Taking Jana (Paradise South #2)

by Rissa Brahm

  “No, you know, I wanted to tell you, I really should decline, Johnnie, because my father will be close to—”

  “You’re coming with me in a new dress, Jana, and I won’t take no.”

  Stunned, she knew he was trying to be sweet, but it was a little off-putting. She really didn’t want to go. But she didn’t want to insult him either. She was crashing at his apartment alone, and the job, the limo. He had been constantly kind, seemingly genuine.

  “Size 2 petite, but—”

  “I’ll get the perfect gown for you. I can picture it already.”

  “Please don’t spend too much—”

  “I will spend what I like, and you can repay me by having dinner with me the day after our contract ends. And you will wear the gown I get you that night too. Deal?”

  Dinner. Innocent enough. And it seemed like a confirmation that he respected her choice to keep their relationship casual while they worked together. Okay, this felt slightly better to her. “Deal. Empire waist is best for me if it’s floor length,” she hinted. “And I’ll get the shoes. Just tell me what color and material,” she asserted.

  He laughed on the other end. “Fine. So, what are you doing now?”

  “Heading for a bite to eat.”

  “Tony driving you?”

  “Ah, no. Walking. Nice neighborhood, good weather…and I wanted some ‘me’ time, and a light walk hit the spot. Tony will be by later to take me to the grocery store, though. Then to work.”

  “Okay. Just be careful, you know, on your own. And remember, Tony was hired around the clock.”

  “No worries, Johnnie. He’s at my disposal, and I insisted on being on my own this morning. He even wanted to come earlier and—”

  “And what?” he spat then cleared his throat.

  “Oh, just, you know, get me food, the groceries…” She felt his silence through the phone line. “He’s doing his job, taking care of me like you asked him to.”

  “Okay, that’s good.”

  “Johnnie, listen, my stomach is yelling at me to feed it.”

  “Oh, go, go. Sorry, let me know if the deli is any good. They opened not too long ago.”

  “Sure. I’ll have a real Jersey sub for you.” She giggled. “Talk to you later, and thanks, you know, in advance, for the dress.”

  “I can’t wait to see you in it…okay, go, go, goodbye.”

  *

  She walked into the deli and the most mouth-watering fresh baked bread scent wafted toward her. It was so intoxicating that the fact there was no Wi-Fi wasn’t as immediately disappointing. She ate a twelve-inch sub loaded with the works. With the amount she’d be training, she felt entitled, and hell, at least, it wasn’t pound cake.

  After she’d finished, she went to the counter to ask where the closest Wi-Fi hotspot might be. “One street down, the library,” the woman said, counting her till while swallowing down her own sandwich. “It has Wi-Fi. The only one in the area that’s open on a Sunday. My daughter,” she said as she pulled out her phone with one mustard-laden hand to show her a picture of a cute little girl in pigtails and a tutu, “takes dance. But they’ve got everything; art classes, chess, martial arts. You want it, they got it,” the kind lady plugged with enthusiasm.

  Jana pictured taking a daughter of her own to a class like ballet someday. Again, far, far off, though. If ever.

  Jana dug deep for her smile. “And Wi-Fi on a Sunday to boot…”

  “Exactly,” the lady said with a nod then shoved her stack of cash back into the register. “I’m about to go and take a smoke break, sweetie. You need anything else before I do?”

  “Oh, no. I’m set, thanks. Great lunch by the way.” Jana waved as she headed out and turned right down the sidewalk toward the public library.

  *

  As she walked, she checked her personal cell to be sure there were no missed calls from her mother who she’d texted earlier to let her know she wouldn’t be by until tomorrow. She half expected a ration of shit back, but no. Nothing. No communications from her ER’s HR department, either. That made her nervous. She shoved her phone back into her bag with clenched teeth.

  Relax. Nora had HR email, no doubt. You’ll see.

  She took a deep breath in, shook her hands out of the smothering anxiety, and she felt better. Present.

  As the library came into view down the block, the breeze picked up, making her hair whip about, strands hitting her face. She tried to hold her thick mane back with her hands as best she could. She had to stop a few steps from the library entrance to tie it all back in a ponytail. Looking up, squinting at the sky in concentration as she glided her thick hair though the rubber band, she felt a presence approaching quickly and then passing her on her left, a tall, strong presence. Done with her hair, she turned toward the building, the stairs, and watched a regal, broad-shouldered man making his way gracefully up the steps. He was dressed in a white uniform, a black gym bag slung over his shoulder matching the black belt tied around his trim waist.

  Even though the library was her intended destination, the strong, almost magnetic force of the man drew her up those stairs––it was like she was compelled to keep him in her sights. She entered the library, just close enough behind the man to watch him go through a set of double doors to the left of the librarian’s desk. A “Free Wi-Fi” sign shouted to her on the wall ahead. She smiled to herself, Wi-Fi, finally. But first…

  *

  She walked straight past the desk and headed toward the double doors. She peered inside. About twenty children, young, maybe the oldest being eleven or twelve, all sitting cross-legged, lined a large blue mat. Except for four, who were balled up in a diagonal line in the center of the mat. They were all in white with a variety of solid color martial arts belts tied neatly around each tiny waist. They were silent, sweetly attentive.

  A sudden and deep grunt from inside the room made Jana jump back. A man, the man, with his back to her so she couldn’t see his face, flew past her eyes. Literally airborne with his top leg extended, foot flexed, he soared over the four small human bumps. He headed toward something on the far end of the room out of her field of vision. Then she heard a deafening crack.

  The children clapped. Jana got closer to the door to see better. The man bowed to two adults who’d been holding the three thick boards he’d apparently broken for the demonstration. Then he turned.

  Tony. Staring right at her. His head was notched to the side as a smile came across his face.

  He walked in her direction, bowed again as he stepped off the mat, then headed to the door, coming out of the room to see her. God, she’d interrupted him, his time off, his class. Damn it. Her cheeks burned, her mouth dry.

  “Hey, wow. Weird to see you here at the library. I would’ve thought you’d sleep in, hit the deli, but checking out a book on your free time?”

  She smiled, then swallowed hard to find her voice. “Wi-Fi. I need to check email, waiting for an update from my ER. And wouldn’t you know it, the Demonte apartment is sans data and TV.”

  He smirked. “They must not use the apartment for anything but…you know”––he cleared his throat––“sleep.”

  “Well, I can’t believe what you did in there! You literally flew!”

  “Yeah, flying down the highway got old fast.” He smiled. “I’ve been practicing Tae Kwon Do since I was a kid. Now it saves my lower back, really keeps me limber.” He twisted his torso for a half stretch then lifted his eyebrows. “And it keeps my spirits up. I love working with the kids. Hands down better than the immature adults I drive around in my backseat.” He winked. “You being the exception, of course.”

  She smiled, not taking offense, sure that most of his other passengers were far worse behaved than she’d been yet. So, a sense of humor mixed with superhuman capabilities? Jesus, this guy.

  “Well, saying I’m impressed would be an understatement. You know I’m Korean. Your belt shows seven degrees. You’re a Sahun; I mean, wow!”

  Now he blushed bu
t stood a little taller still. She loved his balance of humility and his understated yet unshakable confidence. “Have you ever practiced?”

  “No, no. My brother did, but I wasn’t allowed. I watched a lot of martial arts on Korean TV, though.” She half smiled, but then became aware of the twenty pairs of eyes turned toward the door, visible to her just over Antonio’s broad shoulders. Her eyes lifted to let him know. “Sorry, you know, to have interrupted class. I just got curious. I’ll let you get back to it.”

  “Do you wanna come in and watch? Meet the kids? My three nieces are in the class too.” He seemed excited, like he had never had anyone, at least not any of his passengers––or clients were they called?––see him outside of his role as chauffeur. And a martial arts instructor, a Master Dan? The contrast floored her, although, it somehow fit. It actually really fit him––to a tee.

  “Well, let me check my email, and then toward the end of class? So I don’t totally disrupt your time with them.”

  “Okay. Sounds good. It’ll be another twenty minutes. You’ll wait?”

  “Sure. Yes.” She smiled as her eyes drifted from his defined collarbone down to the ‘V’ opening of his uniform, his chest wide, smooth and strong. Her eyes shot up to his face in an instant and her cheeks turned red from the unwarranted flood of heat rising up her body. How mortifying. Her feet were frozen in place, she couldn’t even move away from the awkward face-to-face.

  He grinned at her. “Okay then.” He nodded then spun around to reenter the side room. “See you in a few.”

  She backed up and began to walk through the maze of wooden tables to find a seat. But the resonating warmth from being so close to Tony and the pounding in her chest made it hard for her to focus, to even pick a table. Tony the Driver was now Tony the Master, and he had made her dazed and confused like a silly schoolgirl.

  *

  She finally took a seat facing the classroom door and realized she’d forgotten to get the Wi-Fi code.

  She shook her head to herself as she made her way back through the wooden maze to the librarian’s desk. While waiting for the longhand version of the code, she pulled a few online college course brochures from the counter, thinking of the girls at the club and a flyer for open-call auditions for an off-Broadway show in the City. Laynie had mentioned theater was a forever dream of hers. Then she took the password from the woman behind the desk and went back to her seat.

  Before her ass met the flattened chair cushion, one of her phones rang, jolting her up again. She scurried out of the building to avoid pissing off the readers dotting the large main room, as well as the currently narrow-eyed librarian.

  Which phone? The smartphone screen was black, so she dropped it back in her purse and grabbed and flipped open the club cell. “Johnnie?”

  “Who else would it be?” he said, no smile behind his voice.

  Weird response. “Uh, no one. What’s up? How are you?”

  “Got the dress picked and found the perfect shoes to match, so give me your shoe size and—”

  “Oh no, you don’t. Johnnie, we had a deal. Don’t spoil me any more than you already have, please.”

  “But they’re seriously perfect. You can speak to the clerk. Here. She’ll attest to it. Oh, what’s that? You can’t buy them separately anyway? She said I’ve got to get them, they’re an item…”

  She was glad he’d lightened his tone because at first he seemed bent out of shape. But whatever mood he was in, she really didn’t want him spending more money on her. She’d already caved on the damn dress. “Johnnie, seriously, you need to let me cover the shoes. At least, take it out of this week’s pay.”

  “These shoes, sweetheart, are the entire week’s salary. Let me. I want to.”

  What the hell? Her father was in the damn hospital and she was not only going to an extravagant show in the City, but some man was spending big bucks on a dress and now shoes that, in combination, could feed a small village in Mexico for a week. She was about to be sick. She took a deep breath in and let it out before speaking.

  “Johnnie. You are too sweet. Please don’t buy the shoes. Chock it up to my pride. Please understand. Let me get my own.”

  Silence for a beat, then, “Okay. No problem, Jana. You and I really are cut from the same cloth. The dress is ink-black, like your hair. And the shoes you find will be fine, and you’ll be radiant. No doubt.”

  She sighed in relief and swallowed hard. A strange vibe was building and she knew it was going to be difficult to undo. “Thank you, Johnnie. So much. And hey,” she thought quickly, “my mother is waiting for my call. Let me talk to you later, okay?”

  “Sure, of course, go. Talk to you tonight,” he said with an almost manic quality to his voice. She put the phone away and wondered why they even had to talk later that night.

  She went back inside slowly, the low vibration from the conversation with Johnnie contrasted so sharply with the frequency she’d been on before the call, after bumping into Tony. Master Tony.

  She found a seat and shook it all off. Life could be really surreal and bizarre sometimes. Sometimes? Right.

  Wi-Fi, email: focus. While she waited for her network options to pop up on her smartphone, she looked at the wall clock. Five more minutes until Tony’s done with his class.

  Her email inbox came up with the tap of her finger.

  Zero new messages. Nothing from HR. Stark disappointment flooded her being. She clenched then unclenched her jaw. What to do?

  She couldn’t call Nora, not on a Sunday.

  But she could email her.

  She threw a quick email together along the lines of “checking in and following up,” to indirectly ask Will my position be held for me? For more than a month? If at all?

  Frustrated, she decided to save it as a draft for a minute. Never a good idea to shoot out an email when emotional. She could call Luly in the meantime, to see what her best friend knew. But after the fifth ring, she gave up. She was inside a library after all. And she didn’t want to go back outside as it had started raining.

  Screw it. She opened her drafts folder and without so much as rereading it, she sent the email to Nora. Then she stared at the clock. Waiting and breathing.

  A ping sounded from her phone a few seconds later. “Message undeliverable.” Her follow-up to Nora had bounced back. “Shit!” she said too loudly, somehow forgetting where she was among the book stacks and overheads. “Sorry,” she whispered to the few people close by.

  The wall clock showed it was time for her to meet a roomful of far too adorable kids. Totally uneasy, she stood up and headed to the double doors to be ready for Tony to come out of the classroom. But she could hardly unclench her teeth. Why had her email message bounced, and why had she not gotten an email from HR or Nora in the first place? Nora had said she’d get right on it, right? And her boss had undoubtedly felt and heard Jana’s urgency.

  And now she was an anxious wreck, her thumbnail about to dig into the tip of her index finger. But Tony, with his mellow and calm demeanor, had just bowed off the mat, turning her way now, waving her in.

  Put your fake smile on, Jana.

  Damn it, Nora, what the fuck is going on?

  *

  The class couldn’t have finished fast enough. His heart rate never exceeded a walking pace when he practiced with the kids, but since seeing Jana, he’d been on fast-forward inside his chest, as if he’d run a marathon.

  After he had released the kids with their final bows, he waved Jana into the room. He was glad, no thrilled that she’d stayed.

  The kids, especially his nieces, were all enthralled with her. “Is this your girlfriend?” five different children asked, and he watched Jana’s cheeks turn a new shade of red. It was hilarious to him, a rock-hard dancer-come-nurse who had shown and seen it all, blushing from the kids’ onslaught. He swallowed back his laughter, though.

  “No. Miss Jana is a friend of mine. And, a real hero. She is a New York City emergency room nurse; she saves lives every day
.” He winked at her, but all he could see in her eyes were welling tears. Shit.

  As if on autopilot, he moved a step closer to her and put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder, bringing her further into the room and infusing as much strength and comfort into her being as he could.

  She gave the kids a brave smile and blinked her eyes dry the next instant. He felt her shoulders lift as she inhaled a mouthful of oxygen and he released his hold.

  “Nice to meet all of you,” she said, throwing him a slight nod, as if to say thanks and that she was okay.

  “Please come and shake Miss Jana’s hand in introduction everyone, thank her for her service, and tell her what you all want to be when you grow up.”

  “Yes, Master Antonio,” they all shouted in unison.

  Jana looked up at him wide-eyed. She was either surprised by the drill response, or by the use of his full name. Her expression was warm, glowing, like the first night in his limo, only, this time, she was awake.

  She shifted her attention from him to the children, who had already formed a single-file line to meet and greet her. He felt a river of pride flow through him as each of his kids shook Jana’s hand as he’d taught them, keeping full eye contact, proudly speaking their names, telling her their hopes and dreams.

  He noticed how she listened and connected to each child. She was a real natural. And although she was the same height as some of his oldest students, she still exuded a tall, authoritative yet relatable air. The entire scene captivated him. Moved him.

  “All right, students, please get your shoes on and go to your parents.”

  Again, “Yes, Master Antonio.”

  Jana didn’t hide another smile in response to their obedient reply. To distract from his heated face, he waggled his eyebrows at her. She let out a giggle.