Another sharp rap at the door.

“Sadie!” Ralphie snapped.

“Coming!” I shouted, whirled, yanked open the door in full snit and stomped out, glaring at Ralphie. “For goodness sake, Ralphie, can a girl fix her lip gloss without her crazy, g*y roommate banging down the door?”

“No,” Ralphie shot back. “Not when Hispanic Hottie is waiting to take her out to dinner.”

“Stop calling him Hispanic Hottie, his name is Hector,” I returned.

“I call ‘em as I see ‘em. He’s Hispanic…” Ralphie lifted one hand and then continued. “And he’s hot.” He lifted the other hand then he shoved them together like he was squeezing an accordion. “Hence, Hispanic Hottie.”

“You could argue about this all night,” Buddy called from down the hall. Ralphie and my heads swung in that direction and we could see both Buddy and Hector “Oh my God now for a different reason” Chavez standing there, by the door, both of them watching The Ralphie and Sadie Show. “But Hector’s waiting and Ralphie, we’ve got a reservation,” Buddy finished.

I didn’t hear the last part of what Buddy said. I was staring at Hector who was looking like he was trying not to laugh and not succeeding very well. It was a full on, light up the room, beyond amused, glamorous smile.

Couple that with him being clean-shaven, his hair still an unruly mess but now a slightly less unruly still sexy as ever mess, wearing a black, tailored shirt, a pair of jeans, a black leather jacket, black cowboy boots and a fantastic, wide, black belt with a heavy, matte silver square buckle… well, I not only could no longer hear, I couldn’t speak or move.

I could only see.

Oh my.

The answer was yes. One could wear diamonds and platinum with the ex-DEA agent that put one’s father in prison.

I wasn’t OTT. I needed a lot more sparkle and glitter to go out with a man that was just, plain beautiful.

“You ready?” Hector asked and I jolted out of my stupefaction.

No. I was definitely not ready.

“Yes,” I lied and walked toward him.

He watched me walk and the way he did it made me acutely aware of everything about me, every tiny movement, every last hair on my head.

“Okay kids,” Ralphie said, trailing me. “Don’t be too late. Don’t do any drugs, drive smart and even if all the other kids are doing it, think twice. If you’re going to be over your curfew then make sure you call your Daddies or we’ll get worried.”

I stopped in front of Hector but turned to Ralphie.

I leaned up to kiss his cheek and then whispered, “Shut up.”

He grinned at me.

I turned to Buddy, he helped me on with my to-the-hip, black trench coat, handed me my deep-green, patent leather Lanvin bag with the chain link strap and then I kissed his cheek too.

“Seriously, Sadie, you’re gonna be late, you phone,” Buddy said to me but his eyes were on Hector.

“I’ll phone,” I promised.

With that, Hector took my hand and we were out the door.

Darn.

Here we go.

Hector walked me to the Bronco so fast I nearly had to run to keep up. Once there, he opened the passenger door, helped me in then slammed it when I settled. He rounded the front and got in the driver’s side but instead of turning on the truck, he twisted toward me.

“Give me your cell,” he demanded.

I blinked because everything was happening really fast.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Your cell,” he repeated.

Confused at this strange start to a date, I pulled out my cell phone and handed it to him. He took it, flipped it open, punched numbers into it and then hit the green button.

In a second, I heard his cell phone ringing. He pulled it out of the inside pocket of his jacket and flipped my phone shut. Then with me still silent and watching him, he hit buttons on his phone, loads of buttons. My phone rang; he flipped his shut, mine open and returned his to his jacket pocket. Then he started to hit buttons on my phone, loads of those too, even more than what he did on his phone.

“Do you,” I tried to be polite after he kept on hitting buttons, “mind telling me what you’re doing?”

He flipped my phone shut and handed it to me, his eyes coming to mine.

“You’re programmed into my phone, I’m programmed into yours,” he told me. “You got my cell, my house, the office and the control room at the office. The control room is set as the top choice in your phonebook. You ever have a situation, any situation, you call there. Someone is there twenty-four, seven and they’ll take care of you. Got that?”

Slowly, not certain sure how to react to Hector giving me his cell phone and home phone and office phone and offering me twenty-four, seven access to someone who would “take care of me”, I nodded.

“Now,” he went on, his voice softer, he was leaning closer and I wasn’t keeping up. “I’m gonna kiss you, because, mamita, the way you look right now, I gotta f**kin’ kiss you.”

Oh my.

I guessed Ralphie was right, my outfit was perfection.

He got way closer, his fingers slid into my hair at the side and they cupped my head.

“You all right with that?” he asked quietly, eyes looking into mine.

Again, slowly, I nodded though I also wasn’t certain sure I was “all right with that”.

“Thank Christ,” he muttered.

Then he kissed me.

It started soft, sweet and then I put my hand to his shoulder and felt the heat there. I liked it and moved in closer so I could feel the heat from his body.

His arm slid around my waist, bringing me even closer right before his tongue touched my lips. I opened my mouth at the touch and that was it. It was rewind to my father’s study.

I curled my arms around his neck, pressed my body to his and the kiss went from soft and sweet to hot and wild.

Within minutes, he pulled me out of my seat, twisting me so I landed in his lap and both his arms went around me, one locked at my waist, the other one sliding up my neck and into my hair.

I kissed him back like I couldn’t exist without my lips on his, his tongue in my mouth. I was out-of-control and didn’t even care.

Then he tore his mouth from mine and buried his face in my neck. For a second, we both just sat there, breathing heavily.

“You taste better than I remembered,” he said into my neck and his voice sounded deeper than normal.

I swallowed and closed my eyes tight. My heart was beating wildly. I felt safe and snug in his lap with his arms around me. I was excited in a good way. And his heat was seeping into me everywhere and I liked it.