“Hey, Sal,” she said as Lorenzo brought his attention to her now as she made her way down the ramp.
“Hi, Olivia,” Sal said, as he reached out and shook her hand. “How’ve you been? It’s been a while.”
“I’m good,” she explained as Lorenzo peered at the girl in a ponytail. “Staying real busy, so I can’t complain.”
He couldn’t be sure, but his insides were already tightening up. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. It wasn’t a good kind of familiar either. This wasn’t just Sal’s new dog groomer; she was Romero’s cousin. And if she was who he thought she was, this could get real awkward. But he held off having any kind of inward freak out just yet because he could still be wrong.
“Well, you’ve met Baloo and Yogi,” Sal said, smiling down at the two little fuzz balls wagging their tails rapidly. “This is my cousin, Lorenzo.” He turned to Lorenzo, who froze the moment his eyes met with hers. “Enzo, this is Olivia.”
He caught the instant she, too, made the connection and froze.
Olivia.
It’d been over a month since the night they’d had together and he’d hightailed it out of there like a little bitch. He’d since tried in vain to remember her name, but he was sure it hadn’t been Olivia. All he remembered was it was short and uncommon. At least to him it was. Maybe all this time he’d been feeling like a dick for running out on her like that, and he didn’t have to. It appeared she hadn’t even bothered giving him her real name. At least he’d given her his real name. For all he knew, she could already be in a relationship—married even—another cheating whore.
The sudden reminder of whose cousin she was snapped him out of that thought instantly. He was certain Romero would not take too kindly to hearing Lorenzo refer to his cousin as a whore, regardless of the circumstances.
She nodded, barely acknowledging him with a tiny smile, and then quickly turned back to Sal as he explained they’d all get out of her hair and let her work in peace. Lorenzo stood frozen to the spot, barely able to catch his breath and failing miserably at keeping his eyes off her while she explained to Sal what she’d be doing and how long it would take her.
For as much as he tried to focus on the puppies, his nephew and niece, inside the van—anything—he could not keep himself from staring at her. Those big golden eyes that practically sparkled when she smiled still captivated him, even though they weren’t nearly as poignant as he remembered them. She was self-confident and apparently a master of her trade. It was obvious how much pride she took in her work and how much she enjoyed it. The way she sort of dumbed it down for the kids, who also seemed to hang on her every word, was impressive.
This close, he could see the pink scrubs she wore had light beige paws all over them. Her outfit couldn’t be simpler and sexually innocuous, yet when she turned and climbed into the van, the swell of her ass triggered memories of his hands all over her, squeezing that ass. The shift in his crotch was so instant he jerked his head away, focusing on the damn dogs again.
As unforgettable as that night with her had been, he’d since managed to squash any thoughts of her and what gazing into her eyes had done to him. He’d done a pretty good job of killing any and all memories of what it felt like to kiss her the moment he even began thinking about it. At least he’d thought he had. That inner voice that cried out so hysterically that night for him to get the hell out of her place had been instantly rebuking any thoughts since then.
For the most part, it hadn’t been too hard to do so. He knew nothing about her, not even her name, and he had zero intention of ever going near where she lived or even stepping foot in the bar where he’d met her. He’d been home free. Damn it! It’d been weeks since he’d last thought of the nameless girl with the bewitching eyes whose mouth he hadn’t been able to get enough of. Now he stood there, unable to muster so much as an ounce of restraint to help keep his eyes off her.
The kids whined when Sal told them they had to go inside and let Olivia do her job. Instantly, those eyes of hers lit up. Lorenzo felt himself suck in a sudden breath and had to look away.
The night they met at the bar she’d smiled a few times as they’d flirted, but he’d seen something indescribable in them. Something haunting he thought he could relate to instantly drew him in. At the bar, he’d chalked it up to him just being horny and the anticipation that he’d soon have her under him. She’d made it pretty clear from the get-go she was attracted to him and had the same non-verbal cues telling him that they both were looking for the same thing. But the shine in her eyes now was genuine. No mystery hid behind it, unlike that night.
Maybe any relationship issues or whatever it was that had made her go out that night and screw someone else had worked themselves out. She appeared happy enough now.
“That’s okay, Sal. They can stay,” she said then looked back down and smiled at an already-dancing-in-place Vivi. “Just as long you promise not to touch anything.”
The whole time Lorenzo stood there listening, almost transfixed as Sal, Olivia, and the kids went back and forth because Sal didn’t think it was a good idea for the kids to be in her way. In the end, they’d promised to just sit quietly and watch, and Sal gave in.
She waved at all three of them as they walked away, showing a complete disinterest in Lorenzo, and he was glad for that. It was insane what seeing her again had done to him. He’d begun to think what he’d felt that night was a fluke. It made absolutely no sense. Their entire conversation that night had been generic flirting, nothing of substance. They were two people out looking for the same thing—a glorious release with no strings attached. But what he felt when he held her . . .
Tonight’s different. I need this.
Admittedly, he’d thought of her words from that night more than once in the weeks following that night. What had she meant by needed this? Obviously, she was either going through something or had just recently gone through it, but he hadn’t dared ask her to elaborate.
Seeing her now only confirmed something further. He’d been right. She wasn’t like the girls he was used to doing the hit-it-and-quit-it thing with. If he ever ran into any of those other girls, they’d immediately smile wickedly—offering a silent invitation to hit it again if he ever wanted to. Olivia wasn’t the first girl to utter the words “I don’t usually do this” to him. She was just the first girl he actually believed, and he still had no idea why.
Sal nudged him, and he turned to see both Sal and Romero staring at him. Romero smirked.
“Hello?” Sal said a bit annoyed.
Lorenzo regarded them both, confused. “What?”
“I asked you if you want to take two cars or one.”
Romero laughed now. “Yeah, like three times! And you just stood there staring out into space.”
Shaking his head, Lorenzo forced a smile. “I’ve just had a lot going on at work. I was still thinking about everything I have to anticipate tomorrow.”
He agreed to take one car, his. Sal was paying for the nine holes of golf they’d be playing. Sal told him more about the puppies he’d gotten for the kids and some funny stories about the many adventures they’d already had trying to train the pair.
It was the distraction Lorenzo needed to get his mind off Olivia. Then they got on the fairway, and his cousin asked him about the last thing he ever wanted to talk about again.
“So you and Linda don’t talk at all anymore?” Sal asked as they waited for the guys before them on the first hole to finish up. “I thought for sure you two would work through whatever it was that went wrong. You two seemed so solid.”
It surprised Lorenzo that Sal still didn’t know the details of what had happened. If he did, Lorenzo was certain he wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring it up. The only ones who knew why things had ended so abruptly were Vince and Daniel. He was actually glad that Daniel, his emergency room attendant friend who’d called him that awful night to tell him about Linda being brought in, was in a relationship now and never around anymore.
Hanging out with him was just another reminder of that night. But it surprised him that Sal didn’t seem to have a clue how badly things had ended. His wife and Vince’s wife, Rosie, were sisters. He knew his brother told Rosie everything, and he figured she’d likely told her sister who in turn would’ve mentioned it to Sal. It’s what married couples did, right?
It’d been long enough, and Lorenzo was over it, but he still didn’t see the point in talking about it. So he figured if he was honest enough about it Sal would know why he’d prefer not to. Sal had asked him about it once before when it was still too raw, and Lorenzo had been vague. Even then, Sal seemed to have the notion that it was just a silly argument or something they’d eventually get over. It was likely why he was now asking, so Lorenzo made sure that after today his cousin never brought it up again, even as casually as he was now.
“She went back to her ex,” he said simply then added, “Nikki’s dad.”
It was enough to stun Sal silent as they made their way onto the first hole but only momentarily. “And you’re sure she’s back with him? It hadn’t worked between them before, right? It’s why she was with you.”
“I have no idea if she’s with him still or not,” Lorenzo said, surprised by how little he cared anymore, “but she decided she wanted him back in her life even before we’d broken up.”
He took a few warm-up swings before setting up for his first putt of the day, feeling that familiar heat seep in again. Okay, maybe he didn’t care if Linda was still with Patrick or not because, regardless, he wanted nothing to do with her ever again. But the thought of how effortlessly she’d lied to him on the phone that night still burned him up.
He clenched his jaw then his golf club, turning back to Sal before taking a swing. “The bitch lied to me about where she’d be the weekend I found out.”
He turned back to the ball and took a swing. The ball flew higher and further than he’d ever sent one before. Lorenzo watched it, gulping hard and refusing to fall back into that state of mind. It was in the past now, and while he vowed to never forget so that he’d never be taken like that again, he refused to stew about it forever.
Sal was still staring at him, and if Lorenzo weren’t mistaken, his ever the “let’s be rational about this” cousin didn’t seem convinced. Time after time and for good reason Sal had accused not just Lorenzo and Vince but his own two hotheaded brothers of reacting before thinking. Considering what a nice and respectable girl Linda had always appeared to be, Sal was likely having as hard a time as Lorenzo had when he’d first arrived at the hospital that night of believing that she’d be capable of doing such a thing. So he figured he may as well burst his cousin’s bubble about how all women had it in them to blatantly lie and cheat. Even the sweet respectable ones.
“She was caught red-handed, Sal.”
“Did you see them together?” Sal asked as apprehensively as Lorenzo expected him to be.
This only annoyed Lorenzo further as if that were the only way he’d be convinced.
“No,” Lorenzo said, lifting an irritated brow. “But when I asked her straight out, she admitted she fucked the guy the night before. No way of getting around that, right?”
Lorenzo moved out of the way, hating how the memory of that night could still make every muscle in his body tense. At least the thought of Linda cheating no longer made him nauseous. The pain may have been long gone, but as much as he hated to admit it, the anger and disgust would always be there.
“I had no idea, Enzo,” Sal said, sounding remorseful. “I wouldn’t have brought it up if I’d known.”
“It’s cool,” Lorenzo said, fidgeting with his golf gloves. “I’m over it now.” He glanced up to see his cousin looking every bit as remorseful as he’d sounded, so Lorenzo shrugged. “If anything, like my dad always says, ‘Every experience, good or bad, is a learning experience.’ I’ll never get sucked in by any girl like that again. That’s for sure.”
He wouldn’t say more because he knew Sal would disagree. Obviously there were exceptions to the rule. Not all women were liars and cheats. Sal would certainly point out that his Grace and Vince’s Rosie were perfect examples of that fact. But Lorenzo had found out one thing first hand with Linda. He sucked at knowing the difference. Clearly his radar for detecting a cheat was way off since he would’ve never believed Linda to be one.
No way was he ever taking that chance again.
Two
Olivia
Uncle Lou had called again to make sure Olivia and all her siblings made an effort to pay their respects in person and showed up for Uncle Janks’ services. Olivia hadn’t been able to make either the funeral or the burial, but she had called Manny and Max to give them her condolences, and she and Emi were now on their way to the repast after the burial.
Now she had Isaiah, her oldest brother, on the phone, following up on Uncle Lou’s request. “Yes, we’re on our way,” she said, rolling her eyes with a smile. “I just had to go home and change first. I didn’t want to show up in my scrubs.”
She thought about what she’d changed into: gray pinstriped slacks and a sheer long-sleeved black button-up top. It was supposed to be sexy when worn with a black silk bra that would show through. But she thought it inappropriate, so she’d worn it with a full black lacy camisole underneath instead. It did take from the dressiness, but she’d worn her big black pumps to dress up the outfit. Emi thought she looked nice and sexy. Her only other comment was reminiscent of one of Lorenzo’s comments the night they met. “How in the world do you walk in those high heels?”
Olivia swallowed hard, brushing away thoughts of him.
“Emi’s with you, right?” Isaiah asked.
“Yes, I’m right here,” her younger sister chirped since Isaiah voice was coming through the speakers.
“Good girls,” he said, and Olivia could practically hear her brother’s big smile.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“Not too good but don’t worry about anything,” he said quickly. “I got a plan. I’ll tell you about it when I’m off in a couple of days. In the meantime, you two just make sure Nathan stays out of trouble.”
Both she and Emi promised and Olivia hung up. “Okay co-pilot, which way now?”
Her sister gave her the turn by turn until they were at Moreno’s restaurant in downtown La Jolla, where the repast was being held. Her two other brothers, Nathan and AJ, had been able to make that morning’s burial, but Olivia had clients she couldn’t cancel on with such short notice, and Emi had her SAT’s to take. So now here they were, awkwardly entering the restaurant they’d heard so much about.
Since they’d all moved out to Southern California from Texas almost two years ago, per Uncle Lou’s insistence, they’d made an effort to spend time with their only California relatives. They’d only seen their uncles and cousin a handful of times a year before they’d moved here. Since moving out to California, just about every time they had spent time at their cousin Moe’s, one or more of his friends, the Morenos, had been around, and Olivia had heard much about their restaurants.
Her stomach churned as she and Emi let the hostess at the front know what dinner gathering they were there for. She knew exactly why her stomach was in knots but was trying not to think about it. Ever since the shock of finding out last week that Lorenzo was part of this family, she’d been trying not to freak out about the possibility of running into him again.
When they’d gotten the call about Uncle Janks’ passing and then Uncle Lou calling to make sure they would be attending at least one of the services, she tried to remain calm. She’d been around her cousin Moe’s good friends often enough for almost two years now and had never met Lorenzo. What were the odds that she’d be seeing him again so soon? What were the odds that she would be with someone who’d have mutual acquaintances with her! And what were the odds that the only one-night stand she’d ever had would turn out to be the best sex she’d ever experienced?
Granted technically she’d only ever had
one other partner and the experiences she’d had with him surpassed what she was sure many girls—women—had likely ever experienced. But despite all that, she’d never felt with him what she felt the night she’d spent with Lorenzo. Of course, now she’d forever associate one-night stands with great sex and utter humiliation. Though she had a feeling the great sex part was likely just dumb luck.
She’d had a feeling from the moment she’d gotten a good look at all of him she’d be in for something amazing. Not just because he oozed sex appeal and confidence, but his eyes had taken hers hostage from the moment he first gazed at her. She’d also known that she shouldn’t expect anything beyond the one night, and she hadn’t. But she also hadn’t expected for him to bolt without so much as a goodnight kiss the moment it was over. The experience had started out as exciting and incredibly arousing as she expected a night with a man who carried himself like Lorenzo might be.
As silly as it seemed now, she remembered thinking how it felt almost fateful that he’d sat down next to her the second she’d convinced herself being at that bar that night had been a mistake. But the way it ended, especially after such unbelievable kisses, was mortifying and disheartening to say the least. She’d since decided she wasn’t the one-night stand type of girl and that was a onetime deal she’d never try again.
Running into him again had nothing to do with fate either. Clearly, he had no interest in more than what she’d given up to him already. She knew he wasn’t even interested in another round because he knew where she lived yet he hadn’t bothered to try to contact her. As of last week, he now had yet another way to try and get a hold of her, but he was making it as clear as he did that night that getting a hold of her for any reason was not on his to-do list. Try as she may to pretend it didn’t bother her even a little bit, deep inside it did. It shouldn’t. But it did. It was why she knew meaningless sex was not for her.