Compromising Positions(18)

A light glimmered in Marco’s eyes, and he looked hopeful for a split second, before his expression shuttered again.

“It’s odd that you used that word. Audience.”

“Odd? Why? You two were certainly putting on a show.” She couldn’t help the bitterness in her voice. She drew a circle on the roof of the car with her fingertip, around and around and around. Just like this conversation.

“Actually, only one of us was putting on a show.”

Mina looked at him and her finger stopped moving. Dark eyes bore into hers and she shivered at the intensity she saw there.

“Wha-at do you mean?” She felt like Demosthenes with his pebbles, trying not to stutter. “What show?”

“What does it matter?” Marco took a deep breath and gave her a twisted little smile that hurt. “It won’t change anything. You’ll just find another excuse, another sin, and you’ll run again. Maybe you should just go now.”

“What show?” She demanded.

He stared at her for a long moment and she feared he wasn’t going to answer, and she needed that answer.

“Please.” Her voice was quiet in the busy street, her throat sore from crying and yelling, but she knew he heard. A second passed, and then another until something fell into place and he nodded in answer to some internal argument.

“Will you listen?” The words were simple, but there was a world of meaning in them. She knew that if she agreed she was committing herself to something bigger than this conversation in the street. She knew it could hurt, but she was already hurting more than she’d ever imagined.

What did she have to lose?

“I’ll listen.” The decision made, her bravery returned, faint but real, and she opened the car door. “Let’s go somewhere we can talk.”

As she slid into the leather seat she glanced back up at Giovanni’s apartment. Ivy was standing in the second story window watching, and Gio’s head was just visible behind her. Ivy smiled and nodded, giving Mina a thumbs-up as she slammed the door, and Mina could only hope her friend was right. Otherwise, she’d just gone from the frying pan back into the fire.





Chapter Five

Marco drove in silence, and Mina watched the scenery as it passed. Giovanni’s apartment was in Genoa--a bigger city than Miami--but Portofino was tiny. She’d explored the area in between as she’d wandered her way through the local museums, and pretty soon she realized they were headed back to the villa. Back to the beginning.

Or the end.

She couldn’t stand the silence. They’d spent hours on these roads, all of them more comfortable than this one. At least they could talk about work. “The last of the collezione shipped out this morning.”

“You went to the office?” He sounded surprised, and she felt a little redness warm her cheeks.

“I sent Gio.” She didn’t know why the admission embarrassed her. She’d already explained that she hadn’t wanted to see him--this was no different.

“I thought you’d be there,” she shifted in her seat, “and I wasn’t ready to see you.”

Marco shot her a confused look. “How could I be there? We didn’t arrive at the airport until two” he looked at his watch, “and a half hours ago.”

She shook her head, “Think about it. I didn’t even know you were gone. How could I know you hadn’t gotten back?”

The conversation stalled and Mina zoned out watching fence-posts as they zipped past.

“You didn’t know I’d flown to Miami?” There was an odd note in Marco’s voice and she turned in her seat to look at him.

“No idea,” she shrugged her shoulder a little. “It didn’t even occur to me that was possible. I mean, no matter what else was happening, the collezione had to be dealt with. When I left the villa I asked Giovanni to find me a hotel. It wasn’t until later that he offered to let me stay at his place since it was convenient to the main offices in Genoa and I didn’t have a car.” A stormy look crossed his face and she rolled her eyes. “Don’t look like that. He was a perfect…”

Marco gave her another look and the words died in her throat.

“We will talk about Giovanni later,” he said, and she shivered at the edge in the words, “but right now I have another question. Did you leave a message for me Saturday morning?”

The impending conversation was forgotten and she shook her head.

“Message?” Mina gave a little snort. “No. I had a lot I wanted to say, but I didn’t leave any messages. I thought you’d call, or come by, or something, and I could say it to your face. ” She realized how pathetic that sounded and wished she could take it back, but it was true. She’d been hurt and angry but underneath it all she’d been certain that he would track her down and they’d have another knockdown, drag-out fight that would probably end up with them in bed. Shows what she knew.