VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (7 page)

“Don’t be ridiculous!”  Vina
headed for the walk-in closet,
s
kewering Sophia with a
withering
glare as she passed by.  “I told you, Travis is coaching me so I
’ll be able to carry on an intelligent conversation without freezing up.” 

G
rabb
ing
the high heeled sandals
that matched her
green dress, she carried them back to
the bed and dropped down beside Sophia to slip them on. 
“I am
not
entertaining romantic fantasies about him.
  Anyway, you know the type of woman he prefers.
”

Sophia rolled her eyes.  “Slinky, blonde sex-kittens with
big breasts
and no brains.  No wonder he likes hanging out with you;
once his libido is taken care of by the b
i
mbo
-de-jour
,
he needs some intellectual stimulation
.”

Vina frowned.  “
That’s a little harsh.”

“Harsh, but true.  I’m glad to hear you have no illusions about him, though.  Don’t get me wrong; Travis is a great guy, but he’s a heartbreaker. 
Getting romantically involved would destroy your friendship, and I know how much that would hurt you.”

Pushing herself off the bed, Vina crossed the room to her vanity table and checked her hair and make-up one last time.  “He’s going to be here any minute.  If the rest of the brood has been conjuring up ideas about me and Travis, you can run down and tell them I’ll
w
ring their necks if they so much as hint at it to him.”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t discussed it with them
,
and they’re too wrapped up in getting ready for their own trips to think about anything else.
”

“Is everyone still upset over Mom and Dad’s choice of escorts?”

“A little I suppose.”  Sophia climbed off the bed and gave Vina a hug.  “I hope it turns out wonderfully for all of us, but if it doesn’t…we still have each other.  Good luck on your pretend date.”

After Sophia had gone, Vina ran the brush through her hair a few more times, alarmed by how shaky her hands were.  What in the world had come over her?  It wasn’t as if Travis would think any less of her if she was a complete failure tonight.  Realistically, they
’d
probably have a great time because it would be difficult to keep up the pretense they hadn’t known each other for years.  Feeling a bit more settled than she had a few minutes ago, Vina retrieved her clutch purse from the nightstand and headed downstairs.

She had just reached the
top
landing when Sophia opened the front door and let Travis in.  Immaculately dressed in a
black
suit, red pinstriped tie, and crisp white shirt,
the man
was criminally handsome. 
Vina
couldn’t take her eyes off of him.  His dark hair was combed back, but there was one rogue curl he hadn’t managed to tame that seemed determined to fall across his forehead.
 
He towered over Sophia, charming her sister with a dazzling smile
as
he took her hand and shook it
. 

Drawing in a deep breath, Vina’s knees nearly
buckled
when his eyes turned to her as she descended the stairs.  His gaze swept over her with appreciation before he moved forward to
brush a light kiss to her cheek when she reached the bottom
.

“You look exquisite,” Travis said as he took her hand and led her towards the door.  He took the ivory lace shawl Sophia held out to him and draped it around Vina’s shoulders.  “It was very nice to meet you, Sophia.”

Sophia crossed her arms, affecting a stern expression.  “You
will
have my sister back by midnight, won’t you?”

“She’ll be safe with me,” Travis replied, curling his arm around
Vina
waist, “but don’t count on her being home by midnight.  The way Vina looks right now, it’s going to take a monumental effort to say good-night.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” Vina admonished once they reached his car.

“Why not, it’s the truth.”

For one brief moment she thought he was serious. 
Vina’s eyes met his, her cheeks turning a furious red.  “Oh, I get it
.  You’re trying to keep in character
,” she said, feeling foolish.  Because, of course, it was
absurd
to believe he meant it.

Travis opened the door, neither confirming nor denying what she’d said.  He cupped her elbow and helped
her
inside then rounded the front of the Ferrari and slipped into the driver’s seat. 
Vina was tongue tied.  She felt awkward and
was
completely unnerved by their close proximity; something that had never happened before. 
Travis would probably
get
quite a
kick out of knowing
she
couldn’t even muster enough courage to look at him
right now
.

“Except for the red hair, you and Sophia could be twins,” Travis broke the silence.  “Do all your sisters have such a close family resemblance?”

“Yes.  No.  I mean, it’s obvious we’re all sisters, but Sophia and I
actually are twins.”

“You must be fraternal twins then.”

“No, we…uh…we’re identical. 
We both had dark hair and looked so much alike, the only one who could tell us apart was our mother. 
Sophia
was born with a heart condition, but they had to wait until she was older and stronger to operate.  The medication
she was taking
caused all her hair
to fall out
.  The poor thing was bald until she had the operation when she was two.  When her hair finally grew back, it was
the
same
shade of
red
as my mother’s
.
”

“She’s okay now?”

“Perfectly healthy, thank God.”

“Tell me about yourself, Vina.”

Vina searched her mind for something interesting to say and came up with a total
blank.  Travis was doing his best to make this seem like a real first date, so the dreaded
tell me about yourself
question was inevitable
, but she was still at a loss
.
  She didn’t lead the glamorous lifestyle of a model that most of his dates did, and she had no social life to speak of. 
She loved her job, but real estate
investment wasn’t exactly an exciting topic
of conversation.

Vina
’s fingers curled into fists, her frustration mounting as each second ticked by.  She was hopeless, and so were the chances of this date being anything but a waste of time.
  Travis was going to slip into a coma from sheer boredom.  No doubt, he was thinking about
which gorgeous
bombshell he
w
ould have chosen to
be with
tonight
if he hadn’t sacrificed his evening to help her out.

“I’m sorry, Travis, but this just isn’t going to work out,” she sounded every bit as miserable she felt.
  Vina
didn’t
realize how icy her skin had grown until Travis reached out and covered her hands with his. 
It was
as warm and comforting as his voice.

“Relax, Vina. 
At this point, I
would
know
very little
about you
and be
interested in anything you had to say.  Tell me about the company and how you worked your way up through the ranks.  You could talk about your own real estate business, or what it was like growing up
with four sisters.”  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, slanting a devilish grin at her.  “If it helps, you can pretend you’re talking to your best friend.”

“That just shows you what a mess I am,” Vina laughed.  “In order to talk to you without sounding like an idiot, I have to pretend you’re you.”

With the tension finally broken,
conversation between
them
flowed easily.  She felt comfortable asking questions too, and though she knew most of the answers he gave her, Vina learned a few things about Travis that she hadn’t known before.  She was so wrapped up in their light hearted banter, over an hour had passed before it occurred to her they were still on the coastal highway.  Vina was delighted when Travis told her
they were dining at Marinelli’s, a five-star restaurant that was so popular, reservations had to be made a month in advance.

“How did you manage to get a table on such short notice?” she asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

Travis killed the engine.  “
I’m surprised you don’t remember him.  Joe Marinelli used to work for me
when Malone’s first opened
.”

“
He must have worked days,” Vina said.  “I pulled quite a few
evening
waitressing stints for you back th
en and don’t recall meeting Joe Marinelli.”

“
Maybe this will jog will memory.
” 
With a dark scowl on his face, Travis began ranting i
n a perfectly dreadful Italian accent
.
  “Get out of my kitchen!  You know nothing about
cucina Italiana
.
 
Fuoir, fuoir
, get out, get out!”

Vina was lost in a fit of giggles, more because of his horrible imitation of Joe Marinelli than any actual memories of the temperamental chef.
  The man was
a
genius in the kitchen
and he knew it, which meant anyone that questioned what he did or tried to alter his recipes was tagged a tyrant and ordered to get out of his sight.

“Now look what you’ve done,” she dabbed at the tears that were threatening to make her mascara run.  “Thanks to you
,
I
’m going to walk in there looking
look like a raccoon!”

“But a very beautiful raccoon,” Travis quipped, dodging the playful punch
she
lobbed at his shoulder. 

Vina’s eyes followed him as he came around the front of
the car
.  He was grinning like a Cheshire cat
as he opened the door
and
help
ed
her out, his wicked smile broadening when he
told her she’
d missed a spot.

“Here, let me get it,” he said
, cupping her chin and gently rubbing away the smudge
with his thumb
.
 
“Much better.” 

Standing this close to him,
Vina was acutely aware of his potent masculinity.  No wonder women fell all over themselves to get near him. 
He looked good enough to eat and smelled utterly divine. 
Vina
closed her eyes,
breath
ing
in his familiar scent; a mixture of soap and a hint of the
subtle
sandalwood
cologne
he favored.
  It was heady to say the least,
but that wasn’t what made Vina sway unsteadily
on legs that suddenly felt like rubber.

She didn’t need to open her eyes to know that
Travis
had drawn closer; it was like standing in front of a heat lamp the way her skin soaked up his warmth.
 
And i
f there were other people around, Vina wasn’
t aware of them.  Caught up in a swirling vortex of emotions
, she was defenseless against the alien sensations Travis aroused
when the gentle movement of
his
thumb was replaced by a deeply sensual stroke of long, lean fingers down the side of her face
. 
She
wasn’t sure what was
happening;
only that she didn’t want it to stop. 

It was the achingly tender brush of his
mouth
against h
er parted lips that finally jolted Vina out of the dream
-
like state she’d fallen into.
 
What was she doing?
  Kissing Travis would be the biggest mistake of her life!  She’d fall for him, just as countless
other women had done, and probably do something incredibly stupid like sleep with him. 
Vina wouldn’t last any longer than his previous girlfriends had, and would have no one to blame but herself when she lost Travis, both as her lover and as her best friend.

Vina jerked her head back, embarrassed
by her shameless behavior, but determined to keep it from showing. 
Peering up at him with a force
d
smile, she attempted a light-hearted tone.