Instead of an answer, the man smiled. And it was a full, all out smile. None of that one-sided smirk stuff. The second he showed his pearly whites, his eyes sparkled as he met and held Shanice's gaze. All thoughts of whacking him melted away. Massimo was a damn charmer, a combination of gorgeous and cocky. Not a good mix and he was so not her type. But then again, he was awfully dreamy looking. What the hell? Her head certainly seemed to be doing plenty of flip flopping today.
Two steps away from the processor's counter, Shanice's common sense slammed back into place as a stern-faced female cop handed her a large plastic bag. Shanice turned away from the scowling reject from Helga's House of Pain and dug into the bag containing her personal effects. "Wait, I need to make a phone call. Aw, damn it," she snapped. Her cell was dead.
"Here" Massimo offered, holding out a sleek little silver number. Shanice hesitated. "It's okay, Shanice. I'm a friend of your sister's. In fact, she's expecting your call right about now so why don't you use my phone?"
Friend of Charli's? What was that about? This was just too perfect and going way too smoothly. And when Massimo spoke a single word into the mouthpiece of the phone and it automatically dialed Charli she knew something was up. Shanice knew she was less than polite but couldn't stop herself grumping as she snatched the phone from his fingers.
"Shan? Shan is that you?"
"Uh, yeah. Charli, what the hell is going on?"
"I guess you've met Massimo. Didn't he tell you what happened?"
"Well, no. We haven't really had a chance to talk. I just signed myself out of damn jail. That's the last time I go anywhere with you, damn it."
"Get off the phone already. You can fuss at me when you get home. I'll meet you at your house."
"Wait, aren't you coming to get me?"
"Girlfriend, are you blind and crazy? Don't you see that fine-assed man who just got your ass out of jail? And not only is he good looking, but he'd be more than happy to give you a ride."
Turning away from Massimo, she covered the mouth piece and hissed, "And just how the hell do you know that, young lady?"
Massimo chuckled and she turned the evil eye on him. He threw his hands up in man's universal "I give" gesture and backed up a step. But the bastard was still grinning. Sigh. And what a devastating grin it was. She turned away with a barely suppressed growl.
"Never you mind," Charli replied. "Just get home. I'll fix you breakfast and fill you in."
"You sure as hell will. And you'd better not be matchmaking at a time like this." Shanice snapped the phone shut and handed it back to her newly acquainted lawyer. "Look, I don't know you so I'm trying to reserve judgment, but just what are you and Charli up to? I sure as hell don't remember her telling me she was dating a guy named Massimo."
"That's because she isn't. Now about that ride?"
And it looked like that was all she was going to get out of him, other than a lift to her front door. Damn man.
They made quick work of finishing up her business and headed out the back to the parking lot.
Massimo couldn't believe how things had worked out. Who would have thought that the woman he'd secretly ogled for what felt like a century would end up in such a predicament? While surely uncomfortable for her, it couldn't have been more perfect from where he sat. In fact, Charli had said as much when she'd called him at two o'clock in the morning begging him to bail her sister out of jail.
