“Where are you from?” Carlo asked.
“From no place in particular,” Robert said pleasantly. “I travel a lot.”
Carlo nodded. “I see.” I’ll find out from Pier who he is. Somebody will probably be willing to pay a lot of money for him, and Pier and I can split it.
“Are you in business?” Carlo asked.
“Retired.”
It would not be hard to force this man to talk, Carlo decided. Lucca, the leader of the Diavoli Rossi, could crack him open in no time.
“How long will you be staying with us?”
“It’s hard to say.” The boy’s curiosity was beginning to get on Robert’s nerves.
Pier and her mother came out of the kitchen.
“Would you like some more coffee?” Mama asked.
“No, thank you. That was a delicious dinner.”
Mama smiled. “That was nothing. Tomorrow I will prepare a feast for you.”
“Good.” He would be gone by then. He stood up. “If you don’t mind, I’m rather tired. I’d like to turn in.”
“Of course,” Mama said. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
They watched Robert as he walked toward the bedroom.
Carlo grinned. “He doesn’t think you’re good enough to sleep with him, eh?”
The remark stung Pier, as it was meant to. She would not have minded it, if Robert were a homosexual, but she had heard him talk to Susan, and she knew better. I’ll show the stronzo.
Robert lay in bed, thinking about his next move. Laying a false trail with the homing device that had been hidden in the credit card would give him a little time, but he was not depending too much on it. They probably would have caught up with the red truck by now. The men who were after him were ruthless and smart. Were heads of world governments involved in the massive cover-up? Robert wondered. Or was it an organization within an organization, a cabal in the intelligence community acting illegally on its own? The more Robert thought about it, the more feasible it seemed that the heads of state might be unaware of what was going on. And a thought struck him. It had always seemed odd to him that Admiral Whittaker had suddenly been retired from ONI and relegated to some Siberia. But if someone had forced him out because they knew he would never be part of the conspiracy, then it began to make sense. I have to contact the Admiral, Robert thought. He was the only one he could trust to get to the truth of what was happening. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow. He closed his eyes, and slept.
The creaking of the bedroom door awakened him. He sat up in bed, instantly alert. Someone was moving toward the bed. Robert tensed, ready to spring. He smelled her perfume then, and felt her slide in bed beside him.
“Pier … What are you …?”
“Ssh.” Her body pressed against his. She was naked. “I got lonely,” she whispered. She snuggled closer to him.
“I’m sorry, Pier, I … I can’t do anything for you.”
Pier said, “No? Then let me do something for you.” Her voice was soft.
“It’s no use. You can’t.” Robert felt a deep frustration. He wanted to spare both of them the embarrassment of what was not going to happen.
“Don’t you like me, Robert? Do you not think I have a beautiful body?”
“Yes.” And she did. He could feel the warmth of her body pressing closer.
She was stroking him gently, rippling her fingers up and down his chest, moving lightly toward his groin.
He had to stop her before the humiliating fiasco was repeated. “Pier, I can’t make love. I haven’t been able to be with a woman since … for a long time.”
“You don’t have to do anything, Robert,” she said. “I just want to play. Do you like being played with?”
He felt nothing. Goddamn Susan! She had taken more than herself away from him, she had taken a part of his manhood.
Pier was sliding down his body now. “Turn over,” she said.
“It’s no use, Pier. I …”
She rolled him over and he lay there cursing Susan, cursing his impotence. He could feel Pier’s tongue moving along his back, making tiny, delicate circles, moving lower and lower. Her fingers were gently flicking over his skin.
“Pier …”
“Ssh.”
He felt her tongue spiralling down deeper and deeper, and he began to feel aroused. He started to move.
“Ssh. Lie still.”
Her tongue was soft and warm, and he could feel her breasts trailing along his skin. His pulse began to quicken. Yes, he thought. Yes! Oh, yes! His tumescence grew until he became rock-hard, and when he could stand it no longer, he grabbed Pier and turned her over.
She felt him and gasped, “My God, you’re enormous. I want you inside me.”
And a moment later Robert plunged into her, again and again, and it was as if he had been reborn. Pier was skilful and wild, and Robert revelled in the dark cave of her velvety softness. They made love three times that night. Finally, they slept.
Day Eighteen
Naples, Italy
In the morning, as the pale light was coming through the window, Robert awakened. He held Pier close in his arms and whispered, “Thank you.”
Pier smiled mischievously. “How do you feel?”
“Wonderful,” Robert said. And he did.
Pier snuggled against him. “You are an animal!”
Robert grinned. “You’re good for my ego,” he said.
Pier sat up and said seriously, “You are not a drug smuggler, are you?”
It was a naive question. “No.”