January (Calendar Girl #1) Anthology Anthology (115 page)

Without looking back, I hustled to my room where I promptly nose-dived into the bed fully clothed and passed out.

C
HAPTER 4

Tony held open the large wooden door with the swirled metal handle so that Hector and I could enter the restaurant. It was six p.m. on a Friday night, and Fasano’s was hopping with activity. Waiters in crisp, white dress shirts, black slacks and ties bustled around serving drinks and lavishing tables with the best smelling Italian food. My mouth watered as I got a whiff of sausage in the air.

One of the waiters turned around to pour wine, and I got an even better look at his attire.  I laughed under my breath when I got a gander at the ties they wore. Pasta. The ties had pasta dishes printed on them.

“Something funny?” Hector leaned close as Tony led me to the back of the restaurant.

“Did you see the ties?”

Hector smiled and grinned. “My idea, actually.”

“Really?”

He nodded and winked. Tony’s hand went from the crook of my elbow, slid behind my back and cupped my hip. His breath was hot as he whispered into my ear. “Okay, everyone’s already here. Just follow my lead and don’t be surprised if I touch you…a lot.”

Tingles rippled down my spine and landed in the small spot at my lower back. Tony was incredibly handsome. More than that, he was drop dead gorgeous…and taken. By Hector. Who I was fond of. Very much so. I sucked in a slow deep breath. We reached a thick red curtain that was nestled at the very back of the restaurant.

“This is our private room. Only our family eats in this space. It’s equivalent to Ma’s dining room at her house. Now that we’re such a large group, we had to move our family dinners to the restaurant. I built this room on just for the Fasanos.”

“Wow.” I gasped as Tony pulled back the curtain and revealed a huge room filled with people who were laughing, drinking and eating. It was chaos. Everyone at the table yelled over one another, used hand gestures in the air as if they were swatting away flies, and pushed at one another when they spoke. Madness. Complete, utter, madness. That’s the only way I could describe it.

When we entered, one person noticed and then another and so it went. Everyone in the room went completely silent. A small woman with olive skin, black hair, and familiar blue eyes stood up. She held herself with confidence. Her back was straight, chest pressed out, eyes zeroed in on me.

The petite woman walked up to us. First, she put a hand up toward her son who leaned forward and kissed his mother, on the mouth. It was nothing more than a mere pressing of lips but still, I can’t say that I’d ever seen a grown man kiss his mother on the mouth. I certainly didn’t kiss my father that way…or any way for that matter. We barely got by with an awkward hug most times.

“Mama,” Tony said then stood tall and gestured to me. “This is Mia, my fiancée. Mia, this is my mother, Mona Fasano.”

I smiled and said, “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Fasano.”

Her lips barely twitched in reply. His mother moved closer to me, blatantly running her eyes over my entire body. “You are a very beautiful woman,” she finally responded. I immediately melted more fully into Tony’s side.

“Thank you.” I gave her my patented wide smile.

She didn’t stop at the compliment. Her head tilted and her lips pursed. “And curvy. Fasano men like their women with curves.” She placed her hands on her own generous hips. If she’d been a thinner woman, I’d have taken offense. 

“I like to eat, Italian food being my favorite,” I lied. Didn’t hurt to try and score points with the mother.

“Your hips are nice and wide, good for giving me grandchildren.”

“Uh-um…” Now that came of nowhere.

“Ma,” Tony attempted to interrupt. Again, didn’t work. When the woman had something to say, she said it and people listened.

“Yes, you’ll give me beautiful grandsons. We need to carry on the Fasano name you know?” Mona’s eyes pierced mine. “You do want children?”

Tony came to the rescue then. “Ma, enough. I’m starved, and I want to introduce Mia to the rest of the family.”

“Okay, okay.” She clapped her hands then grabbed both my arms and pulled me into a tight hug. In my ear, she whispered the words that would crush any woman with half a heart. Her voice was raspy and thick with tears. “I wished for you. I prayed
every night
my Anthony would find his mate. I am so happy you are here.” Mona pulled back, cupped both my cheeks and laid a big fat wet one on my mouth. Kissing a girl really isn’t that big of a deal usually. Sometimes Gin or Maddy kissed me, but a woman I’d just met? One whose soul I would later destroy? Not cool.

Hector walked around us and hugged a bunch of the people in the room before finding one of the three open chairs at the front of the room.

“Come on sweetheart,” Tony said leading me to the other side of the room. Sweetheart. That’s what Wes called me. He would think this scenario was a hoot. Maybe even put it into one of his movies one day as a romantic comedy. A stunning business man, a boxer, hires an escort because he’s gay and not ready to come out to his family.

I sat in the seat next to Hector. Pretty sure that move was strategic on Tony’s part, but I could see the disappointment in Hector’s eyes that Tony didn’t sit next to his
true
mate. It was all so depressing. Two men, clearly in love, feeling as though they can’t be together because of society, family, business and obligation. I grabbed Hector’s hand under the table and squeezed it. He glanced sideways at me, just the corner of his lips curving up. “Don’t worry. By now, missy, I’m used to it.”

For the next hour, I was introduced to all four of Tony’s sisters. There was Giavanna the eldest at thirty-nine. She must have gotten most of the mother’s genes because she was short, around five foot two, thick, black hair, but her eyes were as dark brown as a roasted coffee bean. So much so that you couldn’t really see the black of her pupil. It didn’t take away from her beauty in the least. Though she had a few wrinkles, mostly laugh lines, at the corners of her eyes, it didn’t change the fact that she was a looker. As were all the Fasano women. I couldn’t keep track of her four children. They varied in age and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. All I could get was a bunch of Italian names that I wouldn’t remember and the knowledge that there were two boys and two girls.

Isabella was next. A little taller than her sister. Maybe around five foot four and a couple years younger at thirty-seven. Same black hair and dark eyes. Only her mouth was the perfect bow shape like Tony’s. She introduced me to her two young sons who looked to be school age. I couldn’t really guess how old they were. I hadn’t been around kids much in the past.

Sophia was third in line at thirty-five and another couple inches taller than the last, maybe around five foot six. It seemed the younger they were, the taller they got. Interesting fun fact I brought up later when joking around with Hector. Now this woman though was a class act. She was dressed in a pencil skirt, a silk blouse and her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun at the nape. A pair of tortoise rimmed glasses sat on her pert nose. Her eyes were also dark, but her skin was much paler than the rest of the family. Made me wonder how tan Mr. Fasano used to be. Maybe he was a pale Italian.

“So did you just get here from work?” I asked.

Sophia took a drink of wine. “Yeah, it’s been a long day at the office. I’m the Chief Financial Officer for Fasano’s Unlimited.”

“The money gal.” We tapped wine glasses in a mock toast.

“That’s me. Someone has to keep all these hooligans in line. If it wasn’t for me and my team, they’d be spending money left and right on ridiculous things. Tony and I keep the rest of the family grounded to what the Fasano name is all about. Great, authentic cuisine that families can afford.”

I nodded and looked around the room. Everyone seemed so happy. Genuine, smiles adorned every face. The family seemed comfortable and at peace with each other. Not something I’d ever experienced within my own family since my mother up and left us. Dad did his best but lacked the finesse of raising daughters a mother would have had.

“So, all of you work together at the company?”

“Yes, in different ways. No task is too small. For example, we have the kids stuffing envelopes sending out birthday announcements, coupons, etc. The siblings all have a role. Giavanna runs the daycare and afterschool program inside the building. I’m in Finance, Isabella runs Human Resources, and Angelina runs Marketing. Even Ma has an office, but she spends most of her time in the kitchen coming up with the recipes and planning out the menus. Tony, as you know, runs the company. Even Hector works as our lawyer. He’s been around so long it’s like he’s another brother.”

“I’ll bet. He’s a really great guy.” Just as I was about to put out some subtle feelers on the relationship between the two, a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned around and was greeted by the grinning face of the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. Her hair was thick, and fell in long dark ebony waves down to her ass. Her eyes were the exact same steely blue of Tony’s. Bow shaped lips tinged with pink, and a dress that flowed around her like a vortex of oranges, reds and yellows.

“I’ve been dying to meet you, Mia!” The woman leaned down and hugged me tight. “I’m Angelina or ‘Angie’ for short. The stud behind me is my husband Rocko.” If there was ever the quintessential Italian man, it was Rocko. He looked exactly like a young Sylvester Stallone. Honestly, it was uncanny the resemblance. And the name, so close to Rocky? Wild. I shook my head and held out my hand.

I opened and closed my eyes a few times to clear my vision. Nope, still the same look-alike. “You look exactly like…”

“Sylvester Stallone?” He waggled his eye brows, took my hand and pulled me into a rib squeezing hug that stole my breath.

Two pairs of hands pulled me back from Rocko’s hold. “Easy with my girl there, brother,” Tony responded protectively. I could practically feel the tension pumping off Hector as he watched the exchange.

“It’s amazing how much you look like him. A doppelganger for sure!” I couldn’t get over it.

He tipped his head back and laughed. “I get it all the time. Plus, I box with your man. It’s how I met Angie. I trained him back in the day. We’re phasing out of the league and spending more time in the gym training the next line of pro boxers. Well,”—he slapped a hand on Tony’s bicep—“I’m in the gym training the newbies more so than Mr. Businessman here. Can’t complain though. He keeps the family fed.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Rocky Balboa. Go back to your seat will ya?” Tony said, his Italian Chicagoan accent more pronounced when he was kidding around.

Angelina gripped my hand. “Let’s get together this week! Tomorrow maybe, for shopping? We have to get a dress for the release of the new Fasano’s Frozen Food line next week. We’re hosting a big party the day before with all the movers and shakers of the food industry. It’s our biggest achievement yet!” she squealed.

“Tony has to be in the office, but I planned on taking Mia shopping for a dress. You can come along tomorrow. She needs a new wardrobe while she’s here. It would be great to have a second opinion,” Hector offered.

“Shopping with Hector is the best.” Angelina’s voice rose with her excitement. She couldn’t have been more than a couple years older than Tony and the tallest of all the women. We both stood at the same height. I also hadn’t noticed any children unaccounted for at the dinner. Looks like the boxer and the beauty hadn’t yet procreated. Man, when they did, those kids were going to be model beautiful.

Then I realized what they were talking about. Shopping. Blech. I cringed thinking about having to shop for a new wardrobe. “That would be uh…cool, I guess. Thank you.”

Angelina sat in the chair that Tony vacated to talk to another family member. “You guess? Look, Mia, let me lay it out for you. Hector is gay. He knows the best places to shop, exactly what will look good on every body type…”

Hector charged in. “That is true. You should listen to her. I’ve been dressing Angie since she was in her early twenties.”

“And Hector has incredible taste in clothes.” She added. “You have nothing to worry about. He’ll suit you up just fine. And with a body like that, you’re going to look amazing in everything.”

“Says the prettiest chick I’ve ever met,” I said sarcastically before applying my filter.

Instead of her catching onto my tone, her eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her lovely face. “You think I’m the prettiest girl you’ve ever met?” I shrugged and took a swallow of wine. “That is the nicest thing ever. We’re
so
going to be BFFs,” she promised and pulled me into another hug. Man these people liked to touch. There was absolutely no personal space allotment with this crowd. I’m pretty sure every last one of them had hugged, shoved, kissed, me in one way or another that evening. Definitely something I’d need to get used to over the rest of the month.

We plowed through dinner, eating the most amazing Italian food, all served family style in big serving bowls and dishes. The wine flowed like water and, the family spoke so loudly over one another that my ears started to ring. Reminded me of the aftermath of being at a rock concert and the steady ringing in my ears in the quiet. It was like that only louder. These people really liked to talk…a lot…at a decibel level beyond what normal humans were used to hearing.

Overall though, I liked the Fasano’s. They were boisterous, friendly, jovial, and gorgeous. It was like being in a room of Italian actors waiting to audition for a part. Back when I was in LA, my agent would send me on ethnic calls because of my curves and thick, black hair. He seemed to think I looked Italian, though I was pretty sure I was just a Heinz 57—a mix of everything.

The evening ended with batches of tiramisu, homemade by Mona of course, and the darkest coffee I’d ever had. Together they were a taste sensation on the tongue.

When Tony and Hector led me out of the restaurant later, Tony pulled me into a big hug. He looked over his shoulder with a panicked expression, then his lips landed on mine. They were soft, warm, and moist. His fingers tunneled into the back of my hair; he tilted my head, and his tongue dove in. I was not expecting to be kissed like that by Tony. A gay man. A gay man with a partner. Things were not adding up. Still, I couldn’t help but respond. He was a damn good kisser. His tongue flicked against mine, then danced as we got the rhythm. I lifted both arms and wrapped them around his broad shoulders and hanging on to his neck. When I pressed the length of my body against his, he gripped my hips and pressed close. That’s when I felt it. Well not
it
exactly. A lack of it. He was not hard. There was absolutely nothing happening down below. I pulled my head back, his lips leaving mine in an audible plop.