by L A Dobbs
The color in Jan’s cheeks bloomed brighter, and she stepped away from Lou fast, stumbling slightly in the process and sloshing the contents of her champagne flute down the front of her dress.
“Oh, damn!” She swiped at it with her hand and raised worried eyes to Dino. “Can you help me find a bathroom so I can wipe this off?”
“Sure.” Glad to be needed again, he placed a protective arm around her waist and shot Lou a dirty look over his shoulder. If the guy cared at all, he didn’t show it. Instead, Lou just shrugged and wandered off to meet and greet more guests. Dino shook his head and pulled Jan closer to his side as she hobbled unevenly. “I think they’re over this way. What’s wrong with you? Are you drunk already?”
“No.” She tried to pull free of his grasp, but he refused to let her go. “Something’s wrong with one of my shoes. I’ll check it in the bathroom.”
Once they’d located the ladies room, Dino stood watch outside to wait for Jan. He leaned one shoulder against the wall and stared at the crowd. Had he ever been this bored in his life? He doubted it. Thank God his phone buzzed in his pocket and saved him from lapsing into a coma.
Dino pulled it out to see an urgent text from the Rockford IT team flash onscreen. He read it once then double-checked it twice to make sure. Straightening, Dino swayed slightly as his blood pumped loud in his ears and adrenaline flooded his system. If the text was true, then that meant…
He checked the screen once more for accuracy before launching into action.
Pinged stalker cell phone.
location 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Jan’s stalker was here, somewhere at The Venetian.
Lightheaded and more bewildered than she cared to admit, Jan leaned back carefully against the row of stall doors and dabbed at the front of her black silk and sequin dress with a wad of paper towels from the dispenser. Focusing on the party had relieved a lot of the stalker stress that had built up. And yeah, she probably should have told Dino about the pictures, but nothing had happened since then. No calls, no lurkers. Maybe the stalker had gotten bored and focused his attention on someone else now.
She’d had such high hopes for the night, and now she’d have to spend the rest of it with a big wet spot on her dress. The stupid thing was on loan from the designer too. If she got anything on it, she’d have to buy it. Not that the huge price tag was a problem or that the dress wasn’t lovely, but she never wore the same outfit twice to events, so it would sit in her closet on a padded hanger for the rest of its days.
Her right ankle wobbled beneath her, and she frowned down at the black Jimmy Choo stilettos Lou had sent over with her outfit the day before. Dumb things. As expensive as they were, they should take more of a beating before giving out. She lifted her right foot and pulled the shoe off to hold it in front of her face while she squinted at the heel. What the…
A jagged cut mark sliced through the thin heel, nearly severing it completely. That wasn’t normal wear-and-tear damage. That cut was deliberate.
Jan’s earlier anxiety returned full-force. She was lucky she’d made it this far without it snapping off entirely. But who would do something like that? Lou handled all of her event wardrobe details. He always had her stuff delivered directly to his office at Treble, and she picked them up there to take them home, same as she’d done a few days before. Same as she’d done a million times before. That meant that either someone had sabotaged her shoes once they were in her house, or it had been done at the studio, or at the designer’s.
Jan straightened and scowled. Lou? Why would Lou screw with her shoes? Who else had been at her house? Blakes’s security crew, Marta, Stacy. But none of them would do this.
She searched her recent memories for a possible motive and landed on the most obvious one. Dino. Knowing her publicity-hungry manager, he’d wanted her to stumble into Dino’s arms tonight to fuel the media fire about their sweet high school fling now turned steamy adult romance.
She snorted. Figures.
The sound of a flushing toilet knocked her back to reality. She’d been so distressed when she’d entered, it hadn’t even occurred to her to check that she was alone. As the stall door behind her opened and she teetered backward, it became obvious she wasn’t.
“Oh, excuse me,” the woman said, sidling around Jan and heading over to wash her hands.
The overhead recessed lighting caught the woman’s fiery red hair and highlighted her generous curves as she bent closer to the mirror to check her lipstick. The woman glanced over and caught Jan staring, her green gaze narrowing. “You probably don’t remember me, do you?”
If only.
No. Jan remembered this woman, all too well. It was the last person she ever wanted to see again. Erin McCabe, ex-head cheerleader and the woman Dino had cheated on her with. Perfect. Her accident-prone evening went from bad to downright bizarre. Stunned, Jan remained silent.
Erin fluffed her auburn curls then walked over to Jan, the deep-emerald satin of her gown clinging to her voluptuous body like a second skin. Back in high school, all the boys had fallen all over themselves trying to land a date with her. From the confident sway of Erin’s hips when she walked and the gleam of knowing power in her eyes, Jan guessed men still tripped over themselves to get Erin’s attention. Who wouldn’t? Even in her thirties, the girl was drop-dead gorgeous. Jan glanced down at her own modest cleavage and did her best not to fidget.
Erin stopped a few feet in front of Jan and held out her hand, her voice quiet and slightly breathless. “Erin McCabe. We went to high school together.”
“Oh, right.” Jan shook her hand with a tad too much enthusiasm as she tried to fake dawning recognition. “Erin. You were the head cheerleader, right?”
“Yeah.” Erin chuckled. “That was a long time ago. You’re the big star now.”
Heat prickled Jan’s cheeks as Erin gave her a pointed stare. Even after all her success and awards, talking about her stardom still made her uncomfortable. Unless she had her diva persona firmly in place. In diva mode, she could handle anything. Too bad she’d left her inner diva somewhere out in the ballroom, shortly after she’d made a fool of herself. “I make music and get to do what I love. People seem to like it.”
“Don’t be modest. People love it.” Erin glanced down at Jan’s bare foot and the shoe in her hand. “Problem?”
Jan blew out a breath and looked down at the shoe in her hand. “My stupid shoe broke.”
“Oh, hmm...” Erin held her hand out. “Here. Let me see.”
Jan handed it over and Erin turned it around in her hand then winced.
“Yeah, this looks done for. Too bad, these cost a bundle.” She set the shoe on the bathroom counter then dug in her bag again. The tote wasn’t exactly what Jan would’ve picked for an event like this—too large and too bulky—but then again, she wouldn’t have gone with bright-green satin either. The outfit suited Erin’s flamboyant, sexy style. On Jan, it would’ve resembled a jolly green nightmare. From out of the bag, Erin pulled a pair of strappy black heels. “Try these. What size do you wear?”
“Seven and a half.”
“I wear an eight, but these might fit—they’re a tad small.” Erin smiled and pointed down at her own feet clad in flats, a bandage on her right foot. “Broke my toe. I’m not supposed to wear heels but brought them just in case. Turns out I can’t even fit them on, so guess it’s your lucky day. Try them.”
Erin’s too-bright, too-friendly smile annoyed Jan, but at this point she wouldn’t look a gift horse, or a gift ex-cheerleader, in the mouth. She used Erin’s arm for support as she slipped the shoes on then stood to look in the full-length mirror at the end of the room.
They fit pretty well—a little big, but they’d do in a pinch. As she stared at her reflection beside Erin in the mirror, Jan couldn’t help but feel inferior. Erin was a few inches taller, much curvier, and everything men wanted. Jan was short and skinny and everything men left. At least everything Dino left. For all she knew, these two were st
ill an item. Hell, for all she knew, maybe he’d left Jan the day before to go have nookie with Erin. Maybe he was even meeting her here at the party. Why else would she be here?
Her stomach knotted, and Jan felt a pang of disappointment. Then she took a deep breath and swallowed hard. She was fine. Everything was fine. Dino wasn’t a priest, of course he probably had a girlfriend—if not Erin then someone else. It wasn’t like he’d been sitting around waiting for her since High School.
Posture stiff and shoulders squared, she gave Erin her widest, fakest smile and extended her hand. “It was so nice to see you again, Erin. Perhaps we’ll meet again, if you work in the entertainment industry.”
“Advertising. I’m here with my boss to represent our firm.”
“Oh.” Jan walked the short distance to the door, swiping her broken shoes up from the counter. She’d have to go shove them in the car for the duration of the party. “Well, in that case, enjoy the rest of your evening. Oh—” She glanced down at her new pair of shoes. “Come by next week, and I’ll give you a tour and your shoes back. Treble Studios in 18B on Imperial Street.”
“I know where it’s at.” Erin’s smile seemed genuine. Maybe Jan was just being a bitch to hold a grudge. “Guess I’ll see you later, then.”
“Yeah. Good night.” Jan waved as she walked out. “Thanks again for the shoes.”
“My pleasure,” Erin called as the door closed behind Jan.
Once out in the small alcove beyond the door, she stopped and adjusted her loaner shoes.
Dino peeked his head around the corner of the alcove and frowned at the shoes dangling from her hand. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. My shoe broke. We should put these in the car.” She glanced at the bathroom door behind her once more then latched onto Dino’s arm and pulled him away. She didn’t really want to see him and Erin having a reunion in front of her. “Plus, I could use some fresh air.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Dino said, directing her toward a back exit. His pace was brisk, and she had trouble keeping up with him. He didn’t seem to notice, however, just tugged her along, his gaze darting around the room as if looking for suspicious activity and his expression hard. Gone was the dapper, debonair guy who’d escorted her here tonight. In his place was a man who was all business—tough as concrete.
A man on a mission to get her away from something. Erin, maybe? A surge of jealousy tore through her, and for one insane moment she wanted to grab Dino and make him forget about any other woman except her.
They pushed out the door and into the shadows behind the building, the cooler night air whisking the heat from her flushed skin. The rough stone of the building scratched Jan’s back through the flimsy gown as she leaned against it to catch her breath. She could smell the exhaust from the kitchen and hear the traffic at the end of the street. She felt like she’d just run a marathon in there. Dino had his back to her still, his shoulders tense and his attention focused on the alley in front of them. “You mind telling me what the—”
Jan never got to finish her sentence because, quick as lightning and twice as hot, Dino crushed her mouth beneath his, kissing her hard and long and deeply. The shoes clattered to the pavement, forgotten.
With no food and two glasses of champagne swirling in her system, Jan gave in to the attraction between them with little resistance.
A horn honked from the other end of the alley. He broke the kiss and turned his head away, so close and yet so far.
Jan kissed his temple then traced her lips down his cheek to nibble on his tense jaw. “What are you doing? Don’t stop.”
He exhaled long and slowly before pulling back. “We have to stop, Jan. This was a mistake. My mistake.” He let her go and raked his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I was just worried.”
“Worried?” She straightened her dress and leaned against the wall, her knees still shaky from Dino’s kisses. “This is what you do when you’re worried? What were you worried about?”
“I got a message from the Rockford IT team while you were in the ladies room.”
“And?”
“And your stalker is here. Somewhere in the building. Whoever it is tried to access that e-mail address from somewhere in the Venetian.”
“Oh.” Jan clutched her stomach as nerves and nausea once more stormed her system. “What do we do?”
“Well, first I needed to get you out of there.” Dino paced the sidewalk in front of her, each word punctuated by a step. “Now, I think it’s best to get you home, where I know you’ll be safe.”
“Home? I can’t leave yet. We just got here. I’m supposed to perform later. Lou will flip.”
“Lou will have to deal with it.” Dino picked up her shoes then straightened and gave her a pointed stare. “Your safety is the most important thing right now. Whoever this person is got past not only me, but the hotel’s security as well. I don’t think our guy would actually try anything in such a public venue, but I can’t be certain. Please don’t argue with me about this, okay?”
After a few tense moments, Jan relented. With everything that had happened over the past couple of days, the last place she felt like being was on public display. She’d make up something to tell Lou and head back to her house, with its alarms and cameras and her warm and fuzzy flannel PJs. In fact, that scenario sounded like heaven right about now. “Okay. Let’s go.”
They made their way back into the ballroom, and Jan pulled Lou aside, explaining she’d been ill and was going home. He wasn’t happy about it at all, but one glance at Dino, and he’d given in without a scene. As they headed back through the desert night into Summerlin and eventually into her exclusive Queensridge section of the community, neither of them spoke, as if their silence might make them forget what had just happened between them. The air in Dino’s Tahoe was rife with secrets and tension.
Dino waved as they passed the guard’s station then punched in the security code to open the gate at the end of Jan’s long driveway a few moments later. She was getting used to having someone to deal with all these little details for her, to take care of her. And that was dangerous.
He swerved up and parked the SUV near her front door then got out and came around to help her from the vehicle. Even knowing she should let him go, knowing how devastated she’d be when he left, she couldn’t let him leave. Not yet. Still a bit wobbly on her feet, she asked the thing she vowed not to say, not knowing if it was for protection or something more.
“Do you want to come inside?”
13
Dino hesitated. Inside. The words conjured so many wayward thoughts he could hardly think straight. Hell yeah, he’d like to be inside. Inside her house, inside her heart.
He knew he should have never kissed her again, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d done it almost without thinking. The thought of her stalker being so close had brought up all sorts of protective urges, and in the heat of the moment, he’d given in. He’d like to give in now. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.
But if tonight had proved anything, it was that he didn’t belong in her world of glitz and glamour. Not to mention that her stalker had gotten far too close for his comfort. He blamed himself. He’d been distracted by the party, the venue, the incredibly sexy picture Jan presented in that sheer wisp of fabric that she seemed to think passed for a dress.
No.
He forced himself to look away from the way the porch light shining down from above her door silhouetted her form and rendered the sparkling chiffon silk of her gown nearly see-through, and forced himself to focus on the reason he was here in the first place, the only reason that truly mattered tonight. Jan’s safety.
“I…” He started to say that it wasn’t a good idea, that he’d wait until she had herself locked away behind closed doors, then he’d head back to his own home half a mile away in Summerlin for the evening, but something in her eyes stopped him. Something in the way her small smile faltered and her expression showed a hint of fear before sh
e quickly masked it.
He’d been so focused on keeping his damned emotions under control that he’d completely missed the fact that beneath her brave exterior, Jan—his Jan—was terrified. Guess that’s what he got for thinking with another organ than his brain—a good swift kick in the conscience. “If that’s what you want, I’m happy to stay as long as you need.”
Her tense shoulders visibly relaxed at his offer, and she quickly unlocked the door and punched in her security code before leading him inside. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” He hovered near the door, still not trusting himself to get too close to her. “Since I’m here, I’ll just run a quick check through all the rooms while you get comfortable. All right?”
“All right.” Jan headed upstairs, and he headed into her living room to do a quick sweep for cameras, bugs, any signs of a break-in or tampering. Room to room he went, hitting each area of the first floor before moving on to the second, getting lost in the monotony of his work so he wouldn’t get lost in his memories of Jan.
Once he’d finished his inspection of the house, he took a seat downstairs in the living room and pulled up the footage from the security cameras Blake had had installed outside her home the day before. He logged into the Rockford servers remotely and went through the hours of tape on fast-forward, spotting nothing but a stray red-tail hawk and a couple of deer mice flitting in here and there.
Jan padded down the stairs again, stopping near the bottom of the stairs and looking around. “Dino?”
“In here,” he called, chuckling as she walked toward him in a set of pink flannel PJs festooned with cupcakes. She’d always loved her sleepwear. The best part of the outfit though was the matching fuzzy fuchsia bunny slippers, their wide, crazy eyes and crooked ears greeting the world with a look of perpetual looney shock. “Nice outfit.”