Julie smiled. “Thank you.”
Instead of sitting by the pool, they moved to one of the seating areas in the garden that overlooked the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific. Raymond sat next to Julie on the couch they shared, his arm resting behind her. He watched her intently, searching for something.
Julie shifted in the chair to face him. “What’s wrong, Ray?”
He ran his hand over his precisely faded haircut. “Did someone really drug you?”
Julie winced; thinking that Raymond wouldn’t have heard the story in another country was crazy. He followed the entertainment sites and blogs more than anyone. Even though Dante ignoring the accusations had prevented the story from blowing up, the entertainment shows had reported on the fight after.
“Yes, but nothing happened. Dante saw what he did and stopped things from getting out of hand.”
Raymond rubbed his eyes. “A fight is getting out of hand.” He dropped his hand. “Damn, Julie, I should have been here.”
“Why? What would have changed if you were in town?”
“I would have been with you. Everyone there would have known you are my girl, and no one would have dared mess with you.”
Julie held up a hand. “Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean, your girl?”
“Come on, Julie—we both know you’re my girl.”
“I’m your friend, Raymond. You’re one of my best friends, but that’s all.”
Raymond’s face turned serious. “You know there’s more to us than that.” He dropped a hand to clasp one of hers. His palms were sweaty. “We’re meant to be together.”
Julie’s heart jumped into her throat. “Where’s this coming from, Ray?”
“I haven’t forgotten the promise we made. That when we were ready, when the time was right, if we were still single, we’d be together.”
“Ray, that was a promise made when I was crying and heartbroken. I never meant to hold you to it.”
“Maybe you didn’t, but I took it seriously.” He brought her hand to his chest. “You know how I felt about you then. I still feel the same now. Julie, you’re the one.”
Julie stood up in a rush. She turned to the ocean and shook her head. “I’m not the one. Not for you.”
Raymond came up behind her. “Yes, you are, and I’m the one for you. I can protect you and make sure no one ever hurts you.”
Julie turned to Raymond. “Ray, you’re a great friend, and I appreciate the fact that you’re always there for me and that you always look out for me. I’m here with the job of a lifetime because of you. I treasure your friendship, but that’s all I want. Nothing more.”
“We’d be good together.” He reached to rub her cheek.
Julie leaned away. “No, we wouldn’t.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because you taught me too well about the way men think. You’re upset about what happened to me, that you weren’t here for your homegirl, and thinking that means we should be together. When we both know that anything romantic between us wouldn’t work. It didn’t work then and wouldn’t work now. You’re really not ready to settle down, and I don’t want to settle with you.”
Raymond’s face turned hard. “But you’re ready to settle down with Dante?”
“No, where’s that coming from?”
“There’s nothing going on with you?”
She wouldn’t lie to her friend. “We hooked up a few times, but there’s nothing else. I know that this is just sex and not romance.”
“Julie, what did I tell you? When you tell a guy that you’re not looking for a relationship and are only interested in sex, then that’s what the guy hears. He’s not going to change his mind or suddenly fall for you.”
The truthful words were a dagger in her heart. A dagger she hid behind a smile blanketed in confidence she didn’t feel. “I know that.”
“You deserve better than that. If I’m not ready, then I know he’s not. He’s not the guy who turns away the groupies on the road. If anything, he indulges in them. He’s lived a life where fame, money and women all come easily.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Because you deserve so much more than that, Julie,” Raymond said earnestly. He brushed her cheek with his hand. “You’re better than just another number he can add to the long list of conquests.”
Julie squared her shoulders. “Don’t worry, Raymond. I’m handling the situation. You think I don’t know this thing going on between me and Dante is nothing? I’ve been very deliberate about keeping my emotions out of things. He’s a hookup, nothing more.”
Her voice came out sure and confident, when inside she knew she was a liar. If she didn’t have to work so hard to control this situation, then she could say every word and mean them. Seeing his love of music, his drive to try something new, even his fear of the unknown, had slowly started the process of etching his name in her heart. She feared she’d have a hard time erasing it.
“Good,” Raymond said. “I don’t want to see you hurt again. I love you, Julie.”
Julie smiled and kissed Ray’s cheek. “I love you, too, Ray.” The sound of a throat clearing interrupted them.
Julie swiveled toward the sound. Dante smiled, but the look he threw her and Raymond was ice-cold.
Chapter 17
“Sorry for keeping you waiting—my dad was on the phone.” Dante had no idea how he kept his voice so cool when boiling-hot jealousy coursed through him.
Julie’s wide eyes glanced from him to Raymond and back to Dante. He’d heard most of their conversation, including her refusal of Raymond, and he knew her declaration of love for Raymond wasn’t in a romantic sense. That didn’t stop the jealousy he felt after seeing her kiss Raymond’s cheek and hearing her flippantly call Dante nothing more than a hookup.
“Is everything okay?” Julie asked. Her voice was calm despite the uncertainty in her eyes.
“Yeah, things are all good.” Dante strolled around the couch over to her and Raymond. “Raymond, I’m glad you’re back in town.”
Raymond lifted his chin. “Oh, really?”
“Yes. I was telling my dad about the plans for the nightclub, and he wants to come check out the progress. He’s coming with my mom and sister next week. I’m thinking of making it a small dinner party, and I want you to come so that they can hear your thoughts. Maybe if they hear that you’re interested in offering different types of music, they won’t think I’m so crazy.”
Raymond chuckled. “You’re not crazy. I think people will flock there despite the music. You’re Dante Wilson—you can have whatever you want, whenever you want.”
Dante would have normally been okay with that description, but after hearing the way Raymond described him to Julie, he wondered if Raymond was using the words as another veiled warning for Julie to stay away from Dante.
“That doesn’t mean I’m capricious about what or who I go for.” He looked directly at Julie.
She lifted her chin as the uncertainty in her eyes turned to a mocking disbelief. He could imagine the doubts going through her mind. He didn’t have much room to stand on if she were to call bull. He knew she’d pulled back in their relationship. Her actions had him standing on a sea of uncertainty. He wanted to demand that she tell him where they stood, insist that she admit her feelings and do exactly what he hated when women tried to do the same to him. He didn’t need to, though, because apparently her feelings were locked safely behind those walls she put up.
Raymond shifted from foot to foot, drawing Dante’s attention. “What day next week are you doing this?”
Dante forced his attention back to his parents coming to town. “They’ll be here at the end of the week. I’m thinking dinner on Friday night.”
“I’ll be here.”
Dante looked to Julie.
“And you?”
“You want me to come?”
“Of course. You’re our partner in this project and know more about what’s happening with the renovation than I do. Knowing my dad, he’ll have questions on that.”
She nodded. “Sure, if you want me to be here, then I’ll be here.”
He wanted her there, not because she worked with him, but because, out of everyone, he knew she was the one who truly believed in his venture. Tightness filled his chest; Dante rubbed the spot. He was actually hurt by her easily tossing him aside.
Raymond’s phone rang. “I need to take this.” Raymond answered the phone and strolled away.
Dante crossed to Julie. “So I mean nothing to you?”
Julie turned toward the ocean. “We both knew what we were getting into.”
“You’re running again.”
She spun to him and crossed her arms. The wind played with the ends of her bangs, and despite her angry posture, he thought she was beautiful in the tight cream-colored dress. “I’m not running—I’m being honest. Don’t play games with me.”
“Why do you insist this has to be a game? That I don’t want more from you?”
“Then tell me what you envision for our future, Dante. Me moving to California? You moving to Georgia? You deciding that you’re ready for a serious long-distance relationship? The agreement that we don’t sleep with other people, and then me believing that you’ll walk away when another set of eager women are waiting in your hotel room after a concert?”
“I’m not that bad, Julie.”
“Aren’t you? We won’t work. Let’s just call this what it was and move on. Don’t get caught up in the moment. It’s only fleeting.”
“I want you to be my girl.”
“That’s the thing, Dante. I’m a woman, not a girl. I may open nightclubs, but I don’t spend my weekends in them. I want a house and kids. I want to sit on the couch watching television and have date nights at the movies. I want a guy who works from nine to five who comes home and kisses me on the cheek, then tells me about his day at the office. Not a guy who calls from his tour bus while his entourage is partying in the background. Tell me you want that, and then we can talk.”
He didn’t. Not the version she spouted off. “I don’t.” Her jaw clenched, and pain flashed in her bright amber eyes before she looked away. “But you don’t either.”
Her gaze whipped back to his. “Excuse me?”
“That life you described doesn’t protect you from heartache. I’m not Antwan. I’m not going to make promises I can’t keep or say things I don’t mean. Do I want to marry you? Hell, I don’t know. I don’t know if I ever really want to get married. Kids—I can’t even imagine. Right now, all I want is you in my life. I don’t know how we’d work out, and I can’t promise you we will. But that doesn’t mean I’m afraid to try. When you’re ready to stop making excuses, come and get me.”
He turned on his heels and walked away.
Chapter 18
I want you to be my girl.
Julie’s stomach fluttered and her knees wobbled. She tried hiding both by smiling at the housekeeper who opened the door to let her into Dante’s home.
Those words had floated around Julie’s head since he’d uttered them the week before. Each time her heart celebrated, her brain slapped the silly organ into submission. She’d been someone’s girl before. Played the role of ignoring whispers of infidelity, putting up with the phone calls and the groupies. She wouldn’t do that again.
As she followed the housekeeper, Julie stiffened her resolve. She did want a future with a guy who wasn’t a part of this life. She would be happy with a house in the suburbs, date nights on the couch and talks of what happened at the office. Dante wasn’t into that. Impromptu pool parties, concerts at his home on the weekend and wild parties in Vegas—that was his life.
She entered the spacious living area, and immediately her gaze searched for Dante. He stood across the room talking to his father. She’d recognize Otis Wilson anywhere. He was a superstar in his own right. Otis’s blue suit was tailored perfectly to show off a body that nearly rivaled his son’s despite the twenty-plus year difference in age. There were a few wisps of gray in his short, curly dark hair.
“Julie,” Raymond said from her left.
Dante looked her way. Their gazes locked, and in that second, her heart skipped a beat. Tearing her gaze from Dante, she looked at Raymond. “Hey, Raymond.”
“Guess who’s coming tonight?” Excitement filled Raymond’s voice.
“Who?” she asked, very aware that Dante and his father were crossing the room to them.
“The Roberson family.”
Julie’s eyes widened. “The Robersons?” Raymond nodded, and Julie’s brain struggled to process the information. The Roberson family’s legacy in music was almost as big as the Wilsons’. Julie loved their music and couldn’t suppress her own wave of excitement.
Dante and his father made it to her side. “Julie,” Dante said. “This is my father, Otis Wilson.”
Julie smiled and held out her hand. Otis’s dark gaze sized her up quickly, but she couldn’t read his opinion after the quick examination.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilson,” Julie said. Holding back her starstruck grin was difficult.
“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Dominick. Dante’s told me about the hard work you’ve put into opening our nightclub.”
Julie glanced quickly at Dante, whose jaw hardened into a hard line. “I didn’t realize you had an interest.”
“I have an interest in every venture taken by my family. The Wilson name and legacy is the most important thing to me. I can’t ignore anything that may hurt either.”
His voice was smooth but underlined with steel. This nightclub was Dante’s way to try his hand at building his own dream, his own legacy. She’d forgotten Dante said his father didn’t support his plans. From the tone of Otis’s voice, Julie guessed he had other ideas for the place. The thought disturbed her far more than it should.
“You know my wife and daughter, no doubt.”
Otis turned to Vivica and Star, who had risen from the couch. They crossed the room looking like music royalty. Vivica’s short, stylish hair was a deep russet color that complemented her light eyes and the deep red scooped-neck shirt she’d paired with black pants. Dante’s sister, Star, wore a blue-and-white dress that clung to her curves while her jet-black hair hung to the middle of her back.
“Again, it’s an honor to meet you both.” She glanced to Star. “I’ve listened to your music and loved it for years.”
Star gave a sincere smile and shook Julie’s hand. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Otis turned to Julie. “What did you think of her last album?”
Star stiffened, and Otis watched Julie closely. Julie was well aware that her last album had been a flop that resulted in Star being ridiculed from those in and out of the industry.
“It was different,” Julie said.
Otis smirked. “A nice way of saying the album was terrible. I told her not to do it.”
“Actually, I liked the song on there about not being the guy’s doormat,” Julie said. “That was my favorite. I admire people who try something different. So many are afraid to leave the status quo.”
“I appreciate that,” Star said.
Vivica smiled at Julie. “How are things coming with the nightclub?”
“Very well. We had a few challenges but were able to get things back on track.”
Raymond rubbed Julie’s back. “Julie always handles her business.”
Dante’s eyes zeroed in on the movement, and Julie fought hard not to step away from Raymond.
“Does she now?” Otis said, his eyes also on the hand still at Julie’s lower back. “How long have yo
u two known each other?”
“Six or seven years,” Raymond said. “Julie and I have been good friends since college.”
“Raymond’s like a brother to me.” She looked to Dante but couldn’t read much in his expression.
“And Julie’s my heart,” Raymond said.
Before she could reply, the rest of the guests arrived. Otis and Vivica were all bright smiles and hugs when the Robersons arrived. Julie’s own lips spread with her excitement, which was short-lived when their daughter, Missy, came into the room. The five-foot-nine-inch pop singer was gorgeous: golden-brown skin, long blond hair and a body that was nothing but curves. A grown man’s fantasy in a might-as-well-be-Velcro black dress that clung so good.
“Dante,” Missy said in a throaty purr. Dante smiled and kissed the woman’s cheek.
Julie’s stomach soured. Dante and Missy had been music’s most famous couple about four years ago. You couldn’t turn on the television or open a magazine without seeing the two together.
Raymond moaned softly next to Julie. “She is so sexy.”
Julie cut her eyes at Raymond. “And here I thought I was your heart.”
Raymond grinned at Julie. “You had your chance to nab me the other day.”
“How easily you move on,” she said, teasing.
“You are my heart, Julie. Just because we agreed not to be in a relationship, it doesn’t change the fact that I care about you. You’re my oldest and closest female friend. You’ll always be in my heart. No matter who you end up with.”
“Raymond, sometimes I forget that beneath that playboy exterior of yours is the good guy who helped me mend my broken heart.”
Raymond’s devilish smile returned. “You’re my girl, Julie. Remember that when I try to go home with Missy tonight.”
Julie laughed and pushed Raymond’s shoulder. When she glanced back, Dante was watching the two of them. His eyes were guarded. The welcoming smile he’d had when Missy came in was gone.
Dante cleared his throat and glanced away. “Now that everyone is here, we can eat.”
A Malibu Kind of Romance Page 13
