Sister Golden Hair Delight Ch. 30

"And... you have some Danish frosting on your lip, Sweetheart, right here." I gently held her chin and slowly wiped her mouth with my kisses. I smoothed back her soft curly golden hair, she reached up to touch me on the face, lingering there for just a moment, then giggled like a schoolgirl as she pulled me to her and I abandoned myself in the heat of our embrace.

A blush moved up Alessa's neck and into her light caramel-toned face.

Each time I touched her more and more intimately, her fears vanished in a wave of desire.

"Will there be anything else, Maria? I can get Mary in here."

"Then I'd have to, uh... no... just make sure that she's completely cleared our calendar for December from the 15th to, what do you say, January 3rd or so? I know that Jim was going to take you to Hawaii and I want you to have that. It will be all right, don't worry."

Alessa tried to answer but my roving hands were destroying her concentration on whatever she was trying to say. My hands finally rested below her waist as I gently squeezed.

"If there is something that really requires our personal attention, your team should be able to handle it. That's the whole purpose of having them, isn't it?" I nuzzled her neck, knowing that it caused an almost feral response from her as she purred contentment.

"Ha, I thought so... I see you smllllll..." Her mouth closed on mine, stopping whatever I was going to say and then her tongue parting mine and pushing inside, invading, discovering, celebrating.

"I can teach..." my muffled voice tried to say, "to... mmmmmm... to surf. Mmmmm... big winter... waves...." My hands renewed their discovery until they returned to their starting point. Damn tight skirt she's always wearing... "Lots... of... fun..."

"Maria?"

"Yes, darling?" I had rediscovered her attractive neck, nuzzling my way up to her left ear; she shuddered at my so intimate touch.

"Maria, you're tickling me... Maria, please, I have work to..."

"I'll give you work to do... you honey-colored vixen..." I covered her lips with mine and she forgot what she was going to say.

There was a knock on the office door and we hastily re-arranged our clothing.

"Come in!" she said, a little too breathlessly.

Tybal walked in, apologizing for the interruption. "The Italians are in the gallery. I've had some refreshments brought in for them, I'm sure it's been a long flight. Is there anything else?"

Alessa turned to her assistant. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Thank you, Mary."

As Tybal closed the office door and went to her desk to make the arrangements, I could hear Alessa giggling again. I smiled... it's been a long, scary and sad summer for all of us, and I hoped that it would finally be calmer, in a good way.

Instead of leaving immediately, I lingered in the doorway looking at her silhouetted against the windows, then turned and left. What a good way to start the day...

I walked out of Alessa's office, tucking my blouse back in. "Good morning, Mrs. Tybal. Having a good morning, are we?"

She could only smile in return, probably wondering what antics had taken place... or maybe, she just knew.

"Alessa will be talking to you about Christmas in Hawaii... please check with me afterward in case she might have missed something.

"We'll be leaving in about an hour for Rodeo Drive. Please inform Louise and remind her of our meeting this afternoon about the new satellite proposal. Ask her if she can and want to come along." I whispered, "There's a little surprise for both of you if you can. We're going to do a little shopping."

Alessa....

A few minutes after Maria left, I walked out, my face still flushed.

"I'll be going downstairs to meet with these two women. We'll be leaving for Beverly Hills in about an hour or so... pick a place you want to have lunch at. I think there's... let's see... eleven of us. Let's take the Blackhawks, it's too far to drive in the amount of time that we have. Thanks... uh, for not saying anything about..."

"About what, Alessa? I don't know what you're talking about. Oh and..." Tybal got up and walked around to the front of the desk. "You've got a little frosting by your ear, here. I wonder how that happened. Just a sec." Using a tissue, Tybal wiped the cream from my neck. "There you go, good as new," she said, a smile starting to grow.

Mary finished her inspection. "First impressions, you know. Alessa, are you sure you should be flying with the baby?"

"The doctor says it's all right if I'm careful. Thanks..."

Ignoring the fantastic view her office offered of the morning Pacific a mile away, Mary picked up the phone and speed-dialed several boutiques in Beverly Hills and her favorite restaurant.

**********

Christine....

In the distance to the south, Marisella could see the north end of Catalina, while Christine looked north, just making out the distant coastline leading to Santa Barbara in the coastal haze.

Marisella had been so engrossed watching the sea that she failed to notice two women arriving with juices, cookies, and sodas. I, on the other hand, out of habit had immediately turned to face them, moving protectively between Marisella and the servants... and was immediately embarrassed by my actions. I apologized to the two Latinas, and tried to explain.

"Señorita... do not worry, we are used to security people around here. My husband, Rico, was one for the general. It is all right. Just... please be careful around the children."

"Oh... thank you so much"

"You're quite welcome, señorita. Is this to your satisfaction? We can get something else, if you prefer."

"I'm so sorry... I don't know your names."

"I am Amelia, and she is Alina. They will tell you later how to contact us for whatever you may wish."

"I am Christine Rosatti and this is Marisella Vincenzi. They are Mimi and Delfina."

Marisella spoke up. "Please call me 'Sella."

She looked at the cart that had been rolled in. It had everything that she had asked for, and a few surprises, cookies from Italy and French style pastries.

"How did you know? Oh, these are magnificent. God, I haven't eaten in hours."

"Thank you, señorita. We'll be going now. If you require us right now, please use this call button on the cart."

Ready to attack the pastries, she motioned to the girls and me to join her.

I had a little orange juice but kept my appetite under control. It would not look good to embarrass myself in front of Signore Paolo's great friend. Where was he? Was he too busy to just come in and welcome us?

"Sella?" I asked.

"New country, new life, new name." Marisella, or Sella as she now wished to be called, picking up a small plate and putting several chocolate chip cookies on it, looked into the 'forest', amazed at both the beauty and the technical prowess necessary to create it.

**********

Sella....

At 9:45, we were greeted by Alessa. I felt a pang of guilt; I was envious of the tall, trim beautiful woman. Alessa was dressed in a pale blue silk blouse and a matching skirt. As she approached, though, we could see that she was also incredibly tired.

"Buonna mattina, signore. Come siete? Avete un volo piacevole dall'Italia? Sono Alessa Lane. "

"Is there something else that you would care for in particular, Signorina Marisella? Signorina Christine?"

I looked at Christine, who shook her head. "No, thank you very much. Please, call me 'Sella' now, I would like to, how you say it 're-invent' myself."

"I hope that your stay with us will be a fortunate, prosperous and hopefully long one. Please, please... sit down.

"Enjoy yourselves now, for self-sufficiency is the hallmark for us but later, you'll have to get your own cookies."

Christine looked at the American woman and realized that she had tried to make a joke.

"After we finish talking, we will be leaving for a shopping trip and some lunch. Given your long flight, I suppose that you are hungry and tired but, please, don't fill up on cookies and such, we'll be going to Beverly Hills.

"Christine, if you would be so kind as to go with Alina, she will help you get acclimated to our system here. I believe it is a bit more complicated than with Signore Vincenzi. Later, you will talk with Philip, our head of security. I'll be right back."

I left with the woman still wondering why no one had mentioned the missing colonel.

**********

Alessa....

I returned to the gallery to talk with Marisella and try to find something worthwhile for her to do. I thought she was very beautiful... Ever since Jimmy died, my attraction to women had come to the forefront. Did Maria cause a change in my outlook? or was it there all this time, just hiding beneath the surface like the great white shark in 'Jaws' waiting to chew me up?

Marisella was going to sit down when she noticed that I did not have any orange juice, and served the juice from the silver carafe. Dark hair framing her attractive features hinted at anxiety. She managed to look simultaneously attainable and out of reach... and yet, to my great relief, did not seem interested in the least. I did not need any problems with my new relationship with Maria.

She looked at me in expectation... she knew now that whatever I would require of her would be soon spelled out to the letter.

"I don't know what Zio Paolo has told you. Hopefully, he explained something of what he wished and what I would like to do." She sat still, looking at me with her deep brown eyes. I began to be aroused by the sight of her and closed my eyes for a moment, regaining my own composure. I was going crazy, I was sure of it.

I walked over to the high glass windows, watched a pelican slowly fly by, sipping the juice and staring at the Pacific, I proposed an arrangement.

"When I left you this morning, I spoke with your uncle in Italy. Evidently, he did not know what had happened which is why there was no one to meet you at the airport.

"Jimmy, the general, is dead. Your uncle didn't know."

"O Dio, I am so sorry," she said. "I am so embarrassed."

"Why did your uncle really want you to come here? He hinted at something before I told him that Jimmy was gone."

The poor woman turned a million shades of red. She obviously didn't want to talk about it but I would not let that pass. No one sends his niece and daughters half-way around the world on a whim.

"He wanted me to marry Jim... or be his putana... whatever it took." She buried her face in her hands and bent forward, sobbing.

Now, it was my turn to be incredibly uncomfortable. What was that old man thinking, using his niece like a common prostitute to trick Jimmy into marrying her?

I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. I was only a few years older than she was but there seemed a gap, not in age but in thought. The poor girl had been willing to do anything her uncle wanted. She was here, now and distance gives great power.

"When I explained what happened, your uncle asked me to teach you how to run a business and although he didn't specifically mention it, I am going to do this by offering you an intern position in management, with a possible future permanent position. You can learn with me while acting as my personal assistant for the various enterprises we have going here.

"Perhaps, you would like the situation. Is that all right with you? You can break the agreement and return to Italy anytime you wish. He told me what happened to you and Jimmy."

"Sì."

"Splendid. I am going to have a baby, Jimmy's baby and I'm going to need help in the office as the time approaches. I already have Michael working there and you can learn with him what is necessary and things like that.

"Good. I would require... no, that's the wrong word. I would expect you to shadow Michael and me throughout the day, learning what is necessary to make this place work... except when you are studying, of course.

"...at business meetings, facility tours, meals. Eventually, you and Christine, if she desires to stay here, will begin studies for an MBA... I have arranged for professors from USC and UCLA to tutor the both of you when the time is convenient, since our schedules here tend to be erratic.

"Although this seems like a lot right now, from what your uncle told me, I believe that you will be able to meet the challenge." I paused. "I'm not sure how this is sounding. If it works out and you and Christine become valued members here; I would share business opportunities under the same arrangements we have with everyone here.

"You will have some free time to do what you wish. As long as there is security with you can leave the building. You must be ready to drop everything and leave with me for anywhere in the world. Do you understand that? Are you still willing? This will be a very hard career... but, I believe with many benefits."

She nodded her head. "Yes, signorina, I do."

I turned away from the windows I had walked to and looked directly at her. "I believe that a hundred would be a fair compensation for what you are going to do here, with of course, plenty of incentive for advancement."

"A hundred?"

"A hundred thousand for the year, to start... does that seem agreeable?"

Shocked, she dropped the glass onto the floor, orange juice and glass shards everywhere. I was at her side immediately. "Are you hurt?"

"No, thank you. I will clean this up." She knelt and starting to mop up the juice with her linen napkin. She began to cry, head down, frantically trying to collect the pieces of broken crystal.

I knelt down on the floor. "Let me help you." After mopping up as best as we could, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, speed dialed and spoke into it. "I've had a little accident here in the Sequoia lounge... yes, I know, I'm a little clumsy today, I'm sorry... please send someone up... Yes, broken glass and some juice. Thank you."

Holding her with both hands on her shoulders, I looked into her eyes. "Don't cry... it's OK. We'll be going clothes shopping, so you might want to wash up after your long flight. I will see you in a short while, after I speak with Christine. Please be ready to leave in about 30 minutes or so, we'll meet in the reception area downstairs. I think that you'll find things can move rather quickly here.

"Listen, not many people, even the bravest, are willing to leave home permanently. You are very courageous. I'll see you soon."

"Grazie, Signorina Alessa. May I call you that? ...that is most kind of you. I would like to be known as Sella, if that's all right with you?"

"Why, of course. It's your name. Ah, here is Alina. See you in a short while." I kissed her on both cheeks in the European manner and then Alina took Sella back to her room, giving instructions on how to find the fire escapes.

I picked up the Irish linens full of broken glass and carefully put them into a wastebasket nearby. It would be too dangerous to try and removed the glass shards from the imported cloth.

I had to determine whether Christine would want to stay in service with us or return to Italy... or what? Of course, with Marisella, that is, Sella here with us, there probably wasn't a position to return to.

**********

Even for him, Michael's desk was unusually cluttered with computer flash drives and folders full of printouts. In his own mind, I thought, he had plenty of reasons to justify the untidiness.

He said my office was the symbol of neatness and efficiency and while I was continually amazed at his ability to reach into a foot high stack of papers, folders, maps or letters and pull out the exact information that he needed, he couldn't understand how I got anything done. Whatever his problems might be behind closed door, in the office he was incredible.

While I was finishing the comic pages in the Times, actually preferring the ones in the South Bay Daily Breeze more, there was a soft knock at the door. I rose to greet her.

"Christine... Come in, come in."

Noticing her slightly wet hair, I saw that she had taken the opportunity to shower and acknowledged her quickness.

"Would you like something to eat, something to drink, perhaps? We have some wonderful fruit salad, just in from our orchards north of here. I know you and ... Sella? Sella had something to snack on but it will be a while before we have lunch today."

"As you may have noticed, about half the staff here is military and work in their own wing across the way. Colonel Paras is the immediate commanding officer over there. I direct the commercial side.

"You need to get back to speaking English here as soon as possible. I know from your records you did one tour in Iraq in the Air Force for American military intelligence and one at the American embassy in Rome as an anti-terrorist liaison with the National Security Agency."

I put together a plate of fruit salad, adding extra strawberries and a side bowl of freshly whipped cream. Was I unconsciously flirting with her?

Setting the plates down on the desktop, I went to get some orange juice. What is it, I wondered, about these women and the orange juice? I know Paolo has to have orange juice. You'd think they never saw the stuff before! I'm going to askl and find out what's the deal.

"Christine, I hope that everything is comfortable for you. Are you both catching up with the time zones? We can postpone to this afternoon's little trip if you or Sella aren't up to it."

"Yes, ma'am; no ma'am... everything is wonderful. You said you wish to discuss some important matters with me."

"I am glad that everything is to your liking. We try to make life comfortable for everyone living here, although at times I ask for the impossible. Now, I need to know if you wish to remain here with Marisella, I mean Sella, or return to Italy, or what. If that is the case, I will need to find someone else for her."

"I would very much like to stay here... if you wish. Yes, I would like stay very much. I love California... and I love Marisella.

"I am very happy to hear that. I will inform Paolo of your decision... he told me that you were making one hundred thousand per year. Is that correct?"

"Oh, no, signorina... eh, Miss Lane. It was less than thirty-five, but it did not matter then nor does it matter now. I would stay with her for nothing... she is... my sister, now."

"Well, 'nothing' doesn't work here. Everyone earns their way and is paid an honest wage for accomplishment and loyalty. I believe that you will be indispensible and I'm always looking for intelligent people to work with us. Let us say one hundred thousand for the year to start, is that acceptable? Don't worry; you will be earning it and then some."

"Thank you."

"I'll have her visa and that of the girls' updated for permanent stay. If what I have planned works out and she wishes to, we can start on getting American citizenship... do you think she would like that? That's something to think about. No rush on that. Sound her out on it, though.

"Is there anything you need? In a few minutes, we're going shopping for suitable formal clothes, then lunch, and then some 'walking around' clothes. I've been told that you didn't bring anything other than a carry-on.

Your duties will be similar to those with Paolo, but we will do a lot of traveling... a lot of traveling. On any day, you have to be ready to go within a half-hour's notice, so put together tomorrow morning two travel bags for the both of you that would work for, say three days. Almost like back in the military... You will be given laptops also... they must always be with you, or within quick reach.

"Make sure that you both have your passports with you at all times, there will come times when we will have to leave from somewhere else... if we stay anywhere longer than that, we'll get something there.

"Mark your calendar, Wednesday, early morning, December 19th; we'll be leaving for Hawaii, say out of here by 05:30... sort of a working Christmas vacation, shall we say. I don't know what may arise in the meantime, but this is locked in. Pass that on to Sella. Do you surf? I'm told the Christmas waves are fantastic.