AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why?”
“Because I was intrigued by the look on your face when I told you he and his colleagues are here.”
Antonio smiled through pursed lips. “Damn, you’re good. Was there a blonde amongst his colleagues?”
Rodney smiled. “Ah! Mary Ellen? Yes, she’s here. And in that case, I strongly suggest you join them.”
Antonio chuckled. “Yes, Master.” As he made his way out to the terrace, he noticed that his palms were sweaty. He drew in a deep breath—his heart was racing, too. Why? What was he afraid of? When he spotted her, he understood. It wasn’t fear that was making him react that way. It was Mary Ellen, it was … what? Excitement? Attraction? He didn’t know which, but he liked it, whatever it was. She was so damned beautiful. She was sitting side-on to him so he could study her profile as he approached without her noticing. His smile faded as he looked at the guy she was talking to. He didn’t recognize him, and he looked a little too interested.
Cameron got to his feet. “Antonio. I didn’t think we’d see you here this early.”
Mary Ellen turned her head slightly but looked away again quickly.
Antonio smiled at Cameron. “It’s Friday. It looks like we all felt the need to escape the office early.” He looked around the group, nodding at Connor and Lyle from the sales team, smiling at others he didn’t know so well. Finally, he was looking directly at Mary Ellen. Her cheeks flushed, and she gave him a brief nod. Damn. She didn’t look pleased to see him. If anything, she looked irritated. For all the time he’d spent thinking about her since Wednesday night, he hadn’t dedicated much thought to whether she might be angry at him for listening to her conversation. He smiled brightly and nodded back. “Mary Ellen.”
“Antonio.”
Antonio looked at Cameron. He didn’t know what to do. And that wasn’t a position he was accustomed to being in.
Cameron grinned. “Paul. I’d like you to meet Antonio Di Giovanni. Antonio, I’m sure you’ll be very happy to meet our new sales director, Paul Stevens.”
Antonio was thrilled. “Paul. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The guy stood to shake his hand. “You, too. It’s an honor. I love your wines.” He smiled at Cam. “Though, of course, not quite as much as Hamilton-Groves wines.”
Cameron laughed. “Of course not.”
Antonio’s heart sank as Mary Ellen got up and excused herself. Was she going to the bathroom? Was she leaving because of him? He hoped not. He shot a look at Cameron, but he just lifted a shoulder and guided Paul toward Connor and Lyle to join their conversation.
Antonio stared at the doorway through which Mary Ellen had just disappeared. Had she gone? There was only one way to find out. He set out after her.
~ ~ ~
Mary Ellen stared at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. “Not cool, Mary El. Not cool,” she berated herself. Why had she gotten up and walked away? She’d promised herself that if they ran into Antonio, she would be cool. She was going to thank him graciously for his kindness the other evening, and that would be an end to it. And what had she done? She’d gone bright red when he spoke to her and then as good as sprinted out of there the first chance she got.
She shook her head and fished her lipstick out of her purse. Now she had to go back out there. That was even worse. She washed her hands just to kill some time. As she was drying them, there was a knock on the bathroom door. A knock? That was weird. The door wasn’t locked, there were three stalls in here. Maybe it was the cleaner? It came again, louder this time.
“Mary Ellen?”
Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. It was him. Antonio. She stared at the door, then came to her senses. “Yes?”
The door swung open, and he came inside. Her heart pounded in her chest at the sight of him. It always did, he was just that handsome, but normally she was able to observe him from afar. His attention was never focused on her. It was right now. He was standing there—in the ladies’ room, no less—towering over her, staring down into her eyes. She looked up into his. His big, brown, beautiful eyes. They melted her insides, but she couldn’t afford to think about that.
“Please forgive me?”
She cocked her head to one side. “What for?”
He smiled, and all she could focus on were his full, beautiful lips.
“For everything, for anything. I shouldn’t have listened in the other night. I shouldn’t have said anything to Cameron. I shouldn’t have done a lot of things, but I only did them because I care.”
Mary Ellen’s mind spun. “What did you tell Cameron?” That was the only reasonable question she could come up with.
His smile faded. “He didn’t tell you?”
She shook her head.
“Oh.”
