“Here you go, honey.” The waitress set her wine on the table. “That’ll be six bucks.”
Gina gave her a ten-dollar bill and told her to keep the change. The money exchange rate still confused her. All she wanted was a big sip of her wine.
The waitress grinned and thanked her. She stared to walk away, but then turned around and leaned on Gina’s table. “You’re not from the city, are you?”
Gina shook her head. “No. Italy.”
The older woman eyed her dress, though not unkindly. “You here all by your lonesome?”
Gina frowned. The woman had a strange American accent. Nothing like Gina had heard before, and she was unsure what was being asked.
“My name is Penny,” the woman said, laughing. “Don’t mind me. I’m from Texas. I’m not being nosy, just friendly.” Her expression grew serious as she straightened. “Well, you be careful, you hear? There are a lot of big bad wolves out there.”
Gina sipped her wine and watched Penny go to the next table. The waitress’s warning had caused a flutter in Gina’s tummy. She had thought a public place was perfect to practice her flirting, but maybe this was not a good idea.
“Hi.”
At the sound of the deep male voice, she gave a start. She set down her wine before she spilled it and looked up at the tall, muscular man who had approached.
“Are you alone?” He had a nice smile.
She nodded, wishing she wasn’t by herself, wishing Michael was here beside her.
“My name is Tony.”
“I am Gina.” She extended her hand.
He looked surprised. “Nice to meet you,” he said, and shook her hand. “You have an accent. Where are you from?”
She subtly pulled her hand back when he had kept it too long. “Italy.”
“Are you visiting, or do you live here now?”
“I am in New York for only one month.”
“Ah, too bad. May I?” He gestured to the chair opposite her.
She hesitated. He seemed very nice. His long blond hair was kept in a neat ponytail.
“Tell you what,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let’s dance this first song and then you can decide if you want me to sit with you.”
The band had just started playing an old Beatles song. Only two other couples had approached the dance floor. She wished it was more crowded.
She slid off the tall stool and took his hand. She had come here to flirt, to gain more experience. She would learn nothing sitting here like a scared little rabbit.
Tony guided her to a spot close to the stage and said something to one of the band members. The drummer lifted his chin in greeting, and Gina felt some relief that they knew Tony.
Although he gave her no reason to worry. He did not touch her inappropriately or look at her in a bad way. Halfway through the dance she decided it would be all right if he sat at her table for a while.
The song ended and she wished he would ask her to dance again, but he led her back to the table and called to the waitress. Without asking permission, he took the opposite chair. Gina was not sure she liked that he had not waited for her to make the offer, but he gave her a nice smile and she decided it was all right.
Penny arrived to take his order. She did not seem to know him and she was not as friendly as she had been earlier to Gina. He asked for a shot of tequila and a beer, and another glass of wine for Gina, which she declined.
“So, how much longer are you here for?” he asked, his elbows on the table as he leaned toward her.
“Two weeks.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With my uncle.”
Tony smiled. “Ah, too bad.”
“Why?”
He narrowed his gaze and stared at her for a moment, as if he did not understand, and then he laughed. “What have you been doing?”
“I have been to Central Park, Coney Island, Bloomingdale’s, three museums and the— What?” A self-conscious flutter in her stomach made her want to squirm.
“Nothing.” He looked as if he wanted to laugh again.
“Here you go.” Penny set a glass of beer and the tequila in front of him.
He gave her a bill and then downed the shot before she finished making change.
“You might as well bring me another one,” he said, giving Penny back some of the money she had given him.
“Sure thing.” She smiled and then slid Gina a private look. “Honey, now you remember what I said.”
“What was that about?” Tony frowned at Penny’s back as she headed for the bar.
Gina shrugged and gave him an innocent look before turning her attention toward the band. She did not like that he drank so much so fast. Maybe it was not a good idea that he sat with her.
“Come on. Let’s dance again.” He slid off the stool without waiting for her response, as if he expected her to obey.
Annoyed, she thought about refusing, especially since the song was slow, but then she decided it would be easier to ask him to find another table once they left the dance floor.
When he slid both his muscular arms around her, she automatically moved back and tried to take one of his hands in a more traditional position.
“Come on, baby, put your arms around my neck,” he whispered, and nuzzled the skin under her ear.
It did not feel at all the same as when Michael did those things, and panic made her stomach clench. “You are too close.” She tried to step back, but he held her so tightly her breasts crushed against him.
“Mmm…you feel good.” He slid his hands down to her bottom, cupping his palms so intimately it made her sick.
“Stop.”
He laughed and dragged his tongue behind her ear.
She shuddered with disgust. “Let me go.”
“Right.” His fingers dug into her. “You don’t wear a dress like this and not want a little action.”
“If you do not let me go—”
He tried to kiss her and she bit his lip.
His startled jerk allowed her to break free and hurry off the dance floor. He called her name, but she would not look back. She fled past her table with her half-empty glass of wine and headed straight out the door.
She felt for the strap of the tiny purse she always wore slung across her body. A cab had just pulled to the curb. She wanted to look back to see if Tony had followed, but she did not dare slow down. She waved to the cab and rushed to get it.
“Michael!”
He stepped out of the car, and the relief on his face when he saw her made her want to cry. “Gina.”
“Take me home, Michael. Please.”
He held the cab door open and glanced past her. “Come on, get in.”
She quickly did as he asked and clutched his hand when he slid in beside her.
He tilted her chin up. “Are you okay?”
Concern darkened his beautiful green eyes. She swallowed and nodded.
“Where to now, buddy?” the cabdriver asked.
Michael gave him an address that was not Zio Antonio’s apartment and then asked, “What happened? Why were you out alone?”
She hugged herself and turned away. He would think she was foolish.
“Gina?” He guided her chin back to face him. “Hey, I missed you today.”
She bit her lip and hoped tears would not come. “Me, too.”
“You went back to that club from last night, didn’t you.”
She sighed. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I had just gotten to Antonio’s apartment when I saw you get in a cab. We tried to follow, but we lost you a few blocks from here.” He put an arm around her shoulders and she sagged against him. “I finally figured out that you might be going back to the club, since you wouldn’t know anything else around here.”
He felt warm and solid and safe, and she wanted him to promise he would never leave her side. Impossible, she knew, but she clung to the dream and closed her eyes as he rubbed the side of her arm.
“Wh
at I don’t know,” he continued, “is what you were doing there.”
She cringed. She hated lying to Michael but… “I wanted to dance but Zio Antonio told me not to bother you.”
“Uh-huh.”
At his strange tone, she looked up.
The corners of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile.
She tried to look offended. “You do not believe me?”
He gave her a long, measuring look that made heat sting her cheeks.
“You want me to wait again?” The driver pulled the cab to the curb in front of a two-story brownstone Gina did not recognize.
“No, this is good.” Michael paid the man and got out.
Gina slid out behind him, and then followed him to the front door of the brownstone. “Where are we going?”
“To my place.”
Her startled gaze ran up the ivy-covered brick. “You live here?”
“Yep.” He unlocked the door. “It’s not the Ritz, but I like it.”
“What is the Ritz?”
He chuckled. “It’s just an expression. After you.”
She stepped over the threshold, pleased he had invited her to his home. There was a door on the left and a stairway straight ahead.
“My apartment is the one at the top of the stairs.”
She climbed up ahead of him, amazed at how different it felt to be with Michael. She had no apprehension, not an ounce of fear being alone with him. The thought of Tony’s wandering hands made her palms clammy.
Michael unlocked the polished oak door and then stepped aside for her to go ahead of him.
The apartment was small and neat and without much furniture. A brown leather couch showing wear on only one side was pushed up against the wall. A small television sat on a table with a big-leafed plant facing the couch. In the corner was a desk and chair.
The room was very practical and functional, much like Michael. But it made her a little sad that he did not have small touches that made a home unique. Maybe this was a typical bachelor’s apartment.
A pair of pictures on the wall did stir her interest. One was a portrait of a woman, probably his mother. The other she could not see well enough. She turned to find him watching her.
She gave him a tiny smile, feeling oddly self-conscious. It was what Tony had said about her dress that made her uncomfortable. It had been her favorite, and now she hated it. After today she would never wear the red dress again.
He threw his keys on the table. “Have a seat. I’ll get us something to drink. Any preference?”
“Chardonnay. Lots of it.”
His speculative frown had her wishing she had not revealed how upset she was. She turned to gaze out the window, hoping he would not ask her any more questions.
The kitchen was small, long and narrow, right off the living room. She wandered closer for a better look. He had the refrigerator door open, but there was barely anything inside. A carton of orange juice, two bottles of wine and what looked like some moldy cheese.
Mike turned around and saw her staring. “I don’t eat here much.” He grinned and handed her a glass of wine. “But you’ve already figured that out, huh?”
“You have no fruits and vegetables?” He had awful eating habits. She had only seen him eat hot dogs and pizza and pasta with too much butter. “You need a wife to take care of you.”
He looked startled. “Yeah, well, no one’s volunteered.” He closed the refrigerator door and took his wine into the living room.
Gina’s stomach fluttered. If she was his wife, she would take very good care of him. She would cook him meals and encourage him to exercise with her. They would kiss a lot, and she would never have to ask. They would make love every day, too. Maybe twice a day.
She swallowed hard. The thought of being Michael’s wife sent panic and excitement right down to her toes. Only a week ago the idea of marriage disgusted her. But if Michael asked her tonight, she would say yes.
Not that she expected him to do any such thing, but the idea was so appealing it scared her. What had happened? Why was she willing to offer a part of herself she could never get back? A part she had not been willing to give any other man? She knew she loved Michael. Not only did he excite her in ways the nuns had warned against, but also he thought she was smart and capable, and she knew he respected her.
Was this real love she felt? A forever-after kind of love? In university her friend Maria had seemed to fall in love with every boy who took her out. The feeling only lasted until the next boy asked.
“Gina?” Michael had taken a seat on the couch and was staring at her with concern. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head and crossed the living room.
He patted the seat next to him and gave her a gentle smile. “Come sit.”
Coming from him, it was not a command as it would have been from her father or other men, and she gladly complied. She set her wine on the table next to his and then sat on the couch, her shoulder touching his. Her dress rode up high and she tugged the hem down.
She looked at Michael. His gaze lingered for a moment on her thigh, but then he looked away and took another sip of his wine.
Gina snuggled closer. She would never feel threatened by Michael. Only safe and treasured. Her thoughts strayed back to the club and Tony, and she shuddered.
Michael slid an arm around her. “Are you ready to tell me what happened?”
She shrugged. “Nothing.”
He touched her chin and forced her to look at him. “Gina, you sure you don’t want to tell me anything?”
Looking him in his eyes, seeing his concern and sincerity, it was much harder to lie. “I was foolish to go out alone. But nothing happened, really.”
“Why did you go out alone? Are you sick of me tagging along?”
“Oh, no.” She did not want him to think such a thing. “I was only…” She moved her chin away so that she did not have to look at him when she admitted how foolish she had been. “I was trying to get more experience.”
“What?”
“So that I would be more attractive to you.”
She felt his body tense beside her. He let a long moment of anxious silence pass. “Experienced at what?”
She gave a small shrug. “Kissing, flirting.”
He muttered something, a curse, probably. “Gina, what the hell were you thinking?”
“I already said I knew I had been foolish. You do not need to yell at me.”
He sighed and tightened his hold around her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to yell. You worried me, and I—I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m sorry.”
She placed her hand on his chest. His heartbeat strong and steady against her palm. “You were worried about me?”
“Of course I was. What the devil ever made you think you weren’t attractive enough to me?”
“You said you wished I had more experience.”
He shook his head and laid it on the back of the couch to stare at the ceiling. “That’s not what I said. Or at least that’s not what I meant.” His restless fingers stroked abstract patterns on her arm that gave her goose bumps. “I don’t wish you were more experienced. I like you just the way you are.”
She straightened to look at him. “Yes?”
He slid her a sideways glance and one side of his mouth lifted. “Yes.”
“But you said—”
“I meant that having sex, making love for the first time is an important step. Something that could stay with you forever—whether good or bad.”
“I understand.” She returned his solemn look. “This is why I have waited.”
“I admire your strength and good sense. And that’s why I’m trying like hell to stay away from you. Not because you’re not attractive or experienced enough. I respect your decision to wait for the right person.” He scrubbed at his eyes. “But dammit, Gina, that doesn’t make it any easier not to want you.”
Excitement bubbled like fine champagne in her chest. She smiled and snuggled closer. “You do?”
He grunted. “Don’t play dumb.”
She kissed the side of his neck. “I am not dumb.”
“That’s my point. Hey, knock it off.”
His skin felt warm under her lips and hands. The pulse at his neck beat fast. Her own pulse was speeding. She shifted and found a comfortable position on his lap.
“Hey.” He jumped. “Off.”
She shook her head and kissed him on the mouth.
He reared back. His eyes were hungry, fueling her excitement. His throat moved up and down as he swallowed. “What did I just explain to you?”
“I understand,” she said, looping her arms around his neck. “You do not. I have finally found the right person.”
14
MIKE KNEW HE SHOULD get her off his lap. Put her in a cab and take her straight back to her uncle’s apartment. Why the hell had he brought her here in the first place? After all his preaching and self-righteousness, deep down was this what he wanted to happen tonight? Who was he kidding?
What a jerk.
“Gina, listen.” He took one of her hands and squeezed it. “I’m very honored that you think I’m the right person to—”
“Stop it.” She clamped her free hand over his mouth. “I do not like your tone or that you are about to tell me you know what is better for me than I do.”
He tried to talk, but her hand didn’t budge from his mouth. When he tried to pry it away, she held firm.
“I am not finished. I am tired of the men in my life telling me what is good for me. You are not like them, Michael. You tell me you think I am smart, yes?”
He nodded slowly, knowing damn well he was about to get backed into a corner.
“And I have business sense?”
He pulled her hand away. “Having business sense is different from making an emotional decision.”
She gave him an amused look, and then slowly moved her mouth closer until she could run the tip of her tongue across his lower lip.
His body immediately responded. “Gina.”
She drew his lip between her teeth and sucked on it.
His breath shuddered in his chest. “Gina, I mean it.” His words came out garbled as she intensified the assault on his mouth.
She twisted in his lap, and the hand he unwittingly had on her thigh slid up until his fingers met silk. Damp silk. She whimpered and parted her legs slightly.
Educating Gina Page 14
