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Erica decided to take
in a matinée, a movie she wanted to see. It would not only pass the
time but certainly deflect her thoughts from the truly disgusting
to the truly romantically funny. At the very least she hoped the
movie would keep her mind off of Gianni Sloan.
     

Chapter Four
    Monday morning could not come soon enough. Erica felt
much better back behind her drafting board. In fact, she felt so
grateful to be back at work, she bought everyone cappuccinos.
    “Still high from Friday night?” Sacha’s
comment came with a wily smirk. “Me? I had a wonderful weekend with
the most fantastic man of my dreams!”
    “So, what’s the scoop with your kid sis?” Tai
asked after she brought back the coffees on the designer’s
dime.
    “What do you mean?” Erica asked with a slight
frown.
    “I mean, what’s her story? She certainly
seemed on the prowl after being caged up for a while, willingly or
not.”
    Erica laughed. “You saw all that?”
    “I know the look.” Tai winked. “A gal out of
circulation for some time wants to spread her wings and get a taste
of the available man meat out there. To me, she definitely hungered
for a chunk of the hunks.”
    Erica gave her a brief history, though kept
Gianni Sloan out of the picture. Tai didn’t need to know her own
former one-night stand had taken up with a member of Erica’s
family. “Maritza married an extremely handsome and wealthy
real-estate developer. Unfortunately he turned out to be abusive,
not physically, but emotionally and mentally. Ricardo wanted to
control everything she did. Finally Mari felt strong enough to say
she’d had enough, and then filed for divorce.”
    After taking a quick sip of her coffee, Erica
continued. “That was almost two years ago. It’s taken all this time
to straighten out who got what. Luckily, Mari has a good lawyer,
and she receives a decent enough alimony check every month. Oh, and
she told Ricky to keep their multi-million dollar house and all the
furnishings for posterity. He just might find another unlucky woman
who wants him for his bucks and not his tight-ass personality.”
    Erica was spared providing further
elucidation by the return of Sacha from the outer offices, a bit
flushed and excited as he hurried to make his announcement.
“There’s a man here to see you, Rica! He says he knows he doesn’t
have an appointment, but he hopes you’ll see him.” Lowering his
voice, the wiry designer leaned over his work table. “You gotta go
for it, girlfriend, ‘cause this guy is a primo hunk! Maybe he’s
your knight in shining armor at last!”
    “Oh, this I gotta see!” Tai chimed in, and
soon followed her colleague. With a determined gait, Erica headed
for the front where the office assistant kept her desk. The area
also featured a comfortable seating arrangement and provided sample
books with eight-by-ten photos of Prestige by Design’s best
work.
    When they spied their visitor, both women did
an abrupt halt in the doorway. Gianni Sloan stood before them, idly
looking about the office. Erica gave him a firm perusal, and he
seemed different today. The man had slicked his hair back, and now
it fell along his collar it sleek jet waves. He also wore a pair of
wire-rimmed glasses, as well as a crisp linen suit in a wheat hue.
The polo shirt beneath gave a hint of plum color, and his tasseled
loafers appeared to be of the expensive Italian variety in nice,
polished leather.
    As soon as he spied the women, he stepped
forward and extended his hand. “Hello, there. I’m Adriano Sloan,
but I prefer to go by Nico. I’m also Giancarlo Sloan’s twin
brother. I believe you know him.”
    Erica’s jaw drop. A quick glance at Tai
confirmed the office assistant did the same, her mouth stretched in
an oval of surprise. She quickly recovered and shook the man’s
hand. It, too, felt cool and smooth.
    “How very nice to meet you, Mr. Sloan. Gianni
didn’t mention you, although, I haven’t spoken to your brother