"Well, look who decided to stop in for a visit!" The woman's lightly accented voice held distinct tones of pleasure and a slight reprimand. "It's been too long."
"I know. I know." Daniel ducked his head sheepishly, looking far too charming and appealing for Sydney's peace of mind. "I had a craving for some deep dish pizza, and we all know this is the best place in the city for that."
"You got that right." The woman gently patted his cheek before taking his face in both her hands to scrutinize him closer, as a mother would a young boy. "Just look at you. You keep getting more and more handsome each time I see you." Then she finally dropped her hands back down to her sides and shifted her gaze to Sydney, her curiosity evident in the slight arch of her brow. "Who's your friend, Daniel?"
"This is Sydney," he said, that clever hand of his finding its way back to her spine to urge her forward. "Sydney, this is Rosa Santori."
"It's very nice to meet you." Sydney extended her hand courteously toward Rosa.
"No, the pleasure is all mine," the other woman insisted as she took Sydney's hand and gave it a warm, welcoming squeeze that was far more affectionate and personal than a handshake. "I can't remember Daniel ever bringing a woman friend here before. He must be trying to impress you."
Sydney laughed. Oh, this woman was sly. And incredibly sweet. "He's well on his way to doing just that."
Daniel glanced around at the crowd of people waiting to be seated for dinner. "I didn't even think about it being a Saturday night and the restaurant being so busy." He checked the time on his watch then sent Rosa a hopeful look. "Do you have a table open, by chance? We have a movie to catch in about an hour."
The man obviously wasn't opposed to using his acquaintance with Rosa to pull a few strings and eliminate the long wait for a seat, which led Sydney to believe that maybe he did have a bit of a rebellious streak in him after all. That possibility made him all the more sexy and irresistible to her.
"For you, I have the best seat in the house available," Rosa said, happy to accommodate him. "Come this way."
She crooked her finger at the two of them, grabbed a few menus from the hostess stand, then led the way to a quiet, secluded table at the back of the restaurant, which was decorated in traditional, old-world pizzeria style. Here, the lighting was low, with a flickering candle in a Chianti bottle adding to the relaxing and cozy atmosphere.
Once they were seated in the booth across from one another Rosa handed each of them a menu and gave them the specials for the day. "Now you two enjoy your dinner, and I'll send Tony over with a bottle of wine, on the house."
She left, and moments later a good-looking man came up to their table, a bottle of Chianti in one hand and two wine glasses in the other. He greeted Daniel with a firm handshake and some friendly ribbing that made it obvious that they'd known each other for a long time. Then another round of introductions ensued for her, and she learned that this man named Tony was one of Rosa's sons.
Wine was poured, and when their waitress arrived to take their order, Sydney went with Daniel's recommendation to try the deep dish pizza, which was his personal favorite. With that out of the way, he shrugged out of his jacket, and she untied the sash around her waist and did the same with her coat.
When he'd arrived at her apartment to pick her up, she'd been dressed and ready to go-including wearing her coat. Now, as she peeled off that outer layer and watched his eyes take on a dark, appreciative gleam, she was pleased to see that her outfit had the desired effect on him. Especially her long-sleeved, lace-up, corset-type top, which she'd chosen with pure and deliberate seduction in mind. The dark burgundy fabric molded to her curves, and the low scoop neckline emphasized her best, and most lusted after assets-her breasts.
Satisfied that her blatant display of cleavage didn't escape his notice, she settled back against her seat and reached for her glass of wine. "I take it that the Santoris are friends of the family?"
His gaze met hers and he smiled. "Yeah. I've known Mr. and Mrs. Santori since I was a kid. My brother and sister and I went to school with the Santoris. And my mother and Rosa were always involved in the PTA, booster clubs, and that sort of thing, so our families spent time together."
It sounded as though Daniel had a close-knit family and had grown up in a normal, well-adjusted household. She envied that sort of childhood simplicity, things that most people took for granted. "So, you've lived here all your life?"
"Yep. Born and raised right here in Chicago." Daniel took a long drink of his wine, his deep brown eyes studying her for a moment over the rim of his glass. "What about you? Where did you grow up?"
She shrugged, and kept things vague. "I'm from various parts of Illinois."
He tipped his head curiously as he stroked his fingers along the stem of his wine glass. "I take it your family didn't stay in one place for long?"
How could she forget that this man had a penchant for asking personal questions, despite her reluctance to answer them? He'd done the same thing after their parent-teacher conference regarding Cassie's math grades, coaxing information out of her about her past that she normally kept to herself-and here he was, doing it again.
She wanted to tell him that getting to know her on a deeper, more intimate level wasn't a prerequisite for getting laid-she'd agreed to a date, so sex was a given. Wanted to tell him that she preferred a no-strings-attached affair, the kind that didn't require sharing secrets or trading personal information beyond their sexual preferences. A casual, friends-with-benefits type of arrangement, because anything beyond that with a man, any man, just wasn't going to happen.
The physical connection and attraction between them was one thing, but she wasn't about to let him in emotionally, and she couldn't think of a better way to ensure he backed off than by being completely honest and up front about her past. All of it. Including the sordid details that a nice, blue-blooded guy like Daniel wouldn't want in a future mate. And she was fairly certain that by the time their first date was over and he knew just how scandalous a past she'd had, he wouldn't be chomping at the bit for a second go.
That worked for her.
"I never had a family, to speak of," she said, giving him the reply he was waiting for. "Just a string of foster homes from the age of twelve, until I got pregnant with Cassie when I was fourteen. I spent the four years after that in a halfway house for unwed mothers, going to school, working part time, and raising Cassie."
If she'd shocked him with her blunt response, he had the good manners not to show it. In fact, the interest in his gaze increased, and he didn't hesitate to act on it. "That had to be tough," he said, gentle understanding in his tone. "Are your parents deceased?"
Sydney's stomach twisted relentlessly. More ugly truths to reveal. If her answer to that question didn't turn him off completely, then she didn't know what would. "My mother died of a heroin overdose in a back alley somewhere, and I have no idea who my father is. I don't think my mother even knew, considering she prostituted herself in order to afford her next fix."
Daniel watched as Sydney's chin lifted defensively and her eyes flashed fire-the kind that warned him that he'd just trudged onto very sensitive territory and he needed to take a huge step back before he got burned.
Despite his father's opinion to the contrary, Daniel had always considered himself a smart man, and intelligent enough to know when he'd backed someone into a corner-and that's what he'd unintentionally done to Sydney. He'd hit on a raw and painful topic, and she was lashing out, trying to protect her emotions with a fearless and defiant attitude.