THE DIVINE BABYSITTER
by
Tonya Ramagos

One
Stress was rapidly taking control of her senses. Dominique could feel it in her muscles, in her bones, aching to the core. Never had she dreamed that living on her own, without a husband, without a family member to offer financial support and guidance, would be so difficult. As she sat at the kitchen table in her small two bedroom apartment, surrounded by past due bills, the realization that there was no one to call for help hit her like a physical blow. But it was the way she had wanted it. Well…almost. She hadn’t wanted to lose her father in the process.
"But you’re not going to think about that now," she said defiantly to herself. "You have other things to worry about."
Sighing heavily, she snatched up a sheet of paper, almost blank but for three names and corresponding phone numbers listed at the top, and flung herself back in the chair. She couldn’t imagine hiring either of these women, but what choice did she have? The ad had run in the local paper for almost two weeks, and only they had responded and actually kept their interview appointments. Dominique had quickly gained a new respect for employers. She now understood the trials and aggravation they went through when deciding to hire a new employee. No wonder it takes most people so long to find a new job, she had thought time and again.
In her case of playing the role as the employer, it had now come down to the wire. She had only two choices: hire one of these women, or turn down the opportunity to make a hell of a lot more money than she was making now. Thoughts of being able to take her son to McDonalds more than once in a blue moon, pay her bills on time, and purchase more of the things she and Kalvin desperately needed bounced around in her brain. If she didn’t hire an evening babysitter today, she would be forced to turn down the promotion. Well, it wasn’t a promotion, exactly. It was a move from the day to evening shift. But in a twenty-four hour bar, the customer and tip difference made the move seem like a promotion. Without making the move, she was certain to fall deeper and deeper in debt.
Her chest heaving again, she glared at the three names on the sheet of paper. There was Monica Finch; a strong headed girl right out of high school. Despite her gaudy appearance--piercings everywhere imaginable, long jet black hair, putrid blue lipstick, and a skirt so short her buttocks showed when she walked--she had struck Dominique as a very sweet girl. But she had made Kalvin uneasy, and if he wasn’t comfortable with his new babysitter, there was no way she would be comfortable leaving him each night.
Then there was Lucy Pringle. Talk about a real grouch! It had taken all but three minutes of Dominique’s interview with the thirty-something woman to determine she was horrible with children. A woman who was harshly spoken, inconsiderate, and who possessed a temper fuse no longer than the size of pen top was way wrong for babysitting anyone’s child, let alone Dominique’s. She couldn’t possibly hire her.
She scratched off Lucy’s name, leaving only one candidate. The elderly woman, Elva Noble. Kalvin hadn’t been terribly impressed by her but, out of the three, he had seemed to like her the best. Dominique found her to be a sweet old lady. She lived by herself, not too far from the apartment. She had raised four children of her own and now had twelve grandchildren. Still, there was something about her that just didn’t settle right. Probably the fear that she was just too old to handle a child Kalvin’s age for extended periods of time. He was a fantastic, well-mannered little boy but, like any five-year-old, he had the tendency to get a little rambunctious at times. Despite that little fear, out of the three possibilities Mrs. Noble did seem to be the only likely choice.
"So we’ll give her a shot." Dominique lifted a shoulder as she picked up the phone and punched in the woman’s telephone number. "And if she doesn’t work out, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Hello," a masculine voice said just as she put the receiver to her ear.
"Umm…hello. Could I speak with Mrs. Noble, please?" Dominique asked, a bit startled and confused. Not only had the phone never rung on her end of the line, but she could have sworn Elva Noble had said she lived alone. Who was this man answering her phone?
The voice on the other end of the line laughed awkwardly. "I think we’ve got our lines crossed."
"Oh, I’m sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number. Thank you."
"No, wait!" Dominique heard the voice shriek. Her hand stopped stiffly in mid-air.
Putting the receiver back to her ear, Dominique huffed in aggravation. She was in no mood to carry on a conversation with some strange man.
"I was calling you at the same time you were dialing out," the voice quickly explained. "Talk about timing, huh?" He chuckled.
"Oh…well, I guess so," Dominique stammered. Now she was really consumed with confusion. She wanted to ask, "Who are you, you strange man, and why are you calling me?" Instead, she cleared her throat and, in the nicest tone she could muster, asked, "Can I help you?"
"I hope so. I was calling about the ad in the paper," the voice informed her. It was evident his nervousness was beginning to wear off a bit as he now sounded more self-assured, in control…almost sexy. "The one about the in-home babysitting job," he added after a few seconds when Dominique didn’t respond.
This guy is calling about a babysitting job! Her jaw nearly hit the table. So much for the almost sexy theory. Her heart sank in disappointment. Men don’t babysit. He’s got to be some kind of high school nerd or something.
"Oh, I get it. You’re calling for your wife," she finally said when she thought she had it figured out.
Again, the man chuckled. "Uh…no."
"Girlfriend?" Dominique guessed again. She was grasping at straws, but there had to be a reasonable explanation. The thought that he could be calling for himself was inconceivable.
"Wrong again," he said.
There was a trace of amusement in his voice. She shuffled her feet uneasily, crossing one arm under her breast.
"I’m calling for myself," he said. "Is the job still open?"
Dominique slowly eased back down into the chair. Her body stiffened as her confusion deepened. Why would a man want to apply for a babysitting job? The concept was practically unheard of! Girls, women, old ladies…yes, those were the people who babysat children. Men…no!
She nervously twisted a strand of hair around her index finger. It was a waste of time. She would agree to meet this guy and he wouldn’t even show up. Besides, did she really need some off-the-wall man in her house taking care of her son? Hot-headed testosterone was the last thing she needed interrupting her boring, stress-filled life.
"That position has already been filled," Dominique said abruptly. She picked up her pencil and drew circles around Elva Noble’s name on the sheet of paper. "I was attempting to call the woman I’ve decided to hire when our lines got crossed, as you put it."
"So you haven’t contacted the woman yet?"
"Well…" She hesitated, the pencil stopping in mid-circle. "No." Dammit! Open mouth, insert foot. She had eaten her foot so many times in her life, it was a wonder she still had two of them! Why was it she could never answer a simple question with a simple answer? If she had told him the position had been filled and left it at that, she could have hung up the phone and this crazed occurrence would be over with. Instead, she had to continue babbling.
"But there’s no chance I could talk you into an interview before you do?" His hopeful voice filled the line. "I would really like the job. I come from a big family and I love children. If you would at least talk--"
"I have to fill this position today. Preferably as soon as possible, Mr. Uh…" Dominique stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly realizing she had been on the phone with this strange man for nearly five minutes and had neglected to get his name.
"Joshua…just call me Joshua."
"Well, Joshua, as I said, I have to fill this position today and my new hire will have to be ready to start tomorrow afternoon," She informed him, sure that her urgency in the matter would send him away if nothing else would.
"No problem. I can meet with you in an hour."
She hesitated. Oh, why did she have to be so kind-hearted? Granted, she wasn’t all that excited over hiring Elva Noble or anyone else on her list. Dreading the final outcome of her decision was more like it. But did she really want to prolong her agony another hour just to talk to this dweeb?
"Okay." The word spilled from her mouth before she had a chance to stop it. Why was she saying ok! Amazing how her big mouth could continue to get her in deeper, even with two feet shoved down her throat. Ugh, now she was really losing her mind. "But if you’re not here in exactly one hour I’m calling Mrs. Noble. What was your name again?"
“Joshua…Joshua Divine."
Yeah, I bet you are, she snickered silently, jotting down his name. And I’m Cinderella.
~ * ~
Joshua took down the woman’s address, hung up the phone and leaned back on the over-stuffed emerald green sofa. A satisfied grin spread across his lips. It had taken some fast talking, but he had gotten her to agree to meet with him. Now all he had to do was convince her that he was the man for the job. With the impression he had gathered from talking to the woman--despite the fact that she didn’t sound all that excited about hiring whomever it was she had been attempting to call--he had a feeling she would be a hell of a challenge. A challenge he fully intended not to back down from.
Running his fingers through his hair, he picked up the day’s edition of the newspaper and read through the ad for what must have been the fiftieth time since he had spotted it that morning over coffee. The first thing that had caught his eye about the job was the hours. The ones listed in the ad couldn’t be more perfect--three-thirty to twelve-thirty, five to six nights a week. He would be home every night by one, one-thirty at the latest, sleep until nine, and still make it to his classes on time.
Rising from the sofa, Joshua found himself wondering what kind of job the woman had that would require a babysitter at such odd hours. Working at one of the casinos across the bridge would be his first guess. Just the thought made his insides cringe.
He stopped in front of the hall closet to get his shoes and shivered. If he was right, that would mean she was either a bartender or a cocktail waitress. No other position with those hours paid enough for a woman and child to live on. Still, neither one was really an admirable career. Sure, the required dress code was sexy, especially for the cocktail servers, but it was so degrading to the women who had to wear the short, short skirts and extremely low-cut blouses. There was barely enough material in the uniforms to cover their most private parts! And the reputation that followed female bartenders and cocktail servers--trashy, low self-esteem flirts--was not one someone could be proud of, and most definitely not a good influence on a young child. He should know. During the years between high school and college, after Margot died, he had been with more of that type of woman than he cared to admit. He had put those years behind him and intended to leave them there.
Shaking off the memories that were suddenly so insistent on ruining his day, he retrieved his black loafers from the closet and slipped his size ten feet into them. No matter what the woman did for a living, it was just the job he had been looking for. Although he doubted it paid much, it wasn’t the money he was after. He had plenty of that. It was the time with the child. His instructor had suggested he find a way to spend more one-on-one time with children--children who weren’t his brothers or sisters, that is.
Striding to the refrigerator for a can of soda, he was hit by another realization. Heather wasn’t going to like it much if he got the job. It certainly wouldn’t leave a lot of time for them. They would see each other at the college. After all, they had a couple of classes together. That’s how they had met. And he wouldn’t be working every night. They could still squeeze in some time here and there.
As he stood in the middle of the kitchen floor and downed a soda, Joshua had to admit, he would never have allowed his schedule to become so congested if Margot were still alive. Time with her had been precious, to say the least. Of course, a lot of things in his life would be different had she lived. But there was no use dwelling on the past. Beating himself up for the rest of his life because he had not insisted that she quit that damn job was not going to bring her back. Margot was gone, and Heather was in his life now.
Heather was the first woman he had dated exclusively since Margot’s passing, and they had only been together for about six weeks. So, did he love her? Who knew what was truly in his heart? Did he care if she got mad at him for taking the job? Yeah, of course he cared. But if she got mad, she would get over it, he decided with a lift of his shoulders. She knows how important children are to me. She knows how much my future as a child psychologist means to me. Surely she’ll understand. Won’t she?
~ * ~
“I can’t believe you agreed to this. What were you thinking!" Dominique scolded herself through clenched teeth.
The apartment was a wreck. Of course, keeping a spotless home was not one of her fortes. She hated cleaning!
Stealing a glance at the large red numbers on the microwave clock, she saw it was nearing one o’clock and she was still walking around in her sleep clothes--a pair of tight spandex shorts and an oversized solid black T-shirt--and her unwanted visitor would be gracing her with his presence in less than an hour!
Bolting up from the table, she walked briskly to the stereo in the living room and slid in her favorite 80’s heavy metal compact disk. The blaring sound of screeching guitars and fast beating drums blasted through the once tranquil air of the apartment. Heavy metal music--the best trigger around for a much needed energy rush.
It worked, too. Within seconds, she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, willing her to get moving. Bouncing back to the kitchen table, swaying her hips to the beat of the music, she sang, "Don’t need nothin’ but a g-o-o-d time. How can I re-si-st?" Spinning on her heels, she cleared the table of all the clutter and placed her dishes that remained from breakfast and lunch in the sink. She was so lost in the music that she didn’t hear her son enter the room.
"Mommy." Kalvin tugged on her shirt tail. "I wanna watch a movie. Can I watch a movie?"
Dominique looked down. Instantly, she smiled. All it took was one look at her five year old son and her heart filled with a sense of love and happiness powerful enough to fight off any nasty demon that showed his ugly face. Life with the boy’s father may not have been a bed of roses, but the end result--her handsome little boy--made it all worth everything she had gone through.
Still smiling, she bent her knees to make eye contact with her son. "Can we wait a few minutes on the movie?" she asked with a tilt of her head. She ran the palm of her hand over his soft, unruly, dark hair. "Mommy needs you to help her right now. Will you do that? We need to clean up the house. There’s someone coming over and we don’t want them to walk into a nasty apartment, do we?"
"Oh, no, ma’am." Kalvin shook his head vigorously, his eyes wide and serious. "But who’s coming over, Mommy?"
"His name is Joshua. Joshua Divine." She felt an unexpected ripple in the pit of her stomach as his name rolled from her lips. He may be a nerd. She was certain he was. What other kind of man applied for a babysitting job? But, nerd or not, he had a beautiful name, and that was important. A first name like Joshua symbolized responsibility, professionalism. As for Divine, well, unfortunately she seriously doubted there was a chance of the man in question living up to that name.
"Is Joshua your new boyfriend, Mommy?"
"Heavens, no! And you will call him Mr. Divine, Kalvin, not Joshua. We have to remember our manners," Dominique corrected kindly. She stood upright and returned to her chores. "He wants to be your new babysitter," she explained, cleaning off the scattered items on the counter top.
"My babysitter! Cool!" Kalvin jumped up and down in excitement. "I was hoping you wouldn’t decide to hire that old lady or that creepy teenager." He faked a shiver.
Uh oh. Dominique bit her bottom lip. "I need you to pick up all your toys and take them to your room," she instructed, turning from the sink. "Then you can put in one of your movies."
In a flash, Kalvin was gone. Dominique stood at the sink, shaking her head and laughing to herself. Enthusiasm was definitely a trait Kalvin did not lack. A great thing to have at times. Although this was one of those times when she wished he didn’t possess so much of it. She was afraid there was a disagreement approaching. This Joshua guy was not going to get the job. He wasn’t suited for taking care of a five year old. She was sure of it. But her subconscious would never let her rest if she didn’t at least talk to the man.
Her fears subsided a bit when she thought of how smart little Kalvin was. Even at his young age, he was a great judge of character. Surely he would realize that Joshua wasn’t the man for the job, too, probably the instant he saw the man. Then there would be no need for concern over Kalvin being disappointed when she told him she was hiring Elva Noble instead.
Forty-five minutes later, Dominique walked out of her bedroom wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans and a low-cut navy blue pull-over blouse. The apartment was clean--as clean as it got, at least--and Kalvin had entertained himself in front of the television with The Lion King.
Humming softly to a song from Kalvin’s movie, she made a detour into the bathroom in the hall for a quick check. Just as she turned to leave the room, a loud, thundering knock at the door announced her visitor had arrived.
"Geez! Knock my door down, why don’t you?" she mumbled under her breath as she made her way down the hallway to the living room. She glanced at her watch. Fifteen minutes early for a babysitting interview! She hadn’t even met the guy and already he was getting stranger by the minute. Punctuality was desired--even expected. Being so early for what most considered to be a piddly job was downright silly.
"He’s here! He’s here!" Kalvin jumped up from his position on the floor in front of the television, the statement on his face so bright it could have replaced the sun.
Dominique stopped and, with a fixed glare, addressed her son. "Calm down," she whispered a bit more forcefully then she had intended, with a lift of her eyebrows. "You let Mommy do the talking for a while and then you can talk to him. Okay?"
Kalvin’s eyes lowered to his dirty tennis shoes. "Yes, ma’am," he agreed in a not so happy tone.
This brought a frown to Dominique’s face. She hated hearing that disappointed sound in her son’s voice. She had heard it so many times in the little one’s life, usually as a result of something his father had done or, better yet, something he hadn’t done, and detested being the one to bring it out again.
"I’m sorry, sweetheart," she said softly, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "You can talk to him, too."
The smile returned to Kalvin’s face as Dominique proceeded to the door. She eased it open, and felt her knees beginning to buckle from what could only be described as sheer surprise. If she hadn’t been holding onto the doorknob, she would have crumpled to the floor. The scent of men’s cologne sent her insides into a meltdown.
There was no geeky, coke-bottle-glasses wearing, pocket protector bearing nerd eager to greet her on the opposite side of the door. Instead, the yellow glow of the day’s bright sun illuminated a long, lean body. A charming, heart-stopping smile graced the face of what had to be one of the most handsome men that had ever walked the face of the earth! No doubt about it, if she had opened a Webster’s dictionary right then, she was sure she would have found a picture of this man right next to the word "incredible."

 

 
Two
Dominique’s breath caught in her throat. There was no way the man before her was the man she had spoken with on the phone. He could be described as nothing less than a hot-bed of perfection! Butterflies fluttered wildly in the pit of her stomach as her gaze dropped to his black loafers, slowly crept up the wrinkle-free legs of his black slacks to his teal green button-down shirt that failed to conceal the many ripples of muscles in his chest. Finally, she found herself gazing into his eyes--the brightest, most stunning green eyes she had ever seen. No doubt about it, she could get lost in those eyes forever. It took all the strength she could muster to prevent the moan that ached deep in her throat from escaping.
This was the man who insisted on being interviewed to be Kalvin’s babysitter, she realized in amazement. Her hormones threatened to go haywire. No way! He’s drop-dead gorgeous! Mentally, she made a list of all the negative things she had thought about Joshua Divine, then began checking them off one by one as she silently apologized for each.
The breath-taking smile that spread across Joshua’s lips faded a bit. Planted in his spot outside the apartment door, Joshua’s thoughts were almost one in the same. What the woman looked like had never crossed his mind. Not until she opened the door, that was. An unmistakable sexual sensation had swept through his body the minute he saw her, startling him to the core. His gaze slid down her in a leisurely appraisal from head to toe. Standing only an inch or two shorter than he, with a slender curvy figure that would drive any man wild, long dark hair, and captivating dark blue eyes--she was nothing short of a walking heart attack!
Realizing they were sizing each other up like two dogs in heat, Joshua was the first to splash some water on the fire. "I’m Joshua Divine." Taking on a serious persona, he extended his hand for her to shake.
"That you are," Dominique murmured. Joshua’s slight smile bloomed into a full grin. Amusement kindled in his eyes. Oh gosh, did I say that out loud? Dominique gasped in horror. She could feel the heat rising to redden her face. "I’m Dominique Gabor. No kin to Za Za," she said quickly, shaking his hand. Her frail attempt at a joke failed to hide her embarrassment. His grasp was tight yet gentle. The physical contact sent her body on a roller coaster ride of sexual emotions. "Please, come in." She was surprised at how even and in control her voice sounded when nothing else about her seemed to feel that way.
Dominique stepped aside to allow Joshua room to enter. Damn, his backside looked just as good as the front, she thought, as her attention landed on his tight fitting slacks again. She quickly averted her gaze. He’s here for the job, Dominique. Not for a date. Quit gawking over the poor man.
Joshua stepped just inside the door and turned to face her. "I apologize for being so early but I didn’t want to be late either. I got the impression on the phone that you weren’t willing to wait a minute past an hour."
"I wasn’t," Dominique said dryly. She was regaining her composure. He was here for a job and that was all. Just because he was out-of-this-world good looking didn’t make him any more suited for the job than he had been before. As long as she kept reminding herself of that, she would make it through this interview.
"Hello, Mr. Divine."
Hearing the soft, sweet voice of the boy who now stood beside him, Joshua kneeled down. He smiled kindly. "Well, hello there." He shook Kalvin’s hand. "Please, call me Joshua."
"My mommy said I should call you Mr. Divine. She says I can’t forget my manners. Is it okay if I call him Joshua, Mommy?"
"If that’s what Mr. Divine wants." Dominique shrugged. Inside, she was filled with pride. She and Kalvin may have been through some really rough times in his five years of life, but no one could tell her she hadn’t succeeded in raising him to be polite and respectful.
"You can call me Joshua, too," he said, flashing her a quick glance that, once again, sent the butterflies on a rampage, before returning his attention back to the boy. "And what is your name?"
"Kalvin."
"Kalvin, that’s a really nice name."
"My mommy gave it to me. She says it sounds like a responsible, big-person name."
Joshua chuckled. "That it does." So does Dominique, it occurred to him. The name was just as beautiful as the woman it belonged to. He had to fight to suppress a frown at his next thought. Unfortunately, if he was right about her job, he doubted she was as responsible as her name.
"Do you want to watch a movie with me? I’m watching The Lion King. Do you like that movie? It’s almost over, but you can finish watching it with me if you want." Kalvin’s excitement poured out in short jumbled sentences, causing Joshua to laugh softly. He reached out and grabbed Joshua’s hand. "Come on."
Joshua glanced at Dominique, who nodded her permission, as Kalvin began pulling him through the small, squared foyer toward the living room. Once there, Kalvin plopped down on the floor in front of the television and began watching the movie.
Joshua stood beside him and observed his surroundings. It was a small apartment. A lot smaller than the house he lived in. But it was nice and cozy. Big enough for a single woman and a child, he decided.
From where he stood, the layout of the apartment was easily identifiable. To his left was an L-shaped kitchen decorated in pale green, with a small round wooden table that sat four. Almost directly in front of him stretched a hallway with three closed doors. One leading to a bathroom or possibly a closet, the other two to the bedrooms, he presumed. The furnishings were spare, but what little he saw certainly hadn’t been purchased cheaply. Either this woman made one heck of a living in tips, or she was very thrifty with her money--only purchasing what she really wanted instead of something just to tide her over for a while.
"You’re not watching The Lion King," Kalvin said, tugging at Joshua’s pants leg. "I thought you liked it."
"Oh, I do." Joshua reached down to ruffle Kalvin’s hair with the palm of his hand. "But my favorite is The Sword and the Stone."
Kalvin’s bottom lip protruded, and he looked back at Dominique who was standing with her arms folded across her chest, watching them curiously. "I don’t have that one."
"I do," Joshua said. "I’ll just have to bring it over some time."
"That would be great!" Kalvin burst with excitement. "My favorite is Antz. Have you seen it?"
"Umm…yeah." Joshua hesitated, darting a quick look of disapproval in Dominique’s direction. The sudden urge to scold her caught him off guard. What was wrong with this woman? Yeah, he had watched the movie. As a matter of fact, he even owned a copy. What was she thinking, letting a child Kalvin’s age watch that movie? True, it was a cartoon, but it was meant more for adults. There were cuss words in it! Granted, they weren’t really bad cuss words, and there weren’t that many, but why subject a child to that kind of language when it could be avoided?
Dominique didn’t miss the statement that rose to darken Joshua’s face at the mention of the movie. An statement of shock tainted by a hint of anger. It was because of the cussing, and she knew it. For some unexplainable reason, she felt the need to defend herself. "We have a special edited version," she whispered.
Apparently satisfied by her explanation, Joshua nodded. "You certainly have a lot of movies Kalvin." He scanned the wall behind the television, lined with shelves that held rows upon rows of movies. "You must have nearly every cartoon ever made."
Kalvin’s attention had returned to the movie, so Dominique answered instead. "There’s a regular customer that comes in the bar everyday. He’s an old man, but from what he says he has an amazing electronic set-up at his home. He also owns practically every movie ever made, cartoon or not. Every week he brings me a stack of movies for Kalvin. Copying them is illegal, but we’re not selling them, and it sure saves me tons of money."
"So you work at a bar," Joshua said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his trousers.
Dominique sensed something wasn’t quite right but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Tension seemed to be building in the air. The unnerving look on Joshua’s face puzzled her. Dismissing the uneasiness as a mere product of her incessantly active imagination, she said, "I work the day shift at Party Paradise. The bar on the left on the highway. I’ve been there for almost two years." She unfolded her arms and began wandering toward the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink before we begin?"
Joshua laughed a little and shook his head. "I’m not much on alcohol, especially this early in the day."
If there had been any tension building in the air it was instantly put to rest. Dominique giggled at his attempt at a joke. "I guess that was the wrong time in the conversation to offer you a beverage, but I was thinking more along the lines of a soda or bottled water maybe."
"A bottle of water would be nice."
Walking to the kitchen, Dominique grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge then leaned against the counter and watched Joshua. He sat in the burgundy recliner opposite the sofa, with his back to her. As she watched him, it finally occurred to her what it was that just hadn’t seemed right.
Was it really her imagination, or did he seem to get a strange statement on his face when she said she was a bartender? Surely he didn’t have a problem with that! Who was he to judge? He had to be pushing thirty--although he looked damn good for his age--and he was applying for a babysitting job! Dominique may not be totally thrilled with her profession but, good looking or not, this man had no right to look at her as some sort of filth because of it!
She forced herself to calm down. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. She’d just have to get back in there, get this interview over with so she could get this man out of her house and then she could go on with her happy little life.
She returned to the living room and handed Joshua one of the bottled waters. She wondered if she really wanted to get the interview over with so quickly. She was still fairly certain she wasn’t going to hire him, but at least she had something good to look at for a change.
"If you work the day shift at the bar, why do you need an evening babysitter?" Joshua asked, nodding his thanks as he twisted the cap on the water bottle.
"Starting tomorrow afternoon, I’m no longer on the day shift. Marge, the woman who has been tending bar in the evenings, has decided she wants my shift. I don’t have to give it up, even though Marge has seniority, but I desperately need the extra money I can make on swing shift."
"Do you enjoy bartending?" Joshua asked. He was concentrating on the label of the bottled water, but when he looked up, his eyes never made it to Dominique’s face. She had taken a seat on the sofa with her legs folded on the cushion beside her. Her elbow propped on the armrest. The way she was sitting had caused the low cut blouse she was wearing to gape open just a bit, allowing the view of the edge of one full, soft-looking breast. The unmistakably sexual sensation flooded over him once again, this time with much more force then before.
He squirmed uncomfortably in the recliner, adjusting to accommodate the pain that rose behind his zipper. Did she not know that he could see straight into her blouse? Or had she purposely allowed it to gape open? The latter thought made his insides cringe with anger. Typical female bartender, he thought in disgust. But his repulsion was aimed more at his own body for reacting so violently to the sight of her breast.
There’s that look again! Dominique abruptly dismissed the thought. "I guess I enjoy it." She lifted a shoulder as she sipped her water. "I’ve never really thought about it."
Liar! she berated herself.
"I enjoy meeting new people. Most of all I enjoy helping people." That much wasn’t a lie. Nearly everyday, someone came into the bar wanting to talk about the troubles they were experiencing in their love life; they looked to her for advice. Her own love life might suck, but she was great at counseling others on theirs. Playing "Dear Abby barmaid" was probably as close as she would ever get to fulfilling her dream of becoming a true counselor.
Her response seemed to stun Joshua, and she didn’t miss the look of surprise that rose to his face. So it wasn’t her imagination. He did have a problem with her being a bartender. Feeling uncontrollable anger beginning to rise, Dominique couldn’t help but put the man in his place.
"You were expecting a different answer, weren’t you?" she said. She rose quickly from the sofa. Their eyes met. Their gazes held. "I bet you were expecting me to say I enjoyed meeting all kinds of men everyday. Well, you’re wrong."
Her harsh tone shocked her. Nearly all her life, she had always sunk into her own skin rather than tell someone exactly what was on her mind. But not this time. She was getting better at speaking her mind these days. Probably because she had grown accustomed to dealing with drunks every day. Joshua may not be one of those drunks, but he had pissed her off and, dammit, she was going to let him know.
"Yes, there are many female bartenders who are in the business to meet men. I’ll grant you that. But there are also just as many of us who do it because it’s a job and nothing more. I hate being treated like a piece of meat. I hate being hit on by drunken scum every minute of the day. I work at the bar because it’s the only job I can get without a college education that pays enough to support myself and my child. I damn sure don’t do it to meet men, and you will never see me leave the bar with a man, much less bring one home."
Joshua sat back. Damn if she wasn’t even sexier when she got mad, he mused silently. Whether or not what she was fuming about was the truth--which he seriously doubted--he still wanted the job and knew he was going to have to turn this conversation around real fast if he expected even half a chance. He rose from the chair and took a step toward her until they were merely inches apart.
"Does that mean I get the job?" He asked. A slight smile quirked the corner of his lips.
"What!" Dominique shrilled, planting one hand on her slim hip.
"You said I would never see you bring a man home. I wouldn’t know that to be true unless I’m here when you get home. So does that mean I get the job?"
"You’re insane!" Dominique threw her hands in the air. "You insult me, call me everything but a slut in so many words, and then expect me to give you a job?"
Kalvin’s little voice broke through the heated conversation. "Joshua, I think you made my mommy mad."
Joshua glanced down at Kalvin, who had turned from the television and stretched his arms behind him, leaning back to peer up at Joshua and Dominique. The boy was so sweet and innocent. But Joshua didn’t dare smile at him this time. A smile would certainly only infuriate Dominique more. "Yeah, I believe I did."
He reached out and gently grabbed Dominique’s arm. The touch sent a rage of emotions to parts of his body he didn’t dare think about at that moment. "I apologize if I offended you."
"Well, you did," Dominique spat. Yet she didn’t make a move to free her arm from his grasp. "And I don’t know if I can accept your apology."
Joshua retained his grip. It was as if once he got his hand on her he couldn’t let go for fear of never touching her, never feeling that tingle, again. He found himself wanting to pull her closer, wanting to slide a hand across the nape of her neck under her silky dark hair and slam his mouth on her alluring lips in a hot passionate kiss that was sure to drive all her anger away. But he didn’t dare.
"Honestly, I never meant to imply anything," he said sincerely. He allowed his hand to slowly move down her arm until it dropped limply at his side. If he didn’t, there was no telling what his senses would lead him to do. "Before you throw me out, can we take a deep breath and start over?" He stuck out his hand just as he had outside the apartment minutes before. "Hello, my name is Joshua. I’m here to apply for the babysitting job."
"Oh, you’re real cute," Dominique said dryly. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling as she spun around and began staring out the window across the room. Silently, she really meant it. Actually, cute didn’t even begin to describe him. And the sharp sensation that his touch had shot through her body, the heat that had begun to accumulate between her legs…she couldn’t remember the last time a simple touch had had that effect on her.
He probably didn’t really mean anything by it, that little voice told her. Oh, aren’t you changing your tune all of a sudden, she argued with herself. But engaging in a mental battle with her inner voice wasn’t going to solve anything. Truth was, she was experiencing difficulty reading Joshua’s thoughts; a strange occurrence considering she could normally tell everything about a person after one glance into their eyes. She knew it could be her own complex over being a bartender that caused her to jump to conclusions. Everything she had said in her heated rage had been true. She did hate the reputation female bartenders seemed to have in the minds of the general public. It often put her in a very defensive mood when talking to someone about her career.
She turned back to face Joshua, but Kalvin caught her eyes first. He stood beside Joshua with the most hopeful and pleading statement, begging her to forgive Joshua and give him another chance. Dominique knew her son would never forgive her if she threw Joshua out that minute.
So much for being a good judge of character.
"All right, you’re forgiven," she said curtly, then sighed, not meeting Joshua’s gaze.
Joshua let out a low whistle of relief. He took a step back and sat in the recliner. "Thank you."
Apparently satisfied, Kalvin selected another cartoon off the shelf and popped it into the VCR.
Dominique began pacing the floor. The tension she had imagined before was definitely in the air now, so thick she could feel the weight of it on her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joshua smile slightly, and the fluttering butterflies in her stomached picked up pace again.
"Okay, Mr. Divine." Dominique hesitated, still pacing. "Why do you want the job of babysitting my son, and what makes you think you would be a good sitter for him?" Her voice came out calm and controlled, in full authority.
Joshua sat up straighter in the chair and placed his hands in his lap. Great! He thought. Now she’s gone completely professional on me, calling me Mr. Divine. I hate being called Mr. anything!
Suddenly, he realized his palms were sweating from nervousness. This was totally unlike him! "Th-that’s simple. I love children. I’m the oldest in a large family of two sisters and three brothers, ranging in ages from five to twenty-five. I’ve been around children all my life, and can’t stand to go a single day without having one around."
"Why not have a child of your own?" Dominique suggested, cocking her head to one side. "That’s the sure-fire way to have one around twenty-four hours a day."
Joshua chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I guess that would make sense." Then his face clouded over in what Dominique could only guess was a momentary sadness. "Lets just say the good Lord hasn’t decided it’s time for me to have a child of my own yet. That and I guess I’m just not ready for my own."
Getting the awkward feeling she had hit a sore subject, Dominique changed her line of questioning. "Why not work at a day care or something?" She studied him, looking for any signs or signals of warning. Working at a daycare seemed a more likely place to work to her. If he loved children so much, why be around just one when he could be around many?
"I’m a college student."
Dominique halted in the middle of the floor. "You’re a college student!" She repeated it more to clarify the statement in her own mind than for any other reason. "And exactly how old are you?"
Joshua squirmed in the chair. "Twenty-nine. I’ll be thirty in three months."
He picked up the bottle of water she had given him before their unexpected blow out and took a long swig. "I’m studying to be a child psychologist. My instructor advised me to try to spend more one-on-one time with children other than my siblings and their friends. I could work at a daycare, I guess." He lifted one shoulder. "But I’m in my last semester and I have a full class load. Daycares don’t offer the hours that I’m available to work." He took a deep breath. "Besides, it’s kind of hard to spend one-on-one time with a child when there are so many others around, like there are in a daycare."
Dominique felt a heavy steel wall slam shut in her mind. He had actually been convincing her to reconsider her decision to hire him until he came out with that. She fixed a hard glare on Joshua, one that could have burned holes through metal. "I will not have my son being used as some sort of experiment," she informed him forcefully. Sarcasm simmered in her voice.
Joshua shook his head and laughed uneasily. "You do speak your mind, don’t you?" He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I promise, Dom--I mean, Ms. Gabor," he corrected himself. "I have no intentions of practicing psychology on Kalvin. Believe me, I get enough of that in class. I simply want the opportunity to spend time with a child. I want to watch someone other than my brothers and sisters learn and grow into their own person."
Dominique wasn’t sure if his explanation was good enough for her or not. Uncertainty settled in the pit of her stomach, but she moved on. "You said you have a full class schedule. Are you sure that won’t interfere with this job?"
"Not as long as the hours you listed in the ad were correct. I really don’t have a full schedule but it’s pretty packed. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have classes from ten until two. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, my classes end at eleven. I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t be here by three-thirty each afternoon."
"What about your personal life? You said on the phone that you’re not married. Do you have a girlfriend?" It was an important question, yet Dominique found herself asking more for her own personal reasons rather than for the job.
Joshua appeared to bite back a grin. "Yes, I do have a girlfriend. Her name is Heather."
An irrational pang of jealously shot through Dominique’s heart. And she thought a man that handsome would be single! She wanted to grill him about this woman, to find out exactly what she had done to get her claws in such a gorgeous creature. Instead, she voiced a more appropriate question. "And how does she feel about you applying for the job?"
Joshua seemed to hesitate. His chest heaved in a sigh. His gaze darted quickly around the room before landing back on Dominique. "She doesn’t know yet. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her since you and I hung up the phone earlier."
When Dominique gave him an uncertain look, he added, "I’m sure she won’t have a problem with it. She knows how bad I’ve been looking for something like this."
"Weekends--would they be a problem? I may be working every Friday and Saturday night some weeks."
"No problem at all."
"I don’t want your girlfriend over here." Dominique raised a finger in the air. Her gaze remained fixed and deadly serious. She wasn’t going to have a woman in her house intimately involved with her son’s babysitter. Unless that woman was her. The thought startled her. She felt her nipples leap to an erection, and folded her arms across her chest, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
Joshua was intrigued at how insistent Dominique was about Heather. Her request made sense. He wouldn’t want a babysitter’s girlfriend or boyfriend over at his house if they were babysitting his child. Yet it struck him that that wasn’t the only reason Dominique didn’t want Heather at her house. She had this look on her face, almost as if she were…
Jealous? No way. How could he have allowed the thought to enter his mind? He had a girlfriend and, while he was finding himself wildly attracted to this woman, his detest for her profession hadn’t changed. He had sworn off women like her a long time ago. Anything remotely close to a relationship with her would never work. He wanted the job, and nothing more
"I wouldn’t dream of having Heather over here," he assured her, laying on the charm he had been so blessedly born with. "I couldn’t bring her to any other job. This one would be no different."
"I was only offering to pay sixty dollars a week," Dominique said. A bit embarrassed by the small sum she was able to pay, she added, "If things work out with the person I decide to hire, I will probably pay more after a while, when I can afford to."
"That sounds reasonable to me," Joshua said, rubbing his palms together.
Dominique was surprised at how well this was going. But how could he expect to live off of sixty dollars a week? How did he support himself?
Then she thought, duh, he didn’t have to worry about that. He was in college. He was one of those men who still lived with his parents at the age of thirty. And here she was thinking he sounded so responsible.
Dominique grew quiet. Tucking her tongue in her cheek, she paced slowly, her mind reeling. She had been spitting off question after question for a half an hour and suddenly she was speechless. The thing was, despite the fact that he was still dependent on his parents and somewhat arrogant about his feelings toward her profession, he had answered all her questions perfectly. Even old lady Noble hadn’t done that. There was still the little tid-bit about his psychology major. Her concern of him interfering with the way she was raising Kalvin was still there. Aside from that, what reason did she have for not hiring him?
There had to be something!
Snapping out of her reverie, she realized that Kalvin was again standing next to Joshua, wearing that irresistible hopeful, begging statement. He liked Joshua, and she knew she would never hear the end of it if she hired someone else.
"All right, you’re hired," she reluctantly said. Her sudden decision shocked her as much as her new employee. "On a probationary basis," she added quickly.
Joshua and Kalvin looked at each other, and Kalvin gave him a high-five.
They were teaming up on her! Great, now she’d outnumbered herself.
Still, an overwhelming sensation of relief passed through her. The relief of knowing she had finally conquered one obstacle standing in her way to riches and her happiness. To Joshua, she said, "My boss will be making the new schedule tonight. I’ll call her and then give you a call, but I will most likely need you to start tomorrow."
Joshua simply nodded in agreement. Kalvin had climbed to sit in his lap. He had gotten the job.
Now he could be here for this precious little boy. And see just how truthful Ms. Dominique had been when she swore she wasn’t like other female bartenders.

 

 
Three
When Joshua saw the silver Saturn parked in the driveway of his home, he had no doubt who it belonged to. He pulled in behind it, and slammed his midnight blue sports utility vehicle in park then hopped out. Jamming his fingers through his hair, he rolled his eyes to the sky as he treaded across the grass to the house.
Heather had let herself in again and was probably making herself at home. Girlfriend or not, she had no right to enter his place when he wasn’t there, and she most certainly had no right to take possession of the spare key he usually kept in a hiding spot outside the door. He had made the mistake of telling her where he kept the key one evening and she had taken the liberty of confiscating it right away. Still, as badly as it irritated him, he said nothing to her about the key.
He felt his frustration reach record heights when he tripped over one of her high-heeled shoes as he stepped through the door. The mate to the neck-breaking object lay tossed on the floor several feet away by the glass coffee table. Textbooks were scattered over the cushions of the long, rust colored sofa. A dirty plate and emptied glass sat on the edge of the glass endtable. One shake would have sent it and the pile of ketchup that remained on the plate tumbling to the pale beige carpet below.
"The least you could do is clean up after yourself," Joshua grumbled through clenched teeth. He snatched up the shoe by the door and placed it next to its mate by the coffee table, straightened the books into a nice neat stack on the end of the sofa and carefully removed the plate and glass from the endtable.
He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, slammed his eyes shut and took a deep, forceful, calming breath. This room was even more of a mess than the living room. Mayonnaise left open to spoil with a butter knife resting on the lid, a loaf of bread also left open and topped with a packet of sandwich meat and three slices of cheese, a bottle of ketchup and a carton of milk were strewn across the Formica counter top closest to the refrigerator.
"One simple move of your hand is all it takes to put this stuff back where it belongs," he muttered. His jaw tightened as he put away the things himself. When he bent over to put the mayonnaise in the refrigerator, he felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. He glanced over his shoulder.
"It’s about time you got home," Heather cooed, swaying toward him. She slid her arms around his waist and nestled her plump breasts against his back.
Joshua’s muscles constricted from her touch. Normally he would have experienced a slight arousal by the feel of her soft breasts against his body, but the anger he was desperately trying to keep under wraps prevented even the slightest tingle of response. "Honey," he grumbled, "I really wish you would learn to pick up after yourself when you’re in my house." Straightening, he slammed the refrigerator door shut.
"That’s what I was coming in here to do, but you beat me to it." Heather stepped around him, her arms never leaving his waist, until their gazes met. Her charcoal gray eyes penetrated his. "You didn’t mention anything about going anywhere this afternoon. Where have you been?"
Joshua opened his mouth to explain, but snapped it shut quickly when his gaze lowered to the long button-down white shirt Heather was wearing. His shirt! The top three buttons were undone, inviting a view straight down to her bare, smooth legs. She wore nothing else. She had let herself into his house, made a mess everywhere and helped herself to his clothes, all without permission.
His eyes darted back to hers in a potent stare. He knew unspoken anger smoldered in his eyes. "I had to go out for a while," he muttered. He freed himself from her embrace, then turned to wash the dishes in the sink, all the while doing his damnedest to keep his temper under control. Everything she had done would have been acceptable had she asked. Instead, she was acting as if she lived with him, something he didn’t like at all.
Heather strolled to lean against the counter near the sink and tucked her tongue inside her cheek thoughtfully. "Did you see what I put in the refrigerator?"
You mean you actually put something in the refrigerator! Joshua almost said but caught himself. There was no use getting on her case about her nasty habits. It had never done any good before and most certainly wouldn’t have any effect on her now. "No, I didn’t notice," he said dryly.
Heather ran a hand up the outside of his shirt until her fingers tumbled inside between two buttons. She caressed the dark curly hair that covered his chest. "I bought us a bottle of wine," she purred. "I thought we could relax while we studied tonight."
"And I thought we had agreed to go to the library to study," Joshua countered. He leaned over, resting his elbows on the edge of the sink, and glared out the window. Not that he could really see much through the multi-colored curtains, but as long as he didn’t look at her, she wouldn’t see the frustration that continued to weigh down his spirits.
"Studying here would be so much easier, even nicer. There’s always so many people at the library. I can’t concentrate with so many people around." Her hand abandoned the hairy patch on his chest and slowly made its way to caress the side of his face.
That was a lie if he’d ever heard one. The population of Summer Springs was small, and the chance of a lot of people occupying the library was virtually nonexistent. So what was the real reason? "In other words, studying isn’t exactly what you have in mind for tonight."
"Oh, I have plenty of studying in mind," Heather whispered seductively. Removing her hand from his chest, she raised it to rest on the opposite side of his face. She pushed gently with the tips of her fingers and turned his head to face her. "My kind of studying just doesn’t involve a lot of books."
Joshua’s eyes instantly returned to the view down her shirt. Reaching up, he buttoned two of the three buttons, rejecting the invitation. With his temper slowly tapering off a bit, the sight of her plump, rounded breasts was beginning to take the desired effect on his most intimate organ. "Nice thought, sweetheart, but I really need to study with books tonight. We both need to study. Tomorrow’s the big day for the Assessment and Evaluation exam, and neither of us is really ready for it."
"But we’ve been doing nothing but studying for weeks!" Heather protested, pushing strands of her short blond hair out of her face with one quick swipe. "I didn’t do this much studying in high school! I’ll admit there are still a few parts we need to focus on. So I figured we could study those for a while and then commence to studying each other."
"Honey, we’re in college remember? It’s supposed to be far more difficult. And I really need to go to the library tonight," Joshua objected again. He outlined the ridges of her warm, wet lips with the tip of his finger. "Professor Dailey recommended a book that will help us figure out some of what we’ve been having trouble with, and he said they would have it at the library. Now, go get dressed."
Heather stood fixed in her spot, glaring at him. Her statement twisted into disappointment tainted with a hint of anger. Dropping her hand from his face with a violent motion, she huffed and stomped out of the kitchen.
Joshua stared after her, his mind reeling. What was wrong with him? Here he was with an attractive woman standing in front of him in nothing but a shirt offering to please him in the most personal way, and he wanted to go to the library!
Truth was, despite Heather’s beauty, her smooth skin and those luscious breasts, he wasn’t ready to take their relationship to the next level. It wasn’t that the feelings weren’t there. Usually, it didn’t take much for her to arouse him, and he cared for her deeply, although part of him felt she was only with him for his money. But even if those suspicions didn’t exist, he still wasn’t ready for the type of relationship sex symbolized. Though it had been nearly four years, he hadn’t had a relationship like that since Margot. And, after the many one-night-stands he’d had with female bartenders after her death, he had sworn off sex. It had been a lot longer then he cared to admit since he had allowed his sexual senses to take control, and still he liked it that way.
"You never did tell me where you were this afternoon," Heather’s voice flowed through the house from the bedroom.
Joshua had made his way to the living room and was gathering his textbooks together for the library. "I went on a job interview." The instant the words left his mouth, a picture of Dominique flashed though his memory. She was smiling at him with those dark blue eyes full of desire. He shivered.
Now fully dressed, Heather flew into the living room, wearing her own white pullover shirt and a pair of blue jeans so tight he could have sworn she would have needed a cement mixer to pour her into them. She came to a halt right beside him. Her short blond hair was slicked back, the sides fastened in the back with a barrette.
"A job interview!" she exclaimed. Wrinkles formed across her forehead. "You never told me you were looking for a job. Why on earth are you doing that?"
"I wasn’t actually looking for one." Joshua lifted a should as he plopped down on the sofa. "I ran across the ad in the paper, called the number and had the interview an hour later. There really wasn’t time to tell you about it before."
"What kind of job is it?"
"Babysitting."
"Babysitting," Heather repeated for clarity, tilting her head. She folded her arms across her chest. Her stare was icy and intense.
Again, a picture of Dominique flashed though Joshua’s mind. This time, the way she had looked when he had angered her during the interview earlier that afternoon. The way she had folded her arms across her own full, soft-looking breasts. The aggravation and fury that had shown in her eyes.
His mind had been telling him the whole time to take the opportunity to turn around and run. He had been so taken by her--so aroused by her. But she was a bartender, and nothing in the world could make him travel that road again. She was bad news. Despite her beauty, he was confident he could fight the temptation. After all, he had only been after the job. Besides, he already had a woman and cheating was a game he absolutely refused to play.
Joshua slammed his eyes shut and reopened them again to erase the memory. "Yes, babysitting," he confirmed, regaining focus on the conversation at hand. "It’s a little boy named Kalvin. He’s precious, Heather. You should see him." A smile rose to his face when he thought about Kalvin.
"And his mother, I bet she’s real precious, too," Heather spat.
Joshua narrowed his eyes. "That was completely uncalled for."
"You’re right, and I’m sorry. But isn’t babysitting a job for teenagers or something?" Heather’s penetrating stare never lessened, never dropped, even though her voice softened. "And why do you need a job anyway? You have more money than most people ever dream of having in their lifetime."
"I know that," Joshua said in an irritated tone. One thing about it, she never hesitated to remind him how much money he had. And, though he never said anything about it, it bothered him. Sometimes he wondered if she was with him merely for his money. Pushing those disturbing feelings aside, he said, "But, the way I figure it, it will give me a chance to spend some one-on-one time with a child who’s not kin to me. It’s a chance to help someone, too."
"What about us? If you’re going to be working at night, when will we get to see each other?" Heather shrilled. She waved a perfectly manicured finger through the air from her chest to his.
Regaining his composure, Joshua held out his palms for her to place her hands in his. She did so, and he gently pulled her down to sit beside him on the sofa. "Heather, calm down baby," he said softly with a gentle squeeze of her fingers. "There will still be time for us. I promise. I guess I should have talked with you about it first, but there just wasn’t time. You do understand how great this time with a child will be for me, don’t you?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Heather said, almost in a whisper. Her gaze dropped to her lap where she fiddled with the belt loop of her jeans. "I know in some crazy way this job will help you with your psychology studies and that’s what you truly want."
"Exactly!" Joshua pulled her closer, brushing his lips across the tip of her nose. She was saying she understood, but he could tell from the tension that was still in the room, from the stiffness he felt though her skin, that she really wasn’t happy about his decision.
~ * ~
As it turned out, it was almost a week before Joshua’s first day on the job. It had taken that long for Dominique’s boss to get the schedule rearranged. Today, Dominique rushed from room to room in her apartment at top notch speed. It was after two o’clock already and if she didn’t get a move on, her new babysitter was going to arrive for his first evening of work to find his employer still dressed in her underwear!
If he got her message, he would be arriving any minute. Due to the hold on the schedule, she had phoned him the day after the interview and asked him to sit tight until she called again. The instant the new schedule was made, she had placed the call but had reached the answering machine instead. That masculine, sexy recorded voice that had picked up echoed through her mind for what had to be the hundredth time.
Refusing to allow herself to dwell on the good looks and magnetic attraction of her new employee, Dominique pushed all sensual thoughts out of her mind just as she had each time since she’d laid eyes on Joshua Divine. It hadn’t taken her long to learn the easiest way to ward off the sensual thoughts about Joshua was to simply remind herself that he was a man pushing thirty and still living in his parent’s home. What a real turn off!
It had struck her as odd, though, that no other member of his family had picked up the phone if he had all the brothers and sisters that he said he had, but she dismissed the thought. He probably had his own phone line or something. After all, he was almost thirty years old.
She stepped into a pair of blue and white striped shorts and slid on the sapphire uniform T-shirt with the Party Paradise logo on the pocket. Her next mental focus was the amazing sensation of relief that she had experienced when she had agreed to hire Joshua Divine. That sense of relief was still present in her bones.
"And you thought you were going to beat me. Ha!" she said aloud to her imaginary demon. "This time I win."
Still, there were other issues that remained and shook her with nervousness. For instance, leaving Kalvin for the first time with his new sitter. Joshua had convinced her that he was capable of handling Kalvin and showing him a great time in the process. However, he was still an unknown factor. He’d had no references for her to check out other than his family, and naturally they wouldn’t lie. All she knew about him was what he had revealed. Although she had to admit, she would probably have had the same nervous feeling or worse if she had hired Elva Noble instead--or anyone else for that matter.
Vigorously towel drying her long, dark hair, she walked through the apartment to the kitchen, stopping first by the stereo. Kalvin was in his room playing with his toys, and the front two rooms of the apartment were filled with an eerie silence which she quickly remedied with the fast drumbeats and screeching guitars of heavy metal music.
Earlier in the day, Dominique had made a mental list of everything she needed to leave in easy-to-find places for her new babysitter. Knowing that the numbers to the bar, her aunt, and even to the hospital, fire and police stations were suspended from the refrigerator door with a magnet eased her nerves a little.
There was plenty of food in the cabinets and plenty of liquids for them to drink. Kalvin’s favorite snack--gummy bears made with real fruit juice--sat on the counter top waiting for his little mouth to devour them. Everything seemed to be in order.
"Except me that is," Dominique grumbled. She was headed for the bathroom to complete her hair drying when that door-shattering knock blasted through the apartment.
"Guess he got the message," she muttered, making an about-face in the center of the hall.
The handsome figure that greeted her this day was more casually dressed than on the day of the interview. Joshua wore a black pullover shirt and a pair of jeans that fit so well they put cowboys in their Wranglers to shame. In his hand, he held a copy of The Sword and the Stone, just as he’d promised Kalvin.
An amused grin rose to Joshua’s face at the sight of her wet hair and pale face. "Am I too early?"
"N--no," Dominique stammered. Her pulse was beating ninety to nothing, and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm it down.
Why did this man have such a crazy effect on her? It was as if she had developed a crush on him the minute she saw him. But she was too old for that, wasn’t she? She was twenty-six years old, for heaven’s sake, and here she was acting like she was back in high school!
"You’re not too early. I’m just running late." She recovered, running her fingers through her wet hair. "I see you got my message," she said, leading him into the apartment.
"I was home when you called, but the ringer was turned off on my phone and the volume was down on the answering machine," Joshua explained, following her to the living room. "Thank goodness for the blinking light on the machine. I wouldn’t have known you had called. I don’t know who messed with them."
Sure you don’t, Dominique thought. Be honest. You wanted privacy. And why? Well, we know what you were doing, don’t we?
That irrational pang of jealousy surged though her at the thought. Even knowing that he lived with his parents didn’t help. It only disgusted her that he could do something like that under his parents’ roof. How grotesque!
A siren of caution went off in her head. If he was the type to do that sort of thing in his own parents’ house, what was to stop him from doing it at hers?
The promise he’d made to not allow his girlfriend over, perhaps. Maybe even that love for children he said he possessed. Yeah, that was it. The knowledge that Kalvin was there would be enough to stop him. Hopefully.
"Joshua!" Kalvin’s high pitched squeal ripped through the apartment. "You brought it." He pulled the movie from Joshua’s hands and began examining the cover.
"Of course I did. I promised you I would." Joshua smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair with his palm.
"I appreciate you coming early," Dominique said, grabbing the stereo remote from the end table. She turned off the blaring music and tossed the remote aside. Moving slightly, she balanced herself with a hand on a nearby wall and slipped her feet into a pair of shoes. "I wanted to show you around the apartment a little and let you get comfortable with everything before I leave." She glanced at her wristwatch. "But first I have to go dry my hair."
"This looks really cool," Kalvin was saying as Dominique walked toward the bathroom.
Placing one hand on the doorframe, she stopped just outside the bathroom and watched them. Joshua was explaining something about the plot of the movie, and Kalvin was all ears.
He was really good with kids. That relieved awareness returned. Then Joshua’s gaze moved down the hall and their eyes locked. He flashed her a sexy, sensual grin. Dominique’s breath caught in her throat. She returned his smile and disappeared into the bathroom.
As she blow-dried her hair, she thought of Joshua and Kalvin. Seeing the two of them together, the delighted statement he brought to Kalvin’s face, was beginning to make her really glad she had hired Joshua. Despite the fact he was a man almost thirty years old and still living with his parents, she was starting to feel he could be a good influence on Kalvin, too. Heavens knew the boy needed some man that he could look up to. His father almost never showed his face, and now his grandpa was so angry with her that he wasn’t speaking to either of them.
Her chest heaved in a sigh. At least maybe Kalvin had a new friend who would be there for him.

 

 
Four
Joshua couldn’t shake the sultry, arousing sensation that whizzed through him when he caught Dominique watching him and Kalvin from the bathroom doorway. She had looked so sexy, so alluring, leaning against the doorframe in her blue and white striped shorts that displayed a pair of long, smooth, silky-looking, slender legs. On impulse, he had smiled, hoping that the sudden yearning he felt for her wasn’t evident on his face, but it was the way her sumptuous, full lips had curved into a smile in return that had really sent his pulse on a rapid race.
"Let’s watch the movie when Mommy leaves," Kalvin was saying, jerking Joshua from his reverie. "Wanna see my room?"
"Umm…sure," Joshua answered absentmindedly. His eyes still glued to the bathroom doorway where Dominique no longer stood, he allowed himself to be pulled by Kalvin to his bedroom.
"I have lots of toys." Kalvin grinned from ear to ear. "Look." He bounced to a small table across the room. "Do you like Harry Potter? I have all the toys from the new movie."
Joshua took a few steps closer to the boy and perched on the end of his twin size bed. "Have you seen the movie yet?"
"No." Kalvin’s disappointed gaze dropped to the floor. "Not yet. Mommy said we should wait till it comes out on video. That way, I can watch it whenever I want."
Joshua nodded as he looked around the room. For a single mother who, on first impression, seemed to be so conservative with her money, she appeared to spare no expense when it came to her child. He guessed there had to be somewhere in the range of close to a thousand dollars worth of toys, books, and other items surrounding him. Anything and everything a boy Kalvin’s age liked, and then some.
"I have all the Harry Potter books, too," Kalvin continued, moving to sit on the bed beside Joshua. "Mommy reads them to me every night." Suddenly a crestfallen look of longing and unhappiness overtook his precious smile.
Joshua instantly stiffened. "What’s wrong?"
"It’s just that Mommy won’t be here every night to read to me anymore." His bottom lip eased out into a pout. "She always reads me to sleep."
"I’ll read to you," Joshua said quickly. An empty space in his heart seemed to fill instantly. Reading to his brothers and sisters before bedtime had been one of the highlights of his childhood. Then he had to grow up and move out of the house. Still, every so often, he made sure he stayed around his parent’s house until his youngest brother’s bedtime just so he would get the chance to read him to sleep.
Joshua placed his arm around Kalvin’s shoulders and pulled him closer. "I know it won’t be the same as your mommy reading to you, but it’ll be better than nothing at all, huh?"
"You’ll do that?" Kalvin’s face brightened.
"Of course I’ll do that. You can count on it."
"Is he driving you crazy yet?" Dominique kidded, poking her freshly dried head into the room.
"Not at all!" Joshua allowed his arm to fall from Kalvin’s shoulders. "We’ll play some more in a few minutes. Okay?"
Kalvin nodded, hopped off the bed and began playing with his toys.
Joshua stood, eyeballing Dominique. Completely dressed and ready for work, she looked so fragile, almost like a teenager. She had applied a touch of makeup to her already shimmering, slightly tanned face, and her long, dark hair now hung in a glossy stream around her face and down her back.
Joshua pushed his fingers through his own hair. Man, she’s beautiful.
A pang of jealously speared through him, startling him to the core. It was the thought of her standing behind a bar in less than an hour being admired by dozens of drunk, sex-driven men that did it. Worse was how he knew she enjoyed every minute of it. Oh how he hated it! But there was nothing he could do. She was a grown woman, and what she chose to do with her life was her decision, as long as she didn’t allow it to affect Kalvin’s best interest. That, he had decided, she obviously held as a priority above her own personal desires.
Dismissing all negative thoughts of Dominique, Joshua stepped toward her. He stopped beside her and took another glance at Kalvin. "He’s a wonderful child. You’ve obviously done a great job at raising him."
An statement of sheer shock flashed across Dominique’s face and was quickly replaced by a glimmer of maternal pride. "Th--thanks," she stammered. "I’m going to be leaving soon, but I wanted to show you a few things before I do."
Leading Joshua to the kitchen, she continued. "There’s hot dogs in the fridge and buns in the microwave. You can fix that for supper. Kalvin only eats ketchup on his. Oh, and there’s frozen French fries in the freezer or, if you don’t want to cook them, there are several bags of chips in the cabinet. I usually feed him dinner around five and he gets a snack at six. He prefers these gummy bears," she instructed, picking up a sealed individual packet off the counter, "but sometimes he wants something different. As long as it’s not chocolate I don’t care."
She pulled a scrunchie from her pocket and expertly pulled her long, dark hair into a high, tight ponytail as she spoke. "Bed time is at eight-thirty. I know it sounds early, but if he doesn’t get to bed by then, I’ll never get him up for preschool in the morning."
It occurred to Joshua that the boy should be in kindergarten, but in the next heartbeat he answered his own question. Kalvin’s birthday had to fall in the wrong month for starting at the age of five.
He glanced at his wristwatch as he listened. It was three-thirty-five. She said she had to be at work by four, didn’t she? Raising a finger, he opened his mouth to alert her.
"Hang on a minute." Dominique threw a hand in the air. "If I don’t get this all out while it’s on my mind, I’ll forget something."
Joshua lifted a shoulder and returned to listening, but he couldn’t prevent the amused grin from rising to his lips. She looked so…cute, standing in the middle of the kitchen racking her brain for instructions, all the while unknowingly making herself late for her first night on the swing shift.
"I usually give Kalvin a bath before bed, but you don’t have to do that if you’re not comfortable. I can do it before he goes to preschool in the morning." Spinning on her heels, she headed for the refrigerator. "Here’s a list of numbers in case anything happens. The number to the bar is right here on top. I’ll be the only bartender working tonight, so I’ll be the one answering the phone. You can call me for anything, no matter how piddly you think it might be. I don’t get in trouble for personal calls, so don’t be worried about that. My Aunt’s number along with the numbers to the police station and fire department are on here, too." She turned back around to face Joshua and rubbed her hands together. "I think that’s it. Any questions or concerns?"
Joshua chuckled. "Yeah, just one thing. Aren’t you supposed to be at work at four?"
"What time is it?" Dominique eyes widened. She whipped her head around to glance at the clock on the microwave. "It’s ten minutes till! Shit! I’m going to be late. I’ve got to go." Spinning around, she snatched her purse off the table. "Do me a favor," she hollered as she raced to Kalvin’s room to say goodbye. "Call the number to the bar that’s on that list and tell whoever answers that I’m on my way." With a quick kiss to Kalvin and a wave to Joshua, she was out the door in a flash.
Joshua could only shake his head and laugh as he picked up the phone.
~ * ~
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Would you get out of my way?" Dominique beat the steering wheel with the palm of her hand, yelling at a slow driver in front of her. Stuck in heavy afternoon traffic, she was only a block away from the barroom and it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. "I don’t know where you learned to drive, but obviously you need more instructions. That pedal in the floorboard that your foot is supposed to be on is called the gas pedal. If you push it a little bit harder, the car will go. I promise," she continued to fuss.
Finally, they crept down the block, and she whipped into the parking lot of the bar. "Great! The one day when several people are at the bar at four o’clock in the afternoon and I have to be late!"
She bolted out of the car, tossed her purse over her shoulder and stormed through the door of the building, heading straight for the employee office behind the bar. The dayshift bartender, Marge, appeared in the doorway of the office. The fiftyish woman nodded at Dominique.
"I’m so sorry I’m late." Dominique hastily tossed her purse on the desk. She felt bad for having kept Marge waiting.
"Slow down. It’s no problem," Marge assured her, stepping aside to let Dominique through the doorway. "It’s not like I was never late relieving you when our shifts were reversed. Although I never had such a sexy voice call you to tell you I would be late." Her eyes twinkled. She pushed a strand of her gray-streaked auburn hair behind her ear and angled her head to one side. "Who was that anyway?"
Stopping to lean against one of the beer coolers, Dominique took a few deep, calming breaths. "He’s my new babysitter."
"Some babysitter," Marge said teasingly. "No wonder you were running late. But isn’t he supposed to be babysitting Kalvin?"
"That’s who the guy was at your house?" one of the customers piped in before Dominique could answer. It was Ronnie, a short, plump, balding man and one of the regular customers that came into the bar at all different hours of the day. "Come on, Dom. You could’ve come up with a better story than that."
"Yeah, you could’ve said he was a repairman, or your uncle or brother or something," one of the other regular customers chimed in. "But the new babysitter, now that’s about as lame as ‘the dog ate my homework’."
The bar erupted with laughter.
"Can I get another beer, Dom?" another customer asked once the commotion settled a bit, sliding an empty bottle toward her on the bar.
"Sure." She smiled and reached into the cooler. She could see what her night was going to be like. Oh, why couldn’t those guys find something else to amuse themselves other than her new babysitter?
"First of all, I don’t have a brother and all of you know that," she said as she popped the top on the beer bottle and served it to the customer. "And second, it’s not a story. The guy is my new babysitter. Or, should I say, Kalvin’s new babysitter," she added for Marge’s benefit. "I had to hire one so I could pick up the swing shifts."
"And you just had to hire a male one," Ronnie continued to tease.
"Hey, he applied and, as it turned out, he was the best qualified for the job." Dominique threw her hands in the air with a shrug. Well, not actually the best qualified, but the only one both she and Kalvin agreed on. Of course she wasn’t about to tell her customers that. They were giving her a hard enough time about Joshua as it was.
"I bet he was the cutest, too," Marge teased, moving around the bar to become a customer now that her shift was over. "He sure sounded dreamy. Is he?"
Dominique felt the heat rising to redden her face. She turned around quickly, using the excuse to fix Marge her favorite drink to prevent the customers from seeing her blush. "He’s nice looking," she admitted in the most casual voice she could muster. Her stomach rippled as the image of Joshua Divine in those tight-fitting jeans flashed through her mind.
He’s beyond nice looking, she added to herself as she mixed the drink. Completely, utterly gorgeous is more like it.
~ * ~
Joshua kicked back on the sofa, propping his feet on the coffee table in front of him. The only sounds that flowed through the apartment came from the television, which remained on with no one paying it attention. Kalvin had been in bed for close to three hours. After taking the required time his body needed to recuperate from an eventful evening with Kalvin, Joshua was now bored out of his mind and longing for company.
A smile rose to his face as he thought about his first evening with Kalvin. He still found it hard to believe how well mannered the young boy was. Smart, too! There was no need for psychology with this child. If he didn’t know better, he would swear Kalvin was closer to eight or nine years old instead of the mere age of five.
The two of them had devoured their manly dinner of chili dogs and frozen French fries, played with nearly every toy and game the boy owned, and even watched a couple of movies before Joshua gave him a bath and read him to sleep. To his surprise, Kalvin hadn’t given him a single minute’s trouble all evening.
After tucking Kalvin into bed, Joshua had cleaned up the mess they had made--along with most of the mess they hadn’t made as well--and settled in on the sofa to study. But instead of studying, he found himself concentrating on Dominique. The look she had given him when he had caught her watching them from the bathroom door. That desirable, sexual smile was still making appearances in his mind.
She had called several times throughout the evening to check on them, each time leaving the sound of her voice to replay again and again in his memory. Just like the message she had left on his answering machine the previous evening. He had played it at least ten times, just listening to the sound of her voice. It had been shaky, almost nervous sounding, but still heart-stopping.
Joshua wondered once again if she would’ve had anything different to say had he answered the phone. With that thought, his anger at Heather returned in full force. He’d been furious with her for turning off the ringer on the phone and then turning down the volume on the answering machine. He hadn’t realized it until she’d left, but he knew she’d done it. Her plans for the evening had been one in the same with the plans she’d had the day he’d gotten the job. Lately, she just didn’t seem to have any intentions of letting up on the sexual begging. That night, she hadn’t wanted anything to interfere with her little plans for the evening. However, it had been him and not Dominique who had busted the bubble on those plans.
Just as they’d done the day he got the job, he and Heather had gone to the library but only stayed for about an hour before returning to his house to continue with more studying. Heather had taken this as a sign that Joshua had changed his mind, when in truth he’d found all the information he needed and had merely decided he would rather go home and be comfortable while he worked his mind.
Despite Heather’s efforts to make him do otherwise, Joshua had not given in to her provocative wants. He just wasn’t ready for that, and the more he thought about it and the more Dominique entered his mind, the more he was beginning to wonder if it was just Heather that he wasn’t ready for.
Whoa, don’t even go there buddy, his inner voice cautioned. But his unethical thoughts of a sexual affair said differently.
Realizing the time was quickly approaching midnight, Joshua rose from the sofa and returned to cleaning the few things he had neglected earlier in the evening. He was passing by the table in the kitchen when he tripped over a pair of Dominique’s shoes. Geez, what was it with women these days? Didn’t their mothers teach them how to clean anymore? She was as bad as Heather. He shook his head, then picked up the shoes and made his way down the hall to Dominique’s bedroom. The door to the room was closed. He hesitated outside, wondering if he should enter.
He swung the shoes in his fingers. You’re just putting away a pair of shoes, his inner voice said. It’s not like you’re planning to go through her personal belongings or anything.
With that thought in mind, he opened the door and was instantly met with the sweet, tantalizing smell of Dominique’s perfume. He took a deep breath, allowing the scent to roam around in his air passages. After a moment, he took a step inside and stopped. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, he thought when his gaze landed on the items strewn across the unmade queen size bed. The most feminine of female clothing lay on display before his eyes, all with frilly lace and arousing colors.
"Nope, definitely not a good idea," he decided aloud. He placed the pair of shoes on the floor by the dresser and quickly exited the room. At the same time, he heard the doorknob of the front door wiggle and open.
Without a second’s thought, Joshua bolted into the nearby hallway bathroom and flipped on the light. He didn’t want Dominique to think he had been nosing through her personal stuff. He heard a loud thump and guessed she had tossed her monstrosity of a purse somewhere on her way in the door. Then he heard her enter Kalvin’s room.
Deciding it was safe, Joshua walked out of the bathroom at the same time Dominique was leaving Kalvin’s room. "How was work?" he asked, keeping his voice low as not to wake Kalvin.
Dominique jumped. "You startled me," she gasped, placing one hand over her heart.
"Sorry." Joshua chuckled. He followed Dominique to the kitchen where she commenced to gather the makings for a sandwich out of the refrigerator. "So, how was work?"
"L-o-n-g," she stressed. "And how were things with Kalvin? Any problems?"
Joshua began gathering his books and things in the living room. Not that he really wanted to leave. He had been waiting for hours for her to come home and would’ve loved to stick around and talk to her for a while. But he guessed after a long night of dealing with drunks, the last thing she wanted was her babysitter hanging around to chat.
"None at all," he answered. Walking back to the kitchen, he said, "He’s a fantastic kid."
Dominique turned from the counter, a mayonnaise-covered knife in hand, and smiled proudly. "Yeah, he is, isn’t he?"
Spotting a stack of video cases on the endtable by the couch, Joshua said, "I take it your movie fairy was at the bar tonight."
Dominique giggled. "Yeah, he had to drop off the weekly delivery. This time there’s more there for me than Kalvin, though. There are several movies I’ve been wanting to see, but haven’t had the chance."
"I’m assuming I’m working tomorrow night as well?" Joshua angled his head toward her.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. For the next couple of weeks I’m only going to be off on Sundays. I hope that’s okay," she said, wrinkling her forehead. Her tone was unsure. "After that, my schedule will be arranged so that I’ll have two days off."
"No problem," Joshua replied. If the truth be known, he wasn’t looking forward to having a day off. Hesitantly, he asked, "Is there anything more before I leave?"
"No, I don’t think so." Dominique shook her head. But her statement said something totally different. Her gaze skittered away from his face. They lapsed into silence.
She wants me to stay, he thought. I can see it in her eyes. Or am I imagining it? Tell me to stay and I will.
But she didn’t say it, and he fought the urge to offer. It was better this way. He had made promises to himself that staying behind would have broken to smithereens, and he had an obligation to Heather--to himself--not to break those promises. If he stayed, there was no telling what would happen. His intentions were only to talk with her, to get to know her better. But intentions were often taken over by desires and that had to be avoided. Their’s would be a working relationship and nothing more. That was the way it was and the way it would stay.
Resigned, he hefted his books and gave her a parting smile. "Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at three-thirty."

 

 
Five
On a bench in the playground in Dominique’s apartment complex, Joshua sat studying for his next big exam--this time in Psychology. A few feet away, Kalvin ran around the enormous play set. Joshua smiled as Kalvin whooshed down the six-foot slide. With one more day to go, he had almost made it through his first week. Everything was going wonderfully. Dominique seemed more at ease leaving Kalvin with him each afternoon and the two were having a blast together while she was gone. As for he and Dominique, they had developed the perfect employee/employer relationship. She had even entrusted him to take Kalvin to the playground.
Glancing at his wristwatch, Joshua suddenly realized he and Kalvin had been at the playground a lot longer than he had planned. It was nearing six o’clock, and he had yet to feed Kalvin his dinner. The boy had been having so much fun, he hated to ruin it. To his surprise, Kalvin didn’t mutter a single word of argument when Joshua told him it was time to go in. Joshua entered the apartment then went straight to the kitchen with Kalvin in tow.
Dominique had instructed him to feed Kalvin a can of Spaghetti-O’s from the cabinet, but he had other things in mind. Every night, it was something quick and easy with virtually no nutrition. Tonight, he and Kalvin were going to have a real meal. He had stopped at the grocery store on his way to Dominique’s that afternoon and picked up a pack of skinless, boneless chicken, a box of macaroni and cheese, and a can of corn. Still quick and easy, but a bit more nutritious than Spaghetti-O’s.
When Joshua came in with the food, Dominique had looked shocked. She’d smiled and said thank you, offering to pay him back for the food even though he insisted that it was his treat. She had been a bit angry with him for changing her dinner plans without asking and, despite her attempts to hide it, he had sensed it right away. Well, she would just have to get over it.
Kalvin sat at the kitchen table, talking about all the fun he’d had at the playground while Joshua prepared their dinner. A half an hour later, Joshua joined the boy at the table with two plates loaded with hot, scrumptious food and glasses of fruit punch. Both ate in silence as if they hadn’t seen food in weeks, until about halfway through the meal when Kalvin broke the ice.
"Joshua, if you had a kid, would you want to see him?" the boy asked innocently between bites of his macaroni.
An empty spot in Joshua’s heart threatened to take control. Flashbacks of the child he almost had bounced in his mind. Closing his eyes to put the thoughts to rest, he angled his head toward the boy. "Of course I would want to see him. I would love to have children of my own someday. The only reason I don’t now is because I’m just not ready for them." That, and I allowed the child that I almost had to slip lifelessly though my fingers.
"My daddy never comes to see me." Kalvin’s bottom lip protruded in a pout. He sat his fork on his plate and stared off into nothingness. "He never calls me, even."
Stunned, Joshua stopped in mid-chew. His jaw stiffened. His heart bled for the boy--so young and yet obviously hurt by so much. How could a man not want to be with his child? He just didn’t understand. Even though he knew there was no chance of him ever knowing the child he’d almost had, he still longed to be with it every day of his life.
He knew nothing of Kalvin’s father. Neither he nor Dominique had ever mentioned him. Still, an uncontrollable anger roared through him like a freight train. Why bring a child into the world if you didn’t want to have anything to do with it? And if that child wasn’t planned, which could very well have been the case, well…it was still his responsibility. The child didn’t ask to be brought into the world. If you can’t accept the consequences don’t have the fun, he thought, jabbing his fork into his macaroni.
"When I ask Mommy about it, she just says he’s really busy, but I don’t think that’s true," Kalvin continued.
Joshua noticed a glimmer of tears begin to shine in the little boy’s eyes. He swallowed hard, forcing down a lump in his throat. He reached out and placed a loving hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Using the back of his hand, Kalvin wiped away a tear that trickled down his rosy cheek. His now bloodshot eyes turned on Joshua with a crestfallen, heart-wrenching glare. "Why doesn’t my daddy want me?"
Joshua’s breath caught in his throat. Despite his efforts, his own eyes brimmed with tears. How was he supposed to answer a question like that? He had no guidance, no previous experiences from which to draw the proper answer. Thinking back quickly to his own childhood, he couldn’t remember a single time when he needed his father that he hadn’t been there for him. Nor could he think of anyone he had ever known who had been faced with the same, or even a similar, situation.
Think Joshua, his inner voice coached. Think about what you’ve studied in class. So what if you promised Dominique you wouldn’t use psychology on the boy. If there’s ever been a time when it’s needed, that time is now. You’ve been attending college to train yourself to handle questions like this. Now think!
Taking a deep breath, Joshua scooted his chair closer to Kalvin’s, and pivoted the boy in his seat so they were face to face. "Sometimes adults haven’t quite grown up enough to accept the responsibility of having a child, and yet that child is born anyway. It’s not that they don’t want their child. They just don’t seem to possess the knowledge to make the right decisions where the child is concerned. I’m sure your daddy loves you very much and, sooner or later, he’s going to realize what is right."
Kalvin pulled himself to his knees in the chair and wrapped his long, skinny arms around Joshua’s neck. "I sure wish you were my daddy."
Joshua was stunned. He had muddled through the boy’s question the best he could and believed he had done right. But what response could he give to that? The love he was beginning to feel for the boy couldn’t be expressed in the appropriate words. He simply hugged Kalvin tighter for a moment then released him from his embrace.
"Finish your dinner now," he instructed, scooting back to his plate. "We still have to give you a bath and read some more of your book before bedtime."
~ * ~
Stiff and sore, Dominique wandered through the door of her apartment a few minutes after midnight. Instantly, she was met with an eerie silence that blanketed the apartment. The lights in the kitchen and living room had been left on and revealed spotless areas. Her eyes widened. The place had been a wreck when she’d left at three-thirty. Now the apartment was clean and clutter-free.
"I see you’ve cleaned my house once again," she said to thin air.
It hadn’t been in his job description, but Joshua had turned out to be more of a full-fledged nanny than just a simple babysitter. Although it irritated her to know there was a man in her house who seemed to be taking over tasks she would prefer to do herself, such as the cleaning and cooking of healthy meals for Kalvin, she secretly confessed that she found cooking and cleaning to be seductive traits in a man.
So where was her sexy, seductive nanny? Strolling through the apartment, she saw no sight of him. Her pulse began to race so fast she could feel it in her temples, pounding behind her eyes. Where was he? Had something happened? Completely unnerved, she stomped to Kalvin’s room and jerked open the door. There, lying together on the bed, was Kalvin sleeping soundly with Joshua at his side.
A warming smile rose to Dominique’s face. She folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself tightly as she gazed at the sleeping figures. They looked so peaceful, so cute together, almost as if they were father and son. She hated to disturb them, and almost didn’t. She knew Joshua didn’t have any classes the next morning. Yet, allowing him to sleep the night at her apartment, even if it was in Kalvin’s bed, wasn’t a good idea.
Her steps much softer now, she eased across the room and gently shook Joshua’s arm, whispering, "Joshua, Joshua, wake up. I’m home."
Slowly, Joshua stirred from his deep sleep. His eyes fluttered open.
Dominique’s stomach executed a summersault when he gazed at her through the darkness with those tantalizing, sleepy eyes. Clearing her throat, she smiled and repeated, "I’m home." Strolling around to the other side of the bed, she gently planted a kiss on Kalvin’s cheek and pulled the comforter up to his chin.
Dominique tiptoed out of the room with Joshua in tow, then softly closed the door.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep," Joshua said. His mouth opened in a huge yawn and he quickly raised a hand to cover it.
"It’s no problem," Dominique assured him, stiffly making her way to the kitchen. "I see the two of you must have had a good time at the playground."
A smile unfolded across Joshua’s thin lips. "Yeah, I think he enjoyed himself." Then his statement turned serious as he observed Dominique gathering the items for her nightly sandwich. "Are you all right? You’re moving as if you’re hurting or something."
"Friday nights are always busy at the bar, but tonight was the worst," Dominique said, retrieving the mayonnaise from the refrigerator. "I hope I get use to this soon. My feet are killing me!"
Briskly, Joshua took a few long strides and stopped next to her by the counter. "Sit down. I’ll make your sandwich for you."
Dominique hesitated and started to argue, but Joshua angled his head toward her, glaring at her with an statement that left no room for disagreement. He pointed to the table, ordering her to sit. She reluctantly obeyed.
"I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you’re ready to get home." Her thoughts, however, didn’t agree with her words. A tingling sensation flowed throughout her body at the thought of him sticking around for a while. They hadn’t spent any time together other than the few minutes before and after work each day, when he was either coming or going. Still, he had been on her mind constantly. She often found herself wishing she were home with him and Kalvin instead of at work dealing with all the drunk men and obnoxious women.
Just watching him moving about in her kitchen making her a sandwich sent her mind reeling with improper fantasies. She could picture herself walking over to wrap her arms around his muscular shoulders. The feel of his body in her hands would send her hormones into explosions. Then he would turn to her, embrace her tenderly, pull her closer, and...
"I hope you like chicken," Joshua said, ripping Dominique from her reverie. "We had a couple of pieces left over at dinner and I thought it would make a good sandwich for you when got home."
"Chicken is fine." She nodded quickly. She squirmed in the chair in an attempt to banish the hot, wet feeling that had pooled in her middle as a result of her fantasy.
"Your chicken sandwich, madam," Joshua said, imitating the voice of a professional servant. He stood straight and placed his hands behind his back. "What would you like to drink with that?"
"Umm…" Dominique said thoughtfully. She kicked off her shoes and began massaging her aching feet. "There’s a bottle of white wine in the fridge. A glass of that sounds like an absolute dream right now."
Nodding obediently, Joshua spun on his heel and proceeded to pour her wine. "Do you mind if I have a glass, too?"
"No, not at all," Dominique said quickly, secretly delighted that he would be staying around at least long enough to have a glass of wine. "Help yourself. Believe it or not, even though I work in a bar I don’t drink that often. I do like a glass of wine on the weekends, though. Especially after nights like tonight. I can see this quickly becoming a weekend ritual."
"There’s nothing wrong with a glass or two here and there." Joshua returned to the table, placing the glasses on the table as he sat down beside Dominique. She hadn’t touched her sandwich. She was too busy massaging her feet. "Here, let me do that, and you eat," he ordered.
He slowly slid his hands down her freshly shaven leg in a light, caressing touch, until his fingers wrapped around her slim ankle in a gentle, tight grasp. Pausing for a short moment, he brushed his thumb delicately over her anklebone before he pulled her right foot into his lap.
Dominique’s breath picked up pace. A fervent vibration rippled up her spine from the feel of his strong, wide hands caressing her foot firmly but tenderly from the tips of her toes to the hardness of her ankle. His sensual touch brought goosebumps to her skin, driving her insides wild with anticipation, leaving her longing for more, just as she had expected it would.
As his hands worked their way toward her heel and around her ankle, she let her imagination run wild. In her reverie, his hands didn’t stop at her ankles, but slowly glided up her leg, and all the while his upper body moved closer to hers. Closer…and closer…and closer…until…
"If you don’t mind my asking, what kind of plans do you and Kalvin have for tomorrow?"
Joshua had, once again, busted through her fantasyland, ripping her away just when her imagination was getting to the good parts! Heaving an exasperated sigh while at the same time suppressing a moan that had built deep in her throat, Dominique picked up the chicken sandwich and took a huge bite. "I really hadn’t decided on anything," she said around the food. "Why?"
"Tomorrow is my youngest brother’s birthday. He’ll be six. I know there will be lots of other children there and I thought Kalvin might enjoy himself as well." He carefully lowered her right foot, then picked up her left in the same manner as he had the first.
Dominique took a long gulp of wine. Concentrating on the question at hand instantly proved impossible when Joshua’s fingers continued to awaken pleasures she had thought were long ago put to permanent rest. It had been eons since a man had touched her without sex in mind. Oh why, when it finally happened again, did it have to be Joshua Divine?
"Ooo…" She hesitated, silently taming her raging hormones. "I don’t know. I’m sure Kalvin would have a great time, but I don’t know that I would be comfortable around a bunch of adults I don’t know."
A puzzled statement flashed across Joshua face. "Aren’t you around a bunch of adults you don’t know every night at work?"
"Well…yeah, but that’s different. That’s work, not a family gathering."
"But you know me," Joshua objected. "And you do feel comfortable around me…don’t you?" He stopped massaging her foot to toss her a sexy glance.
The look, the emotions, that Dominique thought she saw in his eyes--so intense, so breathtakingly serious--made her insides melt. If only she could truly read those eyes. She hadn’t wanted to feel comfortable with him. From the moment she had heard his voice on the other end of the line when he called to apply for the job, she had been telling herself it wasn’t right, pleading with herself not to get too close. Now, with the way that look made her feel, she knew she was powerless to stop her growing attraction.
But how could she admit all of this to Joshua? She couldn’t. She just couldn’t. He was simply her child’s babysitter and nothing more. Sometimes the way he looked at her led her to believe he felt an attraction to her, too. Then she would mention something about the bar and see him grimace. Even if he did possess the same growing feelings for her, it would never work.
Avoiding a direct answer, she finally said, "I’ll think about us coming to the party."
"Great! And I hope you decide to show up. The party will be at my parents’ house at eleven. They live in Pine Brook Estates. It’s the third house on the left."
"I know where that is." Nice neighborhood, she added silently. She’d been under the impression he lived closer than that. "I’m not making any promises that Kalvin and I will be there, but I’ll think about it."
His massage complete, Joshua leaned back in the chair and dragged a finger lightly over the rim of his wineglass. Dominique’s leg stayed resting in his lap. "There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about," he said slowly, staring into the glass.
Dominique angled her head toward him. Something in the tone of his voice caused an alarm bell to go off in her head. "Is something wrong?"
Joshua propped his elbows on the table. He sighed loudly, staring down at his hands that he had folded together in front of him. "Kalvin put me on the spot at dinner tonight."
Dominique straightened in her chair. Her leg fell from his lap.
"He wanted to know why his father doesn’t want him," Joshua continued. Slowly, he lifted his gaze until it locked with hers.
"Oh, God," Dominique whispered. Tears instantly dampened her eyes. "I was beginning to think he had forgotten him. It’s been so long since he’s mentioned him. I divorced the son-of-a-bitch so I could give myself and my child a better, happier life, and all I succeeded in doing was hurting Kalvin."
Joshua scooted closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder just as he had done with Kalvin earlier that evening. Reaching up, he tenderly wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek. "You are not the one hurting Kalvin. His father has done that. Do you think things would be any different if you had continued to live in a marriage you were undoubtedly unhappy in?"
"I--I don’t know. I kept telling myself it was best to leave. That it would be the best thing for both of us. I just couldn’t stay with him any longer." Dominique stood and began pacing the kitchen floor. "I don’t even know why I married him in the first place. He was so abusive."
When she saw Joshua’s eyes widen to the size of compact discs, she stopped and turned to face him. "Not physically abusive. Mentally abusive. But that, I often thought that was so much worse. Even then, he never lifted a finger to be with his son. He hated the fact that I was pregnant, even though he was the one who said he wanted a child. He cheated on me, left me by myself all the time, and when he was around all he could talk about was how worthless I was, how I would never amount to anything, even what a terrible mother I was!"
Pacing again, she shoved her hands in the pocket of her blue jean shorts. "I met him just after I graduated from high school. At first he was really nice. Then the possessiveness started. I don’t know why I stayed with him then, but I did. My father kept telling me he wasn’t right for me, but I wouldn’t listen. A few months later I found out I was pregnant, and we were married immediately. Call me stupid, I guess."
"No, young and lonely would be more my guess," Joshua countered, sipping his wine as he listened attentively.
"The year I spent married to that man was the worst year of my life," Dominique murmured. As she spoke, she released her hair from the binding scrunchie that held it high on her head, allowing her hair to fall down her back. "Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. We got into a fight one night, I saw a door open in my mind and I flew through it. I took Kalvin, I left and I never looked back."
"Is that when you came here?"
"No, we moved in with my father. We were living in Louisiana at the time." She ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it. "We stayed with my father for a while and then moved into an empty trailer he owned. We didn’t move here until two years ago."
Joshua tilted his head at her. "This may be off the subject, but what made you come to Mississippi?"
Dominique returned to her chair at the table. "When I left my ex, I had no money and no job. I hadn’t gone to college the way I had planned because he had forbidden me to go. The only job I could get was waiting tables. I made pretty good money, but it wasn’t enough to pay all the bills, so what I couldn’t afford, my father picked up.
"At that time I had such a low self-esteem, I had gotten to the point that I just didn’t care about anything. Worse, I had convinced myself that I needed a man in my life to be happy. I needed a man who would tell me how beautiful and wonderful I was, instead of constantly putting me down."
Her gaze dropped to her lap as the tears brimmed her lids once again. "Working as a waitress, I was asked out a lot. Sometimes I would turn them down, but most of the time I accepted. I started dating this one guy who loved to hang out at this bar. Turned out that he was exactly like my ex-husband. But while I was at that bar one night, the manager offered me a job. He taught me how to tend bar and make nearly every drink imaginable. I found I was making so much more money bartending than waiting tables that I quit my other job."
Joshua raised a hand to interrupt. "If you don’t mind my asking, where was Kalvin though all of this?"
Dominique squeezed her eyes shut. Her face grew hot with embarrassment. "At my parents’ house, probably wishing his mother would spend more time with him." Her voice cracked. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I was heading down a bad road but was too stupid to realize it. Even though I was making good money by that time, I was spending it like it grew on a tree, and yet I had nothing to show for it. My father was paying most of my bills and taking care of Kalvin. Nearly everything you see here," she said, indicating the furnishing around them with a flourish of her arm, "my father paid for. I didn’t realize what I was doing to Kalvin, as well as myself, until I heard him call my mom Mommy one-day. It broke my heart! He was spending so much time with my parents that he was starting to see them as his instead!"
"So you picked up and moved to Mississippi to get Kalvin away from your parents?" Joshua asked, a bit confused.
"Not exactly." Dominique shook her head. "When I heard Kalvin call my mom Mommy it opened my eyes. I was twenty-four years old and, although I was no longer living with my parents, I was living off of them. I was born in Mississippi so I knew the area, and I still have some family here. I decided the right thing to do was to get out from under my father’s wings and learn to stand on my own.
"Of course that didn’t make my father too happy, and he’s no longer speaking to me, but Kalvin and I are doing better on our own. It’s hard, and we’ve been through some really rough spells, but we’re making it. And now that I’m making more money, I’m sure things are only going to get better. Still, the best part of it all is that I know whatever Kalvin and I have, it’s because I got it for us. I worked hard for it. Not that it was given to me because someone felt obligated to give it to us or felt sorry for us."
"Then it sounds to me like you’ve made the right decision." Joshua’s lips arched up in a comforting smile.
"Yeah," Dominique snarled. "I just wish my father would see things that way." The overflowing river of tears came again. "I tried to explain everything to him--my reasons for leaving the state, the fact that I needed to learn to stand on my own two feet--but he wouldn’t listen. He got so angry! And, in turn, I’ve felt so guilty for acting as cold-hearted as I did, but no matter how much I explained, I just couldn’t make him understand. Finally I decided the only thing I could do was follow through with my decision and prove to him that I can make it on my own. Unfortunately, even now that I’ve proved myself, he’s still not speaking to me. My mom calls now and then to check on us, but my father…" Her voice trailed off, breaking from the tears.
Joshua slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to rest her head on his chest. "You’re father is just finding it hard to let his little girl go. Parents like for their children to be dependent on them. You’ve showed your independence. You’ve showed him how grown up you are, and he just can’t seem to accept that. I’m sure he will come around. Just give him some time."
He ran his hand down the back of her head, smoothing her hair. She could feel his chest rise and fall in ragged breaths. It was as if their closeness was doing something to him, something he was fighting to control. She knew she should probably pull away, but it felt so good to have a pair of strong, caring arms wrapped around her that she couldn’t bring herself to move. She didn’t know why she was opening up to him the way she was. He had merely asked about Kalvin’s father, and she had told him about everything that had happened in her life for the past five or six years.
"Thank you," Dominique sniffled, lifting her head to look Joshua in the eyes. "I had no idea I had all of that built inside me, but it felt so good to get it out."
"Any time you need to talk, you remember I’m here," Joshua said softly. He placed the palm of his hand on the side of her face and caressed her wet cheek with his thumb. "And I mean that. Any time you need to talk, I’m here for you."
Their eyes locked. Joshua’s gaze was intoxicating, penetrating. Dominique had to fight to suppress a moan that threatened to escape deep in her throat. The hand that had been on the back of her head slowly moved to slide under her hair and brush the nape of her neck. Gently, she felt that hand pull her head closer. He was going to kiss her! And she wanted him to. Her fantasies may not have been able to make it that far, but the real thing would be so much better anyway.
She could feel his breath quickening. His heart pounded against the hand she had rested on his chest. Her mouth began to water in anticipation. Her stomach ached from insatiable hunger for him. Her lips parted as their faces became so close their noses brushed. There seemed to be an unspoken communication between them, one that said they both wanted what was about to happen. Yet, when their lips reached the point of almost touching, it was Joshua who broke that silent communication.
"I--I think I should go," he breathed softly. "Before we do something we may regret."
Dominique wanted to object, to tell him there would be no regrets, but she couldn’t. Deep down, she knew he was right. Not only did he have a girlfriend standing in the way but there was the true nature of their relationship. Their’s was a employee/employer relationship and if they let it get out of hand, there was no telling what the outcome would be. As hard as it was to fight the temptation, she had vowed not to allow anything to happen between them. And no matter how difficult it was to pull away, she had to keep that vow.

 

 
Six
By eleven-fifteen the next morning, young Luke Divine’s birthday party was well underway. The backyard of the Divine family’s spacious two-story home swarmed with children of all ages, some family, some not, playing various outdoor games, running around and screaming happily, and Joshua was right in the middle of it all. With a grin as wide as the Mississippi River plastered to his face, he dashed across the yard to catch a football tossed by his brother.
"Go long," he hollered, taking a step back. His return throw sailed over the heads of several kids, angling down until it landed expertly in little Luke’s arms. "Way to go, dude!" He pumped an arm straight up into the air in victory.
Luke’s green eyes lit up in sheer surprise. "I caught it Joshua! I caught it!" He jumped up and down, waving the ball in the air.
"Good job, champ." Joshua clapped, heading toward him. "You’re going to be quarterback for a pro football team before you know it." He ruffled the child’s dark sweaty hair with the palm of his hand. "I’m going to take a short break. The other kids are playing tag over there. Why don’t you join in the with them, and you and I will play some more later?"
Luke skipped across the warm crisp grass to his friends a few feet away. Joshua shook his head like a large dog, causing sweat to fly through the air as he walked toward the adults who sat conversing on the back patio.
"Well, look who finally decided to quit running around like a two year old and join the big people," Heather greeted with only a half smile as he approached.
She squirmed in her chair. She was uncomfortable and on the verge of being angry. Uncomfortable, he knew, because she was an only child from divorced parents and family events were not her forte. Angry at Joshua for leaving her alone with his parents and older siblings so he could play with the children.
"Only for a few minutes." Joshua plopped into a folding chair beside her, resting his elbows on his knees. Heather instantly scooted closer to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. Her touch felt cold against his shirtless skin as she laid her head on his shoulder. He knew how out of place she felt at his family’s gatherings. Yet she was the one who always insisted on attending.
"That’s our Joshua." Constance Divine laughed. Her smooth face creased in a large, proud smile. "The Peter Pan of the twenty-first century. Give him a child and a football and he’s set to go for hours."
"Speaking of children, Heather tells us you have a new job," Mitchell Divine said. His lips thinned to a straight line as he reached for his freshly squeezed lemonade. "Do you want to tell us about it?"
Casting a quick glance at Heather, Joshua leaned back in his chair and jammed his fingers through his already rumpled sweaty hair. He’d been so busy with college and babysitting that he’d neglected to mention his new job to his parents. The fact that Heather had told them was a bit of a surprise. Not that he feared their disapproval. However, Heather had yet to completely come to secured terms with the job. Was it possible she had mentioned it in hopes his parents would hit the roof and order him to quit? Surely she should know he wouldn’t. His parent’s opinion mattered to him but he did not allow it to rule his life decisions.
"It’s just a part-time thing." Joshua lifted a shoulder. "I’m babysitting a little boy while his mother works at night. His name is Kalvin." His lips curved into a bright smile. "He’s a precious child. Well behaved, too! I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with him so far."
Constance leaned forward in her chair. The smile gone from her statement, she glared at Joshua. For a moment, Joshua thought she was going to hit the roof. But when she spoke, he instantly realized it was her motherly concern and not anger that he saw in her soft hazel eyes. "Are you running low on money, son?"
"If you are, you know all you had to do was say so," Mitchell chimed in, echoing his wife’s grave tone of voice.
"No, no, I didn’t take the job for the money. My psychology professor suggested I should find a way to spend more time with children that aren’t my brothers or sisters. I took the job for the time with Kalvin."
"Kalvin, what a handsome name," Constance said. Her worry and concern seemed to diminish. "It sounds responsible, professional. I bet that child will make something out of himself with a name like that."
"Yeah, that’s what his mother says."
Heather let out an irritated moan. Lifting her head from Joshua’s chest, she threw herself back in her chair.
Joshua simply glared at her. It was the same attitude she exhibited each and every time a single word was mentioned about his new boss.
Apparently ignoring Heather’s obvious attempt to become the center of attention, Mitchell drilled his son. "And what is the boy’s mother like?"
Joshua bit his lower lip thoughtfully. How would he describe Dominique? Beautiful, tantalizing, sexy? Maybe in his mind, but never to his parents, and never in front of Heather. A warm, tingling feeling swept through him as he remembered the closeness, the overwhelming need for her that he had experienced when they had almost kissed the previous evening. How he had longed to feel her lustrous lips pressed against his. To feel her arms wrapped around him in a passionate embrace. His willpower had flown the coop last night. Even his imagination had gone haywire! Fantasizing about throwing her on the table, ripping off all her clothes and shoving himself deep inside her. Just knowing what had gone through his mind had left him drowning in guilt.
Thankfully, reality had stepped in and slapped him hard in the face before he had allowed the situation to get out of control. The realization that she was his boss, that she held an occupation he despised, that he had made an exclusive commitment to Heather, had all come back to him in a blast of common sense.
Instead of voicing all that was going through his mind about Dominique, Joshua found a more simple, less incriminating way to describe her. "She’s nice." If he’d said anything else, he would have left an opening for a whole slew of questions he’d rather not address. "I had hoped you would get to meet her for yourself. I invited her to bring Kalvin today."
Heather jerked up straight in her chair. She looked horror-stricken. Her exasperated, potent glare landed on Joshua. "You invited her to the party!"
"Yeah." Joshua wrinkled his brows. Her shock and apparent anger took him by surprise.
Yet, if she knew the thoughts that were going through his mind about Dominique, she would be furious.
But she didn’t know, and it was going to remain that way. He was determined to get past the insane attraction he felt for Dominique and make things right with Heather. It was the right thing to do. Despite her possessiveness and irritating faults, despite his suspicions of her true intentions, he was more compatible with her than he would ever be with Dominique.
"With his mom’s work schedule, Kalvin doesn’t get the chance to hang out with a lot of children outside of preschool," Joshua continued, addressing his parents. "I thought he would enjoy coming to Luke’s party, and I was certain Luke wouldn’t mind."
"You know Luke, the more kids to play with, the merrier." Constance angled her head toward her youngest son in the core of all the youngsters in the yard. "Why didn’t they come? You did tell them how to get here, didn’t you?"
"Of course! Dominique assured me last night she would think about bringing Kalvin, but she wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea." Joshua frowned. "I was hoping that wouldn’t hold them back, but I guess it did."
"Think again," Natalie, the oldest of the three Divine girls, corrected. She raised a finger, pointing through the air. "Unless you invited some other woman with a child that you haven’t told us about yet, I would say she’s here."
~ * ~
Dominique’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes locked with Joshua’s across the enormous yard of the Divine property. The thought of turning around and running away as fast as she could plagued her. She had come close to turning the car around and speeding straight back to the apartment many times before she had even pulled in the driveway. But she had made the mistake of telling Kalvin where she was taking him and knew he would be disappointed beyond belief if she didn’t follow through.
So, instead of chickening out, she had forced herself to focus on the perfectly manicured lawns that lined the street of estates. Hedges trimmed to perfection, pristine windows that caught the morning sunlight, casting a riot of colorful streams through the clear air. Someday she would live in a place like this.
It had been the thought of mingling with Joshua’s parents that had her so ill at ease. It was almost as if she were about to meet the parents of a man with whom she was exclusively involved, but much worse. She wasn’t involved with their son at all! What was she supposed to say to a bunch of adults she knew nothing about? Sure, she made conversation with strangers at the bar on a daily basis, but that was different. It was her job. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t even pretend that this was any comparison.
In a flash, Joshua was close at her side. Instantly, she felt a tumultuous reaction to his presence. Their shoulders brushed, sending arousing chills through her blood. She made no effort to move. He didn’t seem to notice. Either that, or he simply didn’t care. That breathtaking smile she had come to know so well remained fixed on his tan, gorgeous face.
"Mommy, look at all the kids." Kalvin tugged at the hem of Dominique’s tank top. Her hand flew up to the neckline, gluing it against her skin to prevent it from lowering. "Can I go play, Mommy? Can I?"
"You most certainly can," Joshua answered, before she had the chance. "See that boy over there in the football jersey? That’s my youngest brother, Luke. He’s the birthday boy. Run up to him and introduce yourself."
Kalvin bolted across the yard and joined right in with the other children as if he had known them all his life. Dominique watched after him.
"I’m glad you decided to bring him," Joshua said, his gaze following hers to where Kalvin now stood with the rest of the children laughing and playing merrily. "See, he’s having a great time already."
Dominique shuffled her sandaled feet on the grass nervously. "Sorry we’re late. We almost didn’t come, but then I remembered what you said about it being good for Kalvin, and decided you were right." Remembering the package she held in her hand, she extended it. "I’ll let you take this. It’s a present for your brother."
"A gift was not a stipulation of the invitation." Joshua took the neatly wrapped rectangle box from her fingers.
Dominique lifted a shoulder. "I know but I couldn’t very well show up at a six year old boy’s birthday party without a present, now, could I?" She squinted as she looked up at Joshua. The blinding sunlight behind him cast a yellowish glow around his head, making him appear more of an angel than a mortal being.
He is an angel. A divine angel at that.
Dominique shook off the thought. She had expected there to be a bit of tension lingering between the two of them. Despite the fears she had developed over meeting his parents, that was the real reason she almost hadn’t brought Kalvin to the party. After what had nearly happened in her kitchen the night before, she had been certain Joshua wouldn’t act the same around her again.
But to her surprise, it seemed he had put the incident behind him. A near mistake that was caught and prevented before it happened. That was all it had been. He probably hadn’t thought any more of it. Hormones often caused two people to do strange things, things they wouldn’t do under normal circumstances and, while she was sure his hormones were not in desperate need, hers were definitely out of whack! It had been far too long since a man had touched her in the way he had last night. Come to think of it, twenty-seven years too long. Now all she had to do was succeed in erasing the incident from her mind as he had. Looking at that bare chest with its rippling muscles and curly dark hair, she knew for a fact that was one task that would prove to be easier said than done.
"Okay, so I guess a gift was in order." Joshua chuckled. "Come on. I’ll introduce you to the adults." He placed a hand on the small of her back and gently propelled her forward.
There was no denying the pervasive tremor that ran through her from the warmth of his hand on her back. The mere nonchalant touch sent darts of heat to her most secret, sensitive places. Dominique had to ball her fingers into fists at her sides to keep from returning his delicate touch. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she only half heard him when he began to introduce the adults seated on the patio.
"It’s very nice to meet you, Dominique," Constance greeted her, reaching out to shake her hand. "We’re delighted to have you here. Joshua was just telling us about your son. I must say he looks as precious as my son described."
"Let me get you a chair," Joshua whispered. His hand slipped down her back, sending sharp arrows of heat through her belly. He stepped off the patio and placed Dominique’s gift with the mound of others lined across a nearby table, then returned with a folding lawn chair for her.
"Would you like some lemonade?" Natalie offered, standing. "It’s freshly squeezed and a real treat for your tastebuds on such a hot day as this."
"I would love some. Thank you." Dominique flashed her a jittery smile.
She sat down in the seat Joshua provided for her, folding her hands in her lap to keep from revealing her sweaty, nervous palms. She was painfully aware of a certain set of eyes that had been boring holes through her every inch since she had stepped foot on the patio. A semi-attractive blond a few seats from her was staring her down as if she were some sort of repulsive creature.
The name of the blond was one she had missed due to the deafening pounding of her heart, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who she was. It had to be Heather. The unsettling thing was that she found herself wanting to stare the woman down just as she was doing to her. She wanted to see just what it was that had hooked into the heart of Joshua Divine. Resisting the urge proved to be yet another difficult task, but one that she was able to accomplish even if just for a few moments.
"I must say we were surprised when our son told us he had found a job. Especially babysitting." An amused gleam rose to Mitchell’s glistening green eyes. It was easy to see where Joshua had obtained his handsome features. Despite the age difference between the two, he and his father could almost pass for twins. "Tell me, Dominique, what is it that you do for a living that requires you to be away from home so late at night, dear?"
Joshua abruptly cleared his throat as if signaling to his father not to ask that question, but it was too late. His chest heaving, he slowly lowered himself into his chair beside Heather. His steady stare remained on Dominique.
Natalie returned from inside the house with two glasses of lemonade and handed one to Dominique before returning to her seat.
Thankful to have something back in her hands, Dominique shifted uneasily in her chair. "I work on the highway at Party Paradise," she answered, her voice uneven and choppy. "I’m a bartender on what we call the swing shift."
"A bartender, huh?" Mitchell nodded. His features tightened. It was obvious that out of respect for company at his house he was trying to hide his thoughts, but the same unnerving look had risen to his face that had appeared on Joshua’s when he’d first found out her occupation.
Dominique tilted her head. What is it with this family and bartenders? She wondered. They act like bartending is a sin or something!
The tension on the patio instantly became so thick, the sharpest knife in the world couldn’t have punctured it. Constance seemed to sense this and jumped to Dominique’s aid.
"You’re son is absolutely adorable." She shot Dominique a wide smile as she gazed across the yard. "He does look a bit older than Luke, though. Joshua said he was in preschool. How old is he?"
"Kalvin is five," Dominique replied. She attempted to shake the uneasy feeling Mitchell Divine had planted in the pit of her stomach, but much of it still remained. "His birthday falls after the cut-off date for the school, so he won’t be starting big boy school until next year."
"Big boy school?" Heather’s cutting tone skewered. She made no attempt to hide her scowl.
Dominique chewed her bottom lip to suppress the smile that threatened to appear at the tone of Joshua’s girlfriend’s voice, but lost the battle. For some reason unbeknownst to her, she felt a sense of victory against the prim, proper woman. "That’s what Kalvin calls it. He’s informed me that as soon as he begins school next year, I will no longer be able to treat him like anything but a big boy."
"Aren’t children just so cute at that age." Constance shook her head in amusement. Her face brightened with motherly love.
"Mom, don’t you think we should gather up the kids and let Luke open his presents now?" Natalie asked, standing. "Then we can all cool off with a scrumptious bowl of ice cream."
"I’ll get everyone together," Joshua volunteered, bolting up from his chair. If Dominique didn’t know better, she would swear he was just as uncomfortable as she was.
She bit her lower lip. I knew this wasn’t a good idea.
Natalie laid a gentle hand on Dominique’s shoulder on her way by. She leaned down, whispering in her ear. "I could use a hand setting out the presents, if you would like to help."
"Absolutely," Dominique agreed in a breathy sigh of relief.
A cool breeze fluttered though Dominique’s hair as she followed the gliding steps of Joshua’s sister to the table covered with presents. Still she could feel eyes staring her down. This time not just one set, but several. Determined to no longer look as out-of-place as she felt, she pushed her chin up high and forced her muscles to relax.
"I’m really glad you decided to come," Natalie said kindly, rearranging the boxes wrapped in various happy birthday papers on the table. "Joshua was looking awfully disappointed when he thought you weren’t going to show."
Dominique angled her head toward Natalie. She was a bit surprised that he had wanted her there so badly. Gazing across the yard, she saw Joshua standing in the middle of all the children, spinning Kalvin around in his arms. She decided it wasn’t her that he had wanted there, but her child. She just came along with the package.
"Hey, don’t let my father get to you," Natalie drifted into her reverie.
"I’m sorry. What did you say?"
"My father, I could tell he made you a bit uncomfortable on the patio," Natalie pointed out. "Don’t let him get to you."
Dominique didn’t know what it was about the petite, auburn-haired woman, but the more she spoke to her, the more she felt a bond developing between them. She had only known Natalie for a few minutes, and already she felt she could trust her and tell her most everything. "Does your family have something against bartenders?"
Natalie laughed. She leaned against the table, raising a hand covered in beautiful, gaudy diamonds to shield her deep hazel eyes from the blinding sun. "It’s not just bartenders. Believe me. My parents are from the old school--my dad especially. You know, the type that feels a woman’s place is in the home, bearing children and waiting on her husband hand and foot. That kind of thing."
"And Joshua, does he have the same views about women?"
"Naw, Joshua is a modern day man." Natalie shook her head. "He’s always viewed men and women as equals. He believes that it should be both the man and the woman’s responsibility to take care of everything from the bills, to the household chores, to the children."
Dominique heaved a sigh. "Funny, but he hasn’t come off to me that way."
Natalie smiled in amusement. "My brother is a hard one to figure out, but once you do, you’ll know exactly what he’s thinking just by looking at him. Take Heather for instance." She nodded slightly to the patio. "I still haven’t figured them out. They’re all wrong for each other. She claims to love children, but she doesn’t want to have anything to do with them. She’s snotty and hates family gatherings. All things that make my brother tick! He doesn’t love her. I can tell. He may care for her, but it’s not love. And she doesn’t love him either. Why the two of them are even wasting their time is beyond me."
"She definitely has a cold pair of eyes." Dominique shivered.
"Oh, you mean the way she’s looking at you." Natalie chuckled, slapping a hand through the air in an indication she should dismiss the thought. "Ignore her. She’s just jealous."
Dominique’s brows drew together. "Jealous of what?"
"My brother’s time, of course." Natalie clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. She tossed her auburn hair behind her back with a quick swipe. "That…and you. Has she ever met you before today?"
Dominique shook her head.
"That explains it. The job you’ve given my brother is cutting into the time he has to spend with her. Not to mention the fact that you’re young, beautiful, and have a child whom he has obviously quickly grown attached to. The only tid-bit of security Heather may feel is from your job, if she even knows anything about what’s behind that."
Dominique tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. There it was again--the reference to her job. She wanted to ask what Natalie had meant by that, but before she could, a swarm of happily screaming children bombarded the table.

 

 
Seven
Joshua made a mental note to thank Natalie the minute he caught her alone. If she hadn’t taken Dominique under her wing and showered her with kindness, he was certain Dominique would have felt completely out of place. Instead, she looked perfectly content sitting next to his sister talking about who knew what while everyone indulged on cake and ice cream.
The party was turning out to be a big success; not that he had feared anything otherwise. Luke was having the time of his life and now had more new toys and other gifts than he knew what to do with. And best of all, Joshua didn’t think he had ever seen a smile so wide across little Kalvin’s face.
"Joshua." Luke pulled at his shirt until his big brother was forced to bend forward so he could whisper in his ear. "Is it time?"
"Are you sure you don’t want to play with your new things for a while longer?" Joshua whispered in return.
"I’m sure." Luke nodded eagerly. "I can play with them later."
Straightening, Joshua quickly scanned the crowd gathered in the yard. Natalie seemed to have disappeared. Sauntering over to Dominique, he asked, "Where did Natalie disappear to?"
"She had to run to the ladies room inside the house," Dominique answered, squinting from the blinding sunlight. "Is there something I can do?"
"Actually, if you don’t mind, yes. We need to gather Luke’s presents and get them inside the house so they won’t get wet."
"Wet?" Dominique looked puzzled.
"It’s time for a time-honored Divine birthday tradition." Joshua’s eyes sparkled with amusement. "Water hose tag."
Dominique’s hand flew, palm out, in front of her chest in a stopping motion. "Okay, I’ve heard of tag, but what does a water hose have to do with it?"
"It makes it so much more fun. Instead of running around trying to touch people with your hand, the kids take turns using a water hose instead. You get drenched with the water and you’re it."
"Sounds like it’s time for us adults to head back to the patio," Constance Divine sang as she passed by them. "If you don’t want to get soaking wet, Dominique, I suggest you do the same, dear."
"I know I am." Heather scurried quickly behind Joshua’s mother. "If any water gets on my new silk shirt, it will be ruined."
"Who wears a silk shirt to a six year old child’s birthday party anyway?" Dominique muttered, rolling her eyes to the sky.
Joshua leaned forward. A slight smile quirked the corners of his thin lips. "Trust me, only Heather," he whispered in Dominique’s ear.
She gasped. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud."
Joshua chuckled. "It’s all right. Heather takes some getting used to, but she’s really a nice woman."
"Yeah, I can tell," Dominique said dryly.
"Uh oh, they’re dragging out the water hose," Natalie observed as she approached. "Time to gather up the gifts."
"I’ll help you," Dominique volunteered.
"Hey, Nat, are you going to join us?" Joshua asked as they walked away.
"Not today, dear brother. Unlike you, I believe I’m getting a little too old for water hose tag," Natalie called over her shoulder.
"Ah, you never gets to old to play in water," Joshua countered.
~ * ~
"He’s such a kid." Natalie shook her head as she began loading her arms with boxes. "I don’t think that man will ever grow up."
"Kind of like Peter Pan, huh?" Dominique giggled, gathering her own load of boxes.
"That’s what mother always calls him."
Carrying more than their arms would normally allow, Dominique began to follow Natalie toward the house. The battle of water hose tag had already started behind them. The children screamed gleefully when the water covered them from head to toe. Dominique was halfway to the patio when she felt her own back grow cold from water gushing against her. Sprinkles sailed over her head.
She spun around, her focus landing on the culprit with the water hose in hand--her son.
"Uh oh, sorry, mom," Kalvin hollered. He was doing his best not to laugh, but the battle didn’t last long before he had to give in.
"You!" Dominique screamed, pointing a finger from under the armful of boxes. "You did that!"
Kalvin giggled. All the other children had halted in their spots, gazing at her wide-eyed as if waiting for her to blow her top.
Dominique turned back around to find herself face to face with Constance Divine. "Should I take those for you?" Constance asked through a wide smile.
"Would you please?" Dominique handed the gifts over to her. "I believe it’s my turn to take possession of that hose."
"Oh no! She’s coming," Joshua yelled when Dominique began stomping in the grass toward them. "Kalvin, run!"
Dominique broke out into a run herself, tackling Kalvin and the hose to the ground. Water sprayed into the air, falling like rain on top of them. They laughed together as she wrestled the hose away from him. Standing, she gazed around to find someone who was still dry. She instantly spotted Joshua. "Oh, the biggest kid of them all and he’s still dry," she yelled, flashing him a mischievous grin. "We can’t have that now, can we?"
Joshua’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Uh oh."
~ * ~
"She’s beautiful, you know?" Natalie arched a brow. She picked up a dishtowel from the counter in the Divine kitchen, drying her hands as she watched her brother rearranging the refrigerator to accommodate the leftover birthday cake.
Having had his fill of water hose tag, Joshua had sought the refuge of the house, changing into a dry suit of clothes before helping his sister with the cleanup in the kitchen. "Who’s beautiful?" he asked. His head still stuck in the fridge, his voice came in a muffled tone.
Natalie leaned against the counter, casting a glare out the window. "Dominique. She’s far more attractive than Heather."
Joshua straightened, turning to glare at his sister. "What’s wrong with Heather?" His eyebrows shot up. "I thought you liked her."
"We tolerate her," Natalie corrected, raising an objective finger in the air. "We tolerate her because you like her but she’s all wrong for you, Joshua, and I think you know that."
"I think I should be the one to decided who’s right or wrong for me, Natalie," Joshua stated sternly. Natalie was his favorite of the three sisters and yet she had the agitating knack of butting into areas of his life in which she had no business. All their lives she had always tried to tell him who he should and should not date. When he brought a girl home to meet their parents, she was the first to point out all that was wrong with the girl and why he shouldn’t go out with her again. The problem was, nine times out of ten she was right!
"Josh, the two of you have nothing in common." Natalie crossed her arms over her chest. "She’s a snob! She’s hates family get-togethers, can’t stand children, and has her nails so deep in you that you can’t see it. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s only after your money. She puts on this act to make you believe she wants everything in life that you do, and you buy it hook, line, and sinker."
Joshua huffed. "You’re wrong. Yeah, she’s not crazy about family events. I’ll grant you that. And she’s not very good around children. She’s an only child. She’s accustomed to being the center of attention. You can’t fault her for that. It’s how she was raised. But she makes me happy, and that’s all that matters." He whipped around, slamming the refrigerator door shut. Trinkets that decorated the top of the fridge rattled from the force.
"If that were true, yes," Natalie conceded. She stepped away from the counter and walked closer to the window. "Josh, you’ve been lonely for so long that I don’t believe you remember what true happiness with a woman is like. You’ve forced yourself into believing that Heather makes you happy, but she doesn’t. She makes you happy." She pointed outside to where Dominique had taken Joshua’s place as the entertainer of the mob of children. "I can see it in your eyes every time you look at her. If you only realized how your face brightened when she showed up for the party. I haven’t seen that glow, that look of uncontrollable desire, since…well, since Margot."
Joshua clenched his jaw. He fixed a potent stare on his sister. Inside, his heart bled from hearing someone else speak her name. Margot represented a time in his life that no one in the family talked about anymore. Those had been the most wonderful years of his life, and at the same time the most painful, and his family understood that.
"What’s holding you back? The fact that she’s a bartender, too?" Natalie continued to pry. "What happened to Margot was a terrible tragedy. What happened to your baby was even worse! And the things you did after their deaths were not too pretty either. But neither was your fault. You’ve tortured yourself over it all long enough and now you’re making Dominique pay for it, too?"
"I’m not making Dominique pay for anything except my salary for babysitting her child."
"You’re wrong. How blind can you be? She’s attracted to you. It’s so obvious! And you’re falling for her, too, but you’re fighting it tooth and nail and I don’t believe for a second that Heather is the reason for your battle. Let Margot and your past go, Josh," Natalie said softly. Walking over to him, she placed a caring hand on his shoulder. "It’s over. It’s done. Nothing in the world can change it and nothing can bring it all back. Let it all go."
"I have let it go," Joshua insisted. His tone was blatantly cold and harsh. He slapped away her hand. "And you need to butt the hell out of my personal life."
Tears brimmed in Natalie’s hazel eyes. Joshua knew his cruel words went straight to her heart. It wasn’t often he spoke to her with such exasperation. Clenching her fingers into fists at her sides, she lifted a shoulder. "If that’s the way you want it. Just remember I’m here for you when you’re ready to come to your senses." Leaving the conversation at that, she spun on her heels and returned to the back yard.
Joshua walked over to the window, placed his hands on the counter before it and gazed at Heather, who had yet to move from her chair on the patio. He scanned the yard until he found Dominique. Luke, Kalvin, and a few other boys had tackled her, and she was rolling on the ground, laughing merrily.
Despite his anger over his sister’s intrusion into his personal life, he felt his heart soften as a streak of heat jolted through him. Somewhere inside, he wondered just how much of what his sister had said was right. Was Heather really all wrong for him? Was he really falling for Dominique? He had been putting up such a battle to control his heart.
And he was miserably losing that battle.
~ * ~
Dominique stood, still laughing slightly, and brushed the grass from her sun-dried blue jean shorts. Sneaking a quick glance at her wristwatch, she realized it was nearing two o’clock. She was sweaty, sticky, covered in grass and would definitely need another bath before heading to work that afternoon. To her surprise, a part of her longed to stay at the party--not for Kalvin, but for herself--yet she knew if she didn’t leave soon, she would never make it to work on time.
"Kalvin honey," she called over the joyous screams and yells. "We have to go, son."
Kalvin bolted across the yard and came to a screeching halt just inches from her feet. His bottom lip poking out in a pout, he cried, "But, Mommy, I don’t want to go. I’m having too much fun. Can’t we stay longer?"
Dominique kneeled down to her son’s eye level. That horrible look of disappointment that she hated so much was forming on his sweet little face. "I don’t want to go either, baby, but Mommy has to go to work soon and I still have to shower and change."
Kalvin’s gaze dropped to the ground. He shuffled his feet sadly, and she felt as if she would cry.
"We’ll come back soon and you can play with Luke some more. Okay?"
Kalvin heaved a disappointed sigh. "I guess so." Reluctantly, he spun around and allowed Dominique to lead him toward the patio. They were halfway there when Joshua stepped out of the house. The look on little Kalvin’s face lured him their way.
"What’s wrong?" he asked. Kneeling down, he ran a soft finger over the child’s cheek.
"Mommy says we have to go." Kalvin pouted. "I don’t want to go. I’m having too much fun."
Joshua straightened. His eyes slowly scanned Dominique all the way up until they locked with hers. Her heart began to somersault wildly, but what she sensed behind his usually gleaming green eyes made it halt in mid-air.
"Must you go?" he asked. His tone had lost the soft, sexy appeal and sounded more cold and harsh than anything.
An alarm went off in Dominique’s mind. She didn’t believe the harshness was intentionally directed to her, but something had obviously upset him. "I’m afraid so. I have to be at work in two hours. You are still going to be able to baby sit tonight, aren’t you?"
"Of course! As a matter of fact--" Joshua scratched his chin thoughtfully, "--I have an idea. Why don’t you leave Kalvin with me and we’ll come to your house when the party’s over?"
Dominique hesitated, unsure if she felt comfortable with Kalvin in a car, considering Joshua’s sudden mood change.
As if sensing her reservations, Joshua changed his tone, imitating that of a two year old, and added, "Come on, Mommy. You know we have such fun together. And you can trust me. I’m a responsible driver."
An amused grin curled the edges of Dominique’s lips. Then Joshua and Kalvin mocked pouted expressions, begging with her to say yes. "Well…all right. But don’t wait too late before bringing him home, and don’t go anywhere else."
Joshua bit his lower lip. "I have to take Heather home. But we won’t get out of the car. I promise." He held up two fingers in the Boy Scout salute.
"You are just as terrible as he is," Dominique kidded, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "The two of you really have to stop ganging up on me like this."
"But it works," Joshua mused.
"Yeah, too good." Dominique groaned in defeat. Kneeling down, she brushed a kiss across Kalvin’s cheek. "You be good for Joshua and I’ll kiss you goodnight when I get home from work."
~ * ~
Hours later, Dominique stood behind the bar at Party Paradise, washing the mound of dirty drinking glasses she had allowed to accumulate. It was unusually slow for a Saturday night and the more she looked at the clock, the slower time seemed to pass. Still, she found herself not all too eager to go home. Nervousness had set in almost to the point of making her frantic. Would Joshua stick around again after she got home? After what had almost happened the night before, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not. That close call to the kiss she had fantasized about for so long was all she could think about. Even meeting Heather at the party hadn’t been able to erase the strong attraction she felt for Joshua Divine.
Heather was all wrong for him. She had seen that the moment their eyes met. Even Natalie had said so. But it was not Dominique’s place to comment about it. Joshua was her employee and nothing more. What had nearly happened last night had just been a freak accident and would never happen again. She was sure of it.
Out of the corner of her eye, Dominique noticed a figure. Her heart jumped. "You startled me." She clasped a hand over her heart, realizing it was only her relief bartender, David something or other. He hadn’t worked there long enough for her to learn his last name. Not that it was important anyway.
David snickered. The laugh lines creased around his mouth and slate blue eyes. "Sorry." He blew a strand of sandy blond hair out of his face, reaching to roll up the short sleeves of his uniform shirt until it looked more like a muscle shirt. His arms were deeply tanned and well developed. "I thought since I’m already here and it’s so slow tonight you might like to duck out early."
Get off early on a Saturday night! No way was she going to turn that down. "Are you sure?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together.
"Yeah. Count your register and get out," he kidded, pointing toward the door. "I’ll finish up whatever cleaning isn’t done."
"David, you’re a doll." Dominique flashed him a gleaming, wide smile. Minutes later, she bolted out the door to her car and sped away.
In the car, her thoughts returned to Joshua. Why was she worrying so much about him anyway? It wasn’t like she was interested in a relationship. It was the last thing she needed. Her ex-husband and her wild days after him had burnt her out on that. She was single and had finally found happiness in being that way. Just her and Kalvin. That was all she needed--all she really wanted. But the fact that Joshua was nothing like her ex-husband or any of the other men she had ever dated was hard to ignore. And fighting her growing attraction was becoming more of a battle than her heart was prepared for. Was it her overactive imagination or did she sense that he felt the same intimate need and infatuation for her, too?
"Who knows," she muttered to herself. She parked the car in front of her apartment and stepped out. Inside the house, all was quiet. Winding her way through the rooms, she saw no sight of Joshua. Probably fell asleep with Kalvin again, she thought. A smile rose to her lips.
Softly, she entered Kalvin’s room, surprised to find him sleeping alone. She quickly but gently planted a kiss on his cheek and quietly closed the door as she left the room. A creak at the end of the hall made her turn just as Joshua stepped out of the bedroom. Her jaw dropped. Joshua froze just outside the bathroom door. His flabbergasted statement mocked hers. Water glistened on his tanned skin like tiny diamonds, and he wore only a towel!
Before her gaze could drop any further, Dominique glanced up into his wide, astonished eyes. A hot wetness pooled at her middle from the sight of his muscular body, bare and wet. She couldn’t help but wonder what sight would await her under that towel. If it hadn’t been such a bolt-from-the-blue moment, she was certain that overactive imagination of hers would have had a field day.
Joshua’s pulse was running the Indianapolis Five Hundred. He tightened the towel around his narrow waist. "Y--you’re home early," he stammered. Sexual tension thickened the air. Dominique could feel her insides beginning the first stages of a meltdown. No matter how she tried, her mind could only focus on her body’s sexual reactions to his towel-dried presence. Moistness warmed her mouth. She bit down hard on her bottom lip.
"The grave shift bartender let me off early," she finally said, shocked at how even and calm her voice sounded when nothing else about her felt that way.
"I--I should probably get dressed," Joshua muttered, pointing a shaking finger to the bathroom.
Dominique could only nod as he disappeared back into the bathroom. She stood in the hallway, planted to her spot. She tried to will her body to move, but it argued disobediently. Her imagination threatened to run wild. She had to fight the urge. Unfortunately, this was one fight which called for reinforcements. A glass of wine! That’s what she needed. A cool, tasty glass of wine. Alcohol to calm the nerves and, most importantly, the hormones. With that in mind, she turned and wandered to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Joshua entered the kitchen. "I’m real sorry about that." His tone had steadied a bit. "I had no idea you were home."
Dominique felt her sense of humor returning. She giggled softly. "It’s all right." She turned from the counter and lifted the bottle of wine. "Want a glass?"
"Umm…yeah. I could use one of those right about now." Joshua chuckled slightly. "I take it business was slow at the bar tonight."
"Miserably," Dominique groaned. She handed a glass of the wine to him and pulled out a chair at the table. Her eyes scanned the now fully-clothed Joshua Divine. Navy blue slacks, tan and blue pin striped button-down shirt neatly tucked in. He was obviously dressed to take on the town.
Joshua sat down at the table across from her. Gripping his glass for dear life, he said, "I didn’t think you would mind if I took a shower. I have a date with Heather tonight and figured it would be easier than going home to change."
Dominique’s heart plummeted, making a splash only she could hear in the pit of her stomach. A date with Heather. She should have known. "No, I don’t mind." She sipped her wine. She hoped she was coming across as nonchalant about the whole thing as she was attempting to. "Heather seems really nice." Yeah, right! "How did the two of you meet?"
Joshua eyed her suspiciously, sipping at his wine before answering. "We met at the college. We have a few classes together." He stared at her strangely. "You don’t have to pretend you like her, you know. I saw how rude she was to you today at the party, and I apologize. She’s not real crazy about family get-togethers and never fails to let her aggravation show."
"It’s no big deal." Dominique lifted a shoulder. "You’re the one who has to put up with her. Not me. So where are you taking her at this time of night?"
"The Windermere."
Dominique couldn’t hide her surprise. "Isn’t that the really nice restaurant in the Jamboree Casino? Funny but you don’t strike me as the casino-going type."
Joshua chuckled. "I’m not, actually, but they have the only restaurants open at this time of night."
"True." Dominique nodded. She fell into silence, her mind reeling as she tried to put her next question into words. Wrinkling her brows, she finally asked, "You do realize that place isn’t cheap?"
Joshua pushed his long slender fingers through his towel-dried hair. "Why is it I get the feeling you think I don’t have any money at all?"
Dominique gulped hard. His question caught her off-guard. How could she tell him she had realized the truth about him the first day they talked without harming his ego? There simply wasn’t a way. A man and his ego were easily crushed from the smallest embarrassment. She had learned that a long time ago. "I just put two and two together, I guess." She didn’t meet his gaze.
"And came up with what?" he prodded.
"You’re almost thirty years old, in college, babysitting for sixty dollars a week and still living with your parents. It wasn’t hard to figure out."
Joshua cupped a hand over his mouth, but his laugh spilled through. Dominique glared at him in confusion, causing him to laugh harder.
"Geez! I had no idea your life was that funny," Dominique said dryly.
"It is when you put it like that," Joshua said between laughs. "I guess I should tell you more about myself. Dominique. I don’t live with my parents. I have my own house on Beach Boulevard. I’m in college at the age of thirty because it took me this long to decide what I actually wanted to do with my life.
"Obviously you don’t know much about what happens in the news in this city, and I don’t really feel like getting into it all right now, not to mention that I hate bragging, so just trust me when I say money is the least of my worries. Okay?"
Confusion replaced by disbelief and embarrassment, Dominique could only nod. Something told her to press for more information but, after the heated redness she knew had consumed her face, she truly didn’t want to hear any more tonight. Then again, while he was opening up to her, there was one other question that had yet to be answered.
"Can I ask you something?" she questioned, twirling a strand of her hair around her index finger. When he nodded, she asked, "What is it about female bartenders that makes you and the rest of your family look as if they’re about to pounce?"
Joshua’s face clouded over. He sighed and closed his eyes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reopened them. "If it’s all the same to you, I would rather not get into that tonight."
"Then it is something," Dominique squeaked. No imagination this time. She had been right all along. "I knew it!"
"Yes, there is something," Joshua admitted, sliding a cupped hand down his nose to his chin. "Although what you appear to be reading as anger is actually something far different."
Dominique hesitated to push any further. If it wasn’t anger she had seen on his face, on his father’s, then what was it?
"Could we please save this conversation for another time?" Joshua asked, his voice pleading. "It’s not something that’s really easy to talk about."
Seeing what she thought were tears welling in his eyes, Dominique gulped. Whatever it was had to be far more serious than she realized.
"Sure, if that’s what you want." She downed her wine and slowly stood. She walked into the kitchen and began opening each cabinet in search of a red box. Anything to occupy her mind with a different task. "Oh, where did I put those things?" she muttered.
"What are you looking for?" Joshua asked, his sudden mood change apparent.
"There’s a wedding reception tomorrow night at the bar," Dominique explained as she continued to sift through the cabinets. "I have a beautiful set of crystal glasses I was going to let the bride and groom use, but I can’t remember where I put them. I wanted to get them out before I forgot."
Opening the tall cabinet by the refrigerator, she spied the box. "There they are." Standing on her tiptoes, she stretched as far as she could, but the box remained just out of touch of her fingertips. Why in the hell did I have to put them on the top shelf? she scolded herself silently.
"Here, let me help," Joshua offered. Stepping behind her, he reached over her shoulder and pulled down the small, red box with ease. He slowly lowered the box to her hands. His arm came to rest on her shoulder.
Dominique shivered inside. His delicate, nonchalant touch rocked her. The warmth of his breath brushed against the back of her neck. His arm still over her shoulder, she slowly turned around until they stood toe-to-toe, nose-to-nose and had a few other body parts in clear and obvious alignment. Her breath quickened as she stared deeply into his eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. Her voice quivered.
"I should go," Joshua said quietly. His eyes stayed locked with hers.
"You don’t have to go unless you want to." Dominique fought not to lean into him. What am I saying! Where’s my sense of control? Where’s my sense of right and wrong? I know nothing can ever happen between us and yet I’m asking him to stay!
A slight smile unfolded across Joshua’s lips. "Please don’t tempt me," he whispered breathlessly. "I’ll see you on Monday." Gently he removed his arm from her shoulder, hesitated, then gathered his things and left.
Dominique hugged her arms close to her chest. I can’t believe I said that, she continued to badger her self silently. The wetness still pooled in her middle. Her pulse continued to quiver. And yet her heart was sinking.
Let go of the fantasy, girl, because it’s never going to happen.

 

 
Eight
"Honey, the movie is over." Heather’s voice ripped through Joshua’s sour musings. She hadn’t left when they had awoken that morning. Instead, she had practically forced him to spend the day curled up on the sofa with her watching movies. Last night had totally changed her. Now she was clinging to him as if he were her lifeline.
Joshua stood to change the movie and hide his unhappy statement. And it’s all your fault! You toyed with her emotions and it backfired in your face. What did you expect? Dinner with Heather on Saturday night could have marked the top of the list in the Guinness Book of World Records for the worst date in history. Heather most likely would not have agreed. She seemed to have a great time. But for Joshua, the terrible night compared more to being thrown in a round room with orders to find a corner than merely a simple dinner with his girlfriend in a fine dinning restaurant.
It was all because of Dominique. She had been stuck in his mind all night long! Super-glued so fixedly that he had found himself bringing her into each and every conversation more times than his conscious mind cared to admit. At first it hadn’t seemed to bother Heather. But as the night progressed, annoyance set in and finally she had let him know about it, requesting in a not-so-kind tone to please leave his boss and her child out of their personal life.
Joshua had forced himself to comply with her wishes--keeping Dominique only in his mind and out of conversation--and the night had continued with fewer faults. Until he and Heather went back to his place. It was then that the night turned into nothing less than a catastrophe! They had made love and dammit, it wasn’t right! After all the weeks of controlling himself, not allowing himself to give in to her sexual temptation, he had lost his willpower. What was he thinking!
Dominique, that’s what. Her words from the night before echoed in his mind. "You don’t have to go unless you want to," she had said. Why did she have to say that? It had taken all he had to pull away from her at that moment. Inside, he knew what was right but the biggest part of him had wanted to stay. Now she was stuck in his mind more than ever. So much that it had been her face he had seen and not Heather’s. It had been her full, plump breast he had kissed and sucked on, her sweet sensual lips he had kissed, her soft breathless moans he had heard.
Admitting all that to himself, he thought he would hurl. How could he be so cruel, so cold-hearted, to Heather? Even if she had no idea what had been going through his mind, he knew and it made him sick inside. What was happening to him? Never before had he regretted the act of sex as much as he did at that moment. Never before had a woman affected him the way Dominique was. Even Margot, as much as he loved her, had not caused him to lose all sense the way this woman was.
I just met her and she’s already controlling my every thought!
Joshua had sworn to himself that he would not fall for her. She was his boss and nothing more. Not only that, but she was a bartender. A profession he just couldn’t get past. No way could he get mixed up with another bartender. It was just too dangerous, too idiotic. His mind couldn’t take it again. More, his heart couldn’t go through it again. Not now, and not ever!
But the blatant sexuality of Dominique Gabor made her completely irresistible and was driving him insane! He had to get her out of his head. The near kisses, her sweet flowery smell, her soft warm touch, the temptation to stay with her last night. He had to erase it all from his mind. He had to focus.
Heaving a sigh, he tried to decide on a movie but the startled ringing of the phone distracted him.
Heather groaned loudly. "Damn, I forgot to turn the ringer off."
Joshua shot her a look of steel, causing her to grimace. He was still angry from the last time she had pulled that stunt. Clearing his throat, he answered the phone. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest when Dominique’s voice flooded the line.
"I’m sorry to bother you on your day off but I’ve got a problem and I figured you were the only one who could solve it." She laughed nervously.
Joshua was instantly on alert. "What’s wrong? Is something the matter with Kalvin?"
The minute the words left his mouth, Heather hopped from the sofa and began pacing the floor, cussing every word in the book. Joshua threw an irritated hand in the air to silence her.
"No, no, it’s nothing that serious," Dominique quickly assured him. Joshua’s heartbeat slowed to a steady thump. "I’m looking for my brown boots. You know, the ones I wear all the time. I’ve been looking for them all morning and can’t seem to find them. Do you know where they are?"
Joshua erupted with laughter and fell onto the sofa.
"I know it’s a silly thing to call for, but it’s not that funny," Dominique shrilled, sounding hurt.
"It is when they’re right under your nose." Joshua stifled his laughter. "Have you tried the closet?"
Dominique hesitated. "Wh--which one?"
"Yours."
"Why would I look there?"
"Isn’t that where they belong?"
"Well…yeah. But I didn’t think you ever went in my room. Besides, I never put anything where it belongs," Dominique said with a squeak. "You’ve got to quit cleaning my house when you’re over here. I can’t find anything! I hired you as a babysitter, not a full-fledged nanny. Cleaning is not in your job description."
"Hey, I have to have something to do when I’m there and Kalvin has gone to bed," Joshua defended himself.
"Yeah, I guess so," Dominique drawled. "Well, I have to go now. Thanks."
The line went dead.
Still laughing, Joshua hung up the phone. He stood from the sofa and moved to change the movie in the VCR. Then he spotted Heather standing stiffly, hands planted on her hips, glaring at him with an statement of anger and contempt.
"Now she’s calling you at home on your day off," she spat coldly.
"She’s my boss, Heather. It’s not unheard of." Joshua felt his bad mood returning. "What do you want to watch next?"
Ignoring his question, Heather pressed, "It is when it’s simply to have a casual conversation."
"It wasn’t casual. I cleaned up her house last night after I put Kalvin to bed and she was looking for a pair of shoes."
"Couldn’t she have worn a different pair?"
"I guess she didn’t want to." Joshua shoved the first movie his fingers came across into the VCR. Aggravation was beginning to put an edge to his voice, yet he fought to hide it.
Heather stomped to his side. Placing a hard hand on his arm, she tugged, and spun him to face her. "No, I’ll tell you what she wanted. She wanted to talk to you!" she fumed. "Joshua, you’re cleaning her house, taking care of her son, cooking dinner and inviting her to family gatherings. You’re becoming more of a house husband than a babysitter, for crying out loud!"
"I invited Kalvin to the party," Joshua said through clenched teeth. "He couldn’t very well come by himself, now could he? As for dinner, the kid has to eat and I clean the house because I get bored. What more can I say?" He threw his hands in the air in frustration.
Heather steadily shook her head, stepping back. "No, I don’t believe that. There’s something more. You spend more time with her than you do with me!"
Joshua rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You’re wrong Heather. I spend more time at her house, not with her. It’s a job, Heather, and you’re letting your jealously cloud your senses."
"I think I have a right to be jealous, Joshua," Heather shrilled, jamming a finger at her chest. "I saw the two of you at the party yesterday. I saw the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. Last night at dinner, you couldn’t talk about anything but her. She’s all you ever talk about anymore!"
"Oh for heaven’s sakes! You’re blowing this whole damn thing out of proportion. You know good and damn well that’s not true." Was it?
"Forget it." Heather backed off a few steps. "I’m not arguing with you about this. I know what I know and I know what I saw." Without another word, she snatched up her purse and stormed out the door, slamming it violently behind her.
Go after her you idiot! a little voice screamed, but Joshua didn’t move. Why should he go after her when she was the one who was wrong? She owed him an apology. Or was it the other way around?
In the next heartbeat he realized it truly was the other way around. She was right. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he was falling in love with Dominique. Still--hearing her car door slam, hearing the engine start up, hearing the tires squeal on the pavement as she sped away--he never made a move to stop her.
~ * ~
Dominique swirled the straw in her soda thoughtfully as she swayed back and forth on her barstool. Business was next to dead at Party Paradise on this bright and sunny Sunday afternoon, much as it had been the night before. Only a few regular customers lined the bar opposite her.
In the distance, the sound of pool balls clacking together could be heard from the game room. Kalvin was having a field day. Because the bar also had a restaurant inside, children were allowed access during the daytime hours and Kalvin took advantage of it as often as she would let him. The numerous video games and pool tables that occupied the back room would keep him occupied for hours. Or at least until the quarters ran out.
"Thanks for coming in to help with the reception preparations," Leanne Middleton, Dominique’s boss and owner of Party Paradise, said. The thirty-five year old plopped onto a stool beside Dominique and twisted the cap on a light beer.
"No problem. I was happy to help." Dominique smiled.
Leanne took a long swig of her beer. She brushed a strand of shoulder-length, sandy blond hair out of her face and said, "It’s amazing, but sales seem to be going up on the evening shift since you took over. Are you enjoying it, or do you regret the move?"
"Oh, I definitely don’t regret the change," Dominique assured her. She spun her barstool a bit to face her boss. "The tips have been great. I sat down this morning with my calculator and, if the money keeps coming in like it has the last couple of weeks, Kalvin and I should be living comfortably soon enough."
Behind the neck of the beer bottle, a satisfied smile rose to Leanne’s lips. Dominique knew she had built Party Paradise from the ground up. But it was her obvious concern for her employees’ happiness that had helped to transform it into one of the most prominent, respectable bars in all of South Mississippi.
But Leanne’s smile didn’t remain for long. Her aquamarine eyes taking on a serious look, she said, "I was hoping the change would work out well for you, but I can’t help but notice, if you’re so happy, why the long face?"
Because money doesn’t conquer all happiness. Because I want a man that I don’t want to want. Because that man now knows that I want him, and he doesn’t want me back. "I still get bummed from time to time about my father," Dominique said. Even though it wasn’t the true reason she was gallivanting on another planet at that particular moment, it still wasn’t a lie. However, it was a situation of which her boss was fully aware and she hoped it would prevent her from having to talk about Joshua.
With Leanne’s next question she realized her hopes were short-lived. "And the babysitter? How is he working out?"
Dominique knew Leanne was avoiding the subject of her father because it always upset her even more, but Joshua was far from a better subject and, of course, the one she had chosen. "Kalvin likes him," she responded simply with a lift of her shoulder. She began twirling the straw in her now watered-down soda again.
"And Dominique?" Leanne’s perfectly plucked brows arched upward. "According to Marge, he sounds like the dreamiest man in the world over the phone."
"Yeah, and looks spectacular in a towel," Dominique muttered with an exasperated moan. It wasn’t until the words left her mouth that she realized she had said them aloud. Heat rose to redden her cheeks. Dammit! Why couldn’t she keep her thoughts to herself these days?
Leanne’s eyes widened to the size of tires on a Mac truck. Eagerness poured from her voice. "Oh girl, do tell."
"It’s nothing like you’re thinking." Dominique chuckled slightly. "David let me off early Saturday night. When I got home Joshua was in the shower. He didn’t realize anyone was in the apartment and walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel."
"Ooo, are we sure that wasn’t a staged incident?" Leanne mused.
"As positive as I could possibly be. He was showering for a date with his girlfriend." And then I tried to get him to stay with me when I knew he was on his way to be with her, she added silently. How pathetic is that?
Still, just the thought of Heather sent her spirits plummeting to the deepest, darkest holes of the earth. He was too good for her. Way too good for her. She didn’t deserve him. Why did the snobby, snotty women always get the best looking men?
Leanne cocked her head toward Dominique. Her eyebrows flew up in a captivated gaze. "Is that a trace of jealously I hear in your voice?"
"No!" Dominique spat way too fast. "He’s my babysitter. He can’t be anything more."
Leanne leaned back in her bar stool, her glare fixed and potent. "But that doesn’t mean you don’t wish he could be more," she countered.
"Oh, Leanne, I don’t know what I’m wishing." Dominique sighed hopelessly, slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I can’t get him out of my head! I think about him all the time and when I see him I feel things I’ve never felt before. Every day I find myself anxious for his arrival, and every night I don’t want him to leave. It’s all so weird. I wasn’t prepared for the feelings I’m having. Although I don’t think anything could have prepared me for a man like him."
"Unexpectedness, uncontrollable let-your-imagination-run-riot burning desire, inability to concentrate on anything else, sure sounds like love to me," Leanne sang with a wide grin.
"But I don’t want a relationship!" Dominique exclaimed, her tone rising. A few customers across the bar looked her way. Blushing again, she lowered her voice. "That much I do know. It’s the last thing that I need, and Kalvin certainly doesn’t need it. His father has hurt him so badly and still does with each passing second. The last thing he needs is another man in his life to get attached to and end up being disappointed."
"And you don’t think he’s becoming attached to this man already?"
"Yeah, I know he is, but that’s different. Joshua is his babysitter. That’s what he sees him as. Not as Mommy’s boyfriend or his future step-father, but as a friend and his babysitter. That’s the way it should stay." Dominique shook her finger at her friend.
"And even if I did decide I wanted a relationship and he wasn’t my babysitter he’s almost thirty years old and still in college. Even if I did want a man in my life, I would want someone who I didn’t have to support. Someone who could be a better role model for Kalvin. Besides, there’s something more about him that tells me there would still be no chance for us."
"Are you sure you’re not simply making up this conflict to keep from admitting how badly you really want him?"
"No, no way am I imagining it." Dominique shook her head. "If you saw the look he gets on his face any time my job is mentioned, you would know I’m not seeing things. He has some problem with my being a bartender and, believe me, it’s a huge problem. His parents got the same look when I met them yesterday. I cornered him on it last night, but he said he wasn’t ready to explain everything to me just yet."
"You met his parents yesterday," Leanne voiced her intrigue.
"Joshua has a six year old brother. He thought it would be great if I brought Kalvin to his birthday party, so I did. It was strictly a friendly get-together. His girlfriend was even there!" Dominique exclaimed. "But that’s not the point. Even Natalie admitted there was something wrong with him and my being a bartender, but she wouldn’t tell me what."
"Natalie?" Leanne asked. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"Joshua’s oldest sister."
Leanne bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "Dominique, this man’s last name wouldn’t be Divine, would it?"
Startled, Dominique glared at her boss. "Yeah, Joshua Divine. H--how did you know?"
"Holy cow!" Leanne’s jaw dropped. Her hand flew to cover her heart, faking a heart attack. "And obviously you have no clue who he is, do you?"
"Should I?"
"Girl, do you live under a rock?" Leanne giggled. She placed a gentle hand on Dominique’s shoulder. "Honey, his family is one of the richest families in South Mississippi. Possibly even the state!"
"No way." Dominique shook her head in disbelief. "We can’t be talking about the same Joshua Divine."
"There’s only one that I know of." Leanne threw herself back on the barstool. She tucked her tongue in her cheek. "Let’s see if I can tell you more about him. He’s the oldest of six children belonging to Mitchell and Constance Divine. Tall, dark hair, the most amazing bright green eyes you’ve ever seen, with a body that would make any woman puddle at his feet."
Yep, that sure sounded like her Joshua. But how could it be? Dominique had been to his parent’s house. It had been nice, but nothing extravagant. Nothing like the home of an overly wealthy family. And Joshua, he had never shown any signs of being rich either. Well, other than admitting he could support himself even though he was a full-time college student.
Money is something I don’t have to worry about, were his exact words. Oh my God! Could it be true?
"I gather from your statement that we’re talking about the same Joshua Divine." Leanne smirked in clear amusement. "I can’t believe you’ve never heard of him. His father is always on the news for something or other."
"I never watch the news. It’s just so unbelievable." Dominique exhaled slowly. "I never would have dreamed… I mean, he doesn’t act rich. Neither does his family. And they don’t live in a gigantic, elaborate house or drive fancy cars or dress in outrageously expensive clothing."
"The Divines aren’t people who like to flaunt their money around," Leanne said. She took another long swig of her beer. "They never have. But believe me, they have plenty of it and have made sure their children will be well taken care of all of their lives."
"Wow!" Dominique breathed. "I guess that’s why they looked so disappointed, almost furious when they found out I’m a bartender. I’m not good enough for a family like that."
Leanne gasped, placing the beer bottle on the bar with a loud thud. "Oh my gosh! That’s it! You don’t know, do you?"
Dominique’s heart skipped a beat. "Know what?"
"Do you remember the bartender who was stabbed a few years back? No, you wouldn’t." Leanne answered her own question with a shake of her head. "You weren’t living here then, I believe. It’s been about six or seven years ago now. Anyway, it was in all the papers and for the longest time it seemed as if all the bars on the coast were going to be forced to close their doors. It made people so frightened they quit going out drinking."
"You’re saying this bartender was stabbed at work?" Dominique asked, attempting to make sense of her boss’s story.
"Yeah, Trevor’s Tavern. They closed their doors not long after the incident. It was one of the worst bars on the coast, attracted a really rough crowd. From what I heard and read, a fight broke out on a Friday night. The bartender was the only person on duty and tried to break up the fight. When she stepped in between the two men, one of them jabbed a switchblade straight through her."
Horror clouded Dominique’s mind. Never had she imagined that bartending could be such a dangerous job. Chills ran down her spine, causing her to shiver. "How tragic!"
"I’ll tell you what was really tragic. She was pregnant."
Dominique’s eyes slowly closed. Unshed tears for a mother and child she never knew burned behind her eyelids. "That’s so sad," she finally said in the calmest voice she could muster. Taking a deep breath, she pushed away the tears. "But I don’t understand what all of that has to do with Joshua and the Divine family."
"The woman’s name was Margot Fredrick," Leanne explained slowly. "She was Joshua Divine’s pregnant fiancée."

 

 
Nine
Joshua jammed a hand through his hair in frustration and leaned his head back on the arm of the sofa. He exhaled a long, loud sigh as his textbook fell from his lap and hit the floor with a thud. It was no use. Studying was not an option. He had known it before he even bothered to open the textbook, but he had to try. Was he going out of his mind? He was only months from graduation. If he didn’t find the power to concentrate soon, he was sure to flunk everything he had worked so hard for.
"Women," he mumbled, rising to a seated position on the over-stuffed sofa. He covered his face with the palms of his hands. Trouble with women was the last thing he needed, and yet the only thing that was happening in his life lately.
Heather was still not speaking to him. She hadn’t even graced him with as much as a glance during class that morning. She hadn’t said a word to him since she stormed out of his house the day before. Not that he had really tried to talk to her, either. He couldn’t even truly find it in himself to be upset over their obvious breakup. He hated that he had hurt her, but that was about as far as the pain in his heart went. Under the circumstances, he had decided it was best to let it go--to let her go. Natalie had been right. They weren’t right for each other. No matter how much he cared for her, he couldn’t continue lying to himself, hoping he would fall in love with her. She wasn’t the one, and every fiber of his being had known that all along.
Dominique, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. She had become permanently planted in his mind. Every hour, every minute, every second, his thoughts were of her. Ignoring those overwhelming sexual emotions that rose each time the thought of her crossed his mind was becoming next to impossible.
His sister’s words rang in his head: "You’re falling in love with her."
Was he? How could he be? Knowing what a life with her would mean, what he would have to learn to accept. How could he be falling in love with her? The fact that she was a bartender should have been a major turn off in itself. There was no way he could chance going through what he had with Margot. Not to mention all the things he had learned about most women bartenders after her passing. He had quickly come to learn she had been one in a million. That one special woman in the slew of loose, easy-to-get-to-bed women that made up the remainder of the female bartender population.
So, did he still see Dominique that way? Deep down he wasn’t sure, but on the surface, no matter what she said or how she tried to deny it, he couldn’t allow himself to believe she was any other way. Two in a million just didn’t seem possible. Yet, his bodily reaction to her could be explained as nothing but…love. No woman had ever brought about those uncontrollable needs of longing and desire the way she did, not even Margot, and he had loved her with all his heart and soul.
To top it all off, he had arrived home from his daily classes to discover the blinking light on the answering machine. His heart ran wild when he first heard Dominique’s voice. Then he listened further to the actual message and his spirits took a major downfall. She had called to inform him that he wasn’t needed to babysit Kalvin that evening. She had said something about an aunt or someone wanting to keep Kalvin for the night, so he now had an extra night off. Dammit! He didn’t want the night off.
Attempting to make the best of the evening, he had decided to pour himself into his studies instead. However, the longing to be with Kalvin--to play games with him, find out how his day had gone at preschool, tuck him into bed at the end of the night, see his mommy--blew his concentration straight to Jupiter. Dammit! No matter what he did, he couldn’t get his mind off Dominique and her child. Every fiber of his being wanted them both, right then and there. They would play together as a family and then…then he and Dominique would put Kalvin to bed and have some private playtime of their own.
The thought brought a mischievous grin to his lips. Slapping his face to his hands, he leaped from the sofa. He was going stir-crazy sitting around this house alone. Worse, he was going to become absolutely certifiable if he had to spend another twenty-four hours without seeing Dominique. He could just picture those men in the white coats stepping onto his doorstep, barging in, tossing him in a straight jacket and taking him away to the loony bin. He was certain it was going to happen if he didn’t find some mental relief fast. He had to see that beautiful, bright face. Hear that soft, sweet, seductive voice; gaze over those sexy curves…
"That’s it." He threw his hands in the air in surrender. "I can’t take it anymore."
Then it hit him. The sure-fire way to get Dominique Gabor out of his sexual mind once and for all. It was so simplistic he could not believe he hadn’t thought of it before. All it would take was to see her at work. Just one time, see her in action flirting with every man that entered the bar, flaunting her slender figure for all males to drool over. Seeing her behave as a true female bartender, as he was sure she would, was certain to erase from his mind forever any idea of being intimate with her.
~ * ~
Dominique spun around behind the bar, snatched a bottle of vodka off the shelf by the jigger in mid-swing, and poured a shot in the silver shaker cup. She topped it with Bloody Mary mix and added dashes of celery salt, Tabasco, and Worcestershire Sauce, before flipping a smaller silver shaker cup into the air. The cup expertly landed open end down into the larger one.
She clasped a firm grip on the two cups and shook them wildly to the fast paced music blaring from the jukebox. It wasn’t her normal preferred eighties heavy metal, but it was fast and it was rock, so it was danceable. After pouring the cup’s contents into a tall glass, she added the garnishments of sliced lemon and lime accompanied with a celery stick, and slid the glass across the bar to the customer.
"Thank you, gorgeous," Bruce Morland said. The middle-aged, well dressed man handed her a twenty dollar bill. "You know, you keep up all that tossing and pretty soon you’ll be able to give Tom Cruise a run for his money."
"Yeah, but I bet I still won’t make as much money as he did when he had to learn it for his part in Cocktail." Dominique flashed him one of her "tip me well" smiles and spun around to the cash register.
She counted out his change on the bar in front of him, then moved on to her next patiently waiting customer. The problem was, a quick scan of the bar revealed she had taken care of everyone for the moment. It was nine o’clock and business was normal for a Monday night. Not too busy, but not too slow. A few tables near the dance floor sat eighteen customers and about ten lined the bar. Thankfully, each and every one had proved to be good tippers. She hadn’t had the time to count, but she was fairly certain she had made close to a hundred bucks, and she still had three hours before she knocked off her shift.
Finding it hard to swallow due to her own dry mouth, Dominique grabbed a glass and pumped it to the rim with ice cold water from the mixer gun. She had just touched the glass to her lips when she glimpsed a customer she had missed. She gulped down half the glass of water, then placed it on the top of the closest beer cooler and made her way to the opposite side of the bar. Halfway there she came to an abrupt halt. Complete shock made her heart flip flop. Feeling her knees going weak, she coached herself silently. Calm down. Get a hold of yourself. You’re at work, remember?
After a few deep, calming breaths, she forced herself to move forward, praying all the while that her legs wouldn’t give from under her. Wouldn’t that be a sight for her customers?
"Well, well, well," she sang, placing a napkin on the freshly varnished bar. Her voice came out steady and strong, much to her surprise. "Let’s see. How does that line go? What’s a guy like you doing in a place like this? I must say you are the last person I expected to see here."
Joshua lifted a shoulder. "I got bored," he said with a wink and a breathtaking ear-to-ear smile.
Oh, don’t smile at me like that. Not here! She wanted to tell him but controlled the urge. If only she could control the butterflies in her stomach, she would be doing well. "Funny, I never pictured you as the type to resort to a barroom when you got bored."
"All right, you got me. I’m busted. I’ve been curious to see where you work. I’ve never been in here. Since you gave me the night off, I figured now was as good of a time as any."
Dominique turned slightly, scanning the level of her customers’ drinks. "It’s a nice little neighborhood bar. Not too shabby, and the customers who come in are usually nice and well behaved." She smiled. The sudden cloud that rose to Joshua’s eyes sent her mind reeling. Poor baby, she thought, her heart going out to him. Now that she knew what had happened to his fiancée, his attitude toward bars in general was completely understandable. In the next heartbeat her inner voice screamed, You idiot! What a thing to say to someone who lost a loved one in a barroom brawl. "Wh--what can I get you to drink?" she asked, attempting to recover the cool atmosphere of the conversation.
He puckered his lips thoughtfully. "I guess I can have one beer. Light in the bottle, please."
"One light beer coming up," Dominique sang. She spun on her heel and came back in a flash, setting the bottle on the napkin in front of him. "My treat."
"Oh, you don’t have to do that," he objected, reaching for his wallet.
"I know, but I still owe you for the food you brought to the house and, speaking of pay, I got my check when I came in this afternoon. I’ll have your money for last week tomorrow afternoon if that’s all right."
"Of course. No rush."
Yeah, I guess not, Mr. Moneybags, she thought, amused by the way he attempted to hide just how much money he really had. Then another thought occurred to her and she could not help but voice it. "So, where’s Heather? I expected you to be spending the evening with her." She didn’t know what had made her ask, but when she stopped to think about it, her intrigue deepened. There he was, sitting before her in a barroom on his night off instead of out with his girlfriend. What gave?
His gaze fell. "She’s not speaking to me right now," he said dryly.
Dominique’s heart leaped in her chest. No matter how selfish and cruel she knew it was, she couldn’t help the joyous feeling the news brought to her. "You didn’t break up, did you?" she asked, doing her best to show concern.
"I don’t really know, but I think so," Joshua shrugged. "It’s probably for the best anyway."
She wanted to ask what exactly he meant by that, but a masculine voice hollering from the opposite side of the bar caught her attention.
"Hey, Dom, you’ve got another customer over here, sexy," the voice said.
Dominique rolled her eyes for only Joshua to see. "I had almost forgotten I was at work. I shall return." She smiled before spinning to tend to her other customers.
"Say, beautiful, when are you going to let me take you home and show you what a real man can do for you?" Bruce Morland said. He reached out, laying a hand on her arm as she placed a beer on the bar for the customer next to him.
Dominique glared under her lashes at Bruce. "Umm…let’s see." She pretended to hesitate, stiffly removing her arm from his embrace. "How about…never."
"Still not ready to give in, huh?" Bruce shook his head, making a clacking sound off the pallet of his mouth with his tongue.
"Nope, and don’t be surprised if I never do." Her words were forceful, making it clear that she held no interest, yet she strived to remain polite.
A nice brush off. That was the easiest way to deal with the many advances she faced on a day-to-day basis. Being nice saved the chance for a good tip and yet put the man in his place without embarrassing him in front of his drunken buddies.
Satisfied for the moment, Bruce turned his attention to his beer drinking buddy and instantly became lost in conversation.
Continuously aware of Joshua’s eyes on her every move, Dominique performed her job as she would on any other night. New customers came and went, each getting served with the same kindness and conversation. When passes were made toward her, she brushed them off just as she had done with Bruce and every other man who hit on her during her shifts.
When she found she had a few minutes to herself in between serving the customers, she would return to Joshua and they would talk about Kalvin and anything else that came to mind. It didn’t take long for her to realize he had ulterior motives for his visit--the intention of proving that she fit into his belief that all female bartenders were downright sluts. He hadn’t said as much, but it was obvious from the looks that rose in his eyes when she kindly turned down the many proposals offered to her by her customers. She had proved him wrong and couldn’t stop a satisfied grin from pasting itself to her face.
The evening had gone off without a hitch until thirty minutes before quitting time when a couple of customers who had arrived about an hour and a half before erupted into a heated argument. Hearing the shouts coming from a table in a darkened area to the right of the bar, she was instantly on guard. A quick glance revealed her regular customers had their eyes glued to the two men as well.
Knowing if anything serious broke out her big butch customers would take on the role of her bouncer, Dominique felt a surge of power rush through her. When the two angry men stood up, yelling vulgar remarks and pointing at each other, she dropped the drink she was in the process of serving and bolted in their direction. Knowing she was no match for either of the men, she kept the bar between herself and the two burly men and shouted, "Hey, calm down right now. We don’t allow fighting in this bar. If you’ve got a problem, take it outside."
The men went silent only long enough to glance at her, then their shouting continued. Realizing that her first attempt to control the situation had failed, she tried a different approach. "Both of you," she yelled, pointing fingers in their direction. "Out!"
"Forget it, babe, we’re not leaving," one of the men darted back. "I’m about to take this jackass down right here, right now, and beat him to a bloody pulp."
"Fine, then when the police get here you can deal with them," Dominique said forcefully. Spinning on her heels, she stomped to the phone by the register.
"You can’t call the cops on me," the man flared. The man seemed to forget who his beef was with as he swung toward her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Dominique spotted Bruce rising from his seat. She motioned for him to sit back down. Reluctantly, he eased back down into his stool, remaining in a position to pounce if the need arose.
"I can call the cops, and I will." She picked up the receiver. "So if you don’t feel like spending the night in jail, I suggest that you and your buddy over there hit the road right now."
Grumbling cuss words under his breath, the man stomped toward the door, followed by his defiant friend and the rest of their party. Dominique stood, phone in hand, and watched through the window until she saw the brake lights of their car leave the parking lot.
The silence in the barroom was deathly thick.
"Big, bad Dominique strikes again!" Bruce shouted when she finally set the phone back on its base. "Handled expertly as usual." He shot her a thumbs up. The bar instantly erupted in talk of the episode.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, Dominique returned to her job as normal. It wasn’t until after she was sure everyone was happy again that she remembered Joshua. When their eyes locked, the fear she saw on his face made her heart crumble. The story her boss had told her of Margot’s death jumped to the front of her mind.
He’s in shock. God, there’s no telling what’s going through his mind.
Slowly, she walked toward him. "Are--are you ok?" she asked, reaching to touch his hand that lay on the bar in front of him. He was shivering.
Seconds passed before he snapped out of his daze. "Ye--yeah," he finally stammered. "It’s getting late. I should really be going now." He quickly stood.
"Joshua, are you sure you’re all right?" Dominique asked again, not releasing her grip on his hand.
Covering her hand with his free one, he forced a smile. "I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, right?"
"Yeah, tomorrow afternoon." He rose, and left the bar. Her gaze stayed on him long before he had walked out. What he must have been thinking, feeling, fearing would happen--it had been written all over his face. She wanted so much to rush after him, to ask him to stay, to take him home with her and embrace him until all the fear was gone.
But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Instead, she returned to her job as usual and prepared for her shift to end.

 

 
Ten
Smiling proudly, Dominique folded her arms across her chest as Kalvin bolted across the room of his preschool to a group of children huddled in the floor and immediately joined in on the fun. With a slight wave of her hand, she said goodbye to his teachers and sauntered out of the building. The sunlight hit her eyes. She squinted. It was a beautiful day. Not too cold and not too hot. The sky was cloudless and full of chirping birds.
Easing into the driver’s seat of her car, she started the engine and slowly pulled out onto the main road. It would be four and a half hours until she would have to return to pick up Kalvin. Unfortunately, those four and a half hours were jam packed with errands. Now that she was making more money at the bar, she could catch up on the tons of things she hadn’t been able to afford before. Like the oil in her car for instance--five thousand miles was way too long to drive between oil changes. She also planned to open a checking account today. Although she had been in Mississippi for nearly two years, she had neglected to take the time to set up an account. Truthfully, checking accounts made her nervous when she knew she didn’t have enough money to keep it at a comfortable balance. But now, paying for everything in cash or money orders was becoming more trouble than it was worth.
Coming to a stop at a traffic light, she found her thoughts switching to Joshua. It had only been a couple of days since the incident at the bar, but nothing had been mentioned about it since that night. Still, the event plagued her mind. Many times she had wanted to bring up the subject and many times she had found the perfect opportunity, yet something inside her prevented her from voicing her thoughts. Joshua seemed to have forgotten all about it, but she knew deep down that wasn’t true.
The light turned green and Dominique snapped out of her daze, pressing her foot gently on the gas pedal. Her car had just made it to the center of the intersection when the terrifying, ear-piercing sound of squealing tires filled the air. The blow came hard and fast. Her forehead slammed the steering wheel with excruciating force. Then her upper body bounced back to the driver’s seat. Stunned, she sat in stillness until the throbbing in her head beckoned her hand to rise and cover it. Blinking several times to adjust her focus, she peered out the windshield. Cherry red metal crinkled and bunched up from the side of her car was the only thing she could see.
"Oh my gosh," she gasped. Tears welled in her eyes.
Okay, don’t panic, her inner voice advised. You’ve just had a wreck. Take a few deep breaths, calm down, and try to get out of the car.
A voice broke through her reverie. "Miss…Miss, are you all right?"
Careful not to rattle her brain more than it already had been, she slowly turned her head to the driver’s side window--shattered and gone--and gazed blankly. "Ye--yeah, I think so," she stammered. Her voice was shaky and cracking.
"My wife has called for the police. They should be here any minute," the man informed her. "Can you move? Can you get out of the car? Do you need an ambulance?"
"N--no, I don’t need an ambulance," Dominique replied absently. With great caution, she lifted the inside handle on the door and pushed. Nothing happened.
"Wait, the front finder is really bashed up. It’s going to be hard to open the door." The man straightened, grabbing the outside handle. "I’m going to see if I can pull it open enough for you to get out."
Dominique winced at the spine-cringing creak of bent and broken metal being forced further out of shape. Finally, the door was opened enough that she could squeeze through. Once outside the car, she tried to stand, but her legs had turned to jelly. The man caught her by the arm just before she hit the ground, and leaned her against the rear of the car.
"Are you sure you’re all right, Miss?"
"I’ll be fine. I’m just a little shaken, I think."
"You aren’t bleeding anywhere, are you? Don’t move too much. You have glass from that window all over you."
Dominique stood shakily, allowing the man to brush the glass from her hair and clothing. It wasn’t until then that she actually looked at the helpful man who had come to her aide. The bright sunlight glistened off his smooth, balding, round head. He was a short, older man a bit on the hefty side with kind soft gray eyes, wrinkled cheeks and a thick graying mustache that hung like a curtain over his pudgy lips.
"There, I think I got most of it. It doesn’t look like you were cut." The man stood straight before her. "Did you hit your head?"
Dominique dropped the hand still covering her forehead. "Yeah, I must have hit it on the steering wheel," she muttered. The complete incident came as nothing but a blur.
"You should go to the hospital and let them check you out," the man advised. "You may have a slight…"
His last words were drowned out by the shrill of approaching sirens. Two black and white squad cars followed by a sheriff’s department car whipped up to the scene.
Finding herself able to focus more on her surroundings, Dominique looked down the length of her car, beginning with the driver’s door and stopping at the lump of metal that used to be the front fender and side of the hood. The tire beneath was flat, causing the car to lean to one side.
A couple of feet separated her car and the black, newer-model Chevy S-10 pickup that had plowed into her. A quick scan told her the truck had sustained far less damage than her car.
"Figures," she muttered under her breath.
"Did you say something, Miss?" the kind man asked.
Dominique returned her attention to the man. "The other driver, is he hurt?"
"I don’t believe so, ma’am. I saw him jump out right after the collision. I think that’s him over there talking with that officer."
Dominique followed the man’s pointed finger to a butch figure waving his arms about wildly before a uniformed officer. It wasn’t until he turned slightly her way that she recognized the man. Uncontrollable fury rose to heat her face. Her teeth clenched. Before she realized what she was doing, she bolted the short distance and came to a screeching halt at the man’s side.
"You!" she gasped in horror. "You’re that lunatic I threw out of the bar the other night."
"You know this man, Miss?" the officer asked. He held a small, spiral-bound notebook and pen. He had been jotting down whatever it was the other driver had been telling him.
"A couple of nights ago, I threw him out of the bar I work at for trying to start a fight," Dominique explained. Her voice had come down, but only a notch. Anger still spilled with her every word.
"Well, it looks like he found another bar that wouldn’t throw him out," a second officer said, appearing with a half drunk bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. "I found this wedged between the driver’s seat and the console. There’s also several empty beer cans tossed on the floorboard."
"Sir, you’re under arrest," the first officer said immediately. He shoved the notebook in his shirt pocket, then reached around with his other hand for the handcuffs kept on the side of his belt. He began reading the drunk man his Miranda rights as he slapped the cuffs on his wrists behind his back.
"What are you arresting me for?" the man slurred. "I’m not drunk."
"Sure you’re not," the officer said dryly. "You are being arrested for drinking and driving, reckless driving, causing an accident and anything else I can think of between here and the station," the officer informed him. "Put him in my squad car," he ordered his partner. "I’ll take him in as soon as I get some information from this young lady." Turning his attention to Dominique, he pulled the notebook from his pocket again and asked, "Can I get your name please, Miss?"
"Dominique. Dominique Gabor."
"And your driver’s license." The officer peered at her from under thick, dark lashes.
Dominique hesitated. Her mind was still so rattled she could barely focus on the officer’s questions. "It’s in my purse in the car."
"I’ll get it for you," the kind man with the bald head said, touching her gently on the shoulder.
"Witnesses say the driver of the black truck ran the red light," the officer informed her. "From what I can gather, you were not at fault. I just need to get your personal information for my report, then you will be free to go."
The bald man returned with her purse. Dominique absent-mindedly fumbled through it, pulling out her license and handing it to the officer. "What about my car?" she asked as the officer began scribbling down her information.
"You’ll need to call a tow truck or I can call one for you if you like," the officer said, not looking up from the notebook. "The driver of the truck doesn’t have insurance, so you’ll have to file a report with your own insurance company for the damages."
Dominique’s eyes widened as she digested the officer’s words. She didn’t have insurance either, but she didn’t tell the officer that. Insurance was not required in the state of Mississippi unless the car was financed--which hers was not--and her insurance had lapsed three months before due to nonpayment. Another errand she was supposed to have run this week. She would have to pay out of her own pocket for all the expenses of getting her car fixed!
"Of course, you can file a suit in small claims court for reimbursement of the cost," the officer continued, but Dominique was only half listening. "Everything you’ll need will be on the accident report. You can swing by the station in a couple of days and pick up a copy." Handing her license back to her, the officer concluded, "That’s all the information I need from you. If you’re sure you’re not hurt, you’re welcome to go at any time."
"Th--thank you."
"I have a cell phone you can use to call a tow truck or a family member if you want, Miss," the balding man offered.
Without a word, still in a complete daze, Dominique followed the man back to his car. Not sure what tow truck company to call, she called her aunt instead, who would make the call for her. She would have to have the car towed to her aunt’s house anyway or risk being evicted from her apartment for violation of the section of her lease that read no broken-down cars allowed in the parking lot.
~ * ~
Joshua slid the key in the knob then swung open the front door of the house just as the phone began to ring. He tossed his textbooks on the coffee table on his way by and snatched up the receiver, plopping down on the sofa as he brought the phone to his ear.
"Joshua? Thank goodness you’re home!" Dominique’s frantic voice filled the line.
Normally the mere sound of that soft, sensuous voice would send a riot of emotions through out his body, but not this time. This time, there was something wrong. She sounded breathless, worried, almost on the verge of tears.
"Dominique, are you all right?" he asked. He sat up straighter on the sofa. His heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his neck.
Dominique sighed heavily. "Yes and no. I need a favor. Kalvin will be getting out of preschool in half an hour and I can’t find a way to go get him. Can you go pick him up for me?"
"S--sure," Joshua agreed, his suspicions rising. "Did your car break down or something?"
"You could say that." she chuckled wryly. "It’s broke, all right. I had a wreck this morning."
The blood that had been pumping frantically through his veins suddenly turned to ice. He felt the color drain from his face. "Are you all right? Were you hurt? Where are you?"
"Yes, I’m all right, no, I wasn’t really hurt, and I’m at my aunt’s house." she answered each question in order. "The car isn’t drivable, so I had it towed here. That’s the other part of the favor that I need. Can you come by here and pick me up after you get Kalvin? My aunt couldn’t leave work, and I need a ride back home."
"Yeah, no problem." Grabbing a pen and paper from the end table, he jotted down her aunt’s address along with the address to the preschool. "Yeah, I know where both of these are. I’ll leave right now."
"I’ll call the preschool and let them know what happened and that you will be coming to get Kalvin. They may ask for identification, so be sure you have your license with you," Dominique said. "Oh, and Joshua…thanks."
A warm smile rose to his face. "No problem, baby."
~ * ~
Forty-five minutes later, Joshua pulled up outside Dominique’s aunt’s house with Kalvin in the passenger seat. The second the SUV came to a full stop, Kalvin bolted across the yard to the door.
Watching from the window, Dominique saw her son running across the yard and opened the door just as he reached for the knob.
"Mommy!" Kalvin shouted. Leaping up, he wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed with all his might. "Are you all right, Mommy? Are you hurt?"
Tears burned her eyes. She shut them in an attempt to prevent the water from falling. It was scary how quickly something terribly wrong could happen in life. One second everything could be a bed of roses, and the next, life as you knew it could be gone forever. For a moment, she wondered what would have happened to her son if she’d been severely injured or even killed in the wreck. Brushing the depressing, negative thoughts aside, she thanked her lucky stars she was still alive.
"I’m fine, sweetheart," she whispered, returning his tight embrace. Opening her eyes again, she spotted Joshua striding toward them--worry and fear painted all over his face.
"Thank you so much for doing all of this," Dominique said, easing Kalvin back to the ground. "I know it’s way beyond your job description."
Joshua scowled at her futile attempt at a joke. "I would have been highly pissed off if you hadn’t called me." Reaching out, he brushed a tender thumb over her forehead. "You’re going to have a nasty bruise there."
She heaved a sigh. "Yeah, I know. I hit the steering wheel. No airbag."
"Did you go to the hospital? You could have a slight concussion."
"No, I didn’t go. I feel fine," she insisted.
Except for the sickness I’m going to feel when I find out how much all of this is going to cost me, she added silently. The last thing she needed was a damn hospital bill she couldn’t afford on top of all the rest.
"It looks way worse than it is. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about my car." Her gaze moved to the cherry red Honda Accord parked in the driveway.
Joshua walked toward the car. A low whistle escaped his lips.
"Holy cow, Mommy!" Kalvin exclaimed, skipping around the front end of the car.
Dominique turned her focus to Joshua’s face. "Judging from your statement I would say it is as bad as it looks, huh?" She folded her arms across her chest for comfort.
"Well…" He stepped around the car to see the full amount of damage from all directions. "I’m no mechanic by any means but…"
"But how much do you think it’s going to cost to get it fixed?" she jumped in. Her tone bluntly said, "Stop beating around the bush and give it to me straight."
Joshua bit his lower lip thoughtfully. "This is just a guess, but I would say a few thousand easy."
Dominique’s heart fell to her stomach. Her eyes slammed shut. That was far from the news she had wanted to hear.
So much for catching up on the bills.
"Who’s fault was it?" Joshua asked, planting a fixed glare on her.
"Not mine," she answered a bit too quickly. "I was taking off at a green light. I had just reached the middle of the intersection when the guy ran the red light from the other direction and plowed into me." She didn’t want to worry him further by telling him it had been the asshole from the bar who had been driving the other truck, or that he had been drunk at the time.
"Did you get his insurance company?"
"He doesn’t have any insurance." Dominique’s gaze fell to the ground.
"Oh, no, and neither do you," Joshua concluded from her statement. "And you have no way of making him pay for it unless you take him to court."
Dominique shook her head, feeling the tears rise to her eyes again. "I had insurance, but it was canceled a few months ago. I was going at the end of the week to get it back. Now it’s--it’s too late." That was it. All the tears she had been holding in began to burst from her eyes in one uncontrollable gush.
Joshua gently took her hand, pulling her into his arms. "Pull yourself together, baby. It’s going to be okay," he said soothingly. He caressed the back of her head with the palm of his hand. "I just thank my lucky stars you weren’t hurt or…"
Dominique forced herself to pull from his tight, comforting embrace, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. She looked up at Joshua’s taut face, and she froze.
He cares. He really cares. And that’s not just general concern in those eyes. It can’t be. Oh my gosh!
"Mommy." Kalvin’s little voice broke the sexual tension that had began to build in the air.
"I’m all right, sweetheart," Dominique assured him, wrapping an arm around his tiny shoulders. Looking back at Joshua, but careful to avoid those breathtaking eyes, she asked, "Can you take us to the apartment? I only have a couple of hours to get ready for work."
Joshua angled his head toward her. "Are you sure going to work tonight is such a good idea? Dominique, you’ve been in an accident. You should really go home and rest." He sounded more like a doctor than her babysitter. "I’ll still stay and take care of little Kalvin so you can have the evening to yourself."
A night in the house alone with Joshua and Kalvin--oh, how many times had she fantasized about that? Too bad it couldn’t happen. Damn! There were so many reasons she could not let that happen.
"I have to go to work," she said stubbornly. "Now I really need all the money I can get," she added, casting an angry gaze toward the car.
"Fine," Joshua said. "Then you can take my SUV to work."
"No!" Dominique said quickly. "I mean--I can call a cab. Thanks for the offer."
"It wasn’t an offer. It was an order." Joshua’s brows popped up. "There’s no sense paying out the wazoo for a taxi when I have a perfectly drivable vehicle sitting right there." He nodded toward his midnight blue sports utility vehicle. "I can’t go anywhere until you get home, anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, now let’s go." Sliding an arm around her waist, he propelled her forward to the passenger side of the SUV. He waited for her to get situated in the seat, then closed the door. For several seconds, he gazed at her with an statement she couldn’t interpret before walking around the front of the truck and hopping behind the steering wheel.

 

 
Eleven
Later that evening, Joshua hung up the phone from his third conversation with Dominique that night and stood to pace the carpeted living room floor. She had called to check on Kalvin, who Joshua had just put to bed, as she always did when she was away at work. However this night, her calls weren’t just casual. She was in desperate need of someone to talk to, someone not downing booze at the bar. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on with her. She was stressed to the max, worrying out of her mind. She probably hadn’t eaten a decent bite all day.
Putting one foot in front of the other, Joshua wracked his brain, wondering what he could do to resolve the situation. Her car was the first thing on her mind. He knew that. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do about that tonight. Still, he had to find some way to lift her spirits, even if just for a few minutes. The idea of cooking a gourmet meal and having it ready for her when she walked in the door at midnight came to mind. That would help. At least then he would know that she had gotten her nourishment for the day.
Picking up the pace, he went to the small L-shaped kitchen only to discover that the limited supply of food items it contained blew that idea to smithereens. He sighed. Leaning against the counter, he bit his lower lip thoughtfully. He couldn’t go to the market. The closest one was over two miles away, too far to walk with a sleepy five year old in the dark, and he had insisted on her taking his truck to work. Damn! Pizza was out of the question, which was unfortunate since it was the only place in town that would deliver.
"Not necessarily," he said aloud, as an idea came to him. In a flash, he was across the apartment, picking up the phone. "Natalie? How’s my sweet little sister doing this evening?"
"Oh, boy." Natalie’s quirky chuckle flooded the line. "What are you up to, Joshua?"
"Oh…close to six foot I believe," Joshua kidded, twirling the phone cord around his middle finger.
"Cute," Natalie said dryly. "You want something. I can tell. You never call me anymore, and certainly don’t butter me up for nothing. So spill it."
"Geez, so much for small talk." Joshua attempted to sound hurt but failed miserably. "I need a huge favor. Can you run by the grocery store for me?"
"Why can’t you do it yourself?"
"I don’t have my truck. Dominique was in a wreck this morning."
Natalie gasped. "Oh my gosh! Is she all right?"
"Yeah, she’s fine. Physically anyway," Joshua added. "Mentally, she’s a basket case. The car’s got a lot of damage. The guy who hit her didn’t have insurance and neither does she. Anyway, she was going to take a taxi to work tonight, but I insisted she take my truck instead."
"And now you need it," Natalie concluded.
"Well…yeah. The woman never buys groceries--not good ones anyway. I wanted to cook dinner and have it ready for her when she got home tonight, but there’s nothing here to cook."
"You’re cooking dinner for her." Natalie sounded intrigued.
"Don’t read to much into this, sis," Joshua warned. "I doubt she’s eaten all day and I just want to be sure she doesn’t cause herself more problems than she already has. Now will you go to the store for me or not?"
"Yes, I’ll go for you." Natalie sighed. "What do you want?"
"Umm…let’s see." Joshua thought a moment as he sauntered back toward the kitchen. "Pick up some skinless chicken breast. She loves chicken. And some teriyaki sauce, a couple of red and green bell peppers, onions and rice."
"Doing a Chinese cuisine, dear brother?" Natalie asked. Amusement rang in her voice. "Is that all?"
"Sounds good to me. I just hope she likes it." He scanned the empty winerack. "Oh, and can you swing by and pick up a bottle of Chardonnay from the liquor store?"
"Now we’re talking," Natalie teased. "Anything else?"
Joshua thought for a moment. "No, I think that’s it. I’ll pay you back when you get here."
"And where do I bring this?"
Joshua gave her Dominique’s address, then said goodbye.
An hour later, Natalie arrived at the apartment, her arms weighted down with the bag of groceries and the bottle of wine. "There’s another bag in the backseat of the car," she informed him. Wandering inside, she spotted the kitchen and headed straight for it.
Joshua retrieved the last bag from the car. It contained only one item--a French Silk pie. "You bought a pie?" He angled his head at his sister as he joined her in the kitchen.
Natalie tossed him a glance over her shoulder. Her back to him, she rummaged through the cabinets. "You’ve got to have something for dessert. Since you ordered me not to read too much into this dinner ordeal, I figured dessert should be edible instead of extracurricular."
"Cute," Joshua snarled dryly. But silently he had to admit the latter form of dessert sounded much more appealing. Oh no you don’t! "What are you looking for?"
"A vase," Natalie answered, shutting one cabinet as she moved to the next. "Do you know where she keeps them?"
"What in the world do you need a…" Joshua’s voice trailed off when he spotted the dozen red roses sitting carefully on top of the bag of groceries. "Natalie," he groaned. "Why did you buy those?"
Spinning from the cabinets, Natalie flashed him a wicked ear-to-ear grin. "An elegant dinner deserves something to dress up the table, right?"
"Teriyaki chicken is hardly elegant," Joshua countered, lifting one brow. "And I thought you weren’t reading too much into this evening. You know, especially since I asked you not to."
"Hey, can’t blame a sister for trying." Natalie shrugged, but her eyes were sparkling with mischief. "Now where is a vase?"
Joshua shook his head, knowing it was hopeless to argue with his headstrong sister. "I don’t know, but I’ll find one before she gets here, okay?"
"Do you need some help making dinner?"
"No, I think I can manage." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"
"Umm…" Natalie plucked a one hundred dollar bill from his wallet. "That should do it."
"Geez! What grocery store did you go to?" Joshua groused. Like he really cared about the money. He was teasing her more than anything, but it was so much fun. "I could’ve taken her out to dinner for less than that."
"Yeah, to McDonalds, maybe." Natalie laughed, rolling her eyes. "Hey, I got the wine, too, remember? That stuff you insist on having is expensive. A dozen roses isn’t very cheap, either."
"It also wasn’t on your list," Joshua reminded her. Natalie shrugged again and he laughed, shaking his head. "Thanks for your help, sis."
"No problem. Anything for a blossoming relationship." Natalie’s lips arched upward in a quirky grin as she sauntered to the front door.
Joshua groaned loudly. "Get out of here."
Still laughing at his sister’s perkiness, Joshua shut the door behind her and wound his way through the apartment to the kitchen. Nine o’clock was still too early to begin cooking, but there were other preparations he could do before midnight. First on the list, find a vase for the roses Natalie had taken it upon herself to buy. When his search for a vase proved unsuccessful, he found a tall crystal glass that would suffice instead, and place the dozen roses in the center of the kitchen table. Then he dove into cleaning the rest of the apartment.
By ten minutes to midnight, the apartment was spotless and filled with the aroma of teriyaki chicken and sautéed vegetables. The table was elegantly set for two with the dozen roses in the center and two tall candles on either side. The romantic effect hadn’t been intended, but had certainly been accomplished. Now all that was missing was the guest of honor. That missing piece, of course, was filled minutes later when Dominique strolled through the door.
~ * ~
When Dominique rounded the corner, she first saw Joshua, leaning against the kitchen counter, then the table set for two. Her jaw dropping in surprise, she gasped. "What’s this?" She tossed her purse onto a nearby chair and walked toward him, gesturing toward the table.
"A spirit pick-me-up." Joshua flashed her a breathtaking smile. "I know what a tough day you’ve had, and on the phone your night didn’t seem to be any better, so I thought I would attempt to make you forget your troubles for a few minutes."
Turning to the table, she ran a finger down the petal of one of the roses. "Joshua, you shouldn’t have."
And why did you? She wanted to ask but fought the urge. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had bought her a dozen roses. In fact, other than her father on her graduation day, she didn’t think she had ever gotten roses!
"H--how did you get these? I had your truck."
"Oh, a little fairy named Natalie," Joshua said. He took a few steps and pulled out a chair at the table for her. "Ready to eat?"
Holding an objecting finger in the air, Dominique said, "Not yet. I have to kiss Kalvin goodnight first." In a flash, she had dashed to Kalvin’s bedroom, planted a kiss on his sleeping cheek and returned to the chair Joshua had pulled out for her.
"I hope you like teriyaki chicken with sautéed vegetables," Joshua said, setting a plate on the table before her. Dominique really wasn’t much on the vegetables, but after all he had done, who was she to complain? He pulled the bottle of wine from the refrigerator and began pouring two glasses. "I know you usually only drink on Friday and Saturday nights, but I felt that tonight could be an exception."
"Most definitely," Dominique purred, lifting the glass to take a huge gulp. "Wow! What kind of wine is that?"
"Chardonnay. Do you like it?"
"It’s fabulous! It’s so smooth, and not too tart," she said, taking another sip.
Joshua lifted a shoulder as he sat across from her at the table with his own plate of food. "One must be careful what they try to drink with teriyaki chicken or the tastes will clash horribly."
Reaching out, Dominique laid a hand on Joshua’s and squeezed gently. She wasn’t sure what had triggered the need to touch him, but the feel of his tight, large hand under hers sent her body through a realm of emotions.
"Thank you for this." She smiled. Her voice came in almost a whisper. "You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble."
"It was no trouble at all," Joshua insisted softly. Laying his free hand over hers, he angled his head toward her. "Question is, did I achieve the desired effect?"
Dominique let out a slight laugh. "Yeah, I think you did."
"That smile on your face is all the thanks I need."
Dominique’s heart fluttered. She quickly looked away, her fantasy mind threatening to take all control. The insanity came rushing back. It was those damn green eyes! They taunted her, begging her to want him, daring her to try to fight against them. And as much as she hated to admit it, she did want him. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted a man in her life.
Looking for a safe ground of concentration, she lifted the fork and wrapped her lips around a strip of the teriyaki chicken. The tenderness, the flavor of onions and peppers, the chicken, seemed to melt in her mouth.
"Wow!" she groaned approvingly. "This is fantastic. I had no idea you were such a great cook."
Joshua shrugged humbly, turning his attention on his own plate of food. "I can whip up a few tasty meals here and there."
"Modesty rears its ugly head again." Dominique rolled her eyes.
Joshua wrinkled his forehead. "What do you mean again?"
She hesitated. Oops, the doorway has opened. Is now the time to tell him I know who he is--who his family is?
Setting the fork carefully to the side, she propped her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together over her plate. "You’ve sure been modest about your financial situation."
Joshua paused in mid-chew, casting her a glance that said, "I have no clue what you’re talking about." Clearing his throat, he repeated, "My financial situation?"
"That you’re rich," Dominique said more simply. "That your family is one of the wealthiest in the South. That sort of stuff." She picked up her fork and returned to eating.
"It’s not like I was hiding it or anything," Joshua said, jumping to his own defense. "I thought you knew. Up until the other night, at least," he admitted. "Hell, I thought everybody in this town knew. It’s not like we keep our financial standings a secret or anything. My father had done a lot for this city. He’s on the news practically every day for something or other."
"I don’t watch the news. I didn’t know anything about you or your family except what you told me, and it’s not like you volunteered much information, either," Dominique countered. She glared at him. "Here I was under the impression that you were just a normal, everyday man, broke, still in college, and still living with your parents at the age of thirty."
"In other words, you thought I was a worthless bum." Joshua scowled. "By the way, I’m not thirty yet. And I told you I didn’t live with my parents and that money didn’t mean a thing to me."
"True, but you darted out of the conversation before telling me that the reason money means nothing to you is because you have more than you know what to do with."
"Does that make any difference?" His penetrating stare nearly bore holes in her skull. "Does that make me any less qualified to babysit Kalvin?"
Dominique stifled a laugh. "Joshua, other than being a student in child psychology and having five younger brothers and sisters, you have absolutely no qualifications for the job."
"Then why did you hire me?" Joshua asked, his eyebrows arching up.
Dominique froze. Her fork dangled in mid-air over her plate. Why had she hired him? She had been opposed to the idea from the start, agreeing to the interview only to soothe her own conscience. He had angered her only minutes after entering her apartment and yet she had still hired him. "Kalvin liked you," she finally said with a nonchalant shrug. At least that much was true.
"I see." Amusement flashed in Joshua’s eyes. "And was that the only reason?"
"Yes, it was," Dominique said in a matter of fact tone. "I found it important that Kalvin like his babysitter. After all, I knew he would be the one who would spend the most time with whomever I decided to hire."
"Oh, you’re absolutely right." Joshua smirked. "Although your feelings about the person you hired were important, too. You had to be sure you were comfortable leaving your son with a stranger."
She shifted in her chair. Was he prying for information?
Dominique wasn’t sure where this conversation was heading, but her suspicions were making her insides tingle. She had attempted to ignore the romantic setting that had greeted her the instant she stepped through the door. He had wanted to do something nice for her, something to take her mind off the horrible day she had experienced. That was what he had said, anyway. Now, gazing at those bright green eyes glistening with amusement and intrigue behind the dim glow of the lit candles, she had to wonder if there was something more behind his thoughtfulness. A gush of heat pooled in the pit of her stomach at the possibility.
Leaving the subject dangling in the air, Dominique fell into silence, devouring her teriyaki chicken and vegetables. She gulped down the last of her wine then rose from the table, taking her dishes to the sink.
"I’ll get that," Joshua said.
Twisting the knob on the hot water faucet, Dominique said, "You don’t have to. I’m just running water over them so they won’t be so difficult to clean later." As she waited for the water to cover the plate, she rotated her stiff neck.
"You really should go to the hospital," Joshua said softly. He was behind her now, so close she could feel his body heat on her back. "You could have whiplash."
"It’s just stress setting in from such a…" Dominique’s words trailed off when she felt his tight, strong hands gently grasp her shoulders, massaging her muscles. A sharp, hot, sweet sensation shot through her very core. It felt so good she had to lean against the counter to keep from melting at his feet. While her shoulders began to experience relief, a wetness began to pool between her legs at the realization of his closeness.
~ * ~
Joshua didn’t know what came over him. It was as if someone else suddenly stepped in and took control of his body. Someone driven by pure sexual adrenaline with no intentions of fighting the growing feelings for the woman before him as he had been trying to do from the moment he had set eyes on her. Someone with full intentions of accepting the offer to stay that had been extended earlier in the week.
Leaning forward a few inches, he lowered his head and breathed softly on Dominique’s bare neck. He felt her shiver beneath his fingers as they moved over her shoulders. When she didn’t move, he lowered his head further, brushing his lips against her soft, sweet-smelling skin. She whimpered softly. His blood surged. She arched her head to the side, exposing more area for him to kiss. His tongue wandered down her neck.
The tightness of his jeans behind the zipper became painfully obvious. He wanted her. He wanted every inch of her. No more denying it, no more playing around, he wanted her right then and there. A sexual affair was unethical. But he suddenly realized it wasn’t an affair he wanted. It was everything that a sexual relationship brought along with it.
Slowly, Dominique began to turn under his hands until they were face to face, his lips a mere inch from hers. The shock in her dark blue eyes mixed with that of pure, intense longing. It sent a surge of emotions through his body that he had never before experienced. There was an unspoken communication between them. One of complete sexual desire. Yet there was something more there, too, and if he didn’t know better, he would swear it was…love.
Closing the gap between their lips, Joshua did what he had been wanting to do for so long. He kissed her and felt the electricity flare between them. His hand slid under her ponytail, bringing her face toward his. He felt her fingers dance on his sides just above the belt line until they met and laced together behind his back.
The kiss was tender and sweet at first, but quickly escalated to a heated passion that nearly knocked him off his feet. Their lips parted beneath the kiss. Their tongues met stroke for stroke. It was all he could do to stop from throwing her on the floor, stripping off her clothes and taking her right then and there.
But it wasn’t the way he wanted it. If he was going to go through with this, if he was going to allow himself to lose all control, he was going to take her slowly, easily, passionately. He was going to show her a night like she had never before experienced with any other man. When a soft moan escaped her throat, he felt his arousal stiffen even more. His resistance slipped further.
He slid a trembling hand down the front of her blouse, pulled it from the confines of her shorts, and slipped under it. His fingers trailed up her tight, flat stomach to her breast. His other hand skimming to join the pleasure, he cupped her soft, plump breasts through the lacy bra and squeezed gently. She moaned, squirming against the countertop. The corners of his lips curved in a smile around her lips, still glued to his.
Encouraged to continue, he pressed his arousal to her middle through their confining clothing and lifted her shirt. Her bra fastened in the front. Fumbling with the clasp, he freed her breasts and pushed the cups of the bra to the sides. Again, he cupped them in the palms of his hands.
He fondled her nipples with his thumbs. The kiss intensified as she pressed her lips harder against his. Slowly, he pulled away from her, casting a glance at her deep blue eyes that were glassy with pleasure, before bowing his head to take one nipple in his mouth. With each circle he made with his tongue around her nipple, she moaned. With each moan that escaped her lips, his arousal throbbed, begging for escape behind his zipper.
With one final circle of his tongue, he pulled away from her breasts, allowing her shirt to fall protectively over them, and kneeled further down. He slid one arm behind her back, the other behind her knees and lifted her off the floor.
Startled, she gazed at him. She licked her swollen lips and laughed breathlessly. "What are you doing?"
"I’m going to make love to you," Joshua whispered, leaving no room for argument. "I’m going to make love to you like I’ve wanted to do from the moment I laid eyes on you."
"Wait!" Dominique shrilled when he began stepping away from the counter. Thinking she was objecting to his uncontrollable need for her, he prepared to set her feet back down on the floor.
"The water in the sink is still running."

 

 
Twelve
As if he were carrying his bride over the threshhold, Joshua pushed open the door to Dominique’s bedroom, carried her through then kicked it shut. No words were spoken. There was no need. The silent sexual communication between them was enough. Somewhere deep inside, Dominique knew what was about to happen was wrong, but the setting--just the two of them finally in their own intimate, private world--was too strong to ignore.
Handling her as if she were a fragile flower, Joshua eased her down onto the bed, lowering himself on top of her. The warmth of his breath on her face as his lips neared hers sent a riot of delectable emotions sweeping through every fiber of her body. She became well aware of his arousal, strong and hard in his pants, as he pressed his lower body against hers.
"I’ve wanted to do this for so long," Joshua whispered between kisses. "You’ve done something to me. I can’t explain it. I’ve wanted you from the moment you opened the door the day of the interview."
Dominique tried to speak, but the feel of his tongue sliding down the side of her face to her neck erased any intelligent words she might have had. She could feel his insatiable hunger for her, taste his need for more than a simple kiss. And she wanted the same. Her body was hot with unsatisfied desire. The throbbing wetness between her legs intensified her yearning for him. She knew what he wanted, and she wanted the same. The thought that she could stop things before they went overboard never occurred to her. She was prepared to give herself to him completely--far more than she had ever allowed herself to give in her fantasies.
Her hands traveled down the back of his shirt to his tight buttocks. She squeezed. He moaned, arching his hardness further to her middle. Spears of heat shot through her as his lips trailed down her neck, teasing the bustline of her shirt.
"Touch me," she whispered, her tone begging and breathless. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty for how needy she sounded. "I want your hands on me. All of me."
Her plea seemed to send him over the edge. Without a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed her hands, pulling her to a seated position under him, and lifted her uniform shirt over her head. Her bra still unfastened, she slid her arms out of the straps as he tossed her shirt aside. His hands returned to her, cupping her breasts, one in each hand. Bending his head, he took one round, pink nipple in his mouth, sucking it to its fullest peak. Dominique threw her head back, moaning in sheer pleasure. She laced her hands through his dark hair, silky and straight, folding her fingers around it and pulling, using it to take out her sexual frustration.
His tongue fondled the peak of her nipple for a spine-shivering moment, then he slowly raised his head. Their eyes locked. The corners of his mouth curved slightly in the hint of a smile. Dominique released his hair. Her hands trailed down to unbutton his shirt. Peeling the shirt from his shoulders, she placed her hands on his muscular chest, her fingers fondling the curly dark hair that spread over the ripples.
He gently pushed himself to her, easing her back down on the bed. While he held her gaze, his hand eased between them to the button of her shorts; her hand at the same time unsnapped the waistline of his jeans. Rolling off of her, he tugged at her shorts, sending them and her panties flying to the floor at the bedside. With growing passion, she removed his shoes to get rid of the binding, burdensome jeans and underwear that stood in her way. He caught the jeans just as she was about to toss them, and pulled his wallet from the back pocket. He pulled a square blue packet of protection from the wallet.
Dominique lay down beside him, her bare breasts pressing against his side. She ran a finger caressingly along his jaw line. "That really isn’t necessary," she whispered. "I’m on the pill."
Reaching a hand behind her head, he pulled the scrunchie from her hair. The soft strawberry-scented, dark strands fell freely to her shoulders. "Just a precaution. It never hurts to be double protected."
The wonderment of how he would react if she were to become pregnant rose to darken her thoughts, but all was swept away by the sensation of his fingers trailing up her leg seeking entrance to her most intimate spot. She opened her legs, lifting her lower body off the mattress as his hand slipped between her thighs and caressed there. She sucked in a gasp of air as he fondled the spot that drove her wild. She had to remind herself to breath, and when she did, it came in erratic spurts. Her muscles tensed, she squirmed in pleasure, then suddenly her insides exploded.
"Wow!" she whispered breathlessly.
Joshua climbed back on top of her, his erection full and hard, teasing between her thighs. When their gazes met, a smile of victory for bringing her to a point some women never experience in a lifetime rose to brighten his face.
Dominique brought her hand behind his neck, pulling his face to hers. Her eyes open and fixed on his, her lips touched his in a caress so light he moaned--an obvious warning that whatever control he still maintained was slipping to nonexistence. Keeping one hand on the back of his neck, she lowered the other, clenching his erection in her fist, and stroked, gently at first, then picking up speed with the movement of his hips.
"I can’t take much more of this," he moaned. His fingers searched the sheet at their side for the blue packet. Sitting up, he ripped the packet open then slid its contents over his erection. Dominique’s hands skimmed his chest as he lowered himself over her again.
When he entered her, the thrust of his body into hers sent her spinning into a rapturous rush. Panting like a couple of over-heated dogs, their hands roamed freely, their kisses became sloppy, as each thrust brought them both closer to their climax. Bending to take a nipple in his mouth, Joshua sucked and tantalized as he sank his sex deeper into her.
Her fingernails dug into his back as her muscles tensed once again. With one final thrust, he emptied himself into her, at the same time bringing her to the strongest, most violent climax she had ever experienced. Shaking with exhaustion, he fell on top of her. The rapid beat of his heart fell into sync with hers.
Dominique smirked once her breathing slowed enough she could speak. "I have to tell you. Dinner was nice, but dessert was far more tasty."
Joshua, still sprawled on top of her, lifted his head and smiled from ear to ear. "Actually, there is a French Silk pie in the fridge that was intended for dessert."
"That’s okay, I like this much better," Dominique purred.
"Oh, really." His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Can I offer you another slice?" he asked, rising to plant tender kisses on her face and neck.
She giggled. "I would love another slice."
~ * ~
Dominique’s eyes fluttered open, then shut quickly, in agony from the blinding sunlight that poured through the bedroom window. For a moment, she lay with her eyes closed, mentally preparing herself for the day ahead. Somehow, she had to get estimates from body and mechanic shops on the cost of repairing her car. After which she would spend some quality time with Kalvin. She was not sending him to school today. It wasn’t often she allowed him to miss, but, with no way to get him there, keeping him home seemed like the best alternative.
It wasn’t until she felt the squirm of a figure beside her, heard the soft masculine moan and felt the arm slide over her tummy that the events of the night before raced back to her mind. Her eyes flew open.
What have I done!
Slowly, she turned to Joshua, who slept soundly beside her. His breathtaking features, so peaceful, the feeling of security that rushed over her just knowing she had not awoken alone as she normally did in the cold, empty bed--it was enough to make her want to wake him with the promise of more pleasures such as that which they had shared the night before. Then her senses stepped in and she knew she couldn’t do that. They had made love, not once, but several times, and it could never happen again. Her heart couldn’t take it. She had to get him out of her bed, out of her apartment, before…
"Joshua," she said softly, shaking him gently at first, then harder and harder. "Joshua, wake up."
Slowly, his eyes opened. He gazed at her with a sweet, caring statement. A delighted grin unfolded across his lips. "Good morning beautiful," he said. Turning on his side, he propped himself on one elbow and eased his face closer to hers.
The feel of his breath on her face brought back all the needy sexual emotions in one violent slap. When their lips touched, she returned the kiss completely and passionately.
No! Her insides screamed in protest. You can’t do this again. You have to get him out of the apartment. Now!
Shoving her hands between them, Dominique placed her palms on Joshua’s chest and pushed him away.
Joshua fell back against the mattress. He shot her a penetrating glare. "What did I do?"
Dominique bolted from the bed. She bent to gather his clothes then tossed them to him. "Get dressed. You’ve got to get out of here. Kalvin will be waking up any minute."
"And that’s a problem?" Joshua asked, sliding to the edge of the bed to slip into his pants.
Seeing him again, naked and bulging with muscles, she knew it would take all the control she could muster to throw him out instead of making hot, passionate love to him again.
"Yes, it’s a problem!" she cried, struggling to keep her voice low as not to wake Kalvin too soon. Throwing on a knee-length, red satin robe, she tied the strap with a rapid tug and said, "He can’t see you here."
"Why?" Bewilderment clouded Joshua’s still sleepy statement.
"Because it would confuse him!"
The now fully-dressed Joshua turned to flash her an amused stare. "The boy is smart, baby. He’ll figure it out."
"My point exactly," she said dryly. She attempted to run her fingers through her hair, but it was too knotted from the desperation of the night before. Fuming in aggravation, she stomped to the door. "He doesn’t need to figure out anything. Last night shouldn’t…"
"Shouldn’t what?" Joshua prodded with a tilt of his head when she cut her words short.
"It should not have happened." Spinning on her heels, she threw open the door and stormed down the hall. Her throat began to ache with unshed tears. She didn’t want to appear so angry with him. After all, it took two to tango and she had no doubt participated more than willingly. And she had loved every minute of it! Worse, she now knew she loved him. With all her heart and soul, she loved him. But they could never be. The two of them together could never be. He had too much pain inside that she could never heal, and she had a profession he could never accept.
"Dominique," Joshua called, chasing down the hall after her. When he reached her, he grabbed her by the arm and whipped her around to face him. "What do you mean last night shouldn’t have happened? I thought we were great together. I thought we shared something."
Dominique averted her gaze before she could be sucked in by those heart-wrenching green eyes. "Can’t we just forget about last night?" Much to her surprise, her tone was level and calm, but inside she was shattering. "Can’t we just pretend it never happened?"
Joshua raised a hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "How could you ever forget about last night?" he whispered in wonderment, his eyes searching deep within hers. "Or pretend we never made love? Last night was the most awesome night of my life."
"Mine, too," she admitted, her eyes filling with tears.
She looked away, blinking hard, trying to stop them. If he saw her cry, that would be the end of it. He would know she had no regrets and insist they talk things out instead of giving in to what they both knew was inevitable.
"Then why--"
"Stop it, okay?" she shrieked, throwing her hands in the air.
She whirled away from him. He wasn’t going to let it go willingly. He was being blinded by one night of passionate sex. Still, she knew once he took the time to assess what had really happened, he would see what she already knew--that it had all been one hell of a mistake.
Somehow, she had to make him see it right now. She had to give him enough of a mental shove to bring him tumbling back to reality. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her tears and hardened her statement. Turning back to him, she said, "Last night was wonderful. You’re incredible in bed," she said, feeling the need to boost his ego a little. Truth was, she didn’t know a night with a man could be so good. "Still, the fact remains. It was sex, Joshua. Don’t try to make it out to be more than it was."
The crestfallen look that consumed his face was almost enough to cause her to burst into tears.
"I can’t believe…" Joshua shook his head. "How can you say that after what we experienced together last night? After what we felt together?"
She bit her lower lip. Believe me, I have no idea.
But she couldn’t say that to him. She had to discourage him. She had to make him see how wrong they had been to have let themselves get so out of hand. Something told her a sensible talk wasn’t going to cure his blindness. So she would do the only other thing she could think of. She would pretend their love-making had meant nothing to her. After all, that was what he expected from female bartenders like her anyway, right?
Dominique forced a smile, lifting one shoulder. "Last night you said you wanted to get my mind off my troubles for awhile. Well, you succeeded."
Joshua’s jaw tightened. She had angered him, and the evidence of it was gushing from his every pore. "That was the idea behind the dinner, yes," he said. She could see he was forcing himself to remain calm. "Making love to you was another thing entirely. It wasn’t planned. Until I touched you, I had no idea it was going to happen. But the instant I kissed you, I knew what I wanted, and I know you wanted the same. Making love to each other last night was right, Dominique. I knew it then, and I still feel it now. There isn’t a bone in my body that regrets it, and there is no way in hell I could ever forget about it!"
His words stung, driving a knife deeper in Dominique’s heart. But she couldn’t give in. No matter how right he insisted it had been, it was wrong. Soon he would see that for himself and everything could go back to normal. She hoped…
Struggling harder to maintain her forced anger, Dominique walked to the door. Joshua followed close at her heels.
"I simply want to put last night behind me," she said, opening the door. "I suggest you do the same." Joshua opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut when she added, "Kalvin likes you, Joshua. I don’t want to have to find another babysitter for him, but I will if I’m forced to."
Joshua’s jaw dropped in shock. Pushing past her, he stepped through the doorway. His statement devastated and heartbroken, his next words confirmed she had accomplished what she had set out to do. "I thought you were different."
"Well, you were wrong." Dominique slammed the door just as the tears burst from her eyes.

 

 
Thirteen
What did I do wrong? Joshua wondered aimlessly again. Dominique had practically tossed him out of her apartment that morning. Now it was early afternoon. He found it impossible to concentrate on any of his classes. Thankfully, there was only one more to go. The temptation to blow off his schedule for the day had been difficult to ignore. Unneeded absences had been the only thing that had stopped him.
"I would have been better off staying at home anyway," he muttered, groaning in misery as he walked down the sidewalk to the Building of Science and Arts across the campus. A cool breeze whipped through the air, sending a chill down his spine. The sky was cloudy and dark, the atmosphere gloomy, much like his mood. It had been a long time since he had experienced such sorrow, but he was certain he felt far worse than he ever had before.
She had wanted it. She had wanted him just as much as he had wanted her. There was no doubt about it. He hadn’t read her signals wrong. She hadn’t objected or moved a muscle to stop him. Hell, she had even told him to touch her! So what caused her to wake up so full of regret and denial?
Their last words, spoken in anger, echoed in his mind. "I thought you were different," he had said, his tone a mixture of sadness and rage. And she had known exactly what he meant. She had all but bitten his head off for even implying she was like other female bartenders. But her last statement was what had stung him to the bone: "Well, you were wrong."
Could I really have been so wrong?
Her change of attitude was mind boggling. It didn’t seem feasible. He had gotten to know her--what was important to her, what was not, what she wanted in life. Heck, he had even watched her work! The way she handled all the advances, polite but forceful. The way she had taken control of the heated situation with the unruly customers. The scene had scared him out of his gourd! All he could think about was losing her the way he had Margot. But apparently, Dominique had enough sense to know the limits of what she could take care of, and when to let the police take over. Still, the stunt she had pulled that morning had given a new definition to the favorite phrase of a female bartender: one night stand.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. No, I wasn’t wrong about her, he argued with himself. She’s not like the others. She can’t be!
He knew the mind was notorious for playing tricks. It was a proven fact. But the heart, the heart was incapable of such deception. His feelings for her--what was really in his heart--could only be described as…love.
There. He’d admitted it. And yet the thought struck him like a hellacious blow upside the head. It was total, undying, soul-piercing love. He had put up his best defenses, fought tooth and nail not to give in, but in the end he had lost the battle miserably. She had taken control of his heart and, no matter what his mind attempted to tell him, there was no doubt his heart was in the right place.
Still, the question remained. If he were right and she was truly different, why did she suddenly want him to believe otherwise? Hell, she had even threatened to fire him if he didn’t forget about what had happened between them! How could he forget? Last night, she had sent him sailing to heights he had never known existed. The feel of her skin, the taste of her body, the sound of her soft sexy moans…
"Joshua." A female voice ripped through his reverie. He turned toward the sound of footsteps on the concrete and saw Heather running toward him.
Not now, he wanted to scream. They hadn’t spoken since she had stormed out of his house the previous weekend. Why did she have to pick today of all days to break the silence?
"We have a few minutes before class. I thought we could chat," Heather said when she reached him.
"I was under the impression you had said all you needed to the last time we were together." Joshua cocked his head to one side.
Heather toyed with the strap of the leather handbag draped over one shoulder. "I saw your truck at the bar last night." Her tone was sarcastic, her statement implying he was busted.
"I let Dominique take it to work," Joshua replied through gritted teeth. "She was in an accident yesterday morning and her car isn’t drivable."
Not that I should have to explain myself to you anymore, his silent voice added.
"Yeah, well, I knew I was right." Heather rolled her eyes. She obviously didn’t believe him.
Not that Joshua cared. He hated what had happened between him and Heather, but in all honesty, their relationship would have never made it anyway. That much he finally realized almost the instant she had stomped out the door. He saw no point carrying on the conversation. It was easier to let her believe what she wanted.
Heather flipped her long hair over her shoulder and said, "Anyway, I thought our relationship deserved a better closure. That and I needed to return this."
Taking the key she held out for him, Joshua said thank you and walked away. Further conversation with her wasn’t going to change anything--especially since he now knew she had been right in her assumption. Besides, they would most likely end up arguing as always, and that was the last thing he needed right now. What he needed was Dominique.
~ * ~
The uninvited option of hiring another babysitter to replace Joshua lingered in the air like an evil spirit. Dominique didn’t want to think about it. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She could only pray that it would not come down to that. Kalvin liked Joshua so much, and the time the two spent together had been so good for him. He would never forgive her if she fired Joshua. Never. She would simply have to find some way to keep last night’s incident out of the picture.
They had crossed the line, that apparently very thin line between employer and employee, and there was no going back. That much, she knew. However, if they could somehow learn to coexist without last night constantly interfering, everything would be all right.
When the phone rang, she rubbed her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying. Diverted from her desolate thoughts, she answered it, but the break in her sadness proved to be only momentary.
"Dominique." It was her father, his voice instantly on guard. "What’s the matter. You sound like you’ve been crying."
"No, everything is fine, Dad," she said a bit too quickly. "I was uh…peeling onions, that’s all."
It was a lie, but it was the only thing she could think of, and she doubted he would remember her disgust for the vegetable anyway. In the past, he’d never remembered what she ate and didn’t eat. Why would he start now? She hadn’t spoken to her father in nearly two years, other than the occasional times when she called and he answered only long enough to hand the phone to her mother.
Oh, why did he have to pick today of all days to start talking to me again?
"Your mother and I are thinking about renting out the trailer you used to live in," her father said in a husky tone, obviously getting to the point of his call. "I don’t suppose you’ve decided to forget about whatever it is you’re trying to prove and move back home?"
Dominique heaved in a deep sigh. So much for apology calls, she thought despondently. "No, Dad. Things are going well for me here. If you and mom want to rent out the trailer, it’s fine by me. I’m sure the extra money will come in handy."
"I’m not kicking out tenants when you decide you’re ready to come home, Dominique," her father informed her coldly. "This is your one and only chance. Once we rent out the trailer, you won’t have a home to come back to, unless you move back in with your mother and me."
"I don’t plan on coming back, Dad," Dominique said for what must have been the one hundredth time since she had moved away nearly two years ago. It was times like these she needed a tape recorder. "I’m happy here. Kalvin is happy here. And I hope that someday you’ll find it in yourself to understand that."
"I understand that you’re being selfish and pig-headed, and one day you’re going to regret all the things you’re saying now," her father countered.
Sensing the same, never-ending argument approaching, Dominique ignored her father’s sarcasm. The last thing she needed today was another argument. First Joshua, and now her father. Why did the men she love insist on being so difficult? And on a day when every bone in her body felt like it had been run over by a Mac truck!
The massage Joshua had given her last night had helped, but after the stress of the morning and the promise of harder hours to come, her muscles ached for more. Worse, she ached for Joshua, and dealing with her father and his glum nature was something she just could not find in her heart to do at that moment.
"I have to go now, Dad. I love you." Hanging up the phone, she again burst into tears.
~ * ~
"Are you talking to him yet?" Leanne asked, propping her elbows on the bar. It was Monday night. Business had tapered off, and now the customers in the bar were few and far between. After giving Dominique a ride to work, she had stuck around to tackle some much needed paperwork.
"Of course we’re talking," Dominique said, busying herself by rearranging the glasses under the bar. "He’s Kalvin’s babysitter. We have to talk."
Although I don’t have to be so cold and short with him when we do talk, she added silently with a distressing sigh.
"You know what I mean," Leanne said dryly, angling her head toward Dominique. "It’s been over two weeks since the two of you consummated your relationship. You can’t keep pretending it never happened."
"I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far." Dominique lifted a shoulder, still not meeting her boss’s gaze. "And we didn’t consummate anything. We had sex. That’s all."
"You made love," Leanne corrected, holding a finger in the air for emphasis. "From what you described to me, the most serious, passionate kind of love there is. I’ve seen the way he looks at you Dom--the way he stands in the doorway each afternoon watching until we’re out of sight. He loves you. And you love him. Yet you won’t talk to him. Hell, you won’t even borrow his truck to come to work anymore! Not that I mind giving you a ride, but you’re being ridiculous!"
"I’m saving every dime I make to get my car fixed," Dominique said, bowing her head.
She hated depending on her boss for a ride. Most other employers would have fired her by now for not having a ride of her own. But she had no other choice. She just couldn’t use Joshua’s truck, even though he offered every day. The less she took from him now, the easier it made everything.
"With any luck, I should be able to get it back on the road in the next couple of weeks."
"That’s not the point, and you know it. I’m not worried about your car. I’m worried about you, and I don’t understand the problem with Joshua."
Dominique covered her face with her hands. Her voice muffled and pleading, she said, "You know the problem."
"What, that you’re a bartender? Come on Dominique! Do you know how silly that sounds?" Leanne pounded a frustrated fist on the bar. "So what if he’s had some bad experiences with bartenders. Losing the woman he intended to marry in a barroom brawl along with his first unborn child. All of that happened years ago."
"Time doesn’t erase all pain," Dominique said dryly, moving to the edge of the bar near Leanne.
"No, it doesn’t. But it heals wounds and allows people to put things behind them and carry on," Leanne said, reaching out to lay a caring hand on Dominique’s shoulder. "I don’t want to lose you. You’re one of my best employees. But if it’s really this job that’s standing between you and the man you love, then, speaking as both your boss and a friend, my advice is to quit. Jobs are a dime a dozen, Dominique. True love, the love like you and Joshua share, that kind of love comes around once in a lifetime."
"It’s not just my job," Dominique argued stubbornly. "Although even if it was, I still wouldn’t quit. I will never allow myself to become dependant on a man again. I tried that with my ex-husband and I got screwed, remember?
"Joshua is nothing like your ex-husband."
"Oh, believe me, I know that, but Joshua and I are from two different worlds. He’s practically royalty and I’m a peasant. We’re too different. That alone would destroy us before we even started."
"You’re making excuses." Leanne shook her head in desperation. "Why, I don’t know. But I’m telling you now, Dominique. You will never find another man like Joshua Divine. You let that man slip through your fingers, and you will regret it for the rest of your life."
~ * ~
Leanne’s friendly words of warning weighed heavily on Dominique’s mind. Yet when she returned home that evening, she was no closer to attempting to smooth things over with Joshua than she had been before the talk with her boss. She loved him. She loved him more than she ever thought possible. That wonderful night, he had made her feel things, things no one else ever had. Her heart was breaking. Each time he showed up at the apartment to babysit Kalvin, each night when she came home from work, her heart shattered more. They barely spoke. He performed his job as he always had, then gathered his belongings at the end of the evening and left.
Her mind whirled to the first night after they’d made love. She had returned home to find an elaborate dinner waiting for her on the table. Soft romantic music played in the background. The flickering glow of candles had been the only light in the place. Joshua had stood beside the table, his face full of hope.
She had almost given in to him that night. Her need for him, to have his hands on her again, to taste his kisses, to feel him inside her--the desires were almost too much to bear. Almost.
Instead, in the cold, hard fashion she had developed since that lustful night, she had blown off Joshua and the dinner, claiming she wasn’t hungry and ordering him to turn off the music before he left. The anguish that had risen to darken his features had brought tears to her eyes. Determined not to let her feelings show, she had made a bee-line for her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Once she heard the front door slam, she had known it was safe to come out.
Tonight, however, there was no dinner waiting for her on the table, no soft romantic music playing. She found Joshua stretched out on the sofa, a textbook open across his chest, sleeping. He looked so peaceful, so serene. With a day’s growth of beard on his face, he looked more rugged, more blatantly sexy than usual.
Her body craved to be with him again. She wanted to kneel beside him, wake him with passionate kisses beginning with his tanned forehead and spanning to wherever she decided to stop. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. She might be falling apart on the inside, but on the outside, she had to remain strong. No matter how deeply she loved him, even if he felt the same for her, which she was still unsure of, a relationship would never work. Leanne had said she was making excuses. Maybe she was, but it was only because she knew the truth deep within. The pain she felt now was bad, but the heartbreak that was sure to result from a terrible definite end to a serious relationship with Joshua would be far tougher to swallow.
Plastering that grim, stony statement she had now mastered to her face, she shook Joshua awake. "I’m home," she said simply, silently ordering herself not to look into those gorgeous green eyes.
"Hi," he said, his voice groggy as he lifted himself to a seated position on the sofa. He ran his fingers through his hair, yawning. "Sorry I dozed off. Studying can get pretty boring. Sometimes I think I’m too old for this college stuff."
"Won’t you be finished soon?" Dominique asked, wandering to the kitchen for her usual late night sandwich and chips.
"Finals are next month," Joshua said. Standing from the sofa, he stretched, then joined Dominique in the kitchen. "Trust me, it’s not soon enough. Although I’m nervous about flunking out now that I’ve come this far."
Dominique slapped the makings of a turkey sandwich together and snatched a can of soda from the fridge. She plopped down at the table and bit into the sandwich.
"I’m sure you’ll do fine," she said around a mouthful. "Oh, if you’ll hand me my purse over there, I’ll give you your money for last week."
"It’s nice to have you talking to me again," Joshua said, hopefulness pouring from his voice. Instead of grabbing her purse, he sat down across from her at the table.
"Don’t read too much into it," Dominique warned dryly. She had taken a step from her melancholy tone for only a moment and had unintentionally landed back on the fast track to complication.
"Your aunt called this evening," Joshua said, ignoring her sarcasm. He placed his arms on the table, lacing his fingers together in front of him. "She had a friend of hers look at your car."
"Did she say who?" Dominique wrinkled her brows.
It was often kind of scary when her aunt tried to help her. While Dominique knew she had only the best of intentions, it was the people with whom she associated that bothered her. Most were great people, but some were complete screw-ups.
Joshua scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Umm…Louis Smol--Smol--"
"Smolisch," Dominique said, her lips curving in a smile at his struggle. "I forgot about him. He’s a great mechanic, and pretty good with body work, too. Did my aunt say if he could fix the car or what he will charge?"
"She said he couldn’t give her a definite price because there may be more damage that won’t be obvious until he begins working on it." Joshua leaned back in the chair. "But he did give a ball park figure of fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars."
Dominique sighed, reaching up to free her hair from the binding pony tail holder. "At least it’s a bit less than I was expecting. I’ll get in touch with him next week."
"There’s no need to."
Dominique narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean there’s no need to?"
"I told your aunt to have him fix it. As long as he doesn’t run into any problems, it will be ready by the weekend."
She felt the heat rising to her face. Stay calm, her inner voice coached. "Joshua, I don’t have the money to get if fixed right now!"
Oh yeah, that was calm.
"I have most of it, but it will be another week or so before I have that much. He may allow me to pay him some now and the rest later, but I wish you had talked to me about it first. If a decision had to be made tonight, you could have called me at work."
"Don’t worry about it. I told your aunt I would drop off a check in the morning before my classes."
"I can’t give you a check to drop off when I don’t have the money, or an account for that matter," she said through gritted teeth. Her control on her temper was slipping by the second. "I was on my way to open a checking account when that son-of-a-bitch plowed into me."
"I have a checking account," Joshua said calmly. "Look, I know you really can’t afford that kind of extra expense right now. I’ll pay for the repairs, and you can pay me back when you can."
That was all he had to say. Control flew out the window. Dominique lost it. "You are not paying for my car," she spat, her glare fixed and full of anger.
"It’s no problem," Joshua assured her, squirming in the chair.
"Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. You--are--not--paying--for--my--car," she repeated, speaking each word slowly and forcefully as if she were speaking to a disobedient two year old.
"Come on Dominique. I’m just--"
"Geez! I sleep with you once and you think you own me." Dominique leaped from the table. Stomping to the sink, she tossed the empty plate with a loud thud. "Just like a damn man."
"I don’t think I own you," he said, the hurt spilling from his voice. "I’m just trying to help you. Why won’t you let me?"
She spun from the sink. Her blood boiling, she clinched her fingers into fists at her side, fighting the urge to hit something. "I don’t want your help and I sure as hell don’t need your help. I’m tired of you taking it upon yourself to do whatever you want without consulting with me first. You’re always bringing over food and new toys for Kalvin and anything else you feel like. You act like we can’t afford anything. Now you want to pay to have my car fixed!"
"Dom…" he stood, taking a step toward her.
"You were hired as a babysitter and nothing more," she continued to rant. "I make plenty of money to take care of my son and my responsibilities. We may not be as rich as you, but we are not a charity case, and I resent the fact that you insist on treating us like one."
Joshua stiffened. Bewilderment consumed his statement. Everything she said had clearly thrown him for a loop. Regaining his composure, he bowed his head. "I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was doing anything wrong."
"Well, you were and you are," she spat dryly.
"Well, if you would take the time to talk to me sometimes instead of giving me the cold shoulder, maybe I would’ve known," he shouted. His temper was spilling over now. "Instead, you seem to prefer treating me like some block-head off the street. You’ve changed, Dominique, and I’ve got to tell you, I don’t like it."
"Too bad," she snarled, stomping past him.
"I know you’ve been concerned about the car, and I hate seeing you worry. I also can’t stand the way you’ve been treating me lately. One minute we’re making the most fantastic love of my life, and the next you’re telling me to forget all about it! You’re killing me, Dominique. I want to be with you so bad, but you won’t let me. I love you, dammit! Why can’t you see that?"
"Probably because you never told me," she yelled, spinning to face him.
Then her eyes locked with his for the first time that night. Stunned out of her wits, she realized what had just happened.
He said he loves me! He loves me!
Across the kitchen, Joshua braced himself against the counter for support. His statement mirroring her astonishment as if he couldn’t believe he had said it either.
"Well, it’s about time," Kalvin’s voice tore through the air. Both heads whipped around to find him standing in the living room, his hands planted on his hips. "Does that mean Joshua is going to be my new daddy now?"

 

 
Fourteen
Kalvin was fired up with excitement and getting him back to sleep proved to be a more difficult task than Dominique had expected. All the questions--Were she and Joshua getting married? Where would they live? Would they be having a baby sister or brother for him soon after the wedding?--complicated the task to no end.
For the first time in her life, Dominique didn’t know how to answer her son’s difficult questions. The questions about his father had become common place. While they were always hard to answer, and while she knew she never really told him the truth, she always had an answer. But the questions he was asking now, how was she supposed to answer them? Joshua had said he loved her. She knew without a doubt she loved him. But all the realization had just complicated the situation more.
At last, after many "I don’t knows" and "nos," Kalvin drifted off to sleep. Sighing with relief, Dominique eased off the bedside and quietly left the room. For some reason, she half expected Joshua to be gone. But when she strolled into the living room, she found him nervously pacing the floor. When he spotted her entering the room, he stopped. The anticipation of what she had said to Kalvin was obviously driving him insane.
"I thought I would never get him back to sleep." Dominique laughed slightly, keeping her voice low. Her palms were sweating. Her pulse raced. There was no avoiding the talk that was about to begin--the talk she had tried so desperately to avoid. There was no dodging it this time. It was time to talk about the future--to talk about them. Oh boy!
Joshua strolled toward her, chewing his bottom lip, stopping just inches from her. "What did you tell him?"
Dominique hesitated, searching his eyes, trying her damnedest to read his thoughts. Amusement was the only thing she saw, but it couldn’t be. Could it? Was that a twinkle in those astounding green eyes?
He thinks all of this is cute!
"I told him no," she answered simply.
If it had been a twinkle, it instantly faded as disillusionment set in. "Okay," was all he said, but his tone of voice said so much more.
"It’s the truth." Dominique lifted a shoulder.
"So you’re saying, while I love you with all my heart, you don’t feel the same," Joshua concluded, looking away.
"No." She paused. She felt the tears rising as she searched her mind for the right words. "I’m saying that it doesn’t matter how much we love each other. It would never work. You and I would never work."
Joshua raised a hand to caress her cheek. "I meant what I said," he said softly, gazing into her eyes with more compassion than she had dreamed possible. "I love you. And if you love me, that’s all we need. We can make it work. Whatever problems we may have, we can work through them together. That’s what true love is all about."
"I--I wish I could believe that." Dominique turned away, choking on the lump of tears in her throat.
"Then why can’t you?" He stepped closer until they were once again face to face.
"We’re too different Joshua," she cried. "And, in case you’ve forgotten, you can’t handle my career."
Joshua slammed his fingers through his already ruffled dark hair. "You’re right, I don’t like it. That’s no lie. But I can learn to accept it," he added in sheer determination.
"Can you learn to see me for me and not Margot?" Dominique tilted her head. It was the first time she had spoken his deceased fiancée’s name, but the woman had preyed on her thoughts constantly since the moment she had learned of her.
Joshua slowly closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell in a slow, deep sigh. When he opened his eyes again, the pain was apparent, as well as the shock of her words. "You know about Margot?"
She nodded.
"How much do you know?"
"Everything, I think."
"I need to sit down." Joshua said absently. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the sofa.
"I know that she was your fiancée, that she was carrying your child, that she was a bartender and that she was killed in a fight that broke out at her bar," Dominique answered once they were seated.
"Then you pretty much know everything." Joshua sighed. "Your boss told you?" Again, she nodded.
"I’m sorry. I should have told you the other night when you asked. I just didn’t feel it was the right time."
"It’s all right. I understand," Dominique said softly.
"I would like to tell you now--in my own words--if you’re willing to listen."
"I am." She needed him to tell her. She needed to hear the truth from his own mouth.
"Margot and I were engaged for almost a year," Joshua began, leaning back on the sofa. "We met our senior year of high school and got engaged right after graduation. At that time, the legal drinking age was eighteen, which also meant you only had to be eighteen to serve alcohol. Margot began working at the bar right before we met, and she loved it. It was what she wanted to do. I was young. I knew I had loads of money waiting for me in the bank. So I blew off college and decided to devote my entire life to her."
Squeezing Dominique’s hand, he continued. "Although neither one of us would really have had to work, she insisted on doing it anyway. Working made her feel more complete. I tried to get her to find another job, at least a better bar, but she refused. She felt she had something to offer the deadbeats that came in that place. In the end, she gave them her life and the life of our unborn child."
His voice cracked. He swallowed hard, preventing the tears that threatened to fall. "I was devastated by her death and even more by the death of our child. I was lost, lonely. I began going to every bar in town, taking home bartenders, sleeping with them, desperately trying to find another Margot."
"But you didn’t," Dominique said, finally finding the courage and control to speak. He had been through so much. The story had stung when she had heard it from Leanne but hearing him tell it--with all the compassion, all the lost love--it broke her heart.
Joshua shook his head. "All I succeeded in finding was more misery and a terrible attitude toward women bartenders."
"I guess that’s understandable." Dominique winced in resentment. If it weren’t for all the women who were in the profession for the wrong reasons, she wouldn’t be going through all this hell.
"No, it’s not," Joshua countered, turning on the sofa to face her. "It’s not right, because I almost allowed those ill feelings to ruin my love for you. I have things in my past, Dominique. I’ve been hurt. I made more wrong decisions in dealing with that pain than I care to admit. There will always be a place in my heart for Margot and the child we never had. But you--I love you more than I ever thought I could. You make me feel things that even she couldn’t."
A tear slid down Dominique’s cheek. For the first time, she could read his mind. He did love her. He did want to be with her.
"I can’t live without you, Dominique," Joshua whispered. He pulled her closer to him, brushing his lips across her forehead. "Please don’t make me."
"You sure are talking a long time." Dominique gazed up, forcing a smile.
"I’m talking eternity." His eyes serious, he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed. "Marry me, Dominique."
~ * ~
Six Months Later
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Joshua, you may kiss the bride."
With great care, Joshua lifted the veil covering Dominique’s face. Slowly, their lips met in a wonderful, firework-exploding kiss for all to see. An eruption of applause broke out behind them.
"Hey, save that stuff for your honeymoon," Natalie yelled, causing a blast of laughter to explode among the four bridesmaids.
Turning to the crowd, Joshua held Dominique’s hand high in the air as they descended the aisle of white satin-like material.
Dominique’s eyes glistened with tears of happiness. Joshua’s parents had accepted the news of their plans to marry far better than she had expected. After a long talk with their son, they had actually been overjoyed with the news. Constance had even stepped up to the plate to plan the wedding immediately--insisting the event be held in their backyard.
Joshua’s family had done a fabulous job with the decorations for the wedding, transforming the backyard into a shrine of romantic symbolism. They had abandoned the tradition of only virgin weddings being white. After all, as Constance said, it was the twenty-first century. Who held to tradition these days?
White magnolias draped, hung, and poked out from everywhere; the patio was lined with ribbons and lace. Tiny white lights sparkled in the trees. They had spared no expense. From the three-tier wedding cake to the elegantly catered refreshments, the entire event had certainly cost a bundle. Still, it was the most gorgeous scene she had ever laid eyes on. There was only one thing that could have made the day even better--if her father could have set aside his stubbornness to be there to walk her down the aisle. That privilege, instead, had been taken by Mitchell Divine.
Stopping at the end of the aisle, they shook hands with the many guests in attendance, thanking them for their voices of congratulations and for joining them on their festive day. Then Dominique remembered the figure standing in the shadows that she had spotted out of the corner of her eye when she was walking down the aisle at the beginning of the ceremony. Quickly, she scanned the audience of guests until she spotted that figure again, still planted in the same spot. Squinting, she arched her neck forward until the figure came into focus. Her heart stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. It couldn’t be. Could it?
Slowly, the figure sauntered toward her, coming into view, and proceeded until he came within inches from her. With a nod and a soft hello, he addressed Joshua, then returned his attention to Dominique, who gazed at him through tear-filled eyes. Without a word, he reached out, lacing his arm in hers, and began leading her back up the aisle to the archway. Once there, he gently spun her to face him. His deep blue eyes glistening with tears, he placed a finger under her chin and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time to do that when it really counted."
"But you’re here, and you’ve done it now," Dominique choked out. "That’s all that matters." Tears gushing from her eyes, she stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed for dear life. "Thanks, Dad."
"I love you, honey," her father whispered.
"And I love you."
They held each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, pulling himself from her embrace, he gazed down at her, a smile curving his lips. "I should get you back to your new husband now."
Reaching to wipe the tears from her face, Dominique returned his smile as they descended the aisle once again. Joshua stood exactly where she had left him, now talking with her mother. Slowly, Dominique allowed her father to lead her back to her husband.
"I believe this belongs to you now," her father said, holding out her hand for Joshua to take.
Clearing her throat, Dominique struggled to regain her composure. "I see you’ve met my mom," she said, pulling Joshua closer to her. "This is my father, Henry Gabor. Dad, this is Joshua Divine."
Henry shook hands with Joshua. "You were right, I would have never been able to forgive myself if I had missed this special day in my daughter’s life. Thank you."
Dominique glared at the two men in confusion.
"And thank you for taking the time to listen to what I had to say." Joshua nodded. Glancing at Dominique, he added, "And deciding to be here for your daughter."
Dominique’s gaze danced from her father, to Joshua, to her mother, who simply smiled, and back again. "Would someone mind telling me what’s going on here?"
"Let’s just say your new husband made me see how stupid I was acting and what I was missing out on," Henry answered with a sigh. Placing a gentle hand on Dominique’s shoulder, he said, "I’m sorry for everything, sweetheart."
"So--so am I," Dominique stammered, still stunned. "But how…"
"I got your father’s number from your aunt and called him," Joshua explained with a lift of one shoulder. "In summary, I talked, he listened, and here we are today. Let’s just leave it at that for now."
"Grandpa!" Kalvin’s shrill blasted through the chatter of the back yard. Within seconds, he had dashed across the yard, jumped up, and landed in his grandfather’s arms.
"We’re going to give the two of you a few minutes alone," Dominique’s mother said to her and Joshua with a wink. "Come on you two, let’s go find something to drink."
Dominique watched as her parents scurried away with her son.
"Are you all right?" Joshua asked softly when they were out of sight. He stepped in front of her, grabbing both of her hands in his.
"I’m fine," Dominique sniffled. "Better than fine, actually. I’m the happiest woman in the world, and I owe it all to you."
"I love you, Mrs. Divine," Joshua whispered. A sly grin spreading across his face, he slid a hand down to her tummy, making a quick glance around to be sure no one was watching or listening. "Both of you."
Startled, Dominique’s eyes widened in shock. "You know!" she gasped.
"I guessed." He shrugged. "Dr. McKnight’s office called while you were out yesterday. You left your checkbook on the counter."
Dominique breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! I didn’t know what had happened to it. But still, how did you know? Surely they didn’t tell you. They would be violating all kinds of laws."
"They didn’t tell me. I figured it out all by myself. I know Dr. McKnight is an OBGYN. You never said anything about going for a regular check-up. Then I realized you’ve had this special glow about you the last few weeks. The kind of glow that women get…"
"When they’re pregnant," Dominique finished for him. She had never experienced so many mixed emotions as she had when her doctor confirmed what she had already suspected to be true. She was pregnant. While she had been delighted to hear the news, she had also been a bit fearful of telling Joshua. They had only decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They had yet to discuss those lives involving any other child but Kalvin. What he would think, how he would feel, how he would react, had plagued her from the moment she’d heard the news. "I’m six weeks," she confirmed. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you yesterday the instant I found out, but I wanted to surprise you. I had planned to tell you when we were alone tonight. I guess double protection is a sensible precaution after all."
"Yeah, good thing we slacked off on that." Joshua grinned.
"So you’re not mad?"
"Mad! Honey, you and that little boy over there--" He pointed across the yard to where Kalvin stood with her parents, both he and her father fidgeting uncomfortably in their tuxedos. "--have made me the happiest man alive. And now we’re going to have a baby! I couldn’t ask for more."
"Well, there is more," Dominique said with a dazzling smile. "I want you to know, I’ve told Leanne I’m taking a leave of absence. At least until after the baby is born." She used her finger to push a strand of unruly dark hair out of her new husband’s eyes.
"You know you don’t have to do that," Joshua said softly. He knew why she had come to her decision. It was out of respect for him--his feelings and fears. While he had learned to accept her career, she still held his interest in top priority.
"I know," Dominique tilted her head. Rubbing her belly, she added, "But I want to. Our future means more than our past."