Lightning Strikes (The Almeida Brothers Trilogy #3) (18 page)

Once Mr. Flynn had disappeared around a corner, Nina leaned deep into the concierge desk.  “Is he a mob man?  He isn’t going to
kill
us or anything; is he? I mean we only won a little over thirty grand.  That’s pennies to him, right?”

The concierge laughed.  She was stunningly beautiful, but her laughter was canned, like something you’d hear on a syndicated sitcom.  “Mr. Flynn always strives to reward our most loyal customers.”

“But I’m not a loyal customer,” Nina said.  “I literally walked in and put one chip down on the table.  That’s it.”

“If Mr. Flynn says you’re family, then you’re family.”

Nina cocked an eye at the concierge, who was giving her Stepford vibes that did nothing to ease her anxiety.

“Why are you so adverse to this right now?” Jack finally jumped in, appearing next to her.  “Mr. Flynn has offered us a free room with all the trimmings, and a free dinner.  He did not have to do that. I think a thank you is in order, and it’s even too late for that because he’s already gone. Forgive her,” Jack said to the concierge.  “She wasn’t raised right.”

Nina shot him a look.

“We’re not exactly in a position to be picky, are we?” he asked.

“Why are you acting like you couldn’t make
one
phone call and pay for this room your damn self?”

“Why would I, when it’s being given to us for free?”

“Mr. Flynn has also thrown in a complimentary spa treatment of your choice,” the concierge informed as she printed up their room key.

“Nina.  I need a shower,” Jack begged.  “And what better way to start our first date than in the penthouse suite?”  He pulled his hand out of his pocket with her winning chips and presented them to her.  “One that
neither
of us has to pay for?”

She took the chips, cocking her lip at him while shoving them into her bag.  “I’ve never seen you this adamant.  I guess the richest people really are the cheapest, huh?”

“A fool and his money are soon parted, doll.  Rich people are rich because they don’t spend.”

The concierge’s eyes flew back and forth between them; the smile ever plastered to her face.

Nina was still hesitant.  “Were you not getting the Scarface vibes that I was getting back there?”

“Of course I was,” Jack laughed.  “But he’s a casino owner.  He’ll do everything in his power to keep us in his casino so he can take more of our money. He’s a businessman.”

“He’s a
killer,”
Nina whispered, under her breath.  “Did you see those two guys behind him?  They were both packing.”

“He’s buttering us up because he wants us to keep
gambling
, but that doesn’t mean we have to.  Knowing you, our luck isn’t going to last much longer, so we might as well take this room, take this dinner, have a nice night and recharge our batteries before we attempt to head home and Hurricane Nina inevitably strikes again.”

Nina exhaled.  “
Fine
.”

***

The moment they stepped into the tall, gold plated double doors of the penthouse suite, even Jack’s mouth fell open in shock.  Thirty-foot windows greeted them, giving them an unobstructed view of the Los Angeles skyline outside.  White marble floors gleamed against the grand piano in the corner, nestled next to a spiral staircase that led to the second level.  Set into the glass encased balcony was an infinity pool and Jacuzzi, which appeared to be spilling over the edge of the building.

The door slammed closed behind them as they nearly tiptoed in, eyes flying from left to right as they drank in the beautiful, three bedroom suite.

Splitting away from each other, Jack moved to the piano and played a few keys.  Nina went to the window and drank in the view.

When they turned to each other, eyes meeting across the room, they exchanged easy smiles.  Even as their smiles reddened their cheeks and their eyes fell to the floor, their gazes always found each other, again.

Jack played his fingers together as he watched her, and then he turned away, covering his jaw with his hand.

He wasn’t quick enough.  She’d seen the heat on his cheeks, and how quickly it was spreading down his neck and disappearing into his button down.

Her smile bloomed.

“Why don’t you hop in the shower, give me your clothes, and I’ll call to have them dry cleaned downstairs?” he said, after the crimson deepening his skin had dissipated.

“Or…” She raised an eyebrow.  “We could both take off our clothes, call dry cleaning, and enjoy a shower together.”

“Or…” The red was back, but, this time, he didn’t attempt to hide it. “We can do this the right way. Have a nice dinner.  Get to know each other…”

“And by ‘get to know each other’, you mean me asking you more questions that you refuse to answer?”

“I’m not the only one of us holding back, you know.  You hold back a lot, too.”

“So tonight we stop holding back?”

“We stop holding back.  Yeah.”

“What changed?”

Jack hitched an eyebrow.

“What changed in four days, Aries?  The first day we met, I couldn’t get half a second of solid eye contact out of you.  Now you’re talking about dates. Volunteering yourself to be asked personal questions…” She gave him the corner of her eye.  “I don’t know, man.  Feels like a trap.”

“I don’t set traps,” Jack said.  “What you see is always what you get with me.”

“So what changed in four days?  What was the turning point?”

“Honestly?”  His smile broadened.  “Rudy Kalveeno.”

“Screw you.  I’m serious Jack.”

“So am I.” He laughed.

She crossed her arms and jutted out her leg, shooting him an exasperated look.

He sobered. “Hell, what
didn’t
change, Nina?  Four days, and I already feel like you know me better than the three hundred people still waiting for a return phone call.”  He motioned to the iPhone in the back pocket of her pants.

“I might be asking you some personal questions about those three hundred people, Aries.  And your success with me in bed tonight might hinge heavily on how much trouble you give me when answering.”

He licked his lips, and after gazing toward the king sized bed peeking out of the suite’s master bedroom, he re-met her eyes and shook his head.  “I won’t give you any trouble.”

“So, come and get in this damn shower with me, Jack.  I got news for you. 
I
don’t take three whole days to give in to my attraction to someone.  I knew it from the moment we met, and I know it now. I want you.  So, come shower with me.”

Jack took one slow step forward, then another, never breaking their gaze, not even when his cheeks grew hot again, not even when he was close enough to brush the tip of his nose against hers, the back of his fingers along her jaw.  His gaze fell to her lips.

“The first date is the most important,” he said.  “Because it sets the stage for what’s to come if, and when, we make it back up to the bedroom.”

“If and when?”

He ignored that, his brown eyes following the beds of his fingers as he ran them across her lips and down her chin.  “Looking across the table from each other, talking about our five-year plans, our hopes and dreams, all while our eyes are filled with all the things we’d do to each other if we made it to the bedroom.  Things we’d do right there at that table if we wouldn’t be arrested for indecency.  Doing everything in our power to hold back until we’re finally alone and it just…” He licked his lips.  “Pours out of us, uncontrollably.  Hard.  Fast.”  He nodded.  “I need that, Nina.”

Nina breathed in deep.

“So, you get the first shower.”  He sat on the arm of the stark white couch, holding her gaze as he unbuttoned his shirt.  “Hand me your clothes once you’re undressed, and I’ll call for a dry cleaning.  Our clothes will be ready within the hour, and then we can go to dinner.”

Nina watched his arms contract as he pulled his shirt off.  Even sitting on the edge of the couch, hunched over at the waist, not an inch of fat was visible on his stomach.  Only rock solid abs stacked on top of each other.  He trailed his fingers along those abs, all the way down to his belt buckle, and popped it open.

“You’re a tease,” Nina accused, turning away from him and shooting him a look over her shoulder.  “And you’re going to pay for it.”

Jack feigned fear, covering his mouth with wide eyes before it dropped in an instant.  “I’m terrified,” he deadpanned.

With a roll of her eyes, Nina stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Nina took her time showering with the sweet scented soap provided by the hotel.  She got herself good and soapy from head to toe, with the kind of careful attention that was inspired only when a woman was ready for a man to blow her back out.

And she knew Jack would do just that.  His eyes had been saturated with it as he’d explained to her why he needed to take her on a date.  It was as clear as day, what a battle it was for him not to take her right at that moment, and that he would; if he didn’t value holding back so deeply.

He said he wanted to get to know her first, and she believed him, but she hadn’t missed the blind desire in his eyes and the promises they told.

And she didn’t miss it in his voice as he wrapped his arms around her waist and tucked his nose into her hair, breathing deeply.

“You smell good,” he said as the hostess led them through the restaurant and to their seats.

“Thank you; I showered this evening,” she bragged, laughing with him as they took their seats on either side of the table.  The restaurant was young and hip, which by law meant it was so dark and cramped they were practically on top of their neighboring tables.  Still, they only had eyes for each other, leaning in close as their menus were dropped, the entire world fading away.

The waitress was there quickly to take their drink and food orders, and finally, they were alone.

The restaurant Mr. Flynn had chosen was one of the trendiest in town, as evidenced by the nightclub that was connected to the restaurant on the second level.  It sent music pounding all the way down to the first floor, prompting Nina to break into dance on various occasions.

Jack watched her across the table, eyes shining.

“I feel like you’re teasing me,” she said, leaning on the table just as their drinks arrived.

He chortled, eyes lighting up.

“And see…” She motioned to him.  “The whole allure of playing hard to get?  Of looking across the table, and wondering if the other person wants to rip off your clothes as much as you want to rip off theirs?  That allure is gone because I already know you want my body.”

“And you want mine.”

“I’ve never denied wanting your body.”

“The allure is not gone, by the way.”  He licked his lips.  “At least not for me.”

“Trust me, if your allure was ever going to wear off for me, it would’ve happened a long time ago.”

He leaned in, letting his eyes travel her body.  “When would it have happened?  I mean, assuming you were actually a level-headed, sane individual…”

She cocked her lip.

“When would my allure have worn off?” he asked.

“If I were level-headed and sane?” She thought about it.  “Probably right around the moment I sat down next to you on that plane, and you blanked me out of existence.”

He chuckled, eyes lighting up.

“Lucky for us,” she continued.  “Level-headed and sane are two things that I will never be accused of being.  It seems I’m the kind of woman that responds to abuse.”

“I’m abusing you?” he laughed.  “Because I could’ve sworn it was the other way around.”

“Maybe not purposely, but you’re broken, Aries.  Something has gone on in your life that has shattered you into a million tiny pieces, and it ain’t just that crazy blonde bride of yours.”

He leaned back in his seat, keeping a hand on his glass of bourbon as his eyes searched hers.

“No, it can’t be the blonde bride.  A woman you can abandon at the altar would never have the power to break you this badly…” She crossed her arms on the table, leaning in and squinting at him.  “It might not even be the
sistagirl
you left sitting in the pews.”

He looked away, running a hand down his face.

“Even though I think I’m a lot warmer with the
sista
than I am with the blonde.”  She chewed her own bottom lip, cutting her eyes at him.  “No, your shattered pieces are splitting you down deep.  Way deeper than those two ever could.”

A moment passed, and he snuck a look out of the corner of her eye.

“And I’m the very
non
level-headed,
non
sane woman who has a very
non
level-headed,
non
sane propensity to try to fix men that—for whatever reason—cannot and will not be fixed.”

“You might need a little fixing yourself.”

“I never denied being broken.”

“Neither did I.”

“So that’s why your allure will never wear off.  At least not with me.” She leaned back in her seat, sighing.  “What’s my allure?”

“I’m not sure you have any.”

She threw a piece of wasabi across the table at him, earning his boisterous laugh.  “I have allure all day long.”

“Sure,” Jack nodded.

She had no interest in his inauthentic submission.  “Then why are you still here?  If I have no allure? Why are you sitting across the table from me in some pretentious restaurant—one that we are way too old for, by the way—flirting? Why did you follow me halfway across the country, over the edge of a train, naked into the Marina Harbor, rotting in a jail cell, and gambling my life away… if I didn’t have allure?  Why do you lie to yourself like this?”

He looked away again.  “Because it’s easier.”

“Easier?” she beamed.  “Lies are never easier, Aries.  The
truth is easier to stomach, and easier to remember.”

“Sometimes the truth is the perfect way to set yourself up.”

“For what?”

“More cracks.”

“If you’re already shattered, what are a few more cracks?”

“I’m thinking this is a pretty heavy conversation for a first date.”

“Let’s be real here.  This is really more like our tenth date.  In fact, we’re practically married.  I bet there are actual married couples out there who will not experience, in their entire lives,
half
of what you and I have experienced in four damn days.”

He laughed.

Nina watched it.  Both rows of teeth.  The same smile that, once upon a time, only Rudy Kalveeno could pull from him.

“Fair enough,” Jack nodded.

Nina searched his eyes.  She let a moment go by.  “Tell me about your parents.”

Jack fell back into his seat, smiling into the distance.  “Ah…” he moaned.

“You promised me total transparency.” She attempted to haggle. “I’ll tell you mine…”

Jack took the bait, cutting a look at her.  He licked his lips and then sighed.  “My mother worked in finance.  On the board at Goldman Sachs.  My father was a surgeon.”

“Were you close to them?”

“With my mother.”

“And your father?”

Jack looked away, again.  He ran his hand down his face.

“Your brother, Chase.”  Nina changed the subject. “Was he close with them?”

Jack reclaimed her gaze.  “With my mother.”

Nina nodded, taking it all in.  “So your mother was a board member at Sachs, and your father was a surgeon.  They must have left you and your brother some pretty healthy inheritances.”

“You just love to talk about other people’s money.”

“Why become a lawyer when you’ve got all the money you’ll ever need?  All lawyers talk about, is how miserable the job is.  How long the hours are.”

“I liked the job.  I liked the hours.”

“Liked?”

“I’m not working at the moment.  Right before I met you, and you upended my life, I’d just put in my notice at Harvard.”

“You worked for Harvard?”

“I did.  Head of legal.  Hated every moment.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.  Why choose to be a lawyer, working ridiculous hours, when you could easily be laying on a yacht somewhere?”

“It kept my mind busy.  Off things I didn’t want to think about.”

“Like what?”

Jack paused.  “What about you?” he leaned forward.  “Your family?  Your parents?  Your inheritances?”

“My inheritances?” She chortled.  “I am from
Fordham
.”

“Fine, let’s talk about your parents then.  Let’s dive into your skeletons.”

She squinted.  “Are your parents
skeletons?”

Jack shook his head.  “Nope.  It’s your turn now.”

She laughed.  “Okay.  Well, my mother is a cleaning lady at a hotel and my father is a repair man.”

“And your relationship?”

“We don’t speak right now.”

“Why?”

“Because we can’t agree.”

“Must be a pretty big disagreement to cause a rift with the two people who gave you life.”

She held his gaze.  “It is.”

“Maybe you should forgive them,” he said.

“Because it’s just that simple right?”  she asked.  “If it’s that simple, maybe you should forgive your father.”

Jack’s eyes shot to his lap.

Nina was grateful that her words had their desired effect, but at the same time, interested that her assumption that his father
needed
forgiving was right on the money.  She took a sip of her martini.  “Why don’t we know how to be normal?”

Jack laughed, eyes still in his lap.  “I don’t know.”

“We don’t even have the emotional intelligence to feign shyness and awkwardness on our first date.  We go straight for the jugular.”

Silence fell in, one that neither jumped to fill.  They watched one another over the table, laughing into slow sips of their drinks when they got into a foot-wrestling contest under the table.

After their entrees were dropped, Jack nodded to her.  “Why didn’t you finish law school?”

Nina raised her eyebrows.  “I wanted to.  God did I want to.  Turns out, law school is pretty expensive.  Everybody warns you, but you don’t really believe it until you’re already underwater.”

“You ran out of money.”

“Fast.”

“So you just have a JD that you’ll never finish?”

“What am I supposed to do?  Tuition is only getting higher, and the lines to get in are only getting longer, even though it’s well known that the industry is suffering.”

Jack motioned to her.  “What if you could get another loan?  Would you go back and finish?”

“The first go-round has obliterated my credit.  I can’t even open a checking account, which is why I was carrying all that money.  I’m in no danger of being approved for another student loan.”

He took a hearty bite of his food and took his time savoring it.  He let the new silence float between them, watching his plate.  “What if I loaned you the money?”

Her eyes shot up to him, and she stopped chewing mid-bite.  “Excuse me?”

“I’ll loan you the money for school, and you pay me back whenever you can.”

She blinked at him.

He blinked back.

“I’m sorry.”  She sat taller.  “It’s just… kindness.  From you.  I’m still recovering here.”

“Don’t do that.  Don’t deflect.  I’m making you a legitimate offer.”

“Why?”

“Because the moment you told me you used to be a law school student, I wasn’t the least bit surprised.  I knew it from the minute we met.  How intelligent you are.  What I can’t get my head around… is why you’re so afraid of it.”

“What am I afraid of?”

“Your mind,” he said.  “You have a beautiful mind.  You’re smart, Nina.  To throw it all away in some call center would be… a real shame.”

“I won’t take your money.”

Jack nodded.  “Success is always scarier than failure, isn’t it?”

She shot him a look.  “You don’t know me, Jack.”

“So tell me more.”

“Eye for an eye.  I’ll tell you more when you tell me more.”

“Hit me.”

“Why do you hate your father?” She raised her eyebrows.

Jack dropped his utensils.  “I never said I hated him.”

“You didn’t have to.”

He met her eyes.  “My father wasn’t a good man.”

“Define good.  What’s a good man?”

“Whatever he wasn’t.”

“Okay…” Wanting to push for more nearly ate her alive, but she could see that this was the kind of ground that was dangerous to tread with Jack.  It was the kind of dangerous ground that could end this “date” in seconds if a single wrong turn was made.  So she let it go.  “Okay, so… eye for an eye.  Hit me.”

“Why is it taking so long to finalize your divorce?  If you’re as deeply in debt as you claim, it can’t be about money.  The only thing I can think of is that there’s still something between you…”

“It’s over,” Nina said.  “Anthony and I are over.”

“So why?  Why hasn’t the divorce been finalized?  Why are you in such a hurry to get back to New York to battle it out some more?”

“I told you.  Anthony is trying to take half of my money, and I need that money.”