out on the table before them.
Chelsea was the first to look away. She took a sip of her water, knowing that it wouldn’t help at all to cool her down. “Tomorrow, if you see the Farbers at the beach,” she said, amazed that her voice could sound so normal, “tell them I’ve had too much sun—that’s why I’m not with you.”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, all right.”
The waiter appeared, carrying Chelsea’s salad and his swordfish steak.
Johnny looked up at him. “Sorry for the inconvenience,”he said, “but can you have room service bring this up to our rooms?”
“No problem at all, sir.” The food disappeared back toward the kitchen.
Johnny got to his feet, holding out his hand for Chelsea. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s make it look good for the Farbers.”
Chelsea stood and he pulled her close, looping his arm around her shoulders. She caught a glimpse of Susan Farber’s knowing smile as they left the restaurant.
If Susan Farber only knew …
Chelsea was stepping into the warm water of a bath when the phone rang. Thinking it could only be Moira, she sat down among the bubbles and reached for the telephone’s bathroom extension.
“It’s about time that you called,” she said as a greeting as she nestled the phone against her ear.
There was a pause, then a voice that was decidedly
not
Moira’s spoke. “I don’t know who exactly you expect this to be, but it’s not. It’s me.”
It was Johnny Anziano. Chelsea nearly droppedthe receiver into the bubbly water. She was undressed and in the bathtub, which seemed an utterly inappropriate place to have a conversation with him.
“I thought you were Moira,” she admitted.
“Well, I’m not,” he said.
She stood up, water sheeting off of her as she reached for her towel. But she stopped mid-grab, catching sight of her reflection in the big mirror over the double set of sinks. She was naked, her body glistening in the dim light of the candle she’d brought into the bathroom. But so what if she was naked? Johnny couldn’t see her. And if she got out of the tub to talk to him, the water would be cold by the time she got back in.
Besides, it would be fun to talk to him, knowing that he’d damn near have a heart attack if he knew where she was and what she was doing. She could just imagine the look on his face. …
She sat down among the bubbles, smiling at the thought. “What’s up?”
“You know, it just suddenly occurred to me that we could talk on the phone.” His voice was smoky and resonant—and capable of sending shivers down her spine and heat coursing through herentire body. “You’re over there and I’m over here, and the door’s locked between us, so the whole temptation thing is pretty much taken care of.”
He was right. They could talk on the phone without running the risk of winding up in each other’s arms. And she wanted to talk to him. She
liked
talking to him. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “What do you want to talk about?”
He didn’t hesitate. “You.”
She opened her eyes. “That’s not fair. How come we can’t talk about
you
?”
“We can take turns,” he suggested. “I’ll ask you a question, and then you can ask me one.”
“How come you get to go first?”
Johnny laughed. “All right.
You
go first.”
“Okay.” Chelsea gazed up at the moisture dripping down the steamy tile walls. It seemed to gleam in the candlelight. She sank down into the water until the bubbles covered all but the tops of her breasts. “Let’s see. … What kind of car are you going to buy with the seventy-five grand?”
He laughed again. He had a really fabulous laugh. “Who says I’m going to buy a car?”
“The woman at Meals on Wheels told me youdrive an ancient VW Bug,” Chelsea told him, sinking farther into the water, so that the back of her head was wet, careful not to drop the receiver in. “Allegedly, the car’s already died, but both you and it refuse to acknowledge
Chelsea was the first to look away. She took a sip of her water, knowing that it wouldn’t help at all to cool her down. “Tomorrow, if you see the Farbers at the beach,” she said, amazed that her voice could sound so normal, “tell them I’ve had too much sun—that’s why I’m not with you.”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, all right.”
The waiter appeared, carrying Chelsea’s salad and his swordfish steak.
Johnny looked up at him. “Sorry for the inconvenience,”he said, “but can you have room service bring this up to our rooms?”
“No problem at all, sir.” The food disappeared back toward the kitchen.
Johnny got to his feet, holding out his hand for Chelsea. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s make it look good for the Farbers.”
Chelsea stood and he pulled her close, looping his arm around her shoulders. She caught a glimpse of Susan Farber’s knowing smile as they left the restaurant.
If Susan Farber only knew …
Chelsea was stepping into the warm water of a bath when the phone rang. Thinking it could only be Moira, she sat down among the bubbles and reached for the telephone’s bathroom extension.
“It’s about time that you called,” she said as a greeting as she nestled the phone against her ear.
There was a pause, then a voice that was decidedly
not
Moira’s spoke. “I don’t know who exactly you expect this to be, but it’s not. It’s me.”
It was Johnny Anziano. Chelsea nearly droppedthe receiver into the bubbly water. She was undressed and in the bathtub, which seemed an utterly inappropriate place to have a conversation with him.
“I thought you were Moira,” she admitted.
“Well, I’m not,” he said.
She stood up, water sheeting off of her as she reached for her towel. But she stopped mid-grab, catching sight of her reflection in the big mirror over the double set of sinks. She was naked, her body glistening in the dim light of the candle she’d brought into the bathroom. But so what if she was naked? Johnny couldn’t see her. And if she got out of the tub to talk to him, the water would be cold by the time she got back in.
Besides, it would be fun to talk to him, knowing that he’d damn near have a heart attack if he knew where she was and what she was doing. She could just imagine the look on his face. …
She sat down among the bubbles, smiling at the thought. “What’s up?”
“You know, it just suddenly occurred to me that we could talk on the phone.” His voice was smoky and resonant—and capable of sending shivers down her spine and heat coursing through herentire body. “You’re over there and I’m over here, and the door’s locked between us, so the whole temptation thing is pretty much taken care of.”
He was right. They could talk on the phone without running the risk of winding up in each other’s arms. And she wanted to talk to him. She
liked
talking to him. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “What do you want to talk about?”
He didn’t hesitate. “You.”
She opened her eyes. “That’s not fair. How come we can’t talk about
you
?”
“We can take turns,” he suggested. “I’ll ask you a question, and then you can ask me one.”
“How come you get to go first?”
Johnny laughed. “All right.
You
go first.”
“Okay.” Chelsea gazed up at the moisture dripping down the steamy tile walls. It seemed to gleam in the candlelight. She sank down into the water until the bubbles covered all but the tops of her breasts. “Let’s see. … What kind of car are you going to buy with the seventy-five grand?”
He laughed again. He had a really fabulous laugh. “Who says I’m going to buy a car?”
“The woman at Meals on Wheels told me youdrive an ancient VW Bug,” Chelsea told him, sinking farther into the water, so that the back of her head was wet, careful not to drop the receiver in. “Allegedly, the car’s already died, but both you and it refuse to acknowledge
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