Carlina didn’t cook. Instead, she let Antonio do the work, giving him gentle prompts and almost constant encouragement, until he had a plate full of golden-brown fritters and a cast-iron skillet full of eggs with crisp edges and crumbled queso fresca on top.
“Leonard needs breakfast, too,” Antonio said.
“Um, yeah,” Carlina replied. “It’s kind of a thing to feed him, so how about we wait until later?”
“But he’s hungry now.”
She joined us, and rested her elbows on the table. “Judging by how many treats you gave him, I think he can wait a little bit,” she replied. “We’re going to eat before everything gets cold. After that, your brother and I need to talk to you.”
“I know.” Antonio frowned and ate a fritter. “You’re mad at me for coming here.”
“We’re not mad,” I replied. “But we are concerned. We were very worried last night when we found you missing and it scared Mr. and Mrs. Dennison.”
“But Carli said I could come whenever I wanted. I want to stay here and play with Leonard.”
“We said you could come as long as Giorgio said it was okay, and you let me know first,” she corrected. “And that’s what we’re going to talk to you about. Your brother and I have decided to let you visit during the day. You’ll stay with him over the weekends.”
“Can I really?” he asked, a hopeful smile on his face. “That means Leonard and I can watch cartoons together every day.”
Carlina popped a fritter into her mouth and gave Antonio a grin that didn’t bode well for his plans. “I don’t have a television,” she replied. “But I bet I can think of something better for you to do. You’ll be here between eight and four, just like a real job. We’ll cook supper together, and you’ll take Giorgio’s home for him to eat later.”
I burst into laughter at the look of horror on Antonio’s face. I didn’t think he’d ever heard of someone not owning a television, and I was sure that, aside from school days, he’d never woken up so early. When I managed to calm my chuckles with another bite of food, I said, “What do you say, buddy?”
“No television?” he asked. “What do you do all day?”
“I take care of this farm, and if you want to stay here with me and Leonard, you’re going to help.”
Chapter Seven
Carlina
“Why doesn’t Giorgio eat supper with us?” Antonio asked, tossing a bale of hay into the wagon behind the tractor.
I dropped a second bale next to his and considered my words. In the three months that I’d cared for Antonio, Giorgio hadn’t set foot on my property. Payments were deposited into my bank account Friday at two in the morning like clockwork, and I sent a to-go container full of food home with Antonio every evening. There was a brand-new gate at the end of the driveway and I hadn’t seen a single paparazzi since Leonard chased the redheaded one away.
“Your brother is really busy,” I finally said, unwilling to say exactly why Giorgio didn’t visit.
“I guess.” He climbed into the tractor and sat next to me.
I turned the ignition, grimacing at how the old girl coughed and sputtered. At fifty years old, my tractor was on her last legs, but I couldn’t afford to replace her. “You get to spend every weekend with him, right? Are you showing him what you’ve learned?”
“Sometimes,” he muttered. He looked away toward the bison pasture. “Why don’t you like Giorgio?”
Putting the tractor into gear, I pressed the accelerator and eased off the clutch. “Well, sometimes people just don’t like each other. Your brother and I get along well enough to know that we both love you.”
“I want you to marry him and be my real sister.”
“I know. Even though it isn’t going to happen, I still feel like your sister.”
He went silent and didn’t ask me any more uncomfortable questions. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how to answer. How was I supposed to tell Antonio that I dreamed about his brother every night? Or that Giorgio’s single swat to my ass had fueled my fantasies for weeks? I certainly couldn’t tell him I’d used so many batteries, I’d ended up buying a rechargeable toy.
Easing to a stop, I waited for Antonio to hop down and open the gate, then drove through. While he shut it behind us, I hauled one of the hay bales from the wagon, breaking it open for the ladies. Beauty, the oldest of the four bison cows, lipped at Antonio’s palm for the apple he always carried for her. There wasn’t an animal on this farm that didn’t love him. He was as much a part of my life as Leonard was now.
He remained unusually quiet throughout supper. Even Leonard noticed his reticence and climbed up on the couch with him to wait for Mr. Dennison.
When I heard the sound of tires on gravel, I almost let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that I’d be glad to see Antonio go, but things had gotten awkward between us. I hoped the next day would be better.
“See you tomorrow, Antonio.” Handing him a wrapped plastic container, I added, “Don’t forget Giorgio’s supper.”
Giving me a kiss on the cheek, he said, “Good night, Carli. Love you.”
“Love you back, sweetie. Have a good evening.”
I closed the door behind him and looked down at Leonard. “What do you say, buddy? Netflix and chill or a book and bedtime?”
My lion yawned, revealing the few teeth he had left, but didn’t judge me for lying to Antonio about owning a television. We’d had to move it into the attic bedroom after Katie became addicted to game shows and refused to do her homework or exercises. If she wanted to watch, she had to climb the stairs. It hadn’t entirely broken her TV addiction, but it had gotten her moving.
I didn’t watch it often enough to bother hauling it back down the stairs, and I wasn’t about to let Antonio spend his days on the couch. Chuckling, I scratched Leonard’s ears. “Book and bedtime it is, but I need to call the feed store first and find out where my bill is.”
I sat on the couch, rolling my eyes when Leonard laid his head in my lap, and dialed my sales rep from the feed store. He picked up on the second ring.
“Hey Matt, it’s Carli Pérez. I need you to check my account and see how far behind I am. I think a couple of my bills have gone missing because I haven’t seen one in awhile.”
“No,” he replied. “You’re all caught up. Park Street got an anonymous donor, and they’re taking care of your bill now.”
“Who’s paying it?”
“I send it to the animal shelter. Aubrey figures that since most of your big eaters came from the shelter, she’d just pay the whole thing from the donation. Or, at least that’s what she said.”
“I wonder who made the donation.”
“No idea, but whoever it is will definitely go on Santa’s nice list this year.”
“True, that. Anyway, that’s all I needed. Thanks for the information.”
“Any time, Carli. Have a good evening.”
I ended the call and pulled up Aubrey’s contact, but changed my mind about calling her. I knew how anonymous donations worked. She wouldn’t tell me who it was and it would be awkward if I asked.
“Change of plans, furball.” I pushed him off my lap and stood. “I might not be able to thank the donor personally, but I can make them chocolate truffles.”
While the cream simmered, I got started chopping my secret stash of bittersweet Ecuadorian chocolate. I wasn’t normally the sharing kind when it came to the stuff, but I made an exception for this donor. I could always order more. Now that I was making a comfortable living taking care of Antonio and didn’t have that pesky feed bill to pay every month, I could treat myself more often.
My hand stilled over the mound of chocolate pieces. Had Giorgio made the donation? He could afford it and judging by how he’d tried to slip that dollar an acre lease payment into the contract on the farm next to mine, he was sneaky enough, but he wouldn’t know about my monthly tab with the feed store. I didn’t think I mentioned it and it was one of those little details that came from having animals. He pro
bably had lots of expenses I wouldn’t think to consider, like dry cleaning. I’d never owned a single thing that needed it, so I had no idea how much it cost.
I scraped the chocolate into a bowl and covered it with warm cream and a dash of Grand Marnier. Whoever had given that donation to Park Street Animal Shelter was going to get truffles fit for royalty.
The new normal that came from having Antonio around was pretty awesome. If I hadn’t had his help, I’d have been outside doing chores instead of pouring delicious chocolate into candy molds. It also gave me the opportunity to sleep in. I was so not a morning person and those extra few minutes meant I didn’t snap and growl so much before my coffee fix. He showed up at seven and fed the animals and I was still awake in plenty of time to make him breakfast.
I still got little pangs now and then, remembering my sister. She was never able to do the things Antonio unknowingly took for granted. Chasing Max across the pasture would have killed her, but I enjoyed watching Antonio blossom.
I wrapped the finished treats in cellophane, then boxed them with a bottle of champagne I’d been saving for a special occasion. After texting Aubrey to let her know I was coming, I got on the road, Leonard’s head in my lap as usual.
She met me at the door, a wide smile on her face. Giving me a hug, she took the wrapped box and said, “You know I can’t tell you who the donor is, but I’ll make sure they get your gift.”
“I know, and it’s okay. I’m just thankful for it, so I wanted to give them something.”
Leonard bumped her with his head, nudging her out of the way. He walked into her house like he owned the place and nuzzled Pixy. Aubrey laughed and said, “Want to stay for supper? Chance has burgers on the grill and there’s plenty.”
“I already ate with Antonio, but thanks for the offer. Now, I haven’t seen the handsome dude I really came to see.”
“What am I, chopped liver?” she asked, inviting me in.
“CJ is cuter than you are.”
“Stab me right in the heart, why don’t you?” Aubrey shook her head and giggled. “He’s outside manning the grill with Chance.”
“I’ll stay just long enough to give him a few kisses and get out of your hair.”
“No worries. We’re glad to have you any time.”
“Thanks, but I need to get some sleep. Antonio shows up at dawn and wants to get to work right away.”
“How are things going with him?”
“Really well,” I replied. “He’s so sweet, and he’s been a huge help.”
“How about Giorgio?” she asked, giving me a side-eye I didn’t trust.
“It’s perfect. I haven’t seen him in weeks.”
“Ah.” She handed me a glass of wine and we went outside.
“Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
Although I hadn’t intended to eat, I ended up sharing a burger with Leonard, telling myself he would beg anyway. He was a four-hundred-pound garbage disposal and still demanded hand feeding, the spoiled thing.
My stomach uncomfortably full, I drove home after supper, wanting nothing more than my bed. Maybe I needed to enforce the start time I originally agreed to, but I didn’t want to disappoint Antonio. Things were going so well and aside from having to be conscious and polite so early, I was happy with the arrangement.
Best of all, I hadn’t heard a peep from Mark. Thanks to Aubrey putting the fear of litigation into the little asshole, I had a signed and witnessed document releasing me from our original contract. Despite her protests, I let him keep the recipes he’d stolen. They weren’t my best work and I wasn’t vindictive enough to ruin his business. He would do that on his own eventually anyway.
I fell asleep with visions of Mark working as a fry cook at Denny’s dancing through my head. Okay, so maybe I was a little vindictive.
It was still dark when my eyes popped open and sat up in bed. I wasn’t sure what woke me. Antonio was usually very quiet when he came in. I glanced at the clock and frowned. Six in the morning was too early for him. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him to be by himself while I was sleeping, but Giorgio was paying me a fortune to care for him and it seemed wrong to let him be alone for more than a half hour or so.
When I heard the blare of the kitchen fire alarm, I shot out of bed, uncaring that I wore nothing but a camisole and a pair of panties. Fire and old wooden cottages didn’t mix and getting dressed was less important than getting out. Grabbing my phone, I dialed 9-1-1 as I raced down the stairs.
“Ay coño. Antonio!”
He stood in front of my stove, staring up at a wall of flames behind it, and didn’t turn at the sound of my voice. Darting forward, I grabbed his arm and yanked.
My touch pulled him from his stupor and he turned, his eyes wide and horrified. “I think I burned breakfast.”
“It’s fine. Come on. We need to get out of here. Where’s Leonard?”
“I don’t know.” He shuddered and his feet stopped moving. “Is he still asleep?”
Smoke filled the room and he coughed. Grabbing a dishtowel, I slapped it over his face. “Move it, Antonio,” I ordered, tugging his arm until he took a few steps toward the back door.
I spun around at the sound of a roar from the living room. Flames were already arching across the ceiling and I choked on the thick smoke. Cutting my eyes toward the back door, I pushed Antonio outside as hard as I could. “Run! Go to the barn and wait for me.”
Without waiting to see if he obeyed, I spun around and dashed into the living room, hoping Leonard was easier to move than Antonio. I heard him coughing before I saw him and nearly cried in relief when he bumped against my hip.
“Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you out of here.” He quivered next to me, but kept up until we were free of the door. Coughing several times, he broke into a loping run toward the driveway.
I wiped my watering eyes and blinked. Antonio still stood on the porch, his eyes shut tightly. A deafening crack sounded overhead and I pushed him as hard as I could. He fell, landing heavily on his back as something crashed down on me. Searing pain lit up my hip and ribs, and I tried to scream. Nothing came out and all I could see were hungry flames reaching for my face.
Crying out in pain at a tug on my arm, I flailed wildly, trying to get free of the burning roof support trapping my legs.
“Settle down, Carli,” a male voice snapped. “This is going to hurt.”
Blinking to clear my eyes, I looked up and saw Mr. Dennison, his hands locked around my wrist. I gave him a quick nod and shut my eyes. Wrenching agony shot through my body when he yanked me free, but I couldn’t get enough air to scream.
“God damn it!”
I had a few seconds to realize I’d never heard Mr. Dennison swear before I passed out.
Giorgio
I was too irritated to wonder why Antonio asked to be dropped off so early in the morning. Carlina had asked that Antonio come at eight, but the time had been getting earlier and earlier with each passing week. While I was sure keeping her property and animals took quite a bit of the day, it seemed strange that he would need to get up so early. What were they doing?
Because of our bargain, I hadn’t seen Carlina in weeks. Although she sent supper home with Antonio every night, I missed her.
My phone rang and I turned it off without looking at it. Whatever it was could wait. After almost an hour delay, I was finally boarding the plane that would take me to New York and my meeting with Graham Morgan. I’d been trying to nail him down on a project for weeks, but the man had taken paternity leave after the birth of his son.
Why shouldn’t fathers have time off to bond with their babies? I offered parental leave to all my employees and they used it, but they often worked from home for at least part of their time away from the office. Maybe Graham did as well.
Telecommuting was a godsend to me. Not only did it decrease my overhead, but everyone seemed to be much happier. As long as the work got done, I didn’t care if my employees wore fuzzy slippers or
leather dress shoes.
Popping a lemon drop into my mouth, I leaned back against the faux leather of my seat and ignored the flight attendant’s takeoff instructions. Instead, I imagined taking a crop to Carlina’s ass for getting me addicted to the candy I was currently sucking on.
Although I hadn’t practiced in years, I still had a curated collection of implements stored away just waiting to be used on her perfect backside. I even entertained a very brief notion of visiting my favorite website for a few new toys just for her.
I couldn’t decide which I missed more, her or her ass. Was there a record or some sort of contest for how many times a man could jerk off to the same woman’s butt? I hadn’t even bothered finding a new date for events. Every time I looked at a potential bed partner, she never measured up to Carlina’s lush curves. The only benefit to that was the absence of paparazzi. Now that they were gone, I could truly appreciate how intrusive they’d been.
When the plane reached cruising altitude, I opened my laptop to go over my notes. Graham was known to be fiercely competitive in business, although he’d softened a bit in recent years following his marriage to some advice columnist and the birth of his son. I wasn’t sure if he was a lucky bastard or a whipped fool. Maybe a little of both. Either way, I didn’t have time to fantasize about tying Carlina to a cross after I filled her ass with a jeweled plug.
Her golden skin would mark so beautifully when…
Damn. I had zero self-control when it came to imagining debauched things to do to that woman.
My flight was uneventful and I looked over my notes one more time as the limo service drove me to Graham’s office in Manhattan. He met me at the door, a baby in his arms and a huge grin on his face. “Soraya is out with her friend Delia, so I’m on baby duty. I’m hoping for more ink or maybe a piercing in an interesting place.” He jiggled the baby on his hip, making the child laugh. “This is Lorenzo.”
Graham set the baby down on a mat and rested a hip against his desk. “I read your proposal and I think we can work together, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to micromanage these days. I’m willing to provide an additional ten percent equity as long as you manage the project yourself.”
Sexy Scoundrel: A Cocky Hero Club Novel Page 8
