Chapter 2
As the car moved through the Miami streets, Richie watched her. What was she running from? He really didn’t care. This was meant to be…fate had brought her to him and he was going to take advantage of it. He’d wanted to go back to see her dance, have a drink with her, and get to know her. Now, he had eight hours with her….to win her heart.
“Did you enjoy the show?”
Opening her eyes, she smiled, “I loved it!”
“How long have you been a fan?”
“Of the group….since ‘Runaway’….of you, since you played with Joe Cocker five years ago at a blues club in up state New York.”
“Luke’s….in Port Charles.”
“Yeah.”
“How do…you were there! I remember you. You were what…fifteen…and hung around to watch everything we did.”
“I was fourteen and my dad let me hang out.”
“You’re dad didn’t call you ‘Jade’.”
“No, it’s not my name.”
“What is your name then?”
“Dominique…but my dad called me ‘Nikki’.”
“You use ‘Jade’ to dance?”
“Yes and no. The owner of the club called me that….because of my eyes.”
“Dominique is a beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”
Dominique blushed and tucked her head. “Thank you,” she said shyly.
There was silence for several minutes as the car moved through the city. Dominique’s thoughts were a hurricane. Everything had happened so fast but it had happened the way she’d planned. Now, she’d call her dad when they got to the hotel and she’d be free of her nightmare. Richie popped into her thoughts. Oh, Richie…she’d had a crush on him since that night at her dad’s club and her dreams of him had gotten her through the last three years.
“How did you know I was at the show?”
“Tony, my bodyguard, called the club to ask about you. I was going to go see you tonight.”
“You saw me last night?”
“Yes.”
“Is that why you agreed to help me?”
“I was extremely intrigued last night and had made up my mind to meet you.”
“How could you be sure I wasn’t some crazed fan?”
Richie laughed, “Wouldn’t matter. You had me from ‘hello’.”
“I never said ‘hello’,” countered Dominique with a smirk. Being with Richie put her at ease and she could be herself.
“Okay, you had me from ‘help me’,” laughed Richie. Getting serious, he said, “Besides, the fear in your eyes was real and no one can fake that kind of fear.”
Dominique lowered her eyes. Richie was right. She had been terrified that her ‘bodyguards’ would catch her and take her back where she would be punished for trying to get away. She had been terrified for the last three years in a world that was so different from her father’s.
“Dominique, you’re all I’ve thought about for the last twenty-four hours. I want to see you, get to know you….I want to date you.”
Blown away by Richie’s confession, she said, “The only things you know about me are all bad…I strip and I’m running from a nightmare.”
“I know you’re a fan and I know you like blues music. They aren’t so bad. And personally, being a stripper isn’t a bad thing. I got the impression last night that it wasn’t something you really wanted to do.”
“No, I didn’t but….Richie, if ‘he’ finds me with you, you’ll be in real danger and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Who is this guy you’re so scared of?”
Dominique looked away as fear once more flowed through her body. She was with the guy she’d had a crush on for over five years, the one person who’d unknowingly helped her survive the last three years. She didn’t want to scare him off but as soon as he heard who she was running from, she just knew he’d dump her.
Richie reached over and took her hand in his. “Come on, I’m not going to take off.”
Looking back at him, she said, “You deserve to know the truth.”
“Then when we get to the hotel….”
“I’ll answer all of your questions but I need to make a phone call first.”
“Fair enough. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“How about I order room service?”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Can I ask you one question now?”
“Okay.”
“Do I stand a chance?”
“A chance for what?” she asked as the car came to a stop.
“A chance to win your heart.”
Dominique’s heart skipped a beat and she felt her cheeks burning. “You’ve already won my heart.”
“I promi….”
“Please, don’t make a promise you can’t keep! I have dreamed about you for three years and had a crush on you since I first met you. Having you say you want to be with me is a dream come true and I want to give ‘us’ a chance…but…” she hesitated and looked at her hand in his. “It’s not going to be easy, Richie…especially if I don’t get out of Miami.”
“We’ll get through the problems and you WILL get out of Miami if that’s what you want,” reassured Richie as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Let’s go up to the room.”
On the elevator, Richie put his arms around Dominique from behind pulling her tight against his body. She relaxed putting her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. This was what her dreams had been about, being close to him, feeling safe in his arms. It eased the pain within her soul.
