Sicily... Never Enough...

Here is an excerpt from one of my more recent short stories.... Inspired by my trip to Sicily. The Title is based on the Clare Rabe novella "Sicily Enough" _______________________________________________________________ Sicily... Never Enough Kenya turned onto her back, letting the warm Sicilian sun burn her already toasted almond skin, a shade darker. Her novel lay ignored by her side as she now lay face-up, skin glistening with SPF 15 cocoa butter sun oil. The sun's glare glistened off her dark Gucci shades as did the reflections of the sunbathing Italians milling around her. The fact that she hadn't phoned into her office to give her boss some sort of official word on her M.I.A. status or an update on the hot new Italian model turned actor they'd been courting for months didn't faze her. The task she had been sent to perform was long forgotten as Kenya lay sunbathing on the beach at Arenella in Syracuse… as if she hadn't a care in the world. For her this was truly La Dolce Vita. She could care less about the angry voicemail messages her boss left on her cell phone… or the mounting mail she had accumulating in her post office box back in New York. The city was becoming a fog to her now. Kenya was certain that if she had decided to return to New York, she would find herself unemployed, so she tried not to think about it at all. All that mattered to Kenya at the present moment was absolutely nothing. La bella figura, keeping good form and relishing every second was her primary concern. Massimo Caviezel had decided to sign with a London PR firm anyway. Days prior, things had soured between Kenya and he in Rome. She had eventually come to the realization that it probably wasn't a good idea to become romantically involved with a potential client to begin with. On the flip side of the situation, the entire situation was what led to her enlightenment… her time with Massimo had helped her get in touch with her womanhood… Kenya flashed back to the beginning a smile slowly spreading across her face Massimo was relatively well known in and around Europe first as a model then later as an actor in cutting-edge Italian and French films. His American breakthrough came in the form of an action packed film called "The Score" co-starring him and Vin Diesel. Shortly thereafter, Massimo was highly sought after by American directors, actresses who wanted to hang from his arm at premieres, and PR firms who wanted to represent him in the States. Diane Van Der Pol, Public Relations was in the running. The firm pretty much had Massimo in the bag… except, he was enjoying the perks being thrown at him so much so, that he prolonged the courtship by playing hard to get. In any event, the moment Kenya met the cocky young commodity, he had pursued her… much to her boss' chagrin. They first met briefly at a press junket at the Hilton. He was in New York on a whirlwind promotional tour for The Score. Albeit the meeting was fleeting, Kenya couldn't forget how his green eyes sparkled after they had been introduced. His publicist had said something to him in rapid Italian and off he went… he was gone. Kenya wasn't a huge fan of action films, but she went to a matinee the following weekend to see what all of the fanfare was about. While the plot was cliché, she could certainly see why everyone wanted a piece of Massimo. The man's sex appeal sprung from the screen. Not to mention his heavily accented English was endearing. Vin's machismo paled in comparison to Massimo's.

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