. Max waited patiently as Logan paid the driver and walked around the cab and opened her door, extending his hand to help her out. Max suppressed a giggle as she took Logan's hand and stepped out of the cab.
"Why Matthew, you are such a gentleman" she said teasingly.
Logan smiled. "You are most welcome, my dear Emma". Still holding hands, Max and Logan walked into the lobby. They approached the reception desk, where a sour looking man with a long nose and thin lips sat, looking through the glasses which were perched on the very end tip of his nose as he wrote in a large book. Logan cleared he throat and the man slowly raised his head, as if he had been disturbed from something very important.
"Buongiorno Signore" he said, still looking down his nose.
"Good morning. We have a booking under Gordiani" Logan said.
"You are from America?" the man replied, his voice lifting slightly.
"Yes. We have a booking under the name of Gordiani" Logan replied impatiently. The last thing he needed was the man asking too many questions.
The man reached across the deck to the computer and quickly began typing with his long, bony fingers. He flicked a piece of his lank brown hair out of his face before facing the couple.
"Room 603. Hold on one moment"
The man summoned one of the bellboys and began to talk rapidly to him in Italian.
The man turned back to them. "This is Dario; he shall show you to your room. My name is Marco. Should you need any service, do not hesitate to ask, Mr. Gordiani"
"Thank you" Logan replied curtly and tugged Max's hand as he began to follow Dario. Max gazed around the spacious room. As a force of habit, she had begun to memorize the building since the moment they had arrived, from the buildings around the hotel to the number of windows in the lobby.
They entered the elevator and rode up to their room.
******
Max plumped herself down on the soft queen-sized bed while Logan tipped Dario. The room was beautiful, with a spacious living area, luxurious bathroom complete with spa and a bedroom with a walk in robe and breathtaking views of the city. She sighed. Max couldn't believe that Logan could afford all this. If Eyes Only wasn't involved, this would be the romantic weekend that Original Cindy had pictured for sure. Max walked over to the window and looked down upon a different city for a change.
Logan strolled into the bedroom and smiled at the picture that was presented to him. You would never guess that this beautiful woman dressed in expensive-looking clothing was in fact created to kill.
"Hey"
Max turned from the window. "Hey. It's so beautiful!"
"I know. I came here when I was 15 and it took my breath away then. Its amazing to see it now, all fixed up. You want to shower first or should I?"
"No offence, but I think you need one more than I do"
"Hey, I won't argue with you there! You should order some room service"
Logan laughed as Max's eyes lit up at the sound of food.
"Do you want anything?" Max called from the living area.
"See if they have croissants or something"
Max typed in the room service number and waited for someone to pick up. The thought of surprising Logan in the shower was quickly interrupted by a gruff-sounding man asking her what she wanted to order.
******
Logan emerged from the shower changed, clean and refreshed to find Max sitting perched on the bed, a croissant in one hand and some papers in the other. Logan groaned with anticipation at the sight of the food and jumped onto the bed, making Max laugh.
"Hungry are we?"
"You have no idea"
They ate in silence. Logan picked up some of the papers lying around Max and began to read as well. It was peaceful until Logan decided to discuss the approaching night's events.
"Max, can you hand me the phone? I need to call some people"
"Who?"
"Those contacts I was telling you about. They are coming around with some last minute information and I'll see if they can bring some clothes for you"
"What sort of clothes?'
"Very formal wear. We are stepping out tonight with every high class person in this city and we need to dress to impress"
Max shrugged her shoulders and listened into Logan's conversation, thanks to her handy Manticore hearing.
" 'Ello?"
"Buongiorno Josef. It's your old friend Matthew Gordiani here"
Josef laughed. "Ah yes, Matthew. I knew your plane arrived this morning. How are you?"
"I am good. I was just calling to ask if you wanted to come over for a quick bite to eat and we can then discuss business"
"Not a problem, my old friend. Are you traveling alone?"
Logan shot a quick glance at Max who appeared absorbed in what she was reading. "No. I'm not"
"Ah, let me guess. You have brought one of your beautiful lady friends and she is sitting in the room with you"
"You must read minds Josef"
"As always. It's one of my many charms"
"The problem is my wife" (More laughter from Josef) "has nothing to wear tonight"
"Ah! Don't worry; I will bring a couple of things around. Is she dark or fair?"
Logan looked over at Max. "Dark" he said quietly.
"Well I'm sure I can find something. I will see you soon?"
"Okay Josef. Bye"
"See you soon"
Logan reached over and hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" Max asked innocently.
"Josef, a friend of mine. He studied at Yale with me before returning to the call of Europe. Josef is a very cultured and charming man. You will like him a lot" Logan said with a smile. Josef was irresistible to women. He talked to them liked he understood their problems, but never acted as he presumed to know all about them. Many of the Logan's friends at Yale didn't like Josef in the beginning, but he seemed to have this habit of growing on people. He and Logan shared many beliefs on freedom and Josef had confided in Logan that he wished that he could be the Eyes Only of Europe, saving the down trodden, rescuing young maidens in distress. Josef's flamboyant imagination and personality could be distracting, but underneath was a heart that was pure and loyal.
Max looked at Logan curiously. Logan had very few close friends and there were very few people who he held in high regard. To have survived such a long distance friendship, this Josef must be quite a person. "I'm off to have that shower now. When is your friend getting here?"
Logan shrugged. "He just said he would be here soon"
******^^^^^^******^^^^^^
3) Rome
Logan and Max quickly departed the plane and went to collect their luggage.
"We will catch a cab to our hotel and then we should get ready. We have a party to attend tonight"
"A party? Logan, you said warm clothes, you did say bring a ball gown"
"Don't worry; I have some friends here who are very willing to lend some something"
"If you have friends here, why aren't we staying with them instead of some hotel?"
"Because we want to keep up appearances. These are Eyes Only friends, the ones who helped me track down Trimboli in the first place. Not exactly the sort of people that a rich couple from New York who are in town to visit old friends and do some business would be staying with"
They quickly collected their luggage before heading outside to catch a cab. Max stared out the window the whole time. The city was better than she had remembered. While the States was in a depression, Rome looked as if it was reaching a boom period. The Rome she had seen in photos at Manticore was a busy city with falling ruins. This Rome was buzzing and vibrant. The past decade had resulted in major projects to preserve and restore Rome's ancient architecture, and the results were obvious. The old buildings seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and the people in the streets seemed happy and content. Scooters zoomed about the streets, carrying young, laughing people.
They pulled up along side a large building and Logan asked Max to remain in the car as he climbed out. Max waited patiently as Logan paid the driver and walked around the cab and opened her door, extending his hand to help her out. Max suppressed a giggle as she took Logan's hand and stepped out of the cab.
"Why Matthew, you are such a gentleman" she said teasingly.
Logan smiled. "You are most welcome, my dear Emma". Still holding hands, Max and Logan walked into the lobby. They approached the reception desk, where a sour looking man with a long nose and thin lips sat, looking through the glasses which were perched on the very end tip of his nose as he wrote in a large book. Logan cleared he throat and the man slowly raised his head, as if he had been disturbed from something very important.
"Buongiorno Signore" he said, still looking down his nose.
"Good morning. We have a booking under Gordiani" Logan said.
"You are from America?" the man replied, his voice lifting slightly.
"Yes. We have a booking under the name of Gordiani" Logan replied impatiently. The last thing he needed was the man asking too many questions.
The man reached across the deck to the computer and quickly began typing with his long, bony fingers. He flicked a piece of his lank brown hair out of his face before facing the couple.
"Room 603. Hold on one moment"
The man summoned one of the bellboys and began to talk rapidly to him in Italian.
The man turned back to them. "This is Dario; he shall show you to your room. My name is Marco. Should you need any service, do not hesitate to ask, Mr. Gordiani"
"Thank you" Logan replied curtly and tugged Max's hand as he began to follow Dario. Max gazed around the spacious room. As a force of habit, she had begun to memorize the building since the moment they had arrived, from the buildings around the hotel to the number of windows in the lobby.
They entered the elevator and rode up to their room.
******
Max plumped herself down on the soft queen-sized bed while Logan tipped Dario. The room was beautiful, with a spacious living area, luxurious bathroom complete with spa and a bedroom with a walk in robe and breathtaking views of the city. She sighed. Max couldn't believe that Logan could afford all this. If Eyes Only wasn't involved, this would be the romantic weekend that Original Cindy had pictured for sure. Max walked over to the window and looked down upon a different city for a change.
Logan strolled into the bedroom and smiled at the picture that was presented to him. You would never guess that this beautiful woman dressed in expensive-looking clothing was in fact created to kill.
"Hey"
Max turned from the window. "Hey. It's so beautiful!"
"I know. I came here when I was 15 and it took my breath away then. Its amazing to see it now, all fixed up. You want to shower first or should I?"
"No offence, but I think you need one more than I do"
"Hey, I won't argue with you there! You should order some room service"
Logan laughed as Max's eyes lit up at the sound of food.
"Do you want anything?" Max called from the living area.
"See if they have croissants or something"
Max typed in the room service number and waited for someone to pick up. The thought of surprising Logan in the shower was quickly interrupted by a gruff-sounding man asking her what she wanted to order.
******
Logan emerged from the shower changed, clean and refreshed to find Max sitting perched on the bed, a croissant in one hand and some papers in the other. Logan groaned with anticipation at the sight of the food and jumped onto the bed, making Max laugh.
"Hungry are we?"
"You have no idea"
They ate in silence. Logan picked up some of the papers lying around Max and began to read as well. It was peaceful until Logan decided to discuss the approaching night's events.
"Max, can you hand me the phone? I need to call some people"
"Who?"
"Those contacts I was telling you about. They are coming around with some last minute information and I'll see if they can bring some clothes for you"
"What sort of clothes?'
"Very formal wear. We are stepping out tonight with every high class person in this city and we need to dress to impress"
Max shrugged her shoulders and listened into Logan's conversation, thanks to her handy Manticore hearing.
" 'Ello?"
"Buongiorno Josef. It's your old friend Matthew Gordiani here"
Josef laughed. "Ah yes, Matthew. I knew your plane arrived this morning. How are you?"
"I am good. I was just calling to ask if you wanted to come over for a quick bite to eat and we can then discuss business"
"Not a problem, my old friend. Are you traveling alone?"
Logan shot a quick glance at Max who appeared absorbed in what she was reading. "No. I'm not"
"Ah, let me guess. You have brought one of your beautiful lady friends and she is sitting in the room with you"
"You must read minds Josef"
"As always. It's one of my many charms"
"The problem is my wife" (More laughter from Josef) "has nothing to wear tonight"
"Ah! Don't worry; I will bring a couple of things around. Is she dark or fair?"
Logan looked over at Max. "Dark" he said quietly.
"Well I'm sure I can find something. I will see you soon?"
"Okay Josef. Bye"
"See you soon"
Logan reached over and hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" Max asked innocently.
"Josef, a friend of mine. He studied at Yale with me before returning to the call of Europe. Josef is a very cultured and charming man. You will like him a lot" Logan said with a smile. Josef was irresistible to women. He talked to them liked he understood their problems, but never acted as he presumed to know all about them. Many of the Logan's friends at Yale didn't like Josef in the beginning, but he seemed to have this habit of growing on people. He and Logan shared many beliefs on freedom and Josef had confided in Logan that he wished that he could be the Eyes Only of Europe, saving the down trodden, rescuing young maidens in distress. Josef's flamboyant imagination and personality could be distracting, but underneath was a heart that was pure and loyal.
Max looked at Logan curiously. Logan had very few close friends and there were very few people who he held in high regard. To have survived such a long distance friendship, this Josef must be quite a person. "I'm off to have that shower now. When is your friend getting here?"
Logan shrugged. "He just said he would be here soon"
******^^^^^^******^^^^^^