City of Illusions by Judith Works

Author:Judith Works [Works, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Published: 2014-11-25T00:00:00+00:00

Laura and Derrick frequently shared lunch at one of the restaurants and bars along the Viale Aventino or met for drinks after work. She knew she would eventually succumb to his pleadings even though he wasn’t someone she would ever have dreamed of being attracted to in Seattle. Too old, married, and in control of her fate in Italy. But he was solicitous, knowledgeable, and the epitome of European sophistication. There was no one else who took an interest in her and she needed someone to confide in, to help her at work and with the complexities of expatriate life in Italy. Jake was not, and she now saw, would never be that man.

One day when disillusionment with her marriage sunk her mood to its lowest ebb, she agreed to meet him at a hotel. The room was luxurious and Derrick an expert lover. Her thoughts about whether he really cared about her dissolved in a blur of pleasure. She didn’t need to make a pretense of enjoying the event as she did with Jake on the rare occasions they had sex.

But after they both were satisfied, Derrick groaned loudly. He was panting and red-faced, looking like a strong candidate for a heart attack.

“Are you all right? You were wonderful.”

“No worry, girl, I’m just out of practice. And there’s a pill bottle in my jacket. Can you get it?”

Laura was alarmed. Maybe he had a heart condition, although he didn’t appear that old. What were the pills for? What if he keeled over? She had read novels about men dying in the arms of their mistresses. The story sounded romantic, but the reality would be a nightmare. She grabbed the pill bottle and a glass of water before putting on her clothes.

Whatever was in the medication restored him enough to call room service for champagne to celebrate. Laura was amazed at his gratitude. Maybe his marriage resembled hers, with an uncaring, undemonstrative partner. Love certainly played no part in their meetings. He had never uttered the word and she didn’t expect it and could not respond with her own declaration if asked. He wasn’t lovable.

The room service attendant rolled in a table with the bottle in a bucket of ice and two flutes. Derrick poured with unsteady hands, spilling a few drops as they touched the rims of the glasses in a tribute to their new arrangement. But the words adultery and assignation expanded in her mind, blotting out the luxury of the suite and the pleasure of their encounter.

“My dear,” he said with a small bow. “We’ll make this a regular event, eh? I have an apartment just up the hill from the office. So much more convenient.”

“I don’t know, Derrick. Life is complicated right now.” She inspected her hands, turning them over and back as if she could divine her future from the pattern of veins and creases.

He kissed her wrists, saying, “Ah, yes, life’s complications. We all have them. Don’t I know.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.