Posted: Feb 20, 08 7:22am
Just remembering the assault brings a flush to my cheek and a flame to my thighs. My heart pounds at the memory, embarrassing, passionate and confusing.
We were in
The Florentine paper shop had a smell of must and dust, and the old man there seemed to have apparated out of the books themselves. The glass shops displayed horrific gaudy glass animals and breathtaking vases and jewelry all on one shelf. We pushed past the tourist clutter around the
I spotted Him in the doorway and immediately veered in that direction. Vee grabbed my elbow.
"What are you doing?" she asked, head tilted knowingly.
"How about that restaurant?” I replied, all innocence.
She sighed and gave in. We were hungry and she knew I had a weakness for Italian men. After all, I had married one.
Entering the restaurant, we accepted His hospitality with smiles and exuberance, and even Vee, in spite of her protests, couldn't deny that he was very, very charming.
"Sometimes I just enjoy the company of fine men." I stated for the record.
Vee nodded enthusiastically and we continued to agree about the charms of Italian men over a bottle of Chianti, which we were well on our way to finishing before He returned to take our food order. He was extremely polite, well-dressed, and well-spoken in both English and Italian, which I spoke fluently with Him. There was a spark, some chemistry passing between us, something innocent that I brushed aside while feeling pleasantly enchanted and a little buzzed from the wine.
Some fragrant food arrived. What it was I cannot tell you, so far into bottle number two were we. But Vee and I both agreed that it was lovely and smelled like rosemary.
He materialized beside me with a small tray. His fingers touched my arm and immediately drew my attention upward to his blue eyes. The blue-eyed Italian? I gasped, unaware that he was holding out a bottle of Limoncello and a glass for me to take.
"G-g-grazie." I stammered, somewhat embarrassed and flame-red by such an obvious appeal to his eyes. He set the other glass down and walked away with a backward glance at me. Vee chuckled. "You better watch yourself, girl. Remember, you're married," and she winked, laughing. We giggled a little at this innocent game going on between me and He, remarking about the romance of
When I stood to go to the rest room, things were a little wobbly, but not so much that I couldn't walk in a dignified manner. While in the bathroom, I started to wonder if He had intentionally delivered all of that alcohol, most of which we hadn't ordered. I was totaling up the bill in my head, which was quickly surpassing 100 Euros. "Oh shit." I muttered to myself, realizing the possibility that we were getting taken.
When I emerged from the ladies, He was standing in the dark hallway which separated the bathrooms from the rest of the well-lit restaurant where Vee was sitting. His hands were on his hips and He was staring me down, blocking my way. I smiled politely. "Scuzi." I mumbled, trying to get past.
In a flash, His hands were around me, seizing my long hair, pulling and entwining it through his fingers. His other hand was pushing the small of my back into Him, pushing me hard. He was a strong man and he hit me with such force that I didn't have time to react. Suddenly we were kissing, something I had no intention of doing. The kissing was so passionate and so unexpected that I could do nothing but kiss him back. It was a violent act, so sudden and hard, that I was pushed into a row of sinks behind me. He pushed on my mouth again and again, so that I could feel almost all of his teeth; then I cried out in pain. He had bitten my lip, hard!
The bite took me so much by surprise that my reaction sent the whole tense bundle off balance and we both tumbled over a sink, hitting the swinging door to the bathroom, my head tearing on the hinge. When he saw the blood, he suddenly transformed back into the charming gentleman in the doorway.
"Oh, Senora!" he declared, as if I had breached some sort of 'attack etiquette' by falling over. He helped me up, brushed himself off and disappeared into the restaurant.
In the mirror, I found myself a ragged, tangled, bleeding mess. I was still shaking from what had happened, somewhat aroused, and cursing myself for being so vain and stupid.
When I finally emerged into the restaurant, Vee had a look that told me things were even worse than I realized. The bill was laying on the table and her face was pinched.
"The bill is over 200 Euro" she whispered between clenched teeth, "and what the hell happened to you?!" she continued, her gaze shifting to my dishevelment.
I related the incident to her calmly and very quietly. She considered me for a moment, then said loudly, "Go wait by the door."
I did not dare argue. Obediently, and with tail between legs, I shuffled to the door.
Then, in a move that was so bold I will never forget it, she rose and walked over to the bar where he stood. She handed him 50 Euro cash and said, "This is for the food. As for the rest of the bill, you already took your share from my friend."
Once outside in the alley, we saw him standing behind the bar, the cash still in his hands, mouth agape, yet resigned. He never argued, he never came after us.
A few streets away I bought new clothes, changed in the bathroom and threw my blood-stained ones in the trash while tears formed in the corners of my eyes. My head throbbed, my lip was swollen, my heart was still pounding, and I was still aroused. And OH! The embarrassment! My reflection in the mirror was a confused mess, a reflection of life that showed me nothing was innocent anymore.
No comments:
Post a Comment