Take the Money and Come

Chapter 6: Delving Deeper

Chapter 6: Delving DeeperSarah didn't think that was the worst idea—she had been just fine with the booty call, but given that Callie was still upstairs in their hotel room, she couldn't exactly invite him up. And so, she breathed deeply, regaining her composure as Nico took her hand, leading her toward the limo.

“We could take a cab to the restaurant, you know?” she posed, not sure she was entirely comfortable riding around the city in a limo.

“You're certainly not a gold-digger, are you?” he chuckled, stopping in front of the vehicle. The driver was already there, opening the door for them.

“Did you think I was?” she queried as she resignedly slid inside. She would never dream of pursuing a man solely for money, so the idea seemed absurd to Sarah.

“No. You never struck me as the type,” he confessed, sliding in next to her, and she could hear the honesty in his response. Though, she couldn't help but wonder what that “type” was; More experienced? Worldlier? Sexier? “Arrrrgh!” she fumed silently, exasperated with herself. What did it matter?

The vehicle began to move a moment later and she couldn't help but smile. She'd slid into the seat that had her facing opposite what was normal, and it was an odd sensation.

“You've never been in a limo before?” he asked, though it didn't sound much like a question.

“No, never. After my parents...I went to live with my aunt. She was so young though, just twenty-two at the time and still in college out of state. Things were just always pretty tight. No limos in the budget,” she said simply, laughing uncomfortably as she realized too late that she was already doing it again—getting far too personal just like she'd done last night.

“Damn!” Nico cursed silently, listening to Sarah's sad story. What was worse than the story though was the way she spoke; she wasn't looking for pity. Hell, he wasn't sure she even realized she'd had it hard growing up. And even worse still, as he sat there thinking about how difficult life must have been for Sarah, at the same time, he couldn't take his eyes off her, fiery heat coursing through him. She was just so damned hot and...something else about her that he couldn't put in words just yet. Even after knowing her for such a short amount of time, he knew she was entirely unlike any of the other women he'd known. He was well aware that she was only after him for one thing, but somehow he also knew she wasn't the kind of woman who jumped from bed to bed. It was easy to see right through her one track mind; it was a defensive tactic, meant to provide her with the physical contact her body craved while protecting her from whatever had hurt her in the past.

He couldn't complain; he wasn't exactly a “relationship” type of guy himself. But, his reasons differed from Sarah's; his line of work made it impossible to settle down—no woman worth settling down with wanted anything to do with a guy who did the things he had to do every day. But Sarah didn't know who he was or what type of “meeting” he'd just come from. And the only way to keep it that way was to go along with her plan to keep this a brief encounter. If he were a good person, he'd send her on her way, knowing that this defensive game she was playing would eventually burn her in the end. But, he wouldn't be in his line of work if he were a good person, would he?

Nico hadn't initially intended to go through with this dinner charade; he'd planned on showing up at Sarah's hotel room and taking her right then and there. But, some small, cruel part of him wanted more. When she'd let slip that small bit of information about her past last night, it intrigued him—she intrigued him. And he wanted to know more about Sarah—her past, her present. Hell, he even caught himself wondering about her goals for the future. It was entirely unlike him, but then, she wasn't the type of woman he generally spent his nights with.

“And what about you? Do you normally spend your days riding around in limos?” Sarah broke into his silent musings.

“Not always. I much prefer to drive myself around actually,” he answered simply.

Sarah smiled at his response. He certainly wasn't a deadbeat, and he didn't strike her as a lazy sloth...and that's when she reined in the comparisons between her old relationships and the man sitting next to her. She really wasn't very good at this, was she? It didn't matter if he was a deadbeat, a sloth or the devil incarnate! She just wanted to get this dinner over with so she could get what she'd come for and get Nico Rossi out of her system. She turned to look outside, forcing herself to remain silent, avoiding conversation that might lead down a path she wasn't interested in taking. A few moments later, the limousine came to a stop in front of a ritzy looking restaurant. But, glancing around, there were no other cars in the parking lot. The lights were on inside, but she couldn't see anyone moving around and the tables within her view were all empty. She turned to Nico then, an inquisitive look on her face.

“A private dinner,” he answered her unspoken question.

“He has restaurants shut down on a whim? Exactly how much money does this guy have?” she wondered incredulously, although she knew it didn't matter.

Nico's driver opened the door and he was climbing out, reaching a hand down to help her up once he was outside. Escorting her into the restaurant, he directed her to a table in the far corner of the room. It was somewhat shielded from view but she could still see people walking back and forth along the sidewalks outside. She wasn't seated a full moment before a man arrived at the table, holding a chilled bottle of Italian Amarone. Nico nodded and the man uncorked the bottle and filled the two wine glasses at the table.

“To the unexpected,” he raised his glass in toast and she raised hers to meet it.

Sarah took a tentative sip of the wine, nowhere near a wine connoisseur to recognize the name on the bottle, and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet, full-bodied taste. She took a longer sip, enjoying the taste even more than she'd savored the mimosas from last night. Nico sipped his drink slowly, watching her all the while. Suddenly self-conscious, Sarah returned her glass to the table, not wanting to look like a drunkard overly obsessed with fine wine.

“I hope you'll approve. I had the chef prepare strangozzi al tartufo nero for the main course,” Nico told her, though he might as well have been speaking Latin because Sarah had absolutely no idea what it was. But she smiled and nodded, assuming by the decadent aroma filling the room, the meal would be wonderful.

“I didn't think we'd be needing dessert,” he continued seductively, meeting her gaze unwaveringly. His voice and his eyes on her sent a delicious shiver racing through her as she picked up her wine glass, downing the liquid a bit faster than she had intended. She could feel the alcohol working its way to her extremities almost instantly, the warm tingling sensation helping to set her at ease.

“So Sarah. What do you do back in Chicago when you're not in the ER?” he asked casually, though in truth he was far more interested in the answer than he would like.

“I don't really have a whole lot of spare time, I suppose. After my latest breakup a few months ago, I started volunteering with a children's charity in the city most weekends. Keep busy, you know? And it really is a wonderful program.”

“And what brought about the breakup?” he queried, deliberately keeping his tone calm, aiming for almost disinterested.

“Oh, everything seemed to be going OK but then I caught him with...someone...on my birthday. In hindsight, I'd have to say that things probably weren't going OK.” She realized what she was doing again and tried to lighten the subject with a joke.

“I'm sorry to hear it,” Nico replied emphatically.

“These things happen, right?” she brushed it off. “And what about you? You know a great deal about me already, and I know so little about you.” If the conversation was going to get personal, it was his turn to say too much.

“There really isn't too much to tell. My work engrosses most of my time, so I don't have much leftover for anything else,” he answered, revealing absolutely nothing.

She could take lessons from him. But the shielded look in his eyes told her this was more than keeping things impersonal. He was definitely hiding something. As the queen of bad relationships, she'd finally learned to recognize some of the signs.

“OK, how about family? Parents? Siblings? Got any?” she asked, not letting him off the hook that easy.

“Yes. I have one younger brother I see quite often, and my mother and father are around.”

“You're very close to your brother,” Sarah stated, easily able to decipher the pride and protectiveness in his tone when he mentioned his brother. She didn't bother saying anything about the cold, almost angry glint in his eyes when he spoke of his parents. Nico nodded, but before she could probe further, dinner arrived. While there, the waiter refilled their wine glasses and then turned to Nico who nodded once and the man was off.

“This looks wonderful,” she exclaimed breathing in the heavenly scent and then taking a sip of wine before digging in. She moved back and forth between the decadent food and the delicious wine throughout dinner, chatting about the city and then comparing it to Chicago. Apparently, Nico had spent a great deal of time there over the years, so he was familiar with most of the differences between the two places. He even knew about the more shady areas of town her sister Liz frequented too often during Sarah's high school years.

“So, where is your sister now?” Nico asked as Sarah started in on her forth glass of wine. She was surprised it was having such little effect. She'd felt it wind through her body quickly, but then...nothing. Or, at least that's what she thought.

“Oh, Liz is back in Chicago. I don't see her very often—usually only when she needs something...money, a favor... She never fully recovered from the death of our parents. Though, I think she had a harder time recovering from being saddled with me at such a young age. People keep saying she's just taking advantage of me, but I just have to be there for her, you know? I owe her that much, being such a burden all those years...” Sarah was quiet for a moment.

“But, I've always tried to do what I could to be less of a burden. I learned to cook soon after moving in with Liz, took care of the housework around the apartment after school, and I started working as soon as I was old enough to get a job.”

Sarah was quiet again and Nico thought she was finished, but then, “I learned later that my parents had actually left a small nest egg behind, but Liz had used it all to pay her tuition and credit card bills, and to settle her boyfriend's debts.”

An image of a much younger Sarah flashed through Nico's mind; her parents taken from her without warning and then suddenly thrust across the country to a new home with someone who obviously had no interest in taking care of her in the way she deserved. While his life had certainly never been perfect—or anything that resembled normal—he had never wanted for anything, never felt like the burden who needed to make up for the inconvenience he caused.

“It sounds like you've had it pretty rough,” he told her, but the words fell short in comparison to how he felt.

“Really no. I have a great job, wonderful friends and a cozy apartment. What more could a girl want?” She smiled, and while the sadness was obvious in her eyes as she talked about her sister, Sarah truly didn't feel sorry for herself. She actually sounded grateful for her good fortune.

She leaned forward then. “You don't really want to talk about my sister, do you?” her voice so seductive Sarah didn't recognize it.