More Than You Know (9 page)

“More than okay. I would've done the same. See they get that every night they perform, all right?” Dane shook Tonio's hand and started to leave, but turned back. “Question.”

Tonio's thick brows lifted. “Answer?”

“What do you think of them?” Dane asked quietly. “Julia and Kelvin. Speaking as a colleague. Just between us.”

“They're solid,” Tonio said without hesitation. “They showed up early, did their jobs well, and were nice to everybody. All they asked for before the show were bottles of water, and a Coke for him. No attitudes. She ain't a diva, and he's funny as hell. He's already charmed half the staff.”

“Thanks.” Dane clapped Tonio's broad shoulder again. “Keep up the good work. See ya soon.” And strode with purpose toward the booths.

 

 

“Um, look out, y'all,” Kelvin said to his three friends. “Incoming. Heat seeking missile headed our way.”

“What?” Randi laughed. She glanced at her husband's face; Stephen looked just as confused by Kelvin's secret language.

Julia stretched her neck to see whom Kelvin was talking about.

“Don't look!” Kelvin snapped at her. “Just be cool. Boss man's coming.”

Julia eased back against the luxurious cushions and took a sip of her drink.

“I get to meet the famous boss?” Randi whispered. “I get to check him out for myself?”

“What does that mean?” Stephen asked, also in a whisper.

“Jules said he's hot,” Randi whispered quickly. “I wanna see.”

“Then look up, girl,” Kelvin murmured, then plastered a wide, welcoming smile on his face. “Well hello there!” He got to his feet to shake Dane's hand.

“Hello yourself,” Dane grinned. “Hell of a job tonight, Kelvin. Really. You're the goods. I couldn't be happier with you.”

“Thanks!” Kelvin's dark eyes shone with appreciation. “That's great to hear.”

Dane looked down at Julia and smiled. “You were amazing. Absolutely delivered tonight. You knocked it out of the park.”

“Thank you,” she said. Her eyes captured his and held for a long beat before she broke the spell. She held an open palm across the table. “Dane, these are my close friends, Randi and Stephen Jensen.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Dane said, shaking each of their hands with a smile. “Dane Harrison. Hope you had a good time tonight?”

“Absolutely,” Stephen said.

“The hotel is beautiful. Really impressive,” Randi added. “Everything was wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Dane beamed. “Glad you enjoyed the evening.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, and asked, “How long have you been friends?”

“Since grade school,” Randi said. “Jules and I grew up together.”

“Wow, that's a long time,” Dane said. He glanced at Julia and his smile turned wicked as he said to Randi, “Bet you could tell me some stories, huh?”

“She's a vault,” Julia said flatly. “Don't even try it.”

Dane's smile didn't waver as his gaze sharpened. “What's the matter, Red? Got something to hide?”

She could feel the telltale hot pink bloom on her cheeks. But she kept her voice steady as she said, “No. And please don't call me that.”

“Sorry. It's a habit of mine. I give people nicknames.” Dane kept the calm, cool look on his face, seemingly unfazed. He always looked so at ease, so nonchalant. Had the world on a string. Julia rarely felt at ease, much less nonchalant, so his laid-back manner sometimes frustrated her.

And he liked to bait her. The more she held him at arm's length, the more he tried to engage her. Clearly, he was a man who liked a challenge, and had apparently decided Julia was one. Okay, she'd kissed him. Her mistake. It wouldn't happen again, no matter how mind-blowing that kiss had been or how attractive she found him. She knew his type. Handsome as sin, loaded with money, naturally charming, and the world seemingly at his fingertips . . . she'd been there before and barely survived to tell the tale. She picked up her vodka and cranberry and took a hearty swallow. For her, Dane might as well have been wrapped in yellow police tape, with the word
CAUTION
blazing in neon instead of plain black letters.

He looked back to Randi and asked amiably, “Can I borrow your lifelong friend for a few minutes? Just need to discuss something with her.”

“You don't need our permission,” Kelvin said, standing so Julia could slide out of the booth. “Go on, sweetie. We'll be here.”

She got to her feet and grabbed her small red clutch from the tabletop. “Back in a few.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dane said to the Jensens. “Hope you'll come back.”

“We will,” Randi said, smiling. “My best friend is your new star.”

“That she is,” Dane said, and looked down at Julia. In her four-inch stilettos, she still only reached his chin. He held out a hand toward the side door that led outside. “After you.”

She walked ahead of him to the exit, recomposing herself as she went. What did he want? He'd seemed more than pleased with her performance, but was this a reprimand of some kind, that he didn't want to tell her in front of others? Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the glass doors, strode out to the sidewalk, and turned to face him.
Damn.
Did he have to look so damn good in that tux? She wanted to slide the tie out of his collar and wrap it around his neck to pull him down to her....

Warm June breezes caressed her bare arms, but she shook off a shiver. She cleared her throat and said with a smile, “Everything okay, Boss?”

He snorted out a laugh. “If you're going to keep calling me Boss, I get to keep calling you Red.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I really don't like it when people call me that.”

“I'm not ‘people',” he said with a sly grin. “I'm your boss. As you keep reminding me.”

She huffed a breath of exasperation. “Fine. So.
Boss.
What's up? You wanted to talk?”

His features softened. “Julia . . . you were really incredible tonight. Seriously. I couldn't be happier with your performance. I wanted to thank you.”

She hadn't expected that. That, or the earnest tone he used to speak. Her throat felt thick. “You're welcome,” she managed to murmur.

“I took a big chance on you,” he continued. “I wanted an unknown. That had its risks. But you're as talented, as professional, and as charismatic as any proven star I've seen.” His blue eyes gleamed as he admitted, “You struck me flat tonight. I mean, I saw you perform the night I met you. I've caught bits of your rehearsals. But tonight . . . you
owned
that room, and everyone in it. I'm beyond impressed. And I don't impress easily.” He grinned, almost sheepishly, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I just thought you should know that. And that I think you're going to have a great run here.”

Pleasure shimmered over her, but she couldn't show him how much his praise meant to her. He'd use it to his advantage if he knew his words affected her. Or how adorable he looked just then. So she did what she usually did: went on the offensive to deflect. “Thank you. But why are you buttering me up? You just opened a hotel tonight. You must be incredibly busy; you didn't have to seek me out personally to tell me that. So what's the catch here?”

He stared at her for a long beat, searching. She didn't flinch under his scrutiny, but wondered if she'd been too harsh.

“No catch,” he finally said. “No buttering up. No false flattery to try to win you over. Just telling you, as your boss, that you did a fantastic job tonight. I believe in praising people when they do well. It's called positive reinforcement.”

She winced on the inside, but didn't say a word.
Yup, too harsh. Idiot.

His eyes roamed over her, intense in his quick scrutiny. “Where the hell did you get that dress? I didn't buy it. I'd remember a dress like that.”

“No, you didn't buy it,” she said. “I did. I wanted something really special for my opening night. I got this for myself.” She paused. “Was it acceptable? It's not vulgar.”

“Was it acceptable?” he echoed, a touch of disbelief in his deep voice. The corner of his mouth quirked up sideways and her heart fluttered; she found him unbearably hot whenever he grinned like that. He took a step closer, those blues blazing as they swept over her figure again before meeting her gaze. “It's amazing. You knocked me out tonight in that dress. You knocked me out, period.”

“Oh. Thank you.” The way he was looking at her . . . there was more than appreciation in that stare. She saw hunger. Desire. And her heart started picking up speed. “I'm glad you approve.”

“Oh, I more than approve,” he murmured. A light breeze lifted some strands of her hair and he reached out to brush them back from her face. He tucked the wavy lock behind her ear with deliberate slowness, a feather's touch. A feather's touch that ignited a surge of desire throughout her whole body.

Up close, he was only better looking—the incredibly blue eyes, the Roman nose, the high cheekbones and square jaw. For once, it wasn't covered in day-old scruff, he was clean-shaven. She wanted to lick and nibble her way along that strong jaw, straight to those full, pouty lips of his. God, what she would do to him. . . .

She licked her suddenly dry lips and watched his eyes shoot to her mouth, glued. The pull between them was electric, a tangible thing. Unable to stop herself, she smirked as she purred, “You're thinking about kissing me, aren't you.”

“Hell yes I am.” His voice was husky, pitched low.

“Don't,” she said, even as her stomach filled with butterflies and her heart thumped.

“I won't.” He edged even closer. She could feel the heat from his body, he stood so close. The corner of his full, sensual mouth curved up again as he stared her down and added, “You want me to, though.”

He wanted to flirt, to play? Oh, game on. She was still wired, on an adrenaline high from performing and the whole incredible night. After a good gig, she felt invincible. She sure did tonight. And she loved to flirt. And she sure knew how to play. She lifted her face to his, let her warm breath tickle his lips for a drawn out second, and murmured, “What makes you so sure?”

“I'm sure,” he said. He lifted a finger to her neck, let it trail down the side of her throat with slow heat, and found her traitorous pulse, pounding away. He pressed his fingertip there for a few seconds before grinning victoriously. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure you want me to kiss you.”

She moved in closer, letting her breasts brush against his chest as she leaned against him ever so lightly. His intake of breath was soft, but she caught it. Tipping up her chin, she whispered in his ear, “When—
if
—I want you to kiss me again, you'll know it.” And she moved away, taking two steps back. If she didn't, she would've pounced on him right there on the sidewalk. “Anything else, Boss?”

His eyes blazed, that searing blue capturing her and sending heat straight down her spine. A muscle jumped in his jaw. She'd gotten to him. But he was cool and collected as always, damn him, reining it in and flashing that killer grin. “One other thing.” He slanted a look at her. “You finish up pretty late here when you work. I know you have to go all the way back to Long Island, by yourself. And Kelvin lives in Astoria, right?”

“Yes. So?”

“So he's a six-foot-tall man who can obviously fend for himself. He goes home alone on the subway at two in the morning, I don't have to worry about him. You, it's a little different.”

She quirked a brow at him. “Do you worry about all your female employees this way?”

“No. You're special,” he said, then added, “I've got a lot riding on you.”

Julia tried to ignore the flutter of disappointment. He wasn't worried about
her,
he was worried about his new hot commodity. She said nothing. She'd learned a long time ago that in business—hell, life in general—whoever speaks first, loses. She'd gotten quite good at letting her stony silence do the hard work. Not knowing what to say, she kept quiet.

Dane gazed at her, then seemed to realize she wasn't giving him an inch. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I wanted to offer you something. An employee perk, if you will.”

She still said nothing, just waited, meeting his gaze directly.

He shifted from one foot to the other. “On nights that go late, if there's bad weather, if you're too tired, if you just don't feel like going home, whatever—you can stay here. At the hotel. Have a room for the night, just to crash, and go home in the morning. At no cost, of course. It's on me.”

Her brows shot up. She hated how he kept surprising her, especially with a kind word, nice things, or a thoughtful gesture. She hated surprises in general. “Why?” she sputtered.

“Because I want you safe. Because you work in a hotel; if you're really tired at the end of the night, why shouldn't you be able to get some sleep right here?” He pinned her with his gaze. “And because I
can
. It's my hotel, for Chrissake.”

She pressed her lips together to smother a giggle. The tension suddenly broken, he smiled back at her.

“So, look—you ever want a room, it's yours. I'll leave notice with the front desk. Standing offer. No strings.” He scrubbed a hand through his curly hair, tousling it a bit and making something ping low in Julia's belly. She wanted to rake through those gorgeous curls with both hands....

Crap, snap out of it, Jules.
She realized he was staring at her expectantly.