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by Melody Anne

  His moans filled the large room and mixed with hers as they both neared their release.

  “Let go, Ari. Come with me,” Rafe shouted as he surged upward, his body tightening as she felt his manhood begin to pulse. His cry of pleasure was all it took to send her the final few inches over the cliff, and she gladly fell with him.

  After a moment of gasping silence, Rafe gripped her head while looking into her half-closed eyes.

  “Thank you for trusting me. That was…beautiful. ” Rafe’s words made Ari’s heart skip a few beats.

  He doesn’t believe in love. It’s just sex. Ari rested her head against Rafe’s shoulder as she repeated those sentences over and over. She couldn’t take his words for more than what they were or she’d get her heart broken.

  As he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the suite’s bedroom, then carefully laid her down, she knew she could be in trouble. She had to find a way to make it through all this with her heart still intact.

  When he returned from the bathroom and lay down beside her, then pulled her into his arms, she felt a stinging in her eyes. She thought he didn’t sleep with his mistresses. As if he could read her thoughts, his next words were like cold water, washing away her stupid fantasies.

  “The connecting room wasn’t available. We normally won’t sleep together, but I don’t want you in a separate suite, so this will have to do this weekend. ”

  Ari prayed for sleep to come as she fought her tears. After she finally heard the slow and steady breathing testifying that Rafe was no longer awake, she allowed a few tiny teardrops to escape. Tomorrow she’d work on hardening her heart.

  Chapter Six

  “Bless you,” a woman said as Ari sneezed. Ari looked up in surprise and managed to say a quick thank-you before the stranger disappeared among the sea of people passing by.

  As she looked out at the children running through the crowd, and at teenagers throwing Frisbees, frustration filled her. This was Central Park in New York City and she was tired of doing nothing but sitting in the grass.

  There were so many people out there who said the people of New York were a nation unto themselves, but with the kind words of a stranger she felt welcomed to the city. Wearing a comfortable blouse and capris accompanied by a large hat and oversized sunglasses to protect her eyes, she was ready to explore.

  Bless you might only be two simple words, but they were enough to make her feel less intimidated, and ready to take on New York. She wanted to see all she could before it was too late and they had to return home.

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  *****

  “I think I’ve figured out why you are so freaking moody. ”

  Rafe looked up in surprise, eyebrows raised. No one insulted him — well, apparently nobody except his new mistress, who was supposed to be more obedient than the rest of the people in his life.

  “I’m working, Ari. I agreed to accompany you to the park, but that doesn’t mean my workday just stops. ”

  With those few clipped words, Rafe looked back down at his iPad and finished the e-mail he’d been composing. He figured Ari would soon grow bored and their little adventure to Central Park would be over.

  Rafe had stayed in the same hotel year after year, but not once had he come down and sat on the grass in this world-famous park. Really, what was the point? He found it almost humorous that Ari and her nonstop pestering had managed to make him do it.

  He would have sent any other woman on her way and finished his work in peace, but not Ari, it seemed. He could hardly leave her by herself in the park, where she could so easily be taken advantage of. She’d already proved several times that she was a bit too naive even in her own hometown. He shuddered to think what trouble she could get herself into in a city such as New York. Yes, it was the middle of the day and plenty of law enforcement officers were around, but that didn’t help ease his mind.

  Back in their hotel suite, before Rafe knew what he was saying, he had offered to take Ari down to the park. When her eyes lit up with excitement and she danced in a circle, he’d pulled back. Had he made the wrong choice? Ari’s attractions increased, for some odd reason, when she let down her guard.

  “There is no way we’re going to just sit in this spot, especially with your nose buried in that stupid computer. If you want to work, I understand that, but I want to play. Why don’t you go back to the room and do whatever it is you do so well? I’m going to meet people and have a little fun. ”

  “You’re working, too, Ari, or have you so quickly forgotten?”

  “Nope. There’s no way I’m allowing you to be an arrogant prig and ruin my day. It’s sunny, there are people everywhere, and I’m in the Big Fat Apple for the first time in my life. You can try being master and commander all you want, but I’m on break right now. ”

  With that, Ari stood up and sashayed away with confidence. Rafe was so stunned by her words and her outright defiance that she made it a good twenty yards before he closed his mouth and climbed to his feet. A smile overtook his features as he watched his prey. He couldn’t believe he’d ever imagined breaking her.

  Putting his iPad away, Rafe dialed his assistant. “Cancel my meetings for the rest of the day. ” Without giving Mario time to respond, Rafe hung up, and then took off after Ari, who was now a good hundred yards from him. She was well within his sights, and his true predatory nature came out as he stalked her from behind.

  The sound of Ari’s laughter filled him with delight. She was so unique — unspoiled. Even though he’d pushed her past the point a normal human being could be pushed, she still smiled, still found elation wherever she could. To snuff out her spirit would be a crime.

  *****

  The breath rushed from Ari’s lungs as strong arms wrapped around her. Fear spiraled inside her for just a moment, until she realized it was Rafe. He spun her in his arms and then she was pressed up tightly against him as his head descended.

  Ari was winded and more than a little light-headed when he lifted his head again, his heated gaze aimed directly into her eyes.

  “Where do you think you’re off to?”

  “I don’t know yet. I figure once I find something fun to do, that’s where I’m supposed to be,” she answered. “What happened to your work?”

  “I decided I’d take the rest of the day off. ”

  As Rafe released her from his arms only to grab her hand and begin walking with her through the park, Ari didn’t know what to think. This was another of those Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde moments. Rafe seemed almost…carefree as the two of them began passing vendors and street performers.

  “Just like that, you’ve decided to stroll through Central Park?”

  “Yes, just like that. I am the boss, after all. If I want to take the day off, then that’s exactly what I’ll do,” he answered arrogantly.

  Ari couldn’t find it in her to be even the slightest annoyed with him. She was too pleased to spend a somewhat normal afternoon in his presence.

  “Well, then, we’re wasting time,” she announced as she picked up her pace. Ari was on a mission to experience everything she could during her brief time in what seemed an almost magical place.

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  Rafe held her hand and she raced down the path, stopping to watch street performers sing and dance, and insisting that Rafe give each of them a donation before the two of them moved on to the next sight. She didn’t know how hard it was for him to resist bending to her will when her countenance lit up the entire park as she observed everything she could with childlike wonder and joy.

  They reached the Gapstow Bridge and she felt as if she were in a foreign country because of the architecture’s pre-World War I feel, and she admired the stunning detail.

  “You know, Ari, this was designed to look like the Ponte di San Francesco in San Remo, Italy, a beautiful area not far from my mother’s home. ”

  “That’s
amazing, Rafe. I bet you come here all the time just to feel as if you’re back home. How do you stand having two separate places calling to you?” Ari asked as she looked around the park.

  “I visit Italy when I get homesick, which isn’t too often. My work keeps me very busy. Still, we may need to make a trip there in a couple of months. I have several businesses in my mother’s homeland, and it’s never a hardship to visit them. ”

  “You want me to go with you?” Ari had long given up imagining she might get to travel around the world. That prospect might not make up for the fact that he liked to hire his women, but it definitely didn’t hurt.

  “It’s business, Ari. Don’t get too excited. ” Rafe’s words were like a cold metal snuffer to a single-candle flame.

  “I know,” she replied as she moved forward, some of the magic from her day stolen away by his insensitive words. Before she managed to get too far, Rafe’s hand was gripping her arm.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I…I don’t really know how to talk to you sometimes. This situation is all new to me. I just want to make sure you aren’t getting your hopes up that this may lead into something more permanent. Our relationship is…a temporary thing. ”

  The fact that Rafe wasn’t trying to be cruel — that in reality he was trying to make sure she didn’t get hurt — didn’t keep his words from stabbing her straight in the heart. This was the reason she didn’t want to get attached to him, why she couldn’t afford to let her emotions get involved.

  Her earlier joy crushed, Ari turned away and began walking through the park. She hadn’t needed a reminder of their relationship. She’d just wanted one day where none of it mattered. She was simply a normal girl and he was an average guy and they were strolling through a beautiful park like all the other couples around them.

  It seemed she wasn’t allowed to have even that — not as long as she was Rafe Palazzo’s mistress. It suddenly seemed odd that there weren’t dark clouds in the sky, she was so filled with gloom.

  “Follow me,” Rafe said, taking her hand and dragging her forward. She just wanted to go back to the hotel, but she followed him, the nice little obedient mistress, she thought sourly.

  But Ari forgot about her bad mood as soon as she looked where he was pointing. There was a large group of people doing something she couldn’t quite make out, and as music drifted toward her and Rafe, someone turned up a loudspeaker.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just wait,” he said with a mysterious smile. His grin drove away the rest of Ari’s gloom, and she watched as the large group started to break out in a synchronized dance.

  “It’s a street mob!” Ari shouted as she took several steps forward for a better view of the group. She’d never seen one live before and excitement filled her as she watched the performance and saw that it also stopped other tourists, who seemed as entranced as she was.

  After the dance ended, Rafe took her on a lengthy tour of the park. Ari dashed into the beautiful zoo showcasing creatures from tropical, temperate and polar zones from around the world. The human pair wandered around hand in hand, pointing out different animals and their antics, and laughing particularly at the exhibitionist monkey urinating from a tree.

  “Oh, Rafe! These are my favorites!” she exclaimed at the pool of sea lions in the center courtyard. The creatures shared their playful mood with onlookers as they performed tricks for snacks, and then spiraled underneath the water. A close second to the sea lions were the penguins. Ari couldn’t help but giggle at the way they waddled on land but then dived into the water like bullets fired from a gun. They appeared to be having so much fun, it was difficult not to catch their enthusiasm.

  Rafe had to drag her from the zoo, especially after Ari, with her profound love of history, fell in thrall to the Arsenal building at the zoo’s edge. She drank deep from its treasure trove of historical memorabilia.

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  Ari found the day passing by far too quickly as they continued their rambles. “Stop!” she cried when they came upon a hot dog vendor. “We have to have a New York hot dog,” she insisted as she saw the look of disbelief on Rafe’s face.

  “I’m certainly not going to eat those vile animal byproducts,” he said as she dragged him toward the cart.

  “In all the years you’ve visited New York City, have you seriously never had the pleasure of partaking of a street hot dog? Look, Rafe. You have your rules, and I have mine. I refuse to leave this park until we each have one. I’ve heard that there is nothing comparable. ”

  Ari looked him in the eye with her hands on her hips. She meant business. He wanted her to compromise on everything — well, she wanted to see the hoity-toity Rafe eat a hot dog.

  Much to Ari’s surprise, Rafe stepped forward and ordered them each a dog. He wrinkled his nose as he brought the mystery meat to his lips, but he took a bite and Ari wanted to shout with glee. The sight somehow made him more human.

  “What do you think?” she asked after she swallowed. It truly was the best hot dog she'd ever tasted.

  “I don’t know how you can eat this with a smile, Ari. It’s absolutely terrible,” he said. The disgust on his face made her laugh.

  “If you eat the whole thing, I won’t ever complain again about the strange dishes you make me try,” she promised.

  With raised eyebrows and eyes that lit up, Rafe looked from his hot dog to her face, as if he were really trying to find out if the dare was worth it.

  “Why don’t we up the stakes?”

  “What do you have in mind?” she asked nervously.

  “I get a future request. ”

  “What kind of request?” She wasn’t going to grant him just anything.

  “That’s part of the mystery. I eat your horribly fatty and probably diseased hot dog, and I get a teensy little request later on. ”

  “Fine. I really want to see you eat the whole thing. ”

  With a smile on his face, Rafe took his next bite, and another, and another. As he finished the hot dog, Ari realized she’d been hustled, because he walked up to the vendor and ordered a second one. She’d just traded him a to-be-determined favor for something he obviously enjoyed.

  Oh, he was so much better at acting than she was.

  Chapter Seven

  The day’s light had faded as Rafe and Ari arrived at the Sea Grill Restaurant. Their table overlooked the many hopeless amateurs skating on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. She badly wanted to be out there with them, but waited patiently; the meal couldn’t last forever, could it?

  “Have you gone ice-skating before?” Rafe asked as he held out her chair.

  “No, but I’ve always wanted to, and to do so at Rockefeller Center for the first time would be beyond exciting, even though I’m sure I will make a fool of myself,” she replied breathlessly.

  “We’re lucky it’s still open. This is the last day until next winter. ”

  “I’m not very hungry. I can always grab a bite later,” she said as she looked longingly out at the white frozen surface. She was afraid that if they waited too long, the rink would close up and she’d miss her chance forever.

  “I assure you it will still be open after we’ve had dinner, Ari,” he responded with a laugh.

  With reluctance, Ari picked up her menu and looked for something to eat that would take the least amount of time to prepare. The restaurant was crowded, though, so she knew she wouldn’t get on the ice for at least another hour.

  “Would you like me to order?”

  Ari’s first instinct was to say no, that she was perfectly capable of ordering herself, but he hadn’t steered her wrong so far in his choices of food. She would most likely get something much better if she just let him choose.

  “That will be fine,” she said, and she went back to watching the many skaters glide across the surface of the well-lit ice.

  Just as the waiter was pouring them a glass of win
e, the ice was cleared of people except for a man and a woman. Ari watched as the man dropped to one knee and held out something in his hand. He was proposing!

  She couldn’t hear the two people speak, but obviously she’d said yes, because the crowd around the rink clapped and cheered before they all resumed their adventures on the ice.

  “How romantic,” Ari sighed without realizing she’d spoken out loud.

  “I can think of many more-romantic ways to propose,” Rafe scoffed.

  Ari whipped her head around to look at him. He didn’t seem to be the type of guy to think about such things as marriage proposals. As if he could read her thoughts, he continued.

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  “I mean that if a man wants to propose — which is foolish, as more than fifty percent of marriages end in divorce — then he could do it a lot less publicly and pleasantly than in the middle of a freezing-cold ice rink. ”

  “The point is that he loves her so much, he wants the rest of the world to know about it,” she argued as their appetizers were set on the table. She picked up a jumbo shrimp and dipped it in a delicate horseradish sauce before taking a bite, anticipating his next verbal challenge.

  “I suppose you think marriage proposals at ball games are romantic, too? You would want your hoped-for fiancé to splash his intentions on the giant billboard for all to see?”

  “It would make me feel special that he wasn’t ashamed to have the entire stadium and TV audience see him proclaim his love. ”

  “Women,” he grumbled as he picked up a piece of lobster and sank his teeth into it as a distraction.

  “There’s nothing wrong with being a romantic, Rafe. The fact that you treat relationships like a business transaction doesn’t mean the rest of the world should. Most people are looking for love and romance, and they want to be swept off their feet. Someday, love will hit you again and then, you watch! You’ll be doing a cheesy proposal of your own,” she said smugly as she grabbed another shrimp.

  “I can guarantee you, that won’t happen. ”

  “The most confident of men are the ones who fall the hardest,” she warned.

  “We’ll just agree to disagree on this point. ” With that, he closed the discussion.

  Ari was grateful, after a moment’s thought, because talking about commitment of any kind with Rafe was uncomfortable at best. She knew her place in their relationship.