“So, what do you think?” Dario asked.
“About what?” Rocco replied.
“All this,” Dario said, holding his arms out wide.
“Not bad. Actually, pretty damn good. Even if I did get the biggest beatdown of my life for posting that stupid tweet.”
“What did you expect?” Dario said. “You said it yourself. It was stupid. We’re talking major money here. You pissed all over a major, major,majorannouncement the PR team had set up.”
Rocco sulked. “I know.”
It was such a boneheaded move.
Both Rocco and Dario glanced at the entrance. Celeste, Dario’s girlfriend, was due to arrive any minute.
“Nico Angelini brings out the worst in me,” Rocco huffed.
“Don’t blame it on her. You’re the one who hit send. You’re going to have to cool your jets, dude. It’s in your own—correction—ourown best interest.”
Rocco sighed. “I need coffee.”
“They have coffee.”
“That’s not coffee.”
“I suppose you were thinking there’d be a double espresso waiting for you?”
“Very funny.”
The mere mention of espresso had him thinking about the dream he’d had last night. She was wearing that white T-shirt. She walked toward him, carrying an espresso and a jelly doughnut. He was sitting down so she had to bend over to hand it to him. When she did, he pierced the doughnut with his finger and scooped out the jelly. He crooked his finger, beckoning her to come closer. The jelly was dripping onto his thighs, and he remembered it feeling hot. He was just about to reach out and trace her nipples with the jelly and then lick it off when he woke up.
It was a good dream. A real good dream. He just wished he hadn’t woken up when he did. And he wished it had been some other girl and not Nico Angelini.
He might have told Dario about the dream if she hadn’t been in it. Rocco didn’t want his cousin reading anything into it. It didn’t mean anything. It made perfect sense she’d be in the dream. He’d seen her earlier that day and was hit with the shitty news she’d be his teammate. As for the espresso—well, that was because of his tweet. As for the rest of it, the jelly and all—well—that was because of the T-shirt.
He shook his head. It did him no good to think about any of it now.
He nudged Dario. “Do you think Celeste would go get me some espresso?”
“They have espresso.”
“I tried it. It isn’t any good.”
“Why don’t you go get some?”
“I’m too tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“You don’t suppose it has anything to do with your tweet?”
Rocco sighed but remained silent.
“Well,” Dario said, “you can ask Celeste.”
“Why don’t you ask? She’s your girlfriend.”
“That’s precisely why I won’t. Not after that tweet.”
Rocco groaned. “Am I going to have to apologize to her? I don’t want Celeste mad at me. I don’t like it when she’s mad. She’s a real sweetheart, but when she’s mad she can be …”
