Only Skin Deep (5 page)

“So
what’s really bothering you…his race or the fact that he affects you?”
Nadja
asked as she plucked a cinnamon disc candy out of a
dish.

“Both, maybe.
I don’t know. I didn’t plan on having any one
particular male enter my life.”

“I
say go for it. Life is short. It’s apparent there’s great chemistry. Who cares
how it’s packaged?”

Deja
punched her keys, answering the email. “I don’t know
if I can do this.”

“Sure
you can. You have a growing business and guts. He’s just a man.”
Nadja
winked.

Deja
crossed her arms and sat back. “So how’s
Donato
?” She glanced at the computer screen again.

“He’s
fine, I guess, why?”

“
Taleena
mentioned you had him in your sights.”

“I
should put superglue on her lips. I swear.”

“Tell
me.”

“He’s
nice. After work, he makes sure no one’s around and starts my car for me. I’m
not sure, but I think he’s behind the cop tail that follows me home and
disappears as I enter my place.”

“You
know, we understand why you hide under all that makeup, but you might find
Donato’s
not like Marc.”

Nadja
shrugged.

“Tit for tat.
You gave me advice—try seeing what’s there.
Everyone knows he digs you. Hell, you know
Taleena
won’t let anything happen to you. If she’s not happy, Jason’s not happy. Jason
would threaten him to ensure peace in his own relationship.”

“
Donato
hasn’t made a first move,”
Nadja
said, crinkling the plastic candy wrapper between her fingers.

Deja
slapped her hands on her desk. “I got it! Tell him you
need a bodyguard. I have two photographers but only know one of them well. Even
if I did, it’s not my practice to send any woman alone to be photographed.”

“That
might work. Maybe I’ll see a different side of
Donato
when he’s outside of the club. He, well…he glares a lot.”

Thinking
about her sexy
Donato
brought a flush to her face and
wetness to her panties. On stage, she pretended
he
,
and he alone, watched her. The crowd fell away, and she performed for him. Too
bad he couldn’t really enjoy her voice or even hear her, thanks to the ear buds
he wore. Besides, upholding order in the club kept him busy. She looked up to
see
Deja
frowning at her computer screen. “What?”

“Derek’s
in town and wants to have dinner.”

“
Ahh
.
Must be why he keeps trying
to contact you.”
Nadja
turned her thoughts from
Donato
to her friend. “So, is it creepy he’s, like, here in
town?”

“No.
He owns a brewery here and some other corporate real estate. I’m just not ready
to see him again so soon.”

Nadja
couldn’t help but laugh. “How long has it been?”

“Two
days.”

“Go
to dinner. You can always call me and beg off with womanly symptoms if you need
to.”

Noticing
the time on the clock,
Nadja
leaned over and gave
Deja
a quick hug. “I have to get to work.”

Seeing
Deja
flustered made her grin. She wanted her friend
happy and not so career consumed that life passed her by, leaving her with
regrets. A man to make her crazy might just be a good change of pace. With
that, she got up and made her way out of the store.

Instead
of climbing back inside a stuffy car and driving to work, she crossed the major
intersection and walked the short block with the garment bag draped over her
arm. Club Mist had keyless entry for employees. She pinned in her code and
pushed the door open. Again she was thrust into a cool interior. “
Evenin
’,
Gaestavo
.” She kissed
his leathery cheek and leaned a hip against the bar.

“Bella.
Your
usual?”

“Yes.”
Gaestavo
spoiled her. She cherished the few moments
she could steal before patrons and
Donato
arrived. He
handed her an ice-cold beer, and she pressed the bottle against her forehead.
“
Ahhh
.”

“Hot outside?”
The older barkeep asked.

“Sweltering.
Hotter than—never mind.” Saying it was hotter
than sweaty balls definitely wasn’t what
Taleena
told
her to work on. She tilted the bottle to her mouth. Heaven sent, the amber
liquid quenched her thirst. Now all she needed was a sports game. As if on cue,
the sound of a game being transmitted via radio filled her ears. She turned in
time to catch
Gaestavo’s
understanding wink before he
headed off to stock the bar.

The
scenario brought her back to the time he’d found her hiding with a beer and trying
to listen to a game without being caught. In her circle, ladies just didn’t do
that. They prepared the New York or Chicago-style hot dogs, chips and dips, and
stocked liquor and beer. Not one of them nestled down with the fellas to watch
the game. Instead her group of friends watched the women’s television network
or played bunko—a card game based entirely on luck that came with fuzzy dice, a
timer and scorecard. To give them credit, she did like the show that
concentrated on women killing their husbands. She had to hand it to a group of
women so intelligent, they skirted past conviction and had a series given to
them.

After
swallowing the last of her drink, she stepped behind the bar and tossed it into
the trash bin. Out of curiosity, she slid open the cooler and withdrew a
chilled mug and popped another beer. She tipped a tentative mouthful for a
taste test. “Ugh. It’s not the same.” In utter disappointment, she finished
pouring the beer into the cool glass. Digging in her purse, she took out a five
dollar bill and set it on the bar. Although she didn’t have to pay for her
drinks, she did anyhow.

The
loud sports announcer interrupted her thoughts, and
Nadja
turned off the radio.

“
Evenin
’, doll.”

She
turned to see
Donato
put down his duffle bag. “
Evenin
’,
Donato
.” She sipped her
beer and set it down on the coaster in front of her.

“I
thought drinking alcohol hurt the vocal cords.”

Nadja
laughed.
“Vodka and hard liquor.
Beer doesn’t affect me, Girl Scout’s honor.” She raised three fingers, her
thumb holding down her pinky.

Did
the man ever really smile? She watched him, waiting for a sign that he might
have a thing for her. Put off, she took another drink.

“Hmm.
That’s good to know. Disappointing people is bad
business.”

Crash and burn.

Here
one second, gone the next. If that wasn’t the story of her life…She clicked her
tongue, watching him scoop up his bag and head toward his office without a “by
your leave.” So, yeah, he had tapes to watch before the security team reported
for work. That didn’t mean flights of fancy didn’t occasionally slip through
her mind. However, it looked like she could scratch the fantasy about being
abducted into his office off her list for today. Too bad it wouldn’t pan out.
With a heavy sigh, she walked behind the bar, washed and dipped her mug in the
series of disinfectants, and then placed it inside the cooling rack.

“Did
I hear
Donato
?”
Gaestavo
appeared
,
carrying crates to stock the back bar.

“Yes.
Let me help you.” She frowned when he batted her hand away.

“You
do enough here, Bella.”

“I
sing.”

“And
check the invoices and books,” he reminded her.

“Someone
has to.” She grinned big. “I’ll see you tonight.” She swiped the counter off
with a clean rag and headed to the office. The books called to her, as did the
purchasing vouchers. How they maintained themselves before she’d answered the
ad as a bookkeeper eluded her. Disorganization drove her crazy. In less than
two weeks, she had the office humming like she wanted and the books organized.
She’d persuaded
Gaestavo
to order a new computer and
installed new software, showing him how to write it all off during tax season.
Fondness for the older male crept in.

Everything
was fine until his nephew came home from the service. Hearing the news that he
owned the club came as a surprise to her. She realized then that the reason
changes took so long had nothing to do with
Gaestavo
and everything to do with
Donato
. Since his arrival,
she’d fallen over herself trying to stay out of his way.

Her
computer screen blipped.

Dejavous121:
Have you asked him yet?

Beergurl54:
I just got to work! No.

Dejavous121:
Don’t punk out.

Beergurl54:
I thought you were on a date.

Dejavous121:
I
punked
out!

Beergurl54:
You’re too much.

Dejavous121:
Joking. He’s on his way.

Beergurl54:
You comin’ by tonight?

Dejavous121:
Hell yes. The dress is hot.

Beergurl54:
You got a good eye. Have fun on your date.

Dejavous121:
Hair down. No makeup and I will.

Beergurl54:
Won’t have time to plaster it on anyhow—clicks on the D’oh face—

Dejavous121:
Damn, he’s one fine ass man.

Beergurl54:
I take it he’s arrived. Wipe the drool before he sees the puddle.

Dejavous121:
Oh I’m
puddlin
’ all right and in the right place.

Beergurl54:
Ugh. I just yakked up the taste of beer.
TMI.

Dejavous121:
Haha
laterz
.

Nadja
clicked “busy” on her instant messenger list and
tried to forget
Deja
and her complicated life.

Two
hours and the onset of a migraine later, she logged off and shut down the
computer. The headway she’d made brought her a sense of ease. One stressor
down, she slipped into the back room to ready herself for the night.

* * * *

Donato
walked the perimeter of the club. The day’s
heat-stifling temperature plummeted, leaving a nice cool breeze. He took note
of the bouncer carding and the line of patrons growing even longer. His uncle’s
decision to have live acts every Friday had proved to be lucrative. Sales rose
and stayed strong. In his absence, his second in command, Tomas, did a damn
good job. Of course, he expected no less, as there wasn’t a man he trusted more
than his childhood friend and colleague. “Tomas, all clear,” he spoke into his
mic
as he strode back indoors.

Music
reverberated through the building. The D.J. played the top hits on the
billboard while waiting for the majority of the crowd to get in.
Donato
weaved his way through the occupied tables, his
trained eye on the lookout for trouble. And there she stood—
Nadja
.
The gown she wore hugged every single curve of her body. Arms crossed, he
leaned back against the door jam and watched her. A short time later, he
listened to the D.J. play the last song, cuing
Nadja
to take stage left. From his viewpoint he followed her saunter upstage to take
her position.

When
the lights dimmed, her soft face radiated against the dark contrast of the
curtains. He recalled the earlier series of warm-ups she sang before blasting
him with the most entrancing voice he’d ever heard. It normally took his breath
away. Tonight, though, she looked so glamorous he couldn’t focus on her voice.
His attention wandered to her cleavage and down to where her arm lightly
cradled her abdomen. Her hair spilled over her shoulder. Devoid of cosmetics,
her mocha skin glowed. Her vibrant hazel eyes twinkled.

Did she glow under a lover’s touch? How
musical would her moans be if she was touched just the right way?

Stop it. Get her out of your head. She works
here. Sexual harassment is no joke.

Try
as he might, the thoughts didn’t go away.
Donato
settled down in his nightly spot to enjoy the show.

Soulful.
The difference from her usual set of music hit him.
Not poppy and upbeat tonight, she allowed everyone to see her as an artist for
the first time, instead of performing the trendy renditions she loved. He
didn’t recognize the lyrics of this one. The heat in her voice, the emotion
behind her words painted a sad picture. His heart stopped when he noticed a
trail of moisture in her eyes. Whoever had caused the pain belted out by her
sultry voice better not step in his
path.
They’d
become mincemeat if they did. Her expressive song sucked him in good. She
possessed such a talent for persuasion, he forgot for one solitary moment she
hid behind a façade, not showing one hint of her true self.

“Boss.
Trouble outside,” came through his ear bud.

“On
my way,” he replied tersely, agitated he’d let her affect him. If she couldn’t
drop her guard to have a normal conversation, it wasn’t his problem.

Outside,
Tomas and Sean fought to restrain two men. The bulkier aggressor elbowed his
employee, and
Donato
took control by means of
pressure points.
“Now then.
What’s the problem?” he
barked.

“Bro, just trying to take care of my baby sister.”

Donato
looked at the young woman. “She looks grown. Was she
carded?”