XOXO by Deborah Bladon

Author:Deborah Bladon [Bladon, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Deborah Bladon
Published: 2021-03-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

Dominick

“Is your new boyfriend meeting you here for dinner?” My grandmother asks Arietta as soon as we walk into the restaurant. She looks me over from head-to-toe. “What are you doing here?”

“Talk about brutal,” I say, raising a hand to the center of my chest. “It’s good to see you too, Marti.”

She’s had the nickname forever. I still slip a grandma or granny in from time-to-time, but for the most part, she’s Marti to all of her grandchildren.

Laughing, she perches on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on my cheek and a soft slap on the other. I know that move. It’s the I-love-you-but-smarten-the-hell-up move.

“Lowell and I aren’t going to see each other again,” Arietta confesses. “He wasn’t honest with me.”

Marti crosses her arms over her chest. “He’s a weasel, is he?”

Arietta nods. “A big one.”

“He can go straight to hell,” Marti swears for maybe the third time in her life.

I straighten and toss her a look. “Language, Marti.”

She shakes a fist at me. “You’re trouble tonight. Why are you really here? Do you have a date? Am I finally going to meet a woman you like?”

Arietta and I lock eyes before she breaks the gaze. “Mr. Calvetti is having dinner with me tonight.”

Marti glances at Arietta before she turns to me. The way her eyebrows are dancing around, I know what’s bouncing around in her head. I shoot her a look to stop her from blurting out something that will embarrass the hell out of Arietta.

“Mr. Calvetti?” She questions. “Why is she calling you that? It’s the evening. You’re on a date.”

“No,” I say in unison with my assistant.

Arietta takes over with laughter bubbling out of her. “This is so not a date, Marti. Why would I be on a date with Mr. Calvetti?”

I don’t find this nearly as amusing as she does.

“Dominick is a nice boy.” Shaking her head, Marti taps the center of my chest with her index finger. “All right, he’s a smart boy, and he does well for himself at work. You know that, Arietta.”

What kind of backhanded compliment was that?

I look at my grandmother. “What?”

“Mr. Calvetti is a nice man,” Arietta interjects. “He saved me tonight.”

Marti’s gaze darts to me. “You saved her?”

Glancing up at me, Arietta smiles. “He saved me from making a huge mistake. I’m indebted to him.”

I know exactly how I want to be repaid. It starts with those lips of hers. I want them on mine.

“He keeps his kindness hidden.” Marti wraps an arm around my waist, and I take her in a side-hug. “My grandson has a big heart.”

“I’m ready to eat,” I interrupt before my grandmother says more. “Arietta and I will have spaghetti.”

Marti points to a table in the corner. “Go and sit. I’ll bring two bowls of the penne with vodka sauce. I made it myself.”

I motion for Arietta to lead the way. She does, giving me a dick-aching view of her ass as it sways with each step she takes.

***

Arietta spends fifteen minutes picking her way through the pasta before she takes a first bite.

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