The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(34)

Mauricio nodded. “But can she cook?”

I had no idea, but her kitchen hadn’t been stocked like that of someone who could. “Not important to me.”

Mauricio patted his stomach. “To you. But I want to be fed when I visit. Someday Mom will want to pass that torch to someone. You’re our best hope for marrying.”

I chuckled. “You could learn to cook. Or find your own wife.”

“I totally would,” he joked. “But so far I haven’t found a woman who wants to clean my house while I fuck her friends.”

I shook my head. “You’re an idiot.”

He shrugged. “We can’t all be the superserious head of the family. Some of us have to find our joy in other ways.” Without missing a beat, he added, “Hey, instead of passing judgment on my lifestyle, you should be thanking me. I told you the right gifts would have her answering your calls again. Which of my suggestions did you take? The diamond earrings or the bracelet? I haven’t encountered a problem the right jewelry didn’t fix.”

“I didn’t send her jewelry.”

“Okay, you went rogue. Hang on, don’t tell me. Let me guess.” He tapped his fingers on the arm of his seat. “Roses—white. Something traditional.”

“No.” I liked that he didn’t know me as well as he thought.

“Tickets to an opera or ballet.”

“Not even close.”

His eyebrows rose and fell. “I’ve got nothing. What did you send her?”

For him to understand my choices, I had to share the first time I’d met Heather and her daughter. “So I sent a broth soup and fresh focaccia because I figured she probably couldn’t keep much else down, and I sent eight mini stuffed wolves for Ava.”

“Oh, you’re good. Get in with the kid and you’re golden.”

“It wasn’t like that. I knew Ava would like them.”

Mauricio gave me a long look, then smiled. “All joking aside, I like this Heather. I like the side of you she brings out.”

I relaxed back in my seat. “Me too.”

Me too.

Monday couldn’t come soon enough.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



* * *



HEATHER

It was nearly impossible to concentrate on work Monday morning. Since erotic fantasies don’t pay the mortgage, I pushed through a bulk of the backlog created by my time away the week before.

Ten minutes before I was scheduled to leave to meet Sebastian, I walked into Teri’s office. “How do I look?”

She glanced up from typing. “Like you always do?”

I smoothed a hand over my skirt. I’d chosen it and a simple blouse because I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard.

Did I look like I wasn’t trying at all?

I walked over to the mirror. My hair was neatly tied back, as it always was at work. Take it down? Leave it up? I leaned closer to the mirror. More makeup? Less?

I groaned.

“Relax,” Teri joked. “It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing on top as long as what you’ve got on underneath kicks it.”

“Underneath. You mean my bra and undies? I’m only going to lunch.”

Teri and I shared a painful moment in which I realized she wanted to say something, but wouldn’t, and that we had both wandered into a conversation we weren’t meant to have. I excused myself to my office and called Erica.

I quickly filled her in on what Teri had said, then asked, “You’ve seen my work clothes. Can you tell what I’m wearing beneath them?”

Erica sighed. “You wore grannie panties, didn’t you?”

“I wore what I always wear. Functional. Cotton briefs.”

“Lord save me. Did your mother never teach you—” She stopped and swore. “Oh, I didn’t mean to mention your mother. It’s an expression.”

“It’s okay. You’re right, though. I didn’t grow up with a woman in my life I could ask about stuff like this. What am I doing, Erica? Sebastian is so out of my league. I should call him and tell him I can’t meet him.”

“Stop. Just stop. He is not out of your league. There is no league. He’s a man. You’re a woman. That’s it. Forget everything else.”

“You’re right.”

“And lose the underwear.”

“What?”

“Take them off. Stash them in your drawer, or better yet throw them away.”

“And go—commando? I couldn’t. I don’t—I’ve never.”

“You’re not going to sleep with him today, right?”

“Right.”

“But you want to.”

“No—okay, not today, but yes, I hope this leads in that direction.”

“Then throw those damn things in the trash.”

“I don’t understand. If he’s not going to see them, why does it matter?”

“It’ll matter. Just trust me.”

I chewed my bottom lip for a moment, then slid off my panties and stuffed them in the trash near my desk. “Okay, this bird is flying free.”

Erica burst out laughing. “Then you’re ready for your first date. Now get going. I don’t want to be the reason you miss out on one moment of it.”