The thrill of awareness she’d felt when he’d touched her had been unparalleled. She sighed. Maybe if she’d met Dante before her life had gone to hell, something good could’ve come from getting to know him. At this point, she could let no man in, not even a handsome, muscular, charming one who’d stolen her breath and ingrained himself into her daily thoughts.
* * *
In the middle of picking out his tuxedo for a fund-raising event two weeks from Saturday, Dante’s phone rang. He excused himself from the tailor after looking at the screen.
He’d barely gotten out his hello when his niece shouted, “Get to campus right now. Lanelle’s picking me up in twenty-eight minutes.”
“What happened to not telling me where she’d be?”
“That was before I realized you’d be perfect for each other.”
Besides their initial two chance meetings, Dante hadn’t run into Lanelle again. He knew nothing about her other than that she possessed the wit and intelligence he’d observed during those brief encounters. Over the past couple of weeks, an image of her beautiful face would pop into his mind at random. When he remembered the spark in her eyes when they’d touched, his skin would get flushed. Not a day went by when he didn’t regret not pushing her for a date, but she seemed as stubborn as he tended to be tenacious, so he’d played the game by her rules. “What makes you think so?”
“I’m not going to say. I just know. Are you coming down?”
And have her call me a cheater and renege on the offer of a date? No. “I’m in the middle of a tuxedo fitting.”
“Can’t you do it later?”
The salesman tapped his foot as he leaned against the counter. “I’ll be out of town for a couple of weeks. I’ll be back just in time to attend a formal fund-raising dinner I’ve been invited to. If I don’t get fitted now, then I’ll be wearing a suit to the dinner.”
“Where are you off to now? I thought you gave most of your travel assignments to one of your executives.”
His niece had a knack for remembering things he’d never expect her to, especially when it came to his work.
“Is it Italy?” She sounded so excited Dante chuckled. “Can I go with you?”
Vanessa had been hounding him for a trip ever since she’d been a little girl. Maybe he’d have to make her dream come to fruition. After the cancer scare, he knew life, no matter the person’s age, could be gone in a moment. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Have a good time with Lanelle. As she said, if it’s meant to be, it will be.”
Vanessa sucked her teeth. “That philosophy is bogus. I like it better when you say that if you want something, go out and get it. What changed your mind?”
I don’t want to piss her off and mess up a chance to get to know her. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Dante turned to the salesman. “I’m ready.”
Lanelle had starred in all of his fantasies since meeting her. It wouldn’t mean as much if they’d all been sexual. When he’d imagined them having a conversation over dinner, he knew she’d affected him more than a woman he’d just met should’ve. And yet he hadn’t made a move toward finding her. He’d give it more time. Maybe a month. If they didn’t meet by then, he’d do what was more in line with his nature and make it happen.
In the meantime, he’d focus on his business. The hospital project had fallen into his lap, the perfect way to try his hand at a new type of flooring. This contract marked the beginning of a new era in his company. Once they completed the job to perfection, the referrals would flood in. Then he’d be able to get the wicked and greedy Calvano clan off his back.
He ground his teeth at the thought of losing part of his business to them. A deep breath helped to clear the anger. With this hospital bid in his pocket, he no longer had to worry. He’d beat the deadline and maintain complete control of his company.
Perhaps the only thing that would rank with beating the Calvanos would be dating Lanelle.
Everything at the fund-raiser was perfect, from the food to the elegantly dressed patrons who’d donated generously to be part of the event. Of course it had helped that she’d let it leak that her paparazzi-beloved brother, Miguel, would attend. He loved the limelight more than Lanelle did her privacy. She watched her brother schmooze his way through the guests, encouraging them to further support the NICU by bidding in the silent auction they’d planned.
“I wish Mom and Dad could be here to see what a wonderful job you’ve done,” Lanelle gushed as she took in the splendor of the ballroom. “Toshia, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“Thanks. I tried to create a glamorous space without going crazy with the budget. Where are your parents now?”
“You know them. They said they went to Jamaica to relax, but after a week they took off to the Dominican Republic for a tour of their sugarcane plantations and manufacturing company. Then they’re going to Columbia to check on their coffee investment.”
Toshia shook her head. “What aren’t your parents into?”
Lanelle rolled her eyes up and to the right, pretending to think. “Staying in one place for too long, and drugs. Wait, let me clarify. Illegal drugs. They do own a pharmaceutical company.”
Her friend dropped a piece of fresh cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto onto her plate. “Good job getting Miguel to come.”
She smiled as she found her younger brother laughing with a politically prominent man. Miguel was the antithesis of their oldest sibling, always seeking fun, while Leonardo took life much too seriously “I didn’t even bother to invite Leonardo. He would’ve claimed to be busy with work, and I wasn’t up for the rejection.”
Toshia didn’t hide her frown at Lanelle’s antisocial brother’s behavior. “How far has the forensic accountant come with the investigation?”
Lanelle shook her head. “Nothing yet. He’s thorough, too. He’s inquired into the contractors we used, but he hasn’t found anything out of the normal. It’s not as if anyone is going to confess to stealing the money, so it might take some deep digging to find out what we need. I still find it impossible to believe someone would embezzle from a hospital. Or at all, for that matter.”
Toshia sucked her teeth. “First of all, you are such a sucker. You believe everyone is inherently good and all that crap.”
“Toshia!”
She ignored the outburst. “Secondly, we’ve always had money, so we never had to worry. You’d be surprised at what people will do to obtain it.” Toshia took a delicate bite of the meat-and-fruit combination. “Why don’t you ask your parents, or even Leonardo, for help?”
Lanelle picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and took a sip before placing it on the table. Her churning stomach hadn’t allowed her to eat much at dinner, so she needed to take it easy on the alcohol. “I can handle it.”
“If you say so.” Toshia blew a kiss to someone across the room.
Lanelle turned to see a tall, broad-shouldered man headed their way.
“Brad and I are going to leave soon. Since the party’s winding down, there’s no need for me to stay. The caterers have their instructions.”
Toshia’s husband slipped an arm around her waist, bent down and whispered something in her ear, eliciting a girlish giggle.
The tiniest stab of jealousy made Lanelle avert her gaze from the happy couple. Five years of marriage and they still got so wrapped up in each other that