THIRST

by Deborah Bladon

  The game is over. This is reality.

  “Are you free for dinner?” Rocco asks as he sets the suitcase down on the sidewalk next to him. “Do you like French food?”

  I haven’t caught my breath since I looked up in the waiting room to see him standing there. Spending more time with him tonight feels like too much.

  I need time alone, preferably in a place where he can’t watch me.

  My bathtub.

  I can close the bathroom door, turn on soft music and try and process what happened today.

  I take a deep breath, sorting my response in my head. I don’t want to be rude, but the man has to know that I’m freaking the hell out on the inside, even if I appear somewhat calm on the outside.

  “Rocco!”

  He turns in the direction of the female voice calling his name. I follow his gaze across the street to where the brunette who was in his apartment the other night is standing, her hand waving in the air. Tonight she’s dressed in faded jeans and a white blouse. The black stilettos on her feet transform the outfit from ordinary to sophisticated.

  She looks to the left and then the right before she darts out between two parked cars. Her steps are measured and elegant as she closes the distance between her and Rocco.

  “Gina,” he says when she reaches us. “What are you doing here?”

  “You said you might be at the restaurant around six, so I thought I’d meet you there as a surprise.” She looks me over, even though her words are meant just for him. “You didn’t show up and since there was no answer when I called you, I came to drag you down there.”

  “I have plans.” His hand tightens on the handle of my suitcase.

  “Who’s your friend?” There’s a surprising softness in her tone.

  Obviously, she doesn’t see me as a threat. Women like her rarely do. She’s tall, slim and has the bone structure of a supermodel. This woman is breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Dexie Walsh.” He smiles when he looks at me. “I’d like you to meet...”

  “Gina.” Her arms are around me before I can think. “I’m Rocco’s cousin.”

  Cousin?

  An unexpected smile blooms deep inside of me.

  She steps back from our embrace. “I love your hair. Pink streaks. It all makes sense now.”

  “What makes sense?” My gaze volleys between her and Rocco.

  “Nothing.” Rocco rubs his hand over his jaw. “Dexie and I are going to dinner. I’ll catch up with you another time, Gina.”

  The pasted smile on her face doesn’t veil the disappointment in her eyes. Her voice comes out soft. “Of course, Rocco. Maybe tomorrow?”

  She needs him. I need time to breathe and think.

  “I have plans,” I say, even though I don’t usually consider a bath a plan, but tonight I need it more than I need anything.

  Bubbles, candlelight and pizza ordered in will feed my soul and give me a clearer perspective.

  “You do?” Rocco’s brow arches.

  I nod. “I should get going. Thank you for the shared ride back from the meeting.”

  “The meeting?” Gina’s attention turns to her cousin. “What meeting?”

  Rocco sighs. “I had a pitch session this afternoon. Dexie is looking for an investor for her handbag company.”

  “You’re going to be business partners?” The shock in Gina’s tone dwarfs the surprised expression on her face.

  “Maybe,” I answer quietly. “I have more than one offer on the table.”

  Rocco’s gaze catches mine. “You’ll be accepting mine. I can offer you much more than Rhoda can.”

  I should have a witty response to toss back at him, but the man is melting me from the inside out with the intenseness of his blue eyes.

  “Thank you again.” I reach for the handle of the suitcase. “I hope you two enjoy your dinner.”

  “It was good meeting you.” Gina’s hand lands on my shoulder. “You’re sure you can’t join us?”

  I shake my head. “I can’t.”

  “I’ll be in touch.” Rocco’s fingers linger on mine as I tighten my grip on the padded metal handle.

  “I look forward to talking about my business,” I say quietly.

  He leans closer, sending my heartbeat racing. “Your business will be just one of the topics we discuss.”

  The urge to take a step back is strong, but I stay in place.

  He’s the one who moves, but not before his hand brushes my forearm. “I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon if I don’t see you before then.”

  Chapter 17

  Rocco

  “It’s a strange coincidence, isn’t it?” Gina looks over to where Marti is standing near the entrance to the restaurant.

  “What’s a coincidence?”

  I haven’t been following the conversation since we arrived at Calvetti’s. Gina took a call from a friend on our way here, so I was afforded a few minutes of travel time to decompress.

  The urge to ask the Uber driver to turn his car around so I could go back to my apartment and sit in the darkness was strong, but I could tell that Gina needed the company.

  “You live in the building next to that gorgeous doll, Dexie.”

  I smile at her description of the captivating woman I can’t stop thinking about. “It is a coincidence.”

  “When we were here last week, you thought you saw her, didn’t you?”

  I expected the question. I could see the wheels churning in Gina’s head as she put the dots together after meeting Dexie earlier.

  “Yes,” I answer evenly. “We hadn’t met at that point.”

  “But you had noticed her at that point?” The corner of her mouth lifts into a half-smile.

  “I thought you wanted to have dinner with me to complain about a guy.” I wave to Marti when she glances in our direction. “What’s his name and do I need to track him down?”

  “You sound just like Nash,” she scoffs.

  I smile. “You and Nash are on speaking terms again?”

  Gina’s relationship with both of my younger brothers mirrors the one she has with me. She looks to Nash and Luke for friendship and support, since her only brother is overseas.

  “I forgave him for getting involved with my best friend.”

  The complicated family dynamic that was born from my brother hopping into bed with Gina’s roommate impacted everyone.

  It might have turned out great if Nash hadn’t made promises that he couldn’t keep.

  He’s two years younger than me, but his maturity level is hovering somewhere on par with that of a high school freshman.

  “Forget Nash.” Gina slices her hand in the air. “Let’s talk about Dexie and what’s going on between you two.”

  “Let’s not.” I lean forward in my chair. “She pitched her business idea. I see potential in it, so I’m going to partner with her.”

  “It’s strictly business?” Skepticism edges her tone. “Or is there some pleasure too?”

  Defining what’s been going on between Dexie and I would be near impossible, so I don’t put in the effort to do so. “It’s business.”

  “There’s more to life than business,” Marti says as she approaches our table. “If your grandfather were alive he’d tell you to work just enough to have time left for fun.”

  Gina playfully rolls her eyes. “My work is fun.”

  Marti shrugs. “I’ll never understand how you survive by taking pictures with your phone, Gina.”

  It’s the simplest terms, but it essentially defines my cousin’s livelihood.

  Gina earned a degree in behavioral science. Her long-term career path may not have been clear at the time, but no one in the family anticipated that she’d earn a living posting content about fashion and fitness on social media.

  She monetizes her accounts and so far, it’s paying her bills.

  “We weren’t talking about me.” Gina reaches for Marti’s hand. “We were talking about Rocco’s new business partner.”

  “Another n
ew one?” Marti’s brows pop. “How many partners do you need before you have enough money?”

  “This one is extra special,” Gina interjects before I can answer the question.

  “How so?” Marti’s attention is squared on me.

  “She has a brilliant mind for design,” I say.

  “And a beautiful face,” Gina adds.

  Marti’s face lights up. “You’ll bring this new partner in for lunch one day, Rocco.”

  It’s not a question, but a demand.

  “We’ll see.” My mouth curves. “I need to make the deal first.”

  “It’s always dollars first.” She pats my shoulder. “I’ll check on your linguine.”

  “We ordered the minestrone,” Gina whispers as Marti starts toward the kitchen.

  “She made the linguine herself.” I laugh. “We’ll eat it.”

  ***

  Darkness is all that greets me when I enter my apartment an hour later.

  I don’t switch on any of the lights in the main living space. There’s no reason to.

  Dexie’s not there to see me.

  I stand next to the window and gaze into her place. The sky is overcast tonight, so the moon is shrouded behind clouds.

  The only light that dots the near horizon is from the apartment above Dexie’s.

  I have no idea who lives there. I don’t pay attention. I’ve never bothered to glance into their lives and what happens behind the sheer curtains that are meant to separate their movements from the curiosity seekers who live in my building.

  I don’t care about any of them.

  It’s Dexie that I long to see. I want to see her.

  I look down at my phone, scrolling through my contact list until I land on her name.

  I saved the phone number that was included on the pitch sheet Lenore handed to me before Dexie walked into the conference room.

  I can text her or call her.

  I can interrupt her evening to tell her that I want to talk business, but it’s a lie.

  I want to talk about the way she dances near her kitchen sink when she thinks no one’s watching her or the softness of her movements when she slides out of bed each morning.

  I pocket my phone and curse under my breath.

  Tonight I won’t be catching a glimpse of the beauty across the street. Restlessness eats at me. I won’t be able to sleep, so I head to my bedroom to change my clothes.

  I’ll hit the gym to work off the tension I feel. Hopefully, by the time I come home, Dexie will be in her bed. Alone.

  Chapter 18

  Dexie

  I see Rocco as soon as I round the corner.

  He’s standing in front of the bodega that occupies the ground floor of his building. His attention is glued to the phone in his hand. He must respond to hundreds of texts and take dozens of calls a day from the people he’s partnered with.

  The man has invested in several successful start-ups the past few years. He also knows how to play poker like a champ. That makes perfect sense since he held the title of world champion two years in a row.

  My sudden wealth of knowledge about Rocco Jones is directly related to the fact that I spent last night at Sophia’s apartment. My air conditioner ground to a halt right after I got out of the bathtub.

  I thought I could handle the heat, but that lasted all of an hour before I took Sophia up on her offer to bunk at her place.

  Once she was tucked into her bed with her handsome husband, I searched out Rocco’s name on the browser on my phone.

  I barely slept a wink.

  I don’t see how I can get past Rocco without him noticing me, so I take a proactive approach and clear my throat. “Good morning.”

  He turns at the sound of my voice and rakes me from head-to-toe.

  We may both be dressed in white T-shirts and jeans, but he’d win the who wore it better battle between the two of us.

  His shoulders are broad and his biceps are impressive.

  I look down at the sidewalk to stop myself from staring.

  “Dexie,” he growls my name out as he closes the short distance between us.

  How can his voice send a jolt of desire through me?

  “I tried calling you.” He waves his phone in the air. “It went straight to voicemail.”

  That’s because I used up all its battery in my mission to learn everything I possibly could about him.

  “The battery died.” I scratch the back of my head. “I didn’t want to wake my friend to ask for a charger.”

  “Friend?” He cocks a dark brow. “You stayed over at a friend’s place last night?”

  Considering the fact that it’s not even eight a.m. and I have a serious case of bedhead, he shouldn’t be surprised.

  “My air conditioning wasn’t working,” I offer.

  I don’t owe him any explanations. Besides, he must have noticed that I wasn’t in my apartment last night when he got home from having dinner with his cousin.

  His gaze skims the front of my shirt, lingering on my breasts.

  Shit. I’m not wearing a bra.

  In my rush to get home, I stuffed my bra into my bag and raced out of Sophia’s apartment. My T-shirt isn’t see-through, but my nipples are hard at the moment, courtesy of Rocco’s muscular body and those blue eyes.

  “It’s going to be another hot one today.” I follow those words with an awkward laugh and a fan of my hand in front of my face. “I need to get up to my place to get ready for work.”

  “You work in marketing at Matiz Cosmetics.”

  It’s a statement, not a question. Since I didn’t include that information on my pitch sheet, he’s also gone on a fishing trip online to find out more about me.

  That shouldn’t excite me as much as it is. He’s considering investing in my company. It’s understandable that he would research my background.

  I nod. “My boss likes me to be there by nine a.m., and since I took the day off yesterday, I can’t be late.”

  I start to brush past him, but his words stop me. “Resign, Dexie. You should stop working at Matiz.”

  ***

  “Resign?” I drop my hands to my hips.

  I’ve been waiting to throw that word back at him for the past five minutes.

  His phone started ringing as soon as he said that I should quit my job at Matiz.

  I waited while he talked about setting up a meeting with someone named Silas to sign a contract.

  He kept his eyes on mine during the call. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, so I took a few breaths to calm down.

  We met yesterday. Why does he think he has a right to tell me to quit the job I love, or... at least like? I don’t mind going to Matiz five days a week.

  “Yes,” he answers succinctly, as though that’s going to be enough for me.

  “Why would I quit my job?” I ask as my gaze drops to my watch.

  A shower is out of the question at this point. I’m going to have to run a brush through my hair, do a quick change of clothes, splash on some Matiz perfume and apply my makeup on the subway if I want to be at my desk by nine.

  Thankfully, I usually only wear a light dusting of foundation powder, mascara and pale pink gloss on my lips. They’re all Matiz products.

  He smiles. Those impossibly gorgeous lips of his part and his tongue slips out to moisten his bottom lip.

  If that’s meant to distract me, it’s working.

  This man is delicious.

  “When we partner, I’ll need your attention twenty-four, seven.” He steps closer to me, lowering his voice. “I won’t tolerate any outside distractions since I’ll be investing so much into you.”

  I stare at his mouth before my gaze slides to his eyes.

  “If you want to be successful, you’ll need to put everything into our business,” he goes on, “I expect great things from you.”

  “Great things,” I repeat back with a bob of my head.

  I feel like I’m under a spell. If it’s like this now, how will I keep
my composure if we become business partners?

  I shake off the daze I’m in. “I need to get to work.”

  “You’ll think about what I said?”

  I draw in a deep breath. “I need to consider my other options. You’re not the only one interested.”

  “In you?” His dark brows draw together.

  I answer the question with a smile, then turn and march into my building.

  Chapter 19

  Rocco

  My morning was easy. I sat at my desk and ran through the notes that I’d saved to my phone yesterday during the pitch meeting.

  Offering a deal on the spot isn’t a rarity for me. I know a diamond in the rough when I see it.

  Yesterday’s session had more potential than most, but I only walked away with a solid promise for one partnership. That’s with the owner of the pet-grooming product. My instinct didn’t steer me wrong on that one. I know because Jared was practically jumping up and down when I ran it past him earlier.

  If I rely on his good word, every dog owner in the city is going to be lining up when it launches.

  Right now, I have my assistant studying the business models from a handful of the people who have contacted me directly this month either through email or a phone call.

  If he sees merit in any of them, he’ll put together a spreadsheet, including the sales numbers to date and margins for the product or products. I’ll make a decision about whether or not to meet with the business owners based on that information.

  My attention is on something more important than any of that.

  I have the financials for Dexie Walsh’s company in front of me. I’m not blown away by what I’m looking at.

  She’s a one-woman operation. She handles all aspects of her business entirely on her own while balancing a full-time job.

  Scaling her business up would require a substantial monetary investment on my part, as well as a hell of a lot of handholding.

  I’m all for the handholding. I’ve wanted to touch the beauty since I first got a glimpse of her through the window of my apartment.

  Investing in her dream is an entirely different thing.

  “What’s that?” Jared asks as he strolls into my office looking like he belongs on a yacht in the Hamptons.