Drew, the overly attentive associate assigned to help us, kept trying to help me out of my clothes until Angel shooed him from the room. I wasn’t concerned about my virtue, he was just really annoying. He finally left us alone, pouting as Angel all but slammed the dressing room door in his face.
“With your darker coloring we could go in any direction we wanted to,” Angel said thoughtfully, flexing her fingers as she approached the racks of dresses that had been pulled out specifically in my size. “We need something that is going to knock him to his knees though. We need something with punch.”
“I’m not interested in Dino that way.”
Lie.
If I was a different person in another lifetime I would be a puddle at Dino’s feet and probably another notch on his already overly-punched belt but that wasn’t my luxury. I was a woman on the run who had finally found a home. The only way to keep my safe place and maintain my anonymity was to keep to myself. Blend in with the background.
Except this once. Just this once. “Okay,” Angel drawled out, showing just how much she didn’t believe what I had said. “It doesn’t matter though, you don’t need to be interested in Dino. This is his punishment for underestimating you.”
And he had underestimated me. I don’t know what makes Dino act the way he does, or say the things he says, but Angel’s words ignited a fire of self-indignation that burned in my belly. It wouldn’t hurt to put a little effort into this. It wouldn’t hurt to shine just for one night.
Just once.
Then I would go back to the safety of my new name and new life. Gabe Anderson’s dowdy and boring assistant. It was an okay life, after all, I had designed it myself.
An hour later and I was about ready to throw in the towel. Shopping for dresses with Angel was exhausting, and my flagging level of energy was completely at odds with Angel’s seemingly never-ending supply. She was so exuberant about everything, gathering steam the further we went down the racks in complete opposition to my need to be doing anything else. We started with little black dresses, something sophisticated and simple. What we ended up with was a slinky black dress with too little fabric that had a neckline cut down to my belly button. There was no way I could be comfortable in a dress like that. Angel sighed wistfully.
“I wish I could rock a dress like that. My boobs are so big they would be playing peek-a-boo between the two of them, playing tag to decide which one would be the first to make a nip slip.”
I actually did know what that was like. I desperately wanted to tell Angel that I too, was a victim of huge boobs when I was younger. When I had gone on the run though, I had surgery to make them smaller. I did a lot of things to make myself look like a different person. I couldn’t say that to her though, and the realization that I was such a liar made me feel small and dirty.
“You have a perfect pin-up body with big boobs and wide hips. Regardless, this dress is a solid no for me.”
We went on like that for another fifteen minutes, trying on dress after dress that received a veto from either Angel or myself, sometimes both. Then she grabbed something from the end of one of the racks that I never would have chosen. It didn’t look like much at all, and the colors didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it was different enough from the other dresses I had tried on that I gave it a chance.
It fell in silken waves over my body as I slid the simple halter style garment over my head, letting the weight of it brush casually against my ankles. It was the perfect length at any rate. A light cream-colored base with an intricate design running throughout similar to a snakeskin pattern. A light scaling that changed into deep teal, green and blue as it made its way up the front of the gown. It was light and airy, clinging in all the right places, the neckline lightly plunging while the tops of my breasts swelled gently on display. After trying on all of the heavily beaded gowns for the last hour, I felt like I was wearing nothing, a perfect fit. I looked in the full-length mirror, Angel hadn’t said anything yet and I didn’t have words for the stunning reflection that stared back at me. I turned slightly, getting a glimpse of my back in the three-way mirror. The dress was completely open in the rear, the top just skimming my lower back.
“I won’t be able to wear a bra with this,” I said under my breath, for all intents and purposes already making my mind up about the garment.
“That’s what they make nipple stickers for,” Angel murmured, stepping close to me until I could see both of our reflections in the large mirror. “Take down your hair, and do you need the glasses?”
I didn’t need the glasses at all, in fact, but I knew what she was asking. Could I see without them? Could I make it through an evening without wearing them? Sure. I removed the frames from my face but instead of placing them in her outstretched hand I placed them on the small table to the right of me. It was best that I didn’t give her an opportunity to realize that they weren’t any kind of prescription and just for show. Gabe knew, but I was willing to assume that he didn’t tell Angel everything he knew about me. That was our trust. Someday if I felt comfortable enough I might tell Angel a bit about myself, but we weren’t there yet.
After removing my glasses, I reached up to the top of my head and pulled at the six pins and three elastic bands that held my bun in place. I watched Angel’s jaw drop as I unwound my hair, slowly so it didn’t tangle, and then let the soft reddish-brown waves float around my shoulders and down my back. Yeah. I knew what it looked like. I had a lot of hair. I mean a lot of hair. It was my vanity. The one thing I kept of my former self even though I pulled it up and away from my face most of the time. My long hair was the one thing I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of even though the texture changed.
The woman in the mirror took my breath away. This dress. This was it. I would shine in this dress and make Dino unable to say one shitty word about the way I presented myself. I would be an exotic queen in this gown that fit me like it was custom-made. There was not a single alteration required. It was stunning.
“Take it off.” I looked at Angel in confusion. Did she not like it? I had fallen in love with it, but was there something she noticed that wasn’t right?
“Take it off,” she said again, “that’s the one you are getting.”
I sighed with relief that was all too short-lived. I was ready to be done with the whole affair, but Angel had other plans.
“Now we pick out shoes!”
Oh God, someone needs to take out her batteries.
I muffled a yawn that sounded more like a groan from behind my hand and slowly started getting dressed. I was desperate to sit down, yet Angel showed no signs of slowing. This not date with Dino had better be worth it, I thought to myself.
I was skeptical.
2
Dino
I should have felt like an asshole for pushing Jeanette, but I didn’t. I know what she thought of me, that I was a skirt-chasing derelict who did whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. That I worked for the highest bidder and had no morals. That was okay, I allowed her to think that. I’ve played so many different parts for so many different jobs I really don’t remember what I’m like anymore. But it’s okay. One thing she is right about, though. I do what I want.
It’s why I left my job with the FBI. I don’t like to be bossed around, and some shit back home needed my attention. Try to tell me I can't ‘get involved’ and have to play by the rules? Fuck those guys and their rules. They didn’t expect me to walk, but I have too much information stored in my brain for them to fight too hard to keep me under wraps. I gave them a lot of good years and gave my higher-ups a shit ton of accolades, but there is always another eager rookie looking to play at being undercover. Let them train a new guy to take my place, I have family business to take care of.
I know Jeanette looks down on me for working for Chaz Malone. I’m also aware that she has her own sordid past she is trying to hide. What kind of past? I don’t know. Gabe knows, but that asshole wouldn’t say shit to me when I asked except to tell me to s
tay away from her. That was over six years ago. I know it was never romantic with them. Gabe treats her extremely gently, more like a brother than anything. Whatever it was that happened to her, Gabe was fiercely protective, so I let it go. For a while.
But then they moved to Toledo, Ohio. I never knew that was where Gabe was from too. I didn’t grow up there, but I spent a lot of time in the Glass City when I was younger. Family reasons. Toledo was once called the glass capital of the world due to the boom in the glass manufacturing industry and is still called the Glass City. I always thought things made of glass were weak, but Toledo was a city that was tough as nails. When Gabe moved back to T-Town after the death of his father, Jeanette went with him without question. That seemed kind of weird to me, but if he was some kind of protector then it made a little sense. Little Jeanette who hid behind her glasses and ugly pantsuits had something to hide. A lot of people had things to hide and I shouldn’t pick. Normally I had no problem minding my own business, so why couldn’t I leave her alone?
I’d thought I would pick her up for the auction and she would try to spite me with another frumpy outfit. She loved getting under my skin almost as much as I liked picking at her, so I was prepared for her to try to make me as miserable as possible. I didn’t mind. I really did need a date that wouldn’t fight for my attention and let me work.
I was not fucking prepared at all.
When the GPS guided me to her condo and I parked the car, she came out of her front door without waiting for me to knock and for a moment I considered calling the entire evening off. There was no way I was going to be able to concentrate on work tonight. She was a goddamn sparkling vision and I was going to have to spend my evening threatening everyone that even tried to look at her.
She didn’t say a word as I walked up the short sidewalk that led to her front door, just stood there eyeing me warily, waiting for some shitty comment to come out of my mouth, I was sure.
“You win,” I said to her, noticing that my voice was much lower than I meant it to be.
“Win what?” Her eyes widened slightly, a slight flaring of her nostrils the only indication that I affected her at all. She knew what I meant.
“Whatever game we are playing right now. You win.” I didn’t say anything else. I didn’t have the words to express what the sight of her was doing to me.
“I’m not playing any games with you, Dino.” She sniffed, and just like that, the small window of vulnerability was gone, and I was on the outside again, holding my arm out for her stupidly as she brushed past me and started walking to the car.
“Damn, Jeanette, will you let me be a gentleman?” I had to jog to catch up to her. She walked entirely too fast in what had to be almost five-inch heels.
“I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself, Dino,” she said smartly, but she did at least wait at the passenger door so I could open it for her. Oh, she was as feisty as ever. I would have to be on my toes tonight or she was going to have me eating out of her hand. Any other time I might have been happy to oblige, but I really did need to work tonight. I slid into the driver’s seat of my black BMW and paused to look at her before turning the key in the ignition.
“Can you work with me here, Jeanette? I really need you to act like you like me for the evening. I really am trying to work, I wasn’t kidding when I told you that.”
“I don’t dislike you, Dino,” she said, but the quirking of her lips belied that statement.
“Yeah all right, Fancy. You don’t necessarily like me either. But you said you would be my date tonight, so I need to you to pretend you do.” I grinned at her in the fading light of the interior of the car. “Let’s practice. Can you give me a compliment? Come on, say something nice.” I could see her gears turning and I held my breath, waiting for her scalding comeback.
“Dino, you don’t need me to tell you that you are devastatingly good looking because it is quite clear that you already know that. If I were to say anything to the contrary you would know I was lying, and what would be the point in that? What I can say is this, I always thought your eyes were brown, a caramel color even, but somehow with the light of the setting sun streaming in through the windshield they have turned an amazing shade of gold. It’s quite striking really.”
She looked embarrassed that the words had come out of her mouth and immediately turned her head to look at something imaginary out of the passenger window. What was that fucking honest compliment that just came out of her mouth? It made my heart hammer in my chest and my hand shake as I reached for the gear shift to pull out of the parking spot. I hadn’t had that kind of surprise physical reaction to a woman since I was a teenager and I resisted the urge to cross my legs and hide just how I felt about her comment. I was a grown ass man who was getting a boner because Jeanette Clary said something nice about my eyes.
Jesus. Fuck.
She was the first to break the silence as I pulled onto the road and towards the highway that would take us downtown. “So what’s the auction tonight? A few things are going on tonight, but I wasn’t aware of any charity event.”
"Yeah, well okay. I maybe was intentionally vague about that. It isn't a charity auction per say."
"Dino." It was only my name, but I caught the accusation all the same.
"Oh, it is still an auction, Jeanette, I didn't straight up lie to you or anything. It's just not necessarily a charity event. It's an event where people who are desperate to make some quick cash auction off their prized possessions. It may be polished and dressed up nice, but we'll call it what it is. High-class pawn."
Out of the corner of my eye I could see her twisting her hands in her lap. Dammit, I didn't want to stress her out. Weird that it never occurred to me that she wouldn't want to go to a sketchy auction with a bunch of strangers.
"Are you a good guy or a bad guy tonight, Dino?" she asked softly, but I heard her words as if they were spoken directly into my ears.
"Let's just say I'm doing double duty tonight, babe. Don't worry though," I told her as I maneuvered through downtown traffic and pulled up in front of the Levis Hotel. "It's totally legal." Mostly.
I hurried to get out of the car and get to Jeanette's door before the over-eager valet attendant could snatch at the door handle. I wasn't giving her the chance to stomp into this event ahead of me, like she had stomped to the car when I had picked her up. She was walking into the event center on my arm. If I didn’t make a claim on her fast and in a hurry, she was going to be getting eye-fucked by the rabble all night. I was going to be eye stabbing those ogling motherfuckers all night as it was. I half-wished she was still wearing one of her ugly as sin work outfits. For reasons I didn't particularly want to dissect I just didn't want anyone knowing her charms, like maybe she dressed like that just for me. I was vaguely aware that it was a caveman thing to think, but I was inside my own head so it was okay. Outwardly I could pretend to be much more of a gentleman.
"I don't know what I am supposed to do about you tonight," I murmured, mostly to myself. "Walking into this place with a bunch of hungry wealthy men and you looking like a five-course dinner." Her gasp was quick and angry, I could tell she couldn't decide whether to be flattered or insulted.
"To be honest, Dino, I hadn't given a thought about what anyone was going to think about how I looked besides you." She hadn't meant to say that, I could tell by the red stain cascading down the side of her neck in my peripheral vision.
We paused in the doorway so I could hand my invitation to the door attendant, and I took the opportunity to lean down and whisper in her ear, "I knew it. I knew you were messing with me. Well, I told you before, you win. Holy shit do you win."
She froze for a second, probably because I was so close to her face that my breath tickled her ear, but then she gained her composure again.
"Angel helped."
"I bet she did," I said with a laugh.
"Gabe paid for it. Said it was an executive order."
I don't know why Gabe paying for her dress rubbed m
e the wrong way, but it did.
"So, everyone was in on the joke then?" I tried not to sound pissed and I think I almost succeeded.
"You deserve it, Dino. You talked to me like I was some poor little church mouse that you were doing a huge favor for by extending such a gracious invitation. It was bad enough that you talked down to me, but you said that stuff in front of my boss. What do you think of me, Dino? That you would be so disrespectful? Do you think you are better than me? You really hurt my feelings."
She meant every word she said and each one sank into me like a knife wound. I hadn't thought of it at the time, I was just messing around with her like I normally did but having the words repeated to me made me feel like a complete dick. Man, I was a real asshole.
"I apologize, Jeanette, that wasn’t my intention. I am sorry I made you feel that way, but if it rectifies the situation at all, please know that I am eating my fucking words right now. Woman, you are stunning, and I am humbled to be able to walk through these doors with you." The last part ended with a growl as I made angry eyes at someone to Jeanette's right that was blatantly looking her up and down like she was food.
She dared to look pleased by my admission. "As long as you understand."
Oh, Jeanette, I do understand. We are going to have so much fun tonight.
What a miserable fucking evening.
We hadn't made it to a table before I found a familiar pair of eyes looking at me from across the room. An angry pair of eyes that narrowed when they locked on me. I gritted my teeth as the woman they belonged to made a beeline towards Jeanette and me, and I braced myself for the acidic words that were about to fly out of her mouth.
Dino Page 2