Erica flashed him a cautionary look. “I
really don’t think it’s any of your business!”
“Okay, yeah, you’re right. It’s just that the
way you look reminds me of chocolate sauce with cherries and
whipped cream. Kinky and delicious at the same time.”
“Do you mind turning around? I’d like to get
back to the office now.”
As Gianni pulled back into third gear, he
told her they had almost arrived at their destination.
“Your idea of going for coffee is quite
different from my own.” Erica glanced nervously about. They had
been traveling north, up Biscayne Boulevard, and were now passing
through the suburbs, towns like Miami Shores and Biscayne Park.
Even if this maniac managed to slow down, he still maintained a
fast enough speed to prevent her from jumping out of the car. And
even if they did it in the movies all the time, Erica had a feeling
her jump would be far more hazardous to her health.
Instead, gritting her teeth, she tried to
displace her apprehension with more positive thoughts, although it
seemed next to impossible to maintain positive thinking while in
the clutches of a deviant sex fiend! For a moment, Erica toyed with
the idea of grabbing her smart phone and calling Craig or Sacha.
She could kick herself for not asking Nico for his number, that’s
if
he even possessed a cell phone. She hadn’t seen him with
one last night. In fact, their whirlwind encounter in bed hadn’t
even afforded her a chance to know if her lover wore boxers or
briefs. They had undressed in the dark and stayed naked until Nico
left her early this morning.
“Um, Gianni, is there any way I can get a
hold of your brother? I’d like to speak with him.”
“Sure, of course, but let’s get comfortable
first.” Taking a sudden curve, he maneuvered his baby with expert
finesse and then sped along Oceana Boulevard and over to the island
bar of Sunny Isles. Finally, he slowed down as they approached
Golden Beach. Erica spied a large clapboard house up ahead. A large
business sign tacked above the porch advertised Beach Bum Bob’s
Grass Shack. Could they possibly wind up for coffee here?
“Beach Bum Bob is a friend of mine,” Gianni
revealed. “I steered him in the right direction with some
investments. We can have lunch with our coffee. Pomano fish tacos
are the specialty of the house.”
With a sigh, Erica pressed her pink shoulder
bag to her side. What the hell? After all, she was just along for
the ride. Of course, if his idea of “getting comfortable” meant
more than sitting down for coffee and tacos, Gianni Sloan had
another thing coming...such as a well-placed knee right in the
crotch!
* * *
“So, what do you think?” As Gianni broached
the question, he sat back in his plastic chair and stretched. The
light from the overhead fan fixture picked up the glint from his
expensive silver bracelet.
Erica dabbed her mouth with the paper towel
provided as a napkin. Beach Bum Bob served excellent food in a
no-frills but quite clever manner. They ate their tacos and spicy
coleslaw out of dried coconut shells, and sat at a table made from
pieces of wooden crates. The menu, posted on a large blackboard
over the ordering counter, also offered a simple but satisfying
selection. Fish nets hung from the ceiling, and the weathered walls
boasted a canoe paddle, a ship’s wheel and other sailing
paraphernalia.
“I think Beach Bum Bob needs to advertise
more. This place is a gem in the rough.” As she spoke, Erica looked
around and spotted just a smattering of customers besides
themselves.
“It’s still early yet,” Gianni informed her.
“This joint gets hoppin’ from happy hour on to the wee hours of the
morning.”
“Do you take your dates here very often?”
“Let’s just say I reserve Beach Bum Bob for
ladies I feel comfortable with, and with whom I share a
connection.”
Erica hoped she didn’t fall into this
category of Gianni’s preferred conquests. Did Maritza? Somehow she
didn’t think so.
“I’m sure your dates thank you for it.”
Throughout their lunch, she had the opportunity to observe her host
without the sunglasses, though Gianni’s hooded eyes seemed bereft
of any hidden subterfuge or sneaky agendas.
Now the investment broker switched to a more
serious mode. “Erica, I don’t know what I’ve done to make you look
and think of me with disdain. Oh, I know you don’t like the fact
I’m seeing your sister, but I don’t think I’m such a terrible
guy.”
She tilted her head and tried to regard him
with a less prejudicial eye. “I’m sure you’re very charming when
you want to be. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to take a man
seriously when he doesn’t take his relationships very seriously.
You use and discard women faster than I do my dental floss.”
“What if I tell you that you’re making
flashpoint assumptions without giving me the benefit of the doubt?”
As he spoke, Gianni drummed his fingers along the table’s
distressed wood. “You certainly view me based on skewed and
misguided information about my love life.”
“Heater vents don’t lie,” she countered
succinctly, “and bad guys always wear black.” With that, she rose
to use the ladies room. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me.”
“Certainly.”
Before she left, Erica tried to read his
mood. Bemused? Upset? Anxious to prove he wasn’t such a bad guy
after all by showing her his white underwear? Yet his face remained
a blank. Gianni certainly didn’t give anything away; while in
contrast, his twin, Adriano Sloan, offered his feelings with
genuine and generous pleasure. Nico... just the recollection of his
warm touch made her long to have the better brother here with her
now.
Five minutes later, Erica returned to the
dining room, but found their table cleared of their dishes and the
seat where Gianni sat now vacant. Perhaps he’d gone to the restroom
as well, or now waited for her in the car. Walking out to the
porch, she surveyed the parking lot and spied every make and model
of vehicle except a sleek, dark, topless Jag. Could Gianni be so
miffed with her that he simply abandoned her at Beach Bum Bob’s
Grass Shack? Leaning against the porch rail, Erica fumbled for her
cell phone and searched for Maritza’s number.
Her sister finally answered after the fifth
ring, and Erica launched into her request. Since she decided to
take on Gianni’s decorating job, she needed to get a hold of the
investment broker to clear up a few details. After a pause, Mari
recited the number, and Erica quickly thanked her. She made a point
to program his number in her phone, but when she dialed, she
received Gianni’s recorded message with a vengeance:
“Hey baby, you’ve reached lover boy. I’m probably
oiling my naked body in preparation for your visit right now, but
leave a message anyway. Until we meet again: Kiss, kiss, love,
love.”
Ooh, brother!
Anger quickly replaced
her panic. After all, Erica wasn’t stranded on a deserted island,
and her poor ears would soon recover after hearing the smarmy
bastard’s ridiculously egotistical and noisome message.
She was just about to call Tai and ask if
someone could drive out and fetch her when a Jeep Cherokee came
around the corner. As he slowed in the parking lot, the driver
honked and waved. Erica quickly brightened when she recognized Nico
behind the wheel. After last night, she couldn’t possibly mistake
that head of soft waves and his finely honed features. Her hero!
Had she actually communicated her thoughts to this wonderful man,
her handsome knight in shining armor, or in this case a silver
jeep?
As Nico approached, Erica had an opportunity
to appreciate her rescuer. Besides the wire-rimmed sunglasses, he
wore light cargo pants, a seersucker shirt in a pastel plaid, and
canvas deck shoes. A glint of silver directed her to the slim chain
around his wrist. Hmm, Gianni’s twin possessed the same type of
bracelet.
“Hello, Erica!” Nico greeted with a broad
smile. “Need a ride?”
She met him halfway down the porch steps. “Am
I glad to see you! I thought I’d be stuck out here forever.”
“Sorry,” he began after he gave her a quick
hug. “My brother sent me to fetch you. He had some kind of
emergency call and had to leave right away. On his way back to the
city, he called and asked me to come and rescue you.”
“Well, that explains some of it,” Erica
conceded as she allowed him to take her hand and lead her back to
the Jeep. “But why didn’t your brother leave a message with the
waiter? I couldn’t have been gone more than five minutes to the
restroom.”
“Who knows what he’s thinking?” Nico opened
the car door for her. “Gianni isn’t exactly the most diplomatic of
guys. He runs on hormones, not common sense.”
“Well, all I can say is that I’m glad you’re
here.” Erica gladly slipped into the bucket seat and sat back,
relieved and mollified for the moment.
As Nico slipped behind the wheel, he turned
to her with a bright smile. “So, what are you doing the rest of the
afternoon?”
“Well, I thought I’d get some work done.”
“That’s no fun.” With a little laugh, he
started the Jeep and pulled out of the parking lot. “All work and
no play makes Erica an overworked girl. So, why don’t you play
hooky this afternoon and go for a sail with me? We can relax and
enjoy life a little.”
Erica didn’t have to think twice. “I’d love
to, but I’m not exactly dressed for a casual outing.”
“So, we’ll pick you up some clothes on the
way. My parents have a sail boat at the Bay Harbor Marina.”
The thought of spending an afternoon, alone
on the water, with such an attractive, charming man made her blood
rush to strategic body points. “You’re on, captain!”
Relaxing along the polished deck, Erica
sipped her champagne and watched the captain of the sloop,
Island in the Sky,
tighten the sails before joining her. She
had been smiling with ease since Nico launched the boat and headed
out to sea.
They had stopped at a strip mall earlier so that
Erica could quickly select a pair of tight shorts and a V-neck
halter top from a woman’s boutique, along with a pair of deck
runners from the shoe store. To top off the afternoon, Nico visited
the nearby supermarket and bought them a bottle of premium
champagne, two plastic wine glasses, and a party tray of cold cuts
and cheeses. With that, they set sail along the calm waters of
Biscayne Bay. Nico certainly proved that he knew the ropes when it
came to directing and tying off the pale yellow sails.
“Such talent!” Erica exclaimed when the
captain joined her on the deck cushions. “For someone who’s not
from Miami, you sure know your way around a boat and the
water.”
“Hey, we have boats in Connecticut, too,”
Nico defended and stretched alongside of her. “My parents always
enjoyed sailing, and we boys learned early. I did tell you that
Island in the Sky
is my mother’s baby.”
“Yes, you did,” she agreed, “as well as
boasted about her attributes—the boat’s that is, not your mother’s
assets. Of course, I’m sure she possesses many as well. This baby’s
a steel-designed, thirty-four foot spray cutter. After that, you
lost me with ballast and keel weight.”
“That’s okay,” he said with a laugh. “I was just
showing off to impress a lovely lady.”
“Well, I’m impressed.”
“Want to take another tour of the galley, get
out of the sun for awhile?”
“Why do I feel you want to take me below to
show me your etchings?” Yet, with no misgivings, Erica allowed her
host to bring her to her feet.
“My etchings and a couple of masterpieces,”
Nico added playfully as he helped his guest to navigate the steep
steps down to the galley.
“This is very impressive,” Erica commented as
she surveyed the interior. Despite the compact kitchen and tiny
bathroom compartment, the living area had been designed with
comfort in mind. The banquette seats at the dining table came in
soft microfiber, while the cabinets and walls featured polished
maple wood and brass accents. At the stern, a queen-sized bunk
beckoned with a downy comforter and large pillows.
“You know,” she began, “I’d love to meet your
mother. I’m sure she’s as beautiful as her namesake, even more
so.”
Standing behind her, Nico placed his arms
around her waist. “It’s doable,” he murmured in her ear, “but not
today. You’re all mine for the duration. Mm...your hair and your
neck smell wonderful.”
Turning in his arms, Erica placed hers around
his shoulders. Their eyes met. Now, in the light and without his
glasses, Nico’s eyes gleamed like polished agates. She pulled him
close. “Thank you. It’s a body spray called Sinful Pleasures. I’d
like to meet your father, too.”
His lips came to hers. “They do come as a
pair, my parents that is. Ah, my lady of sinful pleasures!” He
swept his fingers along the undercarriage of her breasts. “Of
course, your pair is just as sinful and pleasurable.”
“If you keep this up, Mr. Sloan, you’ll have
me eating out of your hands.”
“I’d rather use my hands in more meaningful
pursuits, such as exploring every inch of your body. Starting with
these…”
As his mouth found hers, Nico unfastened the
halter ties behind her neck. His hands slid down her back in a
light caress, and Erica shivered, her blood skimming just below the
surface of her skin in warm, rich currents. His lips tasted sweet,
of candy mint, and the remnants of champagne. Soon he tugged at the
strings until he pulled the bodice down to her waist and then
quickly brought his fingers to cup and stroke each bare breast.
When he broke their kiss, Nico brought his lips to the hollow of
her throat and down the valley of her breasts until he molded his
lips around one nipple and then the other.
Throwing back her head in delight, Erica ran
her fingers through the silken strands of his hair. She tensed when
he played kisses down her abdomen and tickled her navel with a
light rasp of his tongue. He continued to tantalize her senses as
he worked to unbutton her shorts and stretch them along her hips.
Erica felt her skin dimple from the electric shocks of his
touch.