An Offer He Cant Refuse - By Christie Ridgway Page 0,67

salon doors. "That's it!" Joey slid to a halt in front of them, the gauzy skirt of her pale green dress whipping around her knees. "I'm buying a gun and I'm going to learn how to use it."

"Shh!" Tea said, glancing around to make sure no one had overheard. "Do you think that's the kind of thing someone with the Caruso last name should go about screaming at the top of her lungs?"

"I don't care," Joey said, sparks snapping in her dark eyes. "If I'm going to be called a kettle, I might as well be black."

"Shh," Tea said again, though she doubted anyone could decipher her little sister's last statement. "Keep your voice down."

Joey flapped her arms, impatient, as always, with any kind of restraint. "You have no idea what just happened to me."

A man strolled past the salon doors, that silver-haired boxer type that Tea had seen the week before in the gym. He glanced at the three of them, and gave a little nod. Though he moved on, the attention made her wary.

"Let's get smoothies from the juice bar and sit out by one of the pools," she said, grabbing each sister by the arm. "We can find someplace private to finish our conversation."

Three skinny berry coolers later, they found a place in the partial shade of a large umbrella. Some spa guests were enjoying the warm sunshine as well - a European couple in matching thong bottoms and suntan oil, a recovering plastic surgery patient in face bandages and oversized sunglasses, a woman drying her wet pedicure while waiting for her next beauty treatment. Tea breathed in the air perfumed by flowers and grass and felt herself relax.

Joey was more docile too, thank God, though she was quieted by the brain freeze she'd experienced with her first hit of icy drink. The girl didn't have a cautious bone in her body, Tea thought, and she was paying for it now. Her eyes scrunched shut, Joey collapsed into a lounge chair, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. "What were you guys talking about when I showed up?"

Eve lifted her flawless profile to the sky. "Tea's had you know with Johnny Magee."

"Eve."

One of Joey's eyes popped open. "No kidding. I thought you'd sworn off - wait a minute, why are we calling it 'you know'?"

"You know," Eve said, smiling.

Joey nodded. "Oh yeah, because Tea's a prude."

"I'm not a prude."

"Of course you are," Eve replied. "That's why my advice is that you should you know with Johnny some more. Many times."

Joey nodded in agreement again. "Oh, yeah, I think he has great prude-eradication potential. You might even be tardy a time or two after you-knowing your brains out. Would make the rest of us mortals feel a little better about our punctuality habits."

Tea stared at her sisters. "Your advice is that I go right back into the situation that made me feel awkward in the first place?" Then she crossed her arms over her chest, hoping she wasn't sounding as shrill as she was beginning to feel. "And just why, exactly, do the two of you think you know so much about Johnny and his ability to... to... you know?"

Joey had the answer to that one. "Because any person with eyes can see he's a bad boy, Tea, and a bad boy is exactly what you need."

"An elegant bad boy," Eve added, "which is the only kind that can possibly meet your high standards."

And get beneath her defenses.

But she couldn't let him.

"Plus," Joey added, "There's the way he looks at you. Like you're a lollipop and he's one big tongue."

"Eww - " Tea started, then broke off. "Really?"

But honest to God, that's the way Johnny made her feel-sweet, and oh-so-lickable. But her feelings weren't a good reason to get further involved. Anyway, he might not want to, considering the small fact that he hadn't been himself before waking up and finding her holding his hand in his bed. He was likely regretting what happened as much as she.

Joey slid a glance at Eve. "Let's tell her we'll put all her bras in the freezer again if she doesn't agree to you know with him."

Eve smiled. "Let's tell her we'll kidnap her and take her to Grandpa's party."

Tea clunked her smoothie onto the table beside her. She should have known her sisters wouldn't leave that issue alone forever, especially after she'd rebuffed Cosimo's "invitation" a few nights before. "No - "

"Who's that?" Joey suddenly said, shooting up straight