Chapter 17

Alex gives me a tour of his countryside home, and surprisingly, it’s quite homey. Initially, I envisioned crystal chandeliers, a winding staircase, marble countertops laced with gold running through it. But, to my pleasant surprise, his country home is very warm and welcoming, with a light, airiness to it. Sunlight pours through the windows, filling up the house with a warm glow. It’s decorated with casual, traditional furniture and fabric. No glass or metal in this home. No stainless steel appliances. In fact, he even has a retro, 1950’s style, pastel blue refrigerator.

“It came with the house when I purchased it,” Alex informs me. “I liked it so much, I decided to keep it. Wilson tinkered with it, got it working properly again.”

Wilson, who I met earlier, maintains the property while Alex is away. Early sixties, with kind brown eyes and an easy smile, he looks after the property well. Alex tells me Wilson has always looked after the estate and takes care of the place as if it’s his own.

Wilson leaves, waving good-bye in his truck, and Alex continues the tour, showing me the property grounds. We walk along a stone path, leading us around to the back of the house. Lush, green ivy climbs the sides of the stone walls. We stroll past pink and white rose bushes, the blooms in full, their scent filling the air. Alex unlatches the gate to a sparkling blue swimming pool.

We walk together, hand in hand, strolling past the pool, to the back gate, which has a very large lock on the latch. Alex fishes out a key, unlocking the gate. He opens the door and laid out before me are acres and acres of rolling pasture as far as the eye can see. I stand still, not wanting to blink, trying to burn the image before me into my brain forever.

“Glorious, isn’t it?” Alex says. “Even after all these years, I’m still left speechless every time I see this view.”

I reach for Alex’s hand, gazing at him while he admires the view, seeming to be lost in thought. After a few moments, Alex turns towards me, grinning from ear to ear. “Come with me. I’ve saved the best for last.” He gently pulls my hand, leading the way.

We walk along the rolling green pasture, a light breeze blowing, feeling the sun’s warmth. “Oh, how lovely!” I exclaim, pointing to a wooden barn with white trim. I smile – another reminder of back home in Georgia.

Alex unlatches the lock, pushing one of the sliding barn doors open, then the other. Its pitch black inside. He switches the overhead lights on, flooding the barn with bright light. The first thing I see is the shiny, dark red floor of the barn. Then – the cars. Not just any cars, either. Parked inside the barn are three vintage sports cars. All parked alongside each other. All sparkling, glittering, polished to perfection. It’s a car fanatics dream come true.

My jaw drops. “Holy shit!”

Alex bursts out laughing. “I’m glad you’re impressed.”

“I was impressed with the Porsche. But, this is…...incredible. Where did you get these cars?” I ask, barely able to contain myself.

“I know a gentleman who specializes in restoring vintage and classic cars. Cars like this have always appealed to me, so when I was able to, I started my collection.”

And what a collection it is. I walk around to the first car, a hunter green 1961 Jaguar E type. “The Jag was my first purchase,” Alex tells me. “Fully restored, runs like a dream.”

We walk over to the other two cars, a silver 1956 Mercedes SL 300, and a navy blue 1961 Ferrari 250 GT. Alex gives me a bit of history on each car, and while doing so I can feel the happiness and joy that he gets from his vintage car collection.

“I’m sure people love coming over to see your collection,” I gush.

“Maybe people would love to view it, but no one has. No one is allowed in here, not even Wilson. You’re the only person who has seen it.”

“Are you serious? No one?” I ask, slightly taken aback.

“No one.”

“Why me?”

He shrugs. “This home is my retreat, a place for me to get away from everyone and everything. I never wanted anyone here with me before. Then I met you and…..” he paused, seeming to struggle to find the right words. “Everything changed.”

“Alex……” I’m at a loss for words. I fall into his arms, and we hold each other tightly. I pull back, my hands cradling his head, our eyes fixed steadily on each other, and I realize I don’t need to say anything.

Alex reaches down and tenderly wipes a single tear away from the corner of my eye. “Let’s go back inside. Looking at cars makes me famished,” he says, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Me, too,” I reply, laughing softly. Alex locks up the barn, and we stroll back to the house, taking our time, stopping to watch the sun set.

Caprice was on fire tonight. Bellisimo’s was packed, the drinks were pouring, and the money was flowing. Flowing right into Caprice’s thong. She felt fantastic, and looked even better. Sergio had fucked her before work, taking her from behind, her favorite position. She climaxed fast, Sergio’s hands all over her breasts, his ten inch cock filling her up completely. Then she sucked him off, just how he likes it. Sucking Sergio always turned her on, this time being no different. Caprice was feeling the afterglow, tingling from head to toe.

She surveyed the action tonight, her eyes scanning the room. Caprice had been working for only an hour when she saw Sergio saunter into the club. Caprice smiled slyly, narrowing her eyes as she watched Sergio talk to the club manager. She noticed he had been coming to Bellisimo’s more often the past few weeks. Sergio said he just wanted to make sure the club was running smoothly, wanted to ensure the manager was doing his job. Bullshit, thought Caprice. She knew he wanted to keep an eye on her and the men that paid to see her. Sergio was your typical Italian man – possessive, controlling, and jealous. Caprice knew she could manipulate Sergio by using those traits against him and thereby getting what she wanted.

Caprice worked the pole, wrapping her long legs around it, arching her back, slowly sliding down to the stage floor. She tossed her long dark hair, grabbed the pole, and brought herself up off the floor, ass on display, the tip of her tongue gliding over the silver pole in a most suggestive way. Every man stood up and cheered loudly, clapping and whistling. They couldn’t get enough of Caprice. She glanced at Sergio out of the corner of her eye, knowing he was monitoring her every move.

She danced seductively, grinding her way around the stage in her sparkly white six-inch platforms, showing off her body, reveling in the attention, while the men stuffed money down her silky white lace thong. It was going to be a very good night for Caprice.

* * *

“Cazzo!! E li fuori, dove cazzo e?” Sergio yelled into the phone. He was not happy. The man he had hired to track Alex McCall was not doing his job as well as he had promised. This upset Sergio – highly. People received special surprises from Sergio when he became upset. Like bullets in their brains or knives slicing into their throat.

“Where is he?” demanded Sergio, his voice ice cold.

The man on the other end of the line spoke quickly, trying to make Sergio understand. “He is out of the city with the blonde woman. They left her flat at two o’clock pm, Friday afternoon. He approached the A40. I would have been easily spotted by McCall if I continued to follow him on the motorway. I could not take that chance.”

Sergio listened to the man, and grudgingly accepted his excuse. Sergio did not want to take any unnecessary chances. He was prepared to take his time with McCall, if need be. Sergio wanted everything to go according to plan – no fuck ups.

Sergio, his composure regained, placed the phone down quietly. He poured himself a drink and walked outside to the balcony overlooking the pool. Sergio lived in a lavish, three-story, eight bedroom villa outside of Naples, situated along the Amalfi Coast, with stunning views of the sea and mountains. Villa Isabella, he called it, named after his mother. He had a staff of maids and butlers to attend to his every need – almost every need. Caprice attended to the others. Sergio also had a team of bodyguards surrounding the villa at all times.

It was midnight when he had returned home from Bellisimo’s, the club in full swing. Sergio was not in the best of moods. The reason? Caprice. Sexy, gorgeous Caprice. He watched her on stage earlier tonight, his eyes glued to her while she performed. Sergio thought she was the most alluring woman he had ever met. The way she moved her body made his cock stand to attention like no other woman ever before. Of course, he’d had plenty of women, but there was something about Caprice - she was different. She was seductive and erotic, with a wild magnetism about her. Sergio wanted Caprice all to himself. Sergio thought he had been extremely understanding about her dancing, allowing her to continue to perform. But enough was enough. Caprice was his. It was becoming more and more difficult for Sergio to sit back and do nothing while she pushed her tits and ass in other men’s faces for money.

The more Sergio thought about it, the more angry and frustrated he became. Caprice would do as he said. Everybody did if they knew what was good for them.

The man was relieved to get off the phone with Sergio. He knew Sergio wasn’t going to like what he had to report. Tough shit. Greasy, Italian motherfucker, he thought. He would take his time with McCall and the blonde if he needed to. He wasn’t going to put himself in any situation where his cover might be blown. The man had put too much time and energy on it for him to take any unnecessary chances. Besides, he’d already gotten half the money up front. Not that he was doing this for the money. No, money was not the motivation. Something much more powerful and consuming than money. This was about revenge.

He knew that with McCall he would have to take his time, working carefully and methodically. Otherwise, if McCall got even a slight whiff of anything suspicious happening, he would go underground, never to be found again.

The man knew all of McCall’s tricks. He would know - many years ago, in what seemed like another lifetime, he had worked side by side with Alex McCall.