TWO
He had been planning this day forever. Well, it felt like forever.
Nicholas D’Amato was always a planner. He could recall when he was a teen; he planned his school outfits for the week, often choosing two; one for warm weather and one for cooler. His mother teased him, asking him how he could predict the weather when even the weather forecasters couldn’t get it right. His brothers questioned him, asking him who he was trying to impress and Nick knew he was never trying to impress anyone. He just wanted to look good.
His anal-retentiveness paid off in college, and when he eventually became a professor. Between mentoring students and preparing for lectures, Nick had no time to waste. He needed to plan everything down to the letter, with no stone left unturned.
It was no surprise that Nick took the reins in planning a very romantic Valentine’s weekend for his submissive/wife, Zerrin. She was asked to visit USC and present a lecture on female sexuality by one of their colleagues and he accompanied her on the trip, leaving their young son, Pietro, behind with relatives.
The trip was important on many levels but mainly to renew the passion and excitement that had seemed to dissipate with the birth of Pietro and their respective careers. Nick encouraged Zerrin to pursue her doctorate and he recently received a promotion to associate professor. It seemed like they barely saw each other during the morning and late at night, hardly leaving any time for sex, let alone BDSM activities.
Patience is a virtue. He’d remembered that.
But there was business to take care of first. Acting on a favor from Eli, Nick and Kieran supervised the decorating over at Sentiment restaurant. They spent the better part of the morning making sure the flowers were just right and the décor exuded romance as their younger brother envisioned with peonies, roses, and hydrangeas.
“It looks like Madre’s opened up a restaurant,” Kieran quipped as he watched Sentiment employees handle the floral arrangements.
“It looks like a funeral,” Nick folded his arms, “like a really nice and expensive funeral at a fancy restaurant.”
“You see, I don’t know if Eli overdid it or the restaurant owner?” Kieran watched a restaurant worker place a very tall floral arrangement on one of the tables. The vase was filled with water, crystals, and long-stemmed white roses stood out.
“I’d say a little bit of both,” Nick noted, “Eli always had a flair for the dramatic.”
“Dramatical,” Kieran used a phrase Eli often said.
“Very much dramatical.”
“So what plans do you and the wifey have tonight?” Kieran began walking through the restaurant and Nick tagged along. “Anything super romantic?”
“Zerrin has a lecture at USC so there really goes any super romantic plans in public.” Nick replied.
“In public,” Kieran repeated, “there’s the phrase that pays.”
“Well, I could be like every other man and do something all super cheesy and romantic for her so other women can get jealous and wonder why their men aren’t shit,” Nick smiled, “or I could wait until we get back to the hotel and show her.”
“Spoken like a true D’Amato,” Kieran held out a fist.
Nick pounded fists with his brother. “Of course, bro. What are the plans for you and Tee?”
“A nice romantic dinner at Angelini Osteria and a quiet evening at home with just the two of us,” Kieran’s smile grew big just thinking about it, “It’s been a while since we’ve had a moment alone so it would be nice. Rekindling the fire a little bit.”
“Tell me about it.” Nick thought about how his once-thriving sex life had taken a backseat to his son. Each time they tried to get a little intimate, Pietro would cry or they both would be too tired to care. It was to be expected and he wasn’t surprised.
He was surprised, however, on how much he really missed sex. His longest drought since he started having sex was two weeks and he could remember back then when he was young and didn’t know any better, he was going insane. He had never masturbated so much in his life and it was becoming quite old and tired, especially when he had a hot wife right next to him.
“What are your plans?” Kieran asked. “Something romantic and unexpected?”
“Definitely romantic though I’m still working on the unexpected part.” Nick purchased many prayer candles for the romantic evening ahead of him. The candles weren’t his first choice and he felt a little unnerved using them, having St. Francis stare back at him, and watching what he was going to do to his wife.
Still, they were going have to do if he wanted their night to go off without a hitch. “I’m attending a painting.”
“Oh? You’re going to an art show?” Kieran asked.
“Yes,” Nick replied. It wasn’t quite a lie. He was going to paint his wife and she was going to put on a show for him.
“That sounds nice. I hope Zerrin likes it.”
Zerrin briefly mentioned on her questionnaire she was interested in wax play and wanted to at least try it to see how much she liked it. Nick had every intention of fulfilling her fantasy. “I certainly hope so, too.”