A Test of Love: Interracial Erotic Romance (Chasing Love) (20 page)

“No.” Viv picked up her bread and bit it. Her eyes popped open for a few seconds and then she caught herself and relaxed her expression a little. I could tell she hadn’t realized that living things were in the cheese. She chewed for a few seconds and gave me a half nod. “Okay. Jazz, you’re pushing it here with the squirmy things, but it’s not bad. Try it, Troy.”

I rolled my eyes. “Why?”

“Because you’re scared and you need to get over it. Sometimes all you see is the ugly in something that could be so beautiful.”

Jazz checked Viv’s face then mine. “Umm. . .is this still about the casu marzu?”

“Yes, and it’s about a lot of things.” Viv bit into her bread.

“Alrighty.” Jazz turned back to me. “Go ahead, Troy. You can do it. And while we’re putting people out there, Chase, don’t think I didn’t notice that you haven’t eaten it.”

He grumbled and took the tiniest nibble at the corner of the bread.

Now Chase is with them. Fine.

I bit, chewed, and as the things writhed on my tongue, cringed for the second time that morning. It stung the tip of my tongue a bit and those worms were gross. But, it tasted good.
I hate you, Jazz.
And sure it reminded me of gorgonzola, just maybe spicier. This stuff just coated my mouth in a sort of savory goodness that I’d never experienced before.

Sure.

But in the end. . .

“I can’t get over the damn worms, man.” I tossed the rest of my bread back on the plate. “I would rather just eat gorgonzola without the worms.”

“This is stronger and much tastier than gorgonzola,” Jazz huffed. A stranger would’ve thought that I insulted our mom or something personal within herself.

I raised my hand in the air like I was in school and too confused to come up with a reasonable answer. “Why would someone put worms in cheese?”

“Oh, put your stupid hand down.” Jazz grabbed my plate and slid it over to her. That was also a thing she always did. During our childhood, she ate so much of what I wouldn’t eat, she’d widened into a house. Sherman loved her being big. It kept her in the house and away from boys. She would just study, munch, talk to Gabe as he cooked for her, eat the result, and then return to her books.

“And they’re not worms, they’re maggots.” Jazz formed her lips into a proud smile.

Bile rose in my throat. “You’ve reached a new low, Jazz.”

“You’re missing out.” She shrugged.

“Don’t worry, Troy. I’ll have Ada cook us up some eggs and bacon.” Chase signaled for the bigger of the two cooks to come over, and then spoke Italian.

“Could you have Ada make me some too?” Viv scooted her plate over to Jazz. A few of the worms jumped off and hit the white tablecloth. She shrieked and edged away. “Okay. I didn’t know they could launch themselves.”

“You all are barbarians.” Jazz munched.

“Why would they put maggots in this?” Viv asked.

“Okay so I’m not an aficionado on this or anything. I’ve just seen a lot of episodes on Food Network where people have tried it. So this town in Italy—”

“Sardinia,” Chase offered.

“Yes. Sardinia.” She glowed.

They’re so annoying to be around, sometimes.

“So when they make the cheese, they put a bunch of larvae into it. This goes well past fermentation. The larvae’s eating breaks down the cheese’s fat, making the cheese super soft and liquid-y.”

“I loved the cheese, but not with maggots in it.” Viv fanned herself like she was hot. “And if they live in there then that means we’re eating maggot poop too, so that’s a big no for me.”

“Sardinians believe that the cheese is dangerous to eat when the maggots have died in it,” Chase said. “I know this because when I spotted the delivery and opened the container, I was not happy to see them in there. Ada and I had a heated discussion. Here I thought that I’d been shipped a ruined container. Then Ada reminded me that it was
casu marzu,
a dish that my mother loved too. She always had some when we vacationed here.”

“So your mom was a foodie?” Jazz asked.

Chase took his time as if thinking about it. “I guess you could say so. Now that I think about it, Mom had a love for exotic foods. She’d definitely made my father cringe at the table many times.”

“Ada was here when you were a kid?”

Something about the way Chase’s face hardened made me need to know the answer. It was a regular question, but he formed his lips into an angry line and sipped his wine. “She was here for a while, but let’s talk about something else. I think we should all go to Rome.”

Viv exchanged an odd glance with me. I had no idea what it meant. When we were together, our bodies were in tune. Her thoughts were easy to read, her body even more. Now I had no idea what she was trying to say.

“Do you think it’s safe to go to Rome?” There was no denying the excitement on Jazz’s face. I bet unique dishes floated in her mind.

“I have a new security team. Some were ex-SEALs, others did independent contractors for specific wars,” Chase said.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Jazz twisted her lips to the side.

“It’s barely enough in my book. I can’t let anything happen to you.” Chase turned to me. “Are you going, Troy?”

Viv and me in Rome?

“No way.” I shook my head.

Viv let out a loud sigh.

“Plus, I have some more footage to check out. I also need a favor from you.” I ignored the annoyed daggers that Viv’s eyes shot at me. “I would like Wendy’s bottles and glasses checked.”

“What do you mean?” Chase sat more upright in his chair.

“I’ve spotted Lucy sniffing Wendy’s glasses several times after the third girl died. Do you know why?”

“No,” Chase said.

“That’s what I want to know.”

“But is it relevant?” he asked.

“Do you have anything better?”

“No. I’ll have it done and the results sent to you by the end of the date.”

“I have another question.” I checked the stove. Ada cracked two eggs and dropped the yolk and whites into the heated oil.
Hells, yes. There we go.
I centered my attention on Chase. “Every girl who died in your arrangement had the same buddy. Each time Dawn bothered them, they would call this person up and talk. However, the way the footage is set up, I can’t tell who’s talking to whom in that same moment. The scenes are cut into short videos that jump back sometimes and shoot foreword.”

“That was the only way my man could do it because there’s was just too much.”

“Well, all I’m saying is that this buddy has to be the one killing them. When the one chick was depressed, she called this person and cried all of the time. The cocaine addict chick did drugs with this same buddy, I think. Although I never saw her do drugs with this person on camera.”

Frowning, Chase stirred in his seat. “Then whoever it was knew the exact location of each camera was in the house, and knew I monitored them myself at times. If there’s one thing I’m not a fan of, it’s hard drugs, especially cocaine. I caught Evelyn snorting a few times. Whoever she did it with, kept her involvement far away from the house.”

“Maybe it was Wendy,” Jazz offered. “When I was up in your”—she did air quotes—”‘monitoring room,’ Wendy was lying in bed, naked, staring directly at the camera and begging you to come to her.”

Chase averted his eyes from going back to my sister. “She did that sometimes.”

“Did the others?” Jazz asked.

“No.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because they didn’t know about the cameras. Okay. Let me explain.” He tapped his fingers. “See. Dawn and Lucy knew there were cameras all over, but. . .only Wendy knew that they were inside the bedrooms and. . .that I had my own monitors upstairs to watch them.”

Silence set on the table. I didn’t have to look at Jazz to know she was seething. Why, I wasn’t sure. All of this stuff had somewhat happened before her. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but love was like that.

Which is why you can’t fuck with this guy, Jazz.

I attempted to get the conversation back on the problem at hand before Jazz assaulted Chase. “How did Wendy find out about the cameras in the bedroom?”

“Just like Jasmine, she stumbled upon my secret passageway when I was with Dawn. She told me she was frightened and needed a kiss from me to go to sleep—”

“Oh, please,” Jazz blurted out.

Viv snorted into her hands.

“Anyway.” Chase cleared his throat. “Wendy said she watched Dawn and me have sex on camera, and wanted to watch again. Just her and my secret.”

“So you let her?” Jazz beat me to the question.

“Of course.”

“Of course,” Jazz muttered and took another bite from her bread. “Did Dawn know about this?”

“Wendy said she would tell her,” Chase said.

“But how do you know she did?” I asked.

“I don’t.” Chase shrugged. “You have to understand that I have several companies. It takes up most of my time. When I get to Willow Park, I’m not interested in managing my. . .”

“Whores?” Viv suggested.

“Harem?” Jazz raised one eyebrow.

Now is the time to cover your balls, brother. These girls hit low when agitated.

“Girlfriends,” Chase said through clenched teeth. “Ex-girlfriends now.”

“But for how long?” Viv asked.

Chase checked my face as if a plea to help him out. I couldn’t. I was wondering the same damn question.

“
Jasmine
is who I want to be with. There’s no need for any other women.”

Skepticism hung on all of our faces as we stared back at Chase.

He touched his neck like he’d just been cut. “And by the way, this is a tough room.”

“Trust me.” Viv winked. “If you think, you’re going to be with Jazz for the long haul, oh, it’s going to get tougher. As far as I’m concerned, you have a whole lot to prove to me, before I box up my meat grinder and ship it away instead of making a sausage out of your penis.”

Oh, shit. Not the meat grinder.

Chapter 19

JASMINE

Rome was a different sort of city, one I’d never experienced. It could’ve just been all the things I’d learned in my life through history class or popular mythologies, but I could’ve sworn something more breathed within the city’s walls. Roman civilizations had built many things here, aqueducts, calendars, bound books, and even the most sophisticated highway system the ancient world had ever seen. An aged pride in humanity radiated from every architectural treasure and artistic masterpiece. I could’ve stared at some of those buildings for hours and still not captured every detail of the concrete men on the walls.

Thousands of tourists traveled the city, toting cameras and travel guides. Traffic had been chaotic. Our driver swerved in and out of lanes, maneuvering like some sort of champion race car driver. I didn’t mind. There was so much to keep my eyes busy and entertained. Restaurants with outdoor seating crowded the place, so many I might’ve just snapped pictures of hundreds as we zipped by, wondering what they served inside. I imagined those places had probably been there for many years, and pictured a few mom-and-pop ones, where the meals united with a sense of culture and family.

Chase knew how to show a city. We had our own tour guide, car, and driver. At the moment we landed, he’d given Vivian and me cameras, shopping money, sunglasses, sunblock, hats, and an empty bag for the stuff we bought. We started off at the Spanish Steps. A flowery fragrance saturated the air. I could’ve stayed on that huge staircase all day. The steps sat in the heart of Rome, all vibrant and dripping with elegance. Blushing pink azalea flowers adorned most of the 175 steps. Our guide had explained that the steps were constructed to celebrate a peace treaty between France and Spain. Apparently, the top of the hill where the steps led linked to the Spanish embassy at the bottom of the hill. During the Renaissance, artists would line the steps and lounge at many of the restaurants near the foot of the stairs, making it a hugely painted and written about area in Rome to this day. Tons of street sellers packed those steps, peddling their goods—Italian trinkets and mementos that most tourists would drool over, but never use once they got back home. I bought a few for my nieces and nephews.

A fountain lay at the foot, shooting out water that sparkled. Vivian must’ve taken a hundred pictures right there as she went into great detail capturing a perfect angle of the water arching out right as sunlight hit it and the sky shown clear in the background.

“I’m going to paint that one day,” she confessed.

“And I’ll buy it.” I had to drag her away. “Come on before we miss the Coliseum.”

“I really doubt it’s going anywhere.” She hooked her arm around mine. “Plus, I bet you fifty dollars Chase tries to keep you in Rome overnight.”

Excitement pulsed in my veins. “What would be the big deal?”

“He’s intentionally spoiling you so that you can forget.”

I ceased from walking. “Forget what?”

“That he is in fact an asshat.”

“Ah.” I started us back walking to Chase as he spout out orders in Italian and checked his phone for the hundredth time since we’d been in Rome. “No. It’s not that. I guarantee you that something is going on. Maybe it’s in Atrani, since he had us leave, but I bet a hundred dollars this trip was not so we could see Rome.”

“Interesting.”

“Hey, you’re stealing my catch phrase.”

“Get a new one.” She stuck her tongue at me. “And do you really want to be with a guy who sneaks around you and carts you off to places under the guise of something that isn’t true.”

“Benny said something similar to me.”

Vivian flinched like I’d slapped her. “Then forget what I said. Nothing good comes from me sounding like Dad.”

I checked the darkening sky. “There’s no way we’re hitting up the Coliseum. It’s getting dark.”

“Knowing Mr. Ego, he’ll have it kept open for you with the Beatles playing in the center.”

“John is dead. It can’t happen.”

“Who?”

“John Lennon.”

“He’s rubbing off on you.”

I nudged her. “Oh, be quiet.”

Chase waved us over. “We won’t be able to do the Coliseum,
tesoro
.”