A Perfect Caress

by Nana Prah

  It was Vanessa’s turn for her eyes to go wide. “I once overheard a woman say that Uncle D dances like he’s making love. I know I shouldn’t be asking, but is it true? Does he?”

  Toshia bobbed her head. “Yeah, does he?”

  Lanelle tried one last time to escape the double harassment. She waved a finger between Vanessa and Toshia. “What the hell’s going on here between you two?”

  “That’s not the question on deck, my evasive friend,” Toshia said. “What we need to know is what’s happening between you and Dante. Everything else is irrelevant.” Toshia held up a hand, and Vanessa reciprocated with a high five.

  “First of all, we’ve never come close to making love, so I can’t answer your question, Vanessa.” But after the dance and the kiss, she’d guess the answer to be a resounding yes. “Not that I would tell you if we had. We ate dinner last night at Chalamar’s, had a good time and then went home.”

  Toshia wiggled her eyebrows. “Together?”

  “No.”

  “What do you think, Vanessa? Is she telling the truth?”

  Vanessa shrugged and turned to Toshia. “I don’t see why she’d lie. Especially to you. You seem like you’d be able to wear her down.”

  “I like your new little friend, Lanelle. She’s smart.”

  “More like a smart-ass,” Lanelle mumbled.

  Vanessa tapped a short-nailed finger on the table. “I heard that.”

  “Good.” Lanelle created space on the table so the waiter could place her beef burrito down. The aromatic spices from Vanessa’s quesadilla and Toshia’s taco salad made her mouth water. After a few bites of the burrito, Lanelle asked Vanessa, “What did you want to ask me that you couldn’t over the phone?”

  Vanessa placed the cheese-laden food on the plate as she finished chewing. She threw a furtive glance at Toshia and seemed to make up her mind. “Can you come to Italy with us?”

  Lanelle should’ve known better than to have food in her mouth when the girl spoke. Swallowing the wrong way, she coughed until she had tears in her eyes. Toshia rushed to her side and banged on her back, making things worse. Lanelle pushed her friend away, rasping out, “Stop hitting me.” Reaching for the water, she took a sip, then continued to cough.

  “Save a woman’s life and she yells at you. Some people are just ungrateful.”

  Gritting her teeth, Lanelle took deep breaths to replace the oxygen she’d lost for those few seconds. “Thank you.”

  “That’s more like it.”

  Lanelle focused her gaze on Vanessa. “What happened to taking one of your friends?”

  “You’re my friend. Besides, everyone has plans. Uncle D said Keith could come, but he’s going to be working on his aunt’s vineyard in California for the summer.”

  Lanelle quirked a brow. “Dante relented?”

  Toshia broke a piece of the taco-shell bowl. “What are you two talking about?”

  “My uncle is taking the family to Italy for my birthday. He said I could have a guest.”

  “And you want Lanelle to go with you?”

  Vanessa nodded.

  “I approve,” Toshia said. “I’ve been trying to make her take a vacation for the past year.”

  Toshia didn’t play fair. “Things have been hectic.”

  “Look at you, you’re so exhausted you’re choking on burritos. Lord knows what’ll happen next. You need some fun and rest. You’ve always wanted to travel to Italy, so go.”

  Try as she might, Lanelle couldn’t ignore Toshia’s valid points. “What about Dante?”

  “What about him?” Toshia intercepted. “Didn’t I say you should have some fun while you’re there? Vanessa, cover your ears for a moment.”

  She did as she was told.

  Toshia leaned across the table. “You haven’t liked a guy in forever. Why are you holding back? You have to leave the past behind at some point.”

  “But...”

  “No. You’re going to Italy, and that’s all there is to it. As soon as we leave here, we’re going shopping.”

  Vanessa looked between the two women.

  How could she argue with her best friend? The woman oftentimes knew what she needed before she did. Lanelle could do without her gloating about it, though. One last try. “You know I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with the NICU and—”

  “Isn’t that accounting expert working on it? The project can survive for a week without you.”

  Lanelle held up her index and middle fingers. “Two weeks.”

  “Whatever. If something shady is going on, you’ll dig it out after a wonderful vacation. I’m sure your mind will be sharper then, too. Better able to solve mysteries. You’re going.”

  Lanelle’s stomach fluttered with excitement. “I know you can hear us, and you look ridiculous. Uncover your ears.”

  Vanessa grinned. “So you’ll come with us?”

  Against her better judgment and under Toshia’s glare, Lanelle said, “Yes.”

  Vanessa raised a fist to Toshia’s and bumped. “Thanks, Toshia. That was easier than I thought. I was ready to play the remission card.”

  Lanelle knew it would’ve worked just as well as Toshia’s bulldozing. She froze as her heart beat triple time. How would she survive fourteen days with Dante? Even now, the thought of repeating those kisses made her lips tingle. How could she resist him when he’d be in close proximity all the time?

  And according to him, Italy ranked as the most romantic place in the world. Lanelle took a piece of ice from her glass and crunched it. What have I done?

  Chapter 13

  Manny Cooper wiped the sweat from his forehead with an already drenched shirt. “What’s riding you, man?”

  Dante stopped midserve and stared at the only friend he’d kept in contact with from junior high. “Nothing.” He tossed the blue squash ball up and swung his racket, smashing the sphere into the wall. Manny sprinted to the side, hitting it with his signature light touch.

  Anticipating the move, Dante lunged forward and slammed the ball against the front wall, sending it ricocheting backward and making Manny backtrack for it. Quick as lightning, he got it just in time to lob it into the air before touching the wall.

  Dante smiled and hit the ball with such a practiced gentle hand he could’ve sworn it moved in slow motion. Manny wasn’t one to give up easily, and he dived for the ball, reaching it just before it hit the ground a second time.

  The rebound headed straight for Dante. He put all his strength into creating the winning shot. A groan of pain rent through the air when the ball careened into Manny’s ass.

  “That’s the second damn time you’ve hit me today. First with your racket and now this.”

  “Sorry, man.”

  Manny rubbed his behind with a wince. “The smile you’re sporting isn’t giving me the impression of a true apology.”

  Dante raised his arm, clearing off both sweat and the smile on his soaked T-shirt. “Are you okay?”

  “You know it didn’t cause permanent damage, but what’s wrong with you?”

  Moving to pick up the ball, Dante avoided eye contact. He should be at his office getting ready for the trip to Italy by clearing off his huge to-do list. Unbeknownst to Vanessa, it wouldn’t be a true vacation for him. He had a meeting scheduled while there.

  Had Lanelle accepted the offer to go with them?

  He’d put money on it she’d declined. Why would she want to spend time with a family she barely knew and a man who obviously disturbed her peace of mind?

  Frustrated, Dante had no idea how to proceed with her. “I met this woman.” He shifted on his feet to keep his muscles warm. He had more game left in him.

  “You mean someone you can date, or someone you’ll screw around with?” Manny had marr
ied right after college and tended to plot ways to get Dante to join the fold. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re actually considering her for a relationship. Holy hell. Has the world turned inside out?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I just want to get to know her better.” Deciding they wouldn’t play anymore, Dante bent at the hips and stretched his hamstrings.

  Manny did the same. “I’ve only heard you say it once before. Now I know it’s serious. What’s the issue?”

  Dante switched positions to stretch his calf and attempted to keep the conversation off the only woman he’d ever been serious about before—and who’d ground his heart in a blender. “I feel like she’s hiding something.”

  “If you haven’t learned by now, I’ll clue you in. All women are hiding something.”

  “Very funny.”

  Manny chuckled. “I wasn’t joking. What gives you the impression she’s holding out information?”

  As they sat on the wooden floor stretching, Dante gave the watered-down version of what happened at the fund-raiser and the times they’d gone out.

  Manny shook his head. “Circumstantial at best, man. I’m talking all of it. There’s only one thing you can do.”

  Dante perked up. “What?”

  “If you care about her, then ask her what she’s hiding.”

  His snort echoed through the room. “She’d only lie.”

  “Or she’d explain everything. Don’t let Martha’s duplicity keep you away from a worthy female.”

  At the mention of his ex-fiancée, Dante growled. He’d loved the woman to the extent that she’d soured him on relationships when he found out she’d dumped him for someone of her own social status. She’d claimed his heart from the first moment he’d seen her. Neither of them cared that she came from money and him from a middle-class home. They’d dated for their last two years of college. During their senior year when he’d proposed, she said yes. But when he’d asked to visit her at home, she always found an excuse.

  During the last few days of school, Martha told him they wouldn’t be getting married because she was engaged to someone her parents had set her up with. Someone who could take care of her in the manner she’d become accustomed to.

  Ever since that devastating experience, he preferred to keep his relationships light enough to never let commitment see the light of day. Dante picked up his racket and jumped up. “Whatever, man. Thanks for the game.”

  “Ask her and see what she says,” Manny insisted as they headed toward the locker room.

  Dante retrieved his phone from the locker where he’d stored his gear and sent his niece a text. Is Lanelle coming with us?

  Before he’d stripped down for the showers, Vanessa’s one-word message came through. YES!

  Elated, Dante schemed. He had two weeks to get Lanelle to at least like him. Where better to do it than the most romantic country in the world? The trip to Italy would be perfect. Bless Vanessa’s nosy, interceding heart for suggesting that Lanelle come along with them on her chosen birthday gift.

  He’d been sure Lanelle would say no, especially considering he’d be paying for it. But the woman had a soft spot for Vanessa, and his manipulative niece had probably played on it.

  He needed lessons from the girl.

  After their date, he’d called Lanelle to make sure she’d gotten home without incident. A person would get the impression they were complete strangers from the icy tone she’d given him. It had him second-guessing what had happened not even thirty minutes before when she’d been hot enough to burn him while in his arms.

  What did Lanelle need in a man that he didn’t possess? The much too short dinner they’d shared had cinched him. He had liked everything about her, from her poise to the boisterous laughter she wasn’t ashamed of expressing. Unlike with Martha, who had betrayed him without an inkling of warning, the idea of Lanelle keeping a secret disturbed him.

  * * *

  Dante had stopped for Chinese food before heading back to work for another late night. He rotated to look out the huge glass-paned window of his office. The city of Cleveland sprawled below his twenty-story view with buildings lighting up the night. He’d chosen the metropolis as his home base in order to be close to his family.

  The business required a lot of traveling to install quality marble and granite all over the world. Pride swelled at his ability to maintain the outstanding reputation initiated by Mr. Calvano’s great-grandfather.

  Sometimes, like now, he’d sit in amazement, not understanding how it had all come to be his. In high school, as soon as he touched the marble still stuck within the earth, he’d fallen in love.

  Until Lanelle, he’d never felt such a fire in his gut for anything but his family and marble. The fascination he’d held for rocks since his childhood had made him a perfect fit for the business. The raw beauty of the stone still attached to the earth had enthralled him when he’d first visited a quarry. He had spent hours watching them extract large blocks of marble.

  To this day, each time he saw the marble being cut into the slabs that they’d use to create their countertop and flooring masterpieces, a chill raced through him. His heart would swell with pride once the installation project was completed. There was nothing as satisfying than smoothing his hands over the piece of stone he’d helped to install for people to appreciate.

  It wasn’t until he first touched Lanelle’s hand that he’d felt the same sense of joyous wonder. Without warning, over a tiny struggle to obtain a piece of cake, he’d fallen in love with the woman.

  The exquisite stone had loved him back unconditionally. There were no emotional expectations with marble the way there were with women. Would Lanelle ever feel the same about him?

  Finishing the report to his executives so his business wouldn’t collapse while he was away should’ve been top priority. Daydreaming about Lanelle’s effect on him had edged out work. There’s a first time for everything.

  Since his initial trip to Italy as a teenager, he’d be going for something other than work. Mostly. Slapping his hands against his thighs, he pivoted his seat to face the desk. He had hours of work to do before he could chase the woman of his heart.

  Chapter 14

  The luxurious antique-style hotel room, with its heavy dark furniture and thick brocade drapes, reminded Lanelle of the trips she’d taken to other European countries with her parents when on break from school. Why hadn’t she ever traveled to Italy? Her parents had been here on numerous occasions. From what she’d seen so far, Dante had been right about its magnificence in both landscape and architecture.

  Lanelle knocked on the door adjoining her room with Vanessa’s.

  “Come in.”

  When Lanelle opened the door, Vanessa’s small frame lay on the bed. Poor thing must have been exhausted after the long flight.

  “Are you okay, CocoVan?”

  Vanessa sat upright. “Please, stop calling me that.”

  Ever since she’d heard the reason why Dante use it, she’d enjoyed torturing her with the nickname. “Why?”

  “Because I hate it.”

  “Then why do you smile before you scowl? Yeah, I see it every time your uncle says it. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m ready to roam the streets of Venice and maybe buy a cute sundress or two. With some matching strappy sandals.” Lanelle’s stomach rumbled. They giggled. “How could you be hungry after all the food they served us on the plane?”

  “We ate about four hours ago,” Lanelle said. “More than enough time for my ridiculously fast metabolism to digest it. I’ll grab my bag and we’ll get the others. What do you think of Venice so far?”

  “So cool. The water taxi was the best. The buildings are really old, but beautiful.” Vanessa’s hands gestured wildly. “I can’t wait to see the rest of the city. The one place I really want to g
o is Saint Mark’s Basilica. The way Uncle D talks about the marble made me curious. I wonder if he’s ever been inside the building or he’s only read about it when he went to college.”

  “Knowing his appreciation for the stone, he probably spent days there not sleeping or eating. Just caressing the marble.”

  Vanessa clapped and kicked her feet in the air with her laughter. “I know, right? This is Italy, the land of marble. We’re in some deep trouble.”

  “What else do you want to see while we’re here?”

  “The Peggy Guggenheim Collection would be nice, but it’s okay if we don’t get to it. I could sit and watch the hot guys all day. Did you see them?”

  How could she not? At every turn, a cutie stood in her face. From the water taxi driver to the handsome, light brown-eyed man who’d sat on her left-hand side. She’d been inundated with eye candy. “They were okay.”

  “Did you have your eyes closed the whole time?”

  “No. The gorgeous architecture kept my attention.” Lanelle paused. “Um...okay. There were some fine men around.” None of them compared to your uncle.

  “Now you sound normal.”

  “Let’s go. I’m looking forward to tasting some authentic Italian cuisine. I brought a couple of my Thanksgiving Day pants. You know, the ones with the elastic waist. You all might have to roll me out of this country.” Lanelle distended her flat stomach so it paunched out.

  Vanessa slid off the raised bed. “Right behind you.”

  * * *

  The colors, scents and sights of Italy had completely morphed for Dante. He’d never enjoyed the land more. He’d been born and raised in the United States and loved it, but there was something about Italy and its richly steeped culture that drew him back time and time again. Even when one of his executives could make the trip, he’d always come. If he didn’t find it so important to be with his family, he’d make Italy his home base.

  And now the opportunity had presented itself to share his world with people he loved. Including Lanelle, who sat across the table eating strawberry gelato as she listened with intent to whatever his sister blabbed on about.