I Trucchi Nell'Amore

    Lucia cried as her new husband’s movements sent her plummeting over the edges of ecstasy into the sinking depths of passion.

    The man above her, Amato, only went a little further before he too was brought to fulfillment, shuddering with the feelings of love that overwhelmed his body and poured into his new wife. He rolled off of her to the side and, propping his head on one elbow, kissed her forehead tenderly.

    “Worth the wait?” she asked teasingly once she’d caught her breath, pulling her long and soft raven-colored hair out of her face.

    “Dear Lord, yes, Lucia.” He smirked. “Or perhaps I should say Mrs. Serafin?”

    Lucia giggled while rolling onto her side, her hands playing over his tanned chest. “You just love saying that don’t you?”

    “Absolutely.” He nuzzled the top of her head playfully. Then he looked down at her, his gray eyes sparkling with admiration. “I love you, my sweet.”

    She looked back at him with eyes like sapphires, her expression happy as could be. “I love you too honey. And now we can be together forever.”

    “Forever is a long time, dearling. But I couldn’t think of anyone I’d want to spend it with more than you.”

    The two of them moved closely together and held one another in their marriage bed. After knowing and loving each other for six long years, since she was fifteen and he two more, Amato Serafin, heir to Serafin Inc., was wed to Lucia Fabbro, the daughter of a factory worker and a seamstress. While Amato’s family had easily sent him to the finest private school possible, Lucia’s parents had scrimped and saved since she entered middle school to be able to afford her tuition. Lucia hadn’t thought it necessary, feeling that an ordinary school would suffice for her.

    Ever since that day in her second year though, she had thanked her parents endlessly for all of the hard work they’d put into giving her such an education; not for the education itself, but for the opportunity to meet the young man that would steal her heart.

    “So, think you want to consummate once again?” Amato asked playfully after they’d sat in silence for a time.

    She giggled evilly and looked up at him. “Nope, once every six years is all you get,” she teased, pecking his lips innocently.

    Amato gave a false, almost sarcastic laugh. “You make me wait six years for the first time only to tell me I have to go through that again?”

    “That’s right.”

    “I think not little one. You are my wife now and I will do with you as I please.”

    “Oh will you?” she challenged him.

    Amato was more than eager to accept. He rolled back on top of her, pinning her hands in his above her head, and placed a tender, passionate kiss upon her lips. “Indeed I will my love.” From then on she was putty in his hands, giving into him endlessly until they seemed to pass out from their love making in the late hours of the early morning.

*          *          *          *          *

    Sunlight shone over the sleeping male figure through the window by the bed. It rested upon the mop of jet-black hair atop his head and played across his face, slowly seeping into the tightly closed lids of his eyes and eventually prying them apart, revealing the bright gray orbs.

    Amato Serafin rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as he awoke. He stretched his tired limbs before feeling around the bed in search of the woman he’d married last night.

    “Lucia?” he asked curiously when he couldn’t find her. His eyes finally opened completely and he sat up to find the bed empty other than himself. “Where is she?” he wondered, looking over at the clock. It was passed noon, there was no way the girl he knew and loved so dearly would be awake that early.

    The door to the bedroom of the honeymoon suite opened and for a moment Amato thought he’d be relieved to see her walking in. But, alas, it was a boy that entered the room.

    “About time you woke up,” the boy said pleasantly. He had short golden-brown hair and honey colored eyes, looked to be about Amato’s age, and wore faded jeans, a white collared shirt, and a gray sports coat. “Some wedding that was. Thanks again for making me best man. I’ll have to return the favor one day; if I can ever settle on just one that is.”

    “Miele?” Amato asked, pulling the sheets more around his nude form as his best friend entered the room. “What are you doing her? Have you seen Lucia?”

    Miele tilted his head, still smiling pleasantly – a little too pleasantly. “Who knows?”

    “Maledicalo, don’t toy with me Miele,” Amato cursed bitterly. He had known this boy since they were both only three, back when their fathers were still at war with one another, and he knew that when Miele Diavolo smiled that way it meant he was up to no good. “Where is Lucia?”

    Miele chuckled a little as he walked around the bed and sat down in a cushy armchair by the window. “How long has it been since our fathers stopped feuding?”

    Amato scoffed. “I wasn’t aware the feud was over,” he said in an annoyed tone. “But I assume you mean how long has it been since their rivalry became somewhat of a friendly one, so I’d have to say four years.”

    “Four years since we were able to be best friends without worrying about what our families said,” he went on reminiscing, twirling his finger in the drapes by his head. “But you have to wonder if all the resentment our fathers had for one another really vanished in these four years. Of course neither would admit it, but they really have become almost as close as you and I. Still, one has to wonder, what if one of them isn’t so friendly as the other?”

    “Quit rambling,” Amato finally shouted. “You still haven’t answered my question about where Lucia is.”

    “I haven’t?” Miele asked innocently. “Were you not listening to me?”

    Amato ground his teeth impatiently.

    “Tense aren’t we? I would’ve thought after last night you’d be the most relaxed man alive,” Miele teased. “But getting back to your question, allow me to make it more simple. If one of our fathers really did still have the feelings they both once shared, still wanted to do what they could to strike down the other in any way…” His eyes narrowed, and he looked directly at Amato. “What if they tried to accomplish this by hurting someone near them?”

    Amato thought for a moment, hard as it was with the mood he was in. Then he gasped, thinking he’d figured it out. “Are you saying that your father…”

    “Who knows?” Miele replied with a shrug and a casual smile.

    “You know! Why are you going along with him?”

    “Who’s to say I am?” Miele asked in that same casual tone. “Do you really think it would be wise of me to deny father outright, with everything I could lose? No, no, it’s a much wiser plan to go along with him for now and work things out from the inside. Where are you going?”

    Tired of listening to his friend’s rambling, Amato had gotten out of bed and was in the process of dressing. “I’m going to see my old man,” he said, zipping his black jeans and looking for a shirt. “It may benefit you to just sit there, but not me. If your father intends to put up a fight I will not hesitate to get the authorities involved; this is a kidnapping after all.” He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his socks and shoes.

    “You always were a hothead,” Miele teased.

    “Vada all’Inferno,” Amato spat as he strode passed his friend and out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

    Miele remained seated in his chair, smiling his devilish smile. He listened as his emotional friend stomped across the other room of the honeymoon suite and out. Once he was alone, he retrieved his phone from the inside pocket of his sports coat. Pressing the redial, he brought the device to his ear and waited until a voice on the other end greeted him. “I did my part,” he said.

    “Of course he was upset…”

    “Fuming…”

    “Cute isn’t the word I’d use. How do you think he’ll react when it’s over?”

    “Ha! That sounds about right…”

    “Why? I guess to see the look on his face…”

    “All right, I’ll get ready for the next step…”

    “Ciao…” He hung up and looked out the window behind his chair. “If I have to be alone on this day I might as well have a little fun,” he chuckled to himself.

*          *          *          *          *

    Lauro Serafin was less than happy to say the least. He’d been in the middle of a meeting of grave importance when his son had burst into the room, demanding to speak to him immediately. After several minutes of arguing he had conceding and returned with the boy to his office. There his mood went from bad to worse upon receiving the news that his long-time-enemy-now-friend Piacevole Diavolo had kidnapped his first daughter-in-law on the day after her wedding.

    “I’m getting right to the bottom of this,” he fumed, dialing the phone on his desk frivolously. “Hello,” he said when the secretary on the other end answered. “This is Lauro Serafin, I need to speak with Mr. Diavolo immediately.” There was a long silence. Finally, “I don’t buy that he’s in a meeting crap.” He listened to the secretary only a moment longer before losing his temper and slamming the phone back down.

    “If he won’t talk I’m going to the authorities,” Amato stated, rising from his chair.

    “Not yet,” his father said. “Let me try a more direct approach.” He picked the phone back up and dialed a different number. He waited while the phone rang, and when it connected said, “Piacevole? We need to talk.”

    “Don’t play dumb with me…”

    “Of course I mean that. What are you thinking?”

    “Oh really…”

    “All right, if that’s how you want to play things…”

    “You’re on then,” he said before hanging up the phone.

    “Well?” Amato asked impatiently.

    Lauro turned his chair to face his son, his hands folded in front of his face. “It’s a game,” he said flatly.

    “A game?” Amato shouted. “You’re telling me that he’s using my wife to play one of your guys’ little games.”

    “I don’t like it either Amato, but there’s no choice; you know how these things go,” his father told him evenly. “I just can’t believe he’d do this after four years.”

    “I’m not playing his game.” Amato turned on his heels and strode for the door. “I’m going to the police. Let them deal with his games; I’m getting my wife back.”

    “You know that won’t work Amato,” his father said as he reached for the door. “We have to play by the rules or else. That’s how the two of us have always been and, although I don’t really like it, that’s the way it has to remain.”

    Amato took in a ragged breath of frustration. He had played these games before. In the first two years that he and Lucia went out he always worried that she’d get dragged into this deadly nonsense. The relief he’d felt after the two men had stopped and began acting as friendly enemies was surpassed only by the happiness he’d felt less than twenty-four hours ago at his wedding. But it seemed that his greatest fear was now coming true, and he had no choice but to gamble with his wife’s life if he ever wanted to see her again.

    Sighing his defeat, he turned on his father and asked solemnly, “What is the game?”

*          *          *          *          *

    “Here’s your coffee sir,” said a busty waitress with blonde hair and teal eyes, smiling brightly at the young man. Despite the hot sun that beat down on the outdoor café, he was dressed all in black.

    “Thank you,” Amato said, smiling behind his sunglasses. He looked down at his watch, gritting his teeth disdainfully, and took a sip of his coffee. It was black. He normally took it with cream and sugar but he didn’t notice the change; his mind was elsewhere. ‘I can’t believe something like this would happen on the day after our wedding. When I get my hands on that guy I’m going to make him pay so dearly.’

    He looked down at the briefcase at his feet. ‘Why do I have to deliver fifty-thousand euros to him here? That doesn’t sound like a usual game they used to play. Maybe that’s only the beginning of things.’

“You look distressed.”

    Amato almost jumped at the voice and looked up to see Miele taking a seat at the little table, still smiling sinisterly. “Don’t do that!”

    “Sorry, forgot how jumping you were,” Miele said, waving off his friend.

    “So you’re the one I’m supposed to deliver this to?”

    “Nope,” Miele smiled. “Sorry Amato, but you weren’t here on time, so you receive a penalty.”

    “I was two minutes late!”

    “That’s not on time,” Miele said playfully, causing his friend to fume. “Calm down, its not that bad. You just have to go to a different meeting point to find what to do next, nothing big.”

    “Fine, where do I go?” Amato asked impatiently.

    Miele laughed. “Psychological warfare is fun. You go to where you met Lucia; the courtyard at your old high school.”

    “That’s not funny,” Amato growled dangerously.

    “Depends on whose angle you look at it from. But if you don’t want another penalty, you’d better hurry. You only have…” he checked his watch, “Twenty-three minutes to get there.”

    Amato would’ve loved to stay and lay into his friend, but there wasn’t time. With a bitter scowl, he picked up his briefcase and strode away from the table toward his car.

    “He sure seems flustered,” said a person sitting at the table behind Miele when the boy was gone. The person was dressed in a large overcoat and hat, wore sunglasses, and kept their face hidden behind a newspaper.

    “What do you expect? You’re driving him insane with this little game,” Miele replied, his voice still somewhat laughing. “By the way, kudos on the extremely cliché getup.”

    The other person laughed now. “I thought it was a nice touch. I’ll have to thank your father again for helping me with this.”

    “Think nothing of it; it’s fun for everyone.” He laughed then. “Except Amato. Are you sure it’s okay to toy with him like this?”

    “Trust me, things will turn out exactly as I want,” the secretive one replied confidently.

*          *          *          *          *

    Amato walked across the grassy plain of his old high school, his briefcase in hand. He was only halfway to his ten-year reunion and, much as he loved the place, he hadn’t planned on coming back until then.

    “First he kidnaps my wife, then he makes me bring her ransom to the place we originally met one another,” he grumbled low in his throat. This courtyard held the most precious memory to him. He looked across the yard to the big oak tree, the place where it all had began.

    Amato sat under the tree in the courtyard. He was supposed to be in his Physiology class but it was so dull. What did it matter if he even went to his classes or not? His father was just buying him his way through school anyway. He figured he probably spent more time reading under that tree than he did in class. If security saw him they only walked by, not wanting to endanger the school’s funding by starting trouble with the son of their most generous contributor.

    “Such a silly book,” he laughed to himself. “Love at first sight… As if the one you want to spend the rest of your life with will just fall into your lap.”

    Just as he had said that the leaves above him rustled, a few falling around him. He looked up in time to see a body falling and braced himself as a girl fell on top of him, both grunting upon impact.

    “Ow…” the girl said, rubbing her sore backside. “That didn’t go well. Good thing something broke my fall.”

    “More like someone.”

    The girl straightened up and looked around for the voice. Then she looked down and realized she was sitting on top of a boy. “Oh my god,” she yelp, blushing furiously as she scrambled off of him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was here. Are you okay? Please say you’re okay.”

    Amato sat up, rubbing his head that had thumped on the ground. “Yeah, it’s just a bump,” he said, looking up to the girl. He froze as his stormy gray eyes met with a sea of endless blue. She was breath-takingly beautiful he thought, the cutest thing he’d ever seen, and her eyes were holding him captive.

    “Um… why are you staring?” she asked meekly, her blush deepening.

    Amato shook his head to clear the daze. “I’m sorry. You’re just so beautiful,” he confessed, causing her eyes to widen and her blush to get impossibly deeper. “What were you doing up there?”

    “Probably the same thing you were doing down here – skipping class” she replied, not looking at him.

    Amato smiled at how shy she as being. He reached out his hand and took hold of her chin, causing her to gasp, and turned her head to meet his eyes. “My name is Amato, Amato Serafin.”

    “I’m Lucia…” she said mindlessly, lost under his gaze. “Lucia Fabbro.”

    “Well Miss Fabbro,” he said. “I think you just proved me wrong.”

    “About what?” she asked curiously.

    A soft smile played onto his lips. “About love at first sight.”

    “Who would’ve thought such a line would work,” he said to himself as he looked at the place where it had all began.

    “Point is it did.”

    Amato turned to see Miele standing behind him. “I’m not late this time; I still have at least five minutes.”

    “Calm down,” the honey colored boy said with a smile. “I’m here to make the swap.” He held up a manila envelope.

    “I thought you weren’t my contact,” Amato said flatly.

    “You were late,” Miele replied with a careless shrug. “By the time you got to the café I was no longer the contact.”

    “Whatever, let’s do this,” Amato said in a low, dangerous voice. He crossed over to his friend and they exchanged parcels. “What’s in it?”

    “I can’t tell you,” Miele teased. “And you aren’t allowed to look either; it’s a rule. Ready for your next task?”

    “Per l’amore di Dio Miele, this is my wife we’re talking about,” Amato half yelled, half pleaded. “Please, help me out with this.”

    Miele looked at his friend’s expression and sighed, not smiling for once. “All right listen,” he said in a hushed voice. “You’re supposed to deliver that envelope to me at the beach within thirty minutes, in exchange for,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, “this. There’s still no looking allowed. You take this to my dad’s office within fifteen minutes and the game ends. But, since you’re my friend I’ll help you out. Gimme the case and take the box. Drive to the beach, just so it looks good, and then go to the office. It’ll shave a little time off of the whole ordeal, and maybe you’ll be a little more at ease.”

    “Doubtful,” the other said, taking the box and handing over the envelope. “This is strange, this game doesn’t seem up to what our dads used to play.”

    Miele shrugged. “Maybe the old man is rusty. But you’d better get moving, you have forty-five minutes to get from here to the beach and then to the office, and traffic’s going to pick up soon.”

    “All right, I owe you one Miele,” Amato said before dashing for his car.

    Miele smiled as he looked after the boy. “After all this you’ll probably want to kill me,” he laughed.

    “He won’t kill you.”

    Miele turned to the big oak tree as the secretive figure from before leapt down from its leaves. “Oh trust me, he will.”

    “I won’t let him,” the figure said, joining the boy. “Besides, when all is said and done he’ll forget all about being angry.”

    “Maybe, but I wonder how this whole thing will affect his marriage,” Miele said, more just thinking aloud than actually speaking.

    “If he succeeds I’m confident it’ll become all the better,” the figure said boldly.

    “And if he fails?”

    “Who knows?”

    Miele laughed at the reply. “You are an evil one. Amato really is one lucky guy.”

    The figure looked up at the honey boy, lowering their sunglasses a little and showing off a bit of sapphire. “And I’ll make sure he knows it.”

*          *          *          *          *

    The door to the office of Piacevole Diavolo burst open and in strode a boy with black hair, wearing black pants, black shirt, and a black trench coat. “Where’s my wife?” Amato demanded, throwing the door shut behind him.

    Piacevole Diavolo, who had been standing to one side of the room looking out the window, turned to the boy upon his entering, smiling brightly. His hair was more silver than his son’s and his eyes were a slightly darker brown but that smile was just the same, just as deceptive. “Why Amato, my boy, it’s nice to see you. To what do I owe this honor?”

    Amato tore his sunglasses off as he stomped across the room to his foe. “Don’t toy with me Diavolo,” he growled. He fished in his pocket for the little box he’d previously received and thrust it out to the man. “Here’s your damned delivery, and I’m not making any more. Now tell me, where the hell is my wife?”

    Mr. Diavolo just smiled, unfazed by the raving boy. “But Amato my dear boy, you’ve got it all wrong,” he said pleasantly. “Those deliveries weren’t for me; I was only being acted through.”

    “What?” Amato asked, shocked. “You mean it wasn’t you who put me through this hell?”

    Mr. Diavolo shook his head, still smiling.

    “Then who? Who the hell has my wife?” the boy demanded.

    “You’re wife is fine.”

    Amato turned to the desk at the end of the office. The chair had been turned with its back to him when he’d come in. Now that he’d moved it still had its back to him, meaning someone was sitting in it. “Show yourself.”

    The chair didn’t move but the person in it rose. Amato noticed, as the figure walked around the desk to face him, that they were almost completely hidden under their outfit. “Hello Amato,” they said from behind the deep crimson scarf that was wrapped around their mouth, muffling their voice.

    “Who the hell are you?”

    Before the figure could reply the door to the office opened and in walked Miele, the briefcase and envelope from before in hand. “Hope I’m not late,” he said with his usual careless smile as he approached the desk. “Where do you want these boss?” he asked the cloaked figure.

    “On the desk.”

    “Will someone tell me what’s going on already?” Amato snapped, just about at the end of his rope. “Where the hell is Lucia?”

    “Calm down my boy,” Mr. Diavolo said cheerfully, clapping the boy on the shoulder. “All is about to be revealed.” He turned to the robed figure. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”

    “That will be all. I want to thank you and your son for all your help. I ask now to be left alone with Amato.”

    “Very well,” Mr. Diavolo said. “And no thanks are required; it was fun. It’s been a while since anything exciting has happened around here. I’ll take my leave now. Come Miele.”

    “Have fun Amato,” the other boy said merrily, waving as he followed his father out the door, leaving Amato alone with his cloaked adversary.

    “Enough of this, tell me who you are,” Amato demanded. “What do you want with me? And where is my wife?”

    “Judging by your questions, I assume you haven’t looked in the envelope or box.”

    “Of course not, I wouldn’t want to break the rules,” Amato spat.

    “Well then, let’s break them.” The figure turned to the desk. First they bent down and opened the briefcase, revealing the rows of money that lined it.

    “It’s fifty-thousand euros in small bills, just like you asked,” Amato confirmed.

    “You’ve down well.” The figure closed the case and picked up the envelope, holding it out to Amato. “Open it.”

    Amato growled, annoyed by all the stalling. He crossed to the figure, set the box on the desk, and took the envelope. He opened it and pulled out the contents, leafing through them. “Two tickets to Okinawa, Japan, mine and Lucia’s passports, hotel reservation confirmations.” He looked up at the figure, now more confused than ever. “What’s all this for? Tell me who you are and what’s going on.”

    “If you haven’t figured it out yet, then open the box and see what’s inside. It should tell you exactly who I am.”

    Still puzzled, Amato sat the envelope and it’s contents aside and took up the little box again. He opened it and pulled out a dark violet jewelry box. Upon opening it he gasped and his jaw dropped. Inside the jewelry box was a ring of white gold with a large diamond cut in the shape of a heart set in the middle, a smaller amethyst heart nestled next to it; Lucia’s wedding ring. He looked up at the figure, unable to believe his eyes. “You’re…”

    The figure reached up and removed their hat, letting a wave of raven-colored hair cascade from underneath. Next they went to their mouth and unraveled the crimson scarf they wore, letting it drop to the floor and revealing a feminine face. Finally she removed her sunglasses, showing off her sapphire blue eyes. “Hello Amato,” Lucia said with a soft smile. “Did you have fun today?”

    “But… You… They… The… How…”

    Lucia just laughed at her dumbfounded husband, caressing his face. “You’re so cute.”

    “You put me through hell,” he managed to get out, his voice cracking.

    “I know,” she laughed, wrapping her arms around him.

    “But why? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?”

    “That’s why I did it. Miele’s been helping me plan our honeymoon to Okinawa for weeks, because I know how much you want to see Japan. But I wanted to see how much you loved me and how far you’d go for me, see if you were really worth getting what you wanted. So I decided to play a little trick on you.”

    Amato continued to stare at her in disbelief. Then his expression softened and he wrapped his arms around her too. “Sciocco,” he said happily. “I thought you’d know by now that I’d do anything for you.”

    “It’s just nice to see,” she told him, then looked up with wide eyes. “You’re not upset with me are you?”

    “Of course not gattino,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “I could never be angry at you. I love you too much.”

    “I love you too. And don’t you ever forget it.”

    “I won’t ever forget it, my love,” he said, leaning down close to her. “I won’t ever.” His lips found hers in a passionately soft kiss then. After the day they’d had, especially Amato, nothing was better than knowing that they were loved.