He nodded to another couple. The guy lifted his partner high enough for her to swing her legs off the floor and swiveled them to the right and then to the left.
She pointed to them and turned to Dominic; her jaw dropped a little. “You want to try that?”
“It’s not as hard as you think. The most important part is to keep your legs stiff and move from your hips.”
“You are insane. I’m going to kick everyone around us.”
He tugged her hand just a bit. “Come on. You have picked up everything else so fast. This will be a piece of cake.”
“Crumble cake, maybe.”
He pulled her close to him and bent to her ear. “Want to know my secret,” he whispered.
“Absolutely.”
“Let the horse inside you guide you. Horses are some of the most graceful animals around.”
She pulled back and gawked at him. That was so simple. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?
His face was hopeful that she would give in.
Oh well, what could possibly go wrong?
It was hard to relax enough to let her animal come through. The first time, she maintained too much control instead of letting him lead, and they fell. The second time her legs went wide, and she kicked a woman next to them. No matter how many times she apologized, the other woman stayed annoyed.
Frustrated, she walked off the dance floor, ordered a drink from a server, and sat at the table they had before.
“What’s wrong?” Dominic stood next to her at the table.
“This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I get confused between my right and your right. Do I go forward or back? And did you see the look on that lady’s face?”
He put a finger under her chin and lifted it. “Hey, don’t let others get to you. When you first started taking pictures, was it easy.”
She snickered, “Uh, no.”
“Did you think it was going to be.”
“I thought it would be easy. Point and click. But it’s so much more.”
He pulled up a stool and settled next to her. “What was it like when you first started taking pictures? What did you do?”
She pressed her lips together. “This was supposed to be something fun.”
“I am having fun. I’m out dancing with a beautiful woman. What could be better?”
“If that woman knew what the hell she was doing?”
The server brought her drink, and Dominic ordered a beer. “Can I make an observation?”
“I guess.”
“You are afraid to let go. I see your horse, and she’s beautiful, strong, bold. But you are reserved.”
No one had ever mentioned the animal inside her head. Outside of family, she had no relationships with other horse shifters. Until he mentioned seeing her horse, she never thought about how different the connection with one of her kind would be.
The server brought his beer to the table. “Can you add both of these to my tab?”
The server nodded and left.
“I guess I’m partly to blame for your reservation,” he said.
“Maybe.”
He sat quietly for a few minutes, watching the people around them. It was hard to know what he thought.
She was about to say something when she said, “When I’m doing business, I’m totally in control. There aren’t many surprises. But this, this thing between us, I’m out of my element. This is why I never let Gerri match me up with anyone. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Her heart ached to know what this vulnerability cost him. It wasn’t easy for him to open up like this, and for a moment, she thought about how miserable she felt when she opened up to him. But it wasn’t fair to let him suffer. She stroked his hand with a finger. “Well, from my perspective, you’re not doing that bad. I’ve never been close to anyone like this. I’ve had more one-night stands than I care to admit.”
His eyes grew in shock.
“Don’t be like that. I’m sure you’ve been with many too. What I’m trying to say is, I mean it’s like—” she stopped, frustrated, “—well, take me with dancing. I’m frustrated because I don’t think I’m doing a great job. Let’s go back out and try this again.”
They went to the center of the dance floor. He put an arm around her waist and drew her in close just as one song ended and the next one began. It was a slow song. This was much easier to dance to.
She lifted her eyes and stared into his as they swayed to the music. Everything around them disappeared, and she relaxed into his arms. His breathing deepened, and she sensed his arousal. Her body grew warmer each time his breath fell on her neck. Electric tingles shot over her body and landed in her pants. She no longer wanted to dance, but it had nothing to do with her ability.
When the song ended, he whispered in her ear, “Do you want to leave?”
“Yes. The faster, the better.”
Dirty ideas danced in his eyes, and she thought about taking him in the car.
Chapter Twelve
Dominic
His dick grew hard, hearing her agree with him. The hunger in her eyes burned through him. “I need to settle the bill.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you by the door.”
He watched her walk away then hunted for their server. He found her at the bar, waiting for a drink order. She asked him to wait until she tallied everything.
He rested his elbows on the bar while he watched the people and waited. Searching for fresh ideas for his club and others was an occupational hazard. He had never shut off his brain long enough to forget work.
“Haven’t seen you here before.” The man on his left turned around and faced him.
“Nah, it’s my first time.” He moved his head to the side to see who talked to him. His blood boiled, and his muscles tensed when he recognized the man standing next to him.
“I take it from the look on your face, that you recognize who I am.”
Dominic dipped his head once. “Vince Harper.”
Vince held out his hand, but Dominic refused. “We’ve never met, but I’ve heard about some of the businesses you’ve opened. I liked the article The Business Quarterly did on you last year.”
“Thanks.” Dominic moved around to face the bar and rested a foot on the stool in front of him. “Are you out here for business or pleasure?”
“Is there a difference?”
“I’ve recently seen a difference.”
Vince nudged him with his elbow. “Not for people like us. We’ve always got business on the mind. Always looking for the next great investment and not letting anything stand in the way of what we want.”
“Here you go.” Dominic’s server walked up to the other side. She handed him the folio and told him to settle with the bartender.
“Are you leaving? We just met.” Vince motioned to the bartender. “Get my friend here anything he wants.”
Dominic clenched his teeth. “I don’t want anything. Thank you.”
“Come on. No good business gets done over water. Have a scotch with me. You’ll find we have a lot to talk about.”
The bartender gave Dominic a questioning glance. Dominic nodded, and the bartender poured him a drink.
He didn’t want to talk to this guy. There is no way this was a coincidence. If he kept the man talking, maybe he could keep him from seeing Opie.
“I have nothing to discuss with you. I’m not in the shipping business, and I don’t plan on starting now.”
Vince slapped him on the back. “I do other things for people, especially my friends, and I can see you and I are going to be great friends.”
When Dominic didn’t say anything, Vince continued. “You know what I do for my friends, Dom? Can I call you Dom?”
“No.”
“Okay, okay. I can respect that. Keeping it formal. That’s fine with me. I fix things for my friends. I’m what you might call a fixer. You have a problem that I can fix.”
Dominic stared into his glass. “What problem do I have that you
can help with?”
“I’ve done a little investigating, you might call it, and a couple of weeks ago, some fool went into one of your clubs and got himself into a little trouble. From what I heard, he had too much to drink and got too friendly with your staff.” He finished his glass and motioned for another one from the bartender. “Don’t you just hate a man who can’t hold his liquor? Come on, man, grow a pair. Am I right?”
Dominic sensed Opie close by and hoped she wouldn’t come over to them.
“You have a lawsuit on your hands from this fool. He claims you injured him.”
“So, I’ve heard. Meeting with my lawyers tomorrow to take care of things.”
“Hmm. Well, Dominic, here’s the good thing about having someone like me as a friend.” His whole body moved to the side to face Dominic. “I can take care of your situation tonight.”
Dominic refused to look at him. “I pay my lawyers good money to take care of these situations. I don’t need any more help.”
“Oh, I suppose they’ll take care of it, but not without costing you some money. I can make it, so you don’t have to pay any money.”
Dominic took his time taking a drink. “You’d do this for me out of the kindness of your own heart?”
Vince shifted his legs around and faced the bar again. “Of course, isn’t that what friends do? You know, I scratch your back, you scratch mine?”
Here it comes.
“And just what itch of yours can I take care of.”
Vince had a drink then set down his glass with a loud thud. “It’s simple. I need something that you can get for me.”
Now Dominic turned his head to see him. “What?”
“That pretty little lady you were dancing with has something that belongs to me. Well, it’s not exactly mine in the concrete meaning. It’s more mine in the symbolic meaning.”
Dominic felt a presence behind him. He’d been so intent on the man talking to him. He ignored the possibility that he’d have friends.
“See, she took a very unflattering picture of me, and I want it back. Of course, she can always share what was on the picture, so we’ll have to come up with a plan to keep her quiet.”
The horse inside his head reared up, screaming. This fatass wouldn’t do anything to Opie.
“I thought about taking care of her outright. That could get messy, and she is beautiful. I sent one of men to that little party, last night. But he screwed it up. Then I learned of your little issue and thought it more prudent to settle this and make a new business partner.” He chuckled. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone will believe her even if she does tell people what she knows. Though with the way digital technology is these days, I don’t know how many copies she has of the picture she took. So, I came up with a little insurance.” He grabbed Dominic’s hand before he could pull it away. “I’d hate to see that nice resort burn a second time. They’ve put so much into it.”
There was no way Dominic could start a fight with this man or the one at his back. The club was too crowded at this point. “This isn’t happening.”
Vince let go of his hand, finished his drink, and threw a hundred on the bar. “Yes, it is. You’ll see me soon. We’re going to be great friends.”
He nodded to his man, and they walked away.
Dominic turned around to watch them. If he knew where they were going, he could follow them out of the club and take care of this before it went any further. He didn’t have any resources here, so he didn’t know how to take care of any of this.
From the opposite direction, he heard the one word that crushed him.
“Dominic?”
Opie stood there, staring at him. “That was the guy from the picture.”
Her face was pale, and her voice shaky. A look of fear shone through in her eyes.
He went to her. “Yes, it was. I need to get you someplace safe.”
“He said you were friends. Do you know him?”
He held her arms. “I know of him, but I hadn’t met him until tonight.”
She noticed the money on the bar. “He bought you a drink. You seemed friendly to me. Did you tell him about my picture?”
His fingers dug into her arms a little tighter than he wanted, and she wiggled them out of his grasp. “You’re hurting me.”
“I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. We need to get out of here and go back to your place.”
“You told him, didn’t you?” She crossed her arms and held herself.
“No. He already knew. That’s why I need to get you someplace safe.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You agreed to give him the card?”
“No, don’t be paranoid.” He regretted that last word the second he said it.
Her face filled with fear and sadness. She stepped back, started to say something, then turned and ran to the door. He followed her until a group of dancers came off the dance floor and blocked his path. After they passed, he couldn’t see her. Her car wasn’t in the parking lot when he got there.
She was gone, and he had no idea if she was safe. Vince must have had her followed or stalked her.
Without any idea on how to proceed, he called the only person he knew well enough to trust and ask for help.
After two rings, he heard, “Hello.”
“Gerri, I screwed up. I need some help.”
Chapter Thirteen
Opal
Opie couldn’t get to her car fast enough. Fear drove her to keep checking over her shoulder. What if they decided to follow her? Her hand shook as she struggled to open the door.
She missed Lou. Having someone to talk to would help. Her heart dropped as she checked her phone one more time to see if Lou had returned any of her texts or calls and saw nothing. Nothing. Where did her friend go?
She slammed her fist against the steering wheel. Sobs shook her body. He did it again, opened the door, let her walk inside and get comfortable, then kicked her out into the cold. How did Gerri ever think this would be a good match?
She used her phone to search the Internet and found a headline from a news story on Dominic. It showed a picture of him pinning a guy to a bar. The look in Dominic’s eyes was nothing like she’d seen before. It was cold, mean. Is this who he was?
If he was working with Vince Harper, was she safe? Her heart raced. He knew where she lived, and he knew where she hid the camera card. Questions flooded her mind at once. Would he come after her now? Why didn’t he just take it before giving it back to her? Maybe Vince presented too good an offer to refuse. Would he put her in jeopardy to get out of a lawsuit? Surely, he had enough money to deal with his legal issues.
The next idea kicked her anxiety into overdrive. What if he told Vince where the card was so he could get it himself? He could be over at her house right now.
She scrambled for her phone.
“Hello,” the voice on the other end said.
“Sybil, this is Opie. I think I’m in trouble and I need some help.”
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
Her throat hurt from swallowing back the tears. It was too much to say out loud, but she didn’t know where else to get help.
After a few attempts, she told Sybil the whole story. Sybil told her to stay put, and she and Hank would come to get her and call Sheriff Rentschler to check out her house.
She was about to finish the call when she saw Dominic come out of the club.
“I can’t wait here for you. He’s still here,” she said.
“Fine. You remember where we live?”
“Yes.”
“Then get your butt over here, and we’ll take care of this.”
She had no idea if Dominic saw her leave because she was afraid to watch him. The more her mind thought about everything, the more convoluted her thoughts became, which fed her imagination in scary, horrible ways.
Hank and Sybil’s house was not that far from the club. Sybil stood on the porch, waiting for her as she pulled up to their house. Her arms were wide open for a b
ig hug as Opie climbed the stairs. That was all it took. The dam of emotions she created broke.
Sybil walked her inside and settled her on a chair next to the fire. Opie explained the situation again. Sybil listened and let her cry when she needed to. After she calmed, Sybil offered to make tea and scrounge up something sweet.
“I always find that when life sucks, sweets make it so much easier to bear,” Sybil said as she walked out of the room.
She came back carrying a teapot, mugs, and cookies on a tray.
“Where’s Hank? I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” Opie took the mug of tea Sybil offered.
“Don’t worry about anything. We were putting a puzzle together. Nothing exciting. We’ve only been working on it since before Christmas.” She snickered. “Hank went to talk with Sheriff Rentschler about what you said.”
“He’s not going to tell the sheriff about the picture, is he?”
Sybil sat back against the couch with her tea. “No, he just told him that you were worried someone might have broken into your house, and you were worried about someone coming after you.”
Opie took a cookie. “I don’t know what to think. What should I do with that picture? Is it that big of a deal?”
“I think it could be. People don’t meet with someone who has Vince’s reputation unless they want something. I had never heard of the man before you called me, but what I found on Google didn’t paint a pretty picture. He’s certainly not someone a man who is struggling to get re-elected should be hanging out with.”
“I don’t know what to do. I mean talking isn’t illegal, and I have no proof they did anything other than talk.”
Sybil took another cookie. “You don’t follow politics much, do you?”
Opie shook her head.
“These days, all it takes is the idea that someone could do something wrong to cause a bunch of trouble.”
Sybil’s phone rang. “Hello. Yeah. Okay. Is it safe? I see. Okay, give us ten minutes.” She ended the call.
“That was Hank. Someone did break into your house. The sheriff wants you to come by and to see what was taken.”
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