Jarred sent Langston a scathing look that could have melted iron. “What I don’t understand is why are we killing ourselves with her father’s mess and she’s out here having the time of her life?” he retorted.
“You can’t blame that on her. Her father never wanted her to have any dealings with the business, even after she graduated top of her class at MIT. She did what she had to do, and she does it well,” Brice said proudly. “Besides, it’s our mess now. We acquired the company, remember?”
Jarred didn’t say anything further. He sat back and listened intently as she sang. He would have been content listening to her all night if he didn’t have an erection that was making it impossible to be comfortable no matter what he did. He squirmed in his seat, trying to adjust his trousers, which were continually growing tighter.
He gazed at Nevealise just as she moved her head in their direction. His lips lifted in a slow smile, and then he winked at her, causing her to miss a beat. Not that anyone would notice. Oh, but he did. Gotcha! It appeared he still had some kind of effect on her. My night has just taken a very interesting turn, he thought, and he hoped to enjoy it to the fullest.
Nevealise startled a bit as Jarred Manning winked at her. What was he playing at? Better yet, what was he doing here? Although she hadn’t seen him in years, Nevealise didn’t figure Heavens would be a hangout for the oldest Manning brother. Closing her eyes, arms stretched out in front of her, she let the smooth sounds of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Cry Me a River” run flawlessly from her lips. After she finished her number, Nevealise opened her eyes to another standing ovation.
“Thank you, thank you.” She smiled, looked around the packed lounge, bowed and then walked offstage, but not before she caught the eye of Jarred again. He was standing, smiling and clapping heartily along with the crowd. Taking a deep breath, she briskly exited and headed to her dressing room.
Nevealise flashed the bodyguard standing by her door a quick smile, and proceeded inside. She plopped down on the chair in front of the vanity and mirror, and released a long breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She placed her hand on her abdomen, trying to calm the butterflies having a party in her stomach. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The hazel eyes that stared back at her showed how she felt: nervous.
“Oh, goodness,” she chanted a few times, before picking up the bottle of chardonnay she always had waiting for her when she left the stage, and pouring a couple ounces into her tulip-shaped wineglass. She sipped a little bit at a time, wanting to savor the taste.
Seeing Jarred Manning again had stirred up feelings in her that Nevealise thought she’d long forgotten. Feelings she had long ago filed away as her first teenage crush. Tonight Jarred’s bold stare had her insides quivering straight to her core, causing her to cross her legs, trying to stem the vibrations she felt there.
Nevealise had felt daring as she’d sauntered out into the crowd and stopped at their table. She’d kissed Brice on the cheek, only to look up and catch Jarred’s molten gaze. Her eyes instantly zoomed in on his full, kissable lips. Her sassy move to show the brothers that she was no longer the girl they often referred to as “Nerd Girl,” that she was in fact a woman in charge of her sexuality, had backfired on her.
Who was she kidding? At the mere presence of Jarred she’d become a nervous wreck, almost dropping in a dead faint to the floor. It should be a sin to be so fine. The handsome devil knew he’d gotten to her when he’d winked at her. Although she’d recovered quickly, she’d missed a beat in the number she was performing. Jarred had arrogantly smiled and lifted his glass to her.
Enough thinking about Jarred Manning. She needed to bring her body under control. Nevealise was reacting to him like she was a sexually charged teenager. Her mind knew that; however, her body moved to its own beat, and was having the hots for Jarred Manning.
Sighing deeply, Nevealise took another sip of her wine. “Ah, just what I need,” she murmured, then leaned back in the chair, lifted her face to the ceiling and closed her eyes. The wine usually calmed her after a performance, and tonight she needed it more than ever. The sight of Jarred in the audience had frayed her nerves. What was he doing here? “Ugh!” she cried. “Get out of my head, Jarred!”
Nevealise jolted at the knock on her door. The sound vibrated like a thunderbolt in the peace and tranquility of her quiet dressing room. Her hand pressed against her chest, trying to stem her racing heart. Mentally shaking herself, Nevealise got up and looked at the closed door.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Nev. Can I come in?”
Nevealise smiled at the briskness of Brice’s voice. He always sounded as if he was angry or in a hurry. While attending college Nevealise had become friends with an engineering student, Jasmine Greene, who unbeknownst to her was dating Brice Manning. Lovers of the written word, Jasmine and Brice would often drag Nevealise along to lounges and clubs to listen, and sometimes participate, in song and the spoken word. It was during those times with Jasmine and Brice that she’d discovered her passion for singing.
Jasmine and Brice were the only two people outside her immediate family who were aware of her disdain for her father, and their tumultuous relationship. To this day Jasmine was still Nevealise’s best friend, and Brice had become more of a brother than a friend. He was the person who’d helped her make Heavens a reality, investing in her talent as well as her business.
“Nev, are you all right? Can I come in?”
He was alone. What a relief. She sat down, smiled and called out, “Sure. Come on in, Brice.”
Nevealise watched as the door slowly opened a bit and Brice stuck his head in. That surprised her, because he usually just walked in.
“What are you doing?” She frowned.
“Just making sure you’re decent,” he responded, before pushing the door open and strolling in. Nevealise’s stomach dropped as Langston and Jarred followed close behind, piling into her dressing room.
The knot in her stomach felt as if she’d swallowed a brick. Ah, hell, she thought, as she saw Jarred standing there staring at her with a smirk on his oh-so-handsome face. Nevealise never really cared for bearded men, but Jarred wore his well. His was light, neatly trimmed and seemed to complement his thick eyebrows, honey-brown skin tone and those hazel eyes that seemed to look straight to her soul. If she wouldn’t appear childish, she would have rolled her eyes at the self-assured oldest Manning brother. Instead, she turned her megawatt smile onto Brice.
“Brice,” she said, standing to embrace him with a gentle hug. “You didn’t tell me that the Brothers Three would be gracing me with your presence tonight.”
“That’s because I didn’t know. Spur-of-the-moment thing. On top of that, I didn’t know you were in town. You didn’t call,” Brice said. “It’s been too long, Nev.”
Nevealise backed out of his embrace and looked him in the eye. “Like you—spur-of-the-moment thing.”
“How long will you be in town?” Brice asked. After graduating from MIT, Nevealise had stayed on in the area, making Cambridge, Massachusetts, her home.
“Not sure.” She looked over Brice’s shoulder at Langston. He had been the more laid-back one,
