Page 7 of Heart's Temptation
I pulled her against me and scooped her up into my arms. Gently cradling her, I crossed the threshold into her apartment.
She clung to me, her arms wrapped around my neck, soaking my shirt with her tears. I kicked the door shut, noting the flimsy locks. Anyone with bolt cutters or a nail file could break in. Scratch that, a good boot would have caved in that door. But there were no signs of the chain being cut and the wood was in fine shape.
I sat down on a well-worn couch with Niki in my lap, still clinging to me like her life depended on it. The apartment was very small, and I was able to see the entirety of it from our place on the couch. One wall was covered in photos, some framed, while larger ones were tacked at the corners like the posters we’d hung up in the pool house all those years ago.
A small bistro table boasting a vase of flowers in its center with two chairs tucked in on either side was all that separated the kitchen from the living space. The counters were clear. The fridge, humming loudly, sounded like it was on its last legs. The place was tidy, clean, and undisturbed. Maybe she wasn’t accosted here. I did tell her to go somewhere safe so her attack must have happened elsewhere.
I couldn’t speculate. I needed to know. “Nicolette, tell me what happened.”
She gripped me tighter and buried her face in my neck. I couldn’t help inhaling her scent. Even under the sweat and salt that had dried on her skin, I could detect the subtle notes of Rose, ylang-ylang and lillies. It was Sensual Youth, the perfume I’d bought her for the grad dance.
I wasn’t really a scent kind of guy, except when it came to her honeyed nectar, but when I’d gone looking for a gift and passed the perfume department, I noticed a gaggle of girls our age at the counter. After they left, I went over to see what the big deal was.
The sales lady had sprayed the perfume on a card, flapped it in the air a few times and then held it under my nose. I knew it would be perfect for Niki—The scent reminded me of her, so I bought it and gave it to her that night. When we picked her up in the limo for the dance, I sprayed some on her neck, wrists and decolletage.
“Mmm, it’s delicious, Daddy,” she’d said with a wink.
I smiled at the memory of her calling me Daddy. It had become a new thing with her as she said I made her feel safe and protected like a Daddy should. I had no problem with that as that was how I was wired, and still am.
Maybe the Daddy tone I’d used on her back in the day would have an effect on her.
“Nicolette. Sit up and look me in the eye and tell me what happened, now.”
“Do I have to?” came her muffled reply.
“If you don’t, you’ll be in the corner with a red ass, and trust me, I won’t hold back like I used to.”
She sat up and pouted, right on cue, crossing her arms. I was instantly transported to the last time she’d gotten in trouble with me, and I’d spanked her sexy bottom. It was as if no time had passed since we were last in this position.
“Don’t you give me attitude. I broke every traffic law getting to you as fast as I could. Now tell me what happened.”
She uncrossed her arms, a slight blush staining her cheeks. “Okay but before you get mad, I have a confession.”
Mad? I was already fuming.
She must have noticed the muscle in my jaw ticking because her confession was delivered without her taking a breath to pause.
“I don’t know what's going on. Someone’s trying to kill me, or maim me at least. It’s happened more than once, and always at the studio, but then today they broke in here. So, you see, I didn’t know what else to do, and the police were no help. All they wanted was a damn selfie! Poor Sergio keeps questioning the dancers and the staff, but no one has seen anything,” she finished, finally taking a deep breath.
I processed the information she’d shared and couldn’t hold back the flame of jealousy that licked my anger to a new level. “Sergio is…?”
I could see that my tone was making her nervous. Her tell was when her eyelashes fluttered quickly. Gio and I thought we’d rid her of that a long time ago, yet here it was.
“He’s the old man who runs the company I dance for,” she answered, a bit smugly.
I nodded. “And you’re sure it’s not him?”
Niki frowned, seemed to think about it, then nodded firmly. “It’s not Sergio. He adores me, and I trust him completely.”
“What about another performer? There is a lot of jealousy in your industry.”
A cute little frown formed between her brows. She was the same, although thinner. Niki was so slim that if she hadn’t been all muscle, I would have thought she suffered from anorexia. But I knew what ballet dancers existed on. We’d fought her on it constantly in the past.
Not long after coming to our school, Niki auditioned for the performing arts program. Gio and I had sat in the back of the auditions. He had a lot of pull for a student and no one could keep him out of a place if he wanted to be there. Niki had done a dance performance that had us both hard in our pants. She was so sexy, and still was, even as slim as she was now. She was in incredible shape and all I wanted to do was run my hands over every curve. To keep my fingers from touching her, I tapped them against my thigh.
“Tell me about the people that are at the studio when you are at rehearsal.” I moved her off my lap, and while she gave me the rundown, I looked around the living space for any clue the cops may have missed. I’d interrupt her from time to time with questions, more to keep her focused than anything else. She seemed to think no one at the studio could have done it but I wasn’t so sure.
“Why do you think the threat wasn’t from someone you worked with?”