Sonnie sat halfway down a flight of steps from the veranda to a paved terrace with a pool beyond. Romano Giacano stood on the top step looking down at her, or he had been looking at her until he heard, then saw, Chris arrive.
“Hey,” Chris said, his best grin in place. “Hey, Sonnie. Sorry I’m late. Don’t tell Roy or he’ll have plenty to say about it.”
Romano stared at him blankly.
Sonnie smiled with such pathetic gratitude that he wanted to laugh. He felt a whole lot more pleasure than he should feel over something so small.
Romano moved to cut Chris off from Sonnie’s line of sight. “Who are you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Chris Talon, at your service,” Chris said, leaning forward and extending a hand. “Friend of Sonnie’s.”
Chris’s hand was ignored. “A friend? How could you possibly be a friend of our Sonnie’s?”
“Friend,” Chris said slowly and distinctly. “You knοw. As in someone you like, and rely on sometimes.”
The other man looked back at Sonnie. “Do you know this man?”
“Yes,” she said, and her delighted grin gave Chris a charge. “We knοw each other very well.”
Chris almost shouted with laughter. The odd little bird wasn’t above her own brand of opportunistic torture.
Romano’s hair waved tightly back from a broad forehead. His eyes were unexpectedly blue. Chris guessed that meant he was a northern Italian but wasn’t about to ask. As he’d suspected, the man appeared very fit. Chris guessed some women might find him attractive—if they were into males whose testosterone level had to be something they prized more than their IQ.
“How could you possibly meet such a person?” Romano asked, not looking at Sonnie, but at Chris’s faded T-shirt inscribed, If All Assholes Could Fly, This Town Would Be An Airport, and jeans that were soft and faded, and thin enough to show skin in places. The boots were expensive, but Romano didn’t bother to get that far. “Sonnie? This is exactly what I’ve been afraid of. Frank would not approve, and neither do I.”
She started tο get up but had evidently sat too long in an awkward position. Chris walked past Romano without a glance and held out his hands to Sonnie. She looked straight into his eyes and let him pull her to her feet.
“You okay?” he asked quietly. “After Roy called, I decided to take a turn down here and make sure everything was okay with you.”
“Thank you.” She held his hands so hard he was sure she was unaware of not having released him. “Roy’s a dear.”
“He wanted me to check on you and see if you wanted a ride tonight.”
“My God, what has happened to you, Sonnie?” Romano caught at Sonnie’s wrist and made to pull her hand away. “Let her go at once. She is a fragile woman in need of constant supervision.”
Immediately, Chris released her hands. “Really,” he said. “I think you’re wrong about that, buddy.”
There was no doubt that Romano weighed Chris and decided they were too unevenly matched to make any physical move on his part a good idea.
“You can leave now,” Romano said. “Sonnie needs to be quiet. We have to call her family.”
“And call in a shrink, too, maybe?”
Romano sneered, but looked taken aback at the same time. “You make a habit of listening to the conversations of others? Despicable. But what else would one expect?”
“Expect from whom?” Chris asked. “And the lady doesn’t need a shrink, by the way. She’s doing very nicely all on her own. My brother considers her the best employee he’s ever had.”
He saw Sonnie bite her lower lip, but that wicked little smile was still there. She was actually enjoying parts of this.
“Employee,” Romano said, managing to look more confused than Chris would have thought possible. “My sister-in-law doesn’t work. She doesn’t have to work.”
“Careful now,” Chris said. “Υou wouldn’t want me to dream up any ideas about getting cozy with a wealthy,
“Hey,” Chris said, his best grin in place. “Hey, Sonnie. Sorry I’m late. Don’t tell Roy or he’ll have plenty to say about it.”
Romano stared at him blankly.
Sonnie smiled with such pathetic gratitude that he wanted to laugh. He felt a whole lot more pleasure than he should feel over something so small.
Romano moved to cut Chris off from Sonnie’s line of sight. “Who are you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Chris Talon, at your service,” Chris said, leaning forward and extending a hand. “Friend of Sonnie’s.”
Chris’s hand was ignored. “A friend? How could you possibly be a friend of our Sonnie’s?”
“Friend,” Chris said slowly and distinctly. “You knοw. As in someone you like, and rely on sometimes.”
The other man looked back at Sonnie. “Do you know this man?”
“Yes,” she said, and her delighted grin gave Chris a charge. “We knοw each other very well.”
Chris almost shouted with laughter. The odd little bird wasn’t above her own brand of opportunistic torture.
Romano’s hair waved tightly back from a broad forehead. His eyes were unexpectedly blue. Chris guessed that meant he was a northern Italian but wasn’t about to ask. As he’d suspected, the man appeared very fit. Chris guessed some women might find him attractive—if they were into males whose testosterone level had to be something they prized more than their IQ.
“How could you possibly meet such a person?” Romano asked, not looking at Sonnie, but at Chris’s faded T-shirt inscribed, If All Assholes Could Fly, This Town Would Be An Airport, and jeans that were soft and faded, and thin enough to show skin in places. The boots were expensive, but Romano didn’t bother to get that far. “Sonnie? This is exactly what I’ve been afraid of. Frank would not approve, and neither do I.”
She started tο get up but had evidently sat too long in an awkward position. Chris walked past Romano without a glance and held out his hands to Sonnie. She looked straight into his eyes and let him pull her to her feet.
“You okay?” he asked quietly. “After Roy called, I decided to take a turn down here and make sure everything was okay with you.”
“Thank you.” She held his hands so hard he was sure she was unaware of not having released him. “Roy’s a dear.”
“He wanted me to check on you and see if you wanted a ride tonight.”
“My God, what has happened to you, Sonnie?” Romano caught at Sonnie’s wrist and made to pull her hand away. “Let her go at once. She is a fragile woman in need of constant supervision.”
Immediately, Chris released her hands. “Really,” he said. “I think you’re wrong about that, buddy.”
There was no doubt that Romano weighed Chris and decided they were too unevenly matched to make any physical move on his part a good idea.
“You can leave now,” Romano said. “Sonnie needs to be quiet. We have to call her family.”
“And call in a shrink, too, maybe?”
Romano sneered, but looked taken aback at the same time. “You make a habit of listening to the conversations of others? Despicable. But what else would one expect?”
“Expect from whom?” Chris asked. “And the lady doesn’t need a shrink, by the way. She’s doing very nicely all on her own. My brother considers her the best employee he’s ever had.”
He saw Sonnie bite her lower lip, but that wicked little smile was still there. She was actually enjoying parts of this.
“Employee,” Romano said, managing to look more confused than Chris would have thought possible. “My sister-in-law doesn’t work. She doesn’t have to work.”
“Careful now,” Chris said. “Υou wouldn’t want me to dream up any ideas about getting cozy with a wealthy,
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