And Playing the Role of Herself (Frankiana)

CHAPTER FOUR

 I pushed the lit doorbell and waited nervously; shifting my feet and gripping the bottle of wine I carried tightly. The arched wooden door was carved with intricate Modern designs, in keeping with house's white, black and brown exterior blended nicely with the abundant greenery surrounding it.

The door rattled and I drew a deep breath, plastering what I hoped was a pleasant smile on my face. The heavy wood swung inward to reveal a handsome man with a mega-watt smile, currently aimed at me.

"Ms. Mackey," he held out his hand, "It's great to meet you. Argel Saycon."

Like I didn't know who he was.

In photographs, Argel Saycon was an attractive man, but in the flesh, he was quite a bit more than that. I felt an instant, visceral reaction, and had to squelch an urge to touch him to see if he was real.

Good God. No wonder people followed these two around, wanting pictures.

Slightly dazed, I took his hand. "Diana Mackey. Please, just call me Diana or Di."

His grip was strong without being overbearing.

"Sure thing Diana," he said, as though trying it out. He grinned.

Before releasing my hand, he tugged me lightly through the door and closed it behind us.

I held up the wine. "Franki said not to bring anything, but my mother would kill me if I showed up empty handed."

"Ah. Fully house trained. No wonder Franki likes you." He took my hand again. "I'll let you deliver that yourself. She's just in the kitchen, I think."

I let him pull me further into the house, slightly disconcerted by his complete disregard of the physical boundaries that normally existed between virtual strangers. He led me past a curving, stone stairway going up to our left, and down a wide hallway, our footsteps muffled by expensive-looking woven rugs that covered smooth tile floors.

A railed landing at the end of the hall overlooked a huge, open living room with a two-story wall of glass offering a breathtaking view of the city at night.

I stopped, pulling Argel to a halt as well. "Wow."

"Nice, isn't it?" He tugged me towards a stairway. "That's really why she paid out the ass for this place."

"I bet," I murmured, following Argel down the stairs, still gazing at the view.

At the bottom of the steps, Argel paused, glancing around. "Franki? Your guest is here."

"Dianerr." The soft husky voiceaffected me like a jolt of electricity and I dropped Argel's hand hastily,afraid my feelings could somehow be transferred by the contact. Franki emergedfrom an arched doorway that led into a large kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "I'm so glad you could make it. Welcome."

"Thanks," I said, unable to stop the large smile that spread across my face at the sight of her. Her long hair fell loose down her back; she wore a faded green t-shirt tucked into worn jeans and no shoes.

This was by far my favorite view in the house.

She answered my smile with one of her own, and we stood like that for several moments, until Argel moved towards the kitchen.

"Where's my meat, Panky? I'm starving."

Franki threw the towel over her shoulder and stopped him with a hand to his chest. "Uh-uh. Stay out of my kitchen, grill-boy." She turned him around and motioned towards a sliding glass door leading out onto a wide deck. "Go light the grill, and I'll bring it out to you."