Beyond the Velvet Rope

by Tiffany Ashley

  “So I hear.” Day tossed the fabric aside and claimed another. “Is it true Deadmau5 is scheduled to perform there this month?”

  Thandie nodded. “We’re excited about it, but there is a lot of work to do. Deadmau5 does this cool laser show during his performances, and we’re trying to come up with themes to complement his style. It’s hard think up ideas when the club will be darker than normal.”

  “Why don’t you do a glow-in-the-dark theme?” Day said with a shrug.

  The idea instantly clicked with Thandie.

  “It should be rather simple,” Day said with another lift of her small shoulders. “People love to wear costumes like that.”

  Thandie pulled out a scrap of paper from her purse and began quickly writing down an idea. “I need to look online for a place that makes glow in the dark outfits for myself and the girls.”

  “I can do it.”

  “I could never consider it, Day. You have too much on your plate with your show.”

  Day waved her hand. “I think about my collection every minute of the day. I could use a temporary distraction. Besides, it’s not as if it’ll be rocket science. I could sketch designs and make samples within a matter of days.” Invigorated by the idea of a new project, Day pulled her measuring tape from around her neck and motioned for Thandie to stand. “Let’s get your measurements.”

  Thandie stood and allowed Day to take her measurements. And then a thought occurred to her.

  “Day,” she said, “I think I have a solution to your show’s location problem.”

  * * *

  By the time Thandie returned to Elliot’s home, her mind was racing with details. If she could pull this off, it would bring noteworthy attention to Babylon and help a friend. But her plans would require convincing Elliot. That might prove tricky, given she hadn’t yet had the discussion with him about his “no camera” policy in the club. She would have to persuade him to bend on that rule in order to consider her newest idea.

  Approaching both topics would demand finesse on her part, something she’d been lacking in all her earlier encounters with Elliot.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Thandie would have loved nothing more than to stay in bed all day, but she was rendered helpless when Raja and Len came into her room the next morning, barely able to form a complete sentences without giggling.

  “Thandie, you have to wake up,” Len squealed. “We have exciting news!”

  Thandie rolled over to look at the time. “Len, it’s not even eleven o’clock. What are you doing up?”

  “We have a surprise for you,” she giggled excitedly. “And you’ll never guess what it is.”

  Thandie growled. “Len, you know I hate surprises.”

  “But you’ll love this,” Raja said. “Trust us.”

  Thandie pulled the covers over her head. “Tell me your surprise after noon.”

  “But it can’t wait, Thandie,” Len whined. “You’re gonna miss it if you don’t get up now.”

  Thandie peeked her head out from beneath the covers. “Miss what?”

  Raja and Len looked at each other before wordlessly deciding that Raja should handle the situation.

  “Thandie, we’ve planned something for you. You’ll want to get dressed for this.”

  “I’m not getting out of bed until somebody explains what is going on.”

  Out of the blue, Thandie’s bedroom door swung open, and Elliot came into the room. Dressed in a navy polo shirt and white shorts, he looked refreshingly handsome. There wasn’t a single wrinkle or dark circle under his eyes. The man looked effortlessly perfect. His glowing morning beauty made Thandie painfully aware of her haggard appearance. Her hair was all over her head, and she was only wearing an old T-shirt, her bra and panties. She yanked the covers over her shoulders and scowled at him.

  “Excuse me,” she snapped. “I don’t remember inviting you in.”

  Elliot looked at Len and Raja, clearly irritated. “What the hell is taking so long?”

  Both girls pointed at Thandie.

  “She won’t budge without us spoiling the surprise,” Len explained. “Warren said he wanted this to be a surprise.”

  “Len!” Raja nudged her friend.

  Thandie sat up straight. “What does Warren have to do with this?” She turned on Elliot. “Again, what are you doing in my room?”

  Elliot placed his hands on his hips. “We’re waiting on you. Hurry up and get out of bed.” He turned to Len. “Get her clothes. We don’t have much time. We need to head out early if we want to enjoy the cool weather.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Thandie practically growled.

  Elliot fixed her with a serious stare. “You can either get out of that bed of your own accord, or I’ll dress you myself.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  He approached the bed slowly and then yanked the covers off. Thandie screamed, grabbing a pillow to shield her body. Raja and Len stood like deer in headlights, too shocked to offer any help.

  “Okay! Okay!” Thandie told him. “I’m getting up.”

  “We’re waiting,” he said calmly.

  Elliot walked out as abruptly as he had arrived. Len laid Thandie’s bikini and sundress on the edge of the bed before hurriedly following Raja out of the room.

  She washed up and dressed as quickly as she could and headed downstairs. She honestly didn’t think she could endure another Elliot Richards encounter.

  Warren and a large bouquet of white lilies greeted her.

  “Good morning, Thandie.” He smiled brightly. “You look great.”

  “What are you doing here, Warren?” She hadn’t meant for her voice to sound so cold.

  “I’m here to apologize about what happened and beg for your forgiveness.” He pushed the flowers into her hands. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’ve been beating myself up with guilt. I would have been over yesterday, but I was giving you time to cool down.”

  Thandie could barely see him over the fragrant flowers. “I—I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you’ll forgive me.”

  Thandie set the flowers aside. “Warren, you’re not off the hook, but I’ll stop giving you the silent treatment.”

  He smiled. “I guessed as much, so I convinced everyone to join us on a boat trip. Well, actually, it’s Elliot’s boat, but I figured both of you could use some relaxation.”

  Thandie had little interest in boating. Large masses of water had always unnerved her, and she’d seen enough episodes of Animal Planet’s Shark Week to make her appreciate living on land. Stalling, Thandie looked around the room. “Where’s Lucinda?” she asked.

  Warren frowned, as if that very question had been plaguing him.

  “She’s not here,” Elliot announced, shooting Warren a cool stare. Leaving no room for anyone to ask questions, he asked, “Is everyone ready?”

  Warren held out his hand to Thandie. “Will you come?”

  “Please say yes,” Raja begged.

  “Please,” Len chirped. “Elliot’s boat looks really awesome.”

  Thandie shifted her gaze between the girls’ pleading expressions, and Warren’s anxious one. Then she sighed. With such odds against her, how could she say no?

  * * *

  Elliot’s boat was tied to the private boat slip behind his home. It was a sleek, all-white sailing yacht. Graceful in design, the yacht was perfect for entertaining. Len and Raja’s gasps of amazement echoed Thandie’s own sentiments. It was beautiful.

  They loaded up supplies, and thirty minutes later they were drifting away from the dock. Elliot took control of the helm and steered them toward open water. Raja and Len kept themselves busy laughing about anything and everything. Warren joined in on the fun, quickly becoming more animated the farther they got out to sea.

  Thandie was still grumpy from her rude awakening this morning but she couldn’t help but enjoy the pleasant weather. The crisp smell of the morning air and calm lull of the ocean soon enticed her. She w
as tired, but the scenic view of the coast was remarkable. She gazed out at the water and marveled at the natural beauty surrounding them. Drinks were passed around almost as soon as they set sail.

  They sailed for about an hour before Elliot lowered the sails and dropped the anchor. Warren turned on the radio while Len and Raja stripped down to their swimsuits. Within minutes, the girls were overboard, swimming in clear blue water, with Warren following eagerly behind. This left Thandie and Elliot on board alone.

  They hadn’t spoken since yesterday morning in the kitchen. Thandie felt a little tense, being alone with him now. Casting him a cool glance, she said, “You really didn’t have to storm into my room this morning.”

  Elliot gave the briefest of shrugs. “I figured the longer Raja and Len made explanations, the less a surprise it would be.”

  “It was rude.”

  He gave another careless shrug. “What can I say? I’m an asshole.”

  “And you’re very good at it.”

  “I’m good at a lot of things, Thandie.”

  “Hmm,” was all she said. Thandie turned her face toward the ocean, where Warren and the girls were frolicking in the water. They were too far away for her to hear anything aside from the occasional squeal of laughter.

  Feeling Elliot’s gaze on her, Thandie shot him a quick glance. He was at the helm, one hand casually rested on the wheel while the other pressed a bottle of Corona to his lips. His cool gray eyes were set on her.

  Unable to resist him, Thandie looked away. She immediately berated herself. Why did she always act like a frightened cat around him? She bit on her bottom lip, feeling the burden of silence begin to weigh on her. Deciding now was just as good as any to broach the conversation about her plans to help Day, Thandie turned to face him before she lost her gumption. “Elliot, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

  He lifted one dark brow in question.

  “It about the club,” she began.

  “Go on,” he said, his voice a delightful low rumble.

  “I would like to add an additional event to the agenda.”

  Again, he raised his brow.

  “I know a local designer who’ll be launching her own fashion line this summer. Her name is Victoria Day—”

  “I know Day,” he cut in.

  Thandie paused to consider this. She couldn’t help but wonder how well Elliot knew Day. According to Day, she barely knew Elliot. Had Thandie been misinformed?

  The question must have played itself out in her expression because Elliot added, “Miami is a small town, and I have a long memory.”

  There, she thought. That should have satisfied her curiosity, but it didn’t. “Yes, well...” Thandie struggled to move on. “Like I was saying, Day needs a central location to display her collection. I would like to recommend Babylon for the event.”

  Elliot seemed to turn over the idea in his head.

  “It would attract some of the top journalists in the country,” Thandie said quickly. “The press coverage could be highly beneficial.”

  She watched Elliot as he took another slow sip of beer, his eyes never leaving hers. Finally he asked, “Can you make it profitable?”

  “I believe so.”

  “All right.”

  “All right?”

  “You have my approval,” he said.

  Thandie had to bite down on her lower lip to prevent a sigh of relief. Fighting to school her features, she said, “Thank you.”

  “Outline the financial benefits in a proposal and submit it by the end of the week.”

  “Again, thank you.”

  “Deliver it to me personally,” he said.

  “Personally?”

  Elliot gave a slow nod of his head.

  Thandie opened her mouth to argue, but quickly stopped herself. “Gladly,” she said with a stiff smile, deciding this was not a fight worth picking. She had another issue to put to him, and it was much more important. “There’s something else I’d like to cover with you.”

  “Oh?” he said, sounding amused.

  “It’s regarding your camera policy,” she said carefully. “I was wondering if you would be willing to—”

  “No.”

  “But—”

  “No,” he said again, this time his tone left no room for doubt.

  Thandie could see from the stern set of his jaw this was not a discussion she would win today. She would have to attempt the topic at a later date. But not too late, she reminded herself. She did not have a lot of time to play with.

  A shout of laughter came from the water, causing both Thandie and Elliot to look toward the spot where Warren and the girls were swimming. The sounds of water splashing and more laughter erupted. The three of them were having a good time. From the corner of her eye, Thandie could see Elliot turn away from their playfulness and resettle his gaze on her. It was alarming how easily she could sense his attention.

  Feeling another lull falling between them, Thandie said, “I wouldn’t have taken you for a sailboat guy.”

  “Why is that?” he asked softly.

  “I suppose it’s because you seem to constantly be on the go. I would have figured you for a speedboat.”

  Elliot chuckled. “It’s because I live a busy lifestyle that I chose a sailboat,” he explained. “Sailing seems slower. Besides, I practically grew up on the water.”

  Thandie turned to him, seeing something warm and safe in his eyes for the first time. “Where did you learn to sail?”

  “From my father,” he said, not appearing to be surprised by her question. “Luis...he loved the ocean. He taught me everything he knew.”

  “You speak in past tense.”

  “He passed away a few years ago,” he said matter-of-factly. “Heart attack.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, remembering her own mother with a pang. “Were you close to your father?”

  “Very close.” Elliot took another sip of his beer. “And you? Are you close to your parents?”

  Thandie shrugged, beginning to feel uncomfortable with the conversation. “I suppose I am,” she said. “In all honesty, I’m not sure.” She looked away, debating how much to convey. “My mother suffers from dementia. She was diagnosed when I was very young. Her memory is tricky.” Thandie clinched her hand into a fist beneath the folds of her dress. “I visit her often. She rarely recognizes me.”

  Elliot must have caught the increasingly clipped tone of her voice, because he didn’t press her for details. “And your father?”

  “Gone.” Explaining to him that her father had abandoned her and her mother years before was too painful. She would not talk about her father, or the hellish years that followed. That was a past she was trying to leave far behind her.

  “Are you getting in?”

  “Huh?” she asked, confused by the subject change.

  “I asked if you were going to get in the water?” he said causally, as if this is what they’d been talking about all along.

  “Oh, uh—no.” Thandie cast her eyes downward before he could see the look on her face. “Please don’t let me stop you from joining the others.”

  “I’d rather keep you company.”

  Thandie’s eyes flitted up to his. “It’s not necessary. I insist you go.”

  Elliot came from behind the wheel and sat on the davenport across from Thandie. “Would it make you feel less nervous if I did?”

  “I’m not nervous.”

  “So you say.”

  “I’m not,” she snapped.

  His brow lifted in challenge.

  “What?” she grimaced. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”

  “Take off your dress.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re wearing your swimsuit underneath.”

  “I know, but I’m not undressing just because you want me to.”

  “Are you self-conscious?”

  “No,” she said quickly.

  “You shouldn’t be. You have a great
body. Let me see it.”

  “No.”

  “Is no your favorite word?”

  “No.” She groaned, knowing she’d fallen right into his trap.

  Elliot grinned. “Take it off.”

  “How many times do I have to say—ah!”

  Without warning, Elliot had grabbed the hem of her dress and yanked it high over her head, exposing her cherry-red bikini. Desperately, Thandie tried to cover her breasts with her hands.

  “Don’t bother,” he laughed. “You have lovely breasts.”

  “You—you maniac!”

  “Turn around. Let me see your ass.”

  “Fuck you.”

  He winked. “How about I fuck you instead?”

  Thandie turned her head away from him. She was amazed at how quickly the tone of the conversation had changed. It had gone from business, to somewhat sympathetic, to now this. She no longer saw the hint of warmth in his eyes, only icy determination. “I know what you’re trying to do, Elliot.”

  “What might that be?”

  “You’re trying to bait me.”

  “That may be,” he consented. “But what exactly do you think I’m trying to bait you to do?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care. But know this, Elliot, my answer is no.”

  He tsked. “You’re no fun, Thandie. At least ask me what I want.”

  “I said I don’t care.”

  “Yes, you do. Why else would you be so nervous around me?”

  “For the last time, I’m not nervous!”

  “Then stop trying to hide yourself from me.”

  “You’re toying with me.”

  “Yes, I am. Now let me see you.” He reached out for her, but Thandie slapped his hand away. Elliot only chuckled. “What’s the matter? Bad nerves?”

  With a frustrated huff, Thandie dropped her hands from her bikini-clad breasts. “There! Are you happy now?”

  “Immensely.” Elliot’s grin disappeared as his eyes narrowed. He stared at her breasts for what felt like hours before speaking again. “Turn around.”

  “No.” She set her hands on her hips. “Now that you’ve seen me, will you leave me alone?”

  “Ask me what I want.”

  “What?” She was surprised by his comment.

  “I’m baiting you, remember? Ask me what I want.”