Skin (15 page)

She stepped to the curb and with shaky hands continued to brush the road dust from her clothes. She glanced at Reese, who didn’t look the least bit disturbed. She leashed her body’s urge to shake. Licking her dry lips, she straightened her spine and lifted her chin.

“I thought you’d be busy with Stella until closing time.”

The fine lines around Reese’s blue eyes crinkled. “I got bored.”

“D
o you really believe that car was after your brother? Collecting herself, Frankie nodded. “It came straight for
him.”
And didn’t he just admit to her that he felt the surrounding families were gunning for him?

“It came straight at both of you.”

“Your imagination is running wild, Reese.
If,
and that’s a big if, that car was looking to mow me down, it wouldn’t have been so obvious. It’s not how the family works.”

“So you’re saying if someone was trying to kill you, it would be your family?”

Frankie opened her mouth to deny what he said, but caught herself. Her subconscious knew he spoke the truth, but her heart refused to believe it. “No! You’re confusing me. There is no reason for anyone in my family, including Anthony, to want me dead. And what if Anthony did? He isn’t so stupid to almost get himself killed in the process of killing me.”

Reese stared at her, incredulous. “You really should listen to yourself. A pattern has been established. You’ve been shot. A threatening box is put on your desk in your locked office telling you in no uncertain terms your time is up, and now you nearly get run over. Are you blind or too foolish to see it?”

Frankie shook her head. The clock prank was all Anthony. His way of giving her the jitters. He did that kind of crap. She considered explaining to Reese what was brewing in the family, and then he would understand that there was no one after her. Anthony and her uncle, maybe — okay, probably — but not her. But her family strife was just that,
her
family’s strife. Sharing it with an outsider could get someone else hurt.

“I’m a realist, and I have my reasons. Anthony may be a lot of things, but he isn’t a killer. He doesn’t have the balls or the stomach for it. He’s the type that likes to pull the wings off flies and watch them suffer. Just like he’s trying to do to me right now. There’s no fun for him if I’m not suffering.”

“Maybe it isn’t Anthony.”

“Okay, Reese, I’ll play devil’s advocate with you.” Maybe that would shut him up. “If my brother isn’t after me, who the hell is and why?”

“Who have you pissed off?”

Without missing a beat, Frankie answered, “My father and he’s dead.”

“What did you do?”

“None of your business.”

“Stop fooling yourself, Frankie.”

“Anthony was the target.”

Reese scowled down at her, slowing his pace as they entered her building so she could keep up. “Looked to me like maybe you both were.”

She’d never hurt anyone. Unable to wrap her brain around the fact that someone wanted her dead, she continued. “Listen to me. Last night that shot was meant for my uncle. He’s in an enviable position. He inherits my father’s power and all that goes with it, even if it may just be temporary. Never mind Anthony will in all probability get it. Anthony has to prove himself to the family, then there has to be a vote. If Carmine is knocked off, then maybe another interim don — er, boss will be named. Maybe not. So I can see why someone would want Carmine out of the way. I can see lots of people wanting Anthony’s head on a pike. He’s made a lot of enemies over the years. With my father out of the picture, there won’t be the retaliation for knocking him off like there would have been if my father was alive.”

“What about the clock?”

“I told you. Anthony’s scare tactic. He wants
Skin,
and for a second I was scared.”

Once they entered the elevator, Reese stood quietly absorbing her words. She looked solemnly at him. “It’s not me they want, Reese. I swear it.”

“Who would gain with you dead?”

Frankie let out a long breath. “Anthony.”

“Then I suggest you keep him close.”

“I told you, Anthony doesn’t have it in him. And he doesn’t have the power yet. He couldn’t even order a hit.” When they reached her office door she turned to Reese. “And let me tell you this. If Anthony or anyone so much as looked at me wrong? You saw how Unk was last night. He’s worse than ten
nonas.
He would hunt the bastards down and kill them himself. All of the Bay Area families know that, and a good many So Cal families.”

Reese opened his mouth to comment but she put her hand up, halting him. “Am I so arrogant like my father to think I’m untouchable? No, but there would be nothing gained by my death. With the family,
there has to be gain.
They don’t kill for pleasure.”

She put her hand on the doorknob. “I’ve said too much already. I won’t discuss this matter with you again. Now, please get down to the studio so we can finish up your scheme and get the hell out of here. I have plans for us.”

Reese cocked a dark brow. “Care to share?”

“I will when I come for you.”

She turned and entered her office, loudly closing the door behind her.

Making her way to her small bathroom, Frankie tidied up, her thoughts zigzagging. She refused to give Reese, an outsider, another word on the topic of Anthony ordering a hit on her. It was preposterous. She even pushed her worry over her uncle aside. He was a big boy and had plenty of muscle. Since her father’s death, Carmine’s men had made themselves very noticeable. Besides, she didn’t have time to worry, she had business to take care of.

“Tawny!” she called through the open door. The spunky assistant popped in, her brows raised. “Make sure I have a key to Anthony’s office. And have the locksmith re-key mine.”

“Will do.”

Reese sat patiently while Stella the wardrobe/hair stylist/makeup tech draped him with one swatch of colors after another. “My best color is naked.”

The older woman stuttered and stammered, and he smiled. It was in his best interest to have as many
Skin
employees in his pocket as possible.

He heard the click of Frankie’s heels coming into the room before he saw her tall, curvy body, her head held high, her stride confident. Her energy filled the room. His blood quickened in immediate response. He might be there to work a case, but he found himself sucked in by her on more than one occasion and on several levels. He constantly reminded himself he was there to do a job, not get tangled up in an emotional quagmire.

His libido, however, had other ideas. Francesca Donatello had become an incessant itch he couldn’t scratch.

“Stop pestering my employees, Barrett. I’d hate to have to slap you with a sexual harassment suit.”

“He wasn’t bothering me, Frankie.” Stella draped a large swatch of royal-blue cloth across one of Reese’s broad shoulders and down his chest.

Frankie stopped in her heels. “Perfect color, Stella. Matches his eyes.” Crossing her arms across her chest to cover her suddenly hardening nipples, Frankie nodded at him. “I see a beach location in your future. I’d love to get a shot of you naked coming out of the surf, your hair all wet and those big hands of yours brushing it out of your eyes as the afternoon sun glistens off your hard, wet body.” The picture she painted stirred every nerve south of her neck. Stella sighed and Frankie glanced at her, a wistful look softening the hard edges of Stella’s face.

Frankie laughed. “Earth to Stella.”

The old woman shook her head, her face pinkening.

“I know he’s hard to resist, but you can do it,” Frankie said.

Reese scowled as if embarrassed, which Frankie knew was impossible. The man ate up attention.

“He likes women, and that makes a big difference,” Stella admitted.

Reese waved a hand in front of Frankie. “I’m here, so knock off the third-person dialogue.”

Frankie laughed and stepped close enough to touch him. “Feel like an insignificant piece of meat, do you?”

He scowled hard.

Taking his chin in her hand, she wagged it. “Imagine how it is for all of us women.”

He grabbed her hand and bit the tip of her index finger. When she pulled away he increased the pressure. His eyes sparked and she felt a hard rush of heat. He sucked her finger into his mouth and tongued it.

She yanked her hand from him and cursed the cool air as it crossed the warm moistness of her fingertip. Damn, he was distracting.

“Stella, can you finish up later? I need to have a chat with Mr. Skin here.”

Stella nodded, giving Reese a longing glance. He rewarded her with a wicked smile. The old woman returned it, then scampered out of the room.

Frankie stood with her hands on her hips and tapped her toe on the linoleum floor. “Stop seducing my employees.”

Reese stood up. “Stop being so naive.”

Back to that again? “Stop trying to scare me.”

“You don’t get it, do you, Donatello?”

“Do you always call your lady bosses by their last name?”

“Only the stupid ones.”

“You’re fired.”

“It’s really a moot point, since at your current hit rate, you’ll be dead by the end of the week.”

Frankie stopped short. “Even if you are right, which you aren’t, we’re leaving town tonight, so whoever you think is after me will have to find me, and since you’ll be the only person who knows where I’ll be, I guess we’ll be fine.”

He swiped his hand across his chin. “I can’t just up and leave town. And what the hell for?”

“I’m beginning to feel like a damn parrot with you, Reese. I own your ass. You go wherever, whenever. The when is tonight, the where is Carmel, and I would greatly appreciate it if you kept that information to yourself.”

“If someone wants you, they’ll find you.”

He could worry for them both and in the end see that it was all for naught. Moving closer into Reese’s personal space, Frankie smiled up at him. “It has occurred to me, I owe you.”

Reese raised a dark brow and grinned down at her. “Big-time.”

“Can I touch you?”

He nodded.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Can I kiss you?”

He nodded again.

On her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his — the force of the contact jolting.

Frankie meant to give him a thank-you peck on the cheek, but the meeting of their lips morphed into a wild moment. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her tightly against his hard chest. She opened her mouth, allowing her tongue to meet his. His hands slid down the small of her back to rest on the swell of her ass. The hard strength of him pressing intimately against her sent her senses reeling.

Her lips parted further and she rolled her tongue languidly against his. He tasted…dangerous. Excitement filled her and the realization she wanted to tame this glorious man hit her broadside. The thought sent a bolt of desire straight to her womb.

As abruptly as she started the kiss, Reese ended it. Stunned, she stood breathless, glad he didn’t completely release her but kept her within the hot circle of his arms. “I don’t do mafia princesses.” He set her away from him, a rueful look on his face as he looked down to the obvious mound below his belt.

“I’m not a mafia princess.”

“That’s not what I hear. Besides, you have a price on your head. And if I allow you to make love to me, that might piss someone off, like your uncle or that crazy Peanut.”

Frankie laughed. “It’s Jimmy Peanuts and he’s not crazy.”

Reese’s expression turned serious. “Kidding aside, Frankie, call the cops and let them get in on this.”

“I told you, I don’t do cops. I’ll call my uncle
if
I need protection. My family can handle it.” She turned and started toward the computer stand, where swatches lay in colorful disarray.

“Like they did for your father?”

She whirled around and faced him, an unexpected surge of emotion welling up in her. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what? Speak the truth? Was he as arrogant as you? Did he walk around feeling bulletproof like the Pope did thirty years ago? Did Santo Gabriel think he was immortal?”

“How do you know that?”

“I read the paper.”

“Who are you?”

“An airhead model can’t read the newspaper?”

“And kick three of my cousins’ asses at the same time, tell my uncle you’ll kill him, and then save my life and my dumb-ass brother’s?”

Reese shrugged. “I’ve been around.”

“Around who? Rambo?”

“Nah. I was a nerd in school and decided I was tired of the bullies pushing me around. It’s why I did the military thing.”

“You, a nerd? I hardly think so.”

He shrugged. “It’s all about perception, Frankie. What you think you see may not actually be the reality.”

She grinned. “Now
that
I can relate to. It’s what I do with my camera. I’m going to give every red-blooded female in this country the illusion she has a chance with you.”

“Ah, back to business.”

Damn straight. Business was safer than the way he made her feel. “It’s what makes the world go round. Now let’s get a few test shots.”

An hour later they were on their way to Reese’s place.

“After we get your stuff, take me back to my uncle’s office. I need to get my car. You can follow me to my place. I’ll throw a few things together and we’ll head to Carmel.”

Reese nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Frankie settled back into the comfortable captain seat. “You know, I think this is going to be huge. You and
Skin.”

Reese nodded but remained silent.

“For copy, I’m thinking you can answer questions from readers. We’ll set up an e-mail addy for you. Each issue until your reveal, you answer sexy questions.” Frankie laughed. “Maybe you can find
your
fantasy woman.”

Reese speared her a harsh look.

Warming to the subject, Frankie turned to face him. “Tell me.”

He continued to look straight ahead, his concentration on the road ahead. “Tell you what.”

“Your ultimate fantasy.”

Reese shook his head and cast her a scowl. “You won’t like it.”