Jezebel (19 page)

“
I…I…guess
I can stay for one more dance.”

Light on
his feet, Shane maneuvered them into the center of the dance floor.
The amount of oxygen and space was quickly swallowed up by the close
proximity of other couples, whose bodies glistened and throbbed with
ecstasy as they strained to get closer to one another. The press of
Shane’s body into hers and the antics of the other couples made
her think of rumpled sheets and cigarettes.

“
I heard you were
trouble.”

Startled by his admission,
Celeste stiffened. “Then why do you want to keep on seeing
me?”

He leaned down until his
lips lined up with her ear. Celeste gulped as she derived the
wickedest pleasure from the subtle brush of his chin whiskers against
her cheek.

Celeste waited. She
listened to his breathing as it teased the hairs at her temples. In
and out. In and out, he breathed. She was so enraptured with this
simple action she almost jumped out of her skin when he finally
spoke.

“
I like trouble,”
he rasped. “And it doesn’t hurt that you’re
beautiful, so perfect.”

Blushing from head to toe,
she admonished him, “Mr. Brennan, no one is perfect.”

“
You
are. It’s taking every ounce of will to keep from kissing
you.” Lifting his head, his gaze locked with hers. For the
longest moment, neither of them said a word and then a determined
glint entered his beautiful green eyes.

“
Something wrong?”
Celeste whispered huskily, responding to his changed demeanor.

Without answering her
question, Shane turned about and guided them through the crush of
bodies, toward the exit.

“
W-where are we
going?”

“
Some place private.”

“
Why?” she asked
even though deep she knew the answer.

“
So I can kiss you.”

Taking the stairs two at a
time, he half dragged, half carried her up the flight of stairs to
the third floor. His pace was so rushed Celeste barely had any time
to wrap her mind around his intent.

Upon
reaching the top of the stairs, Shane opened the first door on the
right. They barely stepped over the threshold when a sweet, acrid
smell tickled her nostrils. Despite the smoky haze lingering over the
room, Celeste could make out several people lounging around on silk
pillows passing around a pipe.

Celeste wasn’t green.
She’d tried plenty of things, but she’d steered clear of
heroin. Too many of her peers had tried to tame the beast, but were
trampled for their efforts. So, of course she didn’t balk when
Shane pulled her from the room and shut the door behind them.

Moving farther down the
hallway, Shane opened the next door.

“
Hey
close the do’!” A man shouted from somewhere inside. For
added emphasis, a pillow came hurtling toward the door, smacking
Shane in the chest. In seemingly high spirits, he simply backed them
out of the room and shut the door.

One by one, Shane checked
every room on the floor. All of them were occupied, even the hall
closet.

It was for the best, Celeste
mused as she sat down on the arm of a club chair, sandwiched in
between two book shelves.

At the end of the hall and
situated in a recessed wall no one would have known the nook, lit by
only a standing lamp was even there.

“
I
guess the early bird really does catch the worm,” she said,
somewhat relieved yet strangely disappointed. The boxer made her
palms sweat and her belly feel like it was turning somersaults. Did
she have the same effect on him?

Celeste
studied his expression. Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected. He probably
seduced women every minute of the day and didn’t think anything
of it. He was the perfect foil to her former self. The one that used
to eat men for breakfast, right after her morning cocktail.

He had this effect on her
only because she was dry, Celeste deduced. Of course that didn’t
explain how he had her foaming at the mouth at Café Society
the other night.

In a nut–shell, Shane
Brennan was dangerous to her sensibilities! Getting caught up with
him would be like trading one addiction for another. Either way,
she’d wind up the loser.

Pissed at herself and the
unfamiliar feelings clawing to the surface, she decided to lash out
at him.

“
You’ve
must have paid a pretty penny for those tickets,” she said,
picking the leather binding to a book of poems.

Unaware of her motives, he
smiled. “You’re company was worth every penny.”

“
How
much?” she hedged.

“
I never talk money?”

“
A prize fighter that
doesn’t talk money? I guess you fight for free.”

“
My manager, Ollie,
handles my fee.”

The monkey still riding her
back, Celeste chose a different tactic. Coyly, she sat down on the
arm of the chair. “Do you go all out like this for your other
lady friends?”

“
There aren’t
any others. You’re it.” The wind knocked out of her
sails, or more like her bravado, Celeste slumped. At every turn, he
was becoming more and more of an anomaly.

“
Anything else you
wanna know?” he asked, while she struggled to figure out his
angle.

Since being churlish didn’t
knock him off the scent, Celeste decided to go for the jugular. She’d
never met a man who wanted to talk relationships. “Where is
this interest of yours going to lead?”

Shane leaned against the
wall, and regarded her with intense scrutiny.

Celeste
could almost bet he could see through her ploy. So she rushed
forward, “You see…a lot of
your
kind come uptown, become fascinated with the scene and want to sample
all of its dark pleasures.”

Her plan
worked. His smile had melted and with every word, a muscle jumped in
his cheek. If she didn’t know any better, he looked as if he
wanted to clobber her. So much so, she almost cowered when he stepped
forward, towering over her.

Before she lost her nerve,
she twisted the knife, “but, I’m telling you here and now
that…that this curiosity of yours will lead you nowhere.”

“
You finished?”

Celeste nodded only because
she suddenly found herself tongue tied.

“
I love all women.
All shapes and sizes. Light or dark, it doesn’t matter to me.
But you’re beginning to make me think we might not be a good
fit,” he said it so quietly and yet for some reason it pierced
her to the depths of her soul. What was left of it anyway.

Celeste bit her lip,
wondering why she was letting his capitulation upset her so.

“
I guess we’re
on the same page.” Thinking she was in the clear, Celeste stood
up and edged around him. Something inside her told her he’d
turned around, but she didn’t look back.

“
I keep thinking about
that kiss the other night at the club and I keep wondering if other
parts of you taste as sweet.”

Try as she might, Celeste
couldn’t move. Her legs felt leaden, glued to the spot.

“
You and I might not
fit together perfectly, but that kiss makes me think otherwise.”

Before she could figure out
how to put some distance between them, Shane spun her about then
covered her mouth with his. In a last–ditch effort, she tried
to object, but that only served as an easy opening for his diabolical
tongue.

His kiss was so
intoxicating, any and all protests flew out the window. His mouth
conquered hers in varying degrees. Shane kissed her tenderly, then
deepened their contact, as if he wanted to take her right there in
the middle of the hallway, then went back to lazily outlining her
lips with his tongue.

Celeste
answered in kind. Impatient and wanting to taste him, she pushed
past his firm, wet lips. Finding his tongue, she stroked back and
forth before slowly drawing him into her mouth to suck on him.

Her actions proved fruitful
when a moan rumbled against her lips and his arms wrapped around her
tightly. Pleased and aroused by his response, Celeste smiled to
herself–nothing like having a man wrapped around her finger.

Shane brought their bodies
even closer. As he did so, the evidence of his strong reaction to
her pressed hotly against her belly. His response was like a cup of
cold water thrown in her face. Tearing her lips from his, Celeste
scooted back.

“
Not yet,” Shane
snarled, as he moved to pull her back into his arms. Celeste tried
to sidestep him, but he was quicker and more agile than she’d
expected. And it didn’t help matters when he nibbled her
jawline and her legs turned to mush.

“
Is it just me or is
it suddenly hot in here.”

Shane answered her with a
devilish chuckle that made her toes curl.

Confident she wasn’t
going anywhere, his hands began to roam. The only reason she didn’t
protest the liberties he’d taken was because he was making her
feel so damn good.

When his fingers traced her
shoulders and arms, she shivered. He caressed her back she moaned
like a sow in heat. Unnerved by her reaction, she flung herself from
his lap.

“
I–I’d
better be going.”

“
No. Want more,”
he reached for her, but Celeste stumbled backward out of the alcove
and into the hallway, safely out of reach.

“
So, this is where
you’ve been all night?”

Recognizing the feminine
voice, Celeste turned around to answer her cousin. What greeted her
wasn’t a pretty sight. Trudy and Lenny were leaning upon the
other, trying to keep their balance. Celeste felt Shane come up
behind her and for the briefest moment, words eluded her.

Unfortunately, Trudy didn’t
have the same problem. She looked past her to Shane and then the
private alcove he’d emerged from. Putting two and two
together, her eyes widened. “You were making whoopee in a
cubby?”

Lenny stopped kissing
Trudy’s neck and joined in the conversation. “Is this one
of your birds?” he asked, eyeing Shane up and down.

“
I haven’t been
here all night,” Celeste said finally finding her tongue. “I’ve
spent most of it looking for the two of you.”

Trudy eyeballed Celeste.
“Don’t believe you. Your cheeks look flushed and his
lips look good and kissed.”

“
Good and kissed.”
Lenny made a loud smacking sound.

“
Are you two ready to
go?” Celeste asked, fed up with their antics.

“
I am,” Lenny
sighed as he pulled Trudy into him. “They ran out of reefer.

“
And they’ve
started to serve the cheap liquor.” Trudy placed her hand over
her mouth and proceeded to yawn and hiccup at the same time. “The
party’s officially over.”

Without
waiting to see if she followed, both Lenny and Trudy turned about and
headed for the top of the stairs. Celeste found her departure
forestalled by a band of steel wrapped around her waist.

Shane
pulled her close and as she half expected, his lips grazed her ear.
Celeste squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of desire swept through her
and puddled between her legs.

“
Saturday at six.”
It wasn’t a question, but Celeste nodded anyway.

Satisfied with her response,
he finally released her. “C’mon, I’ll walk you
out.”

In silence they descended
the stairs. Shane obtained her coat and even helped her slip into
it. Even though he was just being gentlemanly, Celeste felt
protected.

Safe.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Celeste
stared at
the
bedroom ceiling. She should’ve gotten up a half hour ago. She
had an eleven o’clock cattle call for The Czar of Dixie, an
all-black musical set to open next spring. Her manager tried
wrestling an audition out of the show’s producer, but Freddy
would’ve had more luck wrangling cats. Her unsavory past
continue to haunt her, even on Broadway.

Of
course, she’d smarted over the slight. Open casting calls were
for rookies, amateurs and the barely talented. Not for a dancer of
her caliber. Not too long ago, she had been courted by the
heads
of MGM, who wanted to mold her into the female equivalent of Bill
“Bojangles” Robinson.

Then and like now, her
self-confidence was threatening to derail her future.

Unfortunately, her usual
remedy wasn’t readily available. Upon moving into her father’s
home two days ago, she’d made sure the place remained dry.

Big Mistake.

She needed a drink so badly,
she could barely see straight and her breathing was becoming labored.

“
These are the times
that try men’s souls,” she whispered, hoping Thomas
Paine’s words used to rouse the American Revolutionists could
work on her as well. “The harder the conflict, the greater the
triumph.”