He brought my mouth to his and kissed me. He had the most amazing mouth. Not only did he give great blow jobs, but his kisses…Well, as the song went, they were sweeter than wine.
“What do you say tonight we go out and celebrate Valentine’s Day in style? I made a reservation for us at Raphael’s, for around seven.”
“And you got it?” He seemed surprised. Raphael’s was so popular that on the major holidays, it paid to call way in advance.
I pinched his chin. “I made it just before Christmas. Is it okay? I’ll cancel if you have to work late.”
“That’ll be fine. I’ll be home early if I have to walk over Mr. Vincent.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “You only say that because he’s out of town.” Wills had mentioned the day before that Vince had told him he’d be running things for the next few days.
“This is true.” He loosened his tie, unbuttoned his top button, and dropped the pendant inside his shirt, then touched the spot above his heart. “I’ll…” His smile became rueful, and I wondered what he’d been about to say. “I love it,” he repeated, and buttoned his shirt and fixed his tie. “And I’d better get going before I’m late.”
“Wouldn’t Vince cut you a little slack?”
“I’ve never pushed it, and I’m not gonna start now. I’ll see you later, babe.” Another quick kiss, and he was out the door.
Miss Su came in and sat down, her bobtail tucked neatly against her hind leg. “Mrrow?”
“Didn’t Daddy feed you?”
“Mrrow.”
“Okay, give me a minute.”
“Mrrow.” She didn’t have a large vocabulary, but she got a lot of mileage out of what she did have.
I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and went into the kitchen. An empty Fancy Feast can was in the sink, soaking so it could be recycled. “Tiramisu!”
She became busy grooming her whiskers, and I laughed and went back to bed.
* * * *
It was about a quarter after six. The door opened, and Wills barreled in. “Hi, babe. Sorry I’m late. Traffic.”
“You’re not that late.”
He leaned forward to snatch a kiss, then drew back and whistled. “You look gorgeous.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” I wanted to kiss him, but we were going to be pressed for time as it was. Then I thought Fuck it and kissed him anyway. “Now, give me your coat, and go shower and change. I have your Hugo Boss hanging from the closet door.” I’d finally talked him into getting a new suit. He’d winced at the price, then sucked it up to please me. He still refused to wear it to work, though.
“You don’t care for my Bill Blass?” His tone was injured, but his eyes were laughing.
“You bought it right after college, right? It’s more than five years old, babe. And even if I’m the only one who can tell it’s out of style…”
“You’re the only one who matters, Theo.”
“God, I…” I touched his chest. Beneath my fingers I could feel the pendant that hung over his heart. I hoped he knew what I meant. Saying those three words was still one of the most difficult things for me to do.
He covered my hand with his. “I know, babe.”
For a second I lost myself in the dark chocolate of his eyes. He squeezed my hand and released it, and I reached down and patted his hip. “Get going, Wills. Giovanni will only hold our reservation for so long.”
“In that case, I won’t ask you to join me.”
“Later, okay?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Y’know, you really don’t need to shave.” I couldn’t resist caressing his cheek with its five o’clock shadow.
“I thought the Miami Vice look was out.”
“Everything old is new again. You could start your own trend…how the computer troubleshooter of the twenty-first century is appearing.”
“My dad would have a fit. He was always big on being clean-shaven.”
“Trust me, babe. If he were gay, he’d go wild over it.”
“Now that’s something I don’t want to picture.”
“Your dad being gay?” I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled.
“Ass.” He blinked. “Actually, the thought of my Dad doing what we do? Uh…no.”
“You think he never had sex?”
“Well, of course he had sex. At least three times.” He was trying to look innocent and wasn’t very successful. We both started laughing. “I’ll shave in the shower and be done in ten minutes. Do you want me to drive?” If he did, he wouldn’t drink. He’d told me when we first started seeing each other that he never drank and drove, not even a single beer or glass of wine.
“Nah. I managed to get one of my clients a hefty tax return from Uncle Sugar, and she was so pleased she gave me a nice bonus. I think we can afford a cab for tonight.”
“I’m proud of you, babe.” He brushed his lips over mine. “And a cab sounds good.”
“Get a move on, hotshot.”
“Yes, master.”