Page 3 of All Mixed Up

I knuckled Nico in the shoulder. As he flashed back a cocky smirk, I drawled, “Well, this definitely proves that I like you for more than your pretty face, Mr. Rocca.”

Nico scowled. “Mister Rocca is my father, missy.”

“And he raised you right, mister.”

“Thanks Juls,” he muttered, and attempted a small chuckle. “I think.”

“Wait. What?” Gigi jumped in, totally feigning her alarm. “You mean there’s more than the pretty face?”

Nico dropped his head and slid his mouth against her neck. “Hmmm. So much more, Bellissima. Want me to show you?”

Gigi gasped then sighed out, “Per favore…”

“Ew,” Greer mumbled.

“Ew,” Leese seconded.

“Would you two get a room?” But I quickly ditched the argument for more important things, taking a chance to turn around and really look at this place. And I meant look—as in my eyes bugging and my jaw plummeting. “Speaking of rooms…wow.” I couldn’t wait for my full tour of this place. “Is this all for real?”

The question was justified. In spades. I’d never seen a modern dance club like this. The marriage of old textures and new technology was breathtaking. The soaring ceilings were painted in the Baroque style of the 17th century, only the scenes weren’t all pastoral innocence. Instead the subjects were twisted together in erotic glory, limbs splayed in the throes of passion, intimate parts barely covered by artistically arranged sheets. That was literal. The strips of luxurious fabric were bunched and gathered against the paintings, then given dimension by colored uplighting. In strategic spots, each sheet descended from the ceiling, swept down then anchored by the pillars around the dance floor. Onto the pillars, rotating images were projected: everything from medieval prints and Renaissance portraits to World War II rally posters and modern glam music legends. The laser array was incredible, too. Not only were there eight different colors, but the beams themselves could switch color in the middle, allowing the lighting engineers to “tailor” the room’s look for every song. The overhead rig also had fog blowers and confetti cannons.

Darker spaces along the second floor, blocked from view due to thick velvet curtains, led me to believe the club had plenty of VIP lounges. Bring on the French princesses.

Gigi moved up next to me, twisting an elbow beneath mine. “All right; admit it now.”

“Admit what?”

“Your mind is blown.”

I patted her hand, flattened over my forearm. “Getting there fast, amiga. This is pretty amazing.”

She pouted. “Only ‘on your way’?”

I laughed. “It’s stunning, okay? But all the stunning in the world is zilch if the sound system doesn’t deliver.”

An approving hum from Nico. “Now I know Milo picked the right woman for this job.”

“But only for a month,” I rebutted. That line was firm. I’d gotten it in black and white on the contract. Four weeks, then I was in a cab bound for Charles de Gaulle International. And then home. And then at last, normalcy. But finally, at last, doing it debt-free.

I already felt better.

No. better than that.

Standing here, surrounded by the opulence of the room and the support of my friends, the upcoming month didn’t feel like so much a jail sentence. I actually started believing I could do this without keeping track of every passing minute. That maybe I’d even…enjoy it sometimes.

But only sometimes.

No matter what, everything seemed much more doable. Maybe it really was possible to live and work in the same city as my ass wipe of a father. Yes, even in the city where he’d been seduced away from Mom and me. Didn’t mean I had to go drink the unicorn juice he kept claiming as the best table wine in the world, or spend a Sunday afternoon strolling dreamily through the Marias with him.

Or, for that matter, anyone else.

I already had the lover that mattered most in my life. The amour that would never betray or break me.

The music.

The beats, true and perfect. The energy, fiery and full. The partner of my soul, calling especially loud to me now, as oppressing silence weighed over the club. It commanded my presence and my worship, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to deny it.

After easily locating the stairs to the control booth, I jogged across the dance floor and mounted them two at a time. The entire board, along with every other gleaming control in the space, was already powered up and waiting for me.