Smooth Criminal

We both sat there taking it all in. I hadn’t realized that after about a minute, someone had sidled up to the bar.

“Well, hello there,” said that someone. I jumped a little at the new found knowledge that someone was sitting next to me. I turned to see the person laughing, and also saw that the person was Vincent, the very man who we had been discussing only a minute before. “Did I scare you?” he said.

“Only a little,” I said laughing in return, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“So, cugino,” he said to Martino. “Who might this lovely young lady be?”

“Oh, Vincent, this is-”

“Anita Rossetto,” I said cutting him off and sticking out my hand. “But you may call me Ani.”

Vincent took a hold of my hand and kissed it. I blushed as he said, “It is very nice to meet you, Ani. I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Yeah, this is my first time here. I have been asking my brother for years to take me here, but only recently have I been able to.”

“Well, I am very glad that you could make it this evening. Would you care to join me in a dance?” he asked like a perfect gentleman.

I smiled. “I-”

“Ani, what are you doing?” Dominick had appeared suddenly behind Vincent.

He turned around, stuck out his hand, and, without changing his tone, said, “You must be Dominick. I’m-”

Dominick shook his head. “I know who you are. What I don’t know it what is going on here.”

I cut in right then. “Dom, we were just talking and Vincent had asked me to dance. I do not see anything wrong with that situation.”

“Well, since we were just leaving it seems as though you will have to continue your conversations some other time,” Dominick said as he placed some money on the bar and walked toward the door.

The two of us both stood up while my brother headed in the direction of the rest of the world. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Vincent,” I said.

He nodded, kissed my hand again and said, “I hope that we will be able to see each other again sometime in the future.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “We shall see.” I was about to say more, but from across the room, Dominick was clearing his throat and looking rather impatient so I just removed my hand from his and left him to join my brother.

When I reached the door, Dominick had a hold of my wrist and was pulling me out into the alley. “What the hell was that?” he said sounding more than a little annoyed. “I thought you said you’d be alright?”

“I was alright,” I retorted. “I was talking to Martino for most of the time that you were gone and Vincent had only come over right before you did.”

Dominick was walking faster. “I told you to watch out for him. Do you want to become part of his line of broken hearts?”

“Dom, it’s not going to be like that. I promise.”

He stopped and I almost ran into him. “Promise?”

“Only if I am still allowed to be friend with him if it comes to that.”

Dominick sighed. “Fine.”

“Then it’s a promise.”

“Good. I just want to make sure you're safe.”

“Oh, come on, Dom,” I said as we started walking again. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“Yes,” he said as our steps kept in time with each other. “But you will always be my little sister.”