Page 47

FUNNY THING

SANTINO

S antino was in their suite on the floor, taking turns sketching and gazing out the window of the living room.

He had mixed feelings about his day out with Bobby.

On the one hand, he was glad Bobby had come around and wasn’t going to give him anymore shit about his reunion with Vanessa.

But the other information, about Ling, Zoe and his marriage, had left Santino feeling a creeping sense of dread.

He found himself wondering if he should tell Vanessa they should take off and go somewhere on their own to finish out the week. Someplace no new trouble could find them and trample on the tender growth of their budding remarriage.

Vanessa, on the other hand, must have had a great day because she was practically floating when she returned to the suite.

“ Ciao, mio tigre . How did things go with Bobby?” she asked, leaning down to give him a slow kiss. “Did he give you a hard time?”

Santino was momentarily shocked at the nickname. Tigre . Here tiger. Hearing it now flooded him with warmth. When she sat beside him, he took more kisses from those tender lips and smiled into her eyes.

“We talked. It started off a little rocky, but we’re cool again, I think.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Hm. Did he talk at all about what’s up with him and Zoe? The vibes seemed way off last night, especially when she kissed that guy and he kept staring at Ling. Did you notice that at all?”

Santino was momentarily tongue-tied. “Um, a little, yeah.”

“Is this a new thing? Have they been doing this?” she mused.

“I don’t know. He said something about having to keep up with expectations. Wonder who that sounds like?” Santino said, stroking her cheek with his fingertip.

Startled, she drew back and made a scoffing sound.

“What expectations? He’s the golden child.

He and Zoe have already met and surpassed all expectations and then some.

Anyway, I had spa time with her. Bleh. Then I ran into Ling, and we had a nice cup of coffee.

And then something crazy happened when I was out by myself. ”

She crossed her legs and enthusiastically proceeded to tell him about meeting Panthro at the Mohawk shop and how he sang her a little song. She also mentioned Marcie’s recommendation of an Indigenous-run casino on her reserve.

“Too bad, that place sounds fun. But we already made reservations for the restaurant at Casino Montreal. Unfortunately,” he said, bracing himself, “Bobby overheard me talking to Virgil about casino night.”

“No. He invited himself out, didn’t he?” Vanessa said with an exasperated face.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t tell him not to come.

He’s your brother. We’ll have dinner with them one more time and that’s it.

Anyway, that’s wild that you got to meet Panthro after all.

He sounds cool. That must’ve been the highlight of your whole trip.

” Santino smiled up at her when she rose to go put her purchases away.

She rolled her eyes but grinned, that dimple he worshipped appearing in her cheek. “If this is your way of changing the subject, fine. There’ve been a couple of memorable moments.”

“Yeah, more than a few.” He pulled her back down with a tug of her hand for another kiss.

“But I’ve been sittin’ here thinking now that you’ve seen Panthro in concert and actually got to meet him, maybe we should take the next couple days and see a little more of the country like you suggested. Just me and you.”

“Yessss,” she hissed, pumping her fist. “I do need to get back to New York to start trial prep again before Jace flips out, so we can’t go far, but I’d love to check out Toronto. We could go back home on Sunday.”

“ We could go back home. I’m liking the sound of that,” he said and loved the coy look she served in response.

He closed the sketchbook and picked up his phone.

“I’ll call Virg and find out if there’s a Li Hotel over there or if he can at least recommend something good.

I want to book it before we go out tonight. ”

“Look at you, all planning our next stop,” she teased. “Anyway, call him and then we should start getting ready for dinner and the casino thing. I think we need to take some clothes off, don’t you?”

“That sounds good to me,” Santino answered, giving her a devilish grin.

Vanessa went to sort through her clothing while he talked. Virgil affirmed there was another Li property in Toronto.

“If my brother has to throw someone out to make room for you guys, it won’t be a problem.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate your help again,” Santino said. “By the way, I know our thing tonight was for four, but my brother- in-law wanted to come hang out. So, I redid the reservation for six. Hope that’s cool.”

“It’s actually better than cool.” Virgil gave a laugh that seemed a little sheepish.

“But…. think you can call them and make it seven? I happened to mention casino night to my buddy Scott, too. He was at the party last night, but he said you guys never spoke. Two Bronx bros in town definitely have to meet. I hope it’s okay that I told him he can come. ”

Immediately, Santino stiffened and not in that good way, like when Vanessa was touching him.

It was clear to him, all at once, that this wrangling for an invitation was Malone’s doing, his way to muscle into their evening the same way he’d realized after the fact that Bobby had muscled his way in so he could see Ling.

“Yeah. It’s fine,” he said in a tight voice.

“Alright, cool. I’ll see you later. Text me when you’re on your way.”

Virgil ended the call and Santino sat, contemplating whether he should tell Vanessa about this next and even more problematic change of plans.

She might not want to go if she knew Malone would be there, but he couldn’t back out now.

Wouldn’t back out or back down. This was their plan, their night, and Santino wasn’t going to be the one who turned tail and ran. Fuck that dude.

“What?” Vanesa asked, peering at him from around the doorway. She must have sensed something off when he didn’t speak. “Did he not have a recommendation for Toronto?”

“No, there’s a Li hotel there. He’s gonna call ahead and ask his older brother if he has something available.”

A slight frown of confusion appeared on Vanessa’s face. “So, what’s the problem? Are you suddenly sick of Virgil? I thought you liked hanging out with him.”

“I do. Virgil’s cool as hell.”

Vanessa came back into the room and stared at him expectantly. “But what?”

“There is no but.”

She shrugged, then served him with a seductive look, pulling down the hem of her jeans to tease him with a peek at the rounded curves of her ass. He was instantly hard and unconcerned about anybody or anything else.

“Let’s get ready. I’m gonna need you to spray me down with that big hose of yours, Firefighter Donahue, ‘cause I’ve got something on fire .”

His grin was big with delight at her corny lines. “On fire? I don’t know, we might need to get that checked out.”

Making a cross face, she flipped him off with that old-school Italian under the chin gesture and he laughed. “I guess this means you don’t want any. Okay, then.”

“Nah, I want all of that. Come here, girl,” he drawled seductively.

“No.”

Santino got to his feet and stalked toward her.

With sparkling eyes, she turned and ran, but he caught her around the waist and hauled her hips up against his, kissing her voraciously.

He was walking her backward into the bedroom when she stumbled over a shoe she’d laid out and giggled. He held up her before she could fall.

Peering over her shoulder, he saw the shoe and then turned his head to look at the outfit she’d hung up in the vanity.

He squinted at the hot pink dress, the same one she’d worn the first day in town.

In that dress, she’d been a summery vision, but it wouldn’t do for their last big night out in Montreal.

He wanted his diamond to shine. Blind anyone who even dared to look at her.

“I read on the website that you don’t really have to dress up for the casino, but I thought we might, just for the hell of it. I’m gonna bust out my suit. You should wear something new.” Santino glanced at his wristwatch. “We’ve got time before we have to meet up. Let’s go find something.”

“Ling said the same thing, but I don’t know if there’s time.”

“We’ll be quick.” With reluctance, he gave her ass a hard squeeze with both hands, making the firm flesh jiggle after a sound slap. “Wish we had time for this first, but I want you looking hot and feeling good. My picks.”

Vanessa scoffed at that, leaning back to give him a derisive grin. “No, thank you. I remember the kind of clothes you kept trying to buy for me. I am not traipsing around Montreal looking like a lil’ skankety-skank.”

Santino howled with laughter. “ Tesoro , the skank outfits were just for the house. I have great taste in outside clothes. You’re gonna look classy, trust me. Like a slightly sexier version of the hot-as-fuck lawyer clothes you wear to court.”

Tilting her head to the side, she asked indignantly, “How would you know what I wear to court?”

His mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened for a moment.

“I assumed that’s where you were coming from when you showed up at our divorce talks.

Unless you were wearing those tight skirts and pearls for my benefit.

You looked so fucking tempting. Sometimes all I could think about was telling Oscar and your lawyer to get the fuck out so I could bend you over right on that table. ”

Nuzzling her neck and biting that favorite spot, she weakened against him.

Only now, instead of fighting him off like the last time she’d seen him at a meeting, she ran her hand down his chest and the washboard of his stomach and got a firm grip on his cock through his jeans.

If he’d wanted a way to make her forget about his verbal slip up, he’d found the best method.