“I doubt it,” she laughed, doing it again, this time rimming his ear with her tongue.
He put her down and backed her against the corridor wall, towering over her, “Don’t tease.” He pulled her up against his erection. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“Sorry.” She kissed him lightly, smiling inward. If you only knew…
His hand grabbed hers, and turning it palm up, he placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist, nibbling it, his gaze burrowing into hers, “Don’t test my self-control, Sophia. I can’t be patient forever. Show me the rest of your home.”
She led him down the corridor, opening the door to the hallway. “The hall is more remarkable when seen from the front door; it makes a great first impression. I love its height. It’s almost thirty feet.” She made a face. “It was carpeted. Can you imagine how awful that looked?”
The black-and-white limestone flooring had been arranged in a repeating geometric pattern. In the middle of the hall, a huge Baccarat vase with fresh flowers commanded attention from its place on a round Chippendale table. An impressive Napoleon III gilt bronze and Baccarat chandelier hung from the ceiling.
“It’s stunning,” he said.
She looked around as if seeing it through his eyes, “Yes, it is.” She went to her right, opening walnut double doors. “This is the reception room.”
He entered a breathtaking room of three thousand-square feet with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side, which would allow natural light to stream into every corner. A black grand piano stood at the far end. The walls were lined with dark green damask silk accented with exquisite contemporary paintings. The sofas and armchairs were done in white-and-green silk damask. Pillows of varied colors, shades, and forms were scattered over them, bringing Sophia’s peculiar and warm touch into the room. Against one of the walls stood one of the remarkable Cucci cabinets, originally made for Louis XIV.
He gazed around. “Magnificent,” he breathed, in awe. He paused in front of a Picasso. “Truly. I wasn’t expecting this. Your apartment was much simpler. You did this all by yourself?”
“No, everyone helped.” She rearranged the pillows, pursing her lips and eyeing them before being content with her arrangement. “I chose the fabrics in Venice. Victoria and I picked some of the furniture in Paris. Valentina helped me choose the colors and had some brilliant ideas for the lighting and the kitchen. Felipe and Carolina did the architectural part. My siblings and I, we’re a team. I also had an English architect help organize the work and buy the basic materials. I brought some of the paintings I had in my apartment in Rio and bought some others. This room was worse than the hall. Felipe made an album for me,” she smiled, “Atwood House, before and after Sophia.”
They left the reception room and she closed the door, crossing the hall to the other set of double doors. “Here’s the dining room.”
“You dine here?” he asked, dumbstruck.
She laughed. “No, of course not. I use the kitchen. It’s cozier.”
The beautiful dining room, with its fifteen-foot ceiling, enclosed a table for sixteen. Three fantastic English silver salves rested on the table. Two exceptional Turner paintings topped Portuguese mahogany chests, which flanked each end of the room. A floor-to-ceiling glass panel let the light and faced the side garden, opposite the hall doors.
“You have eclectic taste for paintings,” he pointed.
“I have eclectic taste. Period,” she said as she walked toward the kitchen, closing all the doors behind her. “We decided to put this door here to give Gabriela some privacy when I entertain.” She touched another button on her iPhone, “What kind of music do you feel like?”
“Anything. I like anything you have on your mobile.”
“Hmm,” she pressed another button and soft romantic music started to play through the house.
Sophia had fully equipped the kitchen with every modern feature, all in stainless steel that contrasted with the black-and-white floor. “Here is where we eat.” She pointed to a spacious table for six, already set for two. “I tore the whole kitchen down to fully modernize it. Juliette was not interested in this part of the house.”
“It really is cozier than the dining room.” He looked at the table and teased, “I think you have an ego problem.”
She made a face at him. “Want something to drink before dinner or do you want to go straight to wine?” She opened one of the refrigerators and he saw that it was perfectly organized. She grabbed a small bottle of Evian for herself and wiggled her brows at him.
“I’ll have some water too. Still, please.”
She threw him a bottle of water and picked up a glass from the cupboard for him, drinking directly from her bottle.
He eyed her askance and then smiled, “Never thought I’d see you drinking from a bottle.” He did the same, handing her back the glass.
“There’s always a first time for everything.”
She toed off her peep toe shoes and stood barefoot on the Carrara and Emperor Dark marble floor, smiling. “I installed floor heating in the whole house. I love to walk barefoot.” She bent down and picked up her shoes.
“Hmm, you have elegant feet.”
“Elegant?” she sneered, “Are you serious?” She looked at her feet, wiggling her toes. “I’ll never tell you my shoe size,” she chuckled, walking out of the kitchen. Again, she grabbed his hand. “And now, the TV room and my office. If I want to work and Gabriela has friends, I can close the sliding doors. If it’s only the two of us, I keep the doors opened.”
The two generous-sized rooms were perfect for an office and TV room, separated by the sliding doors and further enhanced by wool carpeting. In the TV room, there were comfortable sofas begging for sitters and big square cushions on the floor. In the other room, twin Louis XVI tables faced each other, with comfortable armchairs behind them. On one sat a twenty-seven-inch iMac. The walls displayed contemporary art with a stunning photo-based Gerhard Richter that commanded the eye.
“Don’t you like English furniture?” he asked, amused.
“Oh, I do. But it’s very difficult to find originals. The only one I was able to buy was the Chippendale in the hall and, anyway” she shrugged, “I’ve always loved French furniture. Since my first visit to France, I fell in love with the castles.”
“You see, ego problem.” He chuckled.
“Oh, it’s not that. I was five years old when I visited Europe for the first time. The castles in France made a big impression on me. They’re completely restored and refurbished. It seems like people still live there. I’ve always had an insane desire to lie down on one of those beds, sit in one of those armchairs, and have tea in one of those rooms. I clearly remember the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. It made me want to be a princess and waltz through it.” She pirouetted and waved her hand elegantly in the air as if dancing. “Long, beautiful dresses, glittering jewels and handsome men.”
He smiled at her pirouette and romantic air, “Those aren’t difficult to attain.”
“No, they’re not. But money can’t buy everything.” She sighed. “The romantic dream? It just vanished away, Alistair. I think I chose right to live in England. Prince Charles and Camilla?” she wiggled her brows at him.
He chuckled.
“But seriously, there is a lot to love about this country, of course, the English silver pieces and Chippendale’s furniture. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.”
“Are you always this combative?”
“I’m a lawyer. Do you know any lawyers who won’t fight tooth and nail for their point of view?”
“There is also a small storage room and a laundry room on this floor. At the back of the house, is the famous garden you’ve already seen. I can show it to you another day.” Or tomorrow morning, if I’m lucky.