“May I ask who’s calling?”
“My name is Jenny McBride. I got your name from Daphne Lockett. I saw the redesigned bedroom you did for her, and I wanted to hire you to do mine.”
She almost let out an excited shout but reined herself in. “Ms. McBride, I’d be happy to set up a meeting to discuss your needs. What’s your availability for next week?” Natasha put the phone on speaker, then accessed her calendar. She had something just about every day. “I can meet with you on Tuesday or Wednesday after four, if either of those days works.”
“I have to leave town on Tuesday morning, and I won’t be back until late Thursday. Perhaps we can meet the following week.”
She debated with herself for a minute about offering to drive over today. The supper club wouldn’t start for another four hours, and it wouldn’t take long for Natasha to select what she wanted for the table. “We can do that, but I have a couple of hours today, if you like. I can stop by and get some preliminary information from you, and then we can schedule another appointment for when you get back.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful.”
“This is my cell, so you can text me your address. I can be there around one.”
“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, and thank you.” As soon as she disconnected, she let out a shout.“Yes!”
“What are you so happy about?”
Natasha gasped sharply and jumped, hitting her knee on the steering wheel. Pain shot through her leg, and she moaned. She clutched her chest and jerked around. “Oh my goodness, Antonio. You scared me to death.” She sucked in a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly, trying to slow her heart rate.
“Sorry.” Antonio squatted down beside the open door and brought her hand to his lips. “You okay?”
She nodded. The way he turned those mesmerizing eyes on her made her heartbeat ramp right back up. “How did you get out here so fast? I thought you’d be over there smiling and taking pictures forever.”
“You know I’ve never liked being in front of the cameras, so I did what I do best… sneak away.”
Laughter bubbled up in her. “For somebody who spent years in front of one camera or another while playing ball, I can’t believe you’re not used to it.”
“I never liked it then, either. So, what’s going on?”
“I just got another interior design job,” she sang. Natasha practically danced in her seat.
A smile lit his face. “Congrats, baby. I’m so proud of you. You’re getting closer to being able to quit your day job.”
“Yes, I am. It’s really starting to build from word of mouth, and I plan to do whatever it takes to make it happen this time.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.” Antonio leaned in and kissed her.
What started as a simple touching of lips turned into a scorching, red-hot explosion of passion in a nanosecond. His hand cupped the back of her neck, drawing her closer. Natasha lost all thoughts of place and time. The only thing that mattered was him and the way he made her feel. At length, he eased back. She rested her forehead against his. “Tonio.” Her body trembled and struggled for calm.
“I know. I’m right there with you. I should probably let you get going before you get us into trouble.”
Her mouth fell open, and he laughed. “Me?I’m not the one nearly pulling somebody out of the car and on top of you. You’re the one who’s trouble. Got me out here engaging in all this PDA. If I see a picture in the local paper, I’m coming after you.”
Still laughing, he asked, “And once you catch me, what are you going to do with me?”
The deep timbre of his voice poured over her like warm honey. “Okay, go. Don’t you need to pick up Noelle or something?”
“You trying to get rid of me?” Antonio placed a hand over his heart. “I’m hurt.”
She playfully shoved him in the chest, unable to hide her smile. “You ain’t hurt. Bye, trouble.”
“What are you doing for the rest of the day?”
“I’m going to meet with this new client, then supper club.”
He rose to his full height. “Have fun, and tell the ladies I said hello.”
