by Crespo, Nina
She’d called to let him know that they’d have to postpone their dinner. One of her friends had broken up with her boyfriend. That situation seemed to be going around. At Escapade, the scoop was that Rafe Dumond had just recently broken up with his live-in girlfriend and that was why he was in a cranky-ass mood. It was news to him that Rafe even had a girlfriend. He’d never seen her. Hell, when did he have time for her? The guy practically worked twenty-four seven at the club. Relationships were tough. Luckily, he and Natalie were still holding their own.
Rome grabbed deli turkey and cheese from the fridge and made a sandwich. He’d really been looking forward to them having dinner tonight. He’d wanted to get her take on something he was thinking about: giving up his bartending position to work security full-time at Escapade. Xander had made the offer to him that afternoon. Working as a bouncer at a club was far from what he used to do, protecting executives, but ever since he’d helped out that night with Tirra J, he’d started feeling restless behind the bar. He’d settled for the job at Escapade after he’d gotten out of rehab, mainly for something to do. He’d saved enough money to where he could wait to find a more permanent job, but he didn’t know what that was yet.
Rome polished off his sandwich, then took a long, hot shower. As he went to wash his hair, he almost grabbed Natalie’s bodywash by mistake from the corner shelf instead of his shampoo. She’d started leaving a few things at his place, and he had some things at hers. Maybe someday, in the future, they’d consolidate and live together. No rush. Like they’d said, they were taking their time and still figuring out their relationship.
Bypassing his initial plans to watch TV in the living room, he decided to kick back in bed. On one side, the comforter was haphazardly pulled up toward the headboard and there was a dent in the pillow. Natalie had obviously been there, but when? He’d given her a key and was fine with her dropping in anytime she wanted. A bottle of pain reliever on the bedside table caught his eye. Had she not been feeling well? She hadn’t mentioned it when she called him.
As he crawled into bed, planning to watch a movie on his iPad, a file folder slipped from underneath the covers. As it hit the floor, papers spilled out. A picture drew his gaze. He must have been tired, because it looked like him, but that couldn’t be right.
Rome scooped up the papers.
The personal photos she’d taken of him—at least that’s what he’d thought they were—sat strategically placed in what looked to be a mock-up for an advertisement. She’d made him a part of her campaign for Gull Beach Boots? But the pictures weren’t the worst part. The tagline on one of the pages hit him like a one-two combination punch. Made for the hero in all of us. The way the ad was set up, it was clearly making him the hero.
The wrongness of the ad, on all levels, sank in as he sat heavily on the bed.
…
Natalie let herself inside the condo and took off her heels. She’d been willing to hang out with Alexa and Cori for the rest of the night, but they’d insisted she go to Rome while they relocated to Cori’s for a sleepover.
It had been so wonderful to have dinner with them. Neither she nor Cori could deny they were happy about Alexa deciding not to move to Seattle. But they also hated to see her sad. She obviously loved Rafe. Natalie and Cori had also encouraged her not to give up on him and try to find a way to save the relationship.
Over slices of chocolate-swirl cheesecake, her own relationship with Rome had become clearer. She was falling in love with him. It was scary, but it also was the truth.
Natalie paused at the kitchen island. The lights were off, but in her mind’s eye she easily envisioned the space. She’d enjoyed helping him decorate. Maybe, someday, they could move in together into a place that wasn’t his or hers but truly theirs as a couple. And if she wanted that, she’d have to talk to him about the photos and tell him what happened. Not from a business perspective, but from a place of her being proud of him and truly believing he was a right fit for the campaign.
The light flicked on in the bedroom.
Rome was awake.
She hurried to see him.
He sat with his back against the headboard, legs under the covers, his bare torso exposed. And he didn’t look happy.
She was about to ask why when he reached over to the nightstand beside him, picked up her folder, and dropped in on the bed.
Momentary shock held her in place. “You saw the photos.”
“I did.” From Rome’s tone, he was upset with her, but surely she could help him understand her position.
“I need to explain. It happened by accident.”
He released a derisive snort. “An accident? The only way my photos could have ended up in these is because you put them there.”
“Yes. But they’re just mock-ups showing potential ideas. They haven’t gone anywhere.”
“No.” He flipped open the folder and held up Olivia’s memo. “Just the eight or so people named on this paper.” Disappointment filled his gaze. “You said the photos were just for you.”
“They were…but then I saw you in the boots. I shared them for inspiration, but none of the professional models have pulled off wearing the boots like you. Everyone who saw them thought that you were perfect.”
“The perfect hero?” He released a bitter chuckle.
He was perfect, and she had to make him see it. Natalie went to the bed and took out one of the mock-ups. “Did you really look at them? We’re not even retouching them. You’ve even inspired the theme of the campaign.” She pointed to the sample taglines at the tops of the pages. “Made for the hero in all of us. For every guy who wants to be a hero, in and out of the wild.”
“Hero?” Rome whipped the covers back and stood facing Natalie. The muscles in his torso became more defined as he breathed. “You want to know what kind of hero I am? These injuries.” He pointed to his knee and hip. “They happened because I fucked up and didn’t do my job. A car bomb that I missed exploded and killed my client and his girlfriend and left a member of my detail paralyzed. People needlessly died and suffered because of me. Put that in your damn campaign. I’m sure the boots will sell really well with that story behind it.”
The torment peeking through Rome’s fury made her heart start to ache. “Rome, I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t go there, Natalie. You fought for this account, and you said you were willing to do whatever it took for it to be successful. And that obviously includes breaking your word.”
Natalie circled the bed. “Had I known what happened to you, I wouldn’t have done it.” She reached for him.
He backed away. “You shouldn’t have had to hear my story to change your mind.” Rome picked his keys up from the dresser near the foot of the bed. “But you made it perfectly clear what your priorities were from the start.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it? You told me that your job came first. I get it.” Hurt shone in his eyes. “I just wish that when you were confronted with the choice of your job or me, that you would have wanted me—the real me—instead of trying to shape me into some false hero to fit your agenda.”
She opened her mouth to deny it, but she had done those things. Remorse paralyzed her. What could she say to him to make it right? “Rome—I…”
Her heart sank as he slid her house key away from him on the dresser. “Just leave mine on the kitchen table when you go.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rome made his final drinks of the night at Club Escapade—a gin and tonic and a Strawberry Daiquiri—for a guy and his girlfriend. It had been an easy Wednesday night, leaving him plenty of time to finish mulling over the decision. He was giving the bar manager his two weeks’ notice tonight at Escapade.
When he’d started thinking about it this past weekend, he’d reasoned that it was because he’d just broken up with Natalie. That maybe he shouldn’t make any sudden changes in his life because of that. But the breakup had actually opened his eyes to a lot of things. He was ju
st going through the motions as a bartender and settling for what was available, like the security position…and what little Natalie had been willing to give him.
Rome stacked dirty glasses into an empty rack underneath the counter. It hadn’t been enough from the start, but he’d hung around hoping something would change. He’d thought there were ties binding them together, other than sex. That she honestly cared about him and what they shared together. He’d been wrong. A tightness pulled in the middle of his chest as he recalled the past few weeks—all the time they’d spent together that had felt so right. He’d tried to fool himself into believing he wasn’t just her rebound, but that was exactly what he’d been for her all along. Nothing more.
Once Rome was done with his shift, he hunted Xander down. Out of respect for their friendship, he was letting him know about his decision first. Then he’d tell his manager.
He found Xander up front with one of the bouncers locking up the doors. From his easy attitude, it didn’t look like he was too busy to talk.
Xander spotted him. “Rome. You’re still here?”
“I was hoping I could get a minute with you before I head out.”
“Should we go to my office?”
“Yeah, that would be good.”
They went through a side door that fed into the back hallway, where the offices were located.
As they walked, Xander glanced over at him. “My guess is, you don’t want the security position?”
“No. I don’t.” He followed Xander into his office and shut the door behind them.
Xander laid his phone on the desk and sat in his chair. “I understand. So, you’re just going to keep bartending?”
“I’m not.” Rome sat in the chair in front of the desk. “I’m handing in my two weeks’ notice.” As he said it out loud, he felt an invisible weight lift from him that he hadn’t realized he was carrying, validating the decision he’d come to.
“It’s about damn time.” Xander rocked back in the chair. “What are you planning to do? Go back to Maine and help out at your parents’ place?”
“I am going to go home for a few days, but, actually, I was hoping you could give me the information again for that guy who was looking for people for his crisis and survival training company.”
Xander gave a nod of approval. “Good move. Let me see if I can find the other card he gave me.” He rifled through the top drawer of his desk. “So, what does the woman you’re seeing think about all this change?”
“We’re going our separate ways.”
For a moment, Xander actually looked surprised. “From the way you talked about her, I thought things were getting serious.”
Had he talked about Natalie that much? He must have, for Xander to remember her. “Work is her priority.” The odd feeling he’d felt earlier in his chest returned. “It was just temporary.”
Seconds later, Xander found the card and handed it to him. “I’m glad that you’re giving this a shot.”
“I appreciate you recommending me. Especially after all that happened with Reliant.”
“Reliant.” Xander released a harsh breath. “You were handed a raw deal by them in Costa Rica. If they had listened to your concerns, the explosion wouldn’t have happened. Bottom line, they should never have skipped the vetting process on that client’s girlfriend in the first place. They fucked up.”
Skipped the vetting process? Rome sank back in the chair. “What are you talking about?”
“The investigators—you spoke with them, right?”
“Yeah, someone from Reliant interviewed me when I was in the hospital.” He’d still been on heavy pain meds at the time and had struggled to stay focused during the questioning.
“No, I mean the ones Reliant’s board of directors hired to conduct an independent investigation. It was under the radar, but I know the guy who was involved. A lot of things came out in the wash. Mainly that the girlfriend had a past, and it caught up with her in Costa Rica. The car bomb was meant for her, not your client. She wasn’t properly vetted because the CEO at the time was a friend of your client. He pushed her through and put your client in danger. You did your job right. Even the members of your detail vouched for that. It was the higher-ups who didn’t.”
Prickles of hot and cold spread through Rome. They’d vindicated him? “I appreciate you telling me.”
Xander rubbed his nape. “I blindsided you. Shit. You mean all this time, you thought the situation was on you? Well, maybe now that you’re moving on from here, you can let it go.”
Rome left Xander’s office and skipped finding his manager. He’d talk to her tomorrow. Rome drove home partially in a haze of disbelief. But laying blame wouldn’t change the reality. People had lost their lives.
As he lay in bed alone that night, he longed to have Natalie there to talk to him. Just holding her would have helped.
What Xander had just told him only confirmed that he should have trusted his instincts. He was doing that now by moving on from Club Escapade. And breaking up with Natalie—that was about trusting his instincts, too. Wasn’t it?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Three weeks after the breakup, Natalie trudged into her house. She turned off the alarm, then dropped her purse on the entryway table and her work tote by the door. Something was missing. Betsy. She wasn’t there with her tail wagging, running circles around her, welcoming her home. She was with Dorian for ten more long days. Natalie missed her terribly.
At least her fur baby had been there to console her right after the breakup happened. Betsy hadn’t protested once as she’d held her close and soaked her fur with tears that she couldn’t stop. Instead, Betsy had licked her face and stayed close to her.
Natalie swallowed against the lump in her throat. The threat of more tears seemed to hover over her all of the time lately. It still felt as if she were surviving hell.
The day after she and Rome split, she’d gone into the office and said all of the things she should have told her staff and Spencer from the start regarding Rome’s photos—they had to find someone other than him. He wasn’t interested. End of story. Afterward, she’d felt like the most horrible boss ever, watching her team’s excitement deflate with disappointment.
A few days later, Spencer had told her he was planning to ask one of the other account directors to work with her and her team on the Gull Beach campaign. He’d claimed it was to bring more experience into the mix, but it was easy to read between the lines. Spencer no longer believed in her. And honestly, in that moment, she’d lost confidence in her leadership abilities. He couldn’t hurt her any worse than she’d already hurt herself. But then, Jada had heard a rumor about it and called her from New York. Jada’s oh-no-you-won’t-give-into-that-bullshit pep talk had given her the energy and the courage to march into Spencer’s office.
She’d kept it professional as she’d outlined to him all she and her team had accomplished so far. She’d also made it clear that not landing Rome for the modeling job had nothing to do with her abilities and that he wouldn’t have given her the account if he didn’t think she was smart enough to find a way through difficulties and still get the job done. He’d reluctantly agreed.
She and her team eventually did find a new model, and at their next progress meeting, Gull Beach was thrilled about how things were unfolding and the direction she and her team were going.
But there was no real happiness in it for her. One of her main priorities had been to be there for her team, but because she hadn’t been there for Rome—by choosing him over her job, and keeping her promise to him—she’d actually not done her best for anyone. And the cost of that decision had been too high. Her team had recovered, but she hadn’t. Rome wouldn’t answer his phone, return her calls, or respond to her texts. She’d lost him. Forever.
Natalie changed into the only decent thing she could find—sweats and a T-shirt. Her laundry needed doing, and she needed to drop some things at the dry cleaner, but she didn’t have the energy.
Her doorbell rang.
Natalie peeked through the blinds in the living room.
Alexa’s black Mercedes coupe sat in her driveway.
Shouldn’t Alexa be with Rafe? Alexa had called to tell her they were back together, something she’d been glad to hear, but she’d been hurting over the recent breakup. Burdening Alexa with her woes over losing Rome hadn’t made sense to her, especially since Alexa wasn’t even aware she’d been seeing him.
Natalie opened the door and plastered on a smile. “Hey. What brings you to the neighborhood?”
Alexa, dressed in an off-the-shoulder, wide-legged burgundy jumpsuit and matching high-heeled sandals, held up a bottle of wine and white takeout bag. “I come bearing important gifts.” She strolled in and headed straight for the kitchen.
Okay. It was Thursday, not Friday night. Had Alexa stopped by to give her another update about how good things were going in her relationship? Sorrow and weariness threatened to overwhelm Natalie. No. Alexa was her friend. It wouldn’t take much to just listen and be genuinely happy that she and Rafe had worked things out.
By the time Natalie reached the kitchen, Alexa had already found the extra-large wineglasses and poured up the merlot. “Is Betsy with Dorian?”
“Yeah.”
Alexa’s mouth flattened in disapproval. “I still say you’re a saint for agreeing to that arrangement.”
Guilt dug as Natalie accepted wine and a takeout container with kung pao chicken from one of their favorite restaurants. Someday, she’d have to confess that she’d given money to Dorian to make that agreement happen.
They settled on the couch and indulged in a silent moment as they both took sips from their glasses and ate the food.
Unable to fake an appetite, Natalie set her container on the wood-topped ottoman and sipped her wine. She tucked a leg under her on the couch and faced Alexa. “So, from your last text, I take it dinner at your parents’ house with Rafe went well?”
