She laughed and nodded. "I do, too. It’s nice to think I’m adding something substantial to the mix." She sipped her own coffee, richer now with the remnants of the butter from the bread she had dunked.
He rose and rubbed his belly with a satisfied sigh. "That's a good thing, because I love a good Cuban cafe con leche and toast. Thanks for the meal and the company."
Bianca smiled, feeling as if they had finally started down the road to understanding each other better. "My pleasure, but it's going to cost you."
He eyed her curiously and she approached him, rose up on tiptoes and kissed him quickly before pulling away. "That was partial payment. The other half is you getting me lunch."
Laughing, Rey reached for her waist, dragged her close, and opened his mouth over hers. She tasted like sweet coffee and the equally wonderful taste of Bianca. When he finally let her go, he smiled and joked, "We just finished breakfast and you're already thinking about the next meal?"
She chucked him under the chin and pushed him away with a playful shove. "I'm a chef, Rey. We're always thinking about the next meal."
* * *
The next meal turned out to be some wonderful arepas from a little Colombian cafeteria a few blocks away. Bianca enjoyed every last bite of the sweet corn meal pancakes stuffed with white cheese.
"These are delicious. Thanks," she replied as she finished the last bite on her plate and drank down an ice cold Ironbeer soda, another Cuban favorite she’d forgotten about but which was available in the local market.
"Perfect," she added and smoothed a hand across her full stomach.
Rey chuckled and examined her, noting her flat, nearly concave belly and wondering how she managed to keep it that way with how she ate. "Fast metabolism?" he asked, leaning an elbow on the countertop.
She gave him a puzzled look and then realized why he was asking. She stopped rubbing. "Not really. When I'm working, I just end up picking and tasting and not much else. So when I'm free to eat I really eat," she said wholeheartedly.
He chuckled again, appreciating her honesty. "I guess the way to your heart is through your stomach. I'll have to keep that in mind."
Bianca mimicked his posture, leaning her elbow on the table and moving close before she whispered, "Definitely a way, but not the only way, Rey."
He smiled and cupped her cheek. "You're trying to rush again. Have you always been this impatient?"
"Yes," she answered without hesitation and with a chuckle. "But I wouldn't want to be accused of taking advantage of you, so to preserve your virtue I'll try to wait until at least the third date."
Rey scrutinized her and noted the playfulness in her gaze. "And today would be what date?"
"Date number two if you count the luncheonette the other day," she replied quickly.
"Whoa, that many already? I thought they were business meetings," he quipped and enjoyed seeing the slight blush work up her cheeks.
"Well, I guess you could think of them that way if you want to."
"But I'd rather think of them as dates so that I'm that much closer to having you take advantage of me," he shot back, grinning. "I would like to be able to take the time to get to know you better though."
Bianca narrowed her gaze and shook her head. "Why do I feel as if there's something wrong with this picture?"
He thought about it for a second, then answered, "So you think it's the guy who usually rushes things along while the woman plays hard to get?"
"You might say that," she replied and leaned against the hard metal back of the chair. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea or anything. After all, I was just kind of dating someone and he was kind of expecting we would. . ."
She hesitated and he sensed she was more than a little uncomfortable with being so open with him just yet. "Anyway, I don't think I have to spell it out for you."
"No, you don't. But I think I do have to spell out that what I'm feeling for you is kind of confusing, but really interesting." He didn't add that he wanted her to know the man he had become and not the man he had once been. In the back of his mind was the nagging worry that she would find out about him and it would damage what was happening between them.
"Interesting is a good start," she acknowledged, grinning.
"Yes, it definitely is," he replied and dropped one last kiss on her lips before returning to work.
Chapter Ten
By the time the end of Sunday rolled around, Bianca was too tired to even think about food of any kind. Her arms hurt from the back-breaking scouring of the hoods over the grills and walls above the ovens. Worse yet, they still had to tackle the stovetops, the actual ovens, and the various sinks, drawers, countertops, and refrigerators. And then, when they were close to ready, they’d need to clean and organize the pots, pans, dishes, cutlery and utensils they would bring in. Last, but not least, there were the floors to contend with. Luckily Rey was refinishing those in the public area and the tiles in the kitchen just needed a thorough scrubbing.
It seemed almost insurmountable and yet she knew they had no choice to do all this work themselves. They couldn't afford to hire anyone to do it since the budget just wouldn't allow for it. They were lucky that all of the equipment, despite its age and its disuse, was functional otherwise that would have been another big dent in their finances.
Small consolation, she thought, as she stretched and her back protested the work she had finished. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was already five o'clock. Nearly time for dinner, but she had little appetite. All she could think about was getting in a nice hot tub and soaking away the assorted aches and pains, and the smells of cleaner, disinfectant and the old stale grease that had lingered on the tiled walls above the cooking area.
"Ready to call it a night?" she asked her two friends, who were busy emptying a large pail filled with dirty, sudsy water into one of the sinks.
"I was ready hours ago," Diana admitted and glanced at Eduardo, who nodded and mopped at his balding head with a bandanna he pulled from a back pocket.
"Ready when you are," he said.
Bianca nodded and pulled off her dishwashing gloves. "I guess I'll just go say 'bye to Rey."
"He left about an hour ago," Diana piped in. "He stuck his head in to say goodbye. I guess you must have been in the bathroom or something."
Bianca tried to not let her disappointment show and mumbled an "Oh," before asking her friends if they could give her a ride to the bus station so she could make the trip back to Manhattan. When they said they could, she grabbed her knapsack, they locked up the restaurant, and headed outside where to both her surprise and pleasure, Rey was pulling up in his truck.
He slipped into a spot by the walkway to the restaurant's door and rolled down the window. Leaning his arm there, he poked his head out, and smiled.
"Thought you might want a lift back to Manhattan," he said.
Bianca glanced at her friends who gave her knowing smiles and excused themselves. She strolled over to the driver's side of Rey's truck.
"It was nice of you to think of me," she said, noting that his hair was damp which made it look an even darker shade of black. He had changed into fresh clothes and looked crisp and clean unlike her bedraggled state.
"I don't want you to go out of your way." Although it would save her a load of time, she thought.
He angled his head in the direction of the passenger side. "Not a problem. I was thinking of heading in to maybe get a bite somewhere."
She smirked and shook her head. "As if there aren't enough places around here?"
Tapping his hands on the steering wheel, he shrugged and finally admitted, "I thought maybe you and I would make it official date number one, you know. That is if you're not too tired. You worked hard today."
"And you seem somehow surprised. I can tell by the tone in your voice."
He looked away, a little embarrassed that she had called him out on it. He sighed heavily and said, "You win. I'll admit that maybe you're not as much of a princess as I thoug
ht you were. Part of getting to know each other."
Bianca reached in through the window, cradled his cheek, and applied tender pressure until he was facing her. Rising on tiptoes, she placed a kiss on his lips, a soft, unhurried one which had him leaning toward her, pressing against the door to deepen the kiss, until she pulled away, slightly breathless.
"What was that for?" he asked, clearly uncertain of just where they were going.
"For being honest and because we had to make the start of our date official. So there's no misunderstanding about whether it's business or not," she said.
She strolled around the front of the car and gazed in through the windshield to see the very broad and pleased grin on his face.
She returned his smile, knowing they had just taken a very important first step.
* * *
From the location of the restaurant in West New York, it was just a few minutes to the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel. Traffic was light for a change and Rey paid the toll and shot through the tunnel with little delay. Once they were in Manhattan and on city streets, Bianca directed him to head downtown and after about twenty minutes, they reached her apartment building in Union Square. It took a few trips around the adjacent streets until they located a parking spot big enough to fit Rey's truck. Luckily it was only a short two block walk to her apartment.
It might have been an easier walk if her legs hadn't protested all that she had done that day with each step she took. Rey seemed to notice her soreness and matched his pace to her slower one.
“How do you like the neighborhood?” he asked, glancing around at all the restaurants and stores surrounding the square.
“The neighborhood is nice. Plus, I used to work close to here which was perfect. I've been here about four years now, but my studio apartment is pretty small and the building isn't kept up the way it should be.”
Which was why she was relieved that her elevator was working when they arrived at her place. She didn't think she could have made it up the five flights of stairs. Inside her studio, she said, “Would you like a drink or something?”
“A soda would fine,” Rey said.
After she gave him the drink, she stood by awkwardly. She hadn't counted on how much smaller her studio would seem with Rey present or how difficult it would be to pick something out of her armoire of clothes with him watching.
“I'm just going to take a quick shower,” she said as she fidgeted at the drawers, trying to surreptitiously pull out her underthings.
“I'll be waiting,” Rey said and then mumbled something about giving her privacy. He walked over to the windows and turned his back to her.
She quickly grabbed the first pieces of lingerie she could lay her hands on and bolted to the bathroom. Closing the door, she leaned against it and took a deep calming breath. Only then did she realize that she had grabbed the leopard print set that her sister-in-law Maya had gotten her for Christmas. Her normally conservative sister-in-law had hinted that maybe Bianca needed to put some spice into her life, but Bianca had yet to wear them. The tags were still attached since more than once she had thought about exchanging them.
But for what? Something equally sexy? she asked herself as she laid the lingerie and clothing on top of the toilet seat and ran the water in the shower.
Something more boring, maybe? she chastised, thinking that even though Rey brought out a flirtatious side, she was usually very staid and reticent around men.
Maybe Maya was right and she did need something to shake herself up.
Steam billowed from above the top of her shower curtain and she stepped inside and let the heat soak away some of her aches and pains. Unfortunately, she couldn't linger as long as she would have liked with Rey waiting in the next room.
But if she had to be honest with herself, it wasn't just because she didn't want to keep him waiting.
She didn't want to waste a minute of being with him.
* * *
Rey listened to the subtle sounds coming from the bathroom. The light thud, probably as she took her shoes off. The hiss in the pipes above his head as she turned on the water. Then and only then did he take a seat on the couch again.
Staring around the apartment, he tried to get a sense of who she was, but like the lady herself, there was little that gave her away.
The furnishings bordered on Spartan, but were all of good quality. The boxes scattered here and there throughout the room were carefully labeled with their contents. Most of it was cooking paraphernalia and cookbooks.
On the coffee table before him and the end table next to the sofa, there were photos of her family. None of her with another guy which was a relief.
As the hiss of water continued in the pipes, he wondered whether the shower was helping ease her aches and pains. She'd worked hard today and he had to give her credit. He hoped she wasn't too sore and wished he could help her somehow.
A massage maybe, but stopped himself from exploring that idea any further. That would only lead to thoughts of Bianca in the shower, her skin all wet and slick.
Smooth.
Bare.
Damn, he cursed under his breath and closed his eyes, imagining how she would look. The sweep of her shoulder where it met her neck, all soft and warm. Her full breasts waiting for him to cup and taste them.
The pipes grew silent above him and the shower curtain rings rattled against metal as she stepped out of the shower. Taking a deep bracing breath, he forced himself to concentrate on something besides Bianca emerging from the shower, all dewy and rosy from the heat of the water.
It was a lost cause and he hardened beneath the khaki of his pants.
He gritted his teeth, looked upward, and started counting the tiles in the ceiling in an effort to control himself.
The whine of a hair dryer interrupted his counting and he had to begin all over again.
* * *
Blasting the blow dryer, Bianca dried her hair as best she could, but as thick as it was, it would never completely dry in time. She settled for pinning it up in a chignon in the back and leaving the bangs in loose wisps around her face. Since she didn't believe in the spatula method of putting on make-up, she lightly applied some eye shadow, blush, and just a touch of lip gloss.
With her minimalist make-up done, she slipped on the leopard print bra and matching bikini panties. For a second she wished she had a full length mirror in the bathroom so she could see how she looked. Having to forego that, she slipped on black slacks and a cropped black tank top. The straps of the tank were thankfully thick enough to hide those of her bra.
She stepped out into her room and Rey jumped up out of the chair as she walked in.
"You look very nice," he said, standing by the sofa uneasily.
"Thanks," she replied while she got out a pair of socks, put them on, and then grabbed a pair of black boots. "Do you know where you want to go?"
Rey shrugged and stepped closer to her. "To tell the truth, I'm not all that familiar with Manhattan eateries."
Bianca laughed, stood, and laid a hand on his forearm, fingering the fine cotton of his button-down shirt. He had clearly gone to some trouble to dress. His shirt and pants were high quality and ironed to within an inch of their lives. "When it comes to Manhattan, you could live here for all your life and still be a novice," she said to put him at ease.
He grinned and took hold of her hand.
As they walked toward the door, she snared a black clutch from her knapsack.
"I've heard that you could eat in a different place every night and not eat at the same place for like twenty years," he said.
She nodded, twined her arm through his, and leaned close. "I think I heard something similar. So, we have a very difficult choice ahead of us, unless you at least give me an idea of what you're hungry for."
Rey shrugged. "I'm a simple kind of guy."
"Like a meat and potatoes kind of guy?"
He made a face and shook his head. "No, like a beans and rice kind if at all possible."<
br />
"Well, I know a nice cheap place we can go."
Rey stopped short and turned her to face him. "I can afford any kind of restaurant you'd like, Bianca."
It was clear she had injured his pride and she regretted getting the night off to such a bad start. "I didn't mean anything by it, Rey."
Rey examined her and had no hesitation that she was being honest. With a face as expressive as Bianca's, it was hard to hide what she was thinking. He remembered to store away that information for the future.
"Sorry. Call it an old habit from the days when I might not have been able to afford it. What's your favorite Cuban place?"
She smiled and gave their joined hands a playful shake. "There's only one. Victor's."
He nodded and said, "My favorite as well. Let's go."
Chapter Eleven
Victor's Cafe was located on 52nd Street in the midst of the Broadway Theater District. It was an institution among New York's Latin restaurants and was regularly rated as one of the best and not without reason. Its menu offered a staple of traditional Cuban specialties, each one as good as the other.
Even on a Sunday night there was a decent crowd and they had a short wait until a table opened up. They were lucky that it was in the back portion of the restaurant and up on the balcony level where they could gaze down at the other patrons and enjoy the music from the piano player at the extreme end of the balcony.
Their table was along a wall that boasted a colorful mural bursting with tropical colors and scenery. When they were seated, a waiter quickly came over, and handed them menus.
Bianca took only a fast glance, fairly certain of what she wanted. She laid down the menu, leaned an elbow on the table, and observed as Rey continued to read. As if sensing her interest, he peered over the edge and she grinned.
Rey lowered the menu and narrowed his gaze as he looked at her. "You know already?"
She nodded and ran her hand over the face of the menu she had laid down on the table. "I have a few favorites, and as terrible as it sounds, I stick to them."
Lucky 7 Bad Boys Contemporary Romance Boxed Set Page 9
