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Not paying attention to his romances would’ve led to a happier life, but she couldn’t fully release him from her world. And now here they were. Together.
She noticed the wet area on the lapel of his jacket and gasped. “Oh, my goodness. I’ve ruined your suit.” She pulled out a wad of tissues from the box he’d given her and attempted to dab the area. As if that would help her save a garment that could probably pay off a month’s rent on the club. It didn’t ease her guilt to see that she’d gotten lipstick on the tie. She’d heard he favored Hermès.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, gripping her wrist. “Besides, it’s nothing my dry cleaner can’t get out.”
Every pulse point in her body bounded at his touch. With reluctance, she slipped out of his grasp. “Okay. I’ll pay for the dry cleaning.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
She waved her hands at his chest, remembering how solid and supportive he’d felt holding her. “But it’s my fault.”
Shaking his head, he grabbed her floundering hands and held them between his. “Really, Tanya. It’s no big deal.”
Ignoring the heat thrumming into her from his touch would require too much effort from her drained body, so she pulled her hands away and picked up the bottle of water from the table.
Once again, a softness returned to his eyes. What was he thinking?
“I’ll help you get the club up and running.”
Had she heard correctly? “I... I only wanted your advice. You don’t have to help me any more than that.”
“You know Josh even better than I do. The only time he asks for help is when the situation is desperate. I can’t let him down.”
He and Josh had been close since the moment they’d met. It had taken effort to tamp down the jealousy she’d had of sharing her sibling with Miguel. “Thank you. But I’ll pay you for your consultation.”
He cocked both his head and brow.
“I don’t have the money now, but with your Midas-branding touch, I’ll be rolling in dough soon enough.”
She had missed his contagious laughter over the years. “I still won’t take your money. This is a favor to a friend. And his sister.”
Tanya bowed her head to hide the sting. So they weren’t even friends. Sure they’d spent ten years not speaking, but it sounded harsh for him not to acknowledge what they’d once been. She’d always wanted more from him, but hadn’t been able to get it, so she’d ended up with nothing. Now they’d be working together. Would she be able to keep her heart locked up and safe? Did she have a choice? She looked up to have his glorious eyes fill her vision, and for a moment, her hands itched to hold his face still so she could feel his luscious lips against hers just one more time. Maybe the need for his touch would go away if she indulged her whim.
He nodded. “No argument for once? Good.”
“I will pay you back,” she vowed.
His grin brought out those delectable dimples. “Obstinate as always, I see.”
Out of all the things that had changed, her stubbornness had probably gotten worse. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Chapter 4 (#u415ec6e1-ab39-5ed2-916a-8be4022b4524)
Miguel got out of the most unobtrusive car he owned, a black Mercedes sedan, after parking half a block away from Tanya’s nightclub. Her tears had shattered his heart yesterday. Making things better for her had been his only goal. If he could make her club a success, then he’d do it. No matter what.
Not only had she turned out to be even more beautiful than she’d been in college, she also had the inner strength to do anything she put her mind to. Something they had in common.
Holding her had felt right. Sure, she’d been bawling, but having her body melt against his brought back the memory of the incredible kiss they’d shared in college. The one kiss he’d compared all first kisses to. They’d all fallen short. Referring her to one of his outstanding marketing officers would’ve been the most logical action to take to rebrand The Palace, with the added benefit of keeping him away from her. Away from being enticed by her beauty and the temptation of leaning in to smell her light honeysuckle perfume every chance he could get.
While they’d been in his office, he’d fought his attraction to her and won. Who was he kidding? If it wasn’t for the fact that she was related to Josh, he would’ve had her in his bed last night. Or at least tried to get her there. Normally running on instinct, he’d had difficulty reading her. One minute, she’d stared at him with the same desire in her gaze he remembered and his stomach would flip. The next moment, she’d seem to remember how much he’d disappointed her by choosing her brother’s friendship over her professed love, and she’d become cold.
Both aspects of her intrigued him. That’s why he should turn away from the cool metal door handle beneath his palm, hustle to the car and leave skid marks on the road as he raced away. A good sense of self-preservation would’ve had him doing just that. He opened the door.
The full house of patrons enjoying a meal in the downstairs restaurant piqued his interest. The club might be doing abysmally, but the restaurant conducted a brisk business. The tables were filled with people who may have felt too old to party the night away but who still wanted to have a good time in a trendy atmosphere.
The hostess didn’t recognize Miguel in his disguise of a hat, full beard and stooped stature. He’d learned to be a chameleon over the past few months in order to be incognito in his personal life. His father’s ultimatum still didn’t sit right with him, but if he wanted the job of Executive Public Relations Officer, he had to stay out of the media as the poster boy of partying for at least another month and a half. His parents wanted to see that he could represent the Astacio companies in a responsible manner, so that’s what he’d give them.
Did he need the position? With the trust fund being handed over to him when he hit thirty within the next six weeks, he’d never have to work again. Yet he couldn’t imagine not working for a living. His parents had set an example and he meant to follow it. He didn’t appreciate having to give up his partying lifestyle, or at least partying as Miguel Astacio. He’d developed aliases to keep the groove going without the media getting a whiff of him. He kept their interest by showing up at red-carpet and charity events because it wouldn’t do to lose them from his tail.
He sat at a table, switched on his tablet and scribbled his observations. The restaurant might improve its patronage by serving microbrew. The waitress fairly skipped over to him. Someone loved her job. “Welcome to The Palace Restaurant. Can I get you a drink while you decide on your order?”
He smiled at the chipper young woman, enjoying the cool loft-like ambiance of the space. “Nothing to drink, but I’ll take the house special to go.”
“We have grilled rib eye steak and blackened trout fillet. Both are served with a fresh salad, potatoes and vegetables.”
“I’ll take the trout fillet, please.”
She gathered up his menu as she bobbed on her toes. How much was Tanya paying her to do this job? “Your food will be out soon.”
“Thank you.”
Not telling Tanya he’d be stopping by gave him freedom to assess the place without her unique ability to distract him. He stood and trooped up the stairs to the empty second-floor club, took in the open area with a bar along each wall and then went up to the top floor to snoop around. He smiled at the thought of transforming the space into an exclusive VIP seating area. It would be perfect, considering the people partying up there could see down to the main dance level and be seen if they stood or danced by the railing. Otherwise, they’d have their own private party where the others would want to be but couldn’t access.
He jogged down the stairs more excited than when he’d stepped into the building and sat at his table. The place had potential. And as the ideas formulated, he realized just how much of a success he could make of it. Of course it would take a heavy investment, but he’d figure out a way around that. Excited, he pulled out his phone to dial the number Tanya had given him reluctantly before leaving his office yesterday. How many times had he stared at the digits on his phone, wanting to call just to hear her voice?
He slid his phone into his coat pocket. He needed a plan before speaking to her again. Revealing to her how he felt wouldn’t be a good idea, considering how angry she still was at him. Had he ever stopped loving her?
No. His feelings for her hadn’t been enough to destroy a friendship with her brother.
Maybe he could treat her as if she were nothing but a sister. That might work, especially if he found someone to get serious about before they met again. He scoffed at the idea. It had been months since he’d dated anyone seriously, and he’d even use the term loosely. Had consistent sex with the same person would be more accurate. If two people date for months and the feelings don’t deepen, can it ever be considered serious? He’d tried on several occasions over the past few years to become emotionally vested, but something always seemed to be missing with the women he dated.
The waitress set his to-go bag in front of him and he handed her the cash for the food, including a large tip. He left the restaurant, stepping onto the cold Cleveland street. The lingering effect of being taken by surprise yesterday by Tanya wouldn’t rule him the next time they met face-to-face. Neither would his attraction to her.
* * *
Tanya watched the security monitor from her office and could’ve sworn she didn’t breathe until Miguel left the vicinity. She’d frozen when she’d turned to face the CCTV screen and seen his stooped frame with his face hidden behind a fake beard and a hat. He hadn’t called to inform her of the visit. What had he been writing so enthusiastically?
He’d taken it upon himself to help her improve the club, and she’d watched him as if it were all some sort of television show. Why hadn’t she gone to see him?
Fear alone could take the blame for her inaction.
She dialed her best friend. “Becca, I’m so screwed.”
“What’s wrong?”
She rubbed the heel of her palm against her forehead. “I’m an idiot.”
Becca snorted. “Is this about Broderick? How could you have known he was gay? I definitely didn’t. He had us all fooled.”
Tanya stood and paced the perimeter of the space her ex had set up as an office. From the lushness of the black-and-white leather furniture, she’d ventured to guess it had doubled as his illicit love den. “For once, it’s not about him. I went to see Miguel Astacio yesterday.”
She snatched the phone away from her ear at Becca’s shriek. “No. You will not do this to me over the phone. Either you get over here or I come to the club, where I know you are. You spend too much time in that place. Considering how dead it’s been there, we’ll have privacy either way.”
“Not funny.” But absolutely correct. “Let me make sure things are set up and I’ll stop by.”
“Bring a bottle of white zinfandel with you. Wait, we’re talking about Astacio—bring two.”
Tanya got off the phone thinking Jack Daniel’s would serve her better. She tracked down her club manager to check that everything was set for the night. Clint Davis had recently been promoted to manager from bartender under Broderick a few months before he’d asked for a divorce.
Out of all of the people Broderick had been close to, Clint had been her friend, too, and she trusted him. He’d been supportive by providing more than one listening ear during the most difficult times after her divorce. While she’d been struggling as the new owner of the club, he’d proved himself to be loyal by working just as hard as her to return it to its previous status. None of their promotions, advertising or specials had had lasting effects, leaving them to flounder.
She popped into his office. “Hey, Clint. I’m headed out. Anything you need me to do tomorrow?”
In some ways, it was as if she worked for him. She’d paid very little attention to Broderick’s involvement in the club, so she knew less than nothing about running it and it showed in the downhill progression of patronage. Clubs were more volatile than restaurants, and once people discovered that Broderick no longer owned the place, their numbers had declined. She lacked the ability to schmooze anywhere near as well as her ex. She’d prefer to be in flannel pajamas on a Friday night rather than speaking to strangers and making sure they were having a good time.
Her head throbbed with the thought of losing everything and dealing with the failure, but now that Miguel was on her team, soon she’d be the one bragging while raking in the money.
She still hadn’t forgiven Miguel, but she could enjoy a man’s powerful presence and comforting touch without liking him, right?
Clint’s handsome light brown face looked up at her and his white teeth gleamed when he smiled. “We’re good to go. DJ Slide will be here in an hour to set it off.”
Tanya held back a grimace. The DJ wasn’t her favorite. Slide liked to play only techno music, which Tanya didn’t appreciate because she found it hard to dance to. “Do you suppose we could get someone else?” At Clint’s narrowed dark-eyed gaze, she backed up a step. He didn’t care for her opinion of DJ Slide and would always defend her saying she’d been one of the main reasons they’d been so hot for so long. She recalled Broderick hiring other DJs, but she’d rather slit her throat than ask him. “Not for this weekend, but maybe she could change up the techno with some house, reggae and Top 40 hits. Or stop playing the same twenty songs over and over again.” She mumbled the last. Cowering went against her nature, but she couldn’t afford to annoy Clint when she needed him most. Where would she get a trusted club manager if he left her?
“Nothing for you to do tomorrow,” he said in a haughtier voice than she appreciated. “You’ve been here every weekend since taking over. Not even Broderick was here that much.”
She stiffened. Was he trying to remind her of where her ex-husband had spent his time when he’d said he’d been at the club? No matter—their relationship had been doomed from the moment she’d left Miguel’s arms and cried on Broderick’s shoulder back in college. He’d been so understanding and had a way of making her feel good about herself. They’d stayed friends over the years and when he’d returned to Cleveland after working in the Boston club scene, he’d looked her up and they’d started dating. Three months later, they were married.
Everyone had told her she’d moved into the relationship too fast, but it wasn’t as if she’d had a plethora of choices. The handful of relationships she’d had over the past six years had all gone nowhere. Broderick had liked her even though she’d outweighed him by sixty pounds and she would wince whenever he pulled her onto his lap.
“I’ll take time off when we start making money again,” she responded.
What was the expression that passed over his face? He’d looked almost pained before grinning. Lately, something had been off about Clint, but she couldn’t put her finger on it, so she blamed it on her distrust of all men.
“We’ll get there,” he affirmed.
She didn’t quite feel his conviction as she nodded and pumped her fist. “Yes, we will. Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
She ignored the temptation to grab a bottle of wine from the club’s stock so she could head straight to Becca’s place. A quick stop at the supermarket wouldn’t kill her. A brownie pick-me-up would be nice, too. No. Absolutely no brownies. She’d done so well to keep the stress eating at bay. Dealing with Miguel would not make her gain weight again.
She refused to let him have any kind of effect on her. She’d merely been in shock after not having seen him for so long. More like overwhelmed. Now that she had control over her reactions, she’d be able to deal with him to make her business successful. No emotion.
Chapter 5 (#u415ec6e1-ab39-5ed2-916a-8be4022b4524)
Twenty minutes later, Tanya lounged on her best friend’s couch with the crumbs of a decadent chocolate-chip cheesecake waiting for her to make them disappear. “So that’s what happened.” Becca had remained silent, sipping wine, as she listened to Tanya’s account of her encounter with Miguel.
Becca poured herself another glass and bit off a tiny piece of her carrot cake. “You just watched him roam through your club and didn’t even think to talk to him?”
“He was in some sort of disguise.” She crinkled her nose. “Which I could see right through, but no one else recognized him. I don’t think he wanted to be seen. And as I mentioned before, I was beyond embarrassed about what happened yesterday. I got snot all over him.”
“Which is romantic as hell because he let you. I wish you could remember what he’d said as you were entwined in his comforting embrace. Maybe something like, ‘Baby, it’s okay. I’ll be here to take care of you. You don’t need to do it alone anymore. I love you.’” Becca said the last in a dramatic breathy whisper.
Tanya broke out into a fit of laughter. “You’re a nut. I do remember an ‘It’s okay’ being repeated.”
“Do you think he likes you?”
Her lip curled involuntarily. “It doesn’t matter.” She and Becca had met in junior high school and had maintained their closeness even when they’d gone to different universities. “Need I remind you that I confessed my love to him, and he laughed in my face telling me to call him when I lost forty pounds. Sixty for good measure because he didn’t like his women fat.”
Becca rolled her eyes. “He did not say that.”
“I know that’s what he meant when he said he didn’t want to lose his friendship with Josh by going out with me. I was too big a girl for him.”
“You’ve always been too hard on yourself about your weight.” Becca pierced her with a stare. “You were active, which made a difference in your structure. Sure you look great now, but you looked good back then, too. I believe him.” She waggled her head. “I don’t understand why he couldn’t have both you and Josh in his life, but at least he didn’t betray his friend by sneaking around with you.”
Nothing her friend could say would change her mind about why Miguel had rejected her. It didn’t help that although Broderick had been a wonderful husband for a while, she could count on both hands and feet the number of times they’d made love. She’d blamed the problem on her weight then, too. That time she’d been wrong. Tanya eyed the carrot cake she’d bought for her friend. Seeing the direction of her gaze, Becca broke off a piece slathered with frosting and handed over the rest. “With the marathon you’re training for, you’ll burn these calories off in a hot minute.”
Tanya didn’t say no to the offer. Tired of having a passionless marriage and needing to feel healthier, she’d worked hard a couple years ago to lose over eighty pounds. The ordeal with Miguel had had her eating like a fiend and before she knew it, she’d ballooned to the point where she got out of breath when walking from her bed to the bathroom.
The weight loss hadn’t made a difference to the frequency or quality of the lovemaking with Broderick, and things started going downhill in their relationship. When Broderick presented her with divorce papers, she’d finally understood why he’d never really wanted to touch her in more than friendly ways.
“What am I going to do?” Tanya whined after finishing off the treat.
“Obviously, you’re going to let him help you, but keep your heart as far away from him as possible. You married a gay man because of Miguel.”
“That’s not the way it went down.”
Becca pursed her lips. “Would you have bumped into Broderick while crying your eyes out if Miguel hadn’t rejected you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “No. You would’ve been more than happy to ignore him as you did every man you came into contact with because you only had eyes for Astacio. You wouldn’t be at risk of losing your house and livelihood. Plus, you might have had the chance to find a guy worthy of you if you hadn’t been attached to Broderick.”
Tanya loved her best friend. Becca always knew what to say. “I wonder what he scribbled so furiously on his tablet. Do you think he’ll be able to save the place?”
Becca sipped her wine, pondering. “He’s a marketing genius. Josh did well by setting up an appointment with him. The only thing I’m worried about is him charming you into bed.”
Tanya gasped with a slap to her chest. “I wouldn’t sleep with him.”
“That’s my concern.” Becca couldn’t hold a straight face and giggled. “Seriously. You need to have a good time, and he might be the one to give it to you. Just don’t get all emotional.”
She ran a hand through her hair, refusing to consider it. “Girl, stop being ridiculous.” At that moment, her cell phone rang. Miguel’s name flashed across the screen. It’s him, she mouthed even though the phone still rang.
“Answer it. And for goodness’ sake, put him on speakerphone,” Becca said.
She ignored her friend and hit Talk. “Hello.”
“Hi, Tanya. This is Miguel Astacio.”
As if she had more than one Miguel in her life. His voice melted over her, richer than the cheesecake she’d just eaten. “Hi, Miguel. What’s up?” Was that her sounding cool?
Speakerphone, Becca mouthed.
