by Suzanne Rock
“Hold on.” Jason threw a few bills onto the table as the handful of patrons around them turned to stare. He grabbed her arm. “Okay, now we can go.”
Ari practically floated out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. As they approached his car, Jason started having second thoughts, but then Ari wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“Thank you.” She planted her lips on his, causing his entire body to tighten with need.
Jason tried to slide his hands around her waist, but she had already grabbed his keys and was heading for the driver’s side door.
“Hold on.” Jason glanced around the parking lot and noticed that it was mostly empty. He had an uneasy feeling about this, but her excitement prevented him from backing down. It had been a long time since he had seen her so happy, and he didn’t want to ruin the moment.
Slowly he moved to the passenger side of the car. “I must be insane.”
“Everything will be fine. You’ll see.” Ari grinned.
Jason wiped his hand over his face. “Just … put the key in the ignition, Ari. Let’s get this over with.”
“Where’s the ignition?”
Jason ground his teeth.
“I’m joking. Sheesh.” She slid the key into the ignition. “Relax. My younger brother, Gio, has a sports car in Milan. I’ve driven it a time or two.”
“He lets you drive his car?”
“I didn’t say that.” She turned the key. “It’s been a few years, but I think I can manage it.”
“I’m not sure if this is a good idea, Ari.”
“Come on, you promised.”
He had promised, and doing this would make her happy. He just hoped that he and his custom-made McLaren came out of this intact.
He leaned closer to Ari and pointed at her feet. “Okay. Just ease off—”
The car made an angry sound and lurched forward.
“Wait!”
“Oh, sorry.” She giggled. “I think I remember how to do it now.”
Before Jason could respond, she pressed down on the gas. Turning the wheel to the left, she easily navigated the McLaren from one row to the other.
Jason relaxed his shoulders. “That wasn’t too bad.”
“Of course not.” She glanced in his direction and winked. “I’ve got this. Trust me.”
Jason watched as she made her way around the rows of cars, driving as if she was born behind the wheel. He smiled to himself as she navigated another turn and wondered why he had ever had any reservations about this.
“You’re really good,” he said.
“I know.” She smirked and turned around at the end of a row. After positioning them so that they faced the far end of the parking lot, she placed the car into neutral and slid her fingers over the wheel.
“It’s quite the car,” she said.
“You’re quite the driver.” Jason inched closer and eased his hand over her thigh. Seeing her take charge behind the wheel was sexy as hell.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” She inched her legs wider in invitation.
“I had it custom made,” he said as he inched his fingers higher. “Everything about this car is exactly the way I like it.” And the driver. Jason had never known a woman who had liked to drive as much as he did. Just like the McLaren, it was as if Arianna had been custom made for him.
“Did you do anything to jack up the horsepower?”
“Excuse me?”
She turned and faced the road. “Let’s find out.”
“We’re in a parking lot.”
“So?” She floored the gas. Jason jerked back, letting go of her thigh. He grabbed the door handle to steady himself as the car picked up speed.
“Now, this is more like it!” Ari grinned and tightened her grip on the wheel.
“For God’s sake, slow down. You’re going to kill someone.” And ruin his car. He reached for the wheel, but she batted his hand away.
“Stop being a wet blanket. You’re starting to sound like my brother.” She stepped on the clutch and changed gears.
“Oh, God.” He braced himself against the car door. “Ari, stop the car. I mean it.”
She giggled as they started to gain speed as they made their way across the parking lot.
“Slow down!” He reached for the wheel again, but she hit him back.
“Stop it, I’m having fun!”
A couple left the back door of the restaurant and stepped into their path.
“Ari!” Jason yelled. “Stop the God damn cah.”
“I see them. Hang on.” She swerved the McLaren, narrowly missing the couple.
“Stop the cah—now!”
“Okay, okay.” Ari slammed on the brakes, causing them to spin. Jason threw out his hands and braced himself on the dashboard.
“Whee!” Ari turned the wheel hard, causing them to do a one-eighty. When they righted themselves once more, she changed gears again and headed back in the other direction.
“Ari!”
“Just once more, I promise.”
Before Jason could blink, they were at the other end of the parking lot and spinning in circles once more. This time when they reversed direction, Ari shifted down the gears, slowing the vehicle down and placing it in neutral before finally turning off the engine.
“Oh my God, that was so fun!”
Jason slowly released his death-grip on the dashboard and leaned his head back in his seat. Never again. He would never indulge that woman again.
“Wasn’t that fun?”
Jason glanced over at Ari, taking in the flushed cheeks and wide, bright eyes. Was she laughing at him? It was hard to tell. He took one breath, then two, trying to get his thoughts—and his Boston accent—under control. “You’ve only driven Gio’s car a couple of times?”
Ari shrugged and smiled. “Maybe more. I can’t remember.” She took her sunglasses out of her purse and slipped them on.
“You could’ve killed someone,” he said as he struggled to get his heartbeat under control.
“But I didn’t.” She dangled the keys in front of him. “It really is a great car. Much better than Gio’s Lamborghini.”
Jason swore under his breath and grabbed the keys. “Get out.”
As they both passed in front of the car to change places, Ari put her hand on his chest. “Thank you.” She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “It really meant a lot to me.”
He glanced down at her and his heart began to soften. She looked so much better than she had when they’d left the hotel. More fresh and alive.
“Don’t mention it.”
“Can I do it again sometime?”
“Hell no. Find your own.”
“Does that mean you’re going to buy me a sports car?”
He flashed her an irritated look, but Ari just laughed and got into the passenger seat. “I’m joking.”
Jason ran his hand over his face and glanced at the sky, quietly praying for strength. As he slid his key into the ignition, his phone rang. Sighing, he pulled it out and looked at the screen.
“If it’s Leo, I’m not here.” Ari buckled herself into her seat.
“No, it’s not Leo. It’s someone from work.” It was his head of security, and this was the e-mail he had been waiting for.
Jason quickly scanned the screen. His security men had swept the hotel for bugs and cameras, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. They’d checked the security tapes, and found no tampering. Whoever had taken those pictures that the loan shark was using to blackmail him must have been physically close by when he or she took them.
Jason swept his gaze around the parking lot. Except for a few patrons leaving the restaurant, it seemed relatively empty.
“What is it?”
Jason held up his finger. “Just a minute.” He continued to scan the e-mail, which talked about how his head of security, a former private investigator, had used his contacts to locate the bastard blackmailing him. The loan shark was legit and had a base of
operations in Vegas. Unfortunately, this person ran a ruthless underground operation and used unconventional methods to get back the money owed him. While most loan sharks threatened and perhaps roughed up the person owing them money, this one went after loved ones. He had been quoted as saying that a body in a hospital bed was of no use to him. He saw much better results when a gambler’s loved ones’ lives were on the line.
Picture attachments came with the e-mail, depicting just how far this psycho had gone to get his money. Jason grimaced at the photographs of bruised and bloodied women, and quickly passed over the ones of children on ventilators. Each picture was more gruesome than the last and Jason wondered what kind of sick fuck would do that kind of thing to another person.
“Jason, what’s wrong?” Ari asked. “You don’t look so good.”
Ari. Jason glanced up at the gorgeous woman next to him as the images he had just seen burned through his brain. Would he hurt Ari if Jason didn’t pay him? Was that what the photographs back in his office were suggesting?
“I hafta go back to work.” Jason noticed that his worry was thickening his accent as he pocketed his phone. He had to get away from Ari before he completely fell to pieces.
“What’s going on?”
“Business emergency.”
“Jason, what happened?
He started the car and put it into drive. “It might be a good idea to smooth things over with Leo and go back to the family.”
“Why?” She took off her sunglasses and stared at him.
“Because it’s safer there.” He steeled his jaw as his accent thickened. He had to get his emotions under control before he did something stupid.
“Safer? What are you talking about?” She shook her head. “You know I can’t go back there. Leo would think that I’m groveling and he’d continue controlling me. I have to stay with you for a little while longer if I want my life back. Besides, you promised I could stay with you as long as I wanted.”
“You’re right, I did promise.” He wanted to help her, but staying at the hotel was too dangerous. There had to be somewhere else she could hide out until all of this blew over. “Maybe I overreacted before. You really want to make a statement to your brother?” he asked as he eased back onto the highway.
“You know I do.”
He twisted his lips into a half-smile. “Then don’t stay at the hotel. Stay with me instead.”
“With you?”
He glanced at her and then returned his attention to the road. “In my apartment.”
“I thought you never let anyone in your apartment.”
He didn’t, not under normal circumstances, but this was different. His apartment had extra security, and he could keep her closer to his side. “You don’t want to stay there?”
“I do. It’s just … you’re acting really weird.”
“Sorry, it’s just the renovations at the hotel have hit a snag. They’re going to be making a lot of noise in the honeymoon suites so you can’t stay there. And I want to help you. Staying at my apartment will work out for both of us.” The lie fell easily off his tongue, a little too easily. Flashbacks ran through his head of some of the other women he had lied to and manipulated. Maybe Deacon was right in saying that people like them don’t really change.
Jason gripped the steering wheel tighter. No, he was a different person now. This wasn’t some con to get Ari’s money, but a means to keep her safe. Besides, Jason would never think of taking those other women into his personal space. This was completely different.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she said.
Jason pulled into the garage underneath Stone Suites and parked the car. “Great. Go get your things and meet me back here. I’ll finish up some small projects on my desk and then take you to my apartment.”
“Get my things? Haven’t you been listening to me? I can’t go back to the Palazzo.”
“Then have someone go get them for you.” He got out of the car and began to text his security man to meet him in his office. “I’ve got to run.” He started toward the hotel, and heard Ari following in his wake.
“Jason, wait up.”
He stopped at the door and turned to face her. Ari stumbled and stared at him. “What’s going on? And don’t tell me it’s the honeymoon suite renovations.”
“It’s nothing.” He kissed her cheek and forced himself to smile. “I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Jason turned his back and hurried away before she could ask any more questions.
* * *
Ari watched Jason retreat and tried to process what had just happened. She knew him well enough by now to know that something had him worried, really worried. She wanted to help, but before she could do that, she needed to get her things. She couldn’t stay in this wedding dress any longer.
She was going to see his apartment. It wasn’t lost on her what a significant step this was. No one saw Jason’s apartment besides his cleaning staff. He considered it too personal and private. The fact that he had asked her to stay there instead of the hotel was a huge step.
A huge step toward what, she had no idea, but she wasn’t going to overthink it.
Ari searched around for her cell and remembered that she had thrown it at the mirror in her room. God, she hoped it still worked. Sighing, she made her way to the service elevators and up to the ninth floor. After searching the floor for a few minutes, she found the phone under the dresser. She picked it up and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it turn on. Now, who to call …
There was Karin, but her last phone call to her had ended in disaster. Karin was far too close to Leo for Ari to lean on.
There was her sister, Gianna, but she hated rich, powerful men and everything to do with the hotel industry. She’d be no help. Then there was Gio. Gio was selfish. He’d just twist her problem to his own advantage and probably get her in even more trouble. While she loved her younger siblings, neither could be fully trusted.
There was only one person she could count on in this situation. Hopefully she was still at the Palazzo.
“Camille,” Ari said when her friend finally picked up the phone.
“Ari! Where have you been?”
“I need a favor…”
Chapter 8
After a quick glance in either direction on the sidewalk, Ari slipped inside Sabrina’s, a small Italian restaurant on the North End of Boston’s busy Italian district. Both she and Camille had agreed to meet somewhere within walking distance of the Palazzo, since cab drivers could be bribed for information. Ari was pretty sure Camille wouldn’t be followed by one of the Perconti brothers, but they couldn’t be too careful. Everyone knew how close Camille was to Ari, and Ari didn’t need one of her brothers showing up and ordering her back home. She wouldn’t go with them, of course, but the inevitable shouting match would make quite a story for the tabloids.
Keeping her sunglasses on, Ari quickly scanned the checkered tables and Italian décor until she found Camille sitting in a booth in the far corner. A man was with her whom Ari didn’t recognize. Ari thought about leaving, but realized that she was being paranoid. Jason had made her jumpy back at Stone Suites with his odd behavior. The sooner she got back to him and figured out what had made him so upset, the better she’d feel.
“Ari.” Camille gasped as Ari approached the booth and removed her sunglasses. “You look … different.”
“A lot has happened.” Ari nodded at the tall, thin, blond man sitting across from her friend. “Who’s this?”
“A friend,” he said as he swept his gaze over her, assessing. “Karin sent me.”
Ari narrowed her gaze at her friend. “I told you not to talk to anyone.”
“I had to get into your room, and Karin agreed to help me if I brought him along,” Camille murmured. “He seemed genuinely concerned, and is quite the sweet talker.” She flashed the man a seductive smile. “Handsome, too. He promised he wasn’t associated with the media, or any of the Perconti brothers.”
“My name’s Wes and I’m in c
harge of housekeeping at the Palazzo. Karin sent me because she’s worried about you. She wanted to come herself, but…”
“I understand.” Ari considered him for a moment, then shook his hand. His fingers were long and firm, his grip solid. This was a man who seemed comfortable with himself and his surroundings. “I assume you are discreet?”
“Very.” He flashed her a half-smile. “If you only knew…”
“What happened?” Camille asked. “The last I heard you left the wedding, and then you didn’t call me.” She flashed Ari a hurt expression. “I thought you’d at least call.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy.”
“Have you talked to Landon?”
“Things are fine with Landon. He didn’t really want this wedding anyway. I’ve been staying at Stone Suites.”
“We know that,” Wes said. “But why?”
“To make a statement.” Ari glanced around to make sure no one was looking in their direction. “I’m tired of Leo controlling every little aspect of my life—”
“May I take your—oh my God.” A tall woman with red hair tied back in a high ponytail shrieked and fell into the seat beside Wes. “Is that really you?”
“Hi, Sabrina.” Ari crouched lower in her seat and pulled her coat up around her ears. “Could you keep it down?”
“I’m sorry.” She glanced at Wes and then held her hand out to Camille. “I’m Sabrina. I own this restaurant.”
“Camille. How do you know each other?”
“I used to date her brother.” Sabrina scrunched her nose. “It didn’t work out.”
“Thanks to a crazy fan and a ‘let’s not get serious about anyone’ pact between Leo, Marco, and Dante,” Wes added. “I miss you around the Palazzo. You made things more interesting.”
She patted Wes’s hand. “But you’re always welcome here.”
“It’s not the same.”
“I know. Some things can’t be helped, though.”
Ari cleared her throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to her. “Could we save this for later? The longer I stay, the greater the chances someone will recognize me.” She nodded to where some of the patrons had turned and started staring. “I don’t want Leo to find me and create a scene.”
