Trying not to grimace, she whipped her head in the opposite direction. A strained silence ensued as the city of Miami flew by with its palm trees and glitz.
“Just how far is the place you had in mind?” she asked at last, suddenly aware of the many miles they had spanned between here and the safety of her office.
“Oh, not too much farther along.” He gave her another sideways glance. “By the way, I haven’t told you yet, but you look very lovely today.”
“Well, thank you.” A compliment coming from him sounded as hollow as his sincerity, and Erica would just as soon enjoy the appreciative words and touches of his sibling.
“Nico told me you took him to a jazz club last night. He enjoyed himself.”
Feeling her stomach tighten, she hoped the brothers were not chummy enough to discuss their love lives. “Oh, so you’ve spoken to Nico since your arrival back in town.”
“Yes, he called me on my cell phone. He told me you seemed very interested in my apartment renovation. So, what do you think of ol’ Adriano? He doesn’t get out much, and I know he certainly appreciated your hospitality.”
What Nico lacked in dating experience, his twin certainly took up with a vengeance. “I found your brother quite charming, and so...different.”
“From me, you mean?”
“Well, yes.”
“The only similarity we seem to share is that we started from the same egg. Not all twins are tight as in best friends, you know, or clairvoyant. Nico’s preferences and ways of thinking are far beyond my interests.”
You can say that again!
“He has a definite talent and his art reflects his creativity. I’m hoping to use his paintings as focal points in your apartment.”
“Oh, certainly. I think I used to envy Nico’s talent. Yet as we grew older, I came to accept my own assets, quite different from any of his.”
Another round of you can say that again!
Gianni donned a clever smile. “Did he tell you at one point he thought about going into the priesthood?”
That revelation jolted Erica for a moment. Although, when she thought about it, she found Nico’s idealism and devotion quite refreshing, if not noble. “No, he didn’t say, but then an evening together doesn’t guarantee you’ll form a total picture of a person’s true nature.”
“Exactly. So, what about you, Erica Rael? What deep, dark secrets do you possess?”
“Nothing sinister,” she answered quickly.
He brokered another sly glance from behind the shades. “Oh, come now! You must have had some secret hopes and desires at one time, you know, what little girls like to dream about.”
Certainly not about a guy like you, buster! “If you mean did I long to be an exotic dancer, sorry to disappoint you.”
He chuckled in appreciation. “Let me put it to you another way. Did you ever toy with the idea of a little S&M?”
Erica flashed him a cautionary look. “I really don’t think it’s any of your business!”
“Okay, yeah, you’re right. It’s just that the way you look reminds me of chocolate sauce with cherries and whipped cream. Kinky and delicious at the same time.”
“Do you mind turning around? I’d like to get back to the office now.”
As Gianni pulled back into third gear, he told her they had almost arrived at their destination.
“Your idea of going for coffee is quite different from my own.” Erica glanced nervously about. They had been traveling north, up Biscayne Boulevard, and were now passing through the suburbs, towns like Miami Shores and Biscayne Park. Even if this maniac managed to slow down, he still maintained a fast enough speed to prevent her from jumping out of the car. And even if they did it in the movies all the time, Erica had a feeling her jump would be far more hazardous to her health.
Instead, gritting her teeth, she tried to displace her apprehension with more positive thoughts, although it seemed next to impossible to maintain positive thinking while in the clutches of a deviant sex fiend! For a moment, Erica toyed with the idea of grabbing her smart phone and calling Craig or Sacha. She could kick herself for not asking Nico for his number, that’s if he even possessed a cell phone. She hadn’t seen him with one last night. In fact, their whirlwind encounter in bed hadn’t even afforded her a chance to know if her lover wore boxers or briefs. They had undressed in the dark and stayed naked until Nico left her early this morning.
“Um, Gianni, is there any way I can get a hold of your brother? I’d like to speak with him.”
“Sure, of course, but let’s get comfortable first.” Taking a sudden curve, he maneuvered his baby with expert finesse and then sped along Oceana Boulevard and over to the island bar of Sunny Isles. Finally, he slowed down as they approached Golden Beach. Erica spied a large clapboard house up ahead. A large business sign tacked above the porch advertised Beach Bum Bob’s Grass Shack. Could they possibly wind up for coffee here?
“Beach Bum Bob is a friend of mine,” Gianni revealed. “I steered him in the right direction with some investments. We can have lunch with our coffee. Pomano fish tacos are the specialty of the house.”
With a sigh, Erica pressed her pink shoulder bag to her side. What the hell? After all, she was just along for the ride. Of course, if his idea of “getting comfortable” meant more than sitting down for coffee and tacos, Gianni Sloan had another thing coming...such as a well-placed knee right in the crotch!
* * *
“So, what do you think?” As Gianni broached the question, he sat back in his plastic chair and stretched. The light from the overhead fan fixture picked up the glint from his expensive silver bracelet.
Erica dabbed her mouth with the paper towel provided as a napkin. Beach Bum Bob served excellent food in a no-frills but quite clever manner. They ate their tacos and spicy coleslaw out of dried coconut shells, and sat at a table made from pieces of wooden crates. The menu, posted on a large blackboard over the ordering counter, also offered a simple but satisfying selection. Fish nets hung from the ceiling, and the weathered walls boasted a canoe paddle, a ship’s wheel and other sailing paraphernalia.
“I think Beach Bum Bob needs to advertise more. This place is a gem in the rough.” As she spoke, Erica looked around and spotted just a smattering of customers besides themselves.
“It’s still early yet,” Gianni informed her. “This joint gets hoppin’ from happy hour on to the wee hours of the morning.”
“Do you take your dates here very often?”
“Let’s just say I reserve Beach Bum Bob for ladies I feel comfortable with, and with whom I share a connection.”
Erica hoped she didn’t fall into this category of Gianni’s preferred conquests. Did Maritza? Somehow she didn’t think so.
“I’m sure your dates thank you for it.” Throughout their lunch, she had the opportunity to observe her host without the sunglasses, though Gianni’s hooded eyes seemed bereft of any hidden subterfuge or sneaky agendas.
Now the investment broker switched to a more serious mode. “Erica, I don’t know what I’ve done to make you look and think of me with disdain. Oh, I know you don’t like the fact I’m seeing your sister, but I don’t think I’m such a terrible guy.”
She tilted her head and tried to regard him with a less prejudicial eye. “I’m sure you’re very charming when you want to be. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to take a man seriously when he doesn’t take his relationships very seriously. You use and discard women faster than I do my dental floss.”
“What if I tell you that you’re making flashpoint assumptions without giving me the benefit of the doubt?” As he spoke, Gianni drummed his fingers along the table’s distressed wood. “You certainly view me based on skewed and misguided information about my love life.”
“Heater vents don’t lie,” she countered succinctly, “and bad guys always wear black.” With that, she rose to use the ladies room. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me.”
“Certainly.”
Before she
left, Erica tried to read his mood. Bemused? Upset? Anxious to prove he wasn’t such a bad guy after all by showing her his white underwear? Yet his face remained a blank. Gianni certainly didn’t give anything away; while in contrast, his twin, Adriano Sloan, offered his feelings with genuine and generous pleasure. Nico... just the recollection of his warm touch made her long to have the better brother here with her now.
Five minutes later, Erica returned to the dining room, but found their table cleared of their dishes and the seat where Gianni sat now vacant. Perhaps he’d gone to the restroom as well, or now waited for her in the car. Walking out to the porch, she surveyed the parking lot and spied every make and model of vehicle except a sleek, dark, topless Jag. Could Gianni be so miffed with her that he simply abandoned her at Beach Bum Bob’s Grass Shack? Leaning against the porch rail, Erica fumbled for her cell phone and searched for Maritza’s number.
Her sister finally answered after the fifth ring, and Erica launched into her request. Since she decided to take on Gianni’s decorating job, she needed to get a hold of the investment broker to clear up a few details. After a pause, Mari recited the number, and Erica quickly thanked her. She made a point to program his number in her phone, but when she dialed, she received Gianni’s recorded message with a vengeance:
“Hey baby, you’ve reached lover boy. I’m probably oiling my naked body in preparation for your visit right now, but leave a message anyway. Until we meet again: Kiss, kiss, love, love.”
Ooh, brother! Anger quickly replaced her panic. After all, Erica wasn’t stranded on a deserted island, and her poor ears would soon recover after hearing the smarmy bastard’s ridiculously egotistical and noisome message.
She was just about to call Tai and ask if someone could drive out and fetch her when a Jeep Cherokee came around the corner. As he slowed in the parking lot, the driver honked and waved. Erica quickly brightened when she recognized Nico behind the wheel. After last night, she couldn’t possibly mistake that head of soft waves and his finely honed features. Her hero! Had she actually communicated her thoughts to this wonderful man, her handsome knight in shining armor, or in this case a silver jeep?
As Nico approached, Erica had an opportunity to appreciate her rescuer. Besides the wire-rimmed sunglasses, he wore light cargo pants, a seersucker shirt in a pastel plaid, and canvas deck shoes. A glint of silver directed her to the slim chain around his wrist. Hmm, Gianni’s twin possessed the same type of bracelet.
“Hello, Erica!” Nico greeted with a broad smile. “Need a ride?”
She met him halfway down the porch steps. “Am I glad to see you! I thought I’d be stuck out here forever.”
“Sorry,” he began after he gave her a quick hug. “My brother sent me to fetch you. He had some kind of emergency call and had to leave right away. On his way back to the city, he called and asked me to come and rescue you.”
“Well, that explains some of it,” Erica conceded as she allowed him to take her hand and lead her back to the Jeep. “But why didn’t your brother leave a message with the waiter? I couldn’t have been gone more than five minutes to the restroom.”
“Who knows what he’s thinking?” Nico opened the car door for her. “Gianni isn’t exactly the most diplomatic of guys. He runs on hormones, not common sense.”
“Well, all I can say is that I’m glad you’re here.” Erica gladly slipped into the bucket seat and sat back, relieved and mollified for the moment.
As Nico slipped behind the wheel, he turned to her with a bright smile. “So, what are you doing the rest of the afternoon?”
“Well, I thought I’d get some work done.”
“That’s no fun.” With a little laugh, he started the Jeep and pulled out of the parking lot. “All work and no play makes Erica an overworked girl. So, why don’t you play hooky this afternoon and go for a sail with me? We can relax and enjoy life a little.”
Erica didn’t have to think twice. “I’d love to, but I’m not exactly dressed for a casual outing.”
“So, we’ll pick you up some clothes on the way. My parents have a sail boat at the Bay Harbor Marina.”
The thought of spending an afternoon, alone on the water, with such an attractive, charming man made her blood rush to strategic body points. “You’re on, captain!”
Chapter Seven
Relaxing along the polished deck, Erica sipped her champagne and watched the captain of the sloop, Island in the Sky, tighten the sails before joining her. She had been smiling with ease since Nico launched the boat and headed out to sea.
They had stopped at a strip mall earlier so that Erica could quickly select a pair of tight shorts and a V-neck halter top from a woman’s boutique, along with a pair of deck runners from the shoe store. To top off the afternoon, Nico visited the nearby supermarket and bought them a bottle of premium champagne, two plastic wine glasses, and a party tray of cold cuts and cheeses. With that, they set sail along the calm waters of Biscayne Bay. Nico certainly proved that he knew the ropes when it came to directing and tying off the pale yellow sails.
“Such talent!” Erica exclaimed when the captain joined her on the deck cushions. “For someone who’s not from Miami, you sure know your way around a boat and the water.”
“Hey, we have boats in Connecticut, too,” Nico defended and stretched alongside of her. “My parents always enjoyed sailing, and we boys learned early. I did tell you that Island in the Sky is my mother’s baby.”
“Yes, you did,” she agreed, “as well as boasted about her attributes—the boat’s that is, not your mother’s assets. Of course, I’m sure she possesses many as well. This baby’s a steel-designed, thirty-four foot spray cutter. After that, you lost me with ballast and keel weight.”
“That’s okay,” he said with a laugh. “I was just showing off to impress a lovely lady.”
“Well, I’m impressed.”
“Want to take another tour of the galley, get out of the sun for awhile?”
“Why do I feel you want to take me below to show me your etchings?” Yet, with no misgivings, Erica allowed her host to bring her to her feet.
“My etchings and a couple of masterpieces,” Nico added playfully as he helped his guest to navigate the steep steps down to the galley.
“This is very impressive,” Erica commented as she surveyed the interior. Despite the compact kitchen and tiny bathroom compartment, the living area had been designed with comfort in mind. The banquette seats at the dining table came in soft microfiber, while the cabinets and walls featured polished maple wood and brass accents. At the stern, a queen-sized bunk beckoned with a downy comforter and large pillows.
“You know,” she began, “I’d love to meet your mother. I’m sure she’s as beautiful as her namesake, even more so.”
Standing behind her, Nico placed his arms around her waist. “It’s doable,” he murmured in her ear, “but not today. You’re all mine for the duration. Mm...your hair and your neck smell wonderful.”
Turning in his arms, Erica placed hers around his shoulders. Their eyes met. Now, in the light and without his glasses, Nico’s eyes gleamed like polished agates. She pulled him close. “Thank you. It’s a body spray called Sinful Pleasures. I’d like to meet your father, too.”
His lips came to hers. “They do come as a pair, my parents that is. Ah, my lady of sinful pleasures!” He swept his fingers along the undercarriage of her breasts. “Of course, your pair is just as sinful and pleasurable.”
“If you keep this up, Mr. Sloan, you’ll have me eating out of your hands.”
“I’d rather use my hands in more meaningful pursuits, such as exploring every inch of your body. Starting with these…”
As his mouth found hers, Nico unfastened the halter ties behind her neck. His hands slid down her back in a light caress, and Erica shivered, her blood skimming just below the surface of her skin in warm, rich currents. His lips tasted sweet, of candy mint, and the remnants of champagne. Soon he tugged at the strings until he pulled the bodi
ce down to her waist and then quickly brought his fingers to cup and stroke each bare breast. When he broke their kiss, Nico brought his lips to the hollow of her throat and down the valley of her breasts until he molded his lips around one nipple and then the other.
Throwing back her head in delight, Erica ran her fingers through the silken strands of his hair. She tensed when he played kisses down her abdomen and tickled her navel with a light rasp of his tongue. He continued to tantalize her senses as he worked to unbutton her shorts and stretch them along her hips. Erica felt her skin dimple from the electric shocks of his touch.
She soon gave a wonderful whimper of surprise when Nico’s fingers dived beneath the elastic top of her panties and then stroked the beginnings of her pubic mound. When he dug deeper and felt her slit, she raised his head and took his mouth with fervent urgency.
As they continued with their kiss, Nico maneuvered her backwards to the bed until Erica hit the wooden bunk with her calves. Tumbling back, she grabbed him down on the mattress with her. They took a moment to laugh together before he slid away. With deft fingers, he quickly tugged and discarded her clothes. Next, he planted kisses on each knee while his hands ran up and down her smooth, bronzed legs. Slowly he parted them and brought his tongue along her inner thigh.
As he began with tantalizing kisses along the folds of her slit, Erica writhed with heat-yielding arousal, her pleasure increasing tenfold when he found and nibbled her clit. Nico’s hands soon clamped her thighs to the bed, and she had no choice but to submit to his sublime torture. His tongue began a feather-light caress along her gash, and then delved inside to lap at her juices. The more she struggled against him, the more he held her tight and increased the pressure of his strokes. Her moans filled the narrow space as he took her to incredible heights, but as soon as Erica tensed and arched to gain release, Nico immediately ceased his coddling.
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