Revving Up the Holidays (3 page)

He took the cap from his head. “I think I can remember the
basic story. Jump in if I get any of it wrong.

“A few hundred years BC, the Jewish Temple was seized by
Syrian soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. This troubled the
Jewish people, but they were afraid to fight back. Then the Syrian emperor,
Antiochus, made the observance of Judaism a criminal offense, punishable by
death. He ordered all Jews to worship the Greek gods, but the Jews hid their
worship and taught their children by using gambling games, such as dreidel.” He
pointed to the small wooden tops that the kids had been spinning earlier.

“Some Jews in a small village near Jerusalem started to
resist. When word got to the soldiers, they gathered the villagers and told
them to bow down to an idol and to eat the flesh of a pig—both practices are forbidden
to Jews. A Syrian officer ordered a high priest named Mattathias to comply with
their demands, but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward
and offered to acquiesce on his behalf, the high priest became outraged.
Mattathias drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the officer
and killed him too. Mattathias’ five sons and the other villagers then attacked
the remaining soldiers, killing them all.

“Mattathias and his family went into hiding in the
mountains, where other Jews wishing to fight against the Syrians joined them.
Eventually they succeeded in retaking their land. These rebels became known as
the Maccabees. Maccabee means hammer.

“Once the Maccabees had regained control, they returned to
the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time it had been spiritually defiled by being
used for the worship of foreign gods and also by practices such as sacrificing
pigs.

“They wanted to light the eternal lamp in the Temple, but to
their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day worth of oil left. It
would take eight days to make more oil. They lit it anyway and to their
surprise the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days.

“That is the miracle of the Hanukkah. That is why every year
we light the menorah known as a hanukkiyah for eight days. One candle is lit on
the first night, two on the second, and so on, until eight candles are lit.”

He paused and looked around the room at the crowd who stood
watching him and giving him their full attention. “So, Mark, how did I do?”

Every head in the room turned to look at Mark who stood in
the kitchen doorway.

“Very impressive.” Mark clapped and the room joined in the
applause.

The crowd broke up a moment later when Sadie announced that
the food was ready.

Giada turned as everyone moved out of the living room toward
the buffet table.

“Are you impressed?” He spoke right next to her ear again.

She realized her mistake immediately. Looking at him put her
only half an inch from his face. She could have kissed him if she’d just leaned
forward a little. And God, it was tempting to do exactly that. She resisted.
“I’m stunned, to be honest. I wouldn’t have thought religion was your thing.”

He straightened and shrugged. “It’s history. I enjoy
history.”

Then he took her hand, and she felt the touch in every nerve
of her body. She’d never felt anything so intense and he’d only touched her
hand. He paused and looked down at where their hands were clasped. Did he feel
it too? Impossible.

“I’m going to introduce you to the latke.”

His smile worried her. “What’s the latke?”

“Potato pancake. You’re going to love it.” His eyes were
filled with mischief and delight as he tugged her toward the food-laden table.

Her doorbell rang at six fifty-nine. She looked around the
room one last time, making sure every pillow was fluffed and in place. Hands
shaking, she headed toward the door. Who wouldn’t be nervous? The boy she’d had
the biggest crush on in high school was no boy anymore and he was coming to
pick her up.
Please God, don’t let me make an ass of myself.

Giada took a deep breath and opened the door. He was just as
perfect as she remembered. In fact, her fantasies about Isaac had been
completely overshadowed by the actual man. She’d seen his pictures in Sadie’s
house. She had kind of adopted Giada in the months since she’d come back to
Atlanta.

He smiled. “May I come in?”

She was just standing there with the door open, staring at
him. She was an idiot. “Yes, of course, come in.”

He kissed her cheek as he crossed the threshold. The chaste
kiss shot directly to her pussy.
Oh, Giada, what have you gotten yourself
into?

He looked at her from her head down to her exposed cleavage,
and then farther to her stocking-clad legs and four-inch heels. His eyes
widened in what she hoped was male appreciation. She was glad that she’d chosen
the little black dress over the trousers and blouse she’d tried on first.

“I made reservations at Bacchanalia. I hope that’s okay.” He
looked around the condo as if he were searching for something.

“It’s the best restaurant in Atlanta, I think it will do.”

He turned and smiled at her sarcastic tone. “I thought eight
o’clock would give us time to… I don’t know. Take our time, I guess.”

She watched his broad shoulders as he turned away again. She
closed the door and followed him inside. “Are you looking for something?”

“Clues.”

She laughed. “What kind of clues?”

He shrugged those shoulders she’d just been admiring. “Clues
that will tell me the kind of person you are.”

“Why don’t you just ask me?” She stood to his right, trying
to figure out what he was seeing that would give him insights into her life.

He turned quickly and she found herself looking up into
captivating blue eyes. She staggered back and his hands gripped her arms to
steady her.

Their bodies were only an inch apart. It would have been so
easy to lean in for the kiss she’d wanted since she was fifteen years old. She
resisted once again.

“No one ever answers that question with the absolute truth.
They may think they are, but people tend to be either too hard on themselves or
they boast and exaggerate their attributes. If I look around your home, I can
see photos of your parents, awards and the like.”

She made no attempt to pull away. “And what does my living
room tell you about me?”

“You have an award for something. I saw it in the corner
hiding behind that chair. I would guess that you have more than one award and
most of them are packed away in a box somewhere. You’re proud of the
accomplishment, whatever it was, but you don’t care for the attention. That’s
why you keep it hidden. So you’re modest. You have a large picture of your
parents on the mantel. They must have been very important to you since they’re
front and center. No pictures of vacations or lovers. So either you don’t take
many of either or you keep those squirrelled away in the bedroom.”

She was impressed that he had noted that much in such a
quick look around. “What does all of that tell you about me?”

“Not much at first blush, but it’s a start. Do you have a
lover, Giada?”

She smiled. “A slew of them. I keep them all locked in the
bedroom.”

One hand came up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her
ear. His mouth turned in amusement but his eyes remained intense. “I’ve wanted
to kiss you since high school.”

“You have?”

“Yes.”

“So why didn’t you ever ask me out?”

“I didn’t think I was good enough for you. You were so sweet
and you were my sister’s best friend.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you’ve put me
a bit too high on a pedestal. I was just a girl, no different from any of the
other girls you dated in school.”

His other hand skimmed along her arm, moving up and down and
sending shock waves through her. “That’s just it, you are different. And I’m…”

His head dipped down a fraction of an inch.

“Are you going to kiss me, Isaac?”

“I’m trying my best to be a gentleman, but it’s not easy
with those beautiful lips pouting up at me.” His head might have moved a
fraction of an inch closer.

Her heart was beating so hard she thought he must be able to
hear it. “Stop trying so hard.”

He dipped down and his lips grazed hers ever so slightly.
The electricity produced by that light touch thrilled her to her toes. His
mouth opened just enough to nibble her bottom lip.

She sighed with delight. Her tongue poked out for a taste of
his mouth and was rewarded when he wrapped her in his arms and devoured her
mouth. She merged her tongue with his. Her breath came hard and fast and her
hands wound around his neck. She’d waited a lifetime to feel this man’s arms
around her.

It ended too soon. Isaac pulled back and set her a few feet
away. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why?”

He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked back at her.
“Because you’re Giada and you should be wined and dined. Men should be sending
you flowers and chocolates and begging for your attention, not stealing a kiss
five minutes after walking into the house.”

She stared back at him. “What on earth are you talking
about? I don’t think you stole anything. I was a willing participant.”

His jaw twitched as if he were holding back either words or
actions. She couldn’t tell which.

He said, “Maybe we should just go to dinner.”

She was stunned. One moment, he was holding her in his arms
and she thought things were going pretty well, and the next he looked at her as
if she had the plague and kept her at arm’s length.

“Okay,” she said.

She took a jacket from the closet. Isaac helped her into it
and then opened the front door for her to exit. She locked up and followed him
to his black sports car.

“Nice car,” she said. He opened the door for her and she
slid into the low seat.

“Thanks.” He closed her door, rounded the car and got in. “I
hardly ever get to drive it.”

“Why is that?”

He turned the key and began the drive into downtown Atlanta.
“I live in New Jersey and I take the ferry or train into the city every day. I
work a lot and the car just sits in my garage most of the time.”

“What about on the weekend?”

He never took his eyes off the traffic, but she saw his
frown. “Like I said, I work a lot.”

“All work and no play…”

“I know, I know, but I’m busy. It was nice making the drive
down here. I really had the chance to see what this baby can do.”

She cringed. “Please don’t show me. I’m sure she’s very
fast, but I’d like to get to the restaurant in one piece.”

“Does that mean you won’t be getting on the back of my
Harley when I get it running?”

Giada’s body actually tingled at the idea of sitting behind
Isaac on that bike, her thighs pressed tight to his and her breasts pressed
against his back. It was a fantasy she’d relived a thousand times as a
teenager. Her pussy throbbed at the notion. “I would ride with you.”

It came out as a whisper and she was thankful that it was
dark and he was driving or he would have noticed her blush.

He didn’t say anything as they stopped at a red light. He
turned toward her, but she looked straight ahead. If she turned, she was sure
he would see how badly she wanted to have her legs wrapped around him either on
that bike or just about anywhere else.

His fingers touching her cheek forced her to turn toward
him. His eyes bore into her with an intensity that almost made her turn away.
“I would like that more than you can possibly know.”

Her breath caught. The light turned green and the car behind
them honked, breaking the spell.

Isaac smiled and returned his attention to the traffic.

* * * * *

Bacchanalia was perfect. The food, the atmosphere,
everything was meant to impress. They were halfway through the entrée when he
asked, “Why aren’t you married?”

Her stomach clutched. “I was. I got divorced three years
ago.”

“He must be crazy.”

The way he said the words, almost to himself, made her
smile.

She shrugged. “Thanks. What about you? Sadie tells me that
you never married.”

Something dark crossed his eyes. The change was so complete
she wanted to retract her words immediately. He poked at his steak for a
moment. When he looked up, the sorrow in his eyes nearly made her cry. She
stuffed the emotion and waited for him to speak.

“A few years ago I proposed to a wonderful woman. We had big
plans for the future. A week after that, she was killed in a car accident.”

Her chest tightened and she felt her eyes moisten. Through a
nearly closed throat, she said, “My God, Isaac. I’m so sorry. Sadie never said
anything about it.”

He didn’t respond for a long time. He kept his eyes downcast
and carefully placed his fork on his plate before he looked up. “Sadie doesn’t
know. I hadn’t told my family about Leslie. I was planning a big surprise for
Thanksgiving. Then she died and I just never told them anything. I made an
excuse not to come home that holiday.”

She reached across the table and rested her hand over his.
“I’m so sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say to comfort him. She wished
they could go back to the moment before she’d opened her big mouth and asked
the awkward question, but there was no going back.

His hand turned over and he took hers, caressing the palm
with his thumb. “Can we talk about something else?”

She took a deep breath. “Anything.”

His smile did wicked things to her heart. “You choose the
subject.”

She thought a moment. She knew she might be opening up
another uncomfortable subject, but her curiosity overpowered good sense.
“Explain to me what you meant when you said that you weren’t good enough for me
in high school?”

His thumb continued to trace a path on her palm, sending
jolts of need down to her pussy and making her wish they were back at her condo
rather than in a crowded restaurant. “I always saw you as a nice girl, my
sister’s good friend, who was off-limits to a guy like me.”

Pulling her hand away before she embarrassed herself by
moaning out loud, she said, “That’s the part I don’t understand. What do you
mean by, ‘a guy like you’? You were always nice to me.”

He pushed his plate away and sipped the red wine with a tiny
smile playing on his lips. “I was nice to you because you were my fantasy. Do
you want dessert?”

The fact that he’d said the words “fantasy” and “dessert” in
the same breath left her unable to speak. She squeezed her legs together to try
to relieve some of the pressure building between them. It was crazy but just
the sound of his voice turned her on. “What do you mean?”

“Something sweet to finish off the meal.”

“You’re being funny, right?” Her cheeks were on fire but she
was all in at this point. If she was ever going to have Isaac Backman, this was
her chance. She’d waited half her life for this night.

That smile again. He leaned forward. “I’ve had several very
steamy fantasies about you, Giada. Do you want me to tell you about them?”

She was nodding before she had time to stop herself. Once
again, she was struck by the fact that they were in a public place. “But maybe
not here.”

Something changed in his eyes and she didn’t know if she
liked it or if she was afraid. What she did know was that when he called for
the check an instant later, her heart pounded and her breath accelerated.

His hand was at the small of her back as they waited for the
valet to retrieve his car. He leaned down until his mouth feathered a breath on
her sensitive lobe. “The minute you change your mind, Giada, you have to tell me.”

“What makes you think I want to change my mind?”

“I don’t think you know what you’re getting into.”

She looked up at him, holding back the anger that simmered
just below the surface. “I’m not a child, Isaac. I’ve been married and
divorced. I’ve had lovers, not many, but a few. What makes you think you’re so
special that I can’t handle whatever you’ve planned?”

His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open for a moment. She
didn’t know what had surprised him, that she’d had lovers or that she’d made
the speech with the valet standing a foot away.

Isaac took the keys and handed the young man a tip. He held
the door open for her. He rounded the car and slid inside. “I don’t want to
make you angry. I guess I have an idea about you that is…”

“What?”

“Sacred ground.”

She laughed. “What on earth do you mean? You think that I’m
sacred ground? Like a religious artifact?”

The notion was so ridiculous that she continued to laugh. He
joined her amusement. “I know it’s silly, but I have terrible guilt over my
boyhood fantasies involving you.”

She didn’t know what to say. It was too silly to respond to.
She’d been a good girl in high school, it was true, but that was a long time
ago. Frankly, if Isaac had wanted to have sex with her back then, she would
have given up her virginity a lot sooner. She’d been saving herself for him and
then, when it was obvious he wasn’t coming back to Atlanta and she’d gone to
Washington, D.C. for college, she’d given up on her dream of Isaac Backman.

They made small talk for the rest of the drive back to her
condo development. He walked her to the door, and she was certain he was about
to thank her for going to dinner with him and walk away.

With the key still in the deadbolt, she took his hand and
looked up into those amazing blue eyes. He looked stunned when she turned the
knob and gently tugged him inside. Her hands shook slightly and she had to make
an effort not to let him see how nervous she was. He pulled the key from where
she’d forgotten it in the lock and handed it to her.