Jezebel (15 page)

But in this situation, she
was finding it hard putting the prize fighter behind her. Ever since
meeting him, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. And that
flummoxed her, considering she generally went through men like
seamless stockings.

Of course, she could’ve
followed proper etiquette and forwarded a written apology. But a
delivered message seemed too cold and insincere. And in all honesty,
Celeste simply wanted to see him again.

She needed verification if
her attraction still had merit. If her desire for Shane was still as
embarrassingly wanton in the bright of day, while clean and sober as
it had been while she was ripe on gin and in a dimly lit funeral home
or smoky nightclub. Lord knows, while in the throes of a sauce binge
she’d found herself infatuated with practically anything with
two legs.

But now as she stood eyeing
the Navy Yards Boxing Club, Celeste wished she’d ignored her
unreliable libido. Every time she made up her mind to cross the busy
intersection, she suddenly came down with a case of cold feet.

Confidence waning, Celeste
made an about face to check her appearance in a store front window.
She didn’t see anything wrong with her reflection, and yet she
was beginning to second guess her outfit.

Smart, but understated, her
outfit didn’t come off as if she’d spent all morning
agonizing over it, which she did. Still, it was quite modern even
for New York City. Seeing a magazine layout of starlit Katherine
Hepburn, she’d run out and bought a pair of navy wide-leg
trousers. She wore them now with a matching beret, a red and navy
candy-stripped sweater and a pair of kid gloves.

Celeste
bit her bottom lip. Why did she choose today of all days to look like
the sailor off a box of Cracker Jacks? Even worse, would he be
turned off by her forwardness? What if he were no longer interested?
Maybe in the bright of day, he’d find her lacking. And why on
earth was she chasing a man?

Bombarded with doubt, her
gaze drifted to the package store on the corner. Imagining the rows
of shiny bottles, she licked her lips.

She
didn’t
need
a fifth, maybe just a half pint to see her through. She even took a
step or two in the liquor store’s direction, but reminded of
her promise to Trudy, she stopped.

“
Turn over a new
leaf,” Celeste murmured, edging over to the curb. “Jim
Beam sounds sweet, but Shane’s the real thing.”

Somewhat bolstered by her
pep talk, Celeste navigated across four lanes of light traffic then
climbed the curb. She didn’t stop until she stood in the gym’s
lobby. Pretty much a blank canvas, except for a crammed announcement
board, the lobby led to a short hallway and beyond that an open
gymnasium.

Celeste walked down the
short hallway. With each step, the smell of sweat and mold became
more overwhelming. If she wasn’t made of stiffer stuff, she
would’ve succumbed to a fit of vapors. Gymnasiums were
definitely not for the faint hearted or the feminine sex, for that
matter.

“
Move those feet! You
look like you’re slogging in mud.”

Celeste searched out the
source of the crack and her gaze fell on a pot-bellied, elf of a man
posted at the center ring.

Inside the ropes two men,
one colored and the other white, both brutes, circled each other.
Intermittingly, a punch landed and sweat spewed in all directions,
marking the canvas floor.

Instead of being repelled,
Celeste walked over. Their lightning fast fisticuffs and quick
footwork dazzled her, drew her in. Their timing and rhythm reminded
her of dancing. So much so, she could watch the two combatants all
day.

“
You need some help?”

Celeste looked at the
ring-side elf. Draped over the ropes and chewing on an unlit cigar,
he looked downright mean and contrary. If she had to choose, she
would’ve steered clear of him.

Since she’d made it
this far, Celeste pasted on a full-watt smile rivaling Times Square
and walked over, hand held out. The trainer eyed it for a moment,
and then looked back at the ring. “Not sure if you read the
sign in the lobby, but no females allowed. You can read can’t
ya?”

Although she’d been
rebuffed and insulted in the span of less than a minute, Celeste
maintained her smile. “I didn’t maybe it was spelled
wrong,” she quipped.

The trainer’s head
snapped around. “What ya want?” he barked.

“
I was looking for
Shane Brennan,” she said.

“
For what?” He
eyed her up and down while moving his cigar from one side of his
mouth to the other. Although she had a feeling he found her wanting,
Celeste held her ground. “He owe you some money?”

“
I don’t owe her
anything,” one of the boxers retorted, attracting her
attention. He was unstringing his boxing gloves, but keeping his gaze
fixed on her. “Matter of fact, she owes me.”

Celeste stepped closer for a
better view. Shane Brennan in a pair of snug lace-up shorts and
booties was worth the price of admission alone! Broad shouldered, but
slim hipped, his thighs resembled twin tree trunks. What she wouldn’t
give to wrap her legs around them.

“
Good
timing, toots. Shane’s been wasting my time. He’s been
no good all week, matter of fact. Maybe you can put some sugar in
his tank.”

“
Watch your mouth,
Ollie,” Shane warned, walking over to the ropes. To her he
said, “We can talk out back.”

Celeste
practically gloated as she followed Shane through a large loading
dock door. The fat bastard deserved a set down.

Grateful for the fresh air,
Celeste gulped in a mouthful. As she turned to him she stopped,
frozen by the monstrosity parked in the far corner of the yard.
Kelly green in color, the bus sported gold painted hub caps and
windows embellished with shamrocks. A clothes line containing
several men’s shirts and pants extended from the rear view
mirror to a light post.

“
Lord

who’s
hot mess is that?” Celeste chuckled. To say it was an eye sore
was a compliment.

“
What did you want?”
Shane snapped, recapturing her attention.

Wet from sweat, his locks
looked much darker than she remembered. Heck, none of him seemed
familiar. In the light of day he seemed taller and larger, almost
brutish. Still, none of the changes or the wicked tattoo of a craggy
bird running the length of his biceps, took away from his handsome
face or her obvious attraction to him.

Celeste swallowed hard. He
practically overwhelmed all her senses. She could barely think
straight let alone put together a sentence.

“
Well

”he
prompted.

“
I

I’m
a sap.”

For the longest time he
stared at her. And then, as if out of no where, he chuckled and the
cutest thing happened. Two crescent moons embedded in his cheeks,
giving him an almost boyish quality. How could she have missed he
had dimples? Deep seated ones that would give New York Yankee’s
first baseman, Lou Gehrig, a run for his money.

“
I
wasn’t expecting that,” he said, chuckling.

“
Well, it’s true
considering how I stood you up the other day.”

“
Oh that.” Shane
crossed his beefy arms and leaned up against one of the wooden posts
supporting the overhang. “Not the first and won’t be the
last.”

Relieved he wasn’t
sore about her poor manners, Celeste exhaled. “Irregardless,
I’m sorry.”

“
Accepted,”
he said, his green eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Lucky
for you came looking for me.”

“
Why?”

“
I
don’t chase after no one who doesn’t want me. I might be
a handsome cuss, but I’m no Jay Gatsby.”

Celeste hated to admit it,
but she was glad she’d stuck her neck out. The thought of
never seeing this thick neck lug again spoiled her appetite.

“
If you don’t
mind me asking, what happened to you?”

“
I had every intention
of holding up my end of the deal.”

“
Really?”

Celeste knew he was simply
egging her, but she stayed on course. “Yes, but after the
reading of my father’s will. I-I got a little sidetracked.”

“
And you went to
celebrate,” he hedged.

There were copious amounts
of hooch imbibed, but he didn’t need to know that. “If
you call being bullied by the police a hootenanny, then yes I lived
it up like it was nineteen twenty-nine.”

Shane’s expression
darkened. “The police bullied you?” he asked, pushing
away from the support beam. “They didn’t lay their hands
on you did they?”

“
No.”
Celeste smiled sheepishly, secretly liking his concern. “The
detective and I just didn’t see eye to eye. He claimed my
father committed suicide. I didn’t agree. He wouldn’t
re-open the case, then told me to scram.”

“
Why do you want it
reopened?”

“
It
isn’t true.”

Celeste waited for him to
lambast her like the others had, but he kept silent.

Naturally, a part of her
wanted his opinion, but then the other half appreciated the fact that
he kept it to himself. The way her father died was still an open
wound, she wasn’t sure if she could handle one more person
calling her a fool.

“
Why did you come
here?” Shane advanced on her slowly.

“
W-what?”
Celeste stuttered, completely flummoxed by the sudden change in
subject. Unable to beat a fast retreat, she allowed him to box her
into the side of the building. His skin glistened with sweat and a
pleasant manly musk tweaked her nostrils. Suddenly needing some
support, Celeste leaned against the wall.

“
To apologize,”
she reminded.

“
In a city this big,
you could’ve just written me off.”He crowded her some
more. He was so close his body heat permeated her clothes. It was
nice. Really, really nice.

“
Then what kind of
person would I be?” she barely choked out. His very closeness
made it difficult to breathe.

“
Then I’m just a
charity case?”

Celeste shook her head. “No,
no! I-I didn’t say that.”

Geesh!
She was fumbling like a silly school girl. Irritated by her
pubescent reaction to him, Celeste countered with a little more salt
than was warranted. “Stop putting words in my mouth, Brennan!”

“
Can’t help it,
it’s a pretty mouth.”

Without any warning, he
lifted his hand and thumbed her bottom lip. With each stroke,
Celeste was reminded of their first kiss. Despite the chilly
weather, she was burning up.

“
You came here for
more than an apology. Admit it.”

“
I have don—”

He kept
her from lying by pressing his index finger against her lips. He
seesawed it up and down as if he wanted to stick it between her lips.
If he did, Celeste knew she’d suck on him until the cows came
home.

“
Admit it,” He
repeated, slowly lowering his head. “Or I’ll kiss it out
of you.”

The warm caress of his
breath and the deep timbre of his voice made her nipples suddenly
sensitive.

“
I wanted to see you
again,” Celeste blurted. Considering her strong attraction to
him, his lips would probably hit her like lightning. “Happy
now?”

“
Pleased as punch.”
He cocked his head, aligning his lips with hers. “But I think
I’ll still kiss you.”

“
Hey,
Shane. Ollie was
wondering
if you’re done for the day.”

I
rritated
by the interruption, Shane pushed away from her with a loud grunt. “I
can go another round, Luis. How about you?”

Dipped in dark chocolate,
the other man was Shane’s foil. Tall, pumped with muscle and
just as handsome.

“
One, two, three and
then some.” The pugilist grinned at Shane, but when his gaze
met hers his smile faded. Celeste mentally shrugged. She and Shane
were none of his business.

“
Okay,
I’ll be right there.” Shane glanced back at Celeste. “I’m
not done here.”

Despite being summarily
dismissed, the boxer didn’t leave.

“
I
better go.”

“
You don’t have
to leave.”

In all honesty, she didn’t
want to leave either, but his sparring partner didn’t look like
he was going to afford them any more privacy.

“
I know, but I think
it’s better if I do. I’ll see you around.” Instead
of going back through the gym, Celeste opted for Market Street’s
fresh air and its quick accessibility to Flatbush. As she took the
stairs, she paused for affect, “maybe at Countess Vaughn’s.”