Chapter Five
Dylan
Two weeks later and Bethany was still on my mind. It didn't make sense that I would keep thinking of someone I hardly knew; no matter how tightly she was tied to some of my favorite childhood memories.
It made a little more sense when I took a minute to remember what she looked like now. Bethany was gorgeous. Conservative and prim, far from my normal type but that didn't stop my body from responding.
There was just something about her.
I laughed it off at first but my mind kept tugging me back to Bethany. Even as I parked my gleaming old Fiat and walked around front of the shop, my mind was weighing the chances of ever seeing her again.
Then I saw a trampled playing card on the sidewalk: the three of hearts. It reminded me of the silly, hand-slapping game Bethany and I used to play as children. I couldn't remember the rules, it was just a flash of memory, but my fond sense of that day was strong enough to have Bethany's childhood laugh ringing in my ears.
I hauled open the shop door but not even Joey's blaring punk rock could knock her out of my head. He tapped the handle of a socket wrench against a dead spark plug he'd just pulled.
"You've got no rhythm," I told him.
Joey laughed. "And you've got no sense of time. I told you I got us a table at D'Monti's at 10:30."
I groaned. It was ten o'clock at night and all I wanted to do was clear my desk of paperwork, so I wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning. Joey had been distracted all week with a much-loved McLaren but the repairs must have been ahead of schedule. He was dressed and ready to go out.
"There's oil on your shirt. You should change," I said.
"I had a smock on. What? You can't handle how good I look?" Joey modeled the black shirt with its flashing faux snakeskin.
I wandered over to whistle at the McLaren's now-spotless engine. "I don't know why you want to go out, Joey. You never have any luck."
He popped the hood down and shook his head. "It's not for me, man. You've been moping around here for almost two weeks. We gotta get your head cleared before that Valkyrie arrives."
"Speaking of that, I better go send that client the rest of the paperwork."
Joey caught my arm and waggled a finger at me. "No way. We're getting you out of this funk tonight. Get changed. Something nice. It's D'Monti's!"
He shoved me toward the office where he knew full well I kept a few changes of clothes. Working in a mechanic's shop never failed to provide multiple stains, and I always had fresh-pressed shirts and clean dress pants hanging behind the door.
"All right," I grumbled. "But I'm driving."
Joey had another client's bright orange Ferrari Spyder ready to go by the time I changed clothes. I tucked in my shirt and slipped into the driver's seat. The valets at D'Monti's must have seen us coming from half a mile away because they had cleared a prime spot at the curb by the time we pulled up.
Joey took care of the young guys with his usual loud flourish and then marched me straight up to the front doors.
"What's the story here, guys?" the bouncer growled.
"You're telling me I called ahead and you're still gonna give me this crap?" Joey stepped up toe-to-toe with the bouncer even though his balding head only came up to the man's chin. "This is Dylan Wylde. As in Wylde Rides. As in half the NFL just asked him to customize their new sports cars with team color racing stripes."
The bouncer looked over Joey's head and gave me a minute nod. "Apologies, Mr. Wylde."
Joey pushed through the velvet ropes and led the way into the pulsing club. I took a deep breath and followed, promising myself I'd escape after just one drink.
And then I saw her.
Bethany backed away from her bouncy blonde friend. They were just inside the doorway, and it was obvious the women wanted to go in separate directions. The short woman grabbed Bethany by the arm and tugged her toward the bar. I just happened to be in the line of fire when Bethany shot a desperate look back at the front doors.
Her mouth formed a perfect circle as she gave a surprised, 'oh!' The club music drowned it out, but I felt as if I could hear her holding her breath.
I reminded myself to breathe and sidestepped Joey to join her. "I hope you're not leaving yet," I said.
"Not before she has a drink. Anyone who spends eighteen hours in an office has to have a nightcap before they go home," her friend declared.
I laughed and offered Bethany my arm. "Then how about I buy you that drink?"
"Better yet, why don't you lovely ladies join us? I have a table reserved on the mezzanine." Joey elbowed his way into the conversation.
I rubbed my sore ribs and gave Bethany an apologetic smile. "I'm not sure they're planning on staying long."
"Nonsense." Joey scooped up both women's hands and looped them through his arms. "The night is still young and so are we."
"Are you?" the pert blonde asked.
Joey laughed. "Maybe not but you're making me feel like a teenager again, sweetie."
"My name's Annie."
I trailed after them as Joey turned to ask Bethany her name. He stopped short, and I almost bumped into his broad back.
"Bethany? You're Bethany?" Joey shot me a look over his shoulder.
Bethany glanced back with one raised eyebrow, and I fought the urge to trip Joey flat on his face. "I mentioned to him how we met the other night and how familiar you looked."
Annie stopped, slipped out of Joey's grasp, and turned to beam at me. "Dylan! I was wondering if we'd run into you again. I didn't see you behind your buddy here."
Bethany's blush appeared even in the nightclub's dim interior. "I told her about running into you the other night."
"When was that?" Joey asked. "About two weeks ago?"
I didn't like the measuring glance Joey gave me. He seemed to find my lack of smooth chatter very telling.
I cleared my throat. "How about we get these lovely ladies a drink? It sounds like Bethany had a really long day at the office."
Joey caught Annie's arm again and left Bethany to walk with me. Bethany fell in step with me but did not reach out to clasp my arm.
"Tell your friend Annie that I'm sorry. Joey's kind of a handful," I said.
Bethany let out a tight laugh. "Then they'll get along just fine."
"How about you?" I offered Bethany a hand as she slipped into a chair at our reserved table. "I don't think I'd be fine after eighteen hours in the office."
Bethany shrugged and gave me a shy smile. "I like my job, so I don't mind the hours."
"And what is it exactly that you do?" I hitched the chair next to her closer, so I could hear over the club music.
"I'm a lawyer," she said.
Annie gave an indignant snort. "She's a little bit more than that. She's just been assigned a big case as a First Assistant District Attorney."
Joey whistled. "She's way out of your league, man."
I ignored my friend and studied Bethany's self-conscious face. "That's fantastic. Congratulations. Any chance I can get one of your business cards?"
Bethany blinked. "Why? Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Joey laughed. "Not anymore. Mr. Straight and Narrow just likes to be prepared."
"I bet he just wants contact information for you," Annie joked. "Better hand one of your cards over."
Bethany looked pained but finally dug into her tidy little purse. "My job's really just a bunch of research. Nothing glamorous like yours."
"What? Have you been checking up on me?" I plucked her business card from her hand and slipped it into my breast pocket.
"I was curious," Bethany confessed. "And it looks like you've been doing pretty fantastic yourself."
"Well, he has help," Joey said.
Bethany nodded. "Me, too. I'm really just a part of a team. It's the District Attorney's case."
"No!" Annie stood up. "We are not letting the District Attorney take up anymore of your time. Let's dance!"
Bethany and I both protested but Joey and Annie were an unstoppable team. They herded us down to the dance floor and then disappeared into the seething center. Bethany hung back until a new wave of dancers bumped her into my arms.
"Sorry!" she said. "I'm not much of a dancer."
"We can make it work." I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer. I told myself it was just to keep her safe from the jostling crowd but really the press of her body was heating up my blood.
The music was hypnotic, and the dance floor seemed like an entirely different world. Bethany's dark brown eyes gleamed up at me and her fingers curled into my shirt front. Her slim hips swayed under my hands and the temperature hiked up at least five degrees.
"What?" I asked. I leaned down and wrapped Bethany closer.
She shook her head, a tight smile just inches from my chin. "I didn't say anything."
"Oh." I couldn't straighten up, couldn't pull myself from the sweet gravity of her lips.
Bethany's hands slipped up to my shoulders, her chin tipping up to keep her eyes trained on mine. "Thanks for dancing with me."
"My pleasure."
I held my breath, wanting so badly to dive into her shy smile. Every pulse of my body wanted to kiss her. Just a quick brush of my thirsty lips against the demure curve of her mouth. My gut flooded with heat at the thought.
What if she kissed me back?
Bethany wasn't pulling back; there wasn't anything stopping me. Just the overwhelming certainty that once I started I wouldn't be able to stop.
The music changed to a catapulting crazy rhythm, and the crowd jostled us out of our close embrace.
Bethany glanced at her watch as her hand slipped off my shoulder. "I didn't know it was so late," she called out over the music.
I escorted her off the dance floor but held on to her hand. "How about I finally get you that drink?"
Bethany shook her head, and her eyes slid to the front doors again. "I really should be in bed. I mean, getting some sleep. I have to get back to work early in the morning."
She flagged down Annie, who was still being flung around the dance floor by Joey. The two women communicated in a quick flurry of hand gestures that I didn't understand.
"Want me to walk you out? Do you have a ride home?" I asked.
Bethany shook her head. "I'm fine. It was nice to see you again, Dylan."
She disappeared, and it took me two stiff drinks to face Joey and Annie again. They were back at the mezzanine table and arguing over the best drink garnishes.
"Who doesn't love a lemon twist?" Annie asked.
"Not me," Joey said. "I've got a sweet tooth."
I groaned as Joey waggled his eyebrows at Annie and she laughed.
"You scared her away?" Joey asked.
Annie gave me a sympathetic smile. "I was lucky she agreed to come at all."
"I'm glad you came." Joey waggled his eyebrows at Annie again.
"Sorry to interrupt but I'm going to call a cab. You got the Ferrari?" I asked Joey.
Annie put a tiny hand over his drink. "I'll make sure he's sober because I'm definitely getting a ride home in that car."
I waved goodbye and made my way outside. It was tempting to call Bethany instead of a cab, and I paced down to the corner before pulling out my phone.
"I don't care, Jasmine! No more excuses. You either do it or I'll really give you something to cry about." A harsh voice interrupted my internal struggle.
The diminutive blonde glanced at me with mascara-smudged eyes. I recognized her from the night I ran into Bethany. A large, muscular man had her upper arm in a vise grip, and he shook her to punctuate his threat.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he barked.
I stepped in without another thought and didn't see the first swing coming. The man spun around with the reflexes of a boxer and connected one ham-sized fist with my shoulder.
Jasmine screamed and tried to pull him off, but the man shoved her into a dumpster and kept coming.
"Never mind," he snarled at her. "I'll take care of it myself."
He advanced toward me and curled his fingers into heavy fists. I circled around until I was between him and the terrified blonde and then stood my ground. I'd held my own in plenty of brawls but this guy was harder than granite and grinned whenever he landed a punch.
By the time the police arrived, I saw triple the amount of lights flashing on their squad cars. It took three officers to pry him off me, and even then, I was somehow the one in trouble.
"He was threatening her. I was just trying to help," I told the police.
The officer on my left snorted. "His breath smells like whiskey. I buy the other guy's story."
"What story?" I cried.
"You tried to jump him in the alley. His girl there backs up his story. You're under arrest…"
I didn't hear the rest of my rights as a bright buzzing started in my head. Jasmine mouthed 'I'm sorry' but none of the officers saw her. Two crammed me in the back of the police cruiser while the other one took the meathead's statement.
It wasn't until I heard the phrase 'aggravated assault' that my stomach dropped. The cruiser started, and I was on my way to a holding cell.
My head felt like a thick thundercloud, and I couldn't think straight. What in the hell had happened? The only silver lining was now I had a legitimate reason to call Bethany.