Never Dare a Tycoon (10 page)

“We need to get out of here,” he said. “This might get out of control.”

 

“Oh,” she said, and reality came crashing down on her. “Oh, my God,” she said and buried her face in her hands.

Brett understood her reaction and immediately came back to her, pulling her hands down from her face so she had to look at him. “Don’t do that. What we just did was special. And when we actually do make love, it will be special between us again. Don’t be ashamed.”

Antonia could only nod her head. But she couldn’t banish the embarrassment or the knowledge that if he hadn’t stopped, she wouldn’t have been the one to do it. And heaven knew where it might have ended.

Grabbing his jacket and hers off a peg by the door, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door behind him. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

Out on the street, Antonia took a deep breath, hoping the cool, spring air would banish the feelings that were still coursing through her body. But they didn’t. She stepped into his car and leaned her head against the backrest, trying to get her emotions and her libido under control. She watched him walk around the car then get in beside her. Neither helped her gain control. He was simply too sexy.

They arrived at the National Gallery of Art just as the doors opened for the day. So they were able to stroll through the gallery with relative ease. The National Gallery of Art was actually two buildings. The main building was built in the gothic style with massive columns both outside and in the main lobby-atrium. The floors were all made of glossy, hardwood and the rooms were either square or rectangular, flowing from one to the next. The other building was a modern style with an open, airy feel to it. In this building, the rooms weren’t always rectangular and the ceilings of the lobby were hung with massive sculptures, swaying in the seemingly still air.

Both were connected by a tunnel that ran underneath the street. The tunnel itself was a wondrous piece of art. It ran underneath a main avenue of the District of Columbia with a huge, underground waterfall which turned into a fountain that was visible to the tourists walking along the street.

Antonia and Brett moved from one area of the main building to another, commenting on the styles they liked or disliked, arguing about the talent of each artist over another, different time periods and the differences in techniques.

After two hours in the art gallery, they moved on to the Museum of American History which contained all sorts of treasures. This was one of Antonia’s favorite museums and she went through it on a regular basis.

One time, she was able to catch the exhibit of all the First Ladies’ inaugural ball gowns which was a wonderful collection of designs and fabrics. It also housed Archie Bunker’s chair from
All In The Family
, Fonzie’s leather jacket from
Happy Days
, the ruby slippers Dorothy wore in her trek through Oz, and many more entertainment exhibits. Other exhibits explained the history of computers, machinery, the movement of the Native Americans across the continent and all sorts of wondrous things.

It was five o’clock when they realized how much time had passed. Antonia couldn’t believe that they’d spent the entire day in two museums. But she had more fun going through the exhibits with Brett than she’d ever had on her own. He was curious about everything and seemed to know so much about whatever he was looking at.

Since it was Sunday, the security guards were asking people to head for the nearest exit. Brett casually took Antonia’s hand as they walked back to the car in silence. Antonia tried to be non-challant about the seemingly casual gesture, but her heartbeat picked up dramatically.

“How about dinner and a movie? Then I’ll take you home,” Brett suggested.

Antonia didn’t want the day to end. It was such a perfect day, she wanted it to last a little longer. So she agreed. She might regret her impulse tomorrow, but she’d deal with that another time. Right now, she wanted to spend more time with Brett.

They drove to Georgetown, a small area in Washington, D.C. that had many small, upscale shops and a variety of restaurants. They chose an Italian restaurant and ordered pasta, then sat at the window watching the sun set over the Potomac River as they sipped red wine.

Keeping the conversation light, they ate their meal slowly, savoring every moment. Antonia knew that this would be the last time she would allow herself to be with him so she enjoyed every moment of her time with him.

After dinner, they strolled over to the theatre that showed off-beat or foreign movies. They chose a French, foreign film touted as a drama. Sitting through two hours of the movie, Antonia was intensely aware of Brett’s arm right next to her, his strong leg so close to her own. She heard him laugh in several places, but she couldn’t concentrate on the sub-titles long enough to keep track of the story line.

Back at her building, Brett walked her to her apartment door, even though he had to climb the five flights of stairs to reach it since the elevator wouldn’t be fixed until mid week according to a new sign hanging in the lobby. He took her keys and unlocked the door, then went inside to turn on the lights and make sure everything was ok.

Antonia laughed, but didn’t say anything about his protectiveness. In her brothers, it bothered her. But when Brett did it, she thought it was nice. It made her feel safer in some way.

He came back to the doorway and kissed her gently. “When will I see you again?” he asked.

 

“Brett,” she started.

 

But Brett put a finger over her mouth to silence her. “Don’t even think it. We’re going to see each other, it’s just a matter of when,” he said.

 

Antonia’s eyes looked up at him, worried. “I don’t think this is a good idea, you and me.”

 

“I know. I know you’re still afraid of me. But you don’t have anything to be afraid of. So, when will I see you again?” he asked again.

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know what my schedule is going to be like this week.”

Brett sighed deeply, looking up at the ceiling as if he was trying desperately to find patience. “Ok. We’ll play it by your rules a little longer. But there’s going to be a point when I’m going to start setting the rules.” With that threat, he leaned down and kissed her gently again, then turned and headed for the staircase, disappearing behind the fire door.

Antonia walked into her apartment and locked the door. She was shaking, she realized. What had he meant about making rules? She didn’t make any rules. She just couldn’t be with him, that’s all. She ignored the message light flashing on her answering machine. It was late and she didn’t want to deal with the inevitable questions from her brothers.

Monday afternoon, Sal called and asked her if she’d come to dinner that night. Everyone would be there, no ulterior motive, he explained. Apparently, the Sunday afternoon lunch didn’t happen yesterday and he wanted to pull the family together to catch up.

Antonia was skeptical, but since it was her day off, she agreed. It was also a good excuse in case Brett called. She had been anticipating it all day, and she refused to admit that she was disappointed when he didn’t call.

She left her apartment and decided to splurge on a cab out to the house. She wasn’t in the mood to drive somewhere, change clothes and have someone pick her up. So she changed into an appropriate dress, this time a light navy blue, slim dress with a white and yellow scarf tied around her neck.

At the house, she was the last to arrive so she headed into the living room where she assumed everyone would be waiting, having sherry or some other cocktail.

 

“Am I late?” she whispered to Michael who was watching the whole chaotic scene from a chair by the door.

 

Michael shook his head and laughed as Carlos punched Thomas on the shoulder for some reason. “No, you’re just in time,” he said.

Everyone was there and with five older brothers, it always seemed like there were more people in the room. They were all so tall and powerfully built, they seemed to take up all the space, even in the large library of Sal’s house. Amid all the chaos of brothers arguing and the television set playing the pre-game football shows and drinks being passed around, the only person who caught her eye was Brett, standing by the bar looking incredibly gorgeous and relaxed, chatting with Sal and Thomas, pouring a beer into a glass.

Antonia didn’t know what to say or do. She was too stunned. Did he have business with Sal and was just staying over for dinner again? What was going on? Strangers were not permitted to interfere with family dinners, she told herself, trying to make sense of the scene.

Antonia watched with trepidation as Brett walked towards her, then handed her the glass of beer. But her face flamed when he leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek.

“You look lovely,” he said, blocking her from the curious stares of her brothers.

“Thank you,” she whispered, painfully aware that everyone was staring at Brett’s back, trying to get a good look at the two of them, waiting to see what would happen next. But beyond her embarrassment, she felt as if she had come alive. Just the smallest touch and her body seemed to hum in excitement.

Thankfully, Sal interrupted their semi-private chat. “I think dinner’s ready,” Sal said.

Antonia immediately turned and headed for the dining room, wishing Brett would just disappear. But he didn’t. He was right behind her, following her into the dining room. Once they got there, Brett pulled out her chair then sat down next to her.

Antonia tried to concentrate on the conversations around her, but she was too aware of Brett sitting next to her. And she hated Sal’s pleased smile as he sat down at the head of the table. Antonia knew Sal had something to do with Brett being here. No one else would dare. But she didn’t understand what he was trying to do. He was so protective of family gatherings, this completely threw her for a loop.

As soon as the blessing was said, the plates of vegetables, roast beef, potatoes and salad were passed around, everyone talking at once. It was as if Antonia and Brett were all alone in the room as everyone started filling their plates. She didn’t want to talk to him, but everyone else was busy at the moment.

“How are you?” she asked him quietly, almost shyly.

 

“Fine. Did you have a nice day?” he said, just as formally.

 

“Yes, thank you,” she replied. She couldn’t come up with anything else to say, so she stared at her empty plate.

 

“You’re back to being afraid of me,” he sighed. “But I guess you never got over that, did you?” he asked softly.

 

Antonia didn’t respond.

 

“That’s ok. We’ll work on it. Sooner or later, you’re going to feel comfortable around me,” he said, leaning down intimately close to her ear.

Antonia laughed. Partly because his breath tickled her ear. But also, she couldn’t imagine a time when she wouldn’t feel his energy and want him to touch her or kiss her. Feeling comfortable was completely out of the realm of possibility around him. “I will?” she asked, chuckling under her breath so no one would hear her.

“Yep. Promise,” he said and handed her the platter of roast beef.

The dining room was a large, ornately carved, wooden room with a stained glass window at one end and a huge marble fireplace at the other. The table was large and specially made for the formal dining room. It had to be large with her family.

Antonia tried not to jump when Brett put his hand on her thigh, but apparently something on her face indicated a change. Because Carlo looked at her strangely and said, “Are you feeling ok? You look a little flushed.”

Sal looked over at her, then at Brett, then looked away and passed the potatoes to Michael, ignoring his baby sister’s welfare for the first time in his life.

“I’m fine,” she said to Carlo. Antonia didn’t know what to do. She tried removing his hand as inconspicuously as possible, but he just put it back again. Finally, in an attempt to not draw attention to the two of them, she just left it there. Although, by the middle of dinner, her leg was sore from keeping it in the same position. She was too afraid that if she moved, even slightly, his hand would “accidentally” slip higher along her thigh.

All through dinner, the men chatted about what was happening in the company and what might become a priority on someone’s schedule. Thomas, who was the strong, silent type and probably the most serious of all her brothers, was in charge of auditing the various offices around the world and had an idea to change his auditing tactics. He also needed a new staff member as one of his team had resigned after getting married. Thomas traveled nine months out of the year and it would be too hard on a new marriage to be gone that much.

Michael had some ideas on how to branch into new areas of the IT industry and create more niche marketing that would eventually expand their presence. Gus, who managed all the buildings and physical assets of ATI and managed to keep everyone’s stress levels down by revealing the ridiculous in many situations, stepped up and explained that there were several buildings that would put Michael closer to his target clients if he wanted to go that route.

Carlo, a financial wizard, who was in charge of investments and growth for ATI, offered up some ideas he’d wanted everyone to toss around about moving into the retail industry. Sal was very interested but wanted Carlo to get more information on the idea.

All six men debated the various issues. Antonia was always fascinated by this dynamic group of men. She didn’t examine her feelings but found that she was proud when Brett contributed to the various conversations and all of her brothers listened carefully to his opinion.

At the end of the meal, everyone picked up their plates and carried the dishes into the kitchen. Antonia thought it was interesting how a group of chauvinistic men could step up unquestionably to clear the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher without hesitation, but wouldn’t let their baby sister become involved in the company business. She wiped the counters, dried pots and pans, put them in their appropriate places, then looked around to see if anything else needed to be done. She was alone now, but that had only been for the last five minutes. The men had helped out with most of the cleanup and she didn’t mind doing the last bit herself.