January (Calendar Girl #1) Anthology Anthology (114 page)

I licked my lips and stared, allowing my purse to drop to the bench near the foot of the bed. The body god’s gaze traced my form from top to bottom. He leaned into the doorframe on one rounded, strong looking shoulder and draped the towel he was holding around his neck. Then he crossed those forearms over his chest. Oh man, I wished he hadn’t done that. Instantly, my sexy feelers flared and I had to slow my breathing in order not to pass out at the sheer male perfection before me.

“
Papi
, Mia arrived,” were the first words out of his perfectly full mouth.

Wait...Papi?

Another man strode into the space and hooked an arm around body god’s waist. A huge smile adorned his face. Where Anthony was massive, this man was smaller but still in shape with a washboard stomach and little to no fat that I could see. And I could see plenty. His body style reminded me of my Frenchman. Not quite slight, but then again the massive wall of muscles he leaned into could make any good sized hottie seem less than average.

Regardless, this man had a stunningly handsome face. Beautiful, almost androgynous. A face that made a person want to take pictures and hang them on the wall. Living in California, I was pretty certain he was Hispanic. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, pointed features.

The way the two causally stood, practically naked, holding onto one another painted a very powerful picture. And that’s when it hit me like a paperweight to the head. I’m pretty sure my mouth dropped open, and I held out a finger pointing to one and then the other. “Oh! Wow. Um, okay. So yeah. Now I know why you need me.”

“Smart girl you picked out,” the unnamed man said. Then his eyes did a loop from top to toe. “And ridiculously beautiful.” His eyebrows narrowed. “Did you have to pick out the prettiest one?” He moved away from Anthony, crossed his arms over his chest and puffed out a breath of air dramatically. “Should I be worried?” He tapped a foot, actually tapped his foot like a chick about to nail her man.

Anthony’s eyes seemed to tiptoe along my curves before he grinned wickedly. “May-be.” He drew out the word. “And yeah, I had to pick the best girl. My family would want me to be with the perfect one.” He extended his hand but looked at the man by his side. “She’s pretty damned perfect, wouldn’t you agree?”

The Hispanic man’s lips pursed and then dropped into a scowl. “
Si
. You are very beautiful.” He finally spoke directly to me.

“Uh, thanks, I think. And who are you?” That was the hundred thousand dollar question.

“I am Hector Chavez. Anthony’s
partner
.”

“Not this month you’re not,” Anthony snickered.

Hector’s face fell. “That is not even funny. We just need to get through this. I, for one, am not looking forward to it,” his voice rose in volume as he pulled away, and then disappeared behind a door. Probably the closet.

“You guys are a couple?” I gestured to the door with a wave of my hand.

Anthony smiled wide and tipped his chin. My heart started beating again. Damn, I knew not all the good ones were gay, but this one was damned good and definitely gay.

“How about we get dressed and then discuss?”

“Oh sure. Yeah, of course.” I turned around, and fumbled while grabbing my purse and bag.

“The room two doors down on the left is yours for the month. I believe you’ll find everything you need for the next few days. Why don’t you go get settled. Tomorrow, Hector will take you shopping for additional items.” I cringed. Anthony tilted his head to the side, his ice-blue eyes focused solely on me. “I see that idea does not excite you. Most women would love an opportunity to buy ridiculous amounts of expensive clothing.”

I huffed. “Well, I think you’re going to find out rather quickly, I’m not like most girls. Not to mention the fact that I am a woman, not a girl.” I winked then looked down. “You may want to tighten that towel, I can see your dick.” I glanced down once more where I could see way down his happy trail to the top inch of his cock.

He didn’t move a muscle, just licked his bottom lip and assessed me with his steely gaze. “This is going to be interesting with you here, I can already tell.”

I turned on a heel and opened the door. “What’s the fun in life if everything’s pre-
dick
-ta-ble,” I shot over my back and walked into the hall.

He chuckled and shook his head then shut the door.   

***

I was sitting at the bar munching on a chicken salad sandwich when Hector and Anthony emerged a half hour later.

“By far, the best chicken salad I’ve ever had,” I told Renaldo and swiveled my chair around to greet the men. Renaldo had given me the lowdown while he made lunch. Apparently, he was not only the housekeeper, he cleaned, cooked, and did whatever the guys needed. Turned out, he was also fluent in the art of gossip. It seems that because I was a hired employee, that gave me the right to be updated on the latest dealings with our hunky bosses. 

Renaldo set two plates down on each side of me and continued about his task humming quietly. I liked the little fella. Definitely of Latin or Hispanic descent, he was plump, in his fifties, all of five foot five, discernably gay based on the way he gushed about the good looks of said bosses, and had a friendly, puppy-like quality about him.

“Mia Saunders,” Hector approached with his arms out wide and pulled me into a tight hug. “Thank you for coming.”

“No thanks necessary. You did pay for me to be here?”

Hector pulled back and brushed a lock of hair over my shoulder. “Yes, but you still have a choice. We’re glad you chose us.”

I shrugged. “Cool. It’s good to meet you.” I glanced over to the mammoth hunk and held out my hand. “Anthony Fasano, my new fiancé I presume.”

Anthony chuckled and blew a fast breath out his nose before grasping my hand in a firm hold. “The one and only. It’s good to meet my future bride.”

Hector’s head flung around so fast it could have been mistaken for a top. “Excuse me. You mean pretend bride. If anyone’s walking down an aisle with
you
, big guy, it will be me!” He pursed his lips together and mumbled under his breath while taking the seat next to me.

“
Papi
, don’t. You know I was joking. You don’t have to be so literal.” Anthony shook his head and rested his hands at his sides. “And you can call me Tony. If you’re going to be my pretend fiancée we may as well get that one straight right off the bat.” He moved forward and maneuvered his giant frame onto the small stool. Well, it only seemed small when he sat on it. I waited and watched the wooden legs to see if they were going to break under the pressure of all that male muscle. 

Hector clinked his shoulder with mine breaking me from my stupor. “Hey, eyes on your sandwich, missy. All that hunky hotness,”—he tipped his chin at Tony and then back to me—“is mine and mine alone. You get that, we’ll be just fine.”

I opened my mouth to say something but instead let out a breath and nodded.

“So, what’s my first assignment?” I bit into the sandwich and looked from one side to the other where the guys caged me in. In only three bites, Tony finished half of his sandwich. Damn, he was big.

He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Tonight, the three of us get to know each other. Tomorrow morning, you meet Ma.”

I’m pretty certain my entire face flattened like a pancake the way that information slapped me upside the head. “Tomorrow? After one night, you expect me to act like I’m in love with you and fool your mother. As in, the woman who gave birth to you?”

Both Hector and Tony nodded. Then Hector spoke. “Your description said you were an actress. We figured that was a plus for us. Besides, tomorrow’s Friday night dinner and we always meet Ma and the family for dinner.”

“The family?”

Tony smiled and took an alligator-sized bite of his sandwich pushing the remaining bit into his mouth. Renaldo set another sandwich on his plate and glass of milk in front of him. Tony sucked down half the milk in one go.

“Impressive,” I said.

Hector bumped my shoulder again. “I know,” he waggled his eyebrows and grinned.

I shook my head and focused on the matter at hand. Turning my chair so I was facing Hector, I laid it out. “You want me to not only pretend to be his fiancée but make his mother
and
extended family believe it too. All in one shot?”

Hector’s brown eyes twinkled. “
Si
. I knew you were a smart one.”

“Impossible.”

“Nah,” Tony clapped me on the shoulder and rung my body as if I was one of the guys. “You’ve got this. I can already tell. You’re gorgeous, down to Earth, and you’ve got a bit of an edge. Italian’s like that. Can you cook?”

“I do all right.”

Tony licked his lips, leaned a forearm on the counter top and encroached on my personal space. “Like Italian food?”

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

He glanced at Hector next to me then back. “Are you easily intimidated…”

I pressed my chest forward, straightening my spine and got into his space. “Do I look the type that intimidates easily?”

“You didn’t let me finish.” Tony moved a bit closer and I tried not to flinch but couldn’t help myself from pressing back. That pushed me into Hector who steadied me at the biceps. “Are you intimidated by strong women?”

“Look, I can handle myself against a bunch of tiny Italians.” 

Tony and Hector smiled so wide it was if they were mirror images of the other. “Fair enough. Then, let’s get started on the specifics.”

“Oh, snap. We’re going to need a truck load of wine for this,” Hector sighed and left the room, presumably to get a bottle of wine.

***

“Oh my god! You did not do that!” I screeched almost sloshing wine onto the carpet. Instead just a few drops tagged the table. Hector face planted into my lap laughing so hard I could feel the heat of his breath against my knees.

Tony wiped up the spill and refreshed my glass.

“We did. Stark assed naked. Ran the entire length of the football field all wearing helmets and nothing else. We’d painted a different letter on our chests and when the last goal was made, we rushed onto the field. Most of our fraternity. We spelled out “L-O-S-E-R-S…S-U-C-K… I-T” standing long enough for the visiting team’s side to get a good look before we ran like hell.”

I patted Hector on the back. “You too?”

He nodded and then pushed up. “Shortly thereafter, Anthony and I became an item. Well, privately.”

“So who knows you’re a couple?” I asked the question I’d wanted to know all evening.

“Not many,” Hector said sourly.

“
Papi
please,” Tony begged.

Hector sighed then hugged me close. We flopped backwards to lean against the couch shoulder to shoulder, his side plastered against mine. It felt nice. Kind of like it would if I had a brother. “You see, My Anthony, does not want to deal with the press, his family, or business issues if he were to come clean about his sexual orientation.”

“That’s messed up.” I was surprised at how strong my tone came across.

“You’re telling me!” Hector clinked glasses with mine.

Tony set his glass on the table. “Look, it’s hard enough being a young boxer turned businessman. Add being gay to that and I’ve got a disaster on my hands. The league might not let me box.”

Instantly, I felt indignant. “They can’t do that, can they? That’s slander, defamation or something!” My alcohol addled brain couldn’t quite come up with all the reasons that was awful at the moment, but the second I got the use of all my grey matter back I was going to come up with a humdinger of a reply.

“Sadly, they would find other reasons, but being gay would be the underlying cause.  Then there’s business. I’m an Italian man who owns a
family
restaurant. The face of Fasano’s has always been my Pops, Ma, me and my four sisters.” I liked that he called his dad the same nickname I did. Connected us in a way.

It was impossible to keep my mouth shut. “You have
four
sisters! Holy fucking shit. They are
so
going to know we’re not a couple!” I shook my head and Hector nodded. “Women know when something’s fishy. Are you sure they don’t know about you already?”

Tony stood and started pacing. “They don’t know. I’ve given them no reason to think otherwise. What you also don’t know, Mia, and the biggest reason you’re here is because of the family name.”

“Fasano,” I roared feeling like the kid in class that knew the answer and yelled it out without being called on.

He sat down on the arm of the couch. “Yes. I am the sole heir to my father’s company, even though all of my sisters participate in some way. We make many of the decisions together.” He shook his head then laid his head in his hands. “It’s more than that. You see, I’m the only male Fasano left. If I don’t have a child, our name dies with me. And with me being gay…” his words trailed off and his head hung again, seemingly carrying theT entire weight of the world.

“Do you want children?” I blurted out the question, as was my way when consuming copious amounts of alcohol. 

Tony raked his fingers through the layers of his hair. His gaze went to Hector. “Um, well, we never really talked about it.”

Hector seemed to get taller in his seat. He stood and walked over to Tony and cupped his cheeks. “Baby, do you want kids?”

I should have left. Snuck out. Just wasn’t in my nature. No, I was the type to be quiet as a mouse and get all up in this business without getting caught.

Tony looked at Hector with love and sadness in his eyes. “I always did.” His voice sounded hoarse, thick with emotion.

“We can find a way, adopt or you know, maybe a surrogate.”

I smiled so wide then socked back the rest of my wine in one gulp allowing it to burn a trail down my throat. Standing up I flung out a hand to brace myself trying to get my legs back in working order.

“That’s my cue. My work here is done.” I bent over and bowed. The two men didn’t even notice, too lost in each other. They just held one another, foreheads touching whispering words only they could hear. It was beautiful. More than that. It was special, and I was glad I got to experience it.