She frowned, then drew in a sharp breath, as if what she saw surprised her. “There-there is family involved. And a decision made many years ago.” Sabina placed his hand on the table, then drew back. “That’s all I see,” she said softly. “You should come back when Ruta is here. She’s much better than I am.”

“I think you’re doing a fine job. So what do you advise I do?” He reached out and took her hand, turning his palm up again. “Tell me.”

“Be honest,” she said, not bothering to look down. “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”

“Have dinner with me,” he countered.

Sabina gasped. “What?”

“You told me to be honest. We were going to have coffee tomorrow morning. Let’s have dinner tonight instead.”

“I hardly know you,” Sabina said with a coy smile.

Alec knew she’d accept the invitation. The attraction between them was obviously mutual. “You’re psychic.” He grabbed her hand and placed her fingertips on his temple. “Just read my mind and you’ll know everything you need to know. I’m a good guy, right?”

“Yes, I suspect you are. But I still don’t know anything about you.”

Alec stood. “My name is Alec. Alec Har-” He paused, then cleared his throat. Now was not the time to reveal all. “Harper. I’ll pick you up this evening in front of the shop. Seven, if that’s all right.”

“I really think we should start with-”

“You read my palm, Sabina. You must know that I don’t take no for an answer.” Alec pushed back from the table and walked to the door. “See you this evening.”

When he reached the street, he turned back and looked through the glass-paned door to find Sabina staring at him, an odd frown on her face. Alec gave her a little wave, then stepped to the curb to hail a cab. But when the cab pulled up, he hesitated, then pulled open the passenger-side door. “Can you wait a few seconds?”

The cabbie nodded and Alec strode back inside the shop. She was standing where he’d left her, toying with her necklace as she had earlier. Without hesitation, Alec reached around her waist and drew her up against his body. A moment later, he lost himself in the taste of her mouth. A tiny cry of surprise slipped from her throat, but then she softened in his arms and returned the kiss, her tongue gently teasing at his.

Alec could have stood there for the rest of the day, kissing her, letting the waves of desire wash over him. But there would be time for that later. He drew away and smiled. “I’m not sure why I did that,” he whispered. “But if you figure it out, let me know.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the shop. As he hopped into the cab, Alec chuckled to himself. So maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to mix business with pleasure. Besides, from the very moment had Sabina touched him, all thoughts of business had disappeared from his head. Right now, he had one task at hand-romancing Sabina Amanar. And that would be nothing but pleasure.

CHAPTER TWO

“HOW DO I LOOK?”

Sabina stood in the center of the shop and twirled around once. Chloe Kincaid watched her from behind the counter, a lollipop stuck in her mouth. Asking Chloe was probably not the best choice considering that the twenty-two-year-old graduate student preferred to dress like a vampire. Her lips were painted a bright red and her pink-streaked black hair stuck up in unruly shocks.

“What are you going for?” Chloe asked.

She smoothed her hands over the embroidered blue silk. “Sexy, but not too sexy. Interesting. Maybe a little aloof, but approachable. Mysterious?”

Chloe stared at her a long moment, her head tipped to the side. “I’m not sure a dress can do all that. Maybe you ought to try therapy.”

Sabina was well used to Chloe’s arid sense of humor. “Well, do I at least look pretty?”

She shrugged. “Yeah.”

Sabina’s spirits lifted. She’d designed the dress herself out of a piece of vintage silk she’d found in a store in SoHo. Body-skimming and sleeveless, with a fitted waist and skirt, the dress was Asian in influence, with a bit of Village bohemian tossed in. And the deep sapphire color was perfect. “Maybe I should wear something a bit more conservative. I have a little black cocktail dress that-”

“You are a goddess,” Chloe replied flatly, turning back to the magazine she was reading. “I do like the necklace.”

Sabina reached up, surprised to find that she still wore the love charm her grandmother had given her. She carefully tucked it beneath the mandarin collar of the dress.

“I’ve got one of those, too,” Chloe said, holding up a clay amulet nearly identical to Sabina’s. “Your grandmother gave it to me for Christmas last year, and since then my sex life has been fantastic.”

“Really?” Sabina asked. “Then you think it works?”

Chloe nodded as she blew a bubble with her gum. The bubble popped and she smiled. “Oh, yeah. Ruta knows what she’s doing. I’ve had more boys than I can handle.”

Sabina admired her grandmother’s abilities, but she had never placed much faith in the magic that Ruta practiced. Sabina had learned that telling someone’s fortune was more about reading their behaviors and attitudes, about drawing conclusions from carefully asked questions, than actually seeing into the future. As for charms, how could a simple clay disk wield any mystical power over a man?

But since she’d put the necklace on that morning, her social life had improved by leaps and bounds. She had a date with a devastatingly handsome man. “I’d settle for just one. A really good one.”

“It may not be the amulet that’s getting me the men,” Chloe said, bracing her chin on her hand. “I suppose it could be the potion.”

“Ruta gave you a potion?” Sabina groaned. “She knows she’s not supposed to give out potions. I’ve told her again and again. Someone could have an allergic reaction and die.”

“It’s all herbal,” Chloe said. “I watched her make it. It doesn’t taste great, but it works.” She grabbed her bag from beneath the counter and rummaged through it. A few seconds later, she pulled out a small brown bottle and handed it to Sabina. “You should try it. He won’t be able to resist you.”

With a quiet curse, Sabina shoved the bottle into her purse and snapped it shut. “I’m going to have to talk to her about this. If we sell potions, we have to have a license and insurance and inspections. This isn’t like the old days.”

The bell on the door rang and Sabina spun around, her stomach fluttering with nerves. She held her breath as Alec closed the door behind him, then let it out slowly when he faced her. “Good evening, Sabina,” he said with a devilish grin.

“Good evening, Alec.” Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment, then slowly drifted down his body. He wore a navy linen jacket that hugged his wide shoulders and a crisply starched blue oxford, which set off the color of his eyes. Faded jeans made him look just boyish enough to set her heart racing. Her sapphire silk had been the perfect choice.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “That color suits you.”

Sabina felt her face grow warm and she dropped her gaze. She’d hoped for aloof and mysterious, but any second now, she’d begin drooling and then he’d know exactly how she felt. She glanced over at Chloe, who was watching them both, a bemused smile curling her painted lips.

“Chloe, don’t forget to drop that mail in the mailbox on your way home,” Sabina said.

Chloe leaned forward. “Don’t worry about the dress,” she whispered. “The way that guy is looking at you, you won’t be wearing it long.”

Sabina sent her a warning glare, then pasted a smile on her face. “Don’t tell Nana I had a date. She’ll wait up until I get home and then I’ll have to tell her all about it. Just say I went to a gallery opening.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Chloe said.

When Sabina reached Alec’s side, he took her hand and wrapped it in his, then pulled the door open in front of her. “So, are we going to have a good time tonight?”

“What?”

“I just thought you might have a sense of how this is all going to go. Maybe you can give me a few pointers, warn me off before I make any big blunders. You’re the psychic.”

“Why don’t we let the evening just develop on its own,” Sabina suggested. “I’m going to switch off my powers now. No mind reading, no soothsaying.”

“All right.” He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Would you like to catch a cab or should we walk?”

“Where are we going?”

Alec shrugged. “We can go Uptown or we can stay in the neighborhood. Or if you like, we can stop by Balducci’s and pick up something from the deli. I make a really good sandwich. And I’m good with frozen pizza. That’s the extent of my cooking expertise.”

Though she would have loved to see Alec in the kitchen, for now, Sabina wanted to stay on neutral turf. “Why don’t we just walk until we find a place we both like?”

They strolled in silence for a few blocks, heading in the direction of SoHo. Sabina didn’t feel as if she needed to make conversation. It was enough just to be with him, to know that he wanted to be with her. “Do you live in the Village?” she asked.

“I have a house over on St. Luke’s and a place up in Vermont. Where do you live?”

“Above the shop. There are eight apartments. My grandmother has one, I have one, and we rent the rest out. She owns the building, so I get a break on the rent.”

“So you live comfortably on the income you make telling fortunes?” he asked.

“I do. We do.” She smiled.

“And where does one study to become a psychic?”

“I never studied for that. That sort of thing comes naturally. I actually studied fashion design at Parsons.”

“Really. And why didn’t you pursue it?”

“I am. I’ve been gradually making some changes at the shop, and when my grandmother retires, I hope to turn it into my own boutique. Now, tell me what you do.”