Alessandro slipped his hands under my hair and gently removed the tiara I was wearing, deftly throwing it onto one of the armchairs in the room. He broke our kiss and, like a lion circling its prey, walked around me with his eyes burning with desire. He stopped behind me and began to kiss my shoulders. One by one, he unbuttoned the few buttons on the skirt of my wedding dress. When they were all open, he placed his hands on my shoulders and, in a subtle, fluid movement, pulled the long ends of