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THE STATION
Amanda shook her head in confusion as the tape rolled; it couldn’t be, it just couldn’t, she thought. She sat back in Ricardo’s chair and brought her hands up to her mouth. "My God," she mumbled as she closed her eyes. How could she have missed it? How could Ricardo have missed it? As she looked back at the screen, it faded to snow; she pushed the stop button and rewound the tape. How in the world was she going to tell Ricardo? "Hey Amanda," Ricardo smiled as he entered his office, seeing her reclining in his chair; her jacket was off and her blouse clung alluringly to her full breasts. He averted his eyes quickly even as his heart began to rage. "I, um…how’s it going?" Ricardo fumbled with some papers on the desk trying to resist the urge to look where his eyes demanded. "Ricardo," she began quietly not knowing what to say. "I….Spence, um…" Amanda had never been at a loss for words before; Ricardo dropped the envelope in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Spence brought in this box of evidence and I rummaged around in it. I came across something that caught my attention." Ricardo’s face revealed his curiosity and Amanda continued. "It’s a videotape, Ricardo. It was unmarked. I didn’t think you would mind if I took a look at it." "Of course I don’t Amanda," Ricardo assured her as he sat on the corner of the desk. "So, anything good?" He thought she must have been concerned he would be angry that she watched it. "I think you should take a look for yourself." Amanda stood up and walked over to the VCR. She turned to Ricardo who had been admiring her legs; she smiled and cleared her throat to get his attention. The sexual tension had been growing for a few days now, initiated by both of them. Ricardo feigned ignorance to her cough and waved his hand to the TV. Amanda started the tape and stepped back to his side; she waited for the explosion she knew was coming. TWO WEEKS LATER THE LOFT "Gabi! Come on," Ricardo bellowed, "it’s almost 7:30." The music was blaring from the CD player as he gyrated to the beat around the kitchen. This was his first night off, let alone a Saturday night, since the beginning of the murder investigation three weeks ago. Chief was getting discouraged at the lack of progress so he instructed his detectives to take the night off, relax and forget about work. Antonio had been back to work for a few days after fully recovering from his ‘fever’ and they were all going to Grenadines’ to celebrate - all of them, including Ashley. Gabi moped around the bathroom in one final attempt to come up with an excuse not to go; the last way she wanted to spend the evening was watching Antonio and his new girlfriend hang all over each other. According to Maria, Antonio and Ashley had been joined at the hip lately, happy as could be; the very idea made Gabi physically ill enough to stay home. But Ricardo wasn’t having any of her headache talk; he told her to take an aspirin and get dressed. Amanda was going to be there too; Ricardo invited her to join them for dinner. All in all, Gabi was expecting one hell of an evening. "Gabi!!!" "I’m coming," she answered him as she flipped off the light and exited the bathroom. Ricardo greeted her with an approving whistle; Gabi blushed. She was wearing a knee length black tank dress with a black cashmere crop sweater. A wide grin crossed Ricardo’s lips. "What?" He knew exactly why she had chosen an outfit so uncharacteristically Gabi. "You look great." It was all she needed to hear; she smiled shyly. "I like this look on you." Ricardo wrapped his arms around his fiancée pulling her into a passionate kiss. When he pulled away, he raised his eyebrows at her. "You know, we could just stay home." "No we can’t." Gabi surprised herself at her sudden enthusiasm for the outing. "We promised everyone we would be there. We should go." Gabi slipped out of his arms and grabbed her purse. The fact that Ricardo had not only approved of her outfit, but also commented on the change made her feel less self-conscious about the two women she would be spending the evening with; if Ricardo has noticed, then Antonio would too. Ricardo caught up with her quickly as he flipped off the light and they headed to the restaurant. GRENADINE’S Antonio and Ashley had already arrived. Antonio was wearing black pleated pants with a white-collar shirt and black jacket. Ashley looked beautiful in a simple, black silk dress that hung to mid-thigh; it fit all her curves seductively and had rendered Antonio speechless when he picked her up. They sat at the table having a drink, waiting for the rest of their party to arrive. Ashley had arranged working out of the Chanel office in LA but Stephen had been calling and pressuring her about returning to Paris. She had managed to put the discussion off once again. Antonio could tell something was on her mind as she sat quietly fingering her glass of wine, looking a million miles away. "Ash? Is everything okay?" Antonio took her hand in his as she met his deep brown eyes. His concerned expression tugged at her heart; she leaned slowly toward him and touched her hand to his cheek. Antonio closed his eyes as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of her perfume; their lips met softly as exhilarative sparks raced through both their bodies. The last thing Ashley wanted to do was hurt him; she hadn’t expected to rekindle their relationship. The subject of Stephen hadn’t come up although he had never been far from her thoughts. But the way Antonio made her feel when he looked at her, touched her and kissed her sent all rational thoughts flying out the window. Antonio slipped his hand under the table and just underneath the skirt of her dress, resting it on her knee. "Antonio," she whispered with a giggle as his lips caressed her neck. "Antonio, we are in public," she reminded him gently. He brought his lips back to her ear. "You just look so beautiful I couldn’t help myself." Antonio pulled his head back giving Ashley an amazingly killer grin. She dropped her eyes to her lap then gazed back into his eyes and smiled adoringly. They both began to laugh softly just as Ricardo and Gabi arrived at the table. Gabi was watching Antonio as he stood up from the table to shake his brother’s hand. As they said their hellos, her attention turned to Ashley. She was so confident, so comfortable with herself and she made Antonio happy; as nice as she was, Gabi couldn’t help but hate her. Ashley had her eye on Gabi as well; she was still trying to figure out what exactly the situation was with her and Antonio. She had heard from Ricardo, Maria and Carmen that Gabi and Antonio were close friends, but it was more than that, apparently for both of them. When they were in each other’s company, something would change; Antonio became edgy and uptight, Gabi nervous and uncomfortable. "Hi Gabi," Antonio smiled, his eyes gently appreciating her new dress as he returned to his seat. Ricardo sat down across from Antonio with Gabi between them. "Where’s Amanda, Ricardo? Is she still coming?" "She should be here soon. She was finishing up some paperwork when I left at 4." Ricardo took a drink of his water and tried to hide the smile he couldn’t keep from his lips; he had become more attracted to Amanda lately and used any excuse he could find to spend time with her. He convinced himself that it was simply his male prerogative to admire a beautiful acquaintance; he wasn’t acting on his feelings, after all. She made him laugh and smile; she brightened up his day. He fondly remembered a time when Gabi did that for him too. "Huh?" he replied as he realized Antonio was attempting to get his attention. "I’m sorry, what did you say?" "I said, whatever happened with that videotape?" Antonio repeated. "Oh…well, there wasn’t much he could say," Ricardo commented calmly. "We got him red-handed, the tape held up in court and he’s serving 20 – 30 at San Quentin. We were just lucky that the family was so understanding. Of course, they still have plenty of time to file a lawsuit. I can’t believe we missed it the first time. We owe it all to Amanda." "Did I hear my name?" Amanda arrived as Ricardo and Antonio stood gallantly from their chairs. "Sorry I’m late," she offered apologetically as Ricardo rushed to pull out her chair. Gabi noticed his gesture and it sparked her attention. She had been hearing talk around the station; gossip, water cooler chitchat when no one knew she was around. Nothing major had been said other than that people had noticed how closely Ricardo and Amanda had been working; late nights and closed door conversations. Gabi dismissed the notion as speculation and innuendo; Ricardo was her fiancé, he loved her. "I thought you were bringing someone," he said not so disappointedly. Amanda smiled shyly then eyed him strongly. "Oh…sorry." Ricardo and Amanda shared a secret laugh, which quickly ceased as Gabi sent him a stern look of disapproval. "Amanda McGhee, this is my brother, Antonio and this is…his…" Ricardo hesitated as he looked at Antonio; Gabi sat on the edge of her seat waiting for his response. "This is my girlfriend, Ashley Johnson." Ashley smiled at Antonio then turned to shake Amanda’s hand. Antonio’s gaze turned quickly to Gabi who tried her best to hide her emotion; he read her like an open book. Amanda and Ashley sat next to each other and exchanged niceties while Ricardo looked around for the waiter. Antonio and Gabi held eye contact for a moment; Gabi dropped her eyes then excused herself from the table. Ricardo and Antonio watched her leave; Amanda and Ashley were engrossed in conversation. "What’s wrong, Ricardo?" Antonio couldn’t help but notice the way Ricardo shook his head as she left. "I don’t know what’s wrong with her, T." Ricardo was obviously frustrated. "She was hem hawing around about coming tonight. I finally convinced her, she got dressed and we left. She hasn’t said a word since we got here and now something else is wrong." Antonio looked toward the hall to see if she was coming back. "You know, sometimes I just think what’s the…" Antonio was hanging for Ricardo to finish his sentence. "Nevermind, I don’t want to talk about it." Ricardo took a deep swig of the beer before him. "Tonight I’m gonna relax and have a good time. Screw her if she wants to act like that." Antonio was surprised to hear Ricardo speak like that about Gabi; he had never heard Ricardo dismiss her that way. He seemed not to care about whatever was bothering her. And what had he almost said? What’s the…problem? What’s the…use? Antonio was distracted by Ashley’s hand on his arm. "Honey, did you hear what Amanda said?" she asked as she turned her head back to Amanda but kept her hand on his arm. Ricardo kicked Antonio under the table to get his attention. "Honey?" he mouthed the words exaggeratedly then gave his brother a wink and a smile. Antonio returned the kick, dipped his head shyly and took Ashley’s hand in his. He wasn’t sure where their relationship was going but it had indeed gotten closer. They had been out to dinner a few nights since he had been feeling better and they spoke on the phone, if only briefly, almost every day. Antonio intended to have a serious discussion with her soon about her plans, whether she was staying in Sunset Beach or returning to Paris. He still knew there was something she wasn’t talking about; it would have to be settled before he decided what he wanted to do. For now, he was enjoying her company and having a very good time of it. "Ashley, do you want to dance?" The music had turned slow and couples were beginning to fill the dance floor. She accepted with a smile and slipped her hand inside his. Ricardo tipped his beer to his brother as he and Amanda watched them make their way to the floor. Amanda wetted her lips and turned to Ricardo. "They are an adorable couple. Have they been together long?" Ricardo hadn’t yet told Amanda about Antonio’s past. "They used to date in high school. She just got back to town a few weeks ago." Ricardo smiled as he watched Antonio pull Ashley closer to him and place his hand against her back. "They’ve been seeing each other since then and I think he really wants to get back together with her. I’ve never seen him so happy." Amanda smiled then looked into her lap; Ricardo watched her intently. "Amanda, you alright?" "Oh yeah," she said softly. "So, what happened to Gabi? She’s been gone for a long time." Ricardo just shrugged his shoulders and took another drink of his beer. "Do you want to dance?" Ricardo blurted out after he set down his beer. Amanda started to protest but he stood up and grabbed her hand. "Aw come on, I’m not that bad and we’re supposed to be having fun. I promise not to step on your feet." Amanda raised an eyebrow at him then tossed her napkin to the table. They made their way to the floor and took a space next to Antonio and Ashley. They stepped toward each other hesitantly; Ricardo chuckled nervously and Amanda blushed. She hadn’t danced with a man since…. Ricardo slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her gently against him. Amanda rested her palm against his chest; she felt his hard pectoral muscle flinch in response to her touch. As she leaned closer to him, Ricardo closed his eyes and for a moment, allowed himself the luxury of losing himself in her touch, her scent, the way her felt against his. Amanda felt it too; a tingle that ran up her spine as his the pressure of his fingers against the small of her back increased ever so slightly. The smell of his cologne made her knees weak as she dropped her head resting her forehead against his shoulder. Antonio held Ashley tightly; her head nestled against his shoulder, her soft breath caressing his neck. He was closely watching the way his brother was holding Amanda; they both seemed to be lost in the dance. As he moved Ashley around the floor, his eyes scanned the crowd for Gabi; He didn’t want her to see the way Ricardo was behaving. Thankfully before she returned, the song ended and Ricardo and Amanda pulled slowly away from each other. "I, um…I’ll be right back," Amanda said completely flustered. Her heart was pounding and she needed to compose herself. Ricardo nodded then turned back to the table. His head was spinning; he wondered what had just happened. As he stepped off the dance floor, his eyes met his brother’s; he could see that Antonio was wondering as well. Antonio and Ashley continued to dance; the next song was slow and neither of them loosened their embrace. Ashley tilted her head back and found him staring into her eyes. Ashley smiled softly as Antonio brought his lips to meet hers. Gabi stepped out from the ladies room after taking a few minutes to calm down. As she reached the entrance to Grenadine’s main dining room, her gaze found Antonio and Ashley kissing in the middle of the dance floor. Gabi noticed the way Antonio tilted his head as his fingers entwined with Ashley’s hair; Ashley’s body was pressed up against Antonio, her fingers kneading the muscles of his back as he kissed her. "Aren’t they a beautiful couple?" Gabi turned to the elderly woman who was speaking to her; she had seen the way Gabi was staring at them. "So young and in love." Gabi looked back to the dance floor as a tear slipped down her cheek. Was Antonio in love with Ashley?
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