I turned to Jack. “Do you mind taking a walk?”
Jack swallowed and stood. “Let’s go check it out.”
***
I had assumed that Sienna was exaggerating about the size and sexiness of the poster, but if anything she was downplaying it. The billboard was tremendous, spanning the height of the stadium and prominently displayed just to the left of the main entrance. I was wearing a simple, pretty pale pink top with jeans and high heel wedges. Sienna was dressed in all black with a red scarf hanging loosely around her neck. I was leaning over laughing and Sienna’s head was thrown back as she smiled.
It wasn’t the outfit or the size of the billboard that made it sexy, it was the angle from which the photo was taken. As I leaned over, my cle**age was on display, almost spilling out of my top. And considering the size of the billboard, the cle**age appeared substantial, making me wonder if Sienna’s initial comment about photo enhancement might really have been true. Sienna was leaning back and her shirt had ridden up, leaving a hint of her pale skin glowing between the black of her clothes. The playfulness and innocence of our laughter appeared almost voyeuristic, as it was captured by the lens that had taken it.
I was speechless as I took in the enormity of the billboard. At first, I hadn’t even noticed the same size billboard hanging on the other side of the main entrance prominently displaying Justin and Kyle.
Sienna screeched with excitement. “What did I tell you, Syd? Hot, right?!”
I smiled at her confidence and then looked to Jack, who was still staring at the billboard, his face unreadable.
“It’s big, that’s for sure.” I nervously laughed as I studied Jack, waiting for any indication of his thoughts.
Lucky for me, Sienna didn’t have my patience. “What do you think, Jack? Your girl looks smokin’ hot up there, doesn’t she?”
Jack unglued his eyes from the billboard and stared at me as he spoke to Sienna. “She looks sexy as hell. Not sure how I feel about every other man in the vicinity of Rome noticing it too though.”
Sienna rolled her eyes and took my hand, handing her iPhone to Jack. “I want a picture of us standing under the billboard.” She began to run toward the billboard, dragging me in tow.
When we were positioned close enough to the billboard, but still far enough so that the photo could take in the breadth of the billboard, Jack lifted the iPhone to snap the photo.
“Wait! We both need to stand sideways, so that you can see that my boobs are bigger than Syd’s, because that picture makes it look like the other way around.” Sienna positioned herself standing sideways so that the silhouette of her figure would allow for a good view. Then she grabbed underneath her br**sts from over her shirt and pushed them up, emphasizing the fullness of her cle**age.
I playfully rolled my eyes and giggled at the vulgarity of the gesture that was totally Sienna. “Okay, take the picture now!” Sienna yelled to Jack, who shook his head in mock ridicule before taking the photo.
***
The rest of the evening Jack was quieter than usual, but not so much that Sienna would have noticed anything was wrong. Although, to be honest, when Sienna was excited, she was a one woman show, and most people didn’t stand a chance at sharing the attention anyway.
The four of us made plans to have breakfast together in the morning before spending our last full day in Rome taking in some of the required tourist attractions. We had agreed to spend the day touring the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. I wasn’t an incredibly religious person, but the Sistine Chapel had always been a place I wanted to go for some reason.
By the time Jack and I finally returned to our suite, I was exhausted and couldn’t believe it was still the same day that had begun with us together in Tuscany. We were both quiet as we shared the bathroom doing our nightly routines at the double sinks side by side. I wasn’t sure if Jack’s somber mood was from the long day or if the billboard had bothered him more than he had said.
We got into bed and I snuggled into the crook of Jack’s shoulder, my fingers spread wide on his broad chest, playing with the light smattering of hair dotting his breastbone. Jack trailed his fingers up and down my back lightly and the silence of the room suddenly beat loudly in my ears.
“Are you upset about the billboard?” My voice came out quiet, barely above a whisper.
Jack exhaled loudly, as if he was relieved to finally say the words. “Not at you, babe.” He squeezed my shoulder gently, pulling me even closer against his side.
“I understand.” I truly thought I did.
Jack shifted, easing my back onto the bed, and lifted his body over me, his forearms on either side of my head, absorbing the weight of his body. The room was dark, but my eyes had adjusted and I could see the light in his eyes above me. “Do you, Syd?” He pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear as he spoke tenderly.
“I think I do. You don’t want men looking at me. I get it. You don’t even notice the way that women look at you when you walk by. I get the urge to smack them when I see them taking more than a peek. So I can’t imagine that I would be happy if you were on a thirty foot display, perhaps with these sinful abs showing.” I rubbed my handed across his hard abdominal muscles.
Jack was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “It’s more than that, Syd. Yes, the thought of men looking at your beautiful face and body up there makes me want to stay outside the coliseum and hurt every man that takes more than a friendly look, but it’s not just that.”
Jack’s eyes searched mine, looking for something before he continued. “You’re mine Syd. And I don’t want to share. Not a picture, not a smile, not a touch. All of it is mine. Only mine. You were made for me. That sexy mouth belongs to only me. I wake up every morning craving that body that wiggles beneath me. That body that surrenders as soon as it’s filled with me. It’s mine and I need it so bad it physically hurts when I reach over on the bed and find your warm body isn’t there. So, yeah, I’m not happy about the picture. But it’s the rest of it that’s killing me.”
His words brought tears to my eyes. It was incredibly possessive, but also the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, but I still didn’t get the connection to the billboard.
Jack’s thumb wiped the tear that escaped away tenderly. “I don’t want to lose you, Syd. I know I have to give you this space to live your dream, but I’m afraid your dream will take you away from me.” I could hear the strain in Jack’s voice and it physically hurt inside of my chest.