"I love you," Nikki said as she lowered her head, capturing her lips.
Alex surrendered willingly, opening her mouth and moaning into Nikki's. She pulled away and rested her forehead against Nikki's chest as she tried to calm her racing heart. "And I love you, mia cara." She stepped out of her arms and turned to face Sera and Pia. "Thank you again for dinner, it was lovely. I'm sorry for ruining the evening."
Sera rolled her eyes. "Always so dramatic, Alex. You didn't ruin anything. You gave us an opportunity to get to know these three lovely ladies better, and to see you through their eyes." She stood and embraced her. "I've missed you, my friend. Please don't wait so long to visit us again."
As Venice slowly disappeared behind them, Alex merged onto the highway and headed towards Tuscany. She turned the radio down and said, "There will be a lot of travel in my future. I hope you all will be a part of it as often as you can." Reaching across the armrest, she placed her hand on Nikki's thigh. "My business is here in Italy, and I've ignored it for far too long. The vineyard is my main focus, but I have other partnerships that require my attention from time to time. And that requires travel." She looked over at Nikki speculatively. "Will you be okay with that?"
"If I am unable to accompany you, will you come home to me when your business is complete?" Nikki asked as she placed her hand on top of Alex's.
"Of course my love. I will always return to you. You hold my heart."
Epilogue
Alex watched as the attendant passed out several glasses of wine and one glass of juice with a lid and straw. "Thank you, Karen."
"My pleasure, Alex. Do you need anything else?"
Alex grinned. "No. Why don't you run up and check on Jamie. I’m sure she could use a break." Her grin widened when she saw the woman blush slightly. "Just don't distract her too much, okay?"
"Leave her alone, Alex," Nikki chuckled and shook her head. She reached over and took her hand, kissing the knuckles. The distraction provided Karen enough time to slip into the cockpit.
"I still can't believe you bought a jet," Dani said as she looked around the spacious aircraft.
Alex shrugged. "It just made sense. This is my third trip to Italy in the last four months. Besides, now you have one less excuse to avoid coming with me." She looked over at Dani and Rachel with a wink before leaning back into the cushions. "I'm just fortunate that Jamie and Karen were willing to leave their jobs to work for me."
"I think we're all glad for that. They are very good at what they do." Nikki placed a hand on her thigh. "I'm glad they take such good care of you when you have to travel."
Madison climbed down from her seat and ran over to them. She climbed into Alex's lap and rested her head on her shoulder. "Will you tell me a story, Angel?"
She wrapped her arms around the little girl and rested her cheek on top of her head. "Of course, piccola." She smiled as Dani pulled out a notebook and pen. She thought for a moment before beginning to tell a story about a little monkey and the love she had for her family, and her big adventure as she traveled across the ocean.
FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for purchasing and reading Queen of Diamonds. If you enjoyed it, please leave feedback on Amazon.com. As a self-published author, reviews are an extremely important form of feedback and validation. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with questions, words of wisdom, or constructive criticism. I love to hear from my readers. Your support is valuable beyond words. Thank you.
