Part 6 (1/2)

She laughed. ”The funny thing is, that's my biggest oh h.e.l.l no moment too. I was trying to look like Christina Aguilera. My skin tone with blond hair? So bad. Just so, so bad.”

”I really can't imagine you blond. Do you have a picture?”

”No, thank G.o.d. I was twelve. My mom was so mad at me.” Allison watched the buildings go by and marveled that New York looked different from this perspective. She thought she knew everything there was to know at this point after eight years of living there, but the speed of the carriage, the open air, gave it a more relaxed feel than she had been expecting. ”This is pretty cool, I have to say. It's less stressful than riding in a taxi.”

”That's not setting the bar very high.”

”True. I'm an extreme personality, though. I either set the bar ridiculously high or way too low.”

”Are you talking dating or life in general?”

”Dating, what's that? I haven't had a date in a million years.”

Marco scoffed. ”Oh, come on. You're gorgeous and funny. I bet you guys lined up outside your door.”

”It's a short hallway.”

He laughed. ”No, seriously.”

”Dating always feels like a job, because everyone does it online. A year ago, I went out on, like, ten first dates and they were all a bust. I don't have two hours to waste talking to strangers on Tinder.”

”Well, I'm glad you have two hours to waste talking to me.” He tilted her chin up. ”I'm enjoying your company.”

Allison felt her breath catch. It should have felt strange, his thumb still on her skin, the move an odd mix of caring and domination. But she liked it. She felt her walls s.h.i.+fting. Not crumbling exactly, but definitely leaning. Something about the motion of the carriage, the fresh air, and his dark eyes had her mesmerized.

”I'm enjoying your company too.”

She parted her lips, invited the kiss she knew he wanted to give. Marco's hand slid across her chin, and around to the nape of her neck. She'd been s.h.i.+vering from the cold, but when he covered her mouth with his, all she felt was heat. They kissed slowly, languidly, each press exploratory, getting to know each other. It was a kiss with no destination, just a meandering journey that demanded she slow down and enjoy yourself. Which she did. He tasted delicious, masculine, if that were even possible. He smelled like fresh air and leather, and she touched his cheek, liking the roughness of his beard stubble. They kissed on and on, desire blooming between her thighs, her nipples tightening. She felt breathless from arousal, yet not impatient. There was something absolutely s.e.xy about knowing this was all they were going to do right now. It was not only heightened antic.i.p.ation, but incredibly intimate.

She hadn't kissed like that since high school. But even that had been different, because then it had involved pawing each other and the excited fear of not knowing what was next, what that completion felt like. She knew now what could come next, but knowing they didn't have to rush to get there felt oddly freeing.

When his tongue swept in between her lips, she gave a soft moan, eyes closed. It was a h.e.l.l of a head rush, the air around her, the carriage plodding along, Marco taking her mouth. She broke away after a few minutes, needing to breathe. She stared at him, feeling the moisture on her lips, but not bothering to wipe it away. ”There is nothing wasteful about that,” she said.

The corner of his mouth turned up in pure male satisfaction. It was so d.a.m.n s.e.xy she almost wished they were en route to his place to finish what they'd started. Almost. But not quite. She found herself wanting to know where this could go. Not into a relations.h.i.+p. But she definitely could see drawing out the foreplay. She did enjoy his company. Something about that fact seemed so par for the course with her. She couldn't find a single guy in New York that she could actually see herself hanging out with, except for the utterly unattainable rockstar who was leaving town sooner rather than later.

”Not at all.” He glanced over and saw they were pulling back up to where they started. ”I think the ride is over. Where to now, boss?”

That was a question she didn't have an answer to, so she went with the simplest equation. Him, her, and coffee on a couch. ”I'm freezing. I'd love some coffee.”

”We can do that. Do you have a favorite place?”

”Yes.” She eyed him, wondering what his reaction would be. ”It's called my apartment.”

She didn't want to go to his place. She would feel acutely aware of who and what he was if she did, and while she was now rich too, she didn't want to see the reality of his success and fame. It would make her feel too much like a groupie. Besides, she felt more in control of the situation on her own turf. Granted, she had limited furniture at the moment, but she did have a couch and a coffeemaker.

”I've never heard of that place,” he said. ”But as long as what they're serving is hot and wet, I'm in.”

Then he winked.

Allison forgot everything she'd thought in the last ten minutes. Why wait when she could have him now?

”Don't worry, I won't monopolize your whole night,” he added. ”Just the good parts. I have to be in the studio at eight in the morning.”

”I sincerely hope you'll monopolize all my good parts.” She gave him a long look. ”Oops, did I just say that out loud?”

Marco shook his head and gave her a smirk. ”You know full well you did and that it was intentional. I'll see what I can do about your good parts.”

There wasn't much more a girl could ask for. It seemed that after eight years of sluggish karma, she was on fire. They said good things came in threes. She hoped her final one would be in the form of an o.r.g.a.s.m.

Marco had expected Allison's apartment to be stylish and chock-full of personality, like she was. Instead she led him into a mostly empty living room, several pairs of shoes kicked aside by the door. It was small, but that was to be expected for a building like that in the Village. ”Are you moving out? Moving in? Redecorating?” She didn't even have a couch, just a very large chair that might qualify as a chaise, except it was overstuffed. He wasn't sure what that made it. Other than useless. Too big for one person, too small for two.

”Well. This is a two-bedroom, and once my roommates moved out I couldn't afford it by myself.”

She went and flicked on the kitchen light so the gloom was cut through a little more, though even with the kitchen and the lamp by the front door on, it wasn't exactly bright. Ambient, maybe. Impractical for anything other than watching TV and getting it on.

”They also owned most of the furniture, which, I confess, surprised me. It certainly seems like I've spent a lot of money other the years, but other than shoes and handbags, I'm not sure I can prove where it's gone.” She opened a cupboard in the kitchenette, pulled out a canister, and twisted the lid. ”So I couldn't find an apartment by myself in Manhattan in my budget, so the plan was to very, very temporarily move in with my best friend Jamie and her boyfriend, Jonathon, who you both met tonight.”

The redhead and her boyfriend who looked like he couldn't wait to get her naked. ”Sure, they seem nice.”

”Very nice to let me live with them, even if Jonathon has an amazing apartment in Tribeca. But his grandfather lives with them. And his foster kid. So it's basically like reaching hippie commune proportions, but I didn't really have much choice. Then I was going to have to move to Jersey City. It's the only way I could afford a place on my own.”

”Until winning the lottery.” He moved into the doorway of the kitchen.

”Until winning the lottery.” She smiled over her shoulder, stuffing a filter into her coffeemaker and measuring out coffee. ”Do you take cream and sugar?”

How did she manage to make that so s.e.xy? He knew exactly how she did it. She wasn't trying to make it s.e.xy. She wasn't hitting him over the head with her s.e.xuality, licking her lips and plumping her cleavage and bending over in front of him and generally making it known that she could be his if he just crooked his finger. It was refres.h.i.+ng that while Allison clearly felt the same chemistry he did, she wasn't interested or willing to throw herself at him. He came up behind her.

”Just cream, thank you.”

She s.h.i.+fted out of the way before he could rest his hands on her waist. Efficiently, she filled the pot with water, poured, replaced the carafe, and turned it on. Then she turned to smile at him.

”You look very beautiful, Lady Luck,” he murmured, desperate to get his hands on her.

But all of a sudden she jumped. Her eyes opened in alarm. He turned, thinking she saw a spider behind him. But she was suddenly running past him, knocking her shoulder into his. ”What's wrong?” he asked, bewildered.

”f.u.c.k, f.u.c.k, f.u.c.k,” she wailed, grabbing her purse off the side table where the lamp was resting. She tore it open and started sorting through it, giving items the same grab-and-toss treatment she had on the carriage ride. ”My winning lottery ticket was in my purse! Please, baby Jesus in the cradle, please, please, please tell me I didn't lose it when I pulled all that s.h.i.+t out.”

Holy f.u.c.k. He went over to her and started scanning the discarded items. ”Are you sure you had it with it? Is it tucked into your wallet?” That seemed like it would be the smartest place for it.

”No. I had it in the slot for my cell phone. I was keeping it safe. Which makes me a f.u.c.king idiot.” She fell to the floor, dumping her purse upside down, clearly impatient. ”I hate myself.”

Marco wasn't sure what to do other than squat down beside her and start sorting everything she discarded, in case she was missing it from sheer panic. He felt horrible. And worried. She clearly needed the money. She'd sent that video quitting to her boss. She'd spent at least a few hundred dollars that day, maybe even a few thousand. She had no apartment probably after the first of the month, in a mere twelve days. He felt horribly guilty, too. ”I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you about the video. This is my fault.”

She scoffed. ”Of course it's not your fault. I'm the moron who is carrying around loose in my purse a piece of paper worth millions. That is not exactly bright. But I wanted it with me. It made me feel safer until I could get to the lottery commission tomorrow.”

She was frantically tossing receipts to the side. When she came up empty, she went back into the bag, digging and feeling around. She turned it inside out. Nothing else came out. Marco went through everything too, but he didn't see it either.

Allison fell back onto her a.s.s. Her face had gone completely pale. ”Oh my G.o.d. I quit my job. I charged, like, three grand in purchases today.” She stared at him in shock. ”I quit my job.”

A little afraid she was going to faint, Marco reached over and squeezed her hand. ”Are you sure you brought it with you?”