Thirst (The Calvettis of New York 1)

“My other brother.”

She nods. “Why did you do that?”

“Three words.” I lean forward to press my lips to hers. “Lavender bubble bath.”

She jumps to her feet, sliding the T-shirt over her head.

I rake her from head-to-toe, sending my cock into an instant erection.

“What are we waiting for?” She hops off the bed.

I’m on my feet too. “You’re driving this train. I’m just along for the ride.”

She claps her hands together. “I’ll draw the bath. You get a candle.”

“A candle?”

She stops just inside the door of my bedroom. “A warm bath, your arms wrapped around me and candlelight. That’s all I want tonight.”

“I’ll get the candle,” I say without pause because it’s all I want tonight too.

Chapter 47

Dexie

“Rocco had only good things to say about you, Dexie,” Suzanne Belese sips on the expensive cocktail she ordered the minute she sat down.

I’m on my second soda water. I took the afternoon off for this meeting. My boss at Matiz was more than happy to grant my request seeing as how the sales numbers for the lipstick campaign I headed are through the roof.

I have only good things to say about Rocco too. This morning I blew him a kiss through the window as I was readying for my day.

We’ve both been busy with work for most of this week. Our last chance to be together was the night we shared a candlelit bath.

“Your work is beautiful.” She points a red fingernail at my white clutch purse. “Your attention to detail makes all the difference in the world.”

The compliment is genuine. Every Belese bag I’ve ever seen has been crafted with the utmost care.

“Thank you,” I offer with a smile. “That means a

lot to me.”

“Rocco was kind enough to fill me in on your vision for your venture.” She leans forward so her elbows are resting on the white linen tablecloth. “I think there’s room in the market for Dexie Walsh.”

I think there is too. I know it’s crowded and finding a customer base won’t be easy, but I’m more than willing to do whatever it takes, short of selling my soul, to make it happen.

“Rick and I started Belese in our garage.” She smiles with the mention of her husband’s name. “We were both working full-time jobs. We’d get home after a long day and head straight to the garage. We were sleep deprived for years.”

“It paid off,” I point out with a lift of my glass in the air.

She holds up her glass to tap it against mine. “In spades.”

“What do you think set you over the edge?” I sigh. “When did you make the leap from your garage to a boutique?”

“When we found the right partner,” she says with ease. “That was the key for us. It took a few years but once we found someone who saw the value in what we were doing, we hit the ground running.”

It was the answer I was expecting, so I push harder. “That’s when you scaled up?”

“We did that over time.” Her nail taps a beat against the tablecloth. “Some people see us as an overnight success, but that’s not our story. There were years of sacrifice and hundreds of mistakes, but we never quit. We knew that if we kept at it, word would get out and Belese would become a brand to be reckoned with.”