The Beautiful People (6 page)

“What
are we doing here?”

“Do
you know how to ice skate?”

“Yeah,
but it’s closed.”

“Wait
a few minutes. You’ll see.”

Moments later a rusty Buick
Century pulled up and parked next to us. A middle-aged man wearing glasses
stepped out and walked up to Dominic’s window. When he confirmed that it was Dominic
he asked us to follow him. He opened up the rental area and flicked on the
lights. He helped us pick out the right size skates. Once we were set, Dominic
led me out on the ice. It took me a few falls on my ass to get the hang of it.
It had been years since I last ice skated. Pretty soon Dominic and I were skating
around the rink like pros, well, semi-pros. He helped steady me when he felt my
legs get wobbly and never let go of me once. We laughed and goofed off like
teenagers. It felt good to move around after the big dinner. The cold air beat
back the drowsiness brought on by a full stomach.

The view out on the
riverfront was beautiful too. Philadelphia during the winter months was just
plain ugly. The landscape becomes gray and barren. Litter blows around the
streets like urban tumbleweed and the cold penetrates every corner. Homeless people
sit on steam vents like birds perched in a nest and Broad Street becomes an enormous
wind tunnel that tries to suck your breath away. But down here on the riverfront,
with the Ben Franklin Bridge lit up in the background on one side and the
skyline on the other, Philadelphia was charming.

We skated for about an
hour then put the skates back and the guy locked up behind us. He had even made
us each a cup of hot chocolate. I thanked him as we walked back to the parked
cars. He nodded and waved before we separated.

“Dominic,
do you like own the city or something? How did you pull that off?” I asked as
soon as we were in the Mustang.

“My
dad knows the manager and he owed him a favor.”

“That
must have been a big favor. What does your dad do?” I realized that I knew more
about his cousins, aunts and uncles than his immediate family.

“He
owns a construction company and is involved in the real estate investment
business with Uncle Marco.” An image of a dump truck with Grabano and Sons
emblazoned on the sides flashed in my mind.

“Well,
I’m impressed. You sure know how to plan a date!”

“It’s
not over yet,” he said with a smile and stretched across the front seat to kiss
me. His lips and tongue tasted of the hot chocolate. I welcomed the yummy
goodness. When we separated I was left wanting more. He caressed my cheek and
then started the car. He pulled out of the lot onto an almost deserted Columbus
Blvd. He only drove a few blocks and then turned right into the Waterfront
Square Condominiums. I stared in awe at the giant towers that loomed into the
night sky. Dominic slowed the Mustang down in front of the lobby and a valet
appeared out of nowhere.

“Good
evening Mr. Grabano.” the valet greeted Dominic and held the door open for him.
Then he spotted me in the passenger seat. “Oh, I’m sorry Miss,” he said and
hustled around to my side.    

Dominic walked next to
me with his hand on the small of my back. The doorman opened the main door and
we entered the expansive lobby. It was all I could do to keep my jaw from dropping.
Once I had attended a wedding that was held at the Four Seasons and this place made
the Four Seasons lobby seem ghetto. Crossing the marble floors, my heels echoed
up in the high ceilings. Thankfully Dominic was steering me towards the
elevators, because I would have probably stood there in the middle of the lobby,
like an idiot, completely slack-jawed and dumbfounded.

The elevator shot up to
the twelfth floor in seconds. Dominic reached for my hand and gently pulled me
out into the hallway. Our footsteps were silenced by the plush gray carpet.

“You
live here?”

“Yeah.
My dad’s company built this whole complex. They’re investors too.”

Dominic opened the door
to his condo. Windows stretched the whole length and the view was breathtaking.
The Camden waterfront twinkled in the distance and reflected on the river. The white
oak floors gleamed only to be outshined by the granite countertops and stainless
steel appliances. The layout was open and the kitchen and living room shared
the vistas. Dominic walked into the living room and flipped a switch. The gas
fireplace roared to life and flames danced off of the dark brown leather
sectional, making the room glow.

“This
is amazing! Bartending must be working out for you to be able to afford a place
like this!”

He laughed and came up
behind me to take my coat. He draped it over one of the bar stools at the
breakfast bar and circled his arms around me.

“No,
not bartending; the family helps me out.”

I leaned back against
him, his arms circled my waist and his lips moved slowly down my neck, making
me shiver. “Mmmm…that’s nice.” I turned around and placed my arms around his
neck, meeting his lips with mine. He moaned and pulled my hips against him,
pressing his arousal against them. I gasped and our kissing deepened. Eventually,
he led me over to the living room and we stood by the fire, our kisses growing
more urgent. I started unbuttoning his shirt, but impatience won out and I ripped
it off, scattering loose buttons everywhere. I yanked my sweater over my head
and tossed it on the floor.

We fell to the carpet
in front of the fireplace. He lay over me on one side while slipping my pants
off with one hand. He paused and his breath hitched when he noticed I wasn’t
wearing any underwear. Then it was my turn, I admired his six-pack, tracing the
ridges of muscle before reaching for his zipper. His excitement was evident as
I worked at his pants and the bulge they contained. We attacked each other. He
played with me and made my body react in ways I never thought possible. I had
been with a few guys in my life after Toby, but didn’t have the best
experiences with them. Dominic erased all of that. Not once did I feel
self-conscious. He wanted me just as badly as I wanted him. My hips rose to
meet him and we moved together on the carpet. I moaned as my back arched in a
spasm which rippled across my entire body. I felt very warm, wet and suddenly
giddy. Dominic moaned, his body shuddered and then he rolled onto his back,
panting.

            “Oh my God
that was amazing,” I whispered into his neck and snuggled close.

            “Yes it
was,” Dom kissed my forehead and pulled me closer.

We dozed off and when I
woke, Dominic was spooning me. We were both still naked and on the floor in
front of the fire. I nuzzled up closer to him for warmth. He physically responded
to my movements and we started touching each other; slower this time, drawing
the pleasure out. We ended with me draped across Dom. I moved so my chin was
resting on his chest and really looked at him. The green of his eyes were
barely visible through slits as he stared back at me. Satisfaction had softened
the hardness of his jaw line where stubble had sprouted up overnight and his dark
hair was tousled. I traced the tattoo spanning Dom’s collarbone, shoulder and
upper arm on his left side. It was all black ink and bold, geometric lines
framing the word “famiglia”.

            “Family?” I
asked.

            “Yeah, it’s
the most important thing in my life. Without family, well, I can’t imagine.”

I rested my head on his
chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and tried to imagine a big family.
Dom tightened his arm and pulled me closer, our bodies flush against each
other. We stayed like that until the room gradually grew lighter and I peered
out the window at the rising sun. Carefully extricating myself off of Dominic
and stepping over our pile of clothes, I went to stand in front of the window.
My naked body reflected on the glass and I made a quick assessment noting my
abs were firm and toned, my breasts perky and my hair fell around me in waves, dark
against my fair skin. My lips were fuller from all of the kissing and my eyes
were bright – wide awake. I watched Dominic’s reflection walk up behind mine.
His was close to a foot taller and had a swagger to his walk. His body was
muscular and his olive skin was smooth, flawless except for the tattoo. He had pulled
a blanket off of the couch and wrapped it around us as we watched the sun rise,
basking in the golden glow.

As the sun rose higher
into the sky, reality began to sink in. The day was putting an end to a perfect
night. I had classes to attend and a roommate to check in with. With a heavy
sigh I turned towards Dominic. He looked down at me with understanding.

“Come
on, I’ll get you home.”

He went into his
bedroom to get a new shirt and I followed him in to investigate as we hadn’t
made it that far. The spicy scent of his cologne was more concentrated here and
I inhaled deeply. A king sized bed pressed up against the window and the
Delaware River sparkled below through the slats of dark wood blinds. The master
bathroom was like a spa retreat in itself. A giant Jacuzzi tub called my name
and I stared at it longingly.

“Next
time we’ll try that out.”

“Next
time?”

“Oh
there’ll be a next time, although I don’t want this to end.”

“Me
either,” I admitted, running through my class schedule in my head and
determining I couldn’t miss any today.

The Mustang was waiting
for us when we got down to the lobby, the interior already warm – high rent had
its perks. My purse vibrated so I reached inside and pulled out my cell phone.
The display read that I had three new messages. There were two text messages
and a voice mail all from Chelsea. Ever since Chelsea had broken up with her
boyfriend she had a little too much time on her hands and had started living
vicariously through my life. The first text message came in at 1:00 am –
What
time r u coming home?
The next text message came in at 3:00 am and I perceived
the annoyed tone
– I’m going 2 bed
. The voicemail had just been left for
me at 8:24 am – Nat, I’m really worried and hope you are ok. Please call me!

Dominic overheard and
chuckled. “You better call her before she calls the National Guard.”

“Yeah,
seriously,” I laughed as I dialed Chelsea’s cell. She picked up after the first
ring.

“Nat!
Are you okay?”

“Yes,
I am more than okay,” I winked at Dominic and he smiled back. “I had my phone
on vibrate and didn’t even hear it. I’m sorry to have worried you.”

“You
should have called to let me know you weren’t coming home.” She sounded sullen.
I pictured her sulking, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.

“You’re
right and I will try to remember next time. I was just a little…preoccupied.” Dominic
reached for my left hand and squeezed it.

“Oh.
Oh
!” Chelsea gasped, picking up on what I was alluding to and I knew all
would be forgiven if she wanted the details. “Are you on your way back?” she
asked, no longer sulking by the sound of her voice.

“I’ll
be there in a few minutes.” I hung up the phone and glanced over at Dominic. 
He was trying to keep a straight face.

“What?”

“Preoccupied?
Is that what it’s called nowadays?”

“I
was trying to be discreet.”

“What
we did to each other last night was definitely not discreet!” He squeezed my
hand and a warm flush washed over my body.

The trip to my
apartment was too brief and it was hard to say goodbye. Dominic promised to
call me to make arrangements for later that night. As I was getting ready to
open the car door he pulled me towards him and into a kiss.  His stubble
bristled against my cheek, but I didn’t mind because his lips were soft and
gentle against mine. I could feel Chelsea’s eyes burning into my back from the
living room window so I slowly pulled away from Dominic and somehow managed to
get out of the car.

Just as I had
anticipated, Chelsea was waiting at the door. I had barely set foot into our
apartment when the inquisition started.

“Oh
my God, he is gorgeous! Where did you go, did you stay at his place…did you
sleep with him?” She was firing off questions like an automatic machine gun and
I could barely keep up. I held my hands up to silence her.

“Geez,
Chels. Can you give me a second?” She looked at me impishly and backed off. I
dashed to the bathroom to relieve myself and splashed cool water on my face. I
should have been exhausted, but was running on pure euphoria and endorphins at
the moment. I glanced in the mirror and saw my eyes were bright and wide with
excitement. There were dark smudges underneath from my mascara. It wasn’t
heinous though and that surprised me. The smudges added a smoky, dramatic
effect. Hmmm, not bad, I thought to myself.

Chelsea waited in the living
room and was twitching like an excited puppy when I walked in. I knew she was
holding back a deluge of questions. I plopped down on the futon next to her and
prepared for the assault.

“So,
you spent the night with him?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“His
condo. He lives in the most unbelievable place. It makes our apartment look
like a hovel.”