The Beautiful People by E. J. Fechenda Read Free Book Online Page A

“Don’t
threaten me Grant!” Dominic was pointing his finger at Grant’s chest. Both men
were about the same height, well over six feet tall, but Grant was more
muscular. Dominic didn’t seem the least bit intimidated, “Nothing is going to
happen to Natalie. I’ll keep her safe.”
                “I’ll hold
you to that promise.” Grant stormed off and out the rear exit of the room.
    I stood in the shadows,
not sure if I should make my presence known. I really wanted to run over to Dominic
and throw my arms around him. He must like me if he had defended me to my own
brother.
                “Dominic?”
I called out. He looked around, but couldn’t see me. My black clothes were like
camouflage so I stepped uncertainly out into the dim light. His face lit up with
a big grin full of straight white teeth. He strode over, pulled me to him and
placed his lips on mine.
                “How long
were you standing there?” 
                “Long
enough,” I answered. “I told you my brother was overprotective.”
                “Yeah, but
I guess he has good reason to be. You’re worth protecting.” I stared up at him,
amazed. He bent down and kissed me again before I could say anything else.
                “Well, I
have to go get my bar ready. Make sure you stop by frequently tonight.”
                “I can’t
tonight.”
                “Why not?”
                “Your uncle
requested me to work the VIP section.”
    Anger flashed across
his face.  “He did.” It wasn’t a question. He exhaled deeply and reached for my
hand. “Do want to go out again after work?”
                “Yes!” I
must have said this with little too much enthusiasm because Dominic jumped a
bit, and then he grinned.
    We walked out holding
hands just as Brittany was exiting the employee lounge. She stopped when she
saw us then glanced down at our joined hands. I could feel hate and jealousy
radiating off of her, giving me reason to take Miranda’s warning seriously and making
me grateful I didn’t own a car.
    The VIP section filled
up quickly and I had to hustle to keep up with the demand. It was hard to
maintain my composure when I waited on one celebrity after another. The whole
section was like a Who’s Who of famous Philadelphians, mainly athletes. Fortunately
I was too busy to allow Marco to get to me. He managed to lean just a little too
close when I was taking his drink orders and his hand came in contact with my
ass one too many times, but at least he had stopped staring.
    I tried to coordinate
my stops when Grant visited at the table. Uncle Marco seemed to behave himself
a little better in the presence of my brother.  It was hard to act
unintelligent and I found it easier to just keep my mouth shut. I may have been
playing dim, but I was still observant. The fact that Uncle Marco and all of
his friends were carrying guns did not escape me. I guess the owner and his
friends didn’t have to go through the metal detector and use the guncheck like
the other patrons.
    Miranda stepped in to
give me a much needed bathroom break and on my way back I stopped at Dominic’s
bar. He was mobbed as usual, but he managed to sneak a few seconds in to visit.
                “How is it
going up there?” he asked. 
                “Pretty
good!”
                “Is my uncle
treating you okay?”
                “Yeah,” I
lied. He didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t say anything. His bar was packed and
I knew he needed to get back to work so I quickly left.
    Soon after last call,
the VIP area started to clear out. Only Marco and his crew lingered. They were
smoking cigars and talking loudly. Marco waved me over to join them. Not really
in a position to say no, I set my tray down and eased into the booth, careful to
keep a substantial space between Marco and my legs.  They were busy