The Ladies of TLC
Their meals arrived, and they continued swapping stories of their scorching love lives.
Outside the restaurant, the three women hugged.
“Have a safe trip, Mia,” Savannah said. “And I’ll be in touch if I can use your help.”
“Yeah, take care, sis.” Dani kissed her cheek. “What is Steven going to do while you’re gone?”
“Miss me.” She rocked her head to the side. “I intend to wear the brother out before I leave. Make sure it holds him over until I get back.”
“Now that’s gangsta,” Dani teased.
“See you guys in two weeks.” Mia waved as she headed down the street to where her car was parked.
Savannah turned to face Danielle. “Let me know when you have some free time. I’m going to call Jean in the morning and try to set up a meeting as soon as possible.”
“You know me. I’m my own boss. My schedule is pretty light this week with photo shoots. I have a couple of location shots, but that’s it.”
“Great. So as soon as I get it set up, I will give you a call.”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks, Dani, I really appreciate this.”
“Hey, that’s what superspy friends are for, right?” she teased.
“Yeah, exactly.”
When Danielle returned to her apartment, it was empty. She was surprised that Nick wasn’t there. He hadn’t mentioned he was going out.
She tossed her purse on the table in the hall and deposited her keys in the glass bowl right next to it before heading to the kitchen for an ice-cold beer.
She took her beer and went to the so-called second bedroom, which served as her office/darkroom. There should be a law against false advertising, she thought, as she flipped on the light. When she’d read the ad for the “spacious two-bedroom apartment” some five years ago, she was expecting spacious. Well, the “second bedroom” was about eight feet long and five feet wide. The only person who could sleep in there was a midget. If you put a full-size bed in the room you’d have to walk over it to get in and out! So she’d converted it to a tiny office space with a flat-screen computer, a small desk and her photography equipment, which was stored in the closet. With a few shelves mounted on the wall, it actually became a functional space.
Danielle had a photo shoot scheduled for the following morning and wanted to go over the shot schedule. There were five models involved in the shoot for a new designer who was launching a line for the fall. They were going to set up in the Central Park Zoo so that the caged animals could serve as a backdrop.
The weather for the next day was set to be in the high seventies, which would make for a very uncomfortable day for the models and the crew.
She went down her list of supplies for the day, making sure to include two cases of water and an ice cooler.
The front door opened and shut, and the sound of male voices filled the front room.
Danielle pushed her papers aside and went to the front room.
“Hey, hon,” Danielle greeted Nick, as she strolled up to him in the living room and kissed him lightly on the lips. She turned to their guest. “Bernard…”
“Good to see you again, Danielle.”
She’d met Bernard Hassell several weeks earlier at a get-together at Mia’s house. Bernard was a dead ringer for Billy Dee Williams and the current love interest of Claudia, Savannah’s mother.
“You, too, Bernard.” Her brow wrinkled ever so slightly. “Where did you two hook up?”
“At the gym,” Nick said. “Well, as I was going to the gym. Bernard was walking by on his way to this new spot, Pause for Men. He invited me to join him.” Nick grinned. “The place is fabulous. Full spa, exercise rooms, saunas—the works—and a health-food cafe.”
Bernard hooked his thumb over his shoulder toward Nick. “I think Pause just got a new member.” He chuckled lightly.
Dani eyed Bernard. “Wow, no wonder you stay in such great shape,” she teased.
Bernard grinned and made a slight bow. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Can I offer you something to drink?” she asked, moving toward the kitchen.
“We were gonna grab a couple of beers and catch the end of the game,” Nick said, pecking her cheek. “How was the afternoon with the girls?”
“Fine,” she answered absentmindedly, trying to wrap her mind around the odd matchup of her man with one old enough to be his dad. “Well, I’ll leave you boys to your games. Good to see you again, Bernard,” she said before returning to her office.
Once inside, she closed the door behind her and dialed Mia on her cell.
“Hey, Dani, whatsup?”
Danielle cut a quick glance toward the closed door, then spoke in a harsh whisper. “Guess who’s here?”
“What? Why are you whispering?”
“Put your damned glasses on so you can hear me!”
“Not funny. Abuse I don’t need,” Mia said haughtily. “Now, speak up.”
Danielle blew out an exasperated breath. “Bernard is here.”
“Who?”
“Bernard! Claudia’s Bernard.”
“Savannah’s mom, Claudia?”
“Yes!” she hissed.
“Why? Did something happen to Claudia?”
“No. He’s hanging out with Nick, of all things. They met at some spa.” She shook her head in bewilderment.
“Soooo…the problem is…?”
“Don’t you think it’s odd? I mean, Bernard is…older.”
Mia laughed. “Guys aren’t like women, D. They bond over all sorts of stuff, sports, video games. Age isn’t an issue with them.”
“Hmm, I guess…”
“Besides, didn’t you say Nick lost his dad when he was a teen?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe Bernie’s like a substitute or something.”
“You’re probably right. I’m making something out of nothing.”
“Bet they’re watching a game and drinking beer.”
Danielle giggled. “Exactly.”
“See what I mean? Anyway, relax. I need to pack. And don’t forget if you and Savannah need my help…”
“I know, sis. Thanks.”
“Good luck. I mean that.”
“Thanks. Safe travels.”
“Safe spying.”
That was what she should be focused on, Danielle reasoned as she disconnected the call—working her first undercover assignment.
She couldn’t wait to meet Jean.
The sounds of male laughter drifted into the bedroom. Even with Mia’s wise words about male bonding, she still couldn’t shake her misgivings about Bernard. It was nothing that she could actually put her finger on. He was nice enough and obviously Claudia cared about him. But he simply seemed too good to be true: handsome, smooth talking, well put-together for a man of his age, and he seemed to have plenty of time on his hands. What did he do for a living? How could he afford a fancy spa like the one they were talking about, and where did he come from, anyway? She was probably overanalyzing, seeing ghosts in the closet when there weren’t any. She pushed her wayward thoughts about Bernard Hassell to the back of her mind, at least for the time being. She had more pressing matters to concentrate on. Her first assignment. She grinned with anticipation.
Chapter 3
It was three nerve-racking days before Savannah heard from Jean with a date for the meeting.
“Do I look okay?” Danielle asked for the tenth time in as many minutes as they drove to the Cartel brownstone.
“Dani, I swear, if you ask me just one more time…”
“I want to make a good impression.”
“You’ll be fine. And when have you not made a good impression?” She paused, frowned slightly. “Well, there was that time in the restaurant in Chelsea when your name wasn’t on the reservation list, and the time you got into a shouting match with that model’s agent during a photo shoot, and the time…”
Danielle held up her hand. “All right, all right! I’ll behave. I get it.” She huffed and folded her arms.
“What I’m trying to say, sweetie, is you always look fabulous, but you simply have to keep your temper in check and be, uh, more diplomatic.”
Of the trio, Danielle was notorious for flying off the handle at the drop of a hat, and it didn’t take much for her to feel slighted. But most of her flare-ups occurred when she felt one of her friends was being mistreated or the people she expected to fall in line, such as staff, support people and…well, the general public, didn’t live up to what she expected of them. But if you ever wanted anyone in the trenches with you, it was definitely Danielle. She would go down swinging and still look incredible.
“I want to make a good impression,” Danielle finally said, looking uncharacteristically uncertain. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth.
“You’ll be fine.” Savannah reached across the gears and squeezed Danielle’s hand. “I promise.”
Danielle looked into Savannah’s eyes and saw the confidence there. She drew in a long breath. “Thanks.”
“Here we are.”
Danielle peeked out the window at the very stately four-story brownstone, which looked like all the other well-taken-care-of homes on the restored block. “This is it?”
Savannah chuckled. “What did you expect? The Batcave?” She unfastened her seat belt and got out. “Come on.”
Danielle followed Savannah to the ground-floor entrance of the house.
“See that house across the street?” Savannah said, lifting her chin toward the house.
“You mean, where that F-I-N-E man is going in followed by another one?”
“Yes, it’s a day spa for men.”
“Get out.”
“Yep, run by four women, best friends.”
“What? Wait a minute. Is it called Pause for Men?”
“Yeah, why?” She pressed the bell. A chime echoed gently in the background.
“Uh, nothing. I think I heard about it somewhere.” That sounded like the same spa that Bernard had taken Nick to, she thought. She’d have to make sure, and if it was, hopefully she wouldn’t have to come to headquarters too often. That could get pretty sticky. And she certainly wasn’t about to mention anything to Savannah to give her or Jean a reason not to give her this assignment.
The door opened. Savannah recognized Margaret, the woman the Cartel had honored the previous month for having been responsible for shutting down a senior retirement home in Brooklyn that had been abusing the seniors.
“Hi. We’re here to see Jean.”
“Come in. Come in. Good to see you again, Savannah,” the middle-aged Cartel member said with a warm smile. Tiny laugh lines fanned out from the corners of her blue eyes.
“Margaret, this is Danielle Holloway.”
Margaret stared at her for a long moment then turned to Savannah. “Looks like she has what it takes.” She winked. “It’s all in the eyes. Make yourselves comfortable a moment. I’ll let Jean know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Margaret,” Savannah said with a light laugh.
“That was weird,” Danielle said under her breath. “Did you see how she looked at me?”
Savannah waved her hand in dismissal. “That’s one of the top agents. She’s been with the Cartel since the beginning, and she’s Jean’s right hand. Definitely someone you want on your side, and if she says you’ve got what it takes, then you’ve got it.”
“If you say so,” Danielle murmured, glancing up at the twelve-foot ceiling and the incredible crystal chandelier that looked like something out of a holiday movie. She slowly strolled around the massive room and took in the decor.
Antique furnishings dotted the enormous room. Sunshine spilled across the sparkling parquet floors from eight-foot-long windows treated with sheer white curtains billowing ever so gently from the light breeze. An oak mantle with a massive fireplace was the centerpiece of the room, reminiscent of the great party days of old Harlem.
Margaret appeared in the doorway as silently as she’d left. “Jean is ready for you,” she said.
She led them upstairs, turned right at the top of the landing and walked down a long hallway that was lined on either side with photographs of Cartel members. Danielle caught a glimpse of Savannah’s mother, Claudia, and just before Margaret tapped on the partially opened door, Danielle saw a picture of a smiling Savannah.
Wow, it’s like going to the White House or somewhere prestigious and seeing the rows of presidents hanging on the walls, she thought, then she wondered if her picture would wind up there one day.
Margaret opened the door, stepped aside and let Savannah and Danielle pass. “Good luck,” she whispered to Danielle before closing the door behind her.
The room was dimly lit by an antique lamp on a desk behind which Jean sat. Outdoor sunshine was blocked by the heavy brocade drapes, in sharp contrast to the floor below.
“Ladies.” Jean took off her pink-framed glasses and stood. “Thank you for coming. Please have a seat.” Her radiant red hair fell in soft waves around her delicate face to brush her shoulders.
Danielle noticed that her skin was almost translucent as a trickle of perspiration shimmied down the center of her own spine even though the air-conditioning was running at optimum level. She took a seat opposite Jean and next to Savannah. She crossed her ankles and drew in a long, calming breath, then put on her best smile.
“How are you feeling these days, Savannah?”
Savannah gently patted her barely noticeable baby bump. “If I can get past these first three months, I just might survive.”
Jean offered a lukewarm smile. “Children.” Her right brow flicked reflexively. “They never factored into my life—always busy traveling, getting from one assignment to the next.” She sighed. “Now it’s too late.”
“I’m sorry,” Savannah offered.
“Oh, don’t be,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I’d make a terrible mother. I don’t have a nurturing bone in my body.” She turned her attention to Danielle. “Ms. Holloway.” She said it in such a way that it hung in the air, more like an accusation than a greeting.
Danielle swallowed and offered a tight-lipped smile, feeling as if she’d been caught with her top off in the boys’ locker room with the captain of the basketball team. “It’s good to meet you.”
“I’m sure that Savannah told you this is completely against protocol. This is not how we recruit members.” She tossed Savannah a sharp look, and Savannah adjusted her behind in her seat. “However, because Savannah did such an excellent job on her first assignment and was recruited by her mother, whom I hold in the highest regard…” She drew in a breath, then on the exhale said, “I’ve decided after much deliberation and consultation, to consider your admittance.”
Danielle felt her lungs fill with air and realized that she’d been holding her breath. She almost broke out in laughter, she was so relieved.
“However, you have no skills. You haven’t been trained. Ideally I should be using one of our more seasoned members, but I wanted Savannah for this job. Obviously she can’t handle it now, and because you and Mia Turner were so integral to resolving the land fraud deal, I think that you would be a perfect substitute.”
“Thank you.” I think.
“You’re going to have to take a crash course. We don’t have much time to get you up to speed. You will need to master in two weeks what would normally take two to three months. If I’m satisfied with your progress at the end of the training, you’ll get your kit and be briefed on the details of the assignment.”
“Is she always like that?” Danielle asked once they were safely inside Savannah’s car.
Savannah grinned. “Like what?”
“So…distant, no-nonsense and…cold.” She fastened her seat belt.
“In her position, I think you have to be. She has a lot of responsibility.”
“You think she has a man in her life?”
“You would ask something like that,” she said, laughing. “Why?”
“Just figured if she had a man, it would loosen the lines around her mouth.”
Savannah cracked up. “Girl, you are terrible.”
“Just honest. Anyway,” she continued as Savannah pulled off, “what does this training entail?”
“Well…”
It was nearly nine by the time Danielle got home. She’d told Nick that she was going with Savannah after work to look at cribs.
“Hey, babe,” Nick said from the archway of the kitchen. He brushed a damp lock of hair away from his forehead and stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist. His torso was a series of hard ripples, his slightly tanned skin glistening with water where the towel had missed. His eyes sparkled and crinkled at the corners when he smiled, which was often.
Danielle’s heart sputtered in her chest, and that butterfly feeling in the center of her stomach went on a rampage. Just looking at Nick and having him look at her with such love and lust in his eyes made her weak all over.
She tossed her bag on the counter and slowly approached him. He leaned against the frame of the door. She stood right in front of him, barely a breath away, and pressed the palms of her hands against his chest.
Nick lowered his head, brushed her fluttering eyelids with his lips.
Danielle felt the heat tap out a rhythm between her thighs.
Nick snaked an arm around her waist, his other hand cupped the back of her head. His mouth dragged down her upturned face, planting kisses until he reached her lips; then he took her mouth in movie close-up fashion, slow, soft and sure.
Danielle’s body vibrated. She sighed into his mouth as his tongue played with hers.
Nick pulled her tightly against him. Dani groaned, feeling the bulge of his erection press firmly against her stomach.
He lifted his mouth from Danielle’s. Her eyes remained slightly parted, then fluttered open. Nick’s lips curved upward.
“And how was your day?” he teased, stroking her back.
Danielle pressed her head against his chest. “It just got better, but I need to get settled.”
“No problem. I fixed dinner. Come on out when you’re ready.”
She tilted her head back, looked into his inky dark eyes and lost herself in the light that danced in their depths.
“I…I’m crazy about you,” she whispered over the sudden tightness in her throat.
For a nanosecond she caught the flash of disappointment that passed across his gorgeous face and dimmed his eyes. Then it was gone, and that half smile that always made her melt was in place.
“I know.” His gaze locked with hers, seeing beyond her words.
Danielle tugged in a breath. “I’ll be out in a few.” She picked up her purse from the hall table and walked toward their bedroom. She plopped down on the side of bed and took off her shoes.
A sense of exhilaration rippled through her. She had her first assignment—well, almost—and she couldn’t wait to get started with her training. Two weeks, humph, she could handle it. Piece of cake.
She got up from the bed and began to take off her clothes. Walking into the bathroom and turning on the shower, she wondered how she was going to handle Nick, especially if he was going to the spa right across the street. Geez, how freaky was that?
Not only did she and Nick live together, but they also worked together as fashion photographers. Their days were busy, often grueling yet at the same time exciting. They loved what they did and were as passionate about their work as they were about each other. The adrenaline rush that they felt all day while shooting those perfect shots, getting the lighting just right to frame the model, spilled over into the bedroom, where they strove for the perfection that would run them all day as they watched the other work—Nick getting turned on watching Danielle style the set, then get behind the lens to capture the moment, or Dani as she looked on while Nick, now behind the camera, coaxed and cooed at the models to bring out that special something that would pop on film.
Maybe that was what made their lovemaking so intense, so passionate and earth-shaking, Danielle thought, as she stepped under the rush of water. The need that built up between them all day exploded at night.
She knew their relationship was more than great sex. There were feelings involved. Nick was in love with her. She knew it, she felt it, he admitted it.
She also knew that she had deep feelings for Nick. She felt it deep in her soul. It was probably love—something she admitted hesitantly to Savannah and Mia but never to Nick. She couldn’t. If she did, it would become real—and if it was real, it could hurt her and she could lose again.
Danielle lathered her body with her favorite mango body wash, running her hands over her smooth skin. They settled for a moment over her flat stomach.
Life once bloomed there. Once. Not even Savannah or Mia knew. She never spoke about it. Too painful. Because, of course, if she said it out loud, it would be real and that devastating reality she wouldn’t deal with.
So she kept that dark part of her life buried so deep beneath the surface that she hardly thought about it, especially because she could cover it all up with beauty, excitement, work—and now Nick Mateo.
Danielle stepped out of the shower stall and wrapped herself in a thick, pearl-gray towel. Before leaving, she caught a glimpse of herself in the foggy mirror. The ethereal image evoked a sense of illusion—something or someone being there but not quite. That was her. That was her life.
She opened the door and the cool rush of air blew in, dissolving the steam. Her image cleared. The hazy edges evaporated. There she stood, the way the world saw and knew her. She looked away.
“You and Savannah find a crib?” Nick asked before he lifted a forkful of penne pasta swathed in primavera sauce to his mouth.
“Crib?” For a moment, Danielle had no clue what he was talking about.
“Yeah, you said you two were going crib shopping.”
“Oh.” She laughed, hoping to cover her gaff. “Yes, uh, we looked around. There were a couple that she really liked.” She kept her gaze focused on her mixed-green salad.
Nick angled his head a bit to the right. “Are you okay? You seem out of it since you got home.”
She forced herself to look at him, and her heart hammered in her chest as the lie flowed smoothly from her lips. She shrugged, then reached across the small table and covered his hand. “You know the kind of day we had, and then all that walking around from store to store this evening. I don’t know how Savannah does it, but I’m beat. That’s all.”
Nick stared at her a moment.
“For real,” she insisted with a smile.
“Okay.” He paused. “If something was wrong, you’d tell me, right?”
“Of course.”
It was the first lie and, like scalding water it burned her tongue, and she knew it was only the first of many.
“Are you all set for your shoot tomorrow?” she asked, switching to a neutral topic.
“Yeah.” He dipped his bread in the sauce and took a bite. “I’m going to the site early to check on the final details.”
“If I can finish in time with my meeting with Michael Preston, I’ll stop by. I’m determined to get the account to photograph the ads for his new line.”
Nick chuckled. “I love when you get that little bass in your voice and that kick-ass look in your eye.”
“Very funny,” she said, failing at sounding offended.
“It’s one of the things I love about you, Dani, that fierce determination, knowing what you want and going after it.”
Her gaze dragged over the planes and valleys of his face. That determination that he spoke of was instilled in her as a child growing up in a mixed-heritage household, filling out countless applications and checking “other” for ethnicity, never wanting to negate one parent’s heritage for the other and living a life walking that fine line. All of that made her determined to be somebody on her own, independent of tags and labels.
Often she believed that stubborn streak of independence kept her from allowing anyone to get too close, beneath the surface, only to discover that she was no more than a confused girl who was searching for her identity.
She reached over and with the tip of her finger wiped a spot of sauce from the corner of Nick’s mouth.
He took her hand and kissed her fingertips, and she silently hoped that when the investigation was all over he would still want to hold her hand.