Deluca

SEVENTEEN

The next morning, Eleanor woke feeling oddly more refreshed than she had in a while, but the feeling was soon gone once she realized that Francesco wasn't at her side. Eleanor climbed out of bed, slipping on her slippers as the smell of breakfast caused her stomach to growl.

She found Francesco busy at the stove. "Good morning, beautiful," he says and kisses her. "I've been up for a while, planning a surprise for you."

Eleanor grins. "A surprise, what is it?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you. You'll have to wait and see," Francesco said, but his eyes were twinkling. He was a sight for sore eyes.

Eleanor knew it will be something good, as she had never been disappointed by one of Francesco's before.

Eleanor's heart raced as she anticipated Francesco's surprise. She had a surprise of her own for him, and she hoped he would be as excited about it as she was.

She wanted to make love to him that night, and she was determined to seduce him. Her body tingled with anticipation as she imagined his touch. She couldn't wait to feel his hands on her, exploring her body and bringing her to new heights of pleasure.

After breakfast, Francesco insisted she spends her day outside as he needed the house for said surprise.

Eleanor spent the day shopping, as Francesco had instructed her. She tried not to think about what he might be up to, but she couldn't help but wonder.

She was eager to get home and see what he had in store for her. She arrived home at four o'clock, as he had requested.

When she walked in, she was met with the smell of cooked food. There were rose petals on the apartment floor leading up to the balcony which was opened up with a romantic candlelit table. Francesco had gone above and beyond to make her feel special.

She managed to get into the room without being seen, which was a good thing because she wanted to spend time getting ready.

After finishing her makeup, Eleanor slipped into the red sun dress and when she finally showed her face to Francesco again, Francesco's eyes widened in appreciation.

Her hair cascaded down her back in soft waves and the dress hugged her curves in all the right places. She slid her feet into a pair of delicate sandals and accepted the glass of wine Francesco offered her.

He took her hand and led her out onto the balcony, where they could admire the view together. The setting sun cast a warm glow over everything making Eleanor realized she had never actually been romanticized before.

Francesco took a sip of his wine and looks at Eleanor. "You look beautiful tonight," he said. Eleanor's cheeks flushed and she looked down.

"Thank you," Eleanor said. "You look nice too."

He smiled and then he got up and went back inside the apartment leaving Eleanor sitting there feeling happy and content.

Eleanor took in the scenery of the city below the balcony with a sense of wonder. She was able to see the Grand Canal, littered with romantic lovers paying for boat rides.

She could see the historic buildings and the filled town square, but from so high up on the balcony, it all resembled more of a painting than reality. The air was warm with a chill of wind, and Eleanor felt like she was on top of the world.

Not before long, Francesco reappeared.

"That looks amazing," Eleanor said, looking at the salad Francesco had brought out. "Did you make it?"

"I wish I could take credit for it," Francesco said, "but I hired a chef to come and take care of the food. I wanted to make sure I could focus on you."