CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MELANIE
Tara Esposito was stubborn. When I explained via text that I didn’t know when I’d be able to take a night off, she marched right down to Esposito’s and through my office door.
“Come on, Mel, the restaurant’s been open for over two weeks,” she said huffily as she stood there with her wispy blonde hair coiled on her head in a princess braid. “All you people work too much.”
I laughed. “It’s three o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, Tara. Where else would I be if not at work?”
“I know,” she grumbled. “But I’m selfish. Gio’s been working crazy hours, and I’m desperate for adult conversation. If I watch one more episode of Yo Gabba Gabba!, I swear I’m going to lose it.”
“Yo Gabba what?” I said.
She snorted. “Never mind.”
Tara plunked right down on a nearby chair and rubbed her eyes. She might have chosen another seating option if she knew what had gone on in that chair this morning when Dominic and I were the only ones here, but I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to enlighten her.
“Where’s Leah?” I asked.
“Spending a few minutes, wrapping her uncle around her cherubic little finger.”
“I bet she is.”
Tara was looking around at the bare walls. “You need some pictures in here. Won’t Dominic let you decorate?”
“I haven’t asked.”
“You should,” she said. “Walls might as well have character if you’re going to spend a lot of time looking at them. Dom probably doesn’t agree. Take his condo, for instance. He’s been there for well over a year, and it looks like he just moved in yesterday. He buys pictures, but then sticks them in the hall closet because he can’t be bothered to hang them. Ridiculous. I keep telling Gio I’m going sneak in there one day when they’re both working and transform the place.”
As Tara talked, I was struck by the thought that I hadn’t even seen Dominic’s condo yet. Nights were always spent at my apartment. Every night. Then he always took off early in the morning to go home and get cleaned up before heading to work. We talked a lot about the things we wanted to do together, the places we would go, but we had gotten together somewhat unconventionally, and since we’d been so busy with the restaurant, we hadn’t so much as gone out to dinner together. We hadn’t told anyone at the restaurant about us, not yet, and for now I liked it that way. When we were together, I could pretend there were no complications. No restaurant, no need to justify to anyone why we were together.
Of course I knew things would come to a head sooner or later. I just wanted to have Dominic figured out a little better when they did. The last two weeks had been filled with more sizzling sexual escapades than I’d had in my entire life. And then last night Dominic was especially intense. He’d been in a frenzy, not even taking the time to go to the bedroom before stripping off his clothes and mine. We wrestled to the floor, and then he took me from behind with all the vigor of a wild bull.
And my god, I loved every second.
But it was what happened afterward that really made my heart beat faster. In fact I’d been running it all through my mind today. As we lay on the floor, spent and sweaty, Dominic had rolled over and tenderly brushed my hair from my forehead.
“You tired?” he asked.
“I’m hungry,” I answered.
That did it for him. After carrying me to the couch and covering me with a nearby throw blanket, he pulled on his boxers and headed right for the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later he emerged with a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs, always my dish of choice. My mother used to make scrambled eggs and toast for Lucy and me every Saturday morning as we lounged in the living room, watching cartoons. A simple comfort food that was one of my favorites, yet I never managed to get it quite right when I tried to make it myself. Ever since Dominic had heard that story, he whipped them up for me every chance he got.
“Thank you,” I said, marveling over the way he garnished the plate with cilantro and included a small bottle of hot sauce, exactly how I liked it.
Dominic wore a satisfied smile as he watched me gobble up every bite.
“I love the way you cook,” I told him when I’d polished off the last of the eggs.
He slipped a strong arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “And I love cooking for you.”
I set the empty plate on the coffee table while Dominic grabbed the television remote and started channel surfing.
“It’s late,” I said, cuddling against his chest. “We should go to bed soon.”
“We should,” he agreed and tucked the blanket around me.
I was starting to doze off with my cheek pressed to his warm skin when his voice broke through. “I know that bakery,” he said excitedly. “It’s in Vegas. Best freakin’ Italian pastries this side of New York.”
I blinked and focused on the screen where he was pointing. One of those Food Network baking shows was on, the type where someone walks in and orders an eight-foot-tall cake sculpture of the Empire State Building or something, and then all the bakery staff spend the episode rushing around in a crazed panic to make it happen before some magic deadline.
“We’ll go there sometime,” Dominic said with certainty.
I rubbed my eyes. It had been such a long day, and I was having trouble focusing. “We’ll go where?”
“Las Vegas.”
“You mean just the two of us?”
He threw me an exasperated look. “Of course just the two of us. We don’t require an entourage, do we?” He stroked my hair and started thinking out loud. “It’s a four-hour drive. I’ll spring for a suite at New York-New York, get Cirque du Soleil tickets, and detour through the Grand Canyon on the way back. Should be extra spectacular in the fall.”
I felt a delicious shiver roll through me as he let his fingers sift slowly through my hair. I smiled up at him. “Sounds like you have it all planned out already. But the restaurant has been so insanely busy that I guess Vegas will have to wait.” I planted a kiss on his chest. “It makes me happy that you want to take me there.”
He tipped my chin up, kissed me softly, and then pulled back with a curiously intense expression on his face. At times like this, when Dominic allowed his feelings to shine through, it made me feel like anything was possible.
“I will take you there, Melanie,” he said seriously. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
I touched his cheek, moved by the sentiment. Considering Espo 2 had a line out the door every night, I knew it was impossible to take off and leave town. Hell, we couldn’t even seem to find time to take an evening off for a normal date. But I loved hearing that Dominic thought about such things. “I believe you,” I told him and then fell asleep in his arms.
“Melanie.” Tara was waving a hand in front of my face. “Earth to Melanie.”
“I’m here.” I blinked. “Were you saying something?”
“Nothing important. I was just complaining about my brother-in-law some more and how he’s never ever at home these days.” She gave me a rather sly sidelong glance.
“Really?” I picked up a stack of papers and started sorting them needlessly. “That’s interesting.”
The door opened, and Dominic appeared with Leah in his arms. Her little fist was clutching a wad of Dominic’s shirt, and she gurgled happily. Dominic was wild about that baby, and it was easy enough to picture him as a father someday. Suddenly I envisioned myself participating in that picture, handing over a small, swaddled figure, then serenely watching as Dominic cradled his own newborn child in those strong arms, gazing down at a tiny face with awe and wonder.
I had no idea ovaries could convulse, but mine surged rather ferociously. It almost hurt. I quickly crossed my legs under the desk and was grateful that my thoughts had stayed in the confines of my own head. Seriously, a moment ago I was mulling over the fact that Dominic and I hadn’t even gone out to dinner, yet now I was fantasizing about bearing his children. There had to be something pathetic about making such a cosmic leap, even if it was just in my own imagination.
“Can I steal Melanie for a few hours?” Tara asked. She reached for the baby, but Dominic didn’t show any sign that he planned to give her up.
Dominic squinted at me, then turned his attention back to Tara. “Did you ask Melanie if she wanted to be stolen?”
“This is for her own good,” Tara argued. “When was the last time Melanie had a night off? Workaholic habits are bad for your health, Dom. You’re something of a lost cause, but allow me to save my friend. After all, I don’t have very many.” She sniffed for theatrical effect.
He raised his eyebrow at his sister-in-law. “Tara, I know damn well you have a veritable ocean of friends.”
“I like this one. Don’t be greedy. You’ve been hogging her.”
“He’s not exactly hogging me,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “I do work for him.”
Tara seemed to find that funny. She smiled and then covered her mouth like she was trying to smother a laugh. “Yes,” she agreed. “You do work for him.”
Dominic frowned slightly. “Melanie, Tara’s actually right about one thing. You deserve a night off.”
“Sure,” I said with artificial sweetness. “I’ll take a night off when you do.”
He looked at me, and his mouth twitched.
“I don’t want a night off,” he said easily, and I didn’t think he was talking about work anymore as he stared at me intently. I stared back.
The brief silence was broken when Leah grabbed his nose and let out an ear-piercing squeal like she’d just captured a rare prize.
“Here,” Tara laughed. “Give me my child before she maims you.”
“No chance of that,” Dominic said, and fondly kissed Leah on the cheek before setting her on Tara’s lap.
“My mother already agreed to watch the baby,” Tara said, “and my old sorority sister gave me tickets to an event at the art museum, one of those wine and cheese affairs where everyone stares at some multimillion dollar new acquisition and pretends to find some obscure but highly profound meaning in the vague patterns.”
“I’m stifling a yawn even as I listen to the description,” Dominic said.
Tara stuck her tongue out. “I’m not inviting you, Mr. Personality. What do you say, Melanie?”
“I’d love to,” I told her, “but the new staff is still a little unsteady, and I don’t want to leave them on their own.”
“Hello.” Dominic waved. “I’m here, remember? I’m capable of dealing with the staff.”
“They’re slightly afraid of you,” I said delicately.
He looked shocked. “Who’s afraid of me?”
“I’m not naming names, Dominic, and you know very well that you make some of the servers nervous.”
“Dom, you are kind of frightening, sometimes,” Tara observed. “Remember how Leah cried the first time she met you?”
Dominic glared at his sister-in-law. “She was an hour old. All she did was cry.”
Tara laughed. “I’m just giving you a hard time. You know I love you.” She batted her eyelashes. “So give my girl the night off, would you?”
He threw his hands up. “I already did. She won’t leave.”
“That’s right, I guess you did.” She turned to me. “You’re overruled, Melanie. You’re coming out with me.”
I smiled. “All right. I’ll go.” I nodded at Dominic. “You sure you’ve got this covered?”
The question annoyed him. “Yes, I’m sure I can handle being in charge of my own staff in my own restaurant for six hours.” He gestured dismissively. “Melanie, go have a good time. I swear I won’t chase anyone off.”
Tara left to go drop off the baby, and I wanted to run home and change. The prospect of a night out was actually making me kind of giddy, even if it was just a fun few hours with a girlfriend. I hurried through a few minor bookkeeping tasks, called a brief meeting with the serving crew, then hunted Dominic down. I found him out back, breaking up some of the delivery pallets.
“You taking off?” he asked. He’d returned to his dangerous, unshaven look. I stared at the thick black stubble along his strong jaw, remembering what it felt like on my thighs in the middle of the night . . .
I cleared my throat and tried to clear my head. “Yes. Last chance to change your mind.”
He cracked a pallet in half with his heavy boot. “I won’t.”
“Dominic—”
“Look, I ran a restaurant long before you came around, Melanie. Pretty sure I can manage not to burn the place down.”
His tone was short, impatient. It definitely rubbed me the wrong way. He probably didn’t mean the words to come out as harshly as they sometimes did. He always seemed surprised when I pushed back, like he didn’t know what he’d done.
I crossed my arms and adopted a rival haughty attitude. “I’m aware of your talents. I was just going to tell you that Patsy called, and she’s going to be a little late because she had to take one of her kids to Urgent Care for an ear infection.”
He straightened up and peered down at me. Even though we were at work, and even though I was genuinely irked by his condescension, he was still the sexiest man in Phoenix. The fire of arousal coursed through my belly, and suddenly I desperately wished that we were a normal couple in an ordinary relationship. I wished he could kiss me right there in the back alley. I wished we could just be impulsive and take off together for a weekend and drive somewhere, anywhere, maybe someplace up north in the mountains where the world was more quiet and more colorful.
“I’ll take you there, Melanie. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Thank you,” Dominic said, and all the snappiness was gone from his voice. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Can’t have you thinking that the place is going to fall apart if you take a night off. Go on, Mel. Enjoy a night away from Esposito’s chaos. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked with a knowing smile. “Or later?”
He leaned in closer, pressed his forehead against mine for one heady, breathless second.
“Later,” he promised, and gave me a quick kiss. “Just wish I was the one taking you out,” he whispered.
“I wish you were, too,” I whispered back. “But it’s not like Tara’s any competition for you.”
He smirked and turned back to the pallets. I left him to his work.
In my apartment the cats stared at me as I changed into a sleek black cocktail dress and heels. Tara’s condo was only a fifteen-minute drive from my apartment, so I texted that I would pick her up so we could drive together.
The condominium complex where Tara and Gio lived (and Dominic, too, I reminded myself) was upscale but not obnoxiously so. As I parked and then walked to her door, I saw several young, sleek-looking professionals milling about, attached to their phones. One of them, a guy in a gray suit, who was lounging on his patio with a glass of wine and bore an unfortunate resemblance to the detestable Braxton, smiled at me.
“You look hot!” Tara greeted me when she opened the door.
“Okay, Miss Supermodel,” I said, and let out a wolf whistle. Tara obliged by twirling and laughing. Gone was her usual ensemble of casual sweatshirt and yoga pants accessorized with a Disney Princess diaper bag. She wore a deep-blue full-skirt taffeta dress and slingback heels.
She stared down at herself and wrinkled her nose. “I feel like I’m attending the prom. I might have overdone it.”
“Not at all,” I assured her, and held up my phone.
“Are you taking a picture?”
“Yup. And I just sent it to Gio so he can drool over what will be waiting for him at home tonight.” I paused. “Will he think it’s weird that I sent him a hot pic of his wife?”
Tara shook her head and laughed. “No.”
As Tara grabbed a shawl, I hung back and looked around. There were six units to each building and perhaps a dozen buildings scattered around picturesque courtyards. Personal touches adorned many of the doors and balconies. One of Tara’s neighbors had several cactus plants in clay pots right outside their front door. That certainly didn’t seem like Dominic’s style, though.
Tara poked me and pointed a few doors down. “It’s that one.”
“What?”
“That’s where Dominic lives.”
I stared at the plain brown door. “That’s nice,” I said. “I didn’t know that. I mean, I’ve never been to his place. I’d have no reason to go there.” I started to cough just so I could stop myself from babbling.
“Oh, Melanie.” Tara grabbed my arm and squeezed it as we walked toward my car. “It’s okay. I know you and Dominic are together.”
“You know?” I squeaked. I tried to press the unlock button on my key fob, but I was clumsy and accidentally hit the alarm. It was loud. Faces peered over balcony walls as I fumbled, dropped the keys, picked them up, and frantically pushed buttons in search of a way to make the noise stop.
Tara gently took my keys away and pressed the correct button. My ears rang from the sudden silence.
So Tara knew.
And if Tara knew . . .
“Gio knows,” I said flatly. “Doesn’t he?”
She shrugged. “Of course.”
I swallowed. Shit. And here we had flattered ourselves that we were such good actors no one could possibly suspect. “How did he figure it out?”
“Well, Dom admitted it to him. And it’s been a big topic of gossip among the staff, even over at Espo 1.”
“Dom admitted it? And the staff knows?”
“Yup.”
“So the staff knows. You know. Gio knows.”
“Mel, it’s really all right.”
“Is it? Is there anyone who still doesn’t know? Maybe the governor of Arizona ought to call a press conference to make sure.” Somehow, I’d started shouting. A young couple, out walking their poodle around the courtyard, stopped and stared.
Tara gave me a brief hug. “You seem a little shaky. I’ll drive. My car’s just over there.”
By the time I was sitting in the passenger seat with my seatbelt on, I felt better. So what if everyone knew about Dominic and me? It couldn’t have stayed a secret forever. I never even wanted it to stay a secret forever. We wouldn’t walk into work tomorrow and start making out in the kitchen as the cooks eyeballed us, but at least the big reveal was out of the way. This should actually be a good thing. Why didn’t I feel like it was a good thing?
Tara sang along to the radio and left me to my inner monologue as we headed west on the freeway.
“You okay over there?” she finally asked.
“Yeah. Sorry I flipped out a little.”
She winked at me. “No worries.”
I laced my fingers together in my lap. “It’s so new,” I said. “I mean, we spent weeks in a will-they-or-won’t-they kind of status, and already it just feels so right it’s kind of scary. I think it’s my ingrained cynicism that keeps warning me that something bad is bound to happen.”
“Like what?” Tara asked gently.
“I don’t know.” I heaved a gigantic sigh. “There’re times when we’re together, and it’s like there’s no one on earth except the two of us. And then other times it feels like a struggle.”
“What feels like a struggle?”
I didn’t know how to explain it, why I felt like there was an invisible barrier that only allowed me partial access to Dominic.
“Finding a way in,” I answered slowly. “Reaching a level of intimacy that tells me what makes him tick.”
She kept her eyes on the road but nodded. “Can’t necessarily help you there. Dominic can be something of an enigma.”
I studied my friend. “Was it hard with Gio?”
“Gio?” She broke into a wide grin. “No, nothing was hard with Giovanni. We just fit. Like a lock and key.”
“I’m so crazy about him, Tara,” I blurted out, and immediately felt embarrassed.
She patted my knee and smiled. “I know you are.”
“I’m just not sure what happens now.”
“What do you want to happen?”
I thought about it. “I want to be with him. I want to come first with him. Is that selfish?”
Tara shook her head. “No, Mel, that’s not selfish.”
I chewed my lip. “Is it possible? I know his history. I know in the past he’s had his fun now and then, but doesn’t do relationships. The restaurants are his relationship. That’s what he loves.”
Tara pulled over to the side of the road and gave me her full attention. “That’s not the only thing he loves, Melanie.”
I sank into the seat a little and sighed. “I know he loves your family, Tara. He’d do anything for you guys, so I know he has a good heart. I’m just wondering if there’s really room for me in it.”
She looked straight ahead, the light from the streetlamps washing over her thoughtful profile. “There are layers there. Layers that I’m certain no one has ever been able to peel away, not even Gio. Dominic’s like my brother, but I don’t know everything about him.” She paused. “Remember a few minutes ago when you said you were crazy about him?”
“Yes. I am.”
She touched my hand comfortingly. “Start there. Whatever Dominic’s flaws, Gio told me he’s never seen anyone get to Dominic the way you have. That means something, doesn’t it?”
Now it was my turn to be thoughtful. “I hope so.”
Tara seemed satisfied and returned to the road. Lucy would have hounded me by now for some dirty bedroom details, but Tara didn’t. Then again Dominic was her brother-in-law, so she probably didn’t want to hear tales of his sexual prowess.
At the museum, we walked through the gallery, giggling and sampling more than our fair share of stuffed mushrooms from the hors d’oeuvres platters. It was an early night because Tara had promised her mother she’d pick up Leah before ten thirty.
When we left the museum, I looked toward downtown, thinking of Esposito’s and wondering if Dominic was still there cleaning up since it had closed half an hour earlier. Tara dropped me off at my car before heading to get Leah. I scanned the parking lot for Dominic’s silver pickup truck but didn’t see any sign of it. I wished I did. I wanted to see him here, in his own environment. I wanted to know what kind of sheets he chose for his bed and what color his couch was. These were small, insignificant things, but I wanted to know them anyway.
“Thanks, Mel,” Tara called as I exited her minivan. “Thanks for indulging an adult-deprived mama and venturing out into the world with me.”
I waved. “Thanks for asking me. And thanks for the girl talk.”
Tara winked and drove off.
I stood there in the parking lot for a moment. It was a weekday, and everything was quiet. Somewhere close on an unseen balcony, a woman laughed.
There were no new texts on my phone. I could have just sent him a message saying, “Hey, I’m at your place. Let’s stay here tonight.” He’d have no reason to say no. I didn’t know why I was afraid to do it. Maybe the reason had something to do with the fact that he’d apparently already had an important talk with his brother about me and hadn’t seen fit to mention it. Instead I heaved a deep sigh, got behind the wheel of my car, and drove home where Luke and Lando waited. I slipped off my pinching heels, knelt down, and rubbed their furry heads.
Forty-five minutes later Dominic rang my doorbell, even though he didn’t need to. He had a key now. But when I opened up, he was standing there with a dozen roses, a cardboard box, and a rather shy grin.
“For me?” I asked when he held the flowers out. My instant smile was genuine. Other women might receive flowers all the time, but I’d never been one of them.
“Of course it’s for you,” he said, amused.
I sniffed the flowers. “What’s in the box?”
“Open it.”
Dominic followed me when I carried the box and flowers to the kitchen. I set the bouquet down and carefully pried open the cardboard edges of the box. I opened the lid and stared at what was inside.
“Told you I had a friend,” he explained. “Rafael. He owns Picayo’s Mexican Restaurant up on Camelback. He made these for you on special order. He said he’d be happy to host a cooking lesson.”
I was still staring wordlessly at the neatly packed tamales lined up in the box, so Dominic might have felt like he needed to keep talking.
“I know it won’t be exactly the same as your dad’s recipe,” he said, sounding a little uncertain, “but I thought it would make you happy.”
“It does,” I whispered. “It really does.”
He grinned. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Yes. We had a great time,” I said, intentionally leaving out the part where we’d tried to sort through the mystery of him.
He nodded, somewhat absently. “Good,” he said. Then he cleared his throat. “Remember what I said earlier?”
“About what?”
“About how I wished I was the one taking you out on your night off. I meant it, Mel. I don’t want you to ever think there’s only one reason I’m here every night.”
So that’s what this was about. The flowers, the tamales. It was nearly midnight now, and Dominic had headed to the restaurant just after dawn this morning. He must be exhausted. This was the closest thing to a date Dominic could offer tonight.
“I don’t think that,” I said as I reached up and kissed him, lingering on his mouth as his hands circled my waist. The kiss quickly turned deep, passionate, our tongues playing an erotic game that our bodies ached to join. He pressed against me, and I felt the whole hard length of his arousal.
“Been thinking about you all day,” he groaned, hitching my dress up and bending his head low enough to teasingly run his tongue along my neckline. He smelled like the wood-burning ovens at Esposito’s. He felt as hot as fire itself.
“Show me,” I begged, and hastily pushed my panties down.
Dominic lifted me with a grunt. We didn’t go slowly. We tore and pushed and stroked and licked. We consumed each other wordlessly again and again. We’d fall asleep for a little while, then he roused me for yet another round. Once, while I was riding him and feeling the slow rise of my own personal tidal wave, I looked down into his eyes and lost all sense of place and time. It seemed like I’d never felt this connected to anyone, not ever.
There were still unsaid things between us, but they could wait.
For tonight they could wait.