Like Pizza and Beer - Elle Parker Dino Martini Mysteries

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to come so bad I could taste it.

      “Come on, don’t be a jerk,” I said, thrusting up into his hand.

      He raised an eyebrow, but closed his hand tight and picked up the pace. I hummed with pleasure and sat up enough to kiss him, bracing myself on my hands. All I could think about was his hot mouth on my neck and the grip of his hand, working me steadily. The crashing of the waves drowned out everything else.

      Seth grinned and licked my ear. “Look at you, all wild and exposed on the beach.”

      “Don’t remind me,” I panted. It didn’t actually matter anymore, though. Being lightheaded and on the verge of orgasm goes a long way toward lowering my inhibitions.

      I rocked my hips and pushed up into Seth’s hand, moaning with pleasure. It felt so good I was shaking. The salt breeze and the surf heightened every sensation to a fever pitch, and I bit my lip as Seth sped up. The outdoor thing definitely tripped a few triggers for me, but unlike most people, I did not enjoy the ever present threat of getting caught.

      “More,” I said. “Come on, please.” I reached to plant a kiss on the side of his neck.

      He squeezed tighter and I was there, coming hard and trying to keep my voice down as I groaned with relief. I damn near knocked him off the chair. When the last of it was over, I slid down to my back and lay there panting, staring up at the stars. It was a beautiful night.

      Seth cleaned us up and buttoned my pants for me, then dropped onto my stomach, peering close enough to see my face in the dark. “I told you no one would see.”

      “You don’t actually know that,” I pointed out.

      He shook his head and kissed me long and slow.

      * * * *

      The walk back to the garage was nice, and I had to admit I was glad not to be doing it horny and hard. Once I was no longer half naked on the beach, I would also say I’d probably remember that dinner fondly in my old age.

      “I still get to come home with you, right?” Seth asked.

      I cast a sideways glance at him. “There’s no way I’m sleeping in your bed.”

      To say Seth’s apartment was generally a mess was seriously underestimating the situation, and while I was trying to influence his habits, safe sleeping there usually required a Hazmat suit. My place, on the other hand, is clean, and usually smells like pot roast or cinnamon buns due to the old ladies who live in the other two apartments in my building.

      We climbed into Matilda and headed for my apartment. It’s only a short way, but I’d rather move the car at night than have to make that walk in the morning.

      I live in the upstairs front apartment over an old hardware store, which shares the street with a plumbing outfit, a mini-golf course, and the CVS. The hardware store’s been closed for years, and I had recently gotten the go ahead to renovate it into an office for myself. Finding the time to do it was another story.

      When I pulled up to the building, there was an unfamiliar black Mazda parked in my usual spot. I didn’t recognize the car, but I sure as hell knew the woman who climbed out of it. Ten years ago, she’d been the love of my life.

       Chapter 2

      Seth and I climbed out of the car, and he looked quizzically from her to me and back. She was a tall, attractive woman, mid-fortyish with straight brown hair that fell past her shoulders. She pulled her scarf tighter across her shoulders and came around the front end of her car with a nervous smile. My heart was in my throat and memories, both good and bad, came flooding back.

      “Hello, Dino,” she said, searching my face for a reaction.

      “Gigi.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seth stop short. “It’s been a long time.”

      “Yes, I know. How are you?”

      “I can’t complain. Things are pretty good lately. You?” Seth cleared his throat meaningfully and I caught myself. “Oh, ah, Gigi, this is Seth Donnelly. He’s a good friend of mine. Seth, Gigi Sapora, also an old friend.”

      She smiled ruefully and nodded at Seth. “Hello.” She turned to me and said, “I’m not so good. I came here because I need your help. As a detective. You’re not easy to find, I had to call Ernie to find out where you’re living now.”

      Ernie’s a used car dealer I do repo work for, and we were all friends back in the day.

      “Yeah, I just moved about a month ago. I still have the same phone number though.”

      “Well.” She looked awkward. “I thought it might be better if I just came in person.”

      “Okay, sure. Let’s head inside and you can tell me what’s going on.”

      She looked relieved and said, “Thank you, Dino. I didn’t know who else to ask.”

      I nodded and led the way to the front door, passing Seth who had an inscrutable look on his face. I had an uneasy feeling this would go badly for me one way or another. The three of us went in and climbed the stairs in awkward silence.

      Behind us, I heard two of my neighbors, Della and Ruth, come in the front door chatting, and I realized they must have been sitting out on the patio the whole time. I ushered Seth and Gigi down the hall, because I was no shape to make another round of introductions and small talk.

      I unlocked my door and held it open for them. Inside, the mood was even more awkward if that was possible. I turned on the stereo to cut the silence. The oldies station came on, and Gigi smiled. “You still like that old music.”

      “Can’t beat the classics,” I said, pulling a chair away from the table for her.

      Seth yanked open the fridge and brought two bottles of Corona to the table. He looked at Gigi. “You want a beer or a drink? I make a great Sex on the Beach.”

      His tone was a little blunt, and she looked startled. “No, thank you.”

      “I have amaretto,” I told her. I gave Seth a hard look.

      She smiled. “I’d love some, thanks.”

      Seth scowled and dropped into the chair across from her, while I went to pour her drink. I hoped like hell he was planning to behave himself. Seth and I didn’t become good friends until about a year after Gigi and I split up, but he knew who she was, and had heard some of the stories. I could only imagine what was running through his head at the moment.

      I set Gigi’s glass on the table and sat down with them. “So, tell me what’s goin’ on. You don’t look so good.”

      “I’m not, Dino.” She took a sip of her drink and shook her head. “The problem is, I don’t really know what’s going on. I might just be paranoid, but something’s not right.”

      Seth sighed, and I have him a sharp look. “Come on, Gigi, what’s up? If it’s nothing then we find out it’s nothing, but if it’s not and you ignore it...”

      “Right,” she said. “Well, I think someone’s sabotaging the restaurant.”

      “How so?” Seth asked.

      “It’s a lot of little things. We’ve been having a few problems lately, and at first I just thought it was a run of bad luck, but we’ve never had this much trouble before. It started with a couple of very bad reviews, which were unfair and not at all accurate. Then we found out there were rumors going around about us. They were saying our chef was unsanitary, or that he was crazy and might do something horrible to the food.” She paused to collect her thoughts and ran a hand through her hair. “This all sounds so silly, Dino.”

      The restaurant was an Italian bistro she owned and ran, located down the coast in Pass-a-Grille. It sits right on the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway, and you can park your car in front or dock your boat in back. It was called Salvatore’s in honor of her grandfather who built the place.

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