“Okay,” I agreed (I would have agreed to anything at that point), too much in a fog to let his words and their meaning penetrate.
So in a fog, still in my pretend happy place and having been given the business rather successfully (these were my excuses and I was going with them), I lifted my hand to his cheek. I let my thumb trail the sharp edge of his ‘tache that grew down the side of his mouth, my eyes so focused on watching my thumb’s progress (and studying his mustache and mouth) that I missed the look on his face when I did this.
It was really too bad I missed the look on face.
Before I could catch it, he kissed me again, this time it was hot, hard and deep. In a true blue Luke Lip Fog, he put me back in bed, covered me up and then he was gone.
Later, Sissy and Lucky came over and we headed to the gym, Santo joining our party at the entrance to Luke’s building.
I thought it prudent, so as not to earn another Luke Confrontation where I would be forced to bare part of my soul, to phone him the minute we settled in the car.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Going to the gym,” I told him.
“I’ll send a man over.”
“No, I mean I’m on my way with Sissy right now.”
Silence.
“Lucky and Santo are with us.”
“Babe,” was all he said before he disconnected (and, I will note, he hadn’t stopped calling me “babe”, argh!).
At the gym Riley was in a better mood, back to the old Riley (mostly, he looked askance at the two, beefy, suited Italian-Americans following Sissy and I around the weight machines). I was relieved until he caught up with me on my way to the locker room.
“You okay?” Riley asked. His eyes slid to Santo who was standing three feet away before coming back to me.
I nodded.
“That guy, Luke, he still in the picture?”
I nodded again.
Riley’s jaw clenched.
Then he said, “The minute he’s out of the picture, you’ll tell me?”
Oh jeez. Here we go again.
I decided just to nod.
Riley walked away and I thanked my lucky stars he was not a tough guy, macho man, brutally honest, straight-talker.
Santo got close. “You’re hot, but this is ridiculous,” he told me, his eyes on Riley’s departing back.
Santo was not wrong.
On the way back to Luke’s loft, I called him again.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“We’re gonna hit King Soopers and then back to your loft. Don’t worry, Santo and Lucky are still with us.”
Silence but no disconnect.
I forged ahead through the scary silence. “You need anything from the store?”