by Laura Breck
He paused for a moment. “Agreed.”
“And you have to promise to stop provoking me.”
“I don’t know. It’s become second nature to me.”
“Do you want me to hang up?” She smiled and ran her fingertip around the edge of the glass.
“I promise to behave.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“If that’s an invitation, I’m on my way—”
Despite wanting nothing more than Antonio here, now, she found the strength to deny herself. “No, you’re not. If I consent to work with you, we’ll meet in a public place.”
“Like a hotel room?” Seduction softened his voice.
“Like a restaurant. A busy, well-lit restaurant.”
“I understand, cara mia, you don’t trust yourself alone with me.” He laughed.
A tingle ran up her spine. “Exactly.” Her voice dripped sarcasm to cover the sudden flare of desire. “And I wouldn’t want to take advantage of you.”
“Feel free to do so at any time.”
“Can we be serious, please?” And this was serious. They could both be in danger if things didn’t go well finding the blackmailer.
“All right. Where and when?”
“Lunch tomorrow?” She tried to think of a well-lit, busy restaurant. “Batista’s?”
“Perfect. Noon tomorrow, bella.”
“Ciao.” She set down her phone, picked up her drink, and sat back, breathing in the scent of night-blooming flowers. Relaying their conversation in her mind, she vowed to make their interactions more pleasant from now on. She wanted to get to know him before she let him into her life.
Funny, she did want him in her life. She sipped her martini and followed the beam of light from the Luxor up into the night sky. But what did he want?
****
At noon the next day, Valerie pulled her convertible into the lot at Batista’s and parked next to a sexy red Ferrari convertible. It had to be his—no stereotyping involved—the license plate read “Tonio.”
She took off the band holding her braid, ran her fingers through her hair and checked her lipstick in the rearview mirror. Nervous energy sluiced through her as she stepped out of her car. She took a deep breath. This was just a business lunch—with the hottest man under the Vegas sun.
She walked into the landmark restaurant and blinked to adjust her eyes to the dark interior. Antonio and the host stood conversing in Italian, but both men stopped and smiled when they saw her. She’d dressed casually in a red floral sundress and strappy sandals, but Antonio was in his standard jeans and T-shirt.
“Valerie.” Antonio took her hand and kissed her fingers softly. His eyes met hers over their joined hands, and he nipped her knuckle.
“Bad,” she whispered, but she smiled as she took her hand back.
“Always,” he answered and held her elbow.
Troy had held her the very same way three days before. Was Antonio making a statement?
To the host, he said, “Table for two, please.”
They slid into the maroon vinyl seats of a booth at the front windows, and he glanced out at the parking lot.
“Your Ferrari?” she asked.
“Yes. My baby.” His smile looked a little embarrassed. “I had her built and shipped over last year.”
“Beautiful. Fast?”
“Too fast.”
“Just like her owner?” She smiled.
He raised an eyebrow. “I thought we weren’t going to provoke each other, bella.”
“No, I said you were not to provoke me.”
He laughed. “But it’s okay for you to?”
“I was teasing, not provoking. There’s a difference. Subtle but definite.” Her stomach jittered. Did she appear as nervous as she felt?
Their waiter set down glasses of water and handed them menus. She read the appetizer section and listened as Antonio greeted him in Italian. The two men spoke for a few minutes about their hometowns and how long they’d lived in Las Vegas.
The waiter said in Italian, “What a beautiful woman. Those eyes!”
She peeked over her menu, and Antonio winked at her.
He responded in Italian, “She wants me terribly, but, since we work together, I keep telling her, ‘No’.”
Valerie choked back a giggle.
The waiter gave him a disbelieving look. “Pazzo!” He shook his head as he walked away.
She laughed and set down her menu. “You are crazy. You know that, don’t you?”
The smile left his face. “Unfortunately, yes.”
She could sense his pain. What was lurking under that too-smooth façade?
He picked up his menu. “Ready to order?”
“Everything sounds delicious. I don’t know what I want.”
“I’ll order for us, and we can split a few dishes.”
“Perfect.”
The waiter came back, Antonio ordered, and, when they were alone again, he glanced out the window.
“Where’s your Lexus?”
“I drove the T-bird today.”
He looked outside. “That’s yours? Cute.” He smiled charmingly. “Just like her owner.”
“But with a solid steel chassis, just like her owner.”
“Beautiful on the outside…” He touched her hand. “…strong on the inside.”
The brush of his fingers set off sparks inside her. He slid his hand from hers as the waiter delivered two glasses of red wine.
“Vino?” She watched Antonio.
His eyes darkened. “Si, cara, you can’t expect me to eat Italian food without wine. Unnatural.”
“Tell me about Italy. Are your parents still there?”
“Both mom and dad. They own a winery in the Tuscany region.”
“A winery? I bet it’s beautiful. Do you get back there often?”
He glanced away and frowned. “No. I haven’t been back since I moved here.”
“What about the rest of your family?” She looked at his strong profile then down at his muscular chest. Why didn’t Troy’s big pecs affect her the way this man’s did?
“I have an older brother, two younger brothers, and two younger sisters. All in Italy.”
Her gaze flew to his. “You haven’t seen them in five years?”
“I fly them out here. I just haven’t had the urge to go home.”
She could tell by way his eyes shifted he wasn’t telling the entire truth. Shaking her head, she turned off her psychologist radar.
He sat back. “Where do you come from?”
“I’m from Las Vegas.”
“Parents?”
“Yes, and an older sister and brother, Ryan, whom you met.”
“Ah. You’re the baby of the family?”
She sipped her wine. There was no way she was getting into birth order discussions with him. Time to change the subject. “So, are you seeing anyone?” Why did she choose that loaded topic?
He swirled his wine glass on the table. “No.” He looked at her intently. “Not yet.”
Her stomach skittered under his stare. “Sorry I asked.”
He chuckled. “How did you meet the football player?”
“My sister, Monica, set us up.”
“She’s a doctor, right?”
Her brows furrowed. “How did you know?”
He shrugged. “I did a little research. Your brother owns a houseboat rental company on Lake Mead, and your parents are land developers.”
“Hm. Did you find anything interesting on me?”
“Oh, yeah.” His smile was pure evil.
She swallowed. “I know I’m going to regret this, but what did you find?”
“Impressive grades all through school. You volunteer more hours than most people work for wages. No criminal record or even speeding tickets.”
With her finger, she drew on the checkered tablecloth. “Nominated for sainthood?”
He reached over and took her hand in his. “You’re inspiring.”
; She looked into his eyes and saw honesty and openness. “Thank you.”
“Your practice is doing well, and you have an impressive financial portfolio.”
“I inherited from my grandparents.”
“And you were almost married?”
Her eyes popped wide open. “How the hell did you find that out?”
He let go of her hand and slid back into a lazy position on the seat. “Society pages. Tell me about Bryce.”
The waiter came by and refilled her glass. Was this her second or third? “We grew up together. In college, we got serious. Last year, when I finished grad school and moved back here, our parents pushed us to commit. His family owns casinos, mine are land developers.” She gave him a wry smile. “It would have been the perfect merger.”
“But?”
“But we didn’t love each other.” It didn’t hurt to say it any longer. “We’d grown apart.”
“So you defied your parents.”
She grimaced. “For the first time ever. I thought they would disown me.”
He laughed. “They can’t be that bad.”
She blew a breath out. “Oh, yes they can.”
He looked at her for a couple minutes. “What do they think about your football player?”
She heard censure in his voice. “They like him.”
He moved closer and ran his hand up her arm. “Do you like him?”
“Yes, I like him.” But she didn’t love him. “We’ve only been dating a few weeks.”
“He’s your first boyfriend since Bryce?”
She nodded. She must seem unsophisticated to him. “Monica and my friend Jules are always trying to set me up, but not many men will date a psychologist.”
“Because you’re always dissecting their motivations, right?”
She shook her head. “That’s so not true.” She smiled. “Well, maybe a little true. It’s difficult to turn off the psychoanalysis.”
“I’ve heard you’re good. How did you become Psychologist to the Stars?”
“My sister started referring her patients to me. Word spread, and now my calendar is nearly full.”
“Do you take writers as patients?” Antonio wagged his brows at her.
She frowned. Was he serious? The corners of her mouth turned up. “No. I have to draw the line somewhere.”
He laughed. “We are an unsavory bunch.”
“Do you enjoy writing?”
“I do. I’m outlining the next book in my series. Have you read any of them?”
“Yes, I’ve read a couple but none in the last year.”
He didn’t seem offended. “I have a few in my trunk. I’ll give them to you when we leave.”
“Thank you. What’s the plot of the new book?”
He sat back and rested his arm along the top of the booth. “It takes place in Vegas, of course.”
She was captivated by the way his shirtsleeve rode up and bared his bicep. Staring, she took a deep breath and blew it out. She would love to touch.
He chuckled. “Hello? You still with me?”
Looking into his eyes, Valerie felt her cheeks warm, and shifted her gaze down at her glass. “Sorry, go ahead.”
“Riiiiight. Now I won’t be able to concentrate.”
She snuck a teasing look at his face. “Now I’m being bad?”
“Yes, you are, and I love it.”
She should control her flirting. This wasn’t the kind of guy who was safe to play games with. “You were explaining the plot…”
“Here’s what I have so far. It’s about a beautiful woman psychiatrist.”
Valerie listened closely. Perhaps he could use her help with some aspects of his writing, since she was in a similar business to his heroine.
“She’s dating a big, dumb basketball player.”
Her brow furrowed. Was he teasing her?
His smile flashed mischievous. “And they haven’t made love yet because she’s got the hots for another guy.”
She closed her eyes for a second. How was he able to sum up her situation in one breath?
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s too unbelievable.” She tried to look serious. “No one would buy that story.”
Antonio let out a sharp laugh. “Sorry, bella, I couldn’t resist. Touchy subject?”
She looked away from his intense stare. “Somewhat.”
“The big, dumb boyfriend? Or the desire you feel for the other man?”
Her gaze shot back to his. Desire filled her all the way to her toes, but, at the same time, bitter guilt chilled her. Here she was out with “the other man” while Troy was vacationing with his buddies.
His eyebrows drew together, and he sat forward. “Tell me what you’re thinking, Valerie.”
She shook her head and focused on swirling wine around her glass. “Nothing important. Let’s talk about the blackmailers, all right?”
He relaxed back into the booth, but she sensed him watching her. “Whatever you’d like.”
“What are you going to do about the latest blackmail letter?”
He shrugged. “I paid it.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “What choice did I have?”
“But…how…”
“They were smart this time. They had me hide it in a men’s bathroom. In a police station.”
“Really? Did you wait to see who picked it up?”
He smiled. “That’s the interesting part. I tried to loiter, but the cops kept rousting me. I had my private detective there, but he kept getting thrown out, too.”
“Did you watch the door? See if anyone you knew came out?”
“There were a lot of exits. Hundreds of people in and out during the day.” He drank his full glass of wine in one swallow. “So it’s over. Hopefully.”
She sat forward. “Will you tell me what the blackmailers have on you?”
He looked at her as if she’d turned into a werewolf. “No.”
“I’m asking because Betina said her indiscretion was from about twenty years ago. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, just that it would embarrass her and her family.”
Antonio nodded. “It was something I did in college.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “Nothing horrible, but I live a quiet life. I don’t want reporters finding out where I live and turning me into a major attraction.”
“I understand.”
The waiter interrupted with their lunch and encouraged her to finish her wine so he could refill her glass. For a half hour, they gorged on the restaurant’s famous eggplant parmesan, lasagna Florentine, linguini with clam sauce, Caesar salad, and garlic bread. She made yummy sounds as she bit into each new taste delight.
Antonio groaned. “Do you always moan like that?”
She looked up and moaned, “Mmmm hmmm, always,” then caught the look in his eye and recognized his double entendre.
“Baby, you can’t tell me to keep the conversation on business then tease me with your sex noises.”
She giggled and felt her face warm, only partially from the wine. “I didn’t mean to be a tease.” She patted her mouth with a cloth napkin and his eyes followed the movement. “What were you saying?”
“I said, ‘Let’s go back to my place for dessert,’ and you said, ‘Yes’.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve had that much wine, Antonio.”
He took her hand and rubbed circles on her palm, looking at her with those beautiful brown eyes. “It will be good, Valerie. We will be fabulous together. Say yes, baby, and I’ll have you moaning for hours.”
She was lost in his gaze, could barely draw a breath. Her core tingled with anticipation, her mind befuddled by the image of her lying under him. Moaning for hours.
She had to snap out of it. She raised an eyebrow. “Does that line really work?”
He released her hand. “None of my lines work on you, do they?”
She sighed. Did he honestly have no idea that his smoky glances and wicked suggestions turned every inch
of her body into a tingling time bomb?
“Not really,” she lied and steered the conversation to the blackmailer.
They compared his and Betina’s lists of suspects and came up with possible scenarios. For the next hour, Valerie didn’t notice the waiter frequently refilling their wine glasses, until she started slurring her words. She was tipsy.
He must have realized she drank too much and moved their glasses to the edge of the table. The waiter walked by, and Antonio said, “Two cappuccinos, please.”
“Thank you.” She fanned herself with her napkin. “I didn’t realize how much I drank.”
“You’re a lot of fun when you loosen up.”
“Loosen up? Thanks. Makes me sound like an uptight bitch.”
“Whoa, bella, let’s keep this pleasant, okay?” His smile was teasing.
“I don’t usually drink this much.”
He stared at her.
She waited a few minutes, then couldn’t stand the silence. “What are you thinking?”
He rubbed his chin. “I’m going to use this scene in my next book. Two people, drawn to each other sexually, but kept apart by their suspicions of each other.”
She shook her head and regretted it when she felt the room spin. “Your books are not romantic at all. You should introduce a love interest for your cop-hero.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Everyone’s a critic. Okay, Doctor, how should I make my books more female friendly?”
She looked at his face, which seemed to float in and out of focus, just like in her dream. A lightbulb went on in her brain, and she leaned forward. “I have an idea.”
“I do too, but we’ll have to go back to my place—”
“Uh uh. About the book. You could make it more romantic by having the cop dream about one of his female co-workers. Then build a romance from there.”
“Might work. What would he dream?”
Her own dream replayed in her mind. “She’s in her office, and he barges in wearing riding leathers, sunglasses, boots…”
“Go on.”
This was dangerous, but she didn’t care. She smiled seductively.
“She watches him take off his sunglasses, his leather gloves and jacket. He’s wearing a white shirt, jeans, and leather chaps.”
His eyes held a serious look, and he shifted in his seat.
She leaned closer. “She gets up from her chair and saunters toward him, wearing nothing but a slinky black—”