Part 5 (2/2)
So much for the warm fuzzies her reflection brought about. Nick helped her on with her coat, stuck an umbrella in her briefcase, and led her out the door. Was he going to tuck lunch money in her pocket, too? Rosalie was about to ask him when she noticed it.
”Where's my car?”
”It's at the shop. You were in no shape to drive.”
”Oh, right. Um, thanks for getting my briefcase.”
He opened the door of the white convertible Mustang and handed her in. The drive to the subway was only a few blocks.
When Nick pulled up to the station, she unbuckled her seat belt and started to get the door. His hand came around the nape of her neck; he pulled her close and kissed her. His rough beard rubbed against her skin like sandpaper, and his lips were velvet soft. His hold was gentle, but his kiss was raw. She held on, her fingers anch.o.r.ed in his hair, and all thought of being late for work, of Gina's questions, of everything except her and Nick in the coc.o.o.n of the car fled. She took in the smell of Nick mixed with new car and leather, the feel of his tongue against hers, the press of his mouth, the sharpness of his teeth, the brush of his beard against her skin, and his arms banded around her. She reveled in it. Rosalie sank into him, and he pulled away.
Nick's hands held hers, nicely but firmly, extracting them from his person while she reeled from his kiss. She wondered if he had a catalog of kisses. Each one he planted on her was different, although they all seemed to have the same effect. He, on the other hand, went from hot and heavy to casual and offhanded in the blink of a stormy eye. It was downright unnerving.
”I'll be by about seven to pick you up.”
She nodded and picked up her briefcase as he reached across her to open her door. She was unable to put words together.
”Call me if you need anything. You have my numbers.”
She nodded again, thinking she needed to do something. A taxi behind them laid on the horn... right. She had to leave.
What a difference a day made. One day she got the world's most insulting marriage proposal, and the next she had a date with the hottest guy she'd ever seen in boxers... yeah, including the Calvin Klein underwear models.
Rosalie slid out of the car and held onto the door, half expecting to ooze onto the pavement before she could close it.
It took several moments for the realization to hit her. When it did, she tripped on the curb. Nick saw the show and winked before he drove off, but she was too dumbfounded to be embarra.s.sed. d.a.m.n, Nick had done it again. He'd said he usually got what he wanted, and he was right-he'd gotten a date. But that wasn't all he wanted.
Oh, yeah, what a difference a day made. Rosalie was one lucky girl, except for the nasty hangover. A date wasn't all she wanted, either. She found herself singing on the way to work. ”Tonight, tonight, tonight...”
Chapter Five.
Rosalie stepped off the elevator and found Gina waiting.
”Somebody had fun last night.” Gina said in a singsong voice, which was the last thing Rosalie needed to hear.
She took a deep breath and decided to make Gina run for it. Sometimes an eight-inch height difference had its advantages. Rosalie power walked down the hall singing ”... She knows when I am sleeping. She knows when I'm awake. She knows when I've been bad or good...” She stopped singing. ”It's annoying as h.e.l.l.”
Gina fell behind. She was not a good runner. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s bounced so much, it was a wonder she didn't blacken both eyes.
”Oh, and you're hungover.” Gina gasped, breathless, as she turned the corner into their office suite. ”I can't wait to hear all about it. I had a few drinks, but I'm not hungover, and you're twice my size.”
”Thanks for the news flash.” Rosalie glared as she pushed open the door.
”I thought you were going to pick up your car.”
”I did.” Rosalie took the last swig of her latte. There was nothing like mainlined caffeine to increase the irritant factor of nosy a.s.sistants. Gina closed the door behind her. It was unfortunate that she was on Rosalie's side of the door when she did.
”So, spill.” Gina made herself comfortable in the leather chair in front of the desk, slipped off her shoes, and sat with one leg pulled up underneath to make herself look taller.
Rosalie sat at her desk, took out the files she hadn't had the chance to look over the night before, and got down to work.
”Gina, I have a lot to catch up on, and I have to get ready for our move to Premier Motors-”
”I've already made the arrangements for our move to the dealers.h.i.+p. I've requisitioned computers, scheduled the IT installation, ordered supplies, and hired and scheduled a service to move the files we have here uptown. The only thing I haven't done is scope out the area for restaurants and a good bar. You're all caught up, thanks to me. Now, what did you do last night and with whom?”
”How do you know I was with someone?”
”Hmm... maybe it's the whisker burn all over your face, but it could be the glow.”
”What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?”
Gina's brows furrowed, and her eyes narrowed to slits, squinting as if Rosalie had the answer written in fine print on her face. If Gina kept that up, she'd need Botox before she was thirty.
”You have that glow-the one you get when you're in l.u.s.t. Stop stalling, and tell me his name.”
”Nick.”
”Nick what?”
”Nick, the mechanic at Romeo's... well, he's the service manager. We went out to dinner.” Rosalie didn't meet Gina's eyes. She needed no encouragement.
”And?”
”And we had a nice time.”
When Rosalie got the guts to look, Gina was leaning forward, sitting on the edge of her seat. d.a.m.n. ”And?”
”And Dave likes him.” She might as well get the inevitable over with while she still felt sick. There was no way the situation could get worse.
”You took him home?”
”No, he took me home. I had too much to drink.” ”Rosalie, how long have we known each other?” ”Close to four years.”
”In all that time, I've never seen you hungover, and I've never known you to introduce Dave to any of your boyfriends on purpose-not after that unfortunate emergency room visit. Come to think of it, I've never seen you with whisker burn, either. Did you break rule number two?”
”No.” Rosalie shook her head and regretted the movement. Beating back nausea, she took a deep breath. ”Nick slept on the couch.”
”Sure...”
”Gina, if you don't believe me, that's your problem. I don't need grief from you, too.”
”What's that supposed to mean?”
Rosalie rested her elbows on the desk, dropped her head into her hands, and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips, hoping they'd erase the headache rooted there. ”Nick took Dave for a walk and stopped to buy breakfast at Fiorentino's. Mrs. F. called my mother, and then Mama called me...” She'd been going for a boring shopping list tone, not that it helped. Gina's eyes widened and shone like new pennies.
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