The embrace was returned, and Alessandro was not so new to the delights of womankind that he could not recognize in her demeanor a growing desire for him. As such a thought blossomed in his grateful mind, he was forced to consciously remember to breathe, and he did so at last with a gasp.<br/><br/><strong>”Such a treasure, and a delight, you are. Such perfection.”</strong>He smiled then, and there was a blend of desire and reverence in his eyes.<strong>”Pray, lead me to the physician, before I want nothing more but to spend the next several hours here with you in this very corridor.”</strong><br/><br/>Her blush at such a suggestion, and what it implied?<br/><br/>Alessandro had seen art, for he was a creature of Venice. He had seen the great works of the day, even, for what gathering of society could resist asking for his and Nicoletta’s presence? But in his arms, in that candlelit hallway, only then did his understanding of the word ‘beauty’ become complete. He had known dazzling beauty, in the perfection and manner of Nicoletta, and now in counterpart did he know it in the achingly compelling softness of his Serafina.<br/><br/>She turned to lead him to the appointed door and he stepped behind her, wrapping his left arm around the flat of her stomach and pulling her close as his mouth affixed itself to the right side of her neck. His kiss upon its slender form and perfumed skin was greedy and nearly desperate for her, and even as he kissed his way upwards towards her ear did he whisper to her.<br/><br/><strong>”One kiss more, or a hundred perhaps. One embrace more, that you know my words to be true and understand most fully that your Alessandro is indeed dizzy with you.”</strong>Nibbling at her ear lobe as he pulled her back to his chest, he reached around her with his free hand to cup her breast, and his gasp of need caused his voice to tremble as he spoke.<br/><br/><strong>”We shall not be anything other than what we are, us three. I would not disgrace us with less. Let the world burn, and still we three shall walk hand in hand through the remains.”</strong>Only after several moments, when it felt she might be tottering at the unfamiliar sensations, did her release his grasp of her to step beside her and take her hand. It was desperately, painfully beautiful, that look of wonder he thought he saw in her eyes, and Aleassandro knew himself complete.<br/><br/>In a hurry to be through with the bother of it, he led them into the room and to the appointment, and as he believed the wound was painful and bothersome but not terribly significant. He was certain that the physician spoke to him as he worked, likely chastising him for the risks he took and offering helpful advice on how to care for his shoulder, but Alessandro was not at all invested in the man’s words.<br/><br/>Fina held his hand as he was tended to, and Alessandro was given reason and pause to spend the better part of an hour studying the softness of her fingers, and the way her skin seemed to pure and soft within his own. Gazing into her eyes and smiling, he had all the time he needed to memorize the curve of her lips, and the way the soft honey of her hair framed her delicate features. The arch of her eyebrows, where they so artfully framed her pools of her eyes.<br/><br/>His chest thudded then, ached for her, and he knew that he could not have been more pleased in that moment, even as the physician tugged his wound closed.<br/><br/><strong>”You are finished, m’lord, and my final advice is that…”</strong><br/><br/><strong>”A bath. Yes, a bath, my good sir. We shall see to that straight away, and I thank you for your wise counsel.”</strong>Alessandro gave a meaningful look to the physician, both daring him to refute his own course of treatment and dismissing the man from their presence.<br/><br/><strong>”I… Yes, good sir, I believe that this would be most beneficial. You are wise, of course, sir.”</strong><br/><br/>Alessandro nodded distractedly, pressing coins into the man’s hands and thanking him for his service. That his eyes never left Fina’s face, burning with need and desire even as the doctor left the room, was perhaps the best testament to the patient’s state of recovery.<br/><br/>Stepping from the room, Alessandro gave short instructions to the tall man that had led them to the doctor, and presently the man sprinted off to make preparations.<br/><br/>He could feel it from her almost palpably, Fina’s bewildered and blushing reaction as he guided her by the arm, and such a thing made him grin all the more. Wordlessly he led her, ignoring those they passed as they wound their way through the house, until at last they came to a heavy door. With a smile he swung the door wide, revealing a luxurious bath suite in gleaming marble. Lushly appointed, the warm air of the room was heavy with floral and citrus perfume, and the young woman awaiting them held thick towels in her arms.<br/><br/>Nodding in greeting as Alessandro led Fina into the room, the attendant was just beginning to kneel to assist Fina in removing her slippers when Alessandro spoke, his voice low and thick.<br/><br/><strong>”You may leave us, Josienne. We shall manage undressing and bathing on our own tonight. And we are not to be disturbed.”</strong><br/><br/>If the girl was surprised at such a suggestion, it did not reflect upon her young face, and she merely nodded and smiled.<br/><br/><strong>”Of course, m’lord, as you wish. Wine and refreshments arrived moments ago.”</strong><br/><br/>Josienne trailed her hand through the pool of the bath before leaving, as if to confirm one last time that the water was sufficiently warm, and then smiled and left. Though perhaps a dozen might comfortably bathe in such a pool, tonight its comforts and temptations were meant for only two.<br/><br/>It was so quiet then, in the room with its couches and perfumed air. Still, as if the room itself understood the significance of what was to follow, and was honored to be a part of something so special.<br/><br/>Alessandro regarded her for a long time, looking into her eyes, and tenderly he touched her hair. Only then did he slowly kneel, to remove her slipper as the attendant had intended, and he looked up into her eyes as he did so and smiled.<br/>