The Bad Boys of Eden (74 page)

Chapter Ten

Four Months Later

I finished my last
jeté
across the floor, then stopped for some water.  Sweat dripped down my face and neck and I wiped it with my towel.  I’d been rehearsing my contemporary piece for the last two hours.  My legs felt like Jell-O, and my core was aching. I smiled. It felt good to be back doing something I loved. I’d forgotten how alive and free I felt when dancing.

After shoving my towel and water bottle into my bag, I pulled on my sweatpants, and slipped on my shoes. I had to book it across campus to my car if I didn’t want to be late for the class I was teaching at the studio I used to train at as a kid.

“See you tomorrow Sharise.” I waved to my fellow dancer and classmate, then fast-walked out of the rehearsal hall.

True to my word, the moment I got home from Eden, I called the School of Music and Dance at the San Diego State University to request an audition and interview. Thankfully they agreed after some persuasion.  It helped that my dad had hired some of their dancers for a couple of music videos he shot.

I knew it was risky as I hadn’t danced for years, except for that little bit of crazy in Eden for Jakob, but I trained for a week straight, and I managed to get through the audition.  I was shaky in some areas, but at the interview I convinced them to take me.  I promised to work my ass off. And I was. Four months in and I was pretty close to being at the top of my class. At least in contemporary and lyrical dance.

I made it to my car in record time.  The campus was fairly empty at this time of day.  I drove out and got onto the freeway to make it across the city. The studio was near where I had lived with my parents in the suburbs.

True to their word, my parents had sold the house and a lot of the furnishings inside. I’d taken what I needed for my new apartment.  Because I was going to university, my dad agreed to pay for my rent. He wasn’t extremely happy that I was getting my BFA in dance, as he didn’t think there was much of an industry to work in, but he was placated with the fact that I was at least doing something for my future. My mom, on the other hand, was pleased. She told me she’d always thought I was a wonderful dancer. I remember her being devastated when I’d quit lessons in my teens. At the time, I thought she was being melodramatic, but now, I realize how right she’d been.

That reminded me that I needed to call my parents tonight. They were happily squared away in a little villa in Tuscany, near the city of Florence. They’d texted me pictures. It was a beautiful place with four bedrooms.  It was nestled along a hill with an acre of trees and grassland. There was even a small outside pool.  They were going to fix it up, and turn three of the rooms into rentals.  I couldn’t imagine my parents running a bed and breakfast kind of thing, but the prospect of it seemed to make them ecstatic, so who was I to judge? It made me happy to see them happy.

Now I just needed to get my happy in order.

At least, I’d made a good start of it.  I was enrolled in university in something I loved and wanted to pursue.  I didn’t necessarily see myself performing in shows.  If it happened, I wouldn’t turn it down. I just wanted to teach.  I wanted to share my love and joy of the art form.  For someone who claimed to never want to have children, I did love hanging out with them and teaching them to dance.

I also had a good apartment near the university, and I got to hang out with Violet as often as was possible.  Unfortunately Dahlia was still across the country at fashion college, but we managed to facetime at least once a week.  She was having some drama of her own, so it was essential we stayed in touch.  I didn’t need to watch TV when Dahlia’s life was so much more adventurous and interesting.

Thankfully there was no drama in my life.  Well maybe not thankfully.  Sometimes having a little drama spiced things up. I hadn’t been spicy since Jakob in Eden.  When I thought about him, which was often, I got little shivers.  Pleasant shivers.  The ones that liked to settle down deep between my thighs.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t been hit on. I had, several times.  There was even this hip hop dancer in one of my classes who thought he had game with me.  He was definitely cute and sexy, but he just didn’t compare to Jakob.  I realized now I needed someone older than me, and serious.  Someone who could command and demand whatever he wished.

I made it to the studio on time.  All my little jazz dancers were waiting for me in the big room.  I had twelve students and they were all amazing in their own ways. But I especially liked eleven year old Valentina. She had a lot of spit and fire.  She was fierce even at eleven, and I sensed she was going to be spectacular on a stage.

The second I stepped into the room, she ran up to me, her brown ponytail bouncing up and down.  “Miss Ivy. Miss Ivy, guess what?”

“What?”

“Guess what I saw in the parking lot?”

“I don’t know.  A chicken?”

“No.” She laughed. “I saw a limousine.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” She nodded enthusiastically. “Do you think someone rich and famous is in it? Maybe Jennifer Lawrence.”

“No, I don’t think JLaw is in a limo outside our studio.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t think she is, Valentina.”

Her lips puffed out in the best pout I’d ever seen.  “Then who was in the limousine? Only rich and famous people ride in those.”

“I don’t know.”

She folded her arms over her chest and stomped away.

I stored my bag, took off my sweatpants, and fiddled with the music player to get class going. But now I was wondering who was in the limousine in the parking lot.

By the time class was over, I’d thought about that limo at least seven times.  I don’t know why it stuck in my mind, but Valentina’s enthusiasm for whoever was inside, also piqued my interest badly.  I had to know now.

I had an hour before my next class. An hour where I usually went and got something to eat at the little deli across the complex parking lot.  So I figured I wasn’t really going out of my way to satisfy my curiosity. With my luck, the car would be gone, and with it, whoever sat inside behind the black windows.

As I slung my purse over my shoulder and walked out of the studio, I couldn’t help thinking about Jakob. The second Valentina had mentioned the limo I thought about the movie
Pretty Woman
, which in turn got me thinking about him.  It was ridiculous but it still didn’t stop me from thinking about it.

While I crossed the parking lot, I looked around, but I didn’t see any limousine. Maybe Valentina had been mistaken, or maybe it had just been the limo driver stopping into the plaza to grab a shake and burger at the local fast food joint before he picked up someone at the airport, or had just finished dropping someone off. Either way, I shook my head at my foolishness then continued on to the deli.

I was just about on the sidewalk when I heard a car horn behind me.  I stopped and whirled around, intending to give the driver the middle finger, when I saw a limousine idling in my wake.  The back black window lowered, and a hand clutching a bouquet of red roses popped out.

I bit down on my lower lip to stop from squealing.

I took a couple steps toward the car.  The door opened, and Jakob slid out, still holding the flowers toward me.  “Hello Ivy.”

“What are you doing here?” I laughed.

“I thought we could have dinner.”

“Are you here on business?”

He smiled. “No. I’m here to take you out for dinner, if you like.”

“How did you know where I was?”

“I may have asked your mother last time I spoke with her.”

I gaped at him. “You talk to my mom?”

“Yes, she contacted me a few months back about a few things she wanted to sell.  Your parents actually had quite a few antiquities that I was able to fetch a good deal of money for.”

I shook my head again. I had no idea. My mom wasn’t usually good at keeping secrets, but this one was a doozy.

“So, you flew into San Diego just to ask me out on a date?”  I couldn’t stop the flutters in my belly.  I had to rub a hand over it to help me from jumping into the man’s arms and kissing the hell out of him.

“Yes, and well, to open my new branch.”

“You’re opening a business here?”

He nodded. “I thought it was about time I opened a US base of operations. San Diego has always appealed to me.”

I grinned.  My heart was thumping so hard I was afraid he was going to hear it.  But I couldn’t contain my surprise and excitement any longer. Jakob was here. Jakob came for me. I never thought I’d ever see him again, and here he was offering me…well I didn’t know exactly what, but I knew he was suggesting more than just dinner.

“My office opens tonight, and I am having a big gala.  I want you to be there by my side.”

“I would love, oh shit, wait. I can’t go right now. I have another class to teach in forty five minutes.”

“It’s okay. I’ll wait for you Ivy.”

“You will?”  I didn’t want to cry, but tears welled in my eyes.  I’d never had anything happen to me as romantic as this.

“Yes.  I can do some work in the car.”

I couldn’t contain myself any longer.  I jumped on him. Literally. He had to fumble with the flowers to catch me.  I smashed my mouth to his and kissed him until we were both gasping for air.

“Hello Jakob. I’ve missed you.”

He tossed the flowers onto the car seat and wrapped his arms around me properly.  “You can show me how much later.”  He cupped my face and kissed me again.

I think I may have found the last piece of my happy.

# # #

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About Tawny Stokes/Vivi Anna

Tawny Stokes aka Vivi Anna is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author in paranormal romance, urban fantasy, scifi, and young adult.  Since 2003, she’s written and published over 40 books for New York publishers such as Harlequin, Kensington and Avon. She’s also independently published several projects on her own.  Vivi is also a screenwriter and TV writer and is one of the co-founders of #TVwriterchat.

Young Adult books as Tawny Stokes:

STATIC

ELECTRIC

DEMONS OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS

DATING AFTER DARK (WITH CLOWNS)

CARNIVAL WORLD (written with Michael J Lee)

New Adult Books as Tawny Stokes

VIOLET IS BLUE

IVY IN BLOOM

DAHLIA BY DESIGN – coming soon

Urban Fantasy Books as Vivi Anna

Nina Decker series:

GLIMMER

DAWNING

PORTAL

New Adult Paranormal Romance as Vivi Anna

Billionaires After Dark

The Vampire Affair series

THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR (part one)

THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR (part two)

THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR (part three)

THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR (part four)

The Vampire Design series

THE VAMPIRE DESIGN (part one)

THE VAMPIRE DESIGN (part two) – coming soon

The Werewolf Liaison series

THE WEREWOLF LIAISON (part one) – Bad to the Bone

THE WEREWOLF LIAISON (part two) – Hungry Like the Wolf

THE WEREWOLF LIAISON (part three) – Bad Moon Rising

THE WEREWOLF LIAISON (part four) – Dark Side of the Moon – coming soon

Valorian Chronicles (published with Harlequin Nocturne)

BLOOD SECRETS

DARK LIES

VEILED TRUTH

MAHINA’S STORM

BEWITCHING HOUR

THE VAMPIRE’S QUEST

THE VAMPIRE’S KISS

HER DARK HEART

A WOLF’S HEART

The Fallen series (published with Harlequin Nocturne)

HEART OF THE HUNTER

RELEASING THE HUNTER

SEDUCING THE HUNTER – December 2014

PROTECTING THE HUNTER – coming soon

League of Illusion (published with Carina Press)

LEGACY

PROPHECY

DESTINY

ICE BOUND (published by Harlequin)

Silver series (published by Avon)

QUICK SILVER (Alluring Tales Volume 1)