Opposites Attract (20 page)

Maddie
acknowledged the applause like a pro, tested her mike, and then
turned to speak to the band. The first strains of music filled the
restaurant followed by the beautiful sound of Maddie’s voice.

She
belted out a sultry 1930’s love song like she was born singing
it as Antonio sat openmouthed. He stared at her through the entire
performance. It wasn’t until she finished and walked off stage
that he found his voice.

He
turned to Brad. “What the hell just happened?”

Brad
laughed at his reaction. “Pretty great, huh? She used to sing
with them on weekends during law school. She gave it up when she got
married. I knew they were playing here tonight and I was hoping she’d
maybe get back into it again. They’re very interested in her
coming back to the band…if she doesn’t kill me first.”

~

After
Maddie finished singing she talked for another minute with the guys.
It was good to catch up with them, even if she was mad at Brad for
springing this on her. That was uppermost in her mind as she walked
back to the table to deal with her meddling brother. She sat quickly,
embarrassed as Troy rose from his seat, clapped and yelled, “Bravo!”

Maddie
could feel her cheeks getting hot. The only problem with being a
natural blond was that when you blushed, you really blushed.

“
Stop,
please.” She brushed his praise away then turned on her
brother. “There, I sang. Are you happy your evil plan worked?”

“
Yes,
very happy.” Brad leaned over and hugged her hard. “Love
you, sis.”

She
couldn’t stay mad and gave in with a sigh. “Love you
too.”

“
I
saw you talking with the guys. So?”

“
Brad,
don’t push.”

The
bandleader had asked if she wanted to come back and sing with them
and as crazy as it sounded for a lawyer to moonlight as a lounge
singer, Maddie was considering it. Though she’d be damned if
she admitted that to him now. Brad nodded like he was respecting her
privacy, but at the same time smiled as though he’d won the
battle. She hated when he won.

On
the other side of her, Antonio leaned over close. “You were
amazing.”

“
Thanks.”
Judging by the heat in her face, she was blushing even more.

She
hated the thought of how red her cheeks must be but she liked the
idea of Antonio thinking she was amazing. And the looks he’d
given her the whole time she’d been on stage singing was
definitely far from friend-like. She was glad she wore her favorite
little black dress for the occasion. It was one of the few things
that made her feel sexy since her divorce.

In
an effort to divert the attention from herself, she glanced around
the table. “The rest of the girls aren’t back from the
bathroom yet?”

Troy
frowned. “No. That’s strange. What could they be doing in
there?”

“
They
were fixing their makeup in the mirror and chatting when I left.”
Maddie glanced toward the back of the restaurant. “Should I go
check on them?”

As
if in answer to the question, Maria appeared.

“
I
don’t want to alarm anyone, but we may have an issue. Alyssa is
in the ladies’ room turning absolutely green. Amy stayed with
her. Brad, I think you better take her home. But the question is,”
she glanced down at the platters of food they had all shared and
placed a hand on her stomach, “is the problem with Alyssa or
with the meal?”

As
Brad jumped to his feet Maddie glanced down at the remaining food and
certainly hoped it was Alyssa’s stomach.

“
Don’t
worry, I’m sure it’s
not
the food.” He took
a step toward the bathrooms then stopped and turned back, obviously
just realizing he’d picked Maddie up so she didn’t have
her car to get home. He hissed in a breath through his teeth, “Ugh.
Maddie…”

She
held up a hand. “Go ahead and get Alyssa home. Don’t
worry about me, I’ll get a ride.” And she had an
excellent idea who might be able to drive her home.

Looking
relieved, Brad said goodbye and took off toward the bathrooms.

Moments
after Brad’s departure, Amy returned to the table, cell phone
in hand. “Now
I
have bad news.” She looked at
Troy. “Henri just called. He has a flat tire and doesn’t
know how to change it. He asked if you’d come do it.”

Troy
rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t he belong to an auto club?”

“
No,
he doesn’t believe in them. He says they’re part of an
international corporate conspiracy against gays and old people or
something like that.”

Maddie
started to laugh and covered it with a cough.

Troy
sighed. “Where is he?”

Amy
winced. “Um, Love Potion #9.”

At
the mention of the infamous gay club, Maddie could barely control
herself and Antonio did laugh out loud.

When
Troy sent him a killer look, Antonio held up his hands in defense.
“Sorry, man but it’s funny.”

With
the scrape of metal against wood, Troy pushed his chair back and gave
in. “Okay. Maria, are you up for this trip? If not, I’m
sure the comedian over here can drop you off at home.” Troy
hooked a thumb in Antonio’s direction.

Maria
jumped up from her seat. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t
miss this for the world. I haven’t been to Love Potion in
years. Is Jon Jon still tending bar topless and bare-assed?”

Amy
and Maria walked ahead comparing notes on this apparently half-nude
Jon Jon character while Troy asked Antonio, “Can you make sure
Maddie gets home?”

“
Safe
and sound,” Antonio promised.

Troy
leaned over Antonio and spoke directly to Maddie. “You okay
with Antonio dropping you off?”

She
nodded as her pulse sped at the thought of a little time alone with
him. Maybe it might be just what she needed to insure he didn’t
think of her as a friend. But if she and Antonio did get together,
that would mean Brad’s interfering had worked again and she
didn’t think she could handle that twice in one night.

Troy
patted Antonio on the shoulder. “The bill is all taken care of
for the night, so stay and enjoy yourself. I’ll see you at the
firehouse, Antonio. Night, Maddie.”

After
Troy, Maria and Amy had left to go rescue Henri, Antonio leaned back
and glanced at Maddie. She was a beauty, even more so when she was
looking as relaxed as she was now. He liked that she’d finally
let loose. It was a far cry from the Maddie he’d met last night
taking refuge in Troy’s bedroom.

He
laid an arm on the back of her chair. “So, it looks like it’s
just you and me, kid. Do you think this was all part of their evil
plan or a tragic series of coincidences?”

She
shook her head. “I don’t know. But if I find out Alyssa
faked being ill and got us all worried for nothing, she’s going
to wish she really was sick.”

“
I
kind of believe the Henri story. You can’t make that stuff up.”
Antonio looked over his shoulder at the band, then back to Maddie.
“So, you can tell me. No pressure. Are you going to start
singing again?”

“
Yeah.
I think I might. It was fun. And I didn’t realize how much I
missed it until I was up on stage. I guess that’s what Brad
wanted and I so hate when he’s right.”

Antonio
laughed and was about to ask Maddie if she wanted anything from the
waitress when she slid down in her seat and shielded her eyes with
one hand. “Oh no.”

“
What?”

“
My
ex and his girlfriend.”

“
Where?”
He spun in his chair and searched the room.

“
Oh,
for God’s sake, don’t look,” she hissed.

Too
late. Antonio had already spotted her ex and his new flame. He knew
the minute he saw them. The guy, in his late thirties, looked…
Well, he looked like the kind of idiot who would be dumb enough to
cheat on Maddie. And the girl, a good fifteen years younger than him,
looked like a cheap, bleached-blonde imitation of Maddie with breast
implants. The physical resemblance was kind of there, but none of the
class or depth. Where Maddie had the long lean body and grace of a
runway model, the clone looked more like a pole dancer. What the hell
had her husband been thinking?

He
pursed his lips then made a decision. He grabbed Maddie’s hand.
“Come on. Dance with me.”

“
No,
I can’t face them.” She tugged her hand back.

“
You
won’t be facing them. You’ll be facing me.” Antonio
smiled his encouragement and stood. He extended his hand again.
“Trust me.”

For
a moment she stayed perfectly still, then finally she gave him her
hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

With
one hand around her waist and the other holding hers, Antonio steered
Maddie around the dance floor to the sound of the music. He was happy
to see that her ass of an ex not only noticed them, but also had the
decency to look disturbed by it. Antonio pulled her closer in
response. She didn’t protest. He laid his head against her
curls and breathed in the unique scent that was Maddie. Finding he
had no problem forgetting about the reason for their dance, he just
enjoyed having Maddie in his arms.

It
felt right. In fact, it felt way too good and he wanted more.

Tina
flashed through his mind along with guilt that he guessed should be
expected after so many years of marriage. He’d talk to her
tomorrow, no matter what other plans she had. They both had to accept
that their marriage was over except for the paperwork. That detail
he’d remedy as soon as possible.

He
and Maddie didn’t speak a word on the dance floor. His
emotions, not to mention libido, were in such turmoil he probably
couldn’t have made conversation even if he tried. When the song
ended, he managed to ask, “You holding up?”

“
Could
we go?” She sounded a little breathless.

“
Of
course.” He dropped his hands from her waist. Maybe he’d
gone too far holding her so close.

“
Antonio?”

He
stopped and turned back toward her, leaning closer to hear since
she’d spoken so softly. “Yeah?”

“
Thanks.”
Maddie put a hand on his cheek and then as he stood motionless, she
kissed him full on the mouth right there in the middle of the dance
floor.

Heart
pounding, he swallowed hard when she broke the kiss.

Maybe
he hadn’t gone too far after all. Or maybe this was a show for
her ex. A crazy mix of thoughts swirled through his head as his body
wanted nothing more than to lean into Maddie again.

In
the midst of the internal commotion, Antonio managed to choke out one
word. “Anytime.”

Now
all he had to do was remember how to drive.

Chapter 4

He’d
kissed her on the freaking head!

Antonio
still couldn’t believe it. He’d driven Maddie home from
the restaurant, walked her to her door, kissed her on the forehead of
all places, then left her standing there in the open doorway.

He
glanced in the rearview mirror of his SUV to make sure both kids were
still properly strapped and belted in and fought the urge to beat his
own head against the steering wheel at the memory of how last night
had ended.

But
through the frustration he realized there was nothing else he could
have done. Although Maddie had made the first move by kissing him in
the restaurant and even though his wife had chosen to stop sharing
his home or his bed months ago, he still wasn’t free to hop
into Maddie’s bed or even into her life. Not yet, anyway.

Antonio
pulled up in front of the home he used to share with his wife. Tina
came out of the house to help him get the kids out of the car. He
felt his stomach begin to twist in knots. He reminded himself that it
was Tina who’d started this whole separation process last
summer when she suddenly decided she needed space, whatever the hell
that meant. That was when he offered to stay with his parents for a
while.

Of
course that had been when he assumed this whole thing was temporary,
that she’d come to her senses in a few days and tell him it was
just PMS or something. He realized now there’d been clues all
along he’d missed.