Page 106 of Marcello

The most amazing woman I’d ever seen was walking towards me, spinning around slowly, taking in everything with a gigantic smile full of childlike wonder.

All the other women at the rave were acting too cool for school. Appraising looks at the men – Is he rich enough to talk to? – and not a single glance at the spectacular ice sculptures all around them.

Not this girl! She stared at the ice sculptures like she was a four-year-old seeing a waterfall for the first time.

Her mask was adorned with feathers and fake red rubies. It only covered the upper part of her face – which meant I could see the lower half. And what I saw was perfect.

Her lips were bright pink without lipstick. Her skin was flawless, and she still had a bit of baby fat in her cheeks.

In fact, she was pleasingly plump all over – not starved or cocaine-thin like the other women in attendance. Her black dress was fairly modest, but the V-shaped neckline showed some gorgeous cleavage.

Her hair was a tangled mane of brown curls tied back in a ponytail with a scarf. It wasn’t a stylish cut so much as a hairstyle from another era.

She was short, maybe 5’3” – and she wasn’t wearing heels. Only simple black flats.

Everything about her stood out from the other women at the party. Not just in appearance, but in spirit. She was happy, energetic –

And innocent.

She exuded a childlike glee –

Which is what drew me to her immediately.

She looked like Christmas morning, back when Christmas morning meant something to me.

As she moved in my direction, she was still looking all around her and walking slowly backwards.

I put myself directly in her path –

And, as planned, she bumped into me.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she said as she whirled around.

Her voice was lovely: high and melodic. Cultured, too – refined and well-spoken. She spoke in Italian, not Neapolitan.

As soon as our eyes met, she froze and stood there staring at me.

Her eyes were the most beautiful I’d ever seen – soft brown and kind.

Everything about her was perfect.

I broke out the smile I used when I wanted to get laid. “You’re in my way.”

I had to shout to be heard over the music.

“Sorry,” she shouted back, and moved to the left –

At which point I stepped in front of her again. “Still in my way.”

The childlike innocence suddenly turned into a knowing smirk. “Does that work with other women?”

“I don’t know – first time I’ve tried it,” I lied.

To be honest, it wasn’t the line that worked; it was my face. I was pretty good-looking – okay, very good-looking – with a sense of style and a lot of disposable income. I usually didn’t have to try very hard. Especially not with the women who hung around Cesare and his crew.

Of course, most of my face wasn’t visible because of the mask, so I was at something of a disadvantage.

I didn’t think it was too much of a disadvantage, though.