The Beautiful People (12 page)

After I got home from
class the next day I called Dominic. He had been patient waiting for me and
deserved an answer. My stomach threatened to spill its contents as I waited for
him to answer.

“Nat?”

“Hey,
it’s me.”

“Hey
you, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“It’s
good to hear yours too. Thank you for the roses.”

“You’re
welcome. So, how’re you doing?

“Better.
I think I’ve gotten over the initial shock. Thank you for giving me some time to
think.”

“And?”

“I
think we’re going to be okay. But I want to know you, the real you. No more
secrets.” My voice cracked at the end. I really hoped that there weren’t any
more skeletons in the closet. “I’d rather know than be blindsided again.”

“I
understand. So we’re good?” I could hear the excitement in his voice. “I want
to see you, can I come over?”

“Yes
to both.”

“I’ll
be right over.”

The second I hung up
the phone I collapsed on the bed in a state of nerves.
It’s just Dominic -
I
kept repeating in my head as I rushed around to get ready. I did a quick clean
up of my bedroom, brushed my teeth and ran a wide toothed comb through my hair.
This didn’t help quell the apprehension.

There was a light knock
on my door before it opened. Dominic stood in the doorway.

“Chelsea
let me in.”

It wasn’t until I saw
him that I realized how much I had missed him. I jumped off the bed and ran to
him, practically throwing myself at him, and he caught me. He smelled as good
as I had remembered, and felt as good. He kissed the top of my head and
squeezed me close.

“You
have no idea how much I missed you. It’s weird, I don’t recall ever missing anyone
so much,” Dominic said in his husky voice.

“Same
here,” I said into his chest then grabbed his hand and led him over to the bed.

We sat down together.
Dominic reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a small box.

“This
is for you.”

I took the box out of
his hands and untied the ribbon. Inside, a diamond tennis bracelet sparkled
against the black velvet lining.

“Oh
my God!” My mouth hung open in surprise.

“Happy
Valentine’s Day!” He retrieved the bracelet and held it out to me. “May I?”

Even though I was dumbfounded,
I managed to hold my hand up. He clasped the bracelet onto my wrist. I didn’t
know what to say. It had completely escaped me that it was Valentine’s Day and
I didn’t know if I could accept such a generous gift. I opened my mouth to
protest and he silenced the words.

            “I told you
I was going to cover you in diamonds. This should match your navel ring.” He
whispered in my ear and then kissed me.  His tongue was probing and his
caresses grew more urgent. He lay me down on the bed and started to unbutton my
shirt all while still kissing me. The longing stirred deep and I responded.
This was just Dominic. Had he killed people with the very same hands that were
cupping my breasts? Yes, but I wasn’t going to think about that. Instead I just
focused on how good his hands felt as they explored my body – inside and out.

Afterwards we lay in
bed facing each other, our foreheads lightly touching, staring into each
other’s eyes.

            “What are
you thinking?” Dom asked.

            “I’m
conflicted. You’ve killed people. I should be terrified of you, but I’m not.”
Dominic kissed my nose. “Also, I feel bad. I totally forgot about Valentine’s
Day and didn’t get you anything.” I lifted my arm up and watched the light
glint off my new diamonds.

            “Shhh,” he
brushed his hand across my cheek. “You stayed with me – that’s a gift in
itself.”

Dominic parked in the
shadows alongside Crimson next to Grant and Miranda’s cars. I gathered my bag
and went to open the door.

            “Wait.
Before we go in, I should tell you something.”

My hand broke out in a
cold sweat around the door handle. What other bombshell was he getting ready to
drop?

            “I know,
I’ll keep quiet.”

            “No, that’s
not it. You don’t have to keep a low profile here. Everyone’s cool.”

Dominic filled me in that
all of the bouncers at Crimson were soldiers and Grant was like a mini boss
among them. All of the employees were connected in one way or another to the
Philadelphia Cosa Nostra.

            “Everyone?”

            “Yeah.”

            “I was the
only one that didn’t know? How come I was able to work here then?”

            “Grant. My
Uncle Marco treats him like the son he never had and let him get away with it.”

            “Do you
think that is why Grant didn’t want us together?”

            “I think
that is part of the reason. I did have a reputation with the ladies though.
That’s probably what bothered him the most.”

            “I don’t
want to know!” I held up my hand to silence him. “That’s in the past.”

            “I thought
you wanted to know everything. No secrets remember?” He teased and got out of
the car.

I walked into Crimson
with a whole new perspective that night. Now I understood why all the employees
had nice cars and could afford expensive drug habits. Dominic held my hand as
we entered the club. Grant and Miranda crossed the empty dance floor to meet
us.

            “Did you
tell them?” Dom asked Grant.

            “Yes, they
all know that Natalie knows. It was hard for everyone not to talk about it, so
they’re glad, well except for Brittany.”

     Dominic shrugged.
“She’ll get over it.”

“Yeah
when she finds another man to obsess over,” Miranda added.

True to form, Brittany
had a sneer on her face when she saw me enter the employee lounge. Everyone
else seemed friendly enough.  Allegra and Joey were getting ready to snort some
coke when Allegra surprised me.

            “Natalie,
did you want to do a line?” She had never offered me any before.

            “I’m good.
Thanks though.”

            “Sure!” Her
glassy eyes glittered when she smiled at me before hunching over the table,
holding one nostril closed with her finger. Brittany scowled at Allegra. She
probably felt betrayed by her coke buddy’s invitation. I had never really felt
like a Crimson girl, but I was definitely one now.

 After the club cleared
out and the tips were counted, Dominic and Grant left to attend to some
business. At first I was tempted to ask what they were up to, but vivid flashes
of the murder scene flashed in my head and that snuffed out my curiosity.
Miranda came out of her office and saw me standing by the exit.

            “I take it
the boys are gone?”

            “Yes, they
just left. I was just getting ready to go out and hail a cab.”

            “Wanna hang
out? I’ll drop you off at home.”

We walked out together.
Even though the days were losing their winter bite and the crocus were peeking
up out of the ground, the mid-February nights were still chilly. A brisk wind
kicked up off the river and we hurried to Miranda’s Mercedes. The vacant, dark
parking lot also contributed to our haste.

Miranda didn’t hesitate
starting the car and cranking the heat to max. I blew on my fingertips which
had been exposed to the elements. Soon the car was warm, even the seats were
heated and especially toasty.
If I had to live out of a car, it would be
this one
, I thought to myself as I relaxed into the leather.

I heard the flick of a
lighter and looked to my left. Miranda was lighting up a joint. She took a deep
drag and held it. Slowly she exhaled and handed the joint to me. The halo of
smoke around her head had a dramatic effect, reminiscent of film noir.

            “Now that
you’ve had a couple days since…well, you know, are you doing alright?” Miranda
asked.

            “At first I
didn’t think so. Seeing those men dead…” I shuddered. “Then finding out about
Grant and Dom and everything else, I was pretty freaked.” I took another hit
off of the joint. “I’ve had time to think about it and I think I’ll be okay.
I’m still surprised about Grant though. He is a little too good at keeping
secrets. For instance, how long have you been going out?”

            “About six
months. We flirted a lot and my dad thought the world of him. It took Grant
forever to ask me out and even longer for us to become an official couple.”

            “That seems
to be a family trait,” I laughed and took another hit.

            Miranda put
the car in drive. “Let’s get something to eat.”

            “Sheesh, you
Grabanos and your food!”

Miranda drove to the Spring
Garden Lounge, a favorite late night haunt in the city. I could tell from the
steamed up windows that the place was packed. A large group filed out as we
walked through the door. I surveyed the restaurant. It was set up like an old
diner from the fifties, what used to be the counter where you could order
milkshakes and root beer floats was now occupied by well dressed drunks. The
hostess recognized Miranda and waved us over. We followed her to an unoccupied
table in a far corner.

            “I’m
impressed. It’s always hard to get seated right away here,” I remarked.

            “The
employees come into Crimson a lot and we put them on the guest list, so it’s a
fair trade.”

We both ordered the sweet
potato fries and chocolate shakes. Our conversation was limited as the noise
level was off the charts. After devouring the whole basket of fries, I couldn’t
hold back a yawn.

            “It’s late.
I’ll take you home.”

Miranda led the way to
the exit. Several cat calls and whistles followed us out the door. We ignored
them.  Within a few minutes we were pulling up in front of my apartment
building. Miranda turned to me before I got out of the car.

            “Listen, I
know it’s not easy being a woman in the mob. If you ever need to talk, I’m
here. You’re Grant’s sister and I’ll look out for you.”

            “Thanks,
I’ll keep that in mind.”

            “It was
cool hanging out with you.”

            “Same!
Thanks for the ride.”

Miranda waved and
flashed a brilliant smile as she navigated away from the curb. Even Miranda was
warming up to me. Maybe things were going to work out after all.

Dominic really tried to
help me adjust. He took things very slow with me and didn’t push me into the
lifestyle. My initial reaction towards him when I found out the truth was
caution. Starting a real relationship was a huge step for me. Factoring in that
he came from a long line of criminals
and
was a Mob boss in training needed
some serious consideration. I appreciated the fact that he understood and gave
me time.

Dom pulled up in front
of my apartment building and parallel parked effortlessly. It was an unusually
balmy night for early April and he had the convertible top down. I had been
holding my hair up with my hands to keep it from whipping my face and it
tumbled around my shoulders, down my back. Dominic brushed a few stray hairs
off my cheek and kissed me, moving his lips down my jaw and neckline. I
shivered in response and felt the now familiar pull in my stomach.

“Are
you sure you can’t spend the night?”

“As
much as I want to, I can’t. I have a big review tomorrow.” It was true, in a
little over a month I would be graduating from the University of the Arts, as
long as I pulled my grades up. 

“Are
you sure?” He asked as he tweaked one of my nipples through my thin shirt. I
groaned in response. He was going to make this difficult.

“I’m
positive.” I whispered in his ear before I nibbled on his lobe. It was a little
salty; he must have worked up a sweat bartending that night. Now it was his
turn to groan. I pulled away at that point and flashed a devilish grin. “Hold
onto that thought until tomorrow night,” I said as I opened up the car door and
got out.

“You’re
killing me woman!”

“No,
but I could have that arranged,” I joked back with some mafia humor. He burst
out laughing and turned the key in the ignition. The Mustang roared to life. He
looked so fine in his car. The black paint as shiny as his black hair and the
tan leather interior complimented his skin.

It was hard to see him
pull away from the curb and I watched him drive down the street until he was
out of sight. Feeling edgy from the pent up hormones I knew sleep wouldn’t come
easy tonight. I looked up at my apartment and saw the living room light was on.
Chelsea’s silhouette was in the window. I sighed and braced for another
argument.

Our neighbors probably
thought we’re lesbians because we argue like an old married couple and we’d
been arguing a lot lately. The hardest part about being keeping Grant and Dom’s
life a secret was not being able to tell anyone, especially Chelsea. She was
the most persistent in trying to get me to tell her what was going on. She
blamed Dominic for my sudden emotional distance and the drop in my grades. Little
did she know, shielding her from the truth was the best form of protection.

I opened the door to
our apartment with trepidation. Chelsea stood in the living room with her arms
crossed in front of her, glowering. I didn’t even attempt to fake enthusiasm at
seeing her.

“You’re
up late.”

 “I
could say the same about you,” she snipped.

“I’m
home aren’t I?”

“It’s
a miracle you’re spending one night away from your Italian Stallion!”

“You
don’t have to wait up for me like some nervous den mother,” I retaliated.

“I
wanted to make sure you got home for your review in the morning,” she admitted
shifting to a less defensive position.

“That’s
why I’m here.”

“Good,
because your priorities have been out of whack since you decided to take on a
boyfriend.” She sounded resentful. “Remember my advice – don’t let it consume
you?”

I glared at her. She
always took on this high and mighty tone, like she was some kind of
relationship guru. I think she was just jealous. Dominic and I had a
connection, despite both coming from very dysfunctional families, our
relationship was tight. “Are you really going to start this again?”

“I’ll
keep bringing it up until you actually listen. By the way you got a letter from
the Art Institute of Chicago.”

I walked to the stack
of mail sitting on the counter. The letter sat on top of the pile. Inhaling
deeply, I tore the envelope open, silently praying it contained a rejection
letter. It didn’t. I was accepted and that’s when I realized I wasn’t going to
be able to go. I crumbled the paper up and threw it into the kitchen sink.

            “You didn’t
get in?”

            “No. I was
accepted.”

            “That’s
awesome Nat!” Chelsea grew quiet, watching me. “Why aren’t you excited?”

            “Because
I’ve changed my plans and I’m going to stay here.” I struggled to form the
words.

            “Because of
him
?”

            “That’s
part of the reason.”

            “Jesus Nat!
Are you going to throw your dreams away for a guy? Come on, where’s your
independence? Chicago was it for you and you’re just not going to go? Don’t do
this because of Dominic.”

This was the last
straw. Every time I came home I was under attack. I would have loved to tell
Chelsea the truth about Dominic and the gruesome crime I had witnessed – the
crime that ate away at me 24/7, but I couldn’t. She didn’t accept any excuse I
came up with, it always came back to being Dominic’s fault.

“You
know what Chelsea, I don’t have to take this.” My words might as well have
physically slapped her because she flinched back. I pulled a wad of hundred
dollar bills out of my purse and peeled off fifteen of them. Her eyes got huge
when she saw how much cash I was carrying. “Here’s rent, plus extra for
utilities for the rest of the lease. I’m moving out early.” I dropped the bills
on the coffee table and marched to my room, slamming the door behind me. Yeah
we’d probably get another call from the landlord in the morning. The second the
door shut I let the tears fall.

I called Dominic on his
cell and he could barely understand me I was sobbing so hard. I managed to
choke out “Come and get me.” I could hear tires squealing in the background and
horns blaring.

“I’m
on my way,” he said and hung up the phone. I pulled my suitcase out from under
the bed and started throwing clothes in. I already had toiletries at Dom’s.
Next, I packed up my laptop, paints, portfolio and all the books I would need
for the week. My cell phone rang as I was zipping up the bag. Dominic was out
front already and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

I walked out into the
empty living room and could see the light on underneath Chelsea’s door. The
cash was still on the coffee table. Moving as silently as possible, I grabbed
my purse and left.