Marsala and Magnolias

by SJ McCoy

  “Why do you look like you want to kill him?”

  He turned back to Cameron who was giving him a puzzled look. “What? No! I … I just. Well … Oh, you know what? Fuck it. I’m going to tell you. But you can’t tell Mary Ellen, okay?”

  Cameron looked baffled. “What the hell is going on? What do you know about Mary El that I don’t? That just seems so unlikely to me that it’s hard to believe, and what does David have to do with any of it?”

  Antonio blew out a sigh and explained the events of the night before. He glossed over what he’d heard Mary Ellen say, and he glossed over what he’d told her afterward, but he gave Cam the basic idea of what had happened. “So, you see. That guy.” He jerked his head at David. “Broke Mary Ellen’s heart and I don’t think you should hire him.”

  Cameron nodded. “Are you sure it’s him? Are you sure that’s the David she was talking about? She’s never mentioned him before and she sure as hell hasn’t said anything about knowing him while we’ve been going through the selection process.”

  Antonio shrugged. “That’s why I feel like an asshole. I’m sharing a secret that I shouldn’t even know. And no. I’m not even sure that he’s the guy. I put two and two together, and I might be coming up with five. But come on, Cam, what are the odds?”

  Cameron nodded and looked back over at David. “I think it has to be him. And if it is, then I don’t want him on the team. He might be great for the job, but if it’d upset Mary Ellen, then it’s just not worth it.”

  “Do you think he would be great for the job?”

  “I don’t know. I told you at lunchtime he was in my top two. When you look at his resumé he’s perfect. He interviewed well, and he should be a good fit, but I didn’t quite click with him. He said all the right things, he was impressive, but I don’t know. There was just some disconnect. I thought it was just me, but now I’m more inclined to trust my gut.”

  Antonio grinned. “Good.”

  “Why’s it so important to you?”

  Antonio froze. He’d been so happy that David wouldn’t get the chance to worm his way back into Mary Ellen’s life that he hadn’t stopped to think about why. He shrugged. “Mary Ellen is a good person. You couldn’t do what you do without her. I’d hate to see things get messed up. That’s all.”

  “That’s all?” Cameron held his gaze, the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

  Antonio stared back at him. Damn. “Last night, Chelsea stared me down. Now you’re doing it! I don’t know what to tell you. Last night, hearing her talk, she was upset, she was hurt. I just … It hurt me for her, you know? She deserves better than some guy dumping her and making her feel bad about herself.”

  Cameron nodded. “She does. She deserves the best.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And you’ve always seen yourself as the best, right?”

  Antonio smiled. “I have, but I’m not sure I’m that good.”

  Cameron chuckled. “For some reason, I get the idea we’re going to find out.”

  Antonio thought about it. What was he going to do? Should he ask Mary Ellen out? Would she say yes if he did? He looked at Cameron and nodded. “It might take me a little while.”

  Cameron smiled. “It’s already taken you years longer than I thought it would.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I always thought you and Mary Ellen might get together someday.”

  “You did?”

  “I did. It makes sense somehow.”

  Antonio swallowed. If Cam thought it was a possibility, then maybe it wasn’t as crazy as he’d been telling himself it was.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mary Ellen checked the clock above her desk. She rarely noticed the time when she was at work. She loved her job, loved being here, but today she just wanted out. It was Friday, and she wanted the weekend to hurry the hell up and start.

  Despite what she’d told Chelsea last night, despite the fact that she knew she should, she hadn’t said anything to Cameron about David. He’d had to get straight on a call with the New York office when he arrived and had spent most of the morning putting out fires. She’d thought she’d have to tell him about David when they conducted the final interviews, but Cam hadn’t even invited her to sit in. She’d stayed holed up here in her office and was dreading he might walk in any moment with David at his side, introducing him as the new sales director. She blew out a sigh. She should have told him. If he did hire David, it’d be her own fault, and she’d just have to make the best of a bad situation.

  She jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. Cam stuck his head around it and smiled. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and waited, convinced that when the door opened fully, David would be standing there.

  He wasn’t. Cam came in and closed the door behind him.

  “How did the interviews go?”

  He nodded. “They went well. I think you’re going to get along with our newest team member.”

  Mary Ellen nodded. She would. She’d have to. “Who did you go with?”

  Cam gave her a rueful smile. “Don’t worry, not David.”

  “Oh! You knew?”

  He nodded. “I did. I wish you’d told me yourself.”

  Mary Ellen shrugged. “I didn’t want my stupid personal stuff to get in the way of whatever’s best for the business.”

  “It’s not stupid stuff. Don’t say that. You have a history with the guy.”

  “I do, but that shouldn’t matter.”

  “Maybe it shouldn’t, but it would have. Anyway. It’s irrelevant because he wasn’t the best man for the job. I think Paul’s a much better fit with us and with the company values. He’s in with HR at the moment, but they’re going to bring him back here when they’re done.”

  Mary Ellen smiled and sighed a big sigh of relief. “Good. I liked him, and you’re right, I think he’ll fit in well.”

  “Are you doing anything straight after work? I thought we could round up some of the team and take him for a welcome drink.”

  “That’s a great idea. I’ll see who’s around.” She picked up her phone to dial the sales office. “Connor and Lyle just got back from Bakersfield. They’re always up for a drink after work, and they should meet their new boss.”

  “Great. I’ll see who I can find. Tell them Muse at five-thirty.”

  Mary Ellen’s throat went dry. “Muse?”

  Cameron grinned. “Yeah. Is that a problem?”

  She shook her head. It shouldn’t be. It might be Antonio’s wine bar, but he wouldn’t be there at five-thirty, would he? And even if he was, all she needed to do was thank him for being kind to her the other night. That was all. And then she could put the whole episode behind her.

  She realized Cameron had stopped with his hand on the door. He was watching her intently.

  “What?”

  He shook his head with a smile. “Just making sure you’re okay.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You never told me a thing about David.”

  “Oh.” And there she’d been thinking he was onto her about Antonio! “He’s the past. I should have said something when I knew he was in the running for the job, but …” She shrugged. “It all worked out okay, didn’t it?”

  “It did. Okay, let’s round up the troops and go celebrate.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Rodney greeted Antonio with a questioning smile when he arrived at Muse.

  Antonio grinned at him. “This may be the third evening I’ve been here this week, but it’s been an unusual week, and technically it’s the weekend now.”

  Rodney smiled. “It is. Does this mean you’re back to your usual routine?”

  Antonio knew what he meant. The usual Friday night saw him having dinner here and leaving with a woman. “No. I’m breaking with routine. I’m going to eat, and then I’m going home—alone.”

  Rodney raised an eyebrow.

  “Don’t look at
me like that. I am.”

  “Very well. Your table is available if you want to eat now. However, Mr. Hamilton is here with a group of his colleagues. They’re on the patio upstairs, if you feel like socializing.”

  Antonio pursed his lips. Would Mary Ellen be amongst Cameron’s colleagues? And if she were, would he want to join them—or to stay away?

  “Do I sense uncertainty?” asked Rodney.

  Antonio nodded.

  “This is an unusual week.” Rodney gave him a knowing smile.

  Antonio laughed. “I feel like I should be calling you Sensei or Master or something! It feels like you know what’s going on with me better than I do. Care to share?”

  Rodney tried to look innocent, but he couldn’t pull it off. He smiled and gripped Antonio’s shoulder. “I’ve seen this coming for a while. You’re outgrowing the life you’ve been living. I’m eager to see what you will do—where you go from here.”

  Antonio smiled back. “Me too, but at this point, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing or where I’m going.”

  “You’ll figure it out. Go slowly. Tread lightly.”

  Antonio laughed. “That’s not much help. Do you have anything more concrete for me?”

  Rodney smiled. “Right now, I’d suggest you join your cousin.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I was intrigued by the look on your face when I told you he and his colleagues are here.”

  Antonio smiled through pursed lips. “Damn, you’re good. Was there a blonde amongst his colleagues?”

  Rodney smiled. “Ah! Mary Ellen? Yes, she’s here. And in that case, I strongly suggest you join them.”

  Antonio chuckled. “Yes, Master.” As he made his way out to the terrace, he noticed that his palms were sweaty. He drew in a deep breath—his heart was racing, too. Why? What was he afraid of? When he spotted her, he understood. It wasn’t fear that was making him react that way. It was Mary Ellen, it was … what? Excitement? Attraction? He didn’t know which, but he liked it, whatever it was. She was so damned beautiful. She was sitting side-on to him so he could study her profile as he approached without her noticing. His smile faded as he looked at the guy she was talking to. He didn’t recognize him, and he looked a little too interested.

  Cameron got to his feet. “Antonio. I didn’t think we’d see you here this early.”

  Mary Ellen turned her head slightly but looked away again quickly.

  Antonio smiled at Cameron. “It’s Friday. It looks like we all felt the need to escape the office early.” He looked around the group, nodding at Connor and Lyle from the sales team, smiling at others he didn’t know so well. Finally, he was looking directly at Mary Ellen. Her cheeks flushed, and she gave him a brief nod. Damn. She didn’t look pleased to see him. If anything, she looked irritated. For all the time he’d spent thinking about her since Wednesday night, he hadn’t dedicated much thought to whether she might be angry at him for listening to her conversation. He smiled brightly and nodded back. “Mary Ellen.”

  “Antonio.”

  Antonio looked at Cameron. He didn’t know what to do. And that wasn’t a position he was accustomed to being in.

  Cameron grinned. “Paul. I’d like you to meet Antonio Di Giovanni. Antonio, I’m sure you’ll be very happy to meet our new sales director, Paul Stevens.”

  Antonio was thrilled. “Paul. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The guy stood to shake his hand. “You, too. It’s an honor. I love your wines.” He smiled at Cam. “Though, of course, not quite as much as Hamilton-Groves wines.”

  Cameron laughed. “Of course not.”

  Antonio’s heart sank as Mary Ellen got up and excused herself. Was she going to the bathroom? Was she leaving because of him? He hoped not. He shot a look at Cameron, but he just lifted a shoulder and guided Paul toward Connor and Lyle to join their conversation.

  Antonio stared at the doorway through which Mary Ellen had just disappeared. Had she gone? There was only one way to find out. He set out after her.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mary Ellen stared at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. “Not cool, Mary El. Not cool,” she berated herself. Why had she gotten up and walked away? She’d promised herself that if they ran into Antonio, she would be cool. She was going to thank him graciously for his kindness the other evening, and that would be an end to it. And what had she done? She’d gone bright red when he spoke to her and then as good as sprinted out of there the first chance she got.

  She shook her head and fished her lipstick out of her purse. Now she had to go back out there. That was even worse. She washed her hands just to kill some time. As she was drying them, there was a knock on the bathroom door. A knock? That was weird. The door wasn’t locked, there were three stalls in here. Maybe it was the cleaner? It came again, louder this time.

  “Mary Ellen?”

  Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. It was him. Antonio. She stared at the door, then came to her senses. “Yes?”

  The door swung open, and he came inside. Her heart pounded in her chest at the sight of him. It always did, he was just that handsome, but normally she was able to observe him from afar. His attention was never focused on her. It was right now. He was standing there—in the ladies’ room, no less—towering over her, staring down into her eyes. She looked up into his. His big, brown, beautiful eyes. They melted her insides, but she couldn’t afford to think about that.

  “Please forgive me?”

  She cocked her head to one side. “What for?”

  He smiled, and all she could focus on were his full, beautiful lips.

  “For everything, for anything. I shouldn’t have listened in the other night. I shouldn’t have said anything to Cameron. I shouldn’t have done a lot of things, but I only did them because I care.”

  Mary Ellen’s mind spun. “What did you tell Cameron?” That was the only reasonable question she could come up with.

  His smile faded. “He didn’t tell you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Oh.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “That I told him about David.”

  “You did?”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  She stared at him for a long moment. She couldn’t be mad at him. She couldn’t be mad at Cameron. The only person she should really be mad at over the whole David episode was herself. She should have told Cam from the outset, and there would never have been a problem.

  “Please don’t be angry with me.”

  She chuckled. “I’m not. Part of me wants to be, but I’m not. You meant well, didn’t you?”

  He nodded vigorously. “I heard you. I heard how you felt. There’s no way you should have to be around that man. Cameron didn’t know, and I knew he would want to. I know it wasn’t my place, but I care.”

  “You do?” What was he saying? Did he mean he cared about her? Or just that he cared in general, that he was a caring person? He stepped toward her. Oh, God! Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to? Hell yeah, she did!

  “Oh! I’m sorry.”

  Mary Ellen sprang away from Antonio as the door opened behind him. Natasha from the office stood there looking shocked—it wasn’t every day you found a handsome Sicilian when you walked into the ladies’ room.

  Antonio smiled at her as if she were the one out of place. “That’s okay, we were just leaving.” He held the door for Mary Ellen and gestured for her to go out ahead of him.

  When they were out into the hallway, he laughed, and she had to laugh with him. “I’m sorry again. I seem to be screwing this up every time I turn around.”

  The laughter died in her throat. “Screwing what up?”

  He put a hand on her shoulder, sending shivers chasing each other down her spine and making her knees want to buckle under her. “Asking you out. Will you have dinner with me? Tonight, tomorrow, whenever you want?”

  She looked up into his eyes. Was he messing wi
th her? No. It didn’t look like it. He looked as concerned and caring as he had when he talked to her on Wednesday. Maybe it was just part of his play to get a woman into bed—and if it was, it was working. She nodded. “Okay.”

  “Tonight?”

  She nodded again. Why not? She’d waited years for her turn in his bed. Why wait any longer? They both knew what it was about, why not just get on with it? “Later. I need to hang out with the team first.”

  He smiled. There went those full lips, curving up at the corners and making her heart race again at the thought that later they’d be touching her skin—all over. “I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  She smiled. “Okay.” As she turned away from him, he touched her shoulder, and she turned back. He lowered his head; he was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes but didn’t get what she expected. He closed his hand around the back of her neck and gently planted a kiss on top of her head. “I can’t wait.”

  She did her best to walk steadily back out to the terrace to rejoin the others, but she felt a little wobbly and had a feeling she might look as if she was walking on air.

  Chapter Five

  Antonio checked his watch. How long would it take? It’d already been an hour since Mary Ellen went back to join her colleagues. Patience wasn’t one of his strengths. Once he made a decision, he preferred to move swiftly. He wasn’t in the driver’s seat here though. It was all up to Mary Ellen. At least she’d said yes—and she was attracted to him. He knew plenty about women, and the way she’d reacted to him in the bathroom had made it plain. She was physically attracted to him.

  Normally, that would be all he needed to know. If he was going to have dinner with a woman and she was attracted to him, he knew how the evening would go—and how it would end. That wasn’t the case with Mary Ellen. He wasn’t on a mission to get her into bed, at least not yet, not tonight. He shifted in his seat. The thought of getting her into bed had the interest stirring in his pants. If he started to think about her body, about getting his hands on her and … Damn. He hadn’t allowed himself to think of her that way before. He’d believed there was no point. She wouldn’t be interested. But she was. What was he going to do with it? He wanted to get to know her, as a person, not just as a piece of ass. He couldn’t deny he wanted to get his hands on her ass—on every inch of her creamy skin. His hands, his tongue … he shook his head. He wasn’t supposed to be taking it in that direction. She wasn’t the kind of girl who’d sleep with him on a first date. And, gorgeous as she was, it wasn’t just her body that interested him. If all he wanted was a hot body, he could find one to take home any night of the week. What he was interested in was the woman, Mary Ellen. He wouldn’t find another like her in a million years; he already knew that. She was special. The question was, would she find him special, too?