Page 55 of Vinny

“I could stare at him all day,” Jennifer said, startling Annalissa out of her musing.

Quickly looking over at Jennifer, realizing she wasreferring to Gabe, she had to giggle. “Yeah, me too. With Vinny, that is,” Annalissa clarified.

The two men, in unison, stalked over. “You ready to go home, babe?” Gabe asked his wife, taking her in his arms.

Vinny looked down at Annalissa, opening his arms and loving that she walked right in. Wrapping her in his embrace, he kissed the top of her head.

As the four of them walked out of the center, Jennifer looked up at Vinny. “Um, you know that your mom is going to have a fit if you don’t take Annalissa there soon.”

“I was thinking of rectifying that situation this Sunday,” he answered.

“And just when were you going to tell me that?” Annalissa asked, glaring up at him, while secretly thrilled that he was planning on taking her to meet his parents.

“Hey, I work on a strictly need-to-know basis,” he joked, earning a poke in the ribs.

“Well, I wanted to invite all of you to Third Street Bar tomorrow night. Some friends and I are playing there,” Annalissa added.

“Oh, we’d love to,” said Jennifer, already planning on asking some of their friends, while Gabe nodded.

Vinny, frowning at the thought of her playing with her neighbor, looked down at her. “And just when were you going to let me in on that little tidbit?” he growled.

Smiling up at him, she batted her eyes, saying, “Oh, didn’t I mention? You’re on a strictly need-to-know basis!”

Patting her ass, he said, “Let’s go before I’m tempted to do more than just give you a swat.”

The four headed out of the building, Gabe’s laughter ringing in their ears.

The bar was crowded by the time the group of friends gathered. Vinny had gotten there early, presumably for securing a table large enough for them and for keeping an eye on Annalissa. He hated to admit that he might be jealous, but he intended to keep an eye on Les as well.

The waitress took their orders as Shane, Annie, Matt, Lily, Tony, Sherrie, BJ, Suzanne, Gabe, Jennifer, and Jobe, along with his date, found their seats.

The women included Jobe’s date in their conversations, but she was as quiet as all of his other dates.

Jennifer leaned over to Sherrie, asking, “What’s up with her? Every time Jobe brings someone along they look as though they would jump at the slightest noise.”

Sherrie discreetly whispered back, “I’ve asked Tony, but he says that Jobe just looks for someone who is…forgettable.”

“Forgettable?”

“Yeah. You know. Not loud or boisterous. Not in-your-face. Just someone simple who will go out and then not be a pain if you don’t call again.”

Lily leaned over hearing their conversation, and said, “Jobe’s a total sweetie. I wish he would find someone more… substantial.”

“Tony says that Jobe had someone once. Back whenthey were overseas. I have no idea what happened, but ever since they’ve been here he just goes for someone who’s kind of blank. That’s all Tony will say right before telling me to stay out of his men’s love lives!” Sherrie giggled.

“Well, I think he needs a woman with backbone. You know? A real tiger. Someone who’ll not only stand up to him, but take care of him as well.”

The women’s conversation was interrupted by the musicians moving to the stage. They watched excitedly as Annalissa, wearing a hunter-green sleeveless dress with a short, flared skirt, sat in a chair pulling Easnadh onto her lap.

Lester took center stage introducing their song before putting the fiddle to his chin. Another young man played the drums and the fourth member played another fiddle. The quick Irish jig tempo immediately had the audience tapping their feet or clapping to the rhythm.

Vinny could not take his eyes off of Annalissa. Her eyes closed, she moved her fingers over the strings eliciting the most delightful sounds. The quartet’s instruments blended perfectly, each complimenting each other. Les moved excitedly around the front of the small stage, dancing a bit while fiddling.

The expression on Annalissa’s face was enchanting. Moving to the music, her body rocked gently back and forth as her fingers made it all look so easy. A delicate smile played upon her lips. Even without the long gown and theatrical makeup of a symphonic performance, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Herbeauty was simplistic. His eyes roamed over her outfit and as his dick began to press uncomfortably against his jean zipper, he found himself cursing her short skirt and scoop-neck bodice.

As they neared the end of the jig, her eyes opened and immediately found his. Locking on her gaze, all others in the room fell away leaving only the two of them bound by the swirling tones. Realizing he was holding his breath, he gulped air as the last chord was played.

The audience went wild and Les introduced the musicians. When Annalissa’s name was called, her friends’ table cheered the loudest. She blushed, never having had a group of people there to see her. Looking at Vinny, she could not believe that the most gorgeous man in the room was there for her.

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