First Kiss by Kylie Adams Page B

Fabrizio were a military commander and the tea request the most important mission on earth.
    As they made their way past the amorous couple on the sofa, Kiki could stand it no more. How long could she be expected to hold in her disgust? " Get a freaking room already !" she screamed.
    The shock of her outburst startled the young woman to the point where she lost balance, slipped off her lover's lap, and landed in a heap on the floor.
    And then, as if the primal scream had never been unleashed, Kiki resumed her demeanor as wounded little girl, walking timidly beside Fabrizio, even leaning on him for support.
    In response, Fabrizio calmly motioned for Tate again. "One more thing. Find out who that couple is and instruct the front desk to send a bottle of champagne to their room and comp them for tonight's stay."
    Kiki ignored the attempt at damage control on her behalf and instead studied Fabrizio's hands. And hands were always a big thing with her. His were scrupulously clean, all long fingers and neatly trimmed nails, as if ready to go gloveless in an operating theater.
    He ushered her past the front desk, down a short hallway, and inside a modestly sized office. The tea service sat waiting on a small black lacquered table next to an immaculate desk.
    Kiki took in the room's almost obsessive absence of clutter. It could be that Fabrizio Tomba did no work at all, or quite the opposite, that he was a high performer and destined for exceptional achievement. She'd read once where one of the most common traits shared among top-producing CEOs was an iron-fisted discipline for a desk that never appeared overwhelmed.
    While he poured the tea, Kiki sank into an Eames lounge chair. The chocolate leather was seductively soft and receptive to her form, like the well-used mitt of an all-star first baseman. She kicked back and embraced the quiet, the intimacy, the luxury of being taken care of.
    "How do you like your tea?"
    "Just honey and lemon." Kiki dabbed her eyes with a tissue, surprised to find no mascara stains, then remembering that she'd left the apartment without so much as a swipe of lip gloss. Oh, God, she must look awful.
    He smiled as he passed her the Gold Band pattern Tiffany and Co. cup and saucer. "Why don't you start at the beginning? Tell me your side of the story. I promise not to tease this time."
    A great-looking man was inviting her to talk about herself? Alert the media. Usually, guys like Fabrizio just blathered on about themselves. Without preamble, Kiki launched into her whole sordid tale, miraculously getting through it with no tears and a minimum of cursing.
    When Kiki finished, he just sat there at his clean desk, those incredible brown eyes wide with unfaked interest in the insanity that had been the last twenty-four hours of her life. "So the only person who knows that you're here right now is your friend, Suzi."
    Kiki practically swooned. Not only did he encourage a woman to talk about herself, but he actually paid attention to what she had to say. Oh, God, she was already one-third of the way to being in love. "Yes, but her name's Suzi-Suzi."
    "That's what I said."
    "No, you just said Suzi. Add a hyphen and another Suzi. Two first names. Kind of like Mary Jane or Betty Lou, only it's Suzi-Suzi."
    "Glad we cleared that up."
    "It can be very confusing. You should hear her trying to place a catalog order over the phone. Completely ridiculous."
    "Yes, I agree." There was no obvious hint of ridicule, but, of course, it was going on.
    Kiki could read it in his eyes. And the ambiguity drove her crazy. Did he think the name was ridiculous? Or did he think she was? She sipped her tea and watched him, marveling at his mouth. He had the most incredible lips. "No cross-examination? Does that mean you believe my version of the incident?"
    Fabrizio shrugged, then grinned. "I never put much stock in that story to begin with. I know Tom. He'd never cheat on Kirsten."
    Kiki lengthened her spine and put the teacup back onto