Putting on a fake Slavic accent, she said, “Let Madame Zola read you. Ah, I see you have a long lifeline.”
He laughed. “You have no idea.”
Drake had walked Bliss back to Claudia’s place. He accompanied her up the elevator, and then the inevitable, awkward first-date moment arrived.
It was not their first kiss. She had gotten that out of the way when Drake emerged from her burning apartment building after rescuing her laptop. She hadn’t even thought about what she was doing. She’d just dragged his head down and planted her lips on his.
This time, all she did was open her mouth to tell him what a good time she’d had, and he pulled the same move. He dove for her lips, and at the same time he crushed her against his chest. Then he cupped her head and held her in place.
Not about to protest, Bliss threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as enthusiastically. Drake’s tongue met and swirled with hers. Her mind had emptied itself of every thought. All she wanted to do was feel… until suddenly, her lips were on fire!
Bliss pulled away and sucked in a cool breath. She touched her lower lip and it tingled with heat. Drake’s chest was rising and falling, and he seemed to be panting.
“Good Lord, I’ve heard of hot kisses but that was something else,” Bliss said.
“I know. I felt it too.” Drake shifted uncomfortably, and Bliss wondered if he had something against hot, passionate kisses. Come to think of it, she’d thought “hot” was just a metaphor. Now she wondered about other words describing passion. Smoldering. Scorching. Sizzling. Searing. Every word romance novels used to convey desire seemed to begin with the letter
“I—uh, I’d better get home. Got an early day tomorrow.”
“But let me know when you’re moving,” he continued. “I’d be glad to help.”
Bliss had another true friend. As soon as she walked into Claudia’s apartment, the willowy woman rushed out of her bedroom and hugged her.
“Guess what?”
Bliss had expected her to ask about the date, but apparently Claudia had exciting news of her own. “Jeez, did you win the lottery?”
“No, but you did!”
“Huh? He’s a great guy, but what are you telling me? Is he a Kennedy who changed his name or something?”
Claudia waved away her question. “No, I’m not talking about your date. I’ll get to that later. Listen, your mother called and said the apartment in the North End fell through.”
“Aw, shit. How is that like winning the lottery? Except for
“I’m sorry. Listen, there’s more. You got turned down because you don’t have a job. They found out about your business going up in smoke and didn’t think you could afford the rent while rebuilding your whole portfolio for the competition.”
“Damn! I can’t get a job right now. If I don’t deliver the designs for the final taping in three weeks, I’ll lose and then I really won’t be able to afford rent, or anything else. Will you please get to the part about the lottery? Or do you just have a very skewed version of good news?”
“Listen, listen!” Claudia was practically jumping up and down. “I knew you’d be bummed out, so I called my boss and asked if he could use a part-timer in exchange for the apartment over the bar. The waitress who left last fall moved in with her boyfriend. Well, he’s her husband now, but in any case, there’s a room for you, if you want it. He rents the apartment to his employees at a drastically reduced rate. He usually requires the person to be a full-timer, but I pleaded your case.”
“And he said yes?”
“Yes! Don’t you see? I solved all your problems. A part-time job gives you money to live on, time to work on your other project, a wicked cheap rent in an awesome place, and me as your manager. It’s a win-win-win- win.”
Bliss smirked. She wanted to tease her friend about having her as a boss… badly, but Claudia had done her a solid. She deserved better than a smart-ass remark.
“Thank you. I—um. I’ve never worked in a bar before. Does that bother you?”
“Hell, no. It’s easy. You’ll pick it up in no time.”
“Aren’t you worried about my so-called people skills?”
Claudia chuckled. “Not as soon as you realize that good service equals good tips. Now, do you want the job or not?”
“I want it! When can I move in?”
“Anytime. You’ll have a roommate. She’s the bartender, but it’s a two-bedroom apartment and quite roomy for the area. You won’t get in each other’s way at all.”
“Eww… a roommate. I don’t know, Claudie. It’s not that I don’t play well with others, it’s that so many others are jackholes.”
Claudia dropped her face into her hands, and Bliss thought she muttered, “Oh, crap. What have I done?” She lifted her face and glared. “Angie’s no jackhole, and we
“Don’t worry. I’ll be good. Anything is better than living in my childhood bedroom while my mother demands I fill it with babies.”
Chapter 4
Bliss charged down the stairs and stopped briefly to say, “Get away from the window, Ma, or I won’t open the door.”
Her mother backed toward the kitchen, slowly.
Bliss could argue all day, but she’d have to give her parents a look at Drake or they’d think she was hiding some weird anomaly like crooked teeth or a big nose that could be passed on to their possible future grandchildren.
He knocked. Hoping for the best, Bliss opened the front door.
“Hi there, beautiful. It’s a great day to move.”
It was true. The sun shone in the clear blue sky, and the humidity was low. As an added bonus, Bliss hadn’t committed matricide yet.
“Come in, Drake.”
Mrs. Russo strolled over, and before she could berate her for not introducing them, Bliss said, “Drake, this is my mother, Malinda Russo.”
“What a beautiful name. It suits you,” he said.
Her mother tittered—actually tittered—and extended her hand. He shook it and held on for an extra moment. “I can see where Bliss gets her beauty.”
