Clean Slate (New Mafia Trilogy #2) (3 page)

           
“I know!” Chelsea jumped up and down while clapping her
hands. Oh yeah, she was buzzed. She rummaged through her dresser and pulled out
a two piece bathing suit, the top was like a sports bra with extra wide straps.

           
“This is a different style for you,” I said.

           
“I wear it to go surfing.” The only response I could
offer was to give her an incredulous stare.
 
“Derek’s teaching me.”

           
“Really? Well, that’s cool.” I put on the suit and looked
in the mirror. It was a little loose, but provided adequate coverage. I wrapped
a beach towel around my waist and walked out with Chelsea.

           
“Mmm, mmm babe, you look hot!” Derek praised Chelsea and
her face lit up, her normally rosy cheeks flared a deeper pink. I had never
seen Chelsea look so blissful. Thoughts of Dominic filled my head and a lump
formed in my throat. Annoyed, I shook my head, blinking away tears and hoping
to clear the reverie. I left him, I was starting over and right about now I was
doing a bang up job. I mustered up a smile and went to stand next to Jason.

           
“Shall we?” I asked.
 

           
“After you,” he held the door open for me and I felt his
eyes on my back. Derek grabbed a six pack before he and Chelsea left to follow
us down to the pool. The area was deserted, maybe because it was Wednesday
night. I dropped the towel right by the edge and dove in. Weightless, I floated
around the deep end and let the water relax my muscles.
 
Just over three weeks ago I was dodging
bullets and now I was clear across the country submerged in warm waters,
staring up at palm trees swaying in the balmy breeze. The city lights were too
bright for the stars to be visible, but the endless sky was still peaceful,
calming.

My head collided into
something and I flipped over to see what I hit. Jason bobbed in front me,
smiling. The combination of the chlorine and the underwater lights amplified
the turquoise of his eyes. They were quite mesmerizing. Dominic’s green eyes
paled in comparison to these.

           
“Sorry.”

           
“Nothing to apologize for unless, you were planning on a
hit and run,” he teased. He reached up and caressed my cheek. I swam backwards
to create space between us. “Hey, I didn’t mean to offend. You just look so
relaxed.” He moved forward, closing the gap.

           
“Do you know the quickest way to get over an ex?” he
whispered. I shivered as his breath tickled my ear.

           
“How?”

           
“A rebound,” he cupped my face and drew my lips to his. I
resisted at first and pulled back, but thought about the logic in his
statement. Yes, a rebound was exactly what I needed to rid my thoughts of
Dominic. I leaned into him and surrendered. His lips felt foreign, but moved
expertly with mine. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he drew me in closer. We
were wet and our bodies were cool at first, but the body heat soon warmed us.
In the background Chelsea was giggling. She and Derek were getting comfortable
in the hot tub, leaving us alone in the pool.

Jason spun me around
until my back was pressed against the tiled wall. He lowered his lips to my
jaw, placing soft kisses down my neck. He was good, but he wasn’t Dominic. My
skin didn’t tingle and burn with Jason’s touch. It took some effort, but I
managed to push the comparisons aside and focused on the moment. Jason moved
against my pelvis and I wrapped my legs around his narrow hips. His muscles
rippled as he hoisted me up further and I felt his erection through the
material of his shorts. A moan escaped my lips, echoed by Jason.

           
“Let’s go upstairs,” he urged. We stepped out of the
water and Jason secured a towel around me before getting his.

           
“Where are you kids going?” Chelsea asked. Her voice was
high pitched, a sign that she was on the way to getting smashed. Derek gave us
a silly, glassy eyed grin.

           
“To use the bathroom, we’ll be right back,” I answered.

           
“Sure you are.” she winked and turned her attention back to
Derek. We escaped without further explanation.

The only room in the
apartment with a door and a lock, aside from Chelsea’s bedroom, was the
bathroom. So, we weren’t lying when we said we were going to use it.
Considering we were dripping wet, it was a wise choice. Jason lowered his face
to mine and kissed me. Pressing his hardness against my stomach, he slid my wet
bikini bottoms down my legs. Using his shoulders for balance, I stepped out of
them. His fingers found my opening and he began to stroke. I gasped as his
momentum increased and when one finger became two, but I didn’t burst apart at
his touch like I would with Dominic.

Stop it! I gave myself
a mental slap for starting the comparisons again, but I couldn’t control them.
Jason continued to touch me, unaware of the internal battle I was facing. I
didn’t want to feel anything. He was going to be my escape, but it wasn’t
working.
 

Before Jason pulled my
bathing suit top off, I placed my hands against his bare chest, stopping him.

           
“What?” Jason asked, trying to move in for another kiss.

           
“I can’t do this. I’m not ready” I stepped backwards and
my butt hit against the vanity.

He regarded me with his
bright blue eyes and I lowered my head, suddenly embarrassed about my actions.

           
“We don’t have to have sex, we can do other things,” he
said, once again closing the gap between us, but I had nowhere to move.
Pinpricks of anxiety raced up my spine.

           
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s too soon.” I crossed my arms
in front of my body, feeling too exposed.

He stopped his approach
and let out a deep breath. “Okay.”

           
“Okay?”

           
“Yeah, I get it and I’m not going to pressure you.”

           
“Thanks.” I offered up a hesitant smile, which he
returned.

After a few seconds, he
bent down to retrieve my bikini bottoms and I slid past the counter to pull
them back on. We walked into the living room where I grabbed shorts and a
t-shirt then excused myself and went to the bathroom. The mirror wasn’t kind.
My eyes looked haunted and my hair was drying in knotty chunks. I raked a comb
through it, washed my face and brushed my teeth.

When I came back out, I
saw that Jason had put on his polo shirt and boxers. He was reaching for his
jeans and looked up at me.

           
“Derek was my ride here, but I know he’s not in any
condition to drive. Do you think…” He trailed off.

           
“What?”

           
“I’m not going to ask you to take me home, but can I stay
here?” I glanced over at the futon and he quickly offered to sleep on the
floor.

           
“Um, sure, you can spend the night, but you don’t have to
sleep on the floor. Can you help me with this? There’s room for two.” I bent
down to the futon and Jason grabbed the other end. It flipped open to a full
bed. I spread a sheet on the mattress and grabbed a blanket.

Jason was already lying
down. He had taken off his shirt. I turned off the light and slipped under the
covers next to him. He wrapped his arm around me. While it felt nice having a
warm body to snuggle up to, I’d had enough touching for the night.

           
“Just sleeping,” I said, inching away toward the edge of
the mattress.

I lay there in the dark,
sharing my bed with a man I hardly knew. I longed to be in Dominic’s embrace.
The rebound almost-sex left me feeling empty and vulnerable. Our hook up lacked
the spark that I had grown used to. Another feeling lurked underneath the
surface, guilt.

The doorknob clicked as
it turned and I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. Chelsea and Derek
laughed in whispers when they saw us on the futon together and I winced at
their assumptions as they crept down the hall to Chelsea’s bedroom. Moments
later moans drifted out to the living room. I willed myself to sleep.

Dominic’s blood sprayed
across my face and the force of the bullet knocked him back against me. I was
pinned between him and the door, unable to move. Hot liquid seeped out of his
neck and soaked into my clothes. I could feel it pooling in my lap. Dominic’s
life was draining away and I was helpless to prevent it.

           
“Dominic baby, hold on!” I screamed even though his ear
was inches from my mouth. He let out a soft moan and went completely limp.
“No!”
 

           
Someone grabbed my shoulder and was shaking me. “No,” I
whimpered. “I need to stay with him.”

           
“Natalie, wake up.” The voice was masculine and vaguely
familiar. My eyes flew open and Jason’s face came into focus. His long hair
hung down, white blonde contrasting against his tan shoulders.

I sunk back against the
pillow, the residue of the nightmare still clinging to the periphery of my
brain. The dull throb above my temples was back. Jason ran his fingertips
across my forehead as if trying to iron out the creases. He pulled me against
his chest and spooned me from behind. His warmth and presence helped the
trembling to stop.

           
“Feeling better?”

Nodding, I heard my
hair rustling against his bare chest. Yes, I was recovering from the dream, but
I still felt guilty lying in bed next to another man, so soon after leaving the
one I shared with Dominic. I turned around to face him. He smiled and brushed a
few stray hairs off my cheek.

    
      
“Jason,”
I rolled over to face him, placing my hand on his chest as a barrier. “My life
is complicated right now and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

           
“It’s cool, I get it,” he kissed the tip of my nose. “Do you
have room for a friend? Maybe even a FWB?

           
“What’s an FWB?”

           
“Friend with benefits,” he smirked and his eyes
flashed.
 
I couldn’t help but laugh at
his playfulness.

           
“Friends only.”

           
“I can deal with that. I don’t know what you’re running
from, but based on that dream you had, I’d say you could use another friend.”

           
“Who says I’m running?”

           
“I’m a bartender and have become pretty good at reading
people. Besides this is L.A., there are a lot of people here hoping to escape
reality.” He shifted and moved his leg in between mine, quick to blur the
lines.

           
“I said friends only,” I growled and moved away from him
to sit on the edge of the futon.

           
“Hey, can’t blame me for trying!” He laughed and rolled
off the other side.

I watched as he walked
to the bathroom. His boxers hung down low, revealing a tan line. It was almost
noon, Chelsea and Derek were long gone. The thought of spending another day
alone in the apartment with nothing but my thoughts did not seem like a good
idea. Maybe having Jason around could work out after all. He was fun at least
and that would help keep the sadness at bay.

The pizza boxes were
still open on the counter so I busied myself cleaning up. I was in the kitchen
getting a diet Coke when Jason reappeared.

           
“Do you have to work tonight?”

           
“Yeah, but I don’t have to be in until 8. Why, what’s
up?”

           
“I want to take you up on the offer of showing me around,
if that’s okay?”

           
“Cool. Do you have a car? Derek was my ride.”

After a quick shower we
were ready to leave. Jason teased me about my driving since I went the speed
limit and obeyed every stop sign. The last thing I needed was a cop running my
plates and entering me in the system since Marco had cops on the payroll in
Philly. Jason took me all around; Mann’s Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Walk of
Fame, and we drove by Venice Beach. It was just like I had seen in movies. He
was a free spirit and happy to go without a schedule.

I found a place to park
out front of a gelato parlor, right by Venice Beach Park.
 
Jason bought us gelato and the cool
creaminess soothed my perpetually dry throat. We strolled down towards the
beach. I stopped to take off my wedges and let the sand run through my toes. We
passed a couple of bikini clad women who ogled Jason and looked me over as if
sizing me up. They obviously thought we were a couple. The women’s attention
didn’t go unnoticed by Jason and he winked at them.

           
“You’re awful!” I smacked his arm with the back of my
hand.

           
“What?”

           
“Do you flirt with every female within a fifty foot
radius?”

           
“Yes I do,” he said very seriously. “Are you jealous?”

           
“No, you’re just shameless!” I laughed.

           
“Having fun?”

           
“Yes.”

           
“Good.”

I was having fun. Jason
didn’t pry into my past. He just let me be in the moment. He kept everything
platonic too and didn’t allude to what almost happened the night before. While
he didn’t ask many questions about me, I found out he grew up in Northridge,
graduated from USC San Diego, and when he wasn’t bartending or chasing women,
he entered amateur surfing competitions and was taking a break before starting
law school.

It was almost seven
when we pulled up to his apartment building.

           
“Do you know how to get back?” he asked when he got out.

           
“I have a GPS, so I should be good. Thanks for showing me
around.”

           
“My pleasure,” he smirked and bent down to kiss me on the
cheek. “Next time, I’m taking you surfing.”

           
“That’ll be interesting!”

 
As I drove back to the apartment, taking the
Santa Monica Boulevard, I marveled at how relaxed I felt. Jason had taken my
mind off of everything and made me laugh. Today was a good day.

The smell of Chinese
take-out hit me the moment I opened the door. Chelsea was sitting on the floor
in front of the coffee table eating watching T.V.

           
“And where have you been?” she asked with a Cheshire cat
grin plastered on her face.

           
“Out with Jason. He showed me around.”

           
“I’d say he did.” She snickered.

           
“Nothing happened. Well, it almost did since I thought rebound
sex was a good idea. It’s not.”

           
“Probably a good move. You’re still healing.”

           
“True, but we agreed to be friends. I had fun.”

           
“You look like it. It’s nice to see some color on your
cheeks. Hungry?”

 
My stomach growled and I plopped down next to
Chelsea. She handed me extra chopsticks and a carton of Lo Mein.
 

           
“Have you checked Facebook?”

           
“No.” I hadn’t been on the computer since I read Grant’s
email.

           
“Julia created a ‘Where’s Natalie’ page.”

           
“Oh my God!”

           
“You’re a great mystery right now after dropping off the
planet. A lot of people are worried about you.” Intended or not, her remark
made me feel a twinge of guilt.

           
“Can you hand me my laptop?”

She
set it in front of me on the coffee table. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll
join the group and let everyone know I’m okay.”

“Will
the mafia be able to track you?”

“I
don’t think they’re that sophisticated. Based on my experience they prefer
physical surveillance over electronic.”

I joined the group and
left a quick message:

I am fine, I am safe. Needed a
break and will resurface when I’m ready. Love you all and thank you for your
concern. – Nat

I didn’t feel better
after posting the message. The guilt had been replaced with a sense of unease.
What if they were able track me?