Thirst (The Calvettis of New York 1)

I was too tired to care.

I crawled between the sheets in my bed, fell fast asleep and woke up with a text invitation to brunch with Sophia.

Since then, my life has been split between my work at Matiz and preparing for the meeting this afternoon with the trio of potential backers for my business.

“You look amazing.” Sophia picks a piece of lint from the front of the black dress she designed for me.

It’s elegant and understated. A vertical line of white buttons dots the front of the dress, leading up to a white collar.

It’s cinched at my waist with a thin white leather belt. The strappy high-heeled black sandals on my feet are new. I bought them after work yesterday, even though I have a pair of red heels that I think would complement the dress perfectly.

When I ran my footwear choice by Sophia, she insisted that I tone it down.

“Let the bags shine, Dex.”

Those were her words. I took them to heart, which is why my pinky toes feel like they’re about to be pinched right off my feet by the hard leather straps.

I brush a strand of wayward hair back from my face.

The soft sigh that escapes Sophia says more than any words ever could.

She’s been trying to persuade me for days to dye the pink streaks in my hair blonde. She even went so far as to book me an appointment with her hair stylist after work yesterday. I canceled it and assured her that I’d smooth into a bun for the meeting.

She balked, but when I told her that it was my hair, and the pink wasn’t going anywhere, she shrugged her shoulders and muttered under her breath that she hoped it wouldn’t ruin my chances of landing a deal.

It’s pinned on top of my head in a messy bun at the moment, and that’s the way it will stay.

“You have everything you need, right?” She asks expectantly, her gaze dropping to the designer rolling suitcase by my side.

It belongs to her. The six handbags that I’m bringing to the pitch are tucked in there, along with my red shoes. I slid those in for back up before Sophia arrived at my apartment this morning.

I was up before dawn broke, sitting on my windowsill with a cup of coffee in my hand and a stomach filled with butterflies.

“I’m ready,” I say semi-confidently. “I should leave soon.”

Lenore Halston called me yesterday to confirm the place and time. I told her I’d be there early. Unless I leave now, I’ll have to eat those words.

“Be yourself.” Sophia stands back and looks me over from head to foot. “I’m proud of you, Dex.”

They’re words that I’ve rarely heard in my life, so they shoot straight to my heart. I blow out a breath to keep myself from getting overly emotional.

“I’ll call you as soon as the meeting is over,” I promise as I reach for the handle of the suitcase. “Are you going to work now?”

“Not a chance.” She laughs, brushing a hand over the front of her yellow sundress. “I followed your lead. I took the day off. A late lunch at Nova is the only thing on my calendar for the afternoon.”

The significance of that isn’t lost on me.

Nova is our go-to restaurant for celebrating anything and everything. We only eat there when something monumental has happened to one of us. Her confidence in me is humbling.

“This is it.” I reach for the doorknob, glancing back at the windows that overlook the building next door.

As much as I wish the mystery man would appear, my future is on the line and I have to stay focused. I’m on a mission to secure a partner for my business and nothing is more important than that.

Chapter 12

Rocco

I’m a lucky bastard.