She wasn’t a husband-seeking lady of leisure in the making. Not that only women were that way. I knew plenty of guys who were after the same thing.
Neither Addy nor I were like that. We were two adults who got along well and happened to be attracted to one another. There was no need to overthink or over complicate it, like I had done.
I respected the way she’d confronted the issue head on, and if anything, it had made me even more attracted to her than I already had been. I’d known she was a firecracker, but she had proved it to me once again. I wouldn’t make the mistake of forgetting it again.
Introducing her to Aldo was going to be interesting. I was looking forward to it, though. I had a feeling Addy was going to become an important part of my life, both at work and as a friend with occasional benefits.
As much as he could annoy me at times, Aldo was one of the two most important people in my life, and I was eager to see how they got along. I was also curious about what he’d think our mother might say about her once he’d met her.
It wasn’t an issue I was going to worry about any longer, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious. As I pulled up to her apartment, I shelved those thoughts.
All I wanted to focus on today was getting our relationship, for lack of a better word, back on track. I parked in a spot about a block away from her place, then doubled back and rang the bell on their main door.
She buzzed me in and was waiting for me at her door after I’d climbed the three flights of stairs to her apartment. Smiling wide when I emerged from the stairwell, she stepped aside. “Hey, you. Thanks for coming to pick me up. I just need to grab my shoes. Then I’ll be ready to go.”
“You look gorgeous,” I said, pulling her close to brush a kiss to each of her cheeks. “Absolutely breathtaking.”
Her hair was loose and tumbled to her waist in shiny waves, the front swept to the side and fastened with some kind of clip to keep it from falling into her face. Pitch-black kohl lined her eyes, making them seem deeper and bluer than ever.
A simple turquoise dress hugged her curves, but it was made out of a soft, cotton material that appeared to be extremely comfortable. She had cinched a wide, brown leather belt around her waist and paired it with matching sandals.
She looked young, carefree, and fresh. Once again, she stunned me with another facet of her personality. I hadn’t experienced her as just another girl out to have a good time yet, but it seemed like that was what I was about to get today.
Addy laughed and waved me off. “Tone down the charm, dude. You’re not here on a date.”
Something deep inside me stirred at her calling me “dude.” It was too casual, too colloquial for my liking, yet I knew that in her culture, young men and women called one another that all the time.
Taking in a deep breath as she turned and walked back into her apartment, I tried to use oxygen to soothe that beast inside. Whatever the fuck it was, it had to back off. I had no right to want her to call or see me as anything but just another dude.
Another blonde woman was waiting in the apartment. She wore heavy eye makeup and leaned with her side against the wall, her arms crossed.
Addy disappeared into the bedroom, and once she had, the other one detached herself from her perch. Her lips curled into a smile that was vaguely menacing as she approached, circling me like she was some kind of fucking predator.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m Marco. You must be Elena.”
“I am, and I know who you are,” she replied. “I’ve heard a lot about you. From Addy and from the news.”
Fuck. “You keep up with the local tabloids?”
She scoffed and tossed a piece of hair over her shoulder, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated movement. “Please. Of course I do. You’re the hometown hero. The guy who made it big and stayed right here where he came from. You’re in high demand in some circles, you know that?”
“Yes.” I lifted my chin and looked right into her light blue eyes. “What’s this about?”
“Nothing.” She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. As she turned, she pointed her finger at me. Her nails were long and slathered in bright pink polish. “But Marco? You better not hurt my friend. All of you boys are the same. Once Mommy gets involved, it becomes a shit show. That better not be where this is headed or I’ll cut off your balls. Sicilian style.”
Addy came out of her room then, took one look at Elena’s posture, and came over to take my arm. “Stop lecturing him, Mother Goose.” She swung her gaze to me next. “If she threatened your balls in any way, ignore her. She’s a big softie.”
Elena’s expression hardened. “I have family in Sicily and a knife.”
Addy rolled her eyes, a small smile curling her lips. “The knife your aunt gave you is a silver butter knife.”
I choked back a laugh, earning myself a glower from Elena.
“It’s a Sicilian butter knife,” she said. “You don’t know what those things can do.” Completing her turn, she stomped out of the room.
Addy shot me an apologetic smile as she led me to the door. “She’s proud of her heritage, but don’t worry. She’s harmless.”
“I hope so,” I muttered, winking when she looked up to meet my gaze. “You ready to go?”
“Yep.” She picked up her purse from a table near the front door. “Let’s do it. Anything I should know about your brother before I meet him?”
“Like what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Pet peeves I shouldn’t mention or favorite sports teams I shouldn’t insult?”
I laughed,
