Disclaimer: Don't own anything
6) The Party
Logan offered his arm to Max and she gracefully wove her arm into has as they joined many others in walked in the front doors. The front hall was large, with a high white ceiling and startling white tiles on the floor. Every sound which was made echoed gently around the room and people turned to whispers in order to avoid being over heard. Max and Logan followed the other people towards large doors which lead to a ballroom.
"This party is being held by Isabella Marcucci, Tromboli's aunt. I know for a fact that he has been invited tonight, but it is just a question of whether or not he decides to show tonight" Logan whispered in Max's ear.
Max nodded softly as she and Logan reached the door. A large man with a thick moustache held his hand out for their tickets. Logan reached into his suit and pulled out an invitation for Signore and Signora Matthew Gordiani. The man nodded and wished with a happy night as Logan and Max stepped into the ballroom. A large orchestra was playing in one corner, surrounded by an unused dance floor. Surrounding the dance floor were many circular tables, some of which were occupied.
"We have been given seating arrangements on our tickets. Come on" Logan said gently.
"Yes Matthew"
Logan and Max weaved their way through the tables to one which was right in the middle of the room on the edge of the dance floor, where 3 other couples were already seated. One of who was familiar.
"Why, look who it is! Matthew and Emma! How are you?" Steven Contelli asked happily.
Max couldn't believe her eyes. Of all the parties in all of Rome, he had to be at the same one as them. She felt Logan's grip on her arm tighten slightly and Max had to smile.
""Mr. Contelli. How are you?" Logan extended his hand to shake Steven Contelli's awaiting one.
"Very well thank you. This is my wife Elizabeth" Steven responded.
Max couldn't believe that the man who had been so over friendly towards her on the plane was actually married to such a beautiful woman. Elizabeth Contelli had long blonde hair, which curled and hung over her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled, her skin glowed and her black dress looked very expensive. "Darling, this is Matthew and Emma Gordiani. We met on the plane this morning. Mr. Gordiani is over from America on business" Steven prattled on.
Elizabeth flashed a sincere smile at them as Logan pulled out the seat next to Elizabeth for Max to sit down on. Max couldn't believe Logan was being so old fashioned - helping her out of her coat, opening the car door for her and now pulling out her seat for her at dinner. But this was the society that he had grown up in and which she had never knew. Max trusted Logan's judgment instinctively. She smiled at Logan as he sat down next to her.
"How long are you in Rome for Mrs. Gordiani?" Elizabeth asked in a gentle Scottish accent. It was the sort of accent many people who had moved to new countries had - a sort of compound of accents which blended into one which only faintly resembles their original one.
"Please, call me Emma. I'm actually not sure; it all depends on how long Matthew's business takes. Do you live here?"
"Sort of. My husband and I own a house in the outskirts of Rome. It is quite close to the country side," Elizabeth said with a sweet voice.
Max smiled. She prided herself on being an excellent judge of character and there was something about Elizabeth Contelli which made Max feel at ease. Max looked over to find Logan, Steven and another older man with an English accent deeply involved in conversation about stock prices in Britain.
Max couldn't believe the amount of depth Logan went into in his side of the conversation, yet she could hardly be surprised. Logan had always done his homework and Max knew that every aspect of his character would be faultless.
Max and Elizabeth continued to chat until the entrée was served. The creamy soup was delicious and it was at this point that Max was able to interrupt the heated discussion and talk to Logan.
"What is this?"
"I think it is pumpkin soup. It's not bad"
"You know you that you could probably cook it better"
"Probably"
They shared a grin.
"So hows the boy's club meeting going?"
"Boring, I hate stocks. My father always wanted me to become a stockbroker, but my mother encouraged me to write"
"Smart woman"
"I always thought so. So what it Elizabeth like?"
"Really nice. She's really friendly and chatty. Different to my usual friends"
"She is no Original Cindy"
"Mm. But that's one of the nice things about her. She keeps me in character"
Max felt a hand gently touch her arm and she turned her head to find Elizabeth looking at her.
"So how long have you to been married?" Elizabeth asked, a question which grabbed the attention of most of the other people at the table.
"How long has it been Matthew? I can never keep track," Max asked sweetly. Please Logan, please may you have worked this out before.
"Just under a year now, Emma dear" Logan replied, looking at Max with a smile. "What about you and Steven?"
"We have been married for three years now and Steven becomes more and more boring every day" Elizabeth replied, a smile hinting in her words.
"Aw, I love you too sweetie" Steven replied, flicking a quick glimpse at Max as he said it.
Max and Logan shared a glance. What was that all about?
The older man with the English accent, whose name was Phillip Hornsbry, stated proudly that he and his wife Olivia, a woman who was on her late forties, spoke very little and was dressed in an elaborate pink dress, we married for 15 years the following week. Everyone added their congratulations to Olivia, who smiled serenely at them all.
"She is a bit strange in the head" Elizabeth confided quietly to Max.
"What do you mean?" Max asked curiously
"A couple of years ago, you couldn't have shut the woman up. Now it is an ordeal to get her to talk" Elizabeth replied.
The other couple were older as well - Alexei and Elvina Stankovic. They understood little English and were translated through Phillip Hornsbry, who spoke excellent Russian.
Main course was served and Max was surprised at the size of the serving. It was gnocchi with tomato sauce, but the serving was tiny. Max looked at Logan who was laughing at her expression.
"We'll order room service tonight when we get back to the hotel, okay?" he whispered gently. Max grinned sheepishly and began to eat.
The room began to buzz excitedly following the meal as a frail looking old man stood up. He started talking in Italian and Max tried to keep up as she translated for Logan.
"He says that the hostess has been detained but will make a speech soon. He is saying something about when desert will be served and how beautiful everyone looks. He invited everyone to dance" Max finished off, proud by having understood so much of what the man had said.
"Well in that case" Logan said, standing up.
Max looked at his puzzled as he came around behind her chair and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"May I have this dance?" he asked
Max smiled and began to push away from the table. She took Logan's hand as he led her to the dance floor to join the other couples who were dancing.
Logan held onto her hand, but pulled it close to their bodies. He wrapped one arm around her back as she wrapped her other arm around his upper back, leaving her hand resting in his shoulder.
"Having fun?" Logan murmured in her ear.
"It has actually been better than I expected"
"Good, because we will be seeing quite a lot of these people while in Rome"
"More parties?"
"Maybe. Is that a bad thing?"
"Not good but not bad I guess"
"I know what you mean. This could have been what my life would have been like - parties with the same people, a beautiful wife." Logan said, kissing Max's forehead gently as she smiled. "But deep down, it is all fake"
"Yeah, and like we aren't at the moment, Matthew sweetheart" Max said, grinning
"Ah Emma dear, what would I do without you?"
"I like that - Emma dear. It has a nice ring to it" Max replied, resting her head on Logan's shoulder.
Logan smiled and looked around. They continued to move around the dance floor to the music until the music stopped. They slowly pulled away and joined the others in applauding the musicians.
The frail man stood up again and began to talk. Logan looked at Max, his brow furrowed.
"He is just introducing the next singer. She is Irish and is going to sing her song in English" Max translated. The music began and Logan pulled Max back into his arms again.
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open mouth of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh 'wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me'
Logan and Max began to gently move side to side. Her head was yet again at his shoulder, except this time, her face was on his body and her eyes looked over his shoulder. She felt so relaxed, just moving gently. She could see all the other people in the room, including Elizabeth, who was staring with jealous eyes, but Max ignored them all. It was like they were at the waterfront again - all that mattered was his body next to hers. Max breathed out deeply.
All my love, my darling,
I've hungered for you touch
A long lonely time
Logan looked down as he felt Max's breath on his shoulder. She couldn't believe this situation - him and Max in Rome, dancing in each other's arms to a love song. Logan couldn't believe his luck. There was no one else he wanted to share this moment with; no one else that he wanted to be in Rome at this party with. Max was all he needed.
I need your love
I, oh, need you love
God, speed you love to me
As the piano began its solo, Logan gently spun Max out and smiled as she laughed. As she twirled back in, she hit his body hard and their faces were inches from each other. They stood there, neither willing to move either closer into unknown territory or away from a place where both wanted to be so badly. The music played and the people danced around them and all Max and Logan could feel was the presence of the other person in their arms. Logan raised a hand and gently brushed a stray curl from Max's face.
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open mouth of the sea
Lonely rivers 'wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me'
All my love, my darling,
I've hungered for your touch a long time
Max felt his hand move across her face and didn't care why it was there. All she cared about was Logan's hand across her back and his blue eyes locked with hers. She couldn't move and for that she was grateful. If she could move, she didn't know what she would do, and that scared Max more than anything did.
I need your love
I need your love
God, speed your love to me
The sounds of others applauding the singer around them startled them back to reality. The doors to the ballroom opened and Logan spotted Alessandro Trimboli sneak into the ballroom.
"Max! That's him" Logan hissed at Max. Max zoomed in on Trimboli as he walked towards the microphone at the front of the room. He was a very handsome man. His long dark hair flicked classily as he walked. He was wearing a black suit and shirt, causing his silver tie to stand out. Max could sense his confident manner in the way he walked and she could tell he was a powerful man. He made his way up onto the small stage and many people who were seated joined in applauding his arrival. Logan's arm remained wrapped around Max's waist as they turned towards the stage to watch.
Trimboli began rapidly talking in Italian and just as Max began to translate, he changed to English.
"I would like to thank all of our English-speaking friends who have joined us tonight. Some I know personally and some I will meet from the first time tonight. I hope you have all had a wonderful time tonight. My aunt is not well and is unable to join us tonight." A number of people began to talk at this point ". but she sends her best wishes. Now, desert will be served in just a moment. I wish you all a good night. Buonanotte!" Trimboli finished loudly and many people responded, raising their glasses to him or applauding.
Max and Logan began heading back to their seats and sat down.
"He speaks very good English" Max commented
"Many Italian business people do - it is a necessity. They do so much business with the English-speaking world. What do you think of him?"
Max paused, trying to find the right words. "There is something about him which.almost pulls me towards him. He seems nice on the outside, but at the same time, very mysterious. I can't put my finger on it"
Logan nodded in response. "He is a very charming man by reputation. He." Logan quickly stopped talking as Elizabeth breezed into her seat next to Max, her face flushed.
"Have you been dancing?" Max asked politely, wishing Elizabeth didn't have such bad timing.
"With a husband like mine? Oh no, I've just been catching up on some gossip. It has been a while since I have been at one of these parties and it is wonderful catching up on all the stories. That woman for example." Elizabeth indicated a young woman in an old-fashioned purple dress, who looked plain with long, straight brown hair and empty-looking eyes, with a swift nod of her blonde head. ".is here with Jonathan White from Bristol in England, while Mrs. White is at home with the children. Mrs. White was a supermodel back in the day, and Jonathan picks this one for his mistress" Elizabeth said, distain marking her voice. "He could have at least brought someone tonight who we could all pardon him for, but this girl no where near compares with Kate White".
Elizabeth continued to prattle on, pointing out several women who had a range of social discrepancies and Max began to get an idea of why Logan had such distaste for this lifestyle - on the outside it was glamorous and beautiful, but underneath it was dark, naïve and pathetic. Didn't Elizabeth think that maybe her husband had a mistress and she was the one who was taken to the social gatherings for the past couple of months while Elizabeth stayed at home? And if she did know, did she care? Max looked over at Logan as Elizabeth pointed out yet another downfallen women just beside him and Max could see boredom creeping onto his face and for once, she could understand why.
Desert was tira mi su, which Max forced herself to eat slowly so as to not stand out. Logan's face went red, trying not to laugh and was given a few deadly glares by Max. When coffee was served, Logan leaned over to Max.
"Trimboli is heading outside to the balcony. Let's follow and do the newly- wed act" Logan whispered, a slight tease to his voice.
Max turned to Logan, a grin on her face. "Alright" she whispered deeply, her breath across Logan's ear causing him to go slightly red. Logan stood up, took Max's hand and led her to the balcony.
The balcony stretched the length of the ballroom, with a number of doors connecting the two areas. However, the balcony looked quite empty as Max and Logan stepped out and they headed towards the edge, which was surrounded by a small, yet wide, concrete wall. Max automatically raised her hands to her arms so as to brace herself against the cold.
Logan looked at her, smiled and pulled Max into his arms. "I thought you could survive this sort of weather pretty well"
Max smiled up at Logan, snuggling into his chest at the same time. "I was in training then. Now I'm too pampered; too used to warm clothing"
Logan smiled and began to remove his tuxedo jacket. "Here, this will keep you warm" he said, as he gently forced Max to put on the jacket.
Max looked at him doubtfully. "You are going to freeze" she said frowning.
Logan smiled. "Nah, I have more on than you do. Besides, now you can keep me warm"
Max wrapped her arms around the bottom of Logan's waist and pulled tight. It was at that moment that a large group of heavy-built men walked onto the balcony from the door near Logan and Max. Logan automatically dipped his head down to kiss Max's neck and her hands automatically unraveled from around Logan's waist and reached for his head and neck pulling him closer to her neck.
Max began to enjoy the feeling of Logan gently kissing her neck when Logan decided to interrupt the moment.
"Can you hear what they are saying" he whispered breathlessly.
Max snapped her attention back to the task at hand. Unfortunately, Max sound it hard to listen to a bunch of boring men speak, while Logan was gently kissing her neck and brushing his lips against her increasingly heating skin. Max licked her lips and attempted to pay attention.
"Where is he?" one man asked the others in a strong American accent.
"I don't know. You can never trust Trimboli - no courtesy. Never tells you if he will be late or of he has just decided not to show up" another replied, also with an American accent.
As the conversation continued, it became apparent to Max that all the men were Americans, who were at this party for no other reason than to make an important business deal with Trimboli. Some looked around nervously and this gave Max an uncomfortable feeling. If only that feeling wasn't so challenged by the feelings Logan was giving her.
While Max tried to concentrate on the conversation, Logan had been unaware of exactly what he was doing. In the beginning, his ministrations were simply to keep up their cover, but as he sensed Max's reaction to his touch, he had progressively forgotten about the objective and concentrated solely on the pleasure his touch was giving Max. Her skin heated below his lips and he slowly began to trail kisses up the side of her neck to her cheek before pulling away to look at Max.
Max felt her face flush as Logan kissed his way to her face and as he pulled away, she felt as if she was glowing like a streetlight. "Trimboli hasn't showed yet" she whispered huskily, her hands still running though the fine hairs at the base of Logan's hairline on his neck, causing his to shiver.
"No?" Logan asked, trying to bring himself back to reality.
"Nope, those guys are Americans, waiting to meet him. I'm not sure if he will even show" Max replied, not removing eye contact with Logan.
Logan became entranced in Max's gaze and he felt his head slowly bending down to hers as a strong hand clapped on his shoulder. Logan turned suddenly to find himself looking Alessandro Trimboli straight in the eye.
6) The Party
Logan offered his arm to Max and she gracefully wove her arm into has as they joined many others in walked in the front doors. The front hall was large, with a high white ceiling and startling white tiles on the floor. Every sound which was made echoed gently around the room and people turned to whispers in order to avoid being over heard. Max and Logan followed the other people towards large doors which lead to a ballroom.
"This party is being held by Isabella Marcucci, Tromboli's aunt. I know for a fact that he has been invited tonight, but it is just a question of whether or not he decides to show tonight" Logan whispered in Max's ear.
Max nodded softly as she and Logan reached the door. A large man with a thick moustache held his hand out for their tickets. Logan reached into his suit and pulled out an invitation for Signore and Signora Matthew Gordiani. The man nodded and wished with a happy night as Logan and Max stepped into the ballroom. A large orchestra was playing in one corner, surrounded by an unused dance floor. Surrounding the dance floor were many circular tables, some of which were occupied.
"We have been given seating arrangements on our tickets. Come on" Logan said gently.
"Yes Matthew"
Logan and Max weaved their way through the tables to one which was right in the middle of the room on the edge of the dance floor, where 3 other couples were already seated. One of who was familiar.
"Why, look who it is! Matthew and Emma! How are you?" Steven Contelli asked happily.
Max couldn't believe her eyes. Of all the parties in all of Rome, he had to be at the same one as them. She felt Logan's grip on her arm tighten slightly and Max had to smile.
""Mr. Contelli. How are you?" Logan extended his hand to shake Steven Contelli's awaiting one.
"Very well thank you. This is my wife Elizabeth" Steven responded.
Max couldn't believe that the man who had been so over friendly towards her on the plane was actually married to such a beautiful woman. Elizabeth Contelli had long blonde hair, which curled and hung over her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled, her skin glowed and her black dress looked very expensive. "Darling, this is Matthew and Emma Gordiani. We met on the plane this morning. Mr. Gordiani is over from America on business" Steven prattled on.
Elizabeth flashed a sincere smile at them as Logan pulled out the seat next to Elizabeth for Max to sit down on. Max couldn't believe Logan was being so old fashioned - helping her out of her coat, opening the car door for her and now pulling out her seat for her at dinner. But this was the society that he had grown up in and which she had never knew. Max trusted Logan's judgment instinctively. She smiled at Logan as he sat down next to her.
"How long are you in Rome for Mrs. Gordiani?" Elizabeth asked in a gentle Scottish accent. It was the sort of accent many people who had moved to new countries had - a sort of compound of accents which blended into one which only faintly resembles their original one.
"Please, call me Emma. I'm actually not sure; it all depends on how long Matthew's business takes. Do you live here?"
"Sort of. My husband and I own a house in the outskirts of Rome. It is quite close to the country side," Elizabeth said with a sweet voice.
Max smiled. She prided herself on being an excellent judge of character and there was something about Elizabeth Contelli which made Max feel at ease. Max looked over to find Logan, Steven and another older man with an English accent deeply involved in conversation about stock prices in Britain.
Max couldn't believe the amount of depth Logan went into in his side of the conversation, yet she could hardly be surprised. Logan had always done his homework and Max knew that every aspect of his character would be faultless.
Max and Elizabeth continued to chat until the entrée was served. The creamy soup was delicious and it was at this point that Max was able to interrupt the heated discussion and talk to Logan.
"What is this?"
"I think it is pumpkin soup. It's not bad"
"You know you that you could probably cook it better"
"Probably"
They shared a grin.
"So hows the boy's club meeting going?"
"Boring, I hate stocks. My father always wanted me to become a stockbroker, but my mother encouraged me to write"
"Smart woman"
"I always thought so. So what it Elizabeth like?"
"Really nice. She's really friendly and chatty. Different to my usual friends"
"She is no Original Cindy"
"Mm. But that's one of the nice things about her. She keeps me in character"
Max felt a hand gently touch her arm and she turned her head to find Elizabeth looking at her.
"So how long have you to been married?" Elizabeth asked, a question which grabbed the attention of most of the other people at the table.
"How long has it been Matthew? I can never keep track," Max asked sweetly. Please Logan, please may you have worked this out before.
"Just under a year now, Emma dear" Logan replied, looking at Max with a smile. "What about you and Steven?"
"We have been married for three years now and Steven becomes more and more boring every day" Elizabeth replied, a smile hinting in her words.
"Aw, I love you too sweetie" Steven replied, flicking a quick glimpse at Max as he said it.
Max and Logan shared a glance. What was that all about?
The older man with the English accent, whose name was Phillip Hornsbry, stated proudly that he and his wife Olivia, a woman who was on her late forties, spoke very little and was dressed in an elaborate pink dress, we married for 15 years the following week. Everyone added their congratulations to Olivia, who smiled serenely at them all.
"She is a bit strange in the head" Elizabeth confided quietly to Max.
"What do you mean?" Max asked curiously
"A couple of years ago, you couldn't have shut the woman up. Now it is an ordeal to get her to talk" Elizabeth replied.
The other couple were older as well - Alexei and Elvina Stankovic. They understood little English and were translated through Phillip Hornsbry, who spoke excellent Russian.
Main course was served and Max was surprised at the size of the serving. It was gnocchi with tomato sauce, but the serving was tiny. Max looked at Logan who was laughing at her expression.
"We'll order room service tonight when we get back to the hotel, okay?" he whispered gently. Max grinned sheepishly and began to eat.
The room began to buzz excitedly following the meal as a frail looking old man stood up. He started talking in Italian and Max tried to keep up as she translated for Logan.
"He says that the hostess has been detained but will make a speech soon. He is saying something about when desert will be served and how beautiful everyone looks. He invited everyone to dance" Max finished off, proud by having understood so much of what the man had said.
"Well in that case" Logan said, standing up.
Max looked at his puzzled as he came around behind her chair and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"May I have this dance?" he asked
Max smiled and began to push away from the table. She took Logan's hand as he led her to the dance floor to join the other couples who were dancing.
Logan held onto her hand, but pulled it close to their bodies. He wrapped one arm around her back as she wrapped her other arm around his upper back, leaving her hand resting in his shoulder.
"Having fun?" Logan murmured in her ear.
"It has actually been better than I expected"
"Good, because we will be seeing quite a lot of these people while in Rome"
"More parties?"
"Maybe. Is that a bad thing?"
"Not good but not bad I guess"
"I know what you mean. This could have been what my life would have been like - parties with the same people, a beautiful wife." Logan said, kissing Max's forehead gently as she smiled. "But deep down, it is all fake"
"Yeah, and like we aren't at the moment, Matthew sweetheart" Max said, grinning
"Ah Emma dear, what would I do without you?"
"I like that - Emma dear. It has a nice ring to it" Max replied, resting her head on Logan's shoulder.
Logan smiled and looked around. They continued to move around the dance floor to the music until the music stopped. They slowly pulled away and joined the others in applauding the musicians.
The frail man stood up again and began to talk. Logan looked at Max, his brow furrowed.
"He is just introducing the next singer. She is Irish and is going to sing her song in English" Max translated. The music began and Logan pulled Max back into his arms again.
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open mouth of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh 'wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home wait for me'
Logan and Max began to gently move side to side. Her head was yet again at his shoulder, except this time, her face was on his body and her eyes looked over his shoulder. She felt so relaxed, just moving gently. She could see all the other people in the room, including Elizabeth, who was staring with jealous eyes, but Max ignored them all. It was like they were at the waterfront again - all that mattered was his body next to hers. Max breathed out deeply.
All my love, my darling,
I've hungered for you touch
A long lonely time
Logan looked down as he felt Max's breath on his shoulder. She couldn't believe this situation - him and Max in Rome, dancing in each other's arms to a love song. Logan couldn't believe his luck. There was no one else he wanted to share this moment with; no one else that he wanted to be in Rome at this party with. Max was all he needed.
I need your love
I, oh, need you love
God, speed you love to me
As the piano began its solo, Logan gently spun Max out and smiled as she laughed. As she twirled back in, she hit his body hard and their faces were inches from each other. They stood there, neither willing to move either closer into unknown territory or away from a place where both wanted to be so badly. The music played and the people danced around them and all Max and Logan could feel was the presence of the other person in their arms. Logan raised a hand and gently brushed a stray curl from Max's face.
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open mouth of the sea
Lonely rivers 'wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me'
All my love, my darling,
I've hungered for your touch a long time
Max felt his hand move across her face and didn't care why it was there. All she cared about was Logan's hand across her back and his blue eyes locked with hers. She couldn't move and for that she was grateful. If she could move, she didn't know what she would do, and that scared Max more than anything did.
I need your love
I need your love
God, speed your love to me
The sounds of others applauding the singer around them startled them back to reality. The doors to the ballroom opened and Logan spotted Alessandro Trimboli sneak into the ballroom.
"Max! That's him" Logan hissed at Max. Max zoomed in on Trimboli as he walked towards the microphone at the front of the room. He was a very handsome man. His long dark hair flicked classily as he walked. He was wearing a black suit and shirt, causing his silver tie to stand out. Max could sense his confident manner in the way he walked and she could tell he was a powerful man. He made his way up onto the small stage and many people who were seated joined in applauding his arrival. Logan's arm remained wrapped around Max's waist as they turned towards the stage to watch.
Trimboli began rapidly talking in Italian and just as Max began to translate, he changed to English.
"I would like to thank all of our English-speaking friends who have joined us tonight. Some I know personally and some I will meet from the first time tonight. I hope you have all had a wonderful time tonight. My aunt is not well and is unable to join us tonight." A number of people began to talk at this point ". but she sends her best wishes. Now, desert will be served in just a moment. I wish you all a good night. Buonanotte!" Trimboli finished loudly and many people responded, raising their glasses to him or applauding.
Max and Logan began heading back to their seats and sat down.
"He speaks very good English" Max commented
"Many Italian business people do - it is a necessity. They do so much business with the English-speaking world. What do you think of him?"
Max paused, trying to find the right words. "There is something about him which.almost pulls me towards him. He seems nice on the outside, but at the same time, very mysterious. I can't put my finger on it"
Logan nodded in response. "He is a very charming man by reputation. He." Logan quickly stopped talking as Elizabeth breezed into her seat next to Max, her face flushed.
"Have you been dancing?" Max asked politely, wishing Elizabeth didn't have such bad timing.
"With a husband like mine? Oh no, I've just been catching up on some gossip. It has been a while since I have been at one of these parties and it is wonderful catching up on all the stories. That woman for example." Elizabeth indicated a young woman in an old-fashioned purple dress, who looked plain with long, straight brown hair and empty-looking eyes, with a swift nod of her blonde head. ".is here with Jonathan White from Bristol in England, while Mrs. White is at home with the children. Mrs. White was a supermodel back in the day, and Jonathan picks this one for his mistress" Elizabeth said, distain marking her voice. "He could have at least brought someone tonight who we could all pardon him for, but this girl no where near compares with Kate White".
Elizabeth continued to prattle on, pointing out several women who had a range of social discrepancies and Max began to get an idea of why Logan had such distaste for this lifestyle - on the outside it was glamorous and beautiful, but underneath it was dark, naïve and pathetic. Didn't Elizabeth think that maybe her husband had a mistress and she was the one who was taken to the social gatherings for the past couple of months while Elizabeth stayed at home? And if she did know, did she care? Max looked over at Logan as Elizabeth pointed out yet another downfallen women just beside him and Max could see boredom creeping onto his face and for once, she could understand why.
Desert was tira mi su, which Max forced herself to eat slowly so as to not stand out. Logan's face went red, trying not to laugh and was given a few deadly glares by Max. When coffee was served, Logan leaned over to Max.
"Trimboli is heading outside to the balcony. Let's follow and do the newly- wed act" Logan whispered, a slight tease to his voice.
Max turned to Logan, a grin on her face. "Alright" she whispered deeply, her breath across Logan's ear causing him to go slightly red. Logan stood up, took Max's hand and led her to the balcony.
The balcony stretched the length of the ballroom, with a number of doors connecting the two areas. However, the balcony looked quite empty as Max and Logan stepped out and they headed towards the edge, which was surrounded by a small, yet wide, concrete wall. Max automatically raised her hands to her arms so as to brace herself against the cold.
Logan looked at her, smiled and pulled Max into his arms. "I thought you could survive this sort of weather pretty well"
Max smiled up at Logan, snuggling into his chest at the same time. "I was in training then. Now I'm too pampered; too used to warm clothing"
Logan smiled and began to remove his tuxedo jacket. "Here, this will keep you warm" he said, as he gently forced Max to put on the jacket.
Max looked at him doubtfully. "You are going to freeze" she said frowning.
Logan smiled. "Nah, I have more on than you do. Besides, now you can keep me warm"
Max wrapped her arms around the bottom of Logan's waist and pulled tight. It was at that moment that a large group of heavy-built men walked onto the balcony from the door near Logan and Max. Logan automatically dipped his head down to kiss Max's neck and her hands automatically unraveled from around Logan's waist and reached for his head and neck pulling him closer to her neck.
Max began to enjoy the feeling of Logan gently kissing her neck when Logan decided to interrupt the moment.
"Can you hear what they are saying" he whispered breathlessly.
Max snapped her attention back to the task at hand. Unfortunately, Max sound it hard to listen to a bunch of boring men speak, while Logan was gently kissing her neck and brushing his lips against her increasingly heating skin. Max licked her lips and attempted to pay attention.
"Where is he?" one man asked the others in a strong American accent.
"I don't know. You can never trust Trimboli - no courtesy. Never tells you if he will be late or of he has just decided not to show up" another replied, also with an American accent.
As the conversation continued, it became apparent to Max that all the men were Americans, who were at this party for no other reason than to make an important business deal with Trimboli. Some looked around nervously and this gave Max an uncomfortable feeling. If only that feeling wasn't so challenged by the feelings Logan was giving her.
While Max tried to concentrate on the conversation, Logan had been unaware of exactly what he was doing. In the beginning, his ministrations were simply to keep up their cover, but as he sensed Max's reaction to his touch, he had progressively forgotten about the objective and concentrated solely on the pleasure his touch was giving Max. Her skin heated below his lips and he slowly began to trail kisses up the side of her neck to her cheek before pulling away to look at Max.
Max felt her face flush as Logan kissed his way to her face and as he pulled away, she felt as if she was glowing like a streetlight. "Trimboli hasn't showed yet" she whispered huskily, her hands still running though the fine hairs at the base of Logan's hairline on his neck, causing his to shiver.
"No?" Logan asked, trying to bring himself back to reality.
"Nope, those guys are Americans, waiting to meet him. I'm not sure if he will even show" Max replied, not removing eye contact with Logan.
Logan became entranced in Max's gaze and he felt his head slowly bending down to hers as a strong hand clapped on his shoulder. Logan turned suddenly to find himself looking Alessandro Trimboli straight in the eye.