Compromising Positions

indicator of her bellicosity.

“Mamma always plays hostess,” Giovanni answered, turning slowly to greet his mother, his arm under Mina’s elbow. “She was simply sending Marco a message, just not that one, in particular.”

I’ll bet she was, Mina thought, a pretty, counterfeit smile pinned to her face. Something along the lines of “cross me and die.”

“Here you are, Giovanni.” Bianca let her eyes drift over the two of them, lingering where his arm wrapped around Mina’s. “It seems, Signorina Hemingway, that you have managed to catch the attention of both of my sons. You must tell me how you do it,” she stared at her son for a moment before turning dark eyes on Mina, “I cannot seem to keep either of them in line.” Her tone made it clear that she didn’t approve of either of their interest in her, but that wasn’t anything new. Giovanni wasn’t happy with her tone though.

“Mamma…” Giovanni began, but Mina squeezed his arm. He looked at her for a second and nodded, allowing Mina to handle the situation herself.

“They are both credits to your parenting skills,” she said finally, her tone careful but not too deferential. “They have been very kind to me as both a foreigner and a guest.”

Unlike some people I could name….

“They are good boys,” Bianca nodded. “Usually.” A glimmer of satisfaction shone in her eyes for a moment before drifting down over Mina’s dress, landing on the still dark wine spots splattering the skirt. “Have you been conducting one of your experiments again, mio figlio?” She raised an enquiring eyebrow at Giovanni and he shook his head.

“No Mamma, no experiments, just an unfortunate accident. I managed to spill my drink earlier, but la dottoressa kindly forgave my clumsiness.”

Mina squeezed his arm again in thanks. It was bad enough to be a mess, but to be a klutz who couldn’t keep her own drink under control? Well, she didn’t want to think what Mamma Genovese would say to that.

Dark eyes turned to her son. “That is what happens when you spend all your time locked up in one of those laboratories of yours. You forget how to behave like a civilized human being.”

Giovanni sighed dramatically, playing the joker again. “Mamma’s right-it’s a terrible sight. Physicists are so uncivilized. White coats askew, sniffing whiteboard markers, smashing particles left and right.”

Mina could tell it was an old argument, but Bianca wasn’t playing. She lifted her chin and sniffed delicately before turning her back on Giovanni.

“Since my son refuses to tend to his duties as host, please allow me to escort you to your rooms so that you can change.” She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow and took a less than complimentary look at Mina’s ruined dress. “With all of Marco’s guests here you wouldn’t want to look…” she paused a little too long before finishing, “underdressed.”

Two spots of color burned on Mina’s cheeks. “Yes, of course,” she untangled her arm from Giovanni’s, not meeting his gaze. She didn’t need his sympathy; she just needed to make her escape. “But there is no need for you to accompany me, Signora. I can take care of myself.” She gathered her skirt in her hands and nodded as gracefully as she could to the woman in front of her. “Perhaps we can continue our discussion after I’ve made repairs?” She stood straight and proud, refusing to look like she was running away even if she was. A little. “If it wouldn’t be an imposition, of course.”

Bianca gave her one last calculating look and nodded her agreement. “I look forward to your return.”

Strangely, Mina believed her. She watched the older woman walk away through the crowd, her back straight, her black hair shimmering with threads of silver, and felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Maybe there was a chance for her to be accepted after all.

Giovanni was strangely tense beside her, and she smiled at him impulsively. “Don’t worry-I’ll only be a minute. Will you still be around?” Mina was already casting through her mind for another suitable dress-with underwear this time-when he answered.

“Perhaps I should walk you upstairs.” A faint line appeared between his eyebrows and Mina thought how nice it was of him to be concerned for her.

“No, no… I can find my way. You could do me a favor, though.” She looked around the room, but couldn’t see Marco anywhere.

“Certainly. What can I do?”

“Let Marco know what happened.” She rolled her eyes a little at the necessity. Damn possessive Italian men. “I don’t want him to go looking for me and be angry that he can’t find me.”

Giovanni nodded once, understanding clear on his face. “I’ll make sure to let him know where you are if I see him.”

With another smile, she was off, wandering through the crowd of unfamiliar faces. She made it through the lounge and the hall, she ducked through a side door to avoid a rotund little man who smiled a little too broadly at her as she approached, and then, with a sigh of relief she realized she’d made her way around to the main entry hall. A flight of stairs and a dash down the hall and she would be home free.

“Tesoro mio,” a voice sounded behind her, coming from the door to Marco’s office, “perche non mi baci come prima?” The feminine voice was low, and throaty, and Mina shook her head in disbelief-there was no getting away from these Latin lovers. Had they no shame? It was Marco’s office for Pete’s sake, and some woman was in there talking about kisses.

What did it say about Italy that kisses was one of the few words she’d come to recognize?

She’d taken two steps up the stairs when a second voice sounded. Marco’s voice.

Marco’s voice? Mina stopped dead in her tracks, her head swinging back towards the office door.

The spate of Italian that fell into the hallway was way beyond her understanding, but there was no mistaking that voice. Mina crept back down the stairs and around the corner, approaching the open door. The woman was speaking again, her voice now a purr, Marco’s name clear amidst the foreign phrases.

One step, and then another, and Mina could see into the room. The leather bound books still lined the shelves, and the desk still dominated the room, but there was a disconnect somehow. She knew it was the same, but her mind wouldn’t accept it. She’d spent hours there over the past week, head bent over Marco’s desk with him, making plans, stealing kisses. The same kisses this woman was asking for.

Her head swam.

She forced herself to take another step towards the door. A beautiful woman-tall and elegant-dressed in amethyst silk, stood so closely to Marco that no light passed between them. Her auburn hair curled gently around her heart shaped face, framing topaz eyes.

Mina had never seen anyone so beautiful in her entire life.

She stood there in the doorway, time a concept that had no meaning, and watched the two of them. The strange woman had her hand on Marco’s arm, familiar and possessive, and Mina could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she watched that delicate hand caress the arm, and then the shoulder, of the man she’d come to think of as hers. She met the gleaming topaz eyes over Marco’s shoulder and watched as a feline grin crept across the beautiful face.

Mina must’ve made a sound because suddenly both sets of eyes turned to her, Marco’s widened in surprise and the woman’s narrowed in dislike. She leaned in to Marco’s body, pressing her curves against him, and he looked down at her, only to have her reach up and catch his lips in a kiss.

That was all it took. The spell that had fallen over Mina was broken, and Time crashed back into place. She lifted her skirts, turning and running back the way she’d come, back through the crowd, back into the lounge until she ran headlong into Giovanni’s broad back. She imagined that she heard Marco call her name, but she didn’t want to speak to him, to hear his excuses, she just wanted to get away.

“Gio,” Mina started to explain but the words failed her. She gazed up at him, desperation in her eyes. “I have to go. Something has,” she swallowed thickly, “well, something’s come up.”

A flash of concern crossed Giovanni’s face. He looked in the direction she’d come from and saw Marco and the redhead come into view. Mina grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the other door. “Please. I need to go. Now.”