Breathless by Celeste Bradley

Author:Celeste Bradley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter Sixteen

Barcelona

Brenna wasn’t an idiot. She knew exactly what was happening and that she was allowing it to happen. With this fun-loving romp through Barcelona, she and Fitch had crossed another line. Only a little more than a week ago they’d been Twitter adversaries. Then, with the help of a few random encounters and some negotiation, they’d decided to become professional collaborators.

Today, they were almost friends.

By now it was clear that she’d severely underestimated Fitch Wilder. College degree or no, he possessed a fine mind, and she’d been impressed by how quickly he made connections and saw patterns in research data. He was far more knowledgeable about art than she’d assumed, and had a wide understanding of history, politics, culture, and human nature. The man could—and did—strike up a conversation with anyone.

Just moments ago, while they were sightseeing on the breezy rooftop of architect Antonin Gaudi’s La Pedrera, Fitch had volunteered to take photos of a group of Italian tourists. The encounter had evolved into a vibrant conversation filled with laughter and backslapping, and now Fitch was motioning for her to join in on the fun. With a big smile, he pulled her into the circle.

“Believe it or not, we have mutual acquaintances,” he told her, rattling off everyone’s Italian names with ease. “And this is my colleague, Dr. Brenna Anderson. She’s a professor of sociology at Harvard University.” Approving nods and smiles made the rounds. Brenna greeted everyone.

The patriarch of the group reached for her hand and raised it to his mustachioed lips. “It is my extreme pleasure, Professor.”

Massachusetts, this was not.

Later, she and Fitch stood at the railing along the rooftop’s undulating edge, appreciating Gaudi’s strange and beautiful structure. The mansion-cum-apartment building was designed in 1910 by the inventor of Catalonian Modernism. Gaudi’s creation was known for an organic, wavy exterior and an interior accented by decorative ceramics and elaborately forged wrought iron. The roof was populated with stairway exits, skylights, curved archways, and rows of chimneys in vaguely humanoid—and phallic—forms.

Brenna couldn’t hold in her commentary any longer. “Perhaps the Spanish are oversexed by nature. Perhaps they’re simply crying out from behind the wall of religious repression. Regardless, Barcelona doesn’t even try to hide its preoccupation with genitalia.”

Fitch leaned his elbows on the railing and chuckled. “Please continue, Professor. I think I’m about to discover what one of your lectures is like.”

Brenna glanced his way out of the corner of her eye. “All right. Let’s start with the obvious. This entire building is nothing but lusty female curves and orifices, topped off by phallic structures of every conceivable size and shape. Frankly, I believe there’s something on this roof for everybody.”

Fitch nodded in agreement. “You’ve got a point.”

“And look.” Brenna pointed northeast to the Torre Agbar, the giant blue skyscraper with a rounded top that towered over the city center. “Just in case you haven’t yet gotten your fill of phalli, there’s always the giant one-eyed trouser snake in the city center.”

Fitch looked where she was pointing and burst out laughing.

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