He stared at her for a long beat, searching. She didn’t flinch under his scrutiny, but wondered if she’d been too harsh.
“No catch,” he finally said. “No buttering up. No false flattery to try to win you over. Just telling you, as your boss, that you did a fantastic job tonight. I believe in praising people when they do well. It’s called positive reinforcement.”
She winced on the inside, but didn’t say a word. Yup, too harsh. Idiot.
His eyes roamed over her, intense in his quick scrutiny. “Where the hell did you get that dress? I didn’t buy it. I’d remember a dress like that.”
“No, you didn’t buy it,” she said. “I did. I wanted something really special for my opening night. I got this for myself.” She paused. “Was it acceptable? It’s not vulgar.”
“Was it acceptable?” he echoed, a touch of disbelief in his deep voice. The corner of his mouth quirked up sideways and her heart fluttered; she found him unbearably hot whenever he grinned like that. He took a step closer, those blues blazing as they swept over her figure again before meeting her gaze. “It’s amazing. You knocked me out tonight in that dress. You knocked me out, period.”
“Oh. Thank you.” The way he was looking at her . . . there was more than appreciation in that stare. She saw hunger. Desire. And her heart started picking up speed. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Oh, I more than approve,” he murmured. A light breeze lifted some strands of her hair and he reached out to brush them back from her face. He tucked the wavy lock behind her ear with deliberate slowness, a feather’s touch. A feather’s touch that ignited a surge of desire throughout her whole body.
Up close, he was only better looking—the incredibly blue eyes, the Roman nose, the high cheekbones and square jaw. For once, it wasn’t covered in day-old scruff, he was clean-shaven. She wanted to lick and nibble her way along that strong jaw, straight to those full, pouty lips of his. God, what she would do to him. . . .
She licked her suddenly dry lips and watched his eyes shoot to her mouth, glued. The pull between them was electric, a tangible thing. Unable to stop herself, she smirked as she purred, “You’re thinking about kissing me, aren’t you.”
“Hell yes I am.” His voice was husky, pitched low.
“Don’t,” she said, even as her stomach filled with butterflies and her heart thumped.
“I won’t.” He edged even closer. She could feel the heat from his body, he stood so close. The corner of his full, sensual mouth curved up again as he stared her down and added, “You want me to, though.”
He wanted to flirt, to play? Oh, game on. She was still wired, on an adrenaline high from performing and the whole incredible night. After a good gig, she felt invincible. She sure did tonight. And she loved to flirt. And she sure knew how to play. She lifted her face to his, let her warm breath tickle his lips for a drawn out second, and murmured, “What makes you so sure?”
“I’m sure,” he said. He lifted a finger to her neck, let it trail down the side of her throat with slow heat, and found her traitorous pulse, pounding away. He pressed his fingertip there for a few seconds before grinning victoriously. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure you want me to kiss you.”
She moved in closer, letting her breasts brush against his chest as she leaned against him ever so lightly. His intake of breath was soft, but she caught it. Tipping up her chin, she whispered in his ear, “When—if—I want you to kiss me again, you’ll know it.” And she moved away, taking two steps back. If she didn’t, she would’ve pounced on him right there on the sidewalk. “Anything else, Boss?”
His eyes blazed, that searing blue capturing her and sending heat straight down her spine. A muscle jumped in his jaw. She’d gotten to him. But he was cool and collected as always, damn him, reining it in and flashing that killer grin. “One other thing.” He slanted a look at her. “You finish up pretty late here when you work. I know you have to go all the way back to Long Island, by yourself. And Kelvin lives in Astoria, right?”
“Yes. So?”
“So he’s a six-foot-tall man who can obviously fend for himself. He goes home alone on the subway at two in the morning, I don’t have to worry about him. You, it’s a little different.”
She quirked a brow at him. “Do you worry about all your female employees this way?”
“No. You’re special,” he said, then added, “I’ve got a lot riding on you.”
Julia tried to ignore the flutter of disappointment. He wasn’t worried about her, he was worried about his new hot commodity. She said nothing. She’d learned a long time ago that in business—hell, life in general—whoever speaks first, loses. She’d gotten quite good at letting her stony silence do the hard work. Not knowing what to say, she kept quiet.
Dane gazed at her, then seemed to realize she wasn’t giving him an inch. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I wanted to offer you something. An employee perk, if you will.”
She still said nothing, just waited, meeting his gaze directly.
He shifted from one foot to the other. “On nights that go late, if there’s bad weather, if you’re too tired, if you just don’t feel like going home, whatever—you can stay here. At the hotel. Have a room for the night, just to crash, and go home in the morning. At no cost, of course. It’s on me.”
Her brows shot up. She hated how he kept surprising her, especially with a kind word, nice things, or a thoughtful gesture. She hated surprises in general. “Why?” she sputtered.
“Because I want you safe. Because you work in a hotel; if you’re really tired at the end of the night, why shouldn’t you be able to get some sleep right here?” He pinned her with his gaze. “And because I can. It’s my hotel, for Chrissake.”
She pressed her lips together to smother a giggle. The tension suddenly broken, he smiled back at her.
“So, look—you ever want a room, it’s yours. I’ll leave notice with the front desk. Standing offer. No strings.” He scrubbed a hand through his curly hair, tousling it a bit and making something ping low in Julia’s belly. She wanted to rake through those gorgeous curls with both hands....
Crap, snap out of it, Jules. She realized he was staring at her expectantly.
“That’s very thoughtful,” she said, shifting into neutral. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He shrugged. “Even if you don’t take me up on it, the offer stands for as long as you work here. You never have to ask. Okay?”
“Yes. Thank you,” she repeated. “That’s generous of you. Really.”
“Again, you’re welcome. It’s nothing.” He loosened his tie at the neck, unbuttoned the top button, and sighed with relief. “Ahhh. Been waiting to do this all night.”
It was all she could do not to grab the tie and yank him to her. Damn him for being so smoking hot.
He flashed a killer grin. “Well, that’s all, then. Good job tonight, Red. Damn good job. You made me proud.”
She swallowed down her buzzing desires and straightened, forcing levity into her voice. “Thanks, Boss.”
“See you tomorrow night. I’ll come by the lounge at some point.”
“Just to check on me?” she said with a coy smile.
His eyes flared wickedly as he said, “Nooo . . . to check on my new hotel.” He winked. “I’m the owner. Whenever I open a new hotel, I’m there day and night for the first few weeks. Gotta make sure everything’s running smoothly.” His grin turned devilish as his eyes held hers. “But yeah . . . getting to hear you sing is a definite perk. Just getting to look at you, even better.” He moved around her, gently brushing her arm with his as he passed. “Good night, Julia.”
“Good night.” She viewed his back as his long legs took purposeful strides up the sidewalk, watching him until he disappeared around the corner. Only then did she start to breathe normally again.
Blinking off the haze of lust, she glanced up at the sky. She couldn’t see any stars with all the bright city lights. But she knew they were up there. She exhaled slowly
, the adrenaline still racing through her. She was overwhelmed, as she had been for the past few weeks—still stunned by her good fortune, and more than a little thrown by her attraction to Dane. Things were so good right now, she was afraid to trust it. But they were good. Really good. So she’d enjoy the ride for as long as it lasted.
Grateful, she took a deep, centering breath, then went back inside to her friends.
Chapter Six
For Dane, the weeks passed in a blur. The new hotel was in full swing and doing well, filled with bookings and getting great write-ups. He went over there every day to see how things were going, along with checking in at his office to catch up on other business. With twenty-one hotels now in his possession, he was busier than ever.
He liked to pop in on his hotels without warning, see for himself how daily operations were without the staff knowing he’d be there. Once or twice a month, he was away from New York, traveling to one of his properties for a few days to check things out.
But he hadn’t planned any trips for the next few weeks. He told himself, and his assistant, Elise Cannon, that he needed to be in New York for now. By the end of the second week of business, he knew damn well he was lying to himself. He’d handpicked the best people he could find to fill every position. The hotel was doing phenomenally well. He could’ve gone to check in on one of his other hotels. In fact, he should have. But he was hanging around because of Julia Shay.
He couldn’t explain the power she had over him. He was drawn to her, by an almost tangible pull. So on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, he’d pop into the lounge and take in one of her sets. Listening to her sing was such a pleasure. A drink at the end of the day to unwind, listening to her and Kelvin do their thing, and sitting back to just savor the view of the beautiful redhead . . . he was enjoying it. And he’d been right about her—the lounge filled up when she performed. Some fantastic online reviews had spread the word quickly; it was Julia Shay that was packing the house each night, no doubt about it.
Afterward, he’d linger to talk with her a little. She’d finally allowed him close enough to have some general conversation. Sometimes he flirted with her, partly because he couldn’t help himself and partly to see how she’d react. Sometimes she shot him down, and he’d take the hit. But sometimes she’d flirt back. Like him, she was a natural flirt, loved to tease and play. And when she did flirt back, or ensnare him with one of her provocative stares? He was a fucking puddle. He played it cool, but he knew he was putty in her hands.
That boggled his mind. He was the one whose stares turned women into puddles, not the other way around. But Julia would slide him a frisky look, or lick her lips, and his blood would start to heat in his veins and fry his damn mind.
This had been going on for three weeks now. The sexual tension between them was ridiculous . . . and he kept coming back for more. Frustration over his limitations gnawed at him. If he was smart, he’d stop going to the lounge to see her, cease his flirtations, keep his distance. He was her boss. End of story.
But he didn’t want to stop. He wanted her—in his bed, against the wall, over the damn piano, wherever he could have her. And he’d never been very good at denying himself something he really wanted.
It was a hot mid-July Thursday, with brutal humidity and ninety-degree heat, the kind of steamy day that made the Manhattan streets bake and sizzle. Dane put in his time at the office, then went for his daily workout at the gym within his office building. He returned home, showered and dressed, checked some e-mails, then prepared to get to the Hotel Alexandra in time for a late dinner.
He should’ve been on a beach somewhere, not going from his Tribeca apartment back up to the Hotel Alexandra. He should’ve been heading out east, enjoying a leisurely weekend at the Harrison family compound in the Hamptons. Tess had called that morning to tell him she’d be there for the weekend and invited him to join her. But he’d turned his sister down, saying he’d come out on Sunday and stay for two or three days at the beginning of next week. Julia was performing tonight, and he wanted to see her. He was a glutton for punishment.
“Oh, thank God,” Julia sighed the minute she entered the Alexandra Bar & Lounge. There were patrons inside, but she didn’t think any of them would recognize her in her current disheveled state. Wearing big dark sunglasses and no makeup except for tinted lip balm, her thick mane pulled up in a high ponytail, she had almost sweated through her pistachio-colored T-shirt. She dropped her heavy duffel bag to the floor and straightened her black shorts, rolling her head around to stretch the muscles.
Her first set wasn’t until ten, and she usually didn’t get to the lounge until eight-thirty. The commute from Long Island was fairly easy, the whole trip taking about an hour. She always liked to be early to a gig, but she was way early tonight and looked around, not having been in the bar for Happy Hour before. Justin Timberlake was singing about his suit and tie over the sound system, and the bar was fairly crowded for six o’clock on a Thursday. Business was booming here. Dane Harrison’s golden touch had done it again.
She stood in place under the vent by the door, lifted her ponytail off her neck, tipped back her face, and closed her eyes. The blast of cool air on her flushed, sweaty face felt like a miracle.
“Hi, Julia.” Tonio Ramos, the head bartender, came over to stand beside her. “You okay? You’re a little flushed.”
“I almost melted on the way here,” she joked. “God bless air conditioning. It’s disgusting out there today.”
“I know.” Tonio folded his thick arms over his broad chest, glanced at his watch, and added, “You’re early.”
“Yeah. I knew I’d be a sweaty mess by the time I got here,” Julia explained. “So I wanted to take a shower and cool down before I got ready.”
“I hear ya. Good idea.” Tonio looked out over the small crowd, watching the three bartenders behind the bar as they worked. Julia let her eyes slip closed again for a minute as the cool air washed over her skin. She drew a deep, cleansing breath and exhaled it nice and slow.
“You want some water?” Tonio’s deep voice startled her. “Hey, you hungry? Did you have dinner?”
Her eyes snapped open to look up at him. “Um, no, actually. I haven’t yet.”
“I was about to order something from the kitchen,” Tonio said. “You want something too? You can eat out here, or in your dressing room, whatever ya want. Then you can go get ready. Ya got plenty o’time.”
She smiled. “Thanks for asking. Yes, that’d be great. Especially if you’ll join me.”
His brows shot up. “Okay. Yeah. Whaddaya want?”
Twenty minutes later, Julia and Tonio were having dinner at one of the high-backed booths in the bar. She dug into her pasta primavera with gusto, not realizing that she’d been starving until the waiter had set down the appetizing meal before her. The cubes of grilled chicken on top were juicy and flavorful, and she ate a few as she finally felt herself relax. Tonio plowed through his bacon cheeseburger, finishing half of it by the time she’d taken only a few bites of her supper.
“So where’s your friend Kelvin?” Tonio asked amiably.
“He’ll be here by nine, as usual,” she said. “So. Tell me about you. You married, Tonio?”
He almost choked on a French fry. “Ha! You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
“Nope.” She shot him a wide grin, then speared another forkful of rotini and chicken into her mouth.
“I like you.” His eyes narrowed a bit as the side of his mouth curved up mischievously. “No, I’m not married. Why, you hittin’ on me?”
“No, sorry, I’m not,” she said with a chuckle. “I was just curious.”
“Ah, that’s too bad,” he teased, his dark eyes sparkling with humor. “I’m divorced. Two kids. They live with her, over in Park Slope.” He downed a gulp of ginger ale. “You?”
“Also divorced,” she said. “Long time ago.” She took a few swallows of her mineral water and cursed herself inwardly. Knowing she’d opened
herself up for more questions, she quickly changed tactics. “I bet women throw themselves at you all the time, working in a place like this.”
He guffawed and shook his head. “I don’t really pay attention if they do. I have a girlfriend now, and she’s great.”
“Good for you,” Julia smiled. “What’s her name?”
“Evie. She’s a nurse. Home care stuff, per diem.”
“That’s admirable work,” Julia said earnestly.
“Yeah, it is. She works hard. She’s a good person.” He ate a few more fries before smirking at her. “You get checked out every time you step in here,” he said. “I’ve seen it. But I guess that comes with the job, you being onstage and all.”
“I guess,” she said, shrugging. “But . . . look at me now. Not exactly a glamour queen. This is the normal me. This me doesn’t get hit on much. Men like the mirage, you know?”
“Well, I think the ‘normal you’ is gorgeous too, but I get what you’re sayin’.” Tonio nodded and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “Julia . . . if anyone ever bothers you, makes you uncomfortable, ya know . . . you just tell me, all right? I did my bouncing days. I’ll take care of anyone who bothers ya.”
She felt her face warm with gratitude. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”
“I mean it,” he said. “I know Kelvin’s got your back and all. But he don’t have my brawn. And we wouldn’t want him to take a chance on hurting those hands of his, right?”
They laughed together. Julia breathed a sigh of relief deep inside. She hoped she’d never have to take Tonio up on his offer. But with her past experiences, she knew better. It had happened before, and could happen again. Knowing this six-foot-three bruiser had her back made her feel a little more secure. Damn, she liked this job.
More Than You Know Page 8
