exaggerated movements and said, “So beautiful, Mari. I swear, you weren’t born, you fell from the sky just like your mother.” He was my father’s brother and when my father left home in search of a pack of cigarettes never to return, Uncle Francesco made it his mission to woo my mother into his arms. Unfortunately for him, mom was done with all Zapata men at that point, not just my “no good, run-around papi.”
“Here.” Ricky jabbed me in the arm with my phone. “You dropped this ."
“Thanks.” I slipped it in my pocket and hoped Luca would wait until I could get to him. If I’d known the patron saint of illicit affairs, I would have lit a candle to him. However, a prayer straight to the Big Guy on behalf of my neglected vagina seemed too crass, so I let it go.
“Who’s Luca?” Ricky asked with a slick smile. He rocked back on his heels and looked all the world like a little brother about to blackmail his big sister. He knew our mom didn’t know Luca or he would have been invited along with the entire neighborhood and all of my extended family.
“A friend ,” hoping I didn’t sound nervous. Ricky was a devious little fuck and I didn’t want to explain Luca to him.
“Oh.” He smiled even bigger. “Well, he’s on his way here. I gave him the address while you were being mauled by Uncle Frankie.”
The blood in my face honest to God drained all the way to my feet. I felt dizzy. “No, Ricky. That’s not funny.”
“What do you mean? He’s just a friend , right?”
“Ricky, you puke- sucking prick. I cannot introduce him to our mother. Do you understand me?” I was dangerously close to losing my shit. Luca was a fantasy. He was not meant to ever meet the people in my workaday nine-to-five life.
“Seriously?” Ricky had the decency to actually look scared, and maybe even a tad repentant.
“You obviously read his messages. What were you thinking ?” I needed to sit down. I put my hand over my abdomen and breathed deeply. That made the head rush worse. I pictured my mom smiling with the twinkle of little grandchildren in her eyes as she asked Luca what his intentions were with her baby girl, me. What would Luca say? Well, ma’am, first I plan to bend her over this table right here and fuck her from behind as hard and as long as I can. Then if she can still stand. . .
No, it was not an introduction I ever wanted to make.
I grabbed Ricky’s arm and hissed. “You have to fix this.”
“Okay, okay.” Ricky jerked his arm away. “What do you want me to do?”
“You meet him at the door and you keep him away from Mom.” Simple enough that even Ricky should be able to pull it off.
We made it three-quarters of the way through the birthday song before Luca walked in. His hair was longer than shown on his online profile picture, and the ends curled around his ears. It was too long to be short, but too short to be long, stuck in that unruly middle stage. It was perfectly tug gable and I wanted nothing more than to run my hands through it, grab a fist full, and ride his face until I came.
He had beautiful, deep brown soulful eyes and a quick flirty smile. And if he didn’t stop directing that smile at every other woman in the room, I would grab hold of that hair sooner rather than later.
He finally found me right as the singing stopped and the cheering began. He tilted his head to the side and offered me a lopsided smile and mouthed, “Hello,” and I was dumbstruck. Instead of blowing out the candles like a normal person, I stood there smiling like a fourteen-year-old girl with her first crush. To complete my mortal embarrassment, I even finger waved.
My uncle roared with laughter and clapped me on the back. “Ah, Mari, blow out your candles now and make eyes at your boyfriend later.”
It took a lot to make me blush hard enough for it to show, but that did the trick. I ducked my head, blew out the candles and prayed that others would think my flaming face was caused by the
“Here.” Ricky jabbed me in the arm with my phone. “You dropped this ."
“Thanks.” I slipped it in my pocket and hoped Luca would wait until I could get to him. If I’d known the patron saint of illicit affairs, I would have lit a candle to him. However, a prayer straight to the Big Guy on behalf of my neglected vagina seemed too crass, so I let it go.
“Who’s Luca?” Ricky asked with a slick smile. He rocked back on his heels and looked all the world like a little brother about to blackmail his big sister. He knew our mom didn’t know Luca or he would have been invited along with the entire neighborhood and all of my extended family.
“A friend ,” hoping I didn’t sound nervous. Ricky was a devious little fuck and I didn’t want to explain Luca to him.
“Oh.” He smiled even bigger. “Well, he’s on his way here. I gave him the address while you were being mauled by Uncle Frankie.”
The blood in my face honest to God drained all the way to my feet. I felt dizzy. “No, Ricky. That’s not funny.”
“What do you mean? He’s just a friend , right?”
“Ricky, you puke- sucking prick. I cannot introduce him to our mother. Do you understand me?” I was dangerously close to losing my shit. Luca was a fantasy. He was not meant to ever meet the people in my workaday nine-to-five life.
“Seriously?” Ricky had the decency to actually look scared, and maybe even a tad repentant.
“You obviously read his messages. What were you thinking ?” I needed to sit down. I put my hand over my abdomen and breathed deeply. That made the head rush worse. I pictured my mom smiling with the twinkle of little grandchildren in her eyes as she asked Luca what his intentions were with her baby girl, me. What would Luca say? Well, ma’am, first I plan to bend her over this table right here and fuck her from behind as hard and as long as I can. Then if she can still stand. . .
No, it was not an introduction I ever wanted to make.
I grabbed Ricky’s arm and hissed. “You have to fix this.”
“Okay, okay.” Ricky jerked his arm away. “What do you want me to do?”
“You meet him at the door and you keep him away from Mom.” Simple enough that even Ricky should be able to pull it off.
We made it three-quarters of the way through the birthday song before Luca walked in. His hair was longer than shown on his online profile picture, and the ends curled around his ears. It was too long to be short, but too short to be long, stuck in that unruly middle stage. It was perfectly tug gable and I wanted nothing more than to run my hands through it, grab a fist full, and ride his face until I came.
He had beautiful, deep brown soulful eyes and a quick flirty smile. And if he didn’t stop directing that smile at every other woman in the room, I would grab hold of that hair sooner rather than later.
He finally found me right as the singing stopped and the cheering began. He tilted his head to the side and offered me a lopsided smile and mouthed, “Hello,” and I was dumbstruck. Instead of blowing out the candles like a normal person, I stood there smiling like a fourteen-year-old girl with her first crush. To complete my mortal embarrassment, I even finger waved.
My uncle roared with laughter and clapped me on the back. “Ah, Mari, blow out your candles now and make eyes at your boyfriend later.”
It took a lot to make me blush hard enough for it to show, but that did the trick. I ducked my head, blew out the candles and prayed that others would think my flaming face was caused by the
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