Tuscan Skies

Part 5

J.R. tied the belt of his robe around his waist, and walked outside to the loft balcony. The view of the countryside was overwhelming. Sue Ellen was on the balcony, awed by the breathtaking view of the lights from the city, and the stars in the Tuscan sky. She wore a black silk robe, over a sheer, lacy black nightgown. J.R. walked up behind her and put his arms around her. She turned her head, and kissed him. She lifted her hand and touched the side of his face. He nuzzled her neck, as his eyes followed her gaze across the scenic view of the surrounding landscape. Sue Ellen said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" J.R. was gazing at her. He smiled, and said, "Yes, it's stunning." He was noticeably more enraptured by her beauty, than the view of the countryside from the loft balcony. His comment was not lost on Sue Ellen, as she turned around and pulled his head to hers for a kiss underneath the stars. J.R. reached down, and untied the sash of her robe, to reveal bronze skin, delicately covered by a thin veil of black lace. J.R.'s voice was deepened with need, as he said, "Do you remember what I said to you, before we left Dallas?" Sue Ellen searched his eyes. He had said many things to her before their flight. She was afraid to say anything, fearing that the wrong response might irritate him. She quickly said, "Refresh my memory." He pulled her closer to him, and said; "I told you that I wanted to make love to you on the balcony of a Tuscan villa, under a sea of stars." Sue Ellen closed her eyes. J.R. kissed her skin under the strap of her gown. He pulled the straps over her shoulders, revealing her glowing skin underneath. Sue Ellen inhaled, wanting him to continue, needing to feel him against her. He lowered her to the terra-cotta tile covering the balcony. He rolled up her robe, and placed it on the tile, to cushion her head. He leaned over her, as she reached her hands around his neck, and said, "Make love to me, J.R. Please?" He smiled at her, as her eyes twinkled at him in the glow of the moonlight. The yellow moon brought out the pale strands of blond streaks in her hair. He ran his hand through her hair, as his lips trailed kisses from the side of her head to her mouth. He kissed her, fulfilling his promise.

J.R. awoke as the morning breeze entered their room through the open doors to the balcony. Sue Ellen was already awake, and dressed in a white, low-cut bathing suit, ready for lounging in the sunlight by the pool. J.R. grinned at her and asked, "Is that a new bathing suit?' Sue Ellen said, "Yes, I bought it a few days ago, at Nieman Marcus', before we left Dallas." J.R. wanted to call Rattigan, and see if he had obtained any more information about Don Lockwood. Sue Ellen smiled at him, and said, "Care to join me out by the pool?" J.R. said, "I'd love to Sugar, let me make a phone call to Bart, then I'll shower and meet you outside." Sue Ellen said, "I'd like to call Southfork, and see how John Ross is doing." She leaned over and kissed J.R.'s cheek, as she picked up her mobile phone, and said, "I'll see you outside." J.R. watched her walk out of the bedroom, and down the spiral staircase. He reached for his mobile phone, and waited for Rattigan to answer. J.R. heard, "Rattigan, who is this?" J.R. said, "This is J.R. Were you able to locate Lockwood's former business associate?" Rattigan answered, "As a matter of fact, I did. He told me some very interesting news about Mr. Lockwood." J.R. sounded irritated, and said, "Well, don't just sit there, I'm not payin' you to sit. Tell me what the hell you found out." Rattigan informed J.R. that the London police held Don as a suspect in his first wife's death. J.R. said, "Is that a fact? What reason did they give for suspecting him?" Rattigan said, "His wife hadn't been sick a day in her life, then all of a sudden, she keels over from a mysterious illness. The doctors were baffled. They wanted to exhume her body after the funeral, but Lockwood's lawyer filed an injunction." J.R. was frowning, as he said, "I'll be damned. Keep me posted." He ended the call, and turned his head in the direction of the swimming pool. He couldn't imagine what might have happened if Sue Ellen was still married to Don. He muttered, "That whole family is chock full of lunatics," as he walked over to the bathroom to shower, and put on his swim trunks.

Sue Ellen dialed the telephone number to the ranch. John Ross answered the phone at Southfork. Sue Ellen said, "Hi, Sweetheart. How are you?" John Ross was grinning as he said "Hi, Mamma. I'm fine. How are you?" Sue Ellen said, "I'm fine. Tuscany is more beautiful than I imagined." John Ross said, "How is Daddy doing?" Sue Ellen looked toward the villa, and said, "He's fine. I miss you, Sweetheart." John Ross said, "I miss you, too. How long will you be staying there?" Sue Ellen said, "I think your father said that we'd be here for two weeks." John Ross said, "Don't worry about anything while you guys are gone. Just have a good time." Sue Ellen smiled when she heard how mature John Ross sounded. She said, "I'll call you in a few days, okay?" John Ross said, "I love you, Mamma. Tell Daddy that I love him, too." Sue Ellen said, "I will. I love you, John Ross. Good-bye." J.R. walked over to the table where she had been sitting. He said, "How is John Ross?" Sue Ellen looked at him, and said, "He's fine. He said to tell you that he loves you. How did your call to Bart go?" J.R. said, "The oil just keeps on comin'." He didn't want to deceive her, but he wasn't sure how she would feel knowing that he was investigating her ex-husband. J.R. dropped his towel on a chaise, and walked around the pool to the diving board. He stood on the board, and dove into the crystal clear, aqua colored pool. His body cut through the water of the pool like a hot knife through butter. He was at the end of the pool near Sue Ellen, as he surfaced, and reached his arms over the side of the pool. He looked around, and said, "I think our stay here is just what we needed, Sugar." Sue Ellen sat down on the edge of the pool, dangling her legs into the water. She said, "That was a terrific dive, J.R. I can't remember when I last saw you on a diving board." J.R. said, "That's funny, neither can I." He reached for Sue Ellen's hand, and pulled her into the water. She dove underneath the surface, and back out again. She walked toward J.R. he said, " I love to see you so happy, Sue Ellen." She put her arms around his neck, and said, "I owe it all to you, Darlin'." She kissed him, as he put his arms around her waist, and pulled her to him.

Sue Ellen offered to rub tanning oil on J.R.'s back, while he relaxed on one of the chaise lounges. J.R. accepted her offer. He said, "Mmm, that feels so good, Sugar. I just love your touch." Sue Ellen rubbed the oil into his back, tracing circles in the oil, as it glistened on his skin. She rubbed her hands up and down his back, admiring his muscles, and tickling his sides with the tips of her fingernails. J.R. closed his eyes, while she started to rub the oil into the back sides of his legs. She grazed the inside of his thigh with one of her nails, and he turned to look at her. He said, "God, Sue Ellen. You are such a tease." She flickered her eyelashes at him, showing him her most innocent facial expression, and said, "That wasn't what you called me last night, Darlin'." J.R. rolled over onto his back, and sat upright in the chaise. He reached for her arm, and pulled her onto his lap. She laughed at him, as she tried to break free from his grasp. He held on tighter, knowing that her hands were slippery from the oil she had used to cover his back. He said, "You're not gettin' away from me without a fight, Honey." She grinned at him, and said, "I'm not puttin' up a fight, J.R." He pulled her head closer to his face and stared into her eyes. His intense gaze made her realize how truly serious he was about her not getting away from him. Her jaw dropped open, as she tried to catch her breath. His mouth plundered her neck. She arched her back, giving him greater access to her skin. Their moment in the sun was interrupted by a tray of iced-tea being delivered to them by one of the kitchen servants. Sue Ellen thanked the servant for the drinks, and waited until he had gone back into the house. She glanced at J.R. He was pouting, and feeling disappointed. He lunged at Sue Ellen, wanting to pick up where he had left off. She tried not to find his petulant display amusing, but she couldn't stop laughing when she saw the look on his face. He said, "I'm glad you find this so funny, Sue Ellen." She said, "I'm sorry, Darlin'. I don't mean to laugh, but you should have seen the look on your face." J.R. swatted at her with the towel. She stood up, and ran from him. He raced after her, jumping over the corner of the pool, closing the distance between them in a few short steps. He lifted her up, and put her over his shoulder. She knew exactly what he planned to do, and she could see the devious gleam in his eyes. She didn't want any part of it. She tried to sound as if she were scolding him, and said, "You are not gonna throw me into the pool, J.R. I mean it." He said, " Now what makes you think I would do somethin' like that?" She held him tightly around his neck. If she was going into the water, he would follow her, if she had anything to say about it. J.R. jumped into the deep end of the pool, with Sue Ellen holding on tightly to his neck, and shoulder.

She sprang out of the water, and splashed him in the face with a swipe of her arm. He was laughing at her. He continued treading water, dodging her attempts at getting even with him. She gave up, and said, "Fine, you win, I give up. Now what?" J.R. swam closer to her, and said, "You know how I hate it when we are interrupted in the middle of somethin', Sugar." Sue Ellen laughed and said, "That wasn't my fault. I can't help it if one of the servants brought out a beverage tray." J.R. said, "You know damn well I'm not talkin' about the tray." She put her hands on his shoulders, and brushed his hair away from his eyes. He kissed her, savoring the contrast between the feel of her sun-warmed skin, and the drops of cool water on her lips. She pulled away and asked, "What do you want to do the rest of the day?" J.R. laughed wickedly, and said, "Hopefully more of this. Why? What did you have in mind?" Sue Ellen kissed his chin, and said, "I thought maybe, we could drive into town, and see a few of the tourist attractions, then grab a bite to eat, and who knows what could happen after that?" J.R. smiled at her, and said, "I like the way you think, Honey. Let's go shower, and change our clothes." J.R. helped her climb out of the pool. He picked up a glass of the tea, and quickly drank its contents. He asked, "Are you thirsty, Sue Ellen?" She said, "A little bit, I suppose." He handed her the other glass of tea. She took a drink, and said, "Ooh, that does taste good, doesn't it?" She emptied the glass, and placed it back on the tray. She handed J.R. a towel. She patted her towel against her skin, then wrapped the towel around her hair, as they walked inside the house to shower off.

Sue Ellen walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. She was wearing a turquoise blue sleeveless dress, and a pair of sandals. The dress appeared to hug her every curve. J.R. was dressed in a blue cotton shirt, and a pair of tan colored linen trousers. He said, "You look lovely, Sugar." She said, "Thank you," as she reached to take his hand. The limousine driver opened the door for them. J.R. said, "Ladies first." Sue Ellen stepped into the limousine. J.R. climbed in beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders, as the limousine driver asked them where they wanted to go. J.R. turned to Sue Ellen and asked, "Did you have any place in particular in mind, Honey?" Sue Ellen said, "I read in one of the brochures that Don Chischiotte via Ridolfi Cosimo offers an excellent dinner menu." The limousine driver complimented Sue Ellen on her pronunciation, and her choice in restaurants. He started the engine, as J.R. raised the privacy window. Sue Ellen touched J.R.'s knee, and said, "I can't tell you how wonderful it is bein' here in Italy with you, J.R., thank you." She leaned into him, and kissed him. J.R. inhaled her perfume. He smiled, and said, "There is nowhere else I'd rather be than here with you, Sugar." After their meal, Sue Ellen asked the limo driver if he knew of anywhere they could go to go dancing. The driver said, "Yes, Ma'am. There is a club on Piazza del Carmine called 'Dolce Vita.' That means 'sweet life' in Italian. J.R. said, "That sounds fine, let's go there." The driver opened the door for Sue Ellen. J.R. walked around the car, and took her hand. The driver reassured J.R. that he would wait for them, and instructed them to enjoy their evening. J.R held Sue Ellen's hand, as they went inside the club. The music sounded very appealing to her ears, as she said, "Care to dance with me, J.R.?" J.R. held his arm around her waist, and his other hand held her hand against his shoulder. They danced the night away, stopping only to applaud the band, or to request that they play a different a song.

The club was scheduled to close at 2:00 A.M.. It was already half past one. J.R. said, "Let's call it a night, Sugar. What do you say?" Sue Ellen said, "My poor, J.R., are you gettin' tired already?" He knew that she was teasing him, but he went along with her, and said, "I'm not too tired, Honey. I just don't want you gettin' too tired for what I have in store for you when we get back to the villa." She kissed his lower lip, and said, "By all means, let's get going, then." They walked out of the club, as the driver opened the limousine door for them. When they were on their way back to the villa, J.R. said, "That was fun, Sue Ellen. You make me feel like a young man, again, Honey." Sue Ellen said, "You're only as old as you feel, J.R., and you feel fantastic to me." He kissed her, as the limousine drove away from the city, into the hills, taking them back to the villa.