Read Online An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel by Kasonndra Leigh - Free Book Online

from a life of neglect by his real family. He’s
also the man with a fire in his eyes, more specifically, a flame aimed toward
me because of the little ballerina walking around Black Butterfly’s design room
right now.
    “Don’t
forget to send the contracts out tomorrow, Luca,” my assistant, Carla, reminds
me as she heads out the door.
    “I’m
almost certain I’ll forget. Fantastic job tonight,” I add. “And I’ll do my best
to get those bills out tomorrow.”
    “I’ll
send a text to remind you,” she says, giving me a knowing look as she passes a
quick glance at Adriana. Raising my eyebrows, I wave, hoping to hasten her
departure.
    “Behave,”
Carla says.
    “Never.
Now go,” I urge and she does, leaving me alone with Adriana Dostovsky … at
last.
    Wearing
a brown skater’s dress, light colored tights, and white leg warmers, even
though it will get close to eighty degrees outside on this July afternoon in
Milan, Adriana Dostovsky creates a simplistic vision of loveliness, a girl
who’s naturally curious and naïve and built like a goddess. I can’t help but to
wonder if the shop looks good enough for her.
    Our
attempts to brighten the dark walls comes in the form of picking art work that
has splashes of red in the black and white designs. How many women have walked
through these doors? Plenty. And not one time has a Juliette been able to force
me to second guess the quality of my shop. The women in my life come from all
walks, every class, and I have never given a second thought to what they might
be thinking of Black Butterfly … until today. I don’t quite understand what’s
going on with me.
    Stay
focused. Belikov’s words
were clear: work on the design and not the dancer. More specifically, his
dancer. He might not have realized it, being that he seems to be the type of
man who doesn’t let emotion cloud his judgment, but I could almost see the
jealousy rolling off his body in waves.
    I
also know Signor Belikov’s inability to hide his temper was the exact reaction
my little badass ballerina wanted to pull from him. If I’m not careful, I just
might find myself out of an assignment, which would ultimately affect everyone
at Black Butterfly. I’ve screwed up enough in the past, and I don’t think my
big brother, Rafe, or my newest designer, Erin Angelo, would like to see all of
our hard work trashed because of my inability to keep my insatiable desires
under control.
    “I
love this place. It’s so unique,” Adriana says as she walks around, taking
extra time to linger on the artwork, pictures of a woman posing in various
locations throughout the canals of Venice, some of my best work.
    “Wow.
Look at this one,” she exclaims, stopping in front of a piece I consider my
greatest work. It’s a portrait of a woman with skin as white as milk, ruby red lips,
and hair that reminds me of an onyx. She’s wearing a zebra pattern fur that
makes her bright green eyes stand out. The background behind her consists of my
interpretation of the old Venetian opera house before it burned down in the
1800’s; and she’s the ghost that haunts it.
    “ La signora più triste a Venezia ,” I say,
hoping she doesn’t ask me to explain anything further than the type of paint I
used to create the portrait.
    “The
saddest lady in Venice,” she translates. “Who drew these?”
    “I
did,” I answer, stifling an urge to lie. There’s a story behind La Signora in my painting, and I’m not ready to share it yet.
    “You
know what I’ve always wanted to do?” she states suddenly, grabbing my attention
at once.
    “I
can only imagine.” I try to keep my cool, but I’m dying to know what she’s
about to say.
    “I’ve
always wanted to have someone paint my portrait. Just like that guy Jack did
for Rose in that Titanic movie. It’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever
seen.” She has this bright-eyed look that makes me want to help make her wish
come true right away. However, I can’t help wondering