Lunch goes by too fast. I can’t remember what we talk about. Then the phone rings and it’s over. With a soft press of his lips against my temple he pushes me toward the door. I go with a sigh.
At the end of the day, I have a text waiting from Claudine telling me she did all the shopping and everything’s in the apartment. She tells me she made sure she let Grover out before she left for the day. Knowing that, I decide to go ahead and go straight to the apartment upstairs. Although I did want to change into something more comfortable than work clothes, the only reason I was going back to Cesare’s was to let Grover out.
I take the elevator upstairs. The doors of the elevator open directly into a foyer. I’m impressed by the place. There’s hardwood running throughout, but here thick carpets separate the areas. The kitchen is a heck of a lot better than my kitchen even if it isn’t as nice as Cesare’s.
There are three bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and all of them could be master bedrooms they are so large. There’s a comfy couch in a soft upholstered tan and an oversized matching chai
r in front of a large flat-screen television. The dining room isn’t huge, the table is a simple round wooden table that seats four with a fifth chair against the wall.
I go into the kitchen and check out the refrigerator. Wow, there’s enough food in here for a month of dinners. Since I have more time tonight than I was thinking I would, instead of the pesto with chicken I was going to make I decide to go with comfort food.
When everything is prepped I check the clock. Oops, actually cutting it close. I send a text to Dante not to order dinner tonight, that I’m cooking it in the apartment upstairs and it should be ready a little after seven thirty. His response is a question: is he supposed to tell Cesare? I respond the dinner is for all three of them. Dante responds quickly with a happy face and says he’ll let Enzo know.
I slide the meatloaf into the oven then set the timer. I’m questioning the recipe to do half cauliflower and half potatoes, but I like how much healthier it is and start chopping up the cauliflower. A few minutes after seven thirty the timer on the oven goes off as I hear the elevator doors open. I’ve already put the potatoes on the table along with the French green beans.
Dante is smiling big. “This smells really good, meatloaf?”
“Yes, the meat is a mix though of hamburger, spicy Italian sausage, and lamb. So it’s not boring.”
“Oh hey, Enzo, this is Alicia. Alicia, this is Enzo.” He’s as tall as Cesare only not as wide. He looks like a blend of Cesare and Dante, and a dimple flashes in one cheek as he sees me.
His hand is huge as he shakes mine. “Hi, nice to finally meet you.”
“You too.”
Cesare is leaning against the doorway watching me. I don’t know why I’m shy now. Slowly he walks toward me; sliding an arm around my waist, he kisses my cheek. “Thank you.”
God, I just want to sink into him and never let him go. Then I remember there are two other people in the room. “You’re welcome. Come on, I’m hungry.”
Enzo deems the small wine refrigerator a disaster. Dante gets up to poke through the cabinets, before finding a few bottles of red wine they both agree will work.
“You guys take your wine seriously.”
Dante laughs. “Enzo does for sure. Good wine makes good food even better. When you slow down to sip the wine, you slow down to enjoy your food instead of shoveling it down.”
I think of the dinner with Cesare last night. We had lingered over dinner in a way I never had before. I thought it was because we were enjoying each other, but Dante was right—you couldn’t gulp wine, and slowing down to sip the wine and enjoy the flavors had me taking more time over my dinner.
Two hours later and we have truly slowed down. I had taken out the blackberry sorbet and it’s long gone. It was a surprise to have all three of them get up to clean the dishes and the kitchen without me making a move. Dante assured me they were well-versed in the cleaning up part of cooking.
Enzo gets a call, then makes a face as he sends it to voice mail. Dante hits him on the shoulder. “Come on, man. Call her back.”
Shrugging, Enzo stands. “I had a late night last night. Tonight, I need an early one. Alicia, thanks for dinner, it really was the best meatloaf I’ve had in a long time. I’m looking forward to having a much prettier face than these ugly assholes around.” With a salute, he’s gone.
Dante shrugs. “I’m pretty. You guys ready to head home? Want me to call for a limo, Che?”
Cesare nods. His arm goes around my neck. “You ready to go home?”
I love the way he says home. I nod as I nuzzle his cheek. “Very ready.”
***
Alicia
Once the door is closed to Dante, Cesare pulls me into his arms. “I’ve been suffering all night. A thousand times I wanted to kiss you, only I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop at a kiss.”
“Hmmm...I think you’re going to need to prove it,” I whisper as my hands go around his neck to bring him closer to me.
Slow, thorough, sweet, his kiss is another lesson in all the different ways to make love. I have no awareness of how we made it into the bedroom already when I’m picked up and set on the edge of the bed. Cesare is between my legs as he tugs at a button, then frustration has him tearing my blouse open. “If you keep ripping my clothes off me, I’m not going to have anything left when my time is up.”