The next time I saw Ricco I was hanging upside down.
On the silks.
Blood rushing to my head, my pink leotard riding up my rear. I have to say, he looked just as gorgeous from this position as right side up.
Maybe even more so.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
My whole body responded to his animal magnetism when he walked in. Pushed me to the edge. The muscles in my neck twitched, but I didn’t care. I wanted to hang here forever with the silks wrapped around my waist and thighs and stare at him. He could skin me alive and I wouldn’t move.
If I hadn’t had enough excitement for one morning after receiving the royal note, getting an eyeful of him almost made me lose my grip.
I let down my defenses in spite of myself, drinking him in. I was sorry I never got to see him swing that hammer, but this eye candy was worth it. I drooled over his sexy abs outlined against his T-shirt wet from sweat, muscles rippling under his tanned skin. His strong angular jaw line emphasized his longish dark hair tied back with a leather strap, making his good looks all the more mysterious.
I swayed back and forth in ecstasy, the gentle AC blowing cool air in my face, my long hair swirling around my shoulders like I was a mermaid swimming under the sea. Still, Ricco made no indication that he’d seen me as he rolled long flats of scenery on wheels into the big tent where the performers had gathered for morning rehearsal.
I wasn’t the only girl zoned out watching him. Every female in the tent noticed him. Smiling and flirting, they gathered around him like flies on sticky buns, trying to get his attention. Including my teammates. I wasn’t surprised to see Sloan and Katee making a play for him. Even Finley couldn’t resist poking her nose around him to check out what was going on.
And me?
I hung upside down from the silks in a straddle-up position—flipped upside down with my legs spread in a wide V-shape—gawking at him like a kid taking in the wonder of a virtual realty comic book hero. He was built solid, broad shoulders. But it was his hands that caught my eye. He really had great hands. Hands that could do magic, but more importantly, I wanted to feel them wrapped around my waist again. Fairy tales can come true, they say, so I’m not giving up—
Oops! That yummy thought cost me. My foot caught in the silk and I twirled around in an endless circle. Not so happy to be twirling like a top, I raised myself to an upright position, giving my abdominal muscles a major workout, just in time to see Ricco grab a pair of handcuffs out of his jeans pocket. I grinned. No doubt to entertain the ladies. I knew his game. This wasn’t your usual stud move. This was a I’m-a-super-cool-dude-and-you-want-an-excuse-to-check-me-out-so-here-it-is move.
He pointed to Katee to inspect the handcuffs to make sure they weren’t fake. She couldn’t stop grinning. The pretty ballerina spun around in a perfect pirouette to show her pleasure at being chosen and then fastened the cuffs on him.
And snapped them shut.
Ricco raised his cuffed hands like a gladiator wooing the crowd and then turned around to show everyone in the tent the locked cuffs. Then he turned back to the adoring group of women drooling over him.
And presto!
He slipped the cuffs off his hands and twirled them around on his fingers, basking in the sighs and praise falling from every pair of glossed female lips.
“So sexy!”
“Gimme more . . . please!”
“I think I’m in love . . .”
Jealousy made me wrinkle my brow. So, that was his game. Get the pretty girls eating out of his hand by doing magic tricks. Like he did for Emma and me. And I fell for it. My instincts alerted me to a danger about him that made me wary. I changed positions on the silks, wrapping the silks around my waist and my right foot to maintain control while I stretched my other leg out in a graceful move, but not before I saw him wave at me.
Suddenly the estrogen in the tent exploded like a mad splatter of reds and yellows and blues. A tempest unleashed when Ricco left his adoring groupies and headed toward me. I swear I heard a collective sigh. And then jealous groans.
“You’re even more beautiful than I remembered, bella,” he called up to me. A sudden hush filled the tent, everyone waiting to hear what happened next. “I could think of nothing but you all morning.”
“Oh?” I could barely get the word out.
“Si. I was hoping for another reward for finding your sister.”
“You were?”
“It was most pleasant.”
“Oh.”
Jeez, what was it with my one-syllable answers? Then I knew. Every woman without fifty feet was hanging onto every word of our conversation. Including Sloan and the other girls from my team. No eyelash flutter. No lip wetting. No bra adjustments. Just good old fashioned female snoopy time with me as the object of their curiosity.
I wasn’t going to let Ricco get away with putting me on the spot. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ah, now you’re angry, bella. I apologize if I’ve upset you.”
Oh, he was enjoying this at my expense.
“Upset me?” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not upset.” I flipped back into a straddle-up. “I’m upside down.”
There. Make a joke. Do something to take the female heat off me.
Ricco didn’t move an inch. If anything, he spread his legs, arms folded. Like he intended to stay a while. I let out a sigh. This was not going well. I was supposed to be practicing my aerial act on the silks. Not sparring with a guy who could get docked a day’s pay for flirting with me.
Who knows how the gossip mill worked over here? I liked him. Liked him a lot and I didn’t want to get him in trouble even if he did try to make me jealous. He was taking a chance on someone reporting him since the rehearsal was open to the public. A premonition circled in my brain, as elusive as waiting for a sign of approval from the audience when my timing was off, but there just the same.
Playtime was over.
“Okay, Ricco, you did your trick,” I called out, getting into a new position. “Now it’s my turn!”
Dangling from the big top, I arched my back and did a split, stretching every muscle to the max as I let my body invert. Then I hung upside down and reached behind me and grabbed my left foot with both hands. I have a strong core from years of practice, but it also takes flexibility and agility to get the moves down. I always feel like I’m defying gravity, twirling around in a circle, the silks flying around me like comet tails. Next, I twisted the fabric around my ankles, wrists, waist, thighs, moving up and down the silks like I was a caterpillar. Then I hung upside down, my knees to my chest, and wrapped the silks around my upper body, covering my head. I flipped over and emerged like a butterfly, the silks flowing around me like beautiful wings.
I was determined to show him I was a professional and if I’d had a weak moment and kissed him, it wouldn’t affect my performance. I still couldn’t figure out what his job was at the festival. With his physique, he could moonlight as a bodyguard. He sure kept a sharp eyeball on the pretty girls. I could never hope that he’d be interested in me. I consoled myself by remembering I was on a mission to keep my little family intact, but I admit I was jealous watching the other girls flirt with him.
I found him first, I wanted to shout.
Next, I hung upside down from the silks with my arms free, the fabric billowing out from my body like long ribbons curling on a breeze. I blew kisses when everyone applauded as I swung back and forth. Ricco pretended to catch a kiss and then threw it back to me.
“I got my reward after all!” he joked, and the women ate it up.
In a dumb way, I felt proud of myself for keeping his attention, but now it was time to show them what I can really do.
Or was I trying to impress the handsome magician?
I pulled myself to an upright position and grabbed the silks, and then climbed up the fabric ribbons to the top of the big tent. There I hung suspended in one graceful pose after another, everything from the teardrop, then the splits, and my fave, the candy cane rollup with my back arched and one leg straight out wrapped in red silk like a candy cane, my toe pointed.
Lost in my world high above the ring, I feel engulfed in the heady perfume of confidence. Here I can be anybody, do anything. I don’t have that kind of confidence when my feet touch the ground. Then I’m just a girl from South Philly. I struggle to pay my bills every month, always have even when Dad was alive, and I’ve accepted the fact I can’t go to college. I don’t think I’m that great looking, so I have no idea what Ricco sees in me, especially with so many pretty girls hanging around him.
Up here, everything’s different. It’s hard to explain, but I feel pretty as a princess when I’m doing my routine on the silks. A wild, freeing emotion takes over me and I feel like I have a chance with a guy like him. I know it’s only temporary, but I own the air.
Why not impress him with a daring drop move?
I slipped the silk between my legs to get into position when I saw something out of the corner of my eye—
A chill hit me. Then acute dizziness. My God, what was it?
I held onto the silks tighter, tried to get my bearings. Must be jet lag. And too much coffee. How much sugar did Savannah put into that espresso? I knew the Georgia girl was just trying to help, pumping me up with her baked goodies and sugary delights, but I couldn’t stop the swirl of red silk going round and round in front of my eyes, making me anxious and somewhat fearful. So much so, I nearly slipped when I tried to execute the freefall.
I caught myself in time.
My God, what’s happening to me?
A different mood came over me then, made me shiver as I pulled myself up and hung motionless in the air, trying to clear my head. I could hear my own breathing up here in the quiet of the big top. Shallow and fast. Performing high above the ground wasn’t without its risks. How many times had I wondered if I’d know just before I took my last breath? Inhaling, holding it in, then the unthinkable—
Dropping fifty feet to the ground.
Sweat poured out of me. Why was I having these horrible thoughts? I knew the answer. It wasn’t too much sugar in my espresso.
It was that woman wearing the floppy hat and rain boots.
I was right. She followed me here. I saw her out of the corner of my eye and it shook me up, deflated my confidence.
I looked over to where I’d seen her, but she was gone.
I climbed down the silks slowly, no fancy moves, but I couldn’t shake off the bad vibe that she was stalking me.
* * * * *
“Are you okay, bella?”
Ricco was beside me in a heartbeat, holding the silks for me.
“I’m good,” I said, not wanting to look like an amateur, not only in front of him, but my peers and the village folks and tourists who’d come to watch the rehearsal. I needed to sit for a moment, but I was careful not to sit with my back to the ring. It was bad luck.
“I’d never forgive myself if my brashness upset you.”
“You didn’t embarrass me, Ricco, I can usually do that myself.” I gave him a silly grin to throw him off kilter. The last thing I wanted was to look scared, so I didn’t mention the woman in the weird getup following me here.
He put his arm around my shoulder. Oh, God did he have to do that?
“Please,” he whispered in my ear, “I must speak with you. It’s important.”
“Go ahead,” I said, waving to the females moseying around, waiting for the next scene in our Monterran drama. “Everybody’s listening.”
“No, not here.”
“Afraid your groupies won’t like it?” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice, which surprised me. I’m not that way with people, but I was stuck on this guy. Bad. And it worried me.
He gave me a sly look. “Are you jealous?”
“Me?” I feigned shock. “I’m here to perform for Their Royal Highnesses and do my best for the USA. With rehearsal and working out, I don’t have time for anything else.”
“What a pity. I was hoping I could convince you to dine with me. Our Pasta Fiorelli dishes are famous throughout Europe.”
Ravioli. Was he kidding? God, I inhale it.
“Cheese-filled with spinach, chicken, and herbs,” he continued, “or if you prefer, beef with garlic oozing with rosemary in meat sauce.”
He was killing me and he knew it. I had to drool, it didn’t cost anything to drool. My mouth started salivating until I thought about how much those expensive pasta pillows would set him back. More than what I make in a day. Looking at his scuffed boots and worn jeans, and though I loved ogling his chest peeking through his ripped T-shirt, I doubted he could afford more than a ham and cheese panini. Then again if I went out with him, I could strike “dating the most gorgeous man I’d ever met” off my bucket list. That alone should give me permission to say yes.
I twisted my leotard strap, pulling on it, wanting to do it, but holding back. I’m always stressing to my sister how we have to be professional while we’re here and not do anything that would draw attention to us. And now I want to go on a date with the most gorgeous guy on the planet?
Emma wouldn’t understand me dating. I’ve told her again and again nothing would ever take me away from her. That I’d never do what my mother did.
Abandon her family. Completely. Forever.
C’mon, it’s only dinner. Say yes before he changes his mind.
“I have to check my rigging,” I said, stalling for more time to convince my inner self I’d never get a chance like this again.
Rrring . . .
Ricco grabbed his cell from his jeans pocket and scanned the Caller ID. He turned to me, regret in his dark eyes. “Scusa, signorina, I must take this.” Then he did something that had me standing on my tippy toes. He lifted my chin with his hand, like he wanted to kiss me. A long moment passed between us as he locked gazes with me. I wish I could read his mind, but all I saw was a man with a question in his eyes and I was dying to know what it was. His phone kept ringing. A magical cell phone ringtone that would haunt me forever.
Finally, he answered it. “Pronto,” I heard him say, then he was off, speaking in rapid Italian, taking long strides and exiting the tent.
I let out a breath. The magical moment was gone. And with it my date with the Monterran Stud.
Oh, fudge.
“I see you’re old friends with Ricco,” Sloan said, handing me a towel. I needed it. I always work up a sweat up there under the hot lights, but today my hormones pushed my sweat glands to the max. It was Ricco’s fault, but I wasn’t complaining.
Sloan waited for my answer.
“I bumped into him at the train station when we arrived,” I said in what I hoped was a casual tone.
“Lucky you.” She grinned, but I knew she was waiting for more. No go. I didn’t elaborate how he helped me find Emma. I’m very protective of my sister and I don’t want people to think she can’t take care of herself. She can’t, but no one has to know that but me.
“That’s all there is to it, Sloan,” I insisted. “Nothing more.”
“That’s not what I saw.”
“What do you mean?” I said, all innocent-like.
“That look he gave you. The pure joy on his face watching you on the silks. We were all jealous.”
So he was watching me. That secretly pleased me.
“He’s just being nice.”
“Be careful, Afton, he’s a heartbreaker.”
“You know him?”
“Who doesn’t? He’s the festival’s main attraction.”
“What? That can’t be true,” I said, my brain not computing this newsflash. “He’s a construction worker, putting up the tents, bringing in the scenery. You saw him earlier working on the sets.”
“Maybe, but from what I understand, everyone in Monterra volunteers to help out with the festival set-up.” She gave me a sly look. “Everyone, no matter who they are.”
“Then who is he?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Your sexy admirer, Afton, is a master illusionist known all over Europe for his skills both on and off stage.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No, I knew he did magic tricks, but I didn’t know he was a professional magician.”
“Not just magic tricks. He scores big with the ladies in the romance department and then dumps them.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“No?” she said, smirking. “There was a big scandal a while back when he dumped a Russian princess.”
A princess? I gawked at her. Then what was he doing with me? A South Philly girl with a phony tiara.
“Oh,” was all I could say. I slumped down into a ball. I wanted to hide.
“Believe me, Afton,” Sloan said, her voice cracking, “he’s just another Monterran royal who leaves behind a trail of broken hearts.”
I didn’t like the sound of this. My stomach did flip-flops and made me wish I hadn’t eaten so many of Savannah’s upside down apple buns. “What do you mean, he’s a Monterran royal?”
She gripped me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eye to make sure I understood. “My dear innocent, you’ve been flirting with the most notorious man in Monterra.”
“What?” I gulped.
“You call him Ricco,” she said, “but his official title is Count Ricciardo Carolini de Alessi.”
“He’s a royal? You’re kidding me?”
She shook her head. “He’s the fifth cousin of Prince Nico on his father’s side.”
“No way!” I blurted out, getting sicker by the minute. It couldn’t be true.
But it was. Ricco played me and I fell for it.