Seduced by the Greatest

Chapter 7

The Duke settled in Rome

“If curiosity killed the cat, sometimes it also helps to catch a naughty girl”

The day started in typical Caribbean fashion, sunny, bright and calm. I waited for Pedrito at the door and we performed our regular ritual with hugs and small talk about the day before. He always applied my experience into his marriage and I could notice that things were going really well for him. We sat down and he asked about my ordeal after the war and Danielle.

“Pedrito, like I said, we decided to go back to the Riviera but I was not strong enough yet. In a way that was a fortunate thing, since there was an older lady from Argentina that was pursuing me with persistence. She was not my type, but if I was feeling well perhaps something could have happened. We got invited to a party by my friend Ali Khan, as I was sitting an older gentleman approached me and slapped me in the face. He said that his wife was unfaithful with me and that his honor will be restored in a duel. I got up slowly from the table and showed my open hands to the gentleman and told him. Sir I am sorry that you feel this way, I have been ill for the last few weeks, I can see that you are married to a lovely lady whom I do not have the pleasure of knowing, but I am sure she must feel badly about your opinion of her. I assure you that the bullet extracted from my kidney has made me the most unattractive man in France. Rest assured sir that your honor is intact. Danielle rapidly intervened as well and immediately got in between both of us, she looked like a lioness defending her young, I felt proud of her love.”

“So you almost lost your life again!” Pedrito exaggerated a bit, but all within reason.

“No, this time it was easier but I was getting my strength back and I was loving life full of lively and fun people more than ever, believe me the Riviera is the right place for that combination.”

“As always Rubi being Rubi, you were all about fun and more fun, that should be your trademark.” He was laughing thinking the worst of me.

“It was not all fun and games, I did have a lot of fun but the problem was that things were getting back to normal and I was again appointed as ambassador, but the French authorities did not want to deal with anybody who had a position during the war. Remember that I was working in the embassy in Vichy and Paris, so that created a problem where I almost had no choice but to accept an appointment in Rome, another lovely city. With time the distance between Rome and Paris slowly took a toll in my relationship with Danielle.”

“Oh come on Rubi it wasn`t the distance only, it was more than that, admit it.” Pedrito thinks he knows the real reason, and he wanted me to say it.

“The girls were the biggest factor, I admit it.”

“It was not just any girl, it was The Duke.” He wanted the whole truth.

“Pedrito, sometimes you know way too much for my own good, she was fun and Rome made our roads cross.”

“Yes Rubi that is an interesting story how did that come about?”

“It all had do to with Danielle`s fame. She was accused of collaborating with the Germans, but finally a committee cleared her of all the charges. The film industry in France was not doing much, so she decided to come with me to Rome until her career started again. Her arrival in Rome was big news and many tabloids and international papers covered the story. One particular journalist showed up at our hotel requesting an interview. She had a funny face, not very attractive but definitely not ugly, she seemed fun and audacious that made her very interesting indeed. The most particular thing about her is that she was a good journalist but she was also the richest woman on earth and she knew that I knew that.”

“So that was Doris Duke at your hotel door?”

“Yes, I did not do much, I acted as if she was just another reporter, I was gallant but I barely spoke to her, I let her in, called Danielle and left the scene.”

“Come on Rubi, you cannot be that good of a boy with that reputation of yours!”

“I was still married and I did not want to make more of the encounter than it really was, time would take care of that for me.”

“Time?” Pedrito was always impatient when it came to the way I told him my stories.

“Relax my friend, patience is also a great virtue of all great lovers, if you are too direct women get spooked, be as indirect as possible and she will love the intrigue.”

“How where you indirect?” Pedrito just could not wait any longer for the punch line.

“I was not indirect, I was just patient. When Danielle returned to France, I was left alone in Rome, well I was not alone; I was accompanied by my reputation as a great lover and extremely well endowed which surely many in Rome knew well. It was a fun time to be famous for those attributes and Doris was the perfect girl to fall for those.”