Risky Negotiations (9 page)

Probably not, she told herself. The first kiss on any date was always nice. She buried her face in her pillow and acknowledged, if only in the darkness, that Sal’s kiss was more than just nice. He was a spectacular kisser. She’d never felt that way with any man. She’d never been so carried away that she’d forgotten where she was. And technically, the hallway scene had been their second kiss.

And why wouldn’t he be a fabulous kisser? According to the gossip columns, he dated only the most beautiful and sought after women. He’d probably learned from the best, and could teach them all something now, she thought, remembering how her body shivered as he touched her.

She punched her pillow and slammed her head back down, wanting to ignore the images that popped into her head. It didn’t matter how he made her feel. But then their conversation came back to her and she laughed again at some of his funny stories. He was a wonderful dinner companion as well. Why couldn’t she find something she didn’t like about him?

She didn’t like his arrogance, she thought and glanced at the moon shining into her window. He probably worked long hours and neglected the rest of his family. He’d probably be a horrible father, she told herself. No one could run a successful business as large as ATI and be a dedicated dad as well.

After tossing and turning into the early hours of the night, it was almost dawn before she finally fell asleep. She’d vacillated between toe curling passion when she thought about how wonderful it would be to make love with Sal, to anger with herself for allowing her mind to keep going down that path when he was not in her league, and was the enemy to boot.

She was extremely irritated when the doorbell rang at ten o’clock the next morning. The sun was filtering through the curtains and that just made her angrier, knowing that it was a beautiful day and all she wanted to do was sleep through it. Laci considered not answering her door. Whoever was out there could just rot, she thought and pulled the pillow over her head. If it was Victoria, she had a key and could get in without Laci needing to get out of her warm bed.

Unfortunately, whoever was at the door was persistent. The doorbell rang several more times before she finally sat up in bed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. She was also curious to know who would be so rude on a Sunday morning.

She was only wearing pajama pants and a matching cotton camisole but she pulled herself out of bed to find out who was at her door. Her hair was in tangles from her restless sleep but she refused to brush it, no matter who was at the door, knowing it was probably a salesperson or her sister. Whoever wanted to see her could just accept that it was Sunday and they wouldn’t be getting a nicely coiffed person answering the door this early. She pulled on a fluffy, pink robe and forced herself to answer the door, thinking that perhaps her sister had come by to hear about her evening with Sal.

Unfortunately, the man himself was standing in her doorway. And boy was he sexy! He was wearing a suit with a crisp, white shirt and a gorgeous silk tie with tiny little paisley’s on it. As she took in his perfectly tailored suit and tie, she wondered why all the other men she had dated tended to be a little more frumpy. If she’d always dated less immaculate men all her life, why was she so attracted to this man, standing in her doorway trying not to laugh at her?

“
You look like I feel,” he said and came inside without waiting for an invitation. He kissed her quickly on the lips and moved into the family room, looking around at her white furniture and soft, blue walls. There were a few plants that sat in the windowsill but they didn’t detract from the clean lines and softly elegant ambiance.

“
This is a nice apartment. Very relaxing,” he said and walked around, his hands in his pockets and the button undone on his jacket so she could see how flat his stomach was.

Laci was too stunned to do anything other than release the door and step out of his way. He came over to stand in front of her, looking down at her with hooded, dark eyes. “Were you up all night, wondering what could have been last night?” he asked, his voice husky and sexy.

Laci blushed, wishing he couldn’t read hear mind so easily. He laughed softly. “So was I.”

“
What are your plans for today?” he asked, backing up slightly once he’d confirmed that she’d been bothered throughout the night just as he had. He looked her up and down, liking her sleeping attire.

Laci took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Right now, I don’t have any plans for today except to sleep until tomorrow.”

Sal shook his head. “Not good enough. Come over for Sunday dinner.”

Laci knew all about the Attracelli family dinners on Sunday. She had heard her sister talk about how wonderful they were. She raved about the wonderful camaraderie all the siblings had and the in-laws were instantly included in the festivities. It was a sacred time when the whole family, possibly aunts, cousins and uncles gathered at Sal’s house for lunch after church if they were in town. The lunch usually lasted for several hours since the kids played together and the adults talked and joked as they cooked, cleaned up and relaxed until going home to get ready for their individual weeks.

Laci wasn’t a part of the family and she didn’t dare intrude on such an important weekly event. She would be an outsider and she didn’t like feeling that way. Shaking her head, she said, “No way. I’m fine right here,” and she sat down on her comfortable white sofa, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

Sal watched her for a moment. “You’d rather stay here all by yourself instead of coming over for a home cooked meal and a chance to see your nephews?”

Laci kept the yearning from her eyes. “Yep.”

Sal shook his head. “No you aren’t. Go shower and get changed. I’ll make coffee. It will be ready when you are done.” He took off his jacket and hung it over the back of a chair then headed for the kitchen.

She watched for a moment, not sure if he was kidding. But when she heard him opening and closing cabinets in her kitchen, she realized that he wasn’t kidding. “Sal, what are you doing? You don’t need to make me coffee,” she said, rushing into the kitchen to stop him. The idea of Sal roaming through her kitchen, opening and closing drawers was too intimate for her peace of mind. She was afraid the sounds would be too nice and she might want to get used to them.

He looked her up and down, his eyes noting her breasts underneath the fluffy robe. “If you’re going to stay like that, I do. And I suspect you’re just being cynical, thinking I don’t know how to make coffee.”

She put her hands into her robe’s pockets and raised her chin slightly. “If you don’t like the way I look in the morning, tough.”

Sal had turned back to the counter in search of coffee filters but at her challenge, he turned back around and quickly closed the space between them in the kitchen. He stopped right in front of her and stood looking down with half closed lids. “Oh, I like the way you look,” he said softly, his eyes staring at her mouth. “You look all warm and soft, very sexy. You’re hair is all tousled like you’ve just made love all night like we should have done if it weren’t for your very lovely neighbor. You’re cheeks are pink, probably from just getting out of a warm bed but I’m guessing it could be because I’m so close and you want me just as much as I want you but are afraid to admit it. And I think it would be a safe bet that you aren’t wearing anything under that robe except for thin, sexy pajamas that barely cover you in all the right places. So, yes, I do like the way you look in the morning. And if you don’t go into the bathroom and shower, I’m going to show you exactly how much I like the way you look.”

Laci’s eyes were wide by the end of his softly spoken speech and her lips parted slightly in anticipation. But she moved quickly at the end, afraid he might not be bluffing with his last threat. She heard his deep chuckle as she closed the door to her bedroom.

Gritting her teeth, Laci pulled off her pajamas and turned on the hot water. She showered quickly, afraid Sal might not wait for her to finish showering before deciding she should be ready. She dried off and dressed in record time. It took her only slightly longer to put on a light coat of makeup, just some powder, lipstick and some mascara. She was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and soft red cashmere sweater.

She smelled the coffee as soon as she turned off her hair dryer. She decided to get a cup of coffee before working on her hair. Opening her bedroom door, she saw Sal sitting on her sofa reading the newspaper and sipping coffee.

When he saw her, his eyes took in everything without any emotion. “Do I pass muster?” she asked, walking in her socked feet to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. She noticed a cup already sitting on the counter with what seemed to be the appropriate amount of cream and sugar in it, just waiting for hot coffee. She thought it was very thoughtful of him and wondered how he knew her preferences on coffee.

“
Yes, you definitely pass muster,” he said as she took her first sip of coffee.

Laci couldn’t hold his gaze. So she looked down at her coffee cup. “Thank you for making coffee. You’re very good at it. I’m sorry I doubted your abilities,” she said softly.

“
You’re welcome and no problem. You see? I can be pretty handy to have around.”

Laci didn’t comment, knowing how much she wanted him to stick around. But she couldn’t figure out why he was here when he could have any woman. It had to be because of the union negotiations, she thought and put her coffee down, wishing she could just ignore the idea that he was only using her to gain a better bargaining position.

She pulled her hair into a pony tail in the back, intending to put it into her usual chignon.

“
Leave it down,” she heard him say.

Laci’s chin went up at his dictatorial tone. “No thank you.”

Sal chuckled and stood up from the couch. “You have got to be the most argumentative woman I know,” he said and took her hair brush from her hand. “Leave it down, PLEASE,” he repeated. “Or I’ll have to do something drastic.”

“
Like what?”

“
Like kiss you into forgetting about your hair.”

Laci looked away again.

Sal took her shoulders and made her face him. “You really have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?” he asked, surprise in his voice.

Laci laughed but there wasn’t much humor to the sound. “I’m sure I couldn’t compete with the women you are currently dating.”

Sal shook his head. “You’re the only woman I’m dating right now. Or at least I’m trying to date. I’m not sure exactly what you’d call what we’re doing, but I’m enjoying it.”

Laci stepped out of his arms. “Look, Sal, you can’t manipulate the negotiations by charming me. I’m still going to defend the rights of those workers.”

Sal threw back his head and laughed. “You think this is all about getting a better deal for ATI?”

“
The thought had occurred to me,” she said, wishing she didn’t like the sound of his laugh so much.

He put her coffee cup back into her hands, went into her bedroom and came back out a moment later with a pair of black loafers in his hands. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her out of her apartment. She barely had time to grab her keys and purse before he pulled the door shut behind them.

“
Where are we going?” she asked when they were in the car and driving down I495, the beltway that circled Washington, D.C.

“
We’re going to my house,” he said simply and changed the radio station so there was music instead of talk.

“
I thought your whole family went to church on Sundays.”

“
We do. I told everyone to go ahead without me. They’ll all meet back at the house in a few minutes,” he confirmed, glancing at his watch.

A moment later, he turned his BMW onto a tree lined driveway. When the trees disappeared, Laci gasped. Laci had known that Sal was wealthy. He owned one of the largest conglomerates in the United States and all his brothers worked in various capacities within ATI. But this was not a house. This was a monstrous mansion! It looked as if the house and grounds continued on forever. The center was the largest section with wings spreading out on both sides, almost curving to the back. There was a formal garden in the front with over forty windows overlooking them.

He was wrong about the rest of the family arriving imminently. They were already home. There were five other cars parked out front, all empty. She supposed they were already inside making whatever lunch had been decided.

Laci was nervous but she didn’t understand why. She didn’t know these people but she’d met most of them at her sister’s wedding three years ago and they were all warm, genuine people more interested in family than in money.

Sal opened the front door and they were instantly surrounded by chaos. Four men, looking similar in height, build and coloring with Sal, were arguing loudly about some football game and a bet but Laci didn’t understand who had won, nor could they, she suspected. All four of them acknowledged Sal but continued on their journey from the entrance way to wherever they were heading in the back of the house, arguing as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, including their oldest brother arriving at the house on Sunday with a woman in tow.