A young blonde woman, wearing a dress that showcased her cleavage and long legs, greeted her. “How many for lunch?” she asked.
“I’d like to speak to the manager,” Nicole said.
“Keno’s hiring,” the young woman said. “I’ll see if he can talk to you now.”
“But.” Nicole said to the woman’s back. She’d already left.
A couple of moments later, the woman returned. “Come this way. Jerome has a few minutes since we’re not busy.”
“I’m not really—” She broke off as the woman led her into an office that faced the white sands and turquoise water of South Beach.
A large, dark-skinned man nodded toward her. “You want a job? We need hostesses,” he said and cocked his head to one side. “You’re not bad, but you’ll need more paint and shorter skirts. Have you considered going blonde?”
Nicole couldn’t quite swallow a laugh at the man’s suggestion. “My sister did that for me. I’m not here for a job. Are you Mr. Keno? I’m here to ask about Rafe Medici. I understand you were his employer several years ago.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Yes, I’m Mr. Keno. Why do you want to ask about Rafe?”
“Because he is the father of my sister’s son,” she said. “I need to know what kind of man Rafe really is.”
“Why should I tell you?” he asked.
“Because you are a good, ethical man,” she said with more hope than proof.
Jerome Keno laughed, revealing white teeth. “I’ve been called many things, but good and ethical are low on the list. You have a good cause, though, so I’ll humor you. What concerns you about Rafe?”
“He was charged with battery while he worked for you,” she said.
Keno shrugged. “Happens every now and then with bouncers. My lawyers always got the charges dismissed.”
Nicole felt a shiver of fear. “Does that mean the charges weren’t valid or your lawyer was good at his job?”
“Both,” Keno said. “Rafe didn’t use force unless it was absolutely necessary.”
Still uneasy, Nicole bit the inside of her lip. “Would you say that he was an angry man? Did he have issues with his temper?”
“I never observed him to be out of control. If anything, he was extremely calculated when using physical force. Why are you asking?”
She resisted the urge to defend her concerns. The truth was she was afraid for Joel. “I want to make sure he wouldn’t hurt a child. He’s a passionate man. I don’t want him to abuse his son.”
Keno paused. “I don’t believe he would ever use that anger against someone weaker than himself. His power lies in his self-control. That’s only my opinion,” he said. “My question for you is, what will you do when he learns that you have been investigating his past. Rafe has become a very powerful man.”
“Rafe won’t be surprised that I’ve investigated his past,” she said. “He’s done the same to me.”
Keno shook his head and laughed. “Well, if you should need employment, give me a call. A short skirt and a different top… My customers would like you very much. So would I.” he said.
Nicole left the club with less doubt than when she’d walked in, but she began to wonder if she would ever be able to fully trust Rafe. How much of that was Rafe’s doing? How much of it went back to her father?
The next day, Tuesday, Rafe cleared his afternoon schedule in preparation for the visit from the social-services specialist. After lunch, he arrived home to find Nicole and Joel playing a board game with a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties.
Nicole glanced up at him. “Rafe, Joel and I have shown Mrs. Bell around the house and introduced her to the staff.”
“Thanks,” Rafe said and extended his hand to the woman. “Thank you for coming.”
“It’s good to meet you, Mr. Medici,” Mrs. Bell said.
“Can we go to the pool now?” Joel asked, popping up from where he crouched on the floor.
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Rafe said.
“Cool!” Joel said, his eyes lighting up like blue sparklers. “I gotta get on my trunks.”
Mrs. Bell smiled. “He must like the water.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rafe said with a surge of pride. “A regular fish. Of course, we have extra safeguards in place so he won’t take any unsupervised swims.”
“Excellent,” Mrs. Bell said. “Nicole has mentioned the safety modifications throughout the house.”
“Mom, come on, we gotta change clothes,” Joel said, tugging at Nicole’s hand.
“Excuse us. We’ll be down in just a few minutes. Please have a seat by the pool,” Rafe said. “I’ll send my housekeeper out with something for you to drink.”
Within minutes, Joel was leaping off the side of the pool into Rafe’s arms. Chortling with glee, he clung to Rafe’s back as he swam the length of the pool. Rafe noticed Nicole hadn’t changed into her swimsuit and sat beside Mrs. Bell.
He wondered about her motive for staying out of the pool, but now wasn’t the time to ask about it. After a while, he dragged a protesting Joel from the water to enjoy a snack the housekeeper brought poolside.
Afterward, Rafe noticed Joel rubbing his eyes. The little boy stood. “I wanna go back in the pool.”
“You’ve had a busy day. You may need a little rest time,” Rafe said.
“Don’t wanna rest. I wanna go back in the pool.”
“The pool will be here tomorrow. I don’t want you to get too tired,” Rafe said, rising. “Even fish get tired. I think I’m going to catch a little fish who’s wearing orange swim trunks and put him—”
Joel’s eyes widened, then he squealed with laughter and ran in the opposite direction.
“Joel, don’t run!” Rafe called. He took off after his son, reaching Joel just as he took a tumble on to the concrete patio.
Joel howled as his legs scraped against the concrete.
Rafe winced, immediately scooping up his son’s little body. “Oh, buddy, I know that hurts.”
“Mama,” Joel wailed, his voice wavering with tears.
“You’ll be okay,” Rafe said. “Let me see—”
“Mama!” Joel screamed, his face contorting with pain. “I want Mama!”
Rafe felt an odd shot of helplessness as he scanned his son’s skinned knees and shin.
Nicole rushed to his side and Joel immediately pitched himself toward her, wrapping himself around her as she took him into her arms. “Oh, sweetie, let’s get some Band-Aids. This is why Rafe and I don’t want you running around the pool.”
Joel sobbed. “It hurts,” he said.
“I know it does,” she soothed. “But we’ll make it stop.” She glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. Bell with a wry smile. “Gravity can be a tough lesson for all of us,” she said and carried Joel inside.
Mrs. Bell nodded and walked toward Rafe. “She’s very important to him, isn’t she?”
Rafe nodded, the incident underscoring what he already knew. “Yes, she is.”
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