Dante watched the sexy sway of her hips, his body hardening with each one of her assertive steps. His desire was quickly doused when she crossed over to speak with Carlos.
What the...? Women didn’t typically leave him to talk to another man. For the first time, he’d been thrown off by a woman.
Julie shifted her position next to Carlos, and her gaze flitted to Dante for a second. Dante grinned and leaned back in the chair. Her quick look got him back on balance. Julie Dominick may play impartial toward him, but she was interested. He couldn’t step to Raymond’s girl like that, but he damn sure was going to enjoy the heat sizzling between them.
Chapter 5
Julie casually sipped ice water and stared out at the magnificent ocean view from the patio at Geoffrey’s Malibu. Immediately after booking her trip, she’d looked into places that would work for relaxed business meetings and that offered superb food. As she looked over the brunch menu, she was pleased with her choice.
After putting down the water, she pulled out her tablet and navigated to the website of the contractor she was considering hiring for the club. The sun was hot, and she wore a sleeveless beige blouse with a tan pencil skirt, so she wasn’t sweltering like yesterday. She leaned forward to get more shade from the white umbrella over the table to see the screen better. She’d gotten a list of reputable contractors from the coworkers who didn’t hate her for her abrupt exit from Nexon-Jones. She’d narrowed her choices down to three firms, and, depending on their availability, along with Dante’s and Raymond’s schedules, she hoped to have one secured by the end of the week.
“She’s right here, Mr. Wilson.” The host’s voice came from behind Julie.
She glanced up from the tablet to where the young man indicated to her. Dante smiled and thanked the host, looking every bit the sex symbol that he was in a fitted dark gray T-shirt, white pants and dark shoes. Julie swallowed hard and sucked in a breath. The man had thrown her off yesterday. She’d assumed Dante would be charming, flirtatious even, but when he’d indicated that he should be the exception to her no-mixing-business-and-pleasure rule, her mind became slushy.
How badly she’d wanted to take him up on that offer was almost embarrassing. Getting involved with a guy in the entertainment industry, and a business partner at that, went against many of the rules that prevented her from being played by a man.
“Good afternoon,” she said with what she envisioned to be a professional, I’m-not-drooling-internally smile.
“You’re early.” He pulled out a chair and sat down.
“I’m typically early when I have a meeting.”
He raised a brow and placed his forearms on the table. The breeze brought over the scent of the sea and his enticing cologne. Dante leaned closer to her. “Meeting. I thought this was a date?”
She had left him with that impression, and she had to admit, there were plenty of things worse than going on a date with him. Too bad for him. She wasn’t here to have a fling with Dante or jeopardize her reputation.
But she would flirt. Flirting went a lot further and got her a lot more than being an ice-cold superbitch. From what she knew about men, flirting was just another tactic they used to throw a woman off her game.
“This isn’t a date,” she said with a smile.
“You promised to give a little insight on your very adult thoughts.”
The way he said “adult thoughts” had her imagining all types of adult things—things that involved him, naked and smiling.
Julie leaned back in her chair. “Are you sure you’re ready to hear them?”
“Oh, I’m very sure.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Because I’ve thought about this all morning.” She leaned forward.
Excitement entered his eyes. “You have?”
“All night, honestly. I can’t get the thoughts out of my mind.”
“Sometimes talking about things helps, or having a helping hand.” His warm hand covered hers. The touch nearly made her forget this was supposed to be harmless flirting.
“Are you willing to help?”
“In any way possible.”
“I thought you would be.” She glanced down at his long fingers casually brushing the back of her hand. Each light stroke was like a dose of steroids to her pumped-up hormones. “You’ve got nice hands.”
“They’re willing to help you in any way.”
The muscles of her thighs clenched. Julie pulled her hand away. Time to remember this is supposed to be harmless flirting. “Good, because I’m meeting with a contractor that I’m considering hiring to help with the renovation of the building you’ve picked out for the club. I’d like to get your opinion.”
His smile froze for a second before his brows drew together. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve narrowed the choices down to three, and, of course, I won’t pick one without discussing the details with you and Raymond first. I’m glad you’re so willing to help.”
“So that’s why you invited me here?”
“Of course. Why else would I?” She tried to look innocent but knew he had to see the humor in her expression. She was having a hard time not chuckling at his confusion.
Julie quickly turned and nearly sagged with relief when she saw the hostess bringing the contractor to their table. She stood and held out her hand to the man beside the hostess.
“Orlando Salvatore,” she said.
Orlando nodded and took her hand. He was tall with wavy dark hair, gleaming straight teeth and a body honed from working in construction. His white shirt and dark brown pants accentuated broad shoulders and strong legs.
“And you must be Julie Dominick.” His handshake was firm but not too tight.
“I am. Thank you for meeting me this morning.”
“No problem at all. I’d love to work on this project.”
Julie grinned, then held out her hand to Dante, who watched her with slightly narrowed eyes. “He needs no introduction, but this is Dante Wilson. Obviously, he’ll be involved with choosing the contractor for the job.”
“Of course,” Orlando said. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Wilson. I’m a big fan.”
Dante slowly stood and shook Orlando’s hand. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Orlando grinned. “I only speak the truth.”
Julie sat, and then Orlando and Dante followed suit. Julie ignored Dante’s direct gaze on her. Outwardly, anyway. Inside, her body was a ball of nerves. She hoped to impress Dante with her proactive approach to handling the development of the nightclub. It was the reason she’d invited him here this morning. Go hard or go home.
“I’ve been looking at your website, Orlando,” Julie said. “I’m impressed with the jobs you’ve handled. I see that you’ve also been chosen to open a nightclub in LA. Will you be able to handle another job?”
She didn’t like small talk and preferred going directly into any concerns. She trusted the recommendation she’d gotten from her former coworker, but she couldn’t forget he still worked for Nexon-Jones.
Orlando handled her direct question easily and went right into the number of crews he had working for him and how he scheduled his workload. He answered all Julie’s questions easily and impressively while they waited on their food. Dante perked up and stopped glaring at her long enough to ask Orlando some of his own questions. From the interest and satisfaction that flashed on Dante’s face, she guessed he was also impressed by Orlando.
By the end of the meal, her questions were done. After a few minutes of small talk, Julie wrapped up the meeting.
“Thank you again for meeting with me, Orlando,” Julie said. “I’ll be in touch before the end of the week.”
She stood and so did the men. Orlando shook Dante’s hand, then hers. When she would have pulled back, he held on. “The pleasure was all mine. I hope t
o hear from you soon, regardless of the outcome.”
Orlando’s smile and the flirtatious tone were clear. Julie returned his smile with one of her own and nodded. “I’ll be sure to give you a call.”
“Do that,” Orlando said before leaving.
Dante looked at Orlando’s retreating back and then at Julie. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Julie sat back down.
Dante sat and motioned his head in Orlando’s direction. “That?”
“That was me thinking I’ve found our contractor. Didn’t you like him?”
“He was all right.”
“All right? Did you look at the work he’s done, all on time? That’s big when it comes to contractors. Of course, I’m going to check his references.”
“You’re ready to hire him already?”
“He was my top choice, but we’ve got another interview later today.”
His brows rose. “We do?”
“Yeah.” She checked her watch. “I agreed to meet her for a late lunch. Are you available?”
“Her?”
Julie raised a brow. “Do you have a problem with a woman?”
He raised his hands. “Not at all. At least this time you won’t spend the meeting grinning and giggling over the guy.”
“I don’t giggle.”
“Yes, you do.” He quirked a brow. “It would be cute. If you were giggling over me.”
She laughed. “Still want me to make you my exception to the no-business-and-pleasure-mixing rule?”
“I’d like to know if you were considering it.”
She eyed him from head to toe. “I’ve already considered it.”
“And?”
“And you’re talented, sexy and very smug. I’m not interested.”
Dante rubbed his jaw. “If you would have let this be a real date, I think you would be. I envisioned this morning going a lot differently.”
“What did you envision?”
“Brunch, sightseeing, maybe a kiss.”
She glanced at his lips, imagined them on hers and was hit with a wave of longing, which she quickly pushed aside. “I’m here to work. I promise—I will not be kissing you.”
“I believe that not only will we kiss but that you’ll initiate it.” He looked so arrogant and sure of himself that, for a second, her heart trembled, and she believed he might be right.
Chapter 6
Dante met up with Raymond at the end of the week at a jazz club in Los Angeles. When he wasn’t on tour or working on an album, Dante preferred the laid-back atmosphere of his villa in Malibu over the constant hustle of LA, unless there was a party worth attending. Tonight there was a huge party planned after Jacobe’s basketball game. Dante never refused a chance to party.
He found Raymond in the club’s VIP section, watching a lovely and curvy woman singing onstage. They’d agreed to meet here before going to the game and then the party. After sitting in an interview with another contractor and Julie that morning, and after she’d made it obvious, yet again, that she wasn’t giving him any play, Dante was more than ready to spend the night partying.
Dante strolled over and sat next to Raymond. “What’s up with your girl?”
Raymond raised a brow. “Who?”
“Julie.”
Raymond grinned and sipped on the drink in his hand. “Nothing, she’s just trying to do a good job.”
“When did we officially make her a partner?”
Raymond chuckled. “We didn’t. Julie always tackles a job like she’s got it. By the time she’s finished putting the pieces together, people wonder why they wouldn’t partner with her.”
Dante was in that exact predicament. She had pulled together the best contractors in the area and drilled them on their ability to perform. After seeing her in action, he wondered why he should look for anyone else.
“She knows her stuff. I thought we were meeting for brunch the other day, and she’s setting up interviews with potential contractors.”
Raymond frowned. “You met her for brunch? When?”
“Tuesday. I thought you knew?”
“I knew she was checking out some contractors but not that she was meeting with you to do that.”
Dante leaned back on the black couch and spread his arms across the back. “I thought she had agreed to a date.”
Raymond sat up straight and put his drink on the table. “You asked her on a date?”
“After you left her at the pool to hang out with that other woman, I didn’t think you’d have a problem.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you thought you were going out with her? I told you about us.”
Dante raised a hand. “Hold up. Us—what us? She was at the party for a second, and you walked away with another woman.”
Raymond slid forward on the chair and tugged on his black leather pants before holding out his hands. “That woman from the party doesn’t mean anything. Julie is the one. The one I’m going to settle down with. After I finish, you know.” Raymond popped his collar. “Enjoying myself.”
“What makes you think she’s going to want to settle down with you after you finish sleeping with half of the female population?”
“Because of the pact we made in college. If we’re both single, then we’ll get together.”
“So you think she’s just going to sit around being single waiting on that day to come?”
“She has so far,” Raymond said smugly. “Julie hasn’t gotten serious about any guy since getting her heart broken a few years back. I was the guy who helped her get through that. We would have hooked up then, but, you know, my career was just starting. She said she didn’t want to hold me back or make me keep promises. So we agreed to be friends.”
“Why does that make you so sure she’s waiting for the day you two can finally be together?”
Raymond grinned and sat back in his chair. He crossed one ankle over the opposite knee, the epitome of someone used to getting his way. “Whenever I need her, she’s there. Don’t get me wrong—I’m there for her, too. We’re cool. She doesn’t bug me about the women I date, but she still calls me when she’s having trouble figuring out a man’s she’s with. I give her advice.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed. “What type of advice?”
“I tell her rules that men date by. Then she ends up calling a dude on his crap, breaks things off and lets me know that, yet again, I helped her out.”
“You’re sabotaging her relationships.”
Raymond shook his head. “No. I tell her what men think. Julie’s smart enough to figure out the rest. Every once in a while she meets a decent fellow, and I tell her that. In the end, she breaks up with them.” Raymond smiled. “Now you understand?”
“Understand what?”
“She’s breaking up with ratchet dudes and good dudes. She’s waiting on us.”
“I see that you’re keeping her waiting in the wings. Besides, I don’t think she sees things the same way you’re seeing them. She says she’s not interested in you.”
“What’s she supposed to say? ‘I’m waiting for the day that Raymond and I can finally be together’?”
Dante knew no woman would admit to holding a torch for one guy for years, but he didn’t believe that was the case with Julie. He’d watched her and Raymond. Granted, it was just one time, but he could tell a lot about what a woman was thinking by watching her. Julie had been happy to see her friend but also annoyed there was a party going on instead of a business meeting. She hadn’t watched Raymond with any sense of longing, and no telltale signs of desire or attraction popped up when they were together. If anything, Dante figured Julie had listened to Raymond’s advice enough to know he was trying to keep her waiting in the wings. Maybe she was doing the same with Raymond, letting him
think there was a chance one day so that she could still rely on her friend when she needed him.
Or maybe you don’t want to believe she’s really not interested in you.
“I take it that you’re telling me this because you want me to stay away from Julie,” Dante said.
“I’d prefer it if you would. I really like Julie, and while I don’t think she’ll fall for you, it would be weird later when she and I get together for you two to have history.”
“Do you really like her, or are you just trying to hold on to her?”
The smug look left Raymond’s face. “I do really like her. She’s beautiful, hardworking and confident. I’ve only seen Julie cry once in the years I’ve known her. Once. You know how often women like to throw around tears. I’ve had a crush on her for years, have wanted to get with her just as long, but the timing is never right. If we would have hooked up back when she was hurt, it would have worked for a while but not long.”
“Why not?”
“You know how life is on the road. Before I blew up, I could count on one hand the number of women I’d slept with. I hit that same number in one night after my single hit number one. I want Julie, but I don’t want to hurt her either.” Raymond picked up his drink and turned to the stage.
Dante frowned and also watched the woman performing. If it wasn’t for the earnestness in Raymond’s tone, Dante would have called bull. Instead he understood Raymond’s logic. Life as a celebrity was nothing but constant temptation. He’d had girls and, at times, grown women throwing panties at him when he was only thirteen. One of the reasons he hadn’t settled down was because of that. He didn’t rule out maybe getting married one day. If he could find what his parents had that made them stay together despite the enticements. He just hadn’t found the woman who got him feeling that way yet. He was sure that the love he sang about existed, and that he’d know it when he found it.
“I’ll respect your wishes,” Dante said, the words burning his tongue. Raymond was his boy, and he wouldn’t do that to his boy.
“Thanks, man,” Raymond said.
The woman onstage stopped singing. She looked at Raymond, who grinned and waved her over.
A Malibu Kind of Romance Page 4