Taking Jana (Paradise South #2) (16 page)

“Who else would it be?” he said, no smile behind his voice.

Weird response.
“Uh, no one. What’s up? How are you?”

“Got the dress picked and found the perfect shoes to match, so give me your shoe size and—”

“Oh no, you don’t. Johnnie, we had a deal. Don’t spoil me any more than you already have, please.”

“But they’re seriously perfect. You can speak to the clerk. Here. She’ll attest to it. Oh, what’s that? You can’t buy them separately anyway? She said I’ve got to get them, they’re an item…”

She was glad he’d lightened his tone because at first he seemed bent out of shape. But whatever mood he was in, she really didn’t want him spending more money on her. She’d already caved on the damn dress. “Johnnie, seriously, you need to let me cover the shoes. At least, take it out of this week’s pay.”

“
These
shoes, sweetheart, are the entire week’s salary. Let me. I want to.”

What the hell?
Her father was in the damn hospital and she was not only going to an extravagant show in the City, but some man was spending big bucks on a dress and now shoes that, in combination, could feed a small village in Mexico for a week. She was about to be sick. She took a deep breath in and let it out before speaking.

“Johnnie. You are too sweet. Please don’t buy the shoes. Chock it up to my pride. Please understand. Let me get my own.”

Silence for a beat, then, “Okay. No problem, Jana. You and I really are cut from the same cloth. The dress is
ink-black
, like your hair. And the shoes you find will be fine, and you’ll be radiant. No doubt.”

She sighed in relief and swallowed hard. A strange vibe was building and she knew it was going to be difficult to undo. “Thank you, Johnnie. So much. And hey,” she thought quickly, “my mother is waiting for my call. Let me talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure, of course, go. Talk to you tonight,” he said with an almost manic quality to his voice. She put the phone away and wondered why they even had to talk later that night.

She went back inside slowly, the low vibration from the conversation with Johnnie contrasted so sharply with the frequency she’d been on before the call, after bumping into Tony.
Master
Tony.

She found a seat and shook it all off. Life could be really surreal and bizarre sometimes.
Sometimes?
Right.

Wi-Fi
, email: focus.
While she waited for her network options to pop up on her smartphone, she looked at the wall clock. Five more minutes until Tony’s done with his class.

Her email inbox came up with the tap of her finger.

Zero new messages. Nothing from HR. Stark disappointment flooded her being. She clenched then unclenched her jaw. What to do?

She couldn’t call Nora, not on a Sunday.

But she could email her.

She threw a quick email together along the lines of “checking in and following up,” to indirectly ask
Will my position be held for me? For more than a month? If at
all?

Frustrated, she decided to save it as a draft for a minute. Never a good idea to shoot out an email when emotional. She could call Luly in the meantime, to see what her best friend knew. But after the fifth ring, she gave up. She was inside a library after all. And she didn’t want to go back outside as it had started raining.

Screw it
. She opened her drafts folder and without so much as rereading it, she sent the email to Nora. Then she stared at the clock. Waiting and breathing.

A ping sounded from her phone a few seconds later. “Message undeliverable.” Her
follow-up
to Nora had bounced back. “Shit!” she said too loudly, somehow forgetting where she was among the book stacks and overheads. “Sorry,” she whispered to the few people close by.

The wall clock showed it was time for her to meet a roomful of far too adorable kids. Totally uneasy, she stood up and headed to the double doors to be ready for Tony to come out of the classroom. But she could hardly unclench her teeth. Why had her email message bounced, and why had she not gotten an email from HR or Nora in the first place? Nora had said she’d get right on it, right? And her boss had undoubtedly felt and heard Jana’s urgency.

And now she was an anxious wreck, her thumbnail about to dig into the tip of her index finger. But Tony, with his mellow and calm demeanor, had just bowed off the mat, turning her way now, waving her in.

Put your fake smile on, Jana.

Damn it, Nora, what the fuck is going
on?

*

The class couldn’t have finished fast enough. His heart rate never exceeded a walking pace when he practiced with the kids, but since seeing Jana, he’d been on
fast-forward
inside his chest, as if he’d run a marathon.

After he had released the kids with their final bows, he waved Jana into the room. He was glad, no thrilled that she’d stayed.

The kids, especially his nieces, were all enthralled with her. “Is this your girlfriend?” five different children asked, and he watched Jana’s cheeks turn a new shade of red. It was hilarious to him, a
rock-hard
dancer-come
-nurse who had shown and seen it all, blushing from the kids’ onslaught. He swallowed back his laughter, though.

“No. Miss Jana is a friend of mine. And, a real hero. She is a New York City emergency room nurse; she saves lives every day.” He winked at her, but all he could see in her eyes were welling tears.
Shit.

As if on autopilot, he moved a step closer to her and put his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder, bringing her further into the room and infusing as much strength and comfort into her being as he could.

She gave the kids a brave smile and blinked her eyes dry the next instant. He felt her shoulders lift as she inhaled a mouthful of oxygen and he released his hold.

“Nice to meet all of you,” she said, throwing him a slight nod, as if to say thanks and that she was okay.

“Please come and shake Miss Jana’s hand in introduction everyone, thank her for her service, and tell her what you all want to be when
you
grow up.”

“Yes, Master Antonio,” they all shouted in unison.

Jana looked up at him
wide-eyed
. She was either surprised by the drill response, or by the use of his full name. Her expression was warm, glowing, like the first night in his limo, only, this time, she was awake.

She shifted her attention from him to the children, who had already formed a
single-file
line to meet and greet her. He felt a river of pride flow through him as each of his kids shook Jana’s hand as he’d taught them, keeping full eye contact, proudly speaking their names, telling her their hopes and dreams.

He noticed how she listened and connected to each child. She was a real natural. And although she was the same height as some of his oldest students, she still exuded a tall, authoritative yet relatable air. The entire scene captivated him. Moved him.

“All right, students, please get your shoes on and go to your parents.”

Again, “Yes, Master Antonio.”

Jana didn’t hide another smile in response to their obedient reply. To distract from his heated face, he waggled his eyebrows at her. She let out a giggle.

*

All the kids filed out except for his nieces, who waited by the classroom door chattering quietly amongst themselves, probably about their ‘
Tio
Antonio’ talking to ‘a girl.’ Standing with Jana, unsure of what to do or say then, he noticed the bullets of rain hitting the roof.

“Pretty bad out there. Did you drive here?” he teased.

She smiled back and began to walk out of the room with him.

“So, I’ll get you back to the apartment now. I just have to drop the girls off at my sister’s first. I’ll double back and bring you to the apartment right after that?”

She paused her stride. “This was supposed to be your free time until this afternoon,” she said, obviously apologetic.

“Please, no worries. It was cool running into you. I, uh, actually had withdrawal…”

“Excuse me?” She tilted her head ever so slightly.

Heat reached his cheeks again.
What the hell, Antonio?
“Withdrawal…from driving you.” He shifted then anchored his stance, trying to recover a modicum of pride.
Say something, dumbass.
“What I actually miss most is your height. Your head totally blocks my rear view, and what can I say, I love a challenge.” He flashed a smile, and then cracked up.

She gave him a threatening glower in jest. “Are you commenting on my height,
Master
Antonio
?”

“Yes, yes I am. But I regret it completely now. It’s always the littlest foes to watch out for.”

“That’s right, and don’t you dare forget it.” Her expression, a spark of something deep and hot and strong––it threw him. And he couldn’t rip his gaze from hers. She was so fiery. Electric pulses shot up his spine.

He focused his breath, his mind.
Control
yourself.

Clearing himself of jumbled sensations, he hunted for his voice, for words for the enthralling woman at his side. “I can’t lie.” He stepped an inch closer to her so his nieces wouldn’t hear. “You are just really good company.”
Lighten it up.
“Interesting company. Most of my passengers are, well, pretty dull. But you and all your cool and different moods and expressions, you keep me on my toes.” He smirked and nudged her with his elbow.

And she gave a look back at him equal to a punch in the arm.

Warmth filled his chest. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Seriously, the last few days must have felt like a year for you.”

“A little bit,” she admitted.

“Well, I really do enjoy your company, and I could listen to you speak, with your multitudes of languages, or sing—”

“Excuse me, Master Antonio? The rain is getting worse I think. Shouldn’t we be going?” his oldest niece asked with sincere worry on her little face.

“Your nieces call you
Master
, not Uncle?”

“In the
Do Jang
, all my students call the teacher Master.” He wiggled his eyebrows again for her, then he turned to Tanya. “Yes, kiddo, let’s get going.”

“I’m ready too,
Master Antonio
,” Jana said, head cocked, her tone absolutely flirty.

He gave her a
slow-blinking
eye-sigh
, smiled, then took steps toward the door. “So, listen, I need to stop at my place to shower and change before picking you up again for the grocery run. The best store is literally next to my place, but it won’t take me long at all. We’ll still be on schedule, more or less.”

“Well, I don’t want you to go out of your way just because I happened into the library and interrupted your class–twice. I’ll walk back; it’s really fine. Rain won’t melt me.”

“No. You’ll get sick. My grandmother told me so.” He smiled.

“Well if the store is right next to your place, why don’t we drop the girls off, and then I’ll wait in the limo while you get changed, and then we can go to the store?”

“A perfect idea, but I wouldn’t leave my worst enemy in a parked car in front of my house, not in my neighborhood. And you’re someone I can stand, and, you being as attractive as you are, I’d for sure never see you again,” he warned, then he caught her eyes shift to the floor. Bashful? From his comment about her looks? God, she was such an anomaly to him.

“Then I’ll come up. Nothing can be worse than my folks’ place. Not as horrendous smelling, at any rate. Days’ old kimchi on
crack-cocaine
.” Her brows lifted, her tone serious.

“Okay, since I couldn’t argue with you anyway and I hate losing, giving in is less of an ego blow.” He smiled. “It’ll give us more time to get the groceries back to the studio before heading to the club.”

“We’re ready girls,” he told his nieces who wanted nothing to do with him. They gave their full attention to Jana and fought over who got to hold her hands on the way to the limo. It was sweet, and Jana was sweet with them.

They went out the side entrance to the secure staff lot and ran to the stretch. They didn’t get completely drenched while he fumbled with his keys to unlock the back door.

God, get it together, man.

The girls hopped in, squealing and chattering the whole time. Tanya scooted in to make extra room and patted the seat next to her for Jana to join them.

But Jana paused, getting both him and her more and more soaked by the second. She looked at him with a smile and stepped aside for him to close the door. “I’ll sit shotgun with your Uncle Antonio,” she said, and then hopped in the front passenger seat, slamming the door shut before he even knew what happened.

CHAPTER 24

“
Y
our sister Celeste
is pretty awesome,” Jana said after having had a quick chance to meet her when they dropped off his nieces.

“Thanks. I agree,” he called from his bedroom.

“My best friend Luly is a single mom of five. It’s crazy hard work, for sure. But Celeste seems to be doing a great job. Those are some super sweet girls,” she said as she looked at family photos on the mantle of his tiny apartment.

He either had an army of siblings or he grew up with a slew of cousins because there were too many different kids to count in all the pictures. She turned around, about to ask him what the deal was when he appeared, his broad, strong chest at her eye level, inches from her face.

“Eleven. I have eleven brothers and sisters and
twenty-five
nieces and nephews. And always counting. They’re all awesome, my vicarious kids, you know…until I have my own someday.” He smiled but looked back at the photos quickly. “I’m this one.” He leaned past her, his arm brushing her cheek as she turned to face the mantle again. “God, I was only like thirteen or so?”

She peered hard at the photo. Then looked back at him with a narrowed gaze. “Don’t tell me you were one of those kids who totally skipped the awkward stage?” She looked again at the photo. “God, all the girls must’ve been chasing you, boy!”

“If they had, I didn’t notice. I was already an entrepreneur by then, running my own
big-time
paper route,” he said, laughing. “Or I was helping out at home.”

“Huh. And is this cutie the youngest of the twelve?” She pointed at an infant in pink sitting on his lap.

“That’s my littlest sister, Isabel. God, I can’t believe how long ago that was. That I changed her diapers.” He shook his head with nostalgia in his eyes. “It makes me feel so damn old. Anyway, Isabel happens to be my very favorite. Don’t tell anyone, okay?” He winked.

She let out a snicker even as her heart sank in her chest.

*

Her look, big wide puppy dog eyes with a sheen of sadness, made him worry.

“What? What is it?”

“No, it’s just, God, that’s so sweet. You and your baby sister…” Then she officially looked as if she would cry right there on the spot.

“Jana?” He wanted to hold her, comfort her…something. But instead, he went with his gut and kept his distance.

She shook her head toward the floor. “Sorry, sorry. I’m being so stupid, so emotional, damn it.”

He stayed silent but moved his hand to brush her elbow. “You wanna talk about it? Or no.”

She swallowed then met his gaze. “I have one brother, and he’s a real bastard, twelve bastards in one, really. And, Jesus, I’ve never even met his kid, with another one on the way supposedly. He left me stranded.” She sighed then shifted her stance to hide her tears.

Her tears, they lit a fuse in him. He wanted to crush, pound, then rip apart the source of her tears. This prick, her brother. Whatever he’d done to her, he wanted him to pay.

But, damn it, Antonio, it’s none of your goddamn business.
Stay focused.
And cue mantra.

*

He was so…concerned. She wasn’t used to such genuine care. Especially from a man. Even Johnnie’s focused attention toward her was obviously laced with undertones—well, strong undertones—of
self-centered
desire. But Tony, rather, Antonio, didn’t seem to want anything from her. It was like he just wanted her to maybe…be okay?

Antonio.
God his whole name fit him so well, so much better than Tony. It was a regal name. Strong.
Sensual
.

“God, I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t bring up bad memories for you—”

“No. Not at all. It’s…awesome to see that love between siblings even exists.” She didn’t want to bitch about her brother. The thought of Dane made her angry enough, and she was having too nice a time. But she was too late. From the soft stare he directed at her, so many questions in his eyes, she’d already dampened the light mood of the day.

He stayed utterly silent.

“It’s really okay. I won’t bore you with the details. Some other time, yeah? Hey, how about that ‘story shocker’ competition we planned last night? Much more exciting than my family melodrama,” she said then laughed, trying hard to recall the lighthearted mood from just minutes before. “Come on, let’s go grocery shopping, and start the game. You can go first.”

She stepped back from the mantle and moved to the front door. She turned to make sure he was following her lead in changing subject, mood, and setting but then she had to pause. Being out of such close proximity to him, she noticed the entire man as he stood in the center of his small front room. A third persona; magazine model?
Jesus.
Clad in faded blue jeans and a perfectly fitted cotton collared shirt, he halted her breath a moment. The shirt, a soft mint green, brought out the translucent hazel of his eyes that she hadn’t noticed before. In fact, she’d sworn they were brown in color. A memory flash hit her, an image of his gaze in his rearview mirror from the last few days. She realized then that she hadn’t taken a close enough look. But, God, now, those kind eyes, so clear in the natural light of the room, were looking directly at her and into her. How could she ever have thought those eyes held spite or judgment?

He cleared his throat, bringing them both out of the mutual spell they seemed to have fallen under. She felt her cheeks and ears get red hot, but, to her amusement, he was totally blushed, too. He nodded and gave her a surrendered smile as if acknowledging his auto response to her. To
them
.

He sighed. “Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here.”

*

Monday morning came fast.

“Good morning,
Antonio
.” She grinned as he insisted on opening the front passenger side door for her. “You know,” she said as she folded herself into the seat, “
Antonio
is much more fitting for you than
Tony
. I really do like it.”

He liked it too, her saying his full name, his real name. Since yesterday’s library
run-in
, then throughout their grocery errand, and to and from the club. He liked hearing it each and every time.

Other than his martial arts students and his late mother and sisters, everyone called him Tony or Tone, maybe saving a millisecond or two of their lives. Hell, not even Michelle had called him by his name; she’d called him ‘Ant,’ which had turned out to be a perfect foreshadowing for what she’d do to his heart, crushing it like an insignificant bug.
God, I should’ve
known.

And the way Jana, specifically, said his name…
dear God.
Since he’d given Jana the mp3 player, he’d found out that she had an amazing singing voice; she’d hum or sing quietly from the back seat, as if unconsciously. It was with that same musical quality that she said his name; it literally strummed melodically over her tongue. It soothed him. And he craved that soothing, like a caged beast waits for its calming song. Because although he portrayed calm and control on the outside, Antonio’s inner makings were anything but. Simply being around Jana gave him a feeling of deep serenity that he’d only known at home, in Puerto Vallarta. Come to think of it, not ever as deeply as he felt in this woman’s presence.

Don’t even go there, Antonio. You cannot risk another
Michelle-situation
––you’ve been there, done that.
He had to focus on getting home. And
only
getting. The hell. Home.

He gave her a slight smile, buckled up and started the ignition.

*

“I like riding shotgun much better,” she said with a wide, playful grin.

Dear Jesus.
She was only an arm’s length from him now, and her effervescence alone was grabbing him by the throat and blocking air to his head. He could hardly think straight.

“You do, huh? It’s official then?”

“Yeah. Pretty much. I mean, I don’t think of you as a chauffeur, and I’m no prissy snob that needs serving, so why not? Anyway, I get way less woozy sitting up front. Plus, I can mess with the radio.” She winked at him as her hand moved toward his radio.

He slapped her hand away playfully. “You think I let any female touch my controls,” he said, a wide smile spreading across his face, but suddenly uncertain if she’d be offended by his
half-intentional
Freudian slip.

God, Antonio, what the hell are you doing?
He searched her eyes then, hoping she didn’t catch it.
Unlikely.

She broke out laughing a beat later, and through her gasps found words. “I have no intention of touching your controls, buddy. At least, not with your pretend wedding ring on.” Her laughter trailed off as she caught her breath.

He smirked at her.
Veer back to safe chatter, Antonio.
And
fast.

He turned the “mock” ring with his thumb as he veered onto the highway, north to Fort Lee then he cleared his throat. “Anyway, a chauffeur’s music selection, if you must know, is incredibly personal to him.” He lifted his eyebrows at her to show his
faux-seriousness
and hit play on his CD player above the radio.

A soft chiming resonated within the space, then a sudden booming of…children’s voices making silly animal sounds. Jana was so badly startled he watched her jump up in her seat, literally catching air.

He tried like hell to control his laughter so he could speak. He took a breath and smirked. “My nieces are the only females in the world who have ever gotten to choose what we listen to in
my
limo.”

She lifted her brows at him, moved her slender arm to the radio knob to lower the volume a few notches, and then nodded her head as if defeated. “I get it, the girls have seniority, fair is fair. I dig animal noises anyway. Farm or forest, they’re all game. I actually danced my best numbers to Old McDonald back in the day.” She laughed, hearty and full, and it made his heart race. Her mood had become lighter than air and he couldn’t help but catch the vibe.

Then she shifted her body in the seat to face him.

He could sense her mood shift.

“So, limo sex.”

“Excuse me?”

“Limo sex. You’ve really never had sex in your own limo before?”

A personal question that lodged a knot of embarrassment combined with shock in his chest. The answer: Only with Michelle…on their wedding night. And it wasn’t just sex.

“You know, I never have had sex in my limo, or any other limo for that matter.”

It was true. Because he’d
made love
to Michelle in his limo. And although, he knew now, that it had been completely
one-sided
, to him, the intimate connection they’d shared in his limousine was more religious than attending church on Easter Sunday.

Lighten up, Antonio. Jesus.
“Uh, what about you?” he asked, then chose his next words carefully. “I’m sure wealthy club regulars offered you a ride in their limos during your time dancing.” He hadn’t said “as a dancer,” but, “dancing.” And his take of her soft and thoughtful expression, she’d caught his purposeful distinction.

“Oh, they’d offered. But no. I kept to my rules. Dance, make money, and get out. Never once slept with an ogler, not even my highest paying ones. And no staff. I may have been the only one who kept that line,” she said, shooting her glance downward, her hands fidgeting on her lap.

“You okay? Didn’t mean to make you rehash—”

“No, I’m good. It was all so long ago, and…I asked you first.” She paused, but he could see in his peripheral that she was looking at him as if wanting to say more.

“What is it?”

She took a sharp breath in. “Charlene. A long time veteran at the club and my mentor, I guess you could say. I had my lines, but she watched out for me, like a hawk really, so I kept to them. Because, you know, being so petite, I could assert all the rules I wanted, but if a bunch of drunken guys at a strip club wanted to…you know. Well, she saved my ass more than once when men wouldn’t take no. But—” She froze and inhaled. Then held it.

He felt like saving her now, saving her from speaking about whatever it was. He hated the tension in her voice and the thick angst glazed over her face. But he also wouldn’t dare interrupt her. Hell, he already knew from only a matter of days that she was stronger than steel. She’d continue if she wanted to, or she’d end the conversation altogether.

She let out a long breath. Then whispered, “No one was there to protect
her.
When I left Jersey for MMU and the Manhattan club, Charlene moved out to Vegas. Big dreams. Wanted to break into the real shows there. But it takes time to get a real gig outside of the club scene, and she needed to make ends meet. It was five guys. They used her up and tossed her out.” She gulped down hard and shook her head, her eyes shut tight, as if to see, or maybe to escape, whatever nightmare was playing out in her mind. “I’d spoken to her the day before, and she was doing great, even had an audition for a
several-year
magic show stint at one of the bigger casinos.”

“Jesus. I’m sorry, Jana.” He got into the right lane, let off the gas a bit, and glanced over at her. “I’m really sorry.” He placed his right hand over hers. He felt her warm silken skin, so soft. She let him keep it there, still as could be. When he needed his hand back on the wheel to get off at their exit, she let out a small sigh.

She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. God, I’m such a downer. Guess I need to get as low as possible before having to see my folks.” She
half-smiled
as she wiped her tears, now officially and undoubtedly the sad kind.

“I don’t know you all that well, Jana, hardly at all, really. But without sounding condescending or anything, just with what I do know—your father’s condition, working as much as you do, then, Jesus, losing your friend like that, and seeing whatever else you’ve seen in the clubs!—you’re probably one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

Then he drove on in silence.