Kitabı oku: «Taming the VIP Playboy / Promoted To Wife?»

Taming the Vip Playboy
Katherine Garbera
Promoted to Wife?
Paula Roe

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Taming the Vip Playboy

“I really do want to know the man behind the flash.”

“Good. I hope you find him to your liking,” Nate said.

“You’re impressing me so far.”

He took another sip of his drink. The February breeze blew around them, stirring a tendril at the side of Jen’s face. Each time the wind blew, the strand of hair brushed over her high cheekbones and caught on her lips.

He reached up and brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear.

“Thanks,” she said, but her voice was softer, huskier than it had been moments earlier.

He couldn’t stop touching her skin. He stroked his finger over her lower lip until she pulled back. Her lips were parted and her breath brushed across his finger.

“I can’t think when you do that,” she said. “Then don’t think,” he replied.

Dear Reader,

I’m addicted to the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars. I don’t know what it is I love about it, but I can’t resist watching it every week while it is on and using everyone’s phone to text in votes! That show is where the seeds of this story started.

I was thinking about the couples on the show and what if a romance developed between them. From there the story morphed and changed into what it is today. Nate Stern is a former baseball player who has returned to his home in Miami to help his brothers make their club in Little Havana, Luna Azul, the hottest, most desired ticket in town.

Nate has done his part. He loves the playboy lifestyle he has and the fact that he always has the most beautiful women on his arm. Life is good and a lot of fun for Nate, who hasn’t been serious about anything since he stopped playing ball. But then he meets Jen Miller, the dance instructor at Luna Azul, and everything changes.

He thinks she’s a lot of fun and that they will have a good time together, but things turn a bit more serious than either of them expected.

I hope you enjoy meeting Nate and the other Stern brothers.

Happy reading!

Katherine

About the Author

KATHERINE GARBERA is the USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty books. She’s always believed in happy endings and lives in Southern California with her husband, children and their pampered pet, Godiva. Visit Katherine on the web at www.katherinegarbera.com, or catch up with her on Facebook and Twitter.

This book is dedicated to my wonderful daughter who has started her life as an adult. I’m so very proud of everything she’s accomplished and look forward to watching her continue to grow and make a good life for herself.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to my editor, Charles Griemsman, for

his insight in making this book really shine!

One

The rhythm of Little Havana pulsed through Jen Miller as she parked her car on one of the side streets of Calle Ocho and made her way to Luna Azul. Blue Moon … they were rare in real life, almost as rare as second chances, and she was glad for the one that the Stern brothers had offered her by hiring her to be the salsa teacher at their Miami-based nightclub.

The club itself was a rarity. The Stern brothers had created a scandal when they’d purchased the old cigar factory in the heart of Little Havana and turned it into one of Miami’s hottest clubs ten years ago. Something that still outraged certain members of the Cuban-American community today.

She pulled the strap of her large Coach bag higher on her shoulder as she walked through the grand entrance of Luna Azul. She stopped as she always did to catch her breath. Nothing said glamour the way the club’s Chihuly chandelier and ceiling installation did. It was a depiction of the night sky filled with a large blue moon. It was also the basis for the club’s logo and the colors of the uniform of the entire staff.

Walking through the door each night made her feel as if she was a part of something lasting, and she was very happy to be working here.

The fact that she got to dance again made her even happier. Three years earlier, when she’d made a bad decision based on her heart instead of her head, she’d been banned from competitive dancing.

But now she was back at the barre so to speak and teaching her favorite of all the dances she knew. The salsa.

The dance was created by Spanish-speaking people from the Caribbean and even though she was about as white-bread-American as one could be, the dance felt as if it had been created for her.

As she headed into the club, she saw that the main stage was being set up for tonight’s performance of XSU—the British rock band that had taken the American pop charts by storm the year before. Her sister and her best friend had both begged Jen to get them tickets for tonight’s event and she’d managed to.

She was hoping for a glimpse of the rockers as well but she’d be working during their first set.

The club was divided into several different areas. The main floor in front of the stage was a huge dance area surrounded by high-stooled tables and cozy booths set in darkened alcoves. On the second floor, where she spent most of her time, was a rehearsal room with a small bar and then a mezzanine that overlooked the main club. But the real gem of the second floor was the balcony that opened off to the left and the stage set in the back.

It was there that every night Luna Azul re-created the famous last Friday celebrations held on Calle Ocho. Up there every night was like a feast day for Latin music and dancing. The hottest Latin groups performed there. Regulars and celebrities mingled to the sexy salsa beats of the Latin music.

And she was at the heart of it, Jen thought. She taught the customers how to do the salsa, giving them a little knowledge to help them enjoy the music that much more.

As Jen walked into the rehearsal room, her assistant greeted her with, “You’re late.”

“I am not, Alison. I’m right on time.”

Alison lifted one eyebrow at her. She was funny most of the time but she had a thing for punctuality that Jen simply didn’t.

“You’re lucky no one has stopped by to check on the classroom.”

“Alison, chill. The classroom is ready and we are ready. I brought a new CD with me.” “Which one?”

“Just a compilation of some of my old favorites. I want to have something different for tonight’s class.”

“What’s special about tonight’s class?” Alison asked.

“We have T. J. Martinez signed up.”

“The third-base player for the Yankees?”

“Yes. And since he’s good friends with Nate Stern, I thought we needed to make a good impression.” Keeping the club owners and their friends happy was the name of the game.

“Maybe you should have arrived earlier.”

“Alison, I don’t mind a little ribbing, but you have to drop that. We have thirty minutes before class starts.”

“I know. Sorry, I’m bitchy today.” “Why?”

“Marc is leaving for Afghanistan for another deployment.”

“When?” Jen asked. Marc was Alison’s brother and they were very close. Alison often said that he was all she had.

“Three weeks. I …”

Jen went over and hugged her friend. “He’ll be fine. He always is. And I’ll help you through it.”

Alison hugged her back and then stepped away. “You’re right. Now tell me more about the songs we are using tonight.”

Jen knew that Alison needed to lose herself in the music so she could forget about her life for a while. Jen wasn’t sure she could be as brave as Alison. Having a brother who was a warrior and would always be called to a battle somewhere in the world was hard. She saw it on her friend’s face every time Marc got deployed.

The music soon echoed through the empty dance hall as Alison and Jen began their routine. Alison was an okay dancer, though she would never have made it in the competitive world of dance as Jen had. But for Luna Azul she was more than competent.

“I like this,” Alison said.

“Great. I want you to add a little more hip twist at the end of the sixth beat like this,” Jen said, showing her. “Very nice, Ms. Miller.”

Jen stumbled and glanced toward the door to see Nate Stern standing there.

He was tall—at least six feet in height—and had thick blond hair that he wore cut close to his head. He had the kind of deep and natural tan that everyone wanted and wore his clothes with a stylish panache that she honestly admitted she envied. He had a stubborn-looking jaw with a small scar on his chin from a baseball accident when he was ten.

Why did she know these things? She shook her head. One of the reasons she’d applied for this job was that she’d always been attracted to him. She’d seen his picture in the paper when he’d been a rookie for the Yankees and she’d been smitten.

“Thank you, Mr. Stern. Is there something I can do for you this evening?” she asked.

“I’d like a private word,” he said.

“Alison, will you leave us?”

“That’s not necessary,” he said. “Please join me on the balcony.”

She took a deep breath. She hated following orders or letting anyone else be in charge. “Keep practicing.”

Alison nodded as Jen led the way out of the rehearsal room and out to the balcony. She tried to be nonchalant but she couldn’t help her nerves. This job was literally her last chance in the dancing world. If this didn’t work out she was going to have to stop dancing and take Marcia, her sister, up on that secretarial job at her law office. And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, quite the contrary. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you and I wanted to come and see for myself.”

“So you’ll be attending my class tonight?” she asked.

“Yes, I will be.”

She almost scowled at him but years of performing for judges enabled her to keep her smile on her face. “That will be wonderful. I believe one of your former teammates is signed up for our class as well.”

“Yes, Martinez. I thought I’d tag along and see how you handle having a celebrity in your class.”

She almost rolled her eyes. Honestly, did he think she was going to treat T. J. Martinez any differently than she did her other students? “Do you think I can’t handle it?”

“I have no idea,” he said. “That’s why I’ll be dropping by.”

She was furious but kept calm. “I’m a pro, Mr. Stern. That’s why your brother hired me. You don’t need to attend a salsa class to ensure I do my job.”

He tipped his head to the side. “Did I offend you?”

“Yes, you did.”

He gave her a quick grin, which changed that arrogant-looking face of his into a very charming one. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intent. Celebrities are the key to our continued edge over the other clubs in Miami, and I don’t want to chance anything disrupting that.”

She nodded. “I understand your concern. I can promise you tonight’s class isn’t going to damage Luna Azul’s reputation one bit. And I will enjoy having you in my class.”

“You will?”

“Yes,” she said, turning on her heel and walking back toward the rehearsal room. “Because afterward you will owe me an apology for doubting my skills.”

His laughter followed her into the hallway and she smiled a bit to herself as she entered the classroom. She had to be in top form tonight and she had absolutely no doubt that Nate would be as challenging in the classroom as he’d been beforehand.

Nate watched her leave, wishing he’d come up here a long time ago. She was funny, spunky and very cute.

Her legs were long—so damned long—and her body was lithe. She was quite a dancer and that was apparent in the graceful way she moved.

He stayed where he was on the patio and stared out at the sky as it darkened into twilight. It was February, and there was a light chill to the night air. The scent of the Cuban food that the patio kitchen was preparing carried on the breeze.

He’d done what he needed to do to keep up the club’s image. After all, he was the face of Luna Azul. Funny that a non-Latino would be the face of the hottest club in Little Havana, but the Stern brothers had turned to what they knew best when they’d started their business nearly ten years ago.

Nate was the youngest of the three Stern brothers, Justin the middle one and Cam the oldest. It had been Cam’s idea to take the failing cigar factory and turn it into a club. Justin was a finance whiz kid and he’d looked at the numbers and decided if they invested their trust funds into the club, it could make them money.

At the time, Nate had been more interested in his budding baseball career and had merely signed a paper agreeing to the terms. But when a shoulder injury forced him out of the game two years later, he’d been very glad for Cam and Justin’s decision to buy this place and open a club. And Nate had quickly found that he had something to contribute to the business.

His A-list contacts from the celebrity world.

As much as he loved to play baseball, he was also a Stern through and through and he loved to socialize. Something that the society pages had noticed when he’d first gone to New York to start his career. And Nate had been careful to make sure he stayed in the news.

He used his celebrity to bring attention to the club and to stay current. Even though he hadn’t played in over six years he was still one of the top-ten most recognizable baseball players.

“What are you doing up here?” Justin asked as he came out of the kitchen area. He was two inches taller than Nate and had dark brown hair. They both had their mother’s eyes and their father’s strong jaw, a feature all the Stern men had.

“Talking to the salsa teacher. T.J. is going to be in her class tonight and I wanted to make sure she could handle it.”

“Jen must have loved that.”

“Do you know her?” he asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy at his brother’s familiarity with Jen.

“Not well. But I interviewed her for the job and she’s very confident of herself. She doesn’t like to be questioned.”

“Who does?” Nate asked.

“Not me. I have a meeting downtown with the community leaders tomorrow. They want to have their say about our tenth anniversary party.”

“How many times are we going to have to prove ourselves before they accept that we are a part of this community now and not going anywhere?” Nate asked.

“They’ll never be satisfied,” Cam said as he joined his brothers on the patio. “What are you two doing up here? I need you downstairs to talk to the band when they arrive.”

“I’m on it,” Nate said. “I’ve got the society reporter from the Herald coming. And I’m positive we are going to see Jennifer Lopez tonight. She’s in town and her people said she’d drop by. I’ve got calls in to the internet celeb-site stringers so we should get some good coverage.”

“Great. I like the sound of that,” Cam said. “I know you do, that’s why I spend all night partying.”

“Ha. You do it because you like it,” Justin said. “Indeed, I do. I guess the Stern genes run true in my case. I’m not meant to settle down.” “Like Papa?” Justin asked.

“Yes. I think that’s why he and Mom were so miserable,” Nate said.

“That and the fact that she was so … cold,” Cam added.

Nate turned away from his brothers. Their mother had never wanted children and had done her best to spend as little time with them as she could. It had affected them all in different ways. For Nate, it was that he didn’t trust women to really know their own emotions. He always knew that women were going to leave and they always did.

“I guess we all know what to do tonight,” Cam said. “How are your talks with the community leaders going?”

“Slow. I invited a few of them to join us for tonight’s show so they can see how much a part of Calle Ocho we are.”

“Good. Keep me posted,” Cam said.

“I will.”

Nate and his brothers went back downstairs. Standing in the nearly empty club, Nate glanced around at the decor. It was hard to tell from looking at the place that this had once been a cigar factory.

As a boy, he’d never thought about the future. Once he became a professional baseball player, he’d always just assumed that he’d continue playing until he was in his thirties and then transition to a sportscaster career. But when he’d been injured so young … his dreams had changed and morphed into this.

He wasn’t bitter about it. To be honest, he figured he’d ended up exactly where he needed to be and he was very happy about that.

“Nate?”

He turned to see T. J. Martinez standing in the foyer under the Chihuly glass ceiling. “T.J., my man. How was your flight down here?”

“Good. Very good. I’m ready for some action tonight. Ready to mix it up with you.”

“Me, too,” he said, shaking hands and giving the other man a one-armed hug. “I heard you signed up for dance lessons.”

“Mariah insisted that I take them. She said the teacher is the best and that I’d be an idiot to miss out on the classes. Of course, Paul said the teacher was hot.”

“You can see for yourself tonight. The first class starts in about thirty minutes. Do you want to have a beer?”

“Yes. I’ll catch you up on the team news. There’s a rumor that O’Neill is going to be traded.”

Nate led his friend to the bar and they chatted about baseball and the players they both knew. It was still early and the club wasn’t open to guests yet. But Nate wanted some private time with T.J.

Nate tried to concentrate on the conversation, but his mind kept drifting back to Jen. He didn’t attribute much to it, though. Sure she was sexy and spunky—two things he’d always been attracted to. And talking about baseball and his glory days always made him want to go on the prowl.

“Let’s go. Don’t want you to be late to your class.”

“Are you coming with me?”

“Yeah, why not? I haven’t been to a salsa class yet and as you mentioned, the teacher is … well-qualified.”

T.J. tipped his head back and laughed. Then they finished their beers and headed upstairs. There was no reason for Nate to be in this class except that he wanted to see Jen again. And that was all it took, he thought. That was a perk to being his own boss—he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

He walked in the door of the rehearsal room and Jen glanced up from a turn she was doing. Her hips were swaying and the pulsing sensual beat of the salsa music echoed in the background. He felt the rhythm of it down deep in his soul, and his shoulder started to throb the way it did when something big was about to happen. That old injury was like a dowsing rod for spotting trouble.

Two

The music swelled around her and for once a man distracted her. Well, that wasn’t true—she’d been distracted by men before but not like this. Nate Stern was making her conscious of each sway of her hips. She felt the material of her long skirt against her legs and when the side slit parted to reveal her thigh, she felt his gaze on her. His gaze.

Not another single person in the room was registering for her. Just him.

Why?

Why Nate Stern? This had disaster written all over it. She couldn’t be attracted to her boss. The last time she had been attracted to someone with authority over her it had ended badly.

Her sister Marcia would roll her eyes and say that Jen never learned. She had to learn, she thought. She couldn’t start over again.

To add to her troubles, Nate’s friend T.J. might be a rocking third-base player but he couldn’t find the rhythm of the songs she’d played to save his life. It shouldn’t be that hard. The strong Latin beat was easy to hear.

Alison was working with some students at the back of the classroom as Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” came on. She used her remote to pause the music. This was the song that the class danced to every evening to open the club. Then Alison and Jen would go into the back and come out twenty minutes later to do a flamenco routine.

“Okay. Is everyone ready to show us what you’ve learned?” Jen asked. “When you signed up for this lesson you probably didn’t realize it but you are going to be the stars of the opening number tonight.”

There were a few good-hearted groans from the men in the room and a smattering of applause.

“The important thing to remember about the music is that it is sensual. It reflects the rhythm of the night. You should feel it pulsing through you. And don’t worry about looking silly, you all look wonderful when you are dancing together.”

“I don’t think I can feel anything except when someone is going to try to steal third,” T.J. said.

“I have to agree, Mr. Martinez.”

“Call me T.J.,” he said with a charming grin that revealed his perfect white teeth.

“I will. Since you are our celebrity tonight we would like to invite you to lead the conga line into the room and then, of course, have the first dance.”

It was their standard procedure to ensure that the classes got the utmost attention. According to Nate Stern, it was a nice way to drive business to the lessons. Everyone wanted to be in a class with a celebrity.

“I don’t think I’m the right guy for that.”

Jen smiled at him. “I will make sure you are.”

She hit the button to turn the music back on and walked over to T.J. Nate was watching every move she made and she felt as if she had a spotlight on her body.

She gave him a pointed stare and he just grinned back at her. That was when she decided to show the annoyingly handsome man that she was made of tougher stuff than he thought she was.

She’d been dancing since she was thirteen. Let’s face it, she thought, there wasn’t a time in her life when men hadn’t been staring at her body. And tonight … well, tonight she wanted Nate to see her and to want her. She knew she was an okay-looking woman most of the time, but when she danced … she was beautiful.

“I’m not an athlete, T.J., so you will have to tell me, does baseball have its own cadence?”

He nodded. “It might, ma’am, but all I hear is the sound of the bat hitting the ball.”

She nodded, trying to think of another way to reach him. How was she going to make this work for him?

“Do you mind if I touch you? “

“Not at all,” he said with a grin.

She smiled back at him. Walking around behind him, she put her hands on his hips. “Just stay loose and let my hands move you.”

He nodded and she counted the beat of the music under her breath. And then she started to move his hips. He tried to move his feet but stumbled. “Just stay still and learn the beats.”

“I don’t think that method is working, Ms. Miller,” Nate said. “Let me show him how it’s done.”

She looked at her boss and then put her hands up and stepped back.

But instead of going to T.J., Nate came to her. He put his hands on her hips. “Move so I can feel the rhythm.”

His low tone was meant only for her ears and she responded to it. She counted the beat so he’d hear it as loudly as she did inside of her head and then she started to move.

Nate, unlike T.J., moved with an innate grace and natural ability that made dancing with him … well, not work. He put his hands in the proper position for the dance. One hand on her hips and the other holding her hand, his eyes met hers and the other people in the room faded away. In that one moment, Nate wasn’t her boss or some local celebrity.

He was her partner, her man, and she let the dance take over. Their gazes met and held as they danced. Nate understood sensuality, and in his arms she realized that she was more than the dance instructor.

The salsa was about heat and sex. It was a seduction, a promise of the evening to come. She felt the barriers she’d been trying to put into place to keep him back start to shake and then fall.

This man wasn’t going to let her keep him away if he wanted to be closer. And as the music faded and they stopped moving, she knew he did want to be near to her, or at least she knew that she wanted to be near to him. She wanted to feel his hands on her hips again. To feel his big hand holding hers and watch his dark obsidian eyes as they moved together to the music.

Nate didn’t know why he felt so possessive toward Jen. She was nothing more than a pretty face and an employee but when she’d touched T.J., he’d seen red. And he didn’t like that.

Once he held her in his arms, he knew what the problem was. He wanted her. And wanting her was complicating his rather simple plans for an enjoyable evening. But dancing together had also shown him that she was interested in him, too. She watched him, her gaze heated under his as they moved and when the music stopped, he started to pull her to a corner of the room.

But the applause stopped him and Jen bit her lower lip as she stepped back.

“That is what we need to see from everyone,” she said. “I’m going to observe you all dancing and then we will be ready for our big debut.”

“I don’t think I’m going to look like that,” T.J. said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nate said. “I’ll take your place. Unless you have an objection, Ms. Miller.”

Jen flushed and shook her head. “You are a very good partner, Mr. Stern.”

“Call me Nate,” he said.

She nodded. She turned her attention back to the class.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had something going with her?” T.J. asked.

“I don’t. That was just a dance.”

“That was sex on a cracker, man. That was so much more than a dance,” T.J. said. “I guess there is no chance for me.”

Nate shrugged. It was a connection, and one that he didn’t feel all the time, but he knew it wasn’t rare. It was just lust. Tonight he was on the prowl. Ms. Miller was attractive and there was something about her that made him curious. Maybe it was her mouth with the full lower lip that he knew would feel right under his. Or her nipped-in waist and long lean dancer’s body that he sensed would feel right in his arms.

Hell, he already knew that it felt right here. That she felt right when she moved with him. He wanted to explore it further but he was aware that he was her boss and long-term relationships weren’t his thing.

Which could make working together in the future a little uncomfortable.

“What are you thinking, man?”

“That women are complicated.”

T.J. laughed. “Understatement of the year. I don’t think I’m ever going to figure them out.”

“The dances?” Jen said coming over to the two of them. “You should probably stop chatting if you want to master them.”

“Sorry,” T.J. said. “I think I’m a lost cause.”

“I’m not ready to give up on you yet. Maybe Nate can help you with the footwork. He seems to know his way around the dance floor.”

“I think I’d rather practice with a beautiful woman than with this retired pitcher.”

“Ditto,” Nate said.

“Well, I have other students who need my attention as well. And I’m not getting through to you,” she said. “Nate, why do you think that is? “

He realized she was being sincere. She wanted to help T.J. and that was the first time he realized that the dance lessons were important to her. He’d been too busy looking at her body and watching her sensual moves to pay attention earlier.

“I’m not sure. T.J. is used to using his body as a blunt instrument and dancing is more subtle, isn’t it?” “Yes, I think you’re right. How about a line dance?”

T.J. groaned. “No. My sisters have tried rather unsuccessfully to get me to Electric Slide with them.”

She laughed. “Does liquor help? Some people can’t let go of their preconception that others are watching them dance until they have a few drinks.”

“Not even a keg of beer could relax me,” T.J. said. “But I appreciate your trying.”

“It’s my job.”

“And you are very good at it,” T.J. said. “I’d put a good word in with your boss but I think he already knows how good you are.”

Jen glanced over at him. “Does he?”

Nate nodded. “You are very good.”

He realized she was flirting with him just a little and he silenced the voice in the back of his head that had said she was off-limits. Her interest was all the permission he needed to pursue her.

She went back to the front of the classroom and told everyone to take a five-minute break. Then they’d practice the dance they were going to do to open the show one more time.

Nate followed Jen out of the room. She stopped in the hallway when she realized he was behind her.

“I’m sorry that T.J. isn’t getting the dance.”

“That’s fine. You’ve gone above and beyond trying to teach him.”

She nodded. “I’m not sure that you and I should dance together.”

“Why not?” he asked, stepping closer to her.

She wrapped one arm around her waist and tipped her head to the side. The high ponytail that held up her pretty brown hair brushed against her shoulder. He reached out to touch the end of it. Her hair was soft.

“That’s why,” she said. “I’m starting to forget you are my boss, Nate. And I like this job.”

“Dancing with me isn’t going to compromise your job,” he said. “Luna Azul doesn’t have a fraternization policy.”

She wrinkled her brow. “I know that. But if something …”

“What?”

“It would be awkward and I really like this job,” she said, then turned and walked away. And he let her leave realizing that she was concerned and that he had no idea who she was beyond a pretty girl that he was attracted to.

Jen wanted to just dance into the night with Nate. To pretend that her actions would have no consequences and that she could give in to the powerful attraction and that everything would be fine.

But she wasn’t the young girl she’d once been. And she’d paid the price for making a bad decision based on her desires before. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

It didn’t matter how nice he’d felt when he’d held her in his arms. Or how right they’d fit together as they danced. It didn’t matter.

But it did. She was always looking for a man who made her feel the way that Nate had when they’d danced together. It wasn’t just the dancing but how he’d kept her gaze and how they’d just instinctively found the rhythm of each other. That kind of dancing was rare and she wanted to do more than just salsa with him.

She wanted to pull him close while the soul-sex sounds of Santana played in the background. Stop it.

She needed this job. This was the new Jen Miller. No longer a creature who was ruled by what felt good or right, she now followed the rules. Put family first and was a good girl.

She had to remember that. Marcia had given her a place to stay when she’d needed it and she had promised her sister that she’d changed. That she’d embrace … well, being someone new.

Marcia had always thought that Jen was spoiled and to be honest, she was. She’d had talent from the age of eight. She’d been a dance prodigy and everyone had expected great things from her. And for Jen, those things had come easily.

Crashing at age twenty-six hadn’t been in her plans and leaving the competitive dance world behind hadn’t been, either. If she wanted to dance—and let’s face it, she didn’t know how to do anything else—then she needed to keep this job.

And that meant staying away from Nate Stern.

“You okay?” Alison asked, joining her in the hallway.

“Yes. I’m just trying to catch my breath before we go on.”

“You and Nate …”

“I know. We have dance chemistry.” “In spades. I think you should capitalize on it,” Alison said.

Sure, it was easy for her to say. She didn’t have to go out there and dance a sensual dance with a man who was all wrong for her.

“How?”

“Have him come back every night.”

“I doubt he has time for that. He’s a busy man,” Jen said. “Are you ready?”

“I am. Are you going to hang around and wait for XSU to perform?”

“Probably. You?”

“Yes. My boyfriend is meeting me here.”

“How’s it going with him—Richard, right?”

She nodded. “Pretty good. It’s not a forever thing, but we have fun together.”

Jen wanted that. Some guys she could have fun with and not lose her heart to. But she’d never been able to do it. Maybe it was simply the way she was wired but she didn’t do casual. That’s why Nate worried her.

If she could be like Alison and just have fun with him … why couldn’t she?

She was starting over—why not start over with her attitude toward men? Why not have some fun?

“How do you keep from caring too much?” Jen asked.

Alison shrugged. “He’s not the one so it’s just fun. I don’t think about anything except having a good time with him. If he’s too busy to make it to something I’m doing, I call someone else.”

Jen didn’t know if she could do that. She wanted to.

“Why?”

“I … I wish I could be like that.”

“You don’t even date,” Alison said. “We’ve known each other for eighteen months now and you haven’t met a guy for coffee.”

“I know. I’m just not into the casual scene but maybe I should be. I mean, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life alone.”

Alison smiled. “Want to come and hang with Richard and me tonight?”

Jen shook her head, then realized that she needed to do something different. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Richard always has his posse with him and there are at least two guys I know who will be interested in you.”

She swallowed. “What if I can’t do it?”

“Then it’s no biggie. They aren’t exactly looking for a commitment.”

She reentered the rehearsal room. Nate was standing off to one side, talking on his cell phone and she stared at him. And it hit her.

She didn’t want to just learn how to lighten up and have fun with any friend of Richard’s. She wanted to do it with Nate. He was the only reason why she was even considering changing her ways.

She wanted to spend more time with him but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Nate wasn’t a long-term dating kind of guy. He always had a new woman on his arm and he was always in the papers. He was an arm-candy kind of guy and she’d never been an arm-candy kind of girl.

Wanting to be with him was understandable. He was hot and flirty. He made dancing feel the way she wanted it to. And he had the kind of dark eyes that she could lose herself in. But that didn’t mean that she should pursue this any further than on the dance floor.

Hell, for all she knew he didn’t want her for anything other than publicity for the club. Shaking her head, she put on “Mambo No. 5” and got the class ready to conga out into the crowd as she heard Manuel, the deejay for the open-air room, start warming them up.

“Everyone get ready.”

“I know I am,” Nate said. She felt his hands on her hips and she stumbled over her first step. She stumbled! That never happened.

But Nate caught her, and his hands on her hips as she led the way into the main room were all she thought of. She knew whether it was wise or not she wasn’t going to deny herself the chance to get to know Nate better.

Because he was exactly her kind of man.

Three

Nate glanced around the crowded balcony club area and spotted just enough A-listers to make the party interesting. Leaning forward, he whispered in Jen’s ear.

“That’s Hutch Damien over there. Let’s get him in this conga line.”

“I don’t know him.”

“I do. Head over that way,” Nate said.

He directed Jen as the line snaked through the tables. She had no microphone on, the deejay did all the talking in this club getting patrons on their feet. She left the conga line and approached the velvet ropes.

“Wanna dance?” she asked in that flirty way of hers.

“I never turn a pretty lady down,” Hutch said with a grin. He hopped up and Nate moved back in the conga line to make room for him. The music swelled and Jen snaked through the room gathering up many of the people who all wanted to say they danced with Hutch Damien.

Hutch was a bona fide Hollywood superstar who’d started his career as a teenage rapper, but not with that hard-edged gangster rap—more of a sophisticated and fun sound that had him climbing the pop charts. He had movie-star good looks that he capitalized on to make films that people loved. And he was a genial guy.

Nate and he went way back to before his playing days when they’d both been rich boys at prep school. Since that image didn’t jibe with Hutch’s public persona of a rapper who made good, they seldom mentioned that fact to anyone.

Jen led them into the middle of the dance floor and then moved off to the side as the music ended and the deejay played “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira.

Nate left T.J. and Hutch on the dance floor as a group of women came up to dance with them and probably grab a picture or two on their cell phones.

Jen was nowhere to be seen forty-five minutes later. He sent a message to Cam checking in to see if there was anything he needed from him. Then he tweeted about the club, talking up Hutch and T.J. on the dance floor.

He pocketed his phone and sought out his friends in the VIP section. He quickly found Hutch and T.J. and sat down with them. But Nate couldn’t stay up here all night; he needed to make sure that there were celebrities throughout the club.

Nighttime was his busiest time but he loved it.

“Where you going?” Hutch asked him when he got up.

“We have a band performing downstairs.”

“Not until ten,” Hutch said, glancing pointedly at his watch.

Nate grinned sheepishly at his friend.

“There’s a girl …” T.J. said.

“There’s always a girl for our Nate.”

“Yes, there is always a girl. I think you’ll like her.”

“So she’s for me?”

“No,” Nate said. “She’s mine.”

“Fair enough, who is she?” Hutch asked.

T.J. took a sip of his rum and Coke and leaned over the edge of the table, his eyes skimming the dance floor. Jen was in the middle doing a flamenco dance. “There she is. The dark-haired one dressed in red.”

“Nice,” Hutch said. “She works here?”

“Yes,” Nate said, leaning back against the padding of the banquette. “Dance teacher.”

“What’s her name?” Hutch asked.

“Jen,” Nate said.

The fact that he was going to bring her up here said more than he wanted it to. His friends understood that he rarely invited someone who wasn’t a part of their group to join them. They were the same way. But Jen was different.

“I like her,” T.J. said. “She’s funny and knows how to move her body. And this one got jealous when she touched me.”

“I am not jealous of you,” Nate said.

That was one thing he’d never been. Even when he had been injured and had to quit playing ball he’d never envied those who still played. He didn’t waste time dreaming about what might have been. He lived his life to the fullest and if that sometimes meant he had to course correct then he did it.

“I know, man, just joshing with you. Go get your girl before she disappears,” T.J. said.

Nate glanced back at the dance floor. Sure enough, Jen and her assistant Alison were taking bows and leaving the club. For the night, he knew.

Nate stood up and walked through throngs of people in the club. He stopped to sign autographs for Yankees fans and posed for pictures with scantily clad women. He kept his smile in place even though he was impatient and wanted to get to Jen.

Cam texted him that there was some kind of problem with the guest list and Nate knew he needed to get down and take care of it, but he was afraid to miss Jen.

Afraid?

He shook his head and began making his way to the front desk instead of waiting for her. He walked down the grand staircase and looked at all the people crowding the dance floor and tried to take some satisfaction from it. This was his life. Luna Azul—the blue moon. Which had been the name of their father’s boat when they’d been growing up.

They spent long lazy summer days on that yacht, just his dad and his brothers. Away from their shrew mother’s demanding voice. Away from the shore where everyone wanted a piece of Jackson Stern, the PGA golf phenom. Away from the real world on the ocean where they could just be themselves.

And Nate had thought naming the club after that childhood oasis had been a stroke of genius, but then Cam was good about doing those kinds of things. Finding a connection between the past and the present.

He got to the VIP desk just as he caught a whiff of a familiar flowery scent. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Jen standing there.

“Sorry about this. I was told my sister and her friend would be able to get in tonight if I left their names here.”

“Of course they can,” he said, realizing that this was fate. Jen and he were destined to spend this night together.

Jen had been trying to avoid Nate. Having his hands on her hips during the conga had made her too aware of him. And she knew that she was on the verge of doing something stupid once again so, of course, there’d be a problem with Marcia and her friend getting into the club tonight. And it seemed fitting that Nate would be the one man they’d call to fix it.

“I’m so sorry,” she said again.

“It’s not a problem,” Nate said. He turned to Marcia and smiled at her. “I’m Nate Stern.”

“Marcia Miller, and this is my friend Courtney.”

“Pleasure, ladies. Give me a few minutes and I will get this straightened out,” he said.

He walked back over to the VIP desk and Jen wanted to disappear now while she still could. This was embarrassing. She didn’t want to bother him.

“Is this okay?” Marcia asked.

“Yes, it’s fine. Nate will take care of it.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Courtney said.

“I won’t,” Jen said. She hoped she was right. The club policy was that two comp tickets a month were issued to the employees and she hadn’t ever used hers. So she knew that she was technically in the right.

“It’s fine,” she said again.

Marcia reached over and rubbed her arm. “Nate Stern? Is he your boss?”

“Sort of. You know who Nate is, Marcia, don’t pretend you don’t.”

“I do. It’s odd that he seems to be handling operational things. I thought he was a playboy.”

Jen shrugged. “That’s his image and it works for the club but he’s doesn’t strike me as someone who’s just loafing around waiting for a free ride.”

“That’s reassuring,” Marcia said.

“I know it is.”

“How do you know him?” Courtney asked.

“He was in my dance class tonight … one of his friends had signed up and I guess he tagged along to make sure it went smoothly.”

“Has he done that before?” Marcia asked.

“No and I’ve had bigger celebs than T. J. Martinez in the class.”

“You had T.J.—”

“Yes, stop drooling, Courtney.”

“Ha. I’m not drooling, but he’s hot. You have the best job.”

“You’re just saying that because all you do is Excel spreadsheets all day.”

“Very true,” Courtney said. “He’s coming back.”

Jen glanced over her shoulder to see Nate walking toward them. He held up two tickets, which he handed to Courtney and Marcia. “Have fun, ladies.”

“We will. Thank you, Mr. Stern,” Marcia said.

“Call me Nate. And you should thank your sister. There was just a mix-up with the list you were on,” he said.

“Thanks, Jen,” Marcia said. “Are you coming with us?”

She nodded.

“Can I have a word before you go in?” Nate asked.

“I will meet you both inside in a few minutes,” she said to Marcia and Courtney.

As they left, she turned to Nate. “What’s up?”

“Do you have plans for this evening?”

She wrinkled her brow. “I’m meeting my sister and her friend.”

“I guess that sounded stupid,” he said.

“Just a little bit. Why did you ask?”

“I want you to join me.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I think you would be fun to hang with.”

She tipped her head to the side to study him. She wanted to say yes and thought about what Alison had said earlier about just having fun. She couldn’t ask for someone who knew how to party better than Nate.

“Okay.”

“Wow, did you really have to think on it?” “Yes,” she said. “I’m not … I don’t make snap decisions.”

“I’ll remember that. Do you need to check in with your sister?”

“Yes. Why don’t you come and hang with us for a little while?”

“That wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked. She had no idea why she’d agreed to this and she might be in over her head. She should have eased herself back into the dating scene with one of Courtney’s financial analyst friends or someone that worked at her sister’s law office instead of jumping straight from stay at home every night to Nate Stern.

“You and me burning up the dance floor.”

She looked up at him. “I’m not your kind of girl, you know that, right?”

“No, I don’t. I think you and I are going to get along very well.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said under her breath. But in for a penny in for a pound, she thought. She wanted this night and this man so she was going to go for it.

“Come on, Nate. See if you can keep up.”

He laughed a full robust laugh. It made her smile just to hear it. He was that kind of guy. The kind that knew how to enjoy life, and she realized she needed someone like that. She needed to learn how to go with the flow.

He took her hand in his big one and led the way into the club, over to where Marcia and Courtney waited. She tried to tell herself that she was in control of this but she had the feeling that Nate was and she wasn’t sure what the outcome would be.

Marcia and Courtney left at midnight but Nate wasn’t ready to let Jen go yet.

“Stay,” he said when they were in the lobby under the beautiful Chihuly glass sculpture depicting the night sky.

“I’m not sure that is wise,” she said. “I have to work tomorrow.”

“Not until the evening. Stay and play with me, Jen,” he said.

“I … okay, why not? What will we do now?”

“There’s an after-party for the band. It’s up in your court—the rooftop club.”

“Okay. But I can’t stay past two,” she said.

“I won’t hold it against you if you change your mind.”

“Are you really that confident of yourself?” she asked.

“Of course. I know that you are enjoying yourself and your sister told me that you don’t have enough fun.” “She said that?”

“Yes.”

“What else did she say?”

“That you were her little sister and she’d hurt me if I hurt you.”

Jen flushed. “She’s just overprotective. Our mom worked a lot when we were growing up and Marcia was the one who always had to watch me.”

“Some habits never die,” Nate said. “It’s the same with Cam and me.”

“I can see that about him. He’s like everyone’s older brother here.”

“He takes care of family. If you cross him … well, I wouldn’t.”

“Me, either,” Jen said.

“Do you know him well?” Nate asked. It seemed odd to him that he’d just met Jen today and that his brother might have known her longer.

“Not really. But he asked me to serve on the tenth anniversary celebration committee.”

“Yes, I am to be on that committee, too, so we will be seeing a lot more of each other.”

She glanced down and he wondered at her expression. But then T.J. came over and slung an arm around his shoulder. “Buddy, how’s it going?”

“Good,” he said, realizing T.J. was drunk. He was reluctant to stop talking to Jen, now that he was finally learning a little about her, but T.J. needed him.

“Let’s find a table to sit down and chat.”

“Nah, I’m making the rounds. Did I tell you that I’m a single guy again?”

Nate shook his head. “I heard it through the grapevine.”

“Everyone has,” T.J. said.

“I think I see a table in the back that will be nice. Why don’t you two go grab it and I’ll get us some drinks,” Jen said.

“Not a problem, Jen. As soon as we sit down, Steve will send my usual drink order over,” Nate said.

“I don’t think he’ll know what I want, so I will tell him and then join you both,” she said.

“Thanks,” Nate said, leading T.J. through the crowds to the table that Jen had spotted. T.J. was rambling a little about being single again.

“I hate it, man. I’m not like you. I don’t like the party life. I want to go home with the same woman every night. Have a nice little house in the suburbs, ya know?”

Nate patted him on the shoulder. “I do know. It will work out when you find the right girl.”

“The right girl? I doubt there is one out there. We don’t meet nice girls, ya know?”

Nate started to agree but then glanced up to see Jen walking toward them. He thought that they did meet nice girls in their lives but they never knew how to treat them. And he was torn for the first time in recent memory. He wanted to be more of a gentleman for Jen than he normally was but he had the feeling that it was too late for that. He scarcely remembered how to be a gentleman.

“I don’t think guys like you and me know what to do with a nice girl.”

“Could be,” T.J. said as he looked at Jen. “Did you tell the bartender to bring me another rum and Coke?”

“No, sorry. I told him Coke straight up.”

“I need the rum, Jen. I think I could samba better with rum.”

“I don’t know about that. And I was teaching you the salsa.”

“Damn. I guess I’m not impressing you,” T.J. said. “You already have when I watch you play,” she said.

“I am a hot third-base player.” “You are a stud on the baseball diamond,” Nate agreed.

“I am. I think I’m going to head over to the bar and see if I can get them to add a little rum to this Coke,” he said. “Not that I don’t appreciate the thought, Jen.”

“No problem,” she said.

T.J. got up and left the table. Nate watched his friend go and hoped that he’d find some kind of peace in the alcohol.

“Thanks for giving us a minute,” Nate said.

“It’s okay. I have friends, too. I know how it is when you need some privacy with them,” she said.

“Sit down,” he said, gesturing to the seat next to him.

“I was thinking I should head out,” she said.

“Why? What changed your mind?”

She sat down in the chair next to him perching on the edge of the seat. “This isn’t my scene.”

“Why not? It’s not different than being downstairs with your sister,” Nate said.

“Maybe not to you, but this isn’t my crowd of people. There are celebs everywhere and people are taking photos with them and I think there are only two groups here.”

“What are they?”

“Those who belong and those who are hanging on. And I don’t want to be that,” Jen said.

She reached over and took his hand in hers and he noticed how delicate her fingers looked with those long pink nails of hers. “I like you, Nate, but this is your world, and being here for just a short time has shown me that I don’t belong in it.”

“You could if I invited you in.”

“I could,” she said. “But for how long?”