“Damnit!” she said. What was with her today?
She liked men. Liked sex. But this, wanting a man whose name she didn’t even know, a man she’d never see again, not only wanting him but going into his arms in a place where anyone could have seen them …
Anna yanked her cell phone from her purse, hit a speed-dial digit. Her sister answered on the first ring.
“Anna?”
Oh, the wonders of caller ID.
“Izzy. I have something to ask you.”
“Anna, where are you? I called your office and your secretary said—”
“Isabella,” Anna said briskly, “how many times must I remind you? There are no more secretaries. She’s a PA. A personal assistant. Got it?”
“Got it—but where are you? Your sec—your PA said you were in Italy, and I said that wasn’t possible because you never told me that—”
“I’m in Italy, Iz. I never told you because I never had the chance. The old man cornered me Sunday—which, by the way, he could not have done if you’d shown up for dinner the way you were supposed to.”
“I wasn’t. I mean, nobody asked me to show up. And what’s that got to do with you being in—”
“Later,” Anna said impatiently. “Right now, just answer a question, okay?”
“What’s the question?”
“It’s … it’s …” Anna cleared her throat. “You took psych, right?”
“Huh?”
“Izzy, I said—”
“I heard you. Sure. I took psych 101. So did you.”
“Yeah. Well, remember that section on, ah, on sexual fantasies?”
“Anna,” Isabella said carefully, “what’s going on?”
“Wasn’t there something about, ah, about fantasizing sex with a stranger?”
“A dark, dangerous stranger.”
Anna put her fingers to her forehead, gave her temple a little rub.
“Right. And—and wasn’t there something else about sex in public places? Where there was a risk of being caught?”
“Anna,” Izzy said firmly, “what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Nothing, I swear. I just—I just wanted to clarify something, is all.”
“About risk? About sex with dangerous strangers? In public places? Hey, big sister, this is me, remember? What have you done?”
“I told you, nothing. I, ah, I read a magazine article on the plane. It was about sex. Risky sex. Hey, it’s jet lag, you know? Makes you think strange things.”
“Think them,” Izzy said firmly. “Don’t do them. I mean, you’re not contemplating sex in a public place with a dangerous stranger, are you?”
Isabella lightened her question with a laugh. After a second, Anna laughed, too.
“Not even I would do something so crazy,” she said, and then she said she had to run, that she’d phone when she had more time, kiss-kiss, talk to you soon …