by Melody Anne
“How can you keep doing this to yourself, Lia? You have a great life and yet you’re putting yourself in these ridiculous situations. Wasn’t getting drugged last week bad enough? Now you’re working on getting alcohol poisoning.”
“I need to lie down” was her only reply. He helped her brush her teeth, then lifted her in his arms and carried her to the very inviting king-sized bed in the center of her room.
How much restraint was one guy supposed to have? He’d damn well better get a medal after all of this because he was pushing his control to the very edge and somehow not diving over. His lower regions would never be the same again – not as long as he continued to deny himself.
Within seconds of lying down, Lia passed out cold. Shane ran his finger down her soft cheek, then bent and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. As he pulled back, he was confronted with the awful truth: this was beyond a simple crush — and he was in deep trouble.
For about two seconds, Shane considered getting her into her pajamas, then realized how horrific a thought that was. She was drunk and passed out and he was thinking of stripping her. No, it was time he took off. Rachel would look out for Lia and call him if they needed anything. He just had to get out of the house before he wasn’t able to.
Shane left the room to find a sleepy Rachel, who agreed to change Lia’s clothes and stay with her for the night. With an unbelievable ache in his chest, Shane left the house wondering what the hell he was going to do next.
Chapter Eighteen
“Come on, Ari. You know you want to do this. It will be so much fun!”
Ari looked at Rafe’s sisters and couldn’t hide her smile. The girls were incredibly convincing when they wanted something, but she got only one day off from Rafe and there was no way she could sneak away for several without him throwing a fit.
Just the thought ticked her off. Rafe didn’t own her, contrary to his opinion of the matter. If she wanted to spend a weekend away with friends, and she did consider Lia and Rachel friends, then she could darn well do it. He’d just have to deal with her decision.
“I don’t know. It’s pretty expensive…” she hedged, riding the fence on whether to join them.
“Oh, pish. It isn’t expensive at all. The food is cheap, the liquor even cheaper, and you don’t have to worry about airfare or the room. Just say yes. You know you want to,” Lia insisted.
“What are you girls up to?”
Ari looked up guiltily as Rafe stepped into her office.
“Not that it concerns you, but we want to take our friend on a little weekend trip,” Rachel quickly piped up. Ari’s temper flared when Rafe narrowed his eyes. At the closed look on his face, her decision was made. He wasn’t going to run her life completely. He had enough control as it was.
“Ari is busy this weekend,” he said with finality.
“You can’t work her seven days a week, Rafe,” Lia pouted.
“We have plans.”
“Oh, really? What plans?” Rachel countered.
“That’s none of your business.”
“I want to go with them.”
Rafe turned incredulous eyes on Ari and she felt a deep level of satisfaction. Let him think about that. She was sticking with their agreement, but if she wanted a weekend off once in a while, he’d have to deal with it. Heck, if he didn’t like her plans, he could always replace her.
The thought of him doing just that caused a small lump to form in her throat. Vivid images took over her brain, images of him with another woman on his arm, and of the two of them in private, doing heaven knew what —oh, but she knew what, and it killed her.
“Where are you girls planning to go?” he asked, now wearing his poker face. Oh, yes, he was a master at hiding his emotions. At the moment he looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Ari hated it when he acted that way.
“Vegas!” Rachel announced, and began to sing “Viva, viva…”
Rafe’s expression darkened and a shudder passed through Ari.
“Why do you want to go to Vegas?”
“Do you seriously need to ask that? Um, let me see, hot guys, cheap drinks, exotic shows. Do I need to continue?”
“You’ve been on a mission to cause as much trouble as possible lately, Lia. I think a trip to Vegas is a train wreck waiting to happen,” Rafe scolded.
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m over twenty-one then, isn’t it? I can go wherever I want to.”
Rafe and Lia glared at each other for several tense moments before Rafe shrugged. Before Ari could get too excited over his apparent acquiescence, he spoke again.
“Fine. If you insist on going, I can’t stop you. I’ll just have to escort you there. I have business I can take care of in the city.”
“We weren’t inviting you,” Rachel spoke up, her eyes rounding in near panic.
“Tough. I’ll call Shane. We have a new hotel going in and we can check on its progress.”
At the mention of Shane’s name, Lia perked right up and Ari knew she was done for. Her weekend with the girls had just turned into a family affair. She didn’t know whether to be excited or…OK, she’d say it to herself! — pissed off. At the fuming look in Rafe’s eyes, excitement was starting to win out.
“If you insist, I guess you can tag along. There are rules, though,” Lia warned.
At her words, Rafe’s lips quirked, and he lifted an eyebrow and waited. Ari knew he was thinking, This ought to be good.
“This is a girl trip, which means we get time alone. You don’t get to trail us everywhere we go, and you don’t get to rain on our parade for having a good time. That means no bodyguards tagging along, and no telling us we aren’t allowed out of the room unless you’re by our side.”
“And if I don’t agree to your rules?”
“Then we’ll sneak Ari out of here right now and disappear to some unknown location where you’ll never be able to find us,” Rachel piped up with a confident smile.
Rafe couldn’t help himself — he burst out laughing. Ari’s jaw dropped at the sound. The man was handsome when he was brooding, but with a smile on his face and laughter pouring from him, he was breathtaking.
His eyes caught hers; his laughter died and his pupils dilated. Ari knew that look well, and she expected to be feeling very satisfied not too long after Rafe’s sisters left the room.
“I’ll agree to let you go to a show on your own, but you have to keep your cell phones with you in case something happens. You also have to use my driver. I’m not agreeing to your…request for no bodyguards until I assess the situation.”
“Fine. We’ll agree to that…for now. We’ll discuss the bodyguard issue later,” Lia conceded.
“Good. Now, get out. Ari and I have a lot of work to do.”
“I’ll just bet you do,” Rachel snickered as she grabbed her sister’s arm and led her from the room.
Ari swallowed as Rafe steadily walked to the door and casually turned the lock. The sound of it latching seemed like a loud boom to her sensitive ears — her heart picked up speed.
As he turned around with a predator’s gleam in his eyes, she stood on trembling legs and automatically began backing away. She didn’t understand why, because she wanted him to take her. Her body was more than ready.
“You know, Ari, when this all started I was very generous in giving you one day a week to yourself.”
He spoke as he advanced on her slowly but steadily, as if he had all the time in the world. And he did. Ari stopped in the middle of the room, refusing to retreat any further.
“I’ve decided I’ll take whatever time I want for myself,” she answered him bravely.
“That doesn’t work for me. You see, we have an agreement — and the deal we’ve made doesn’t have provisions to change the rules halfway through the game.”
“You don’t own me, Rafe. I’ve played along with you, but I’m still my own person and I can do whatever makes me happy. If I want to take a weeklong vacation, then I will do just that!”
A gleam entered his eyes as if he was hearing exactly what he wanted. Excitement coursed through Ari. She should be furious with him, but their little dance was stirring feelings inside her that rivaled a volcanic explosion.
The closer his steps brought him to her, the stronger her cravings grew.
“I don’t think so. It just might be time for you to be reminded of our agreement.”
“You can’t make me stay,” she called, though she didn’t want to leave. She should want to run screaming, but she was rooted to the spot.
“You’re right. I would never force you to do anything. I will certainly persuade you — I will demand obedience, but the bottom line is that you can walk out the door at any time.”
Ari looked into his eyes as she tried to figure out what he was doing now. Was he releasing her from her duty — calling her debt paid in full? Did she want it to be over or would she be devastated? Confusion coursed through her.
“You don’t want to go. I think you’re very satisfied, but you don’t want to admit to that. You think that admitting to liking our arrangement makes you a bad person. There’s no shame in feeling excitement over what others find taboo. Leave the rest of the world out of this. It’s just you and me — right here — right now.”
“I don’t know what you want!” she said in frustration.
“I want to remind you of who I am — I want to leave no doubt in your mind that I’m the one in charge. I choose to give you choices, but I can take them away when I’m unhappy.”
“Do you want me to leave?”
He stopped with a genuine expression of puzzlement. His brow furrowed as if he needed to think about her statement. She held her breath as she awaited his response. This could be it. Maybe he was offering her freedom.
Ari’s heart sunk with the realization. She didn’t want to be free of him — not yet. She would, she convinced herself, just not at this moment.
“You have a decision to make, Ari. You can stay and take your punishment, or you’re free to walk out that door — all debts settled.”
Ari couldn’t turn her gaze away from Rafe’s intense stare. He was offering her an out. It had only been a month since they’d made their deal. She’d agreed to three months. She expected to hate every minute of it, but she’d never felt more alive. Was he unhappy with her performance?
If she stayed, though, she’d be shifting the power to him. He’d know he owned her — know he could do whatever he wanted.
Ripping her gaze from his, she looked toward the door. It was right there — all she had to do was walk through it and she could have her life back. Her mother was fine, back at work and oblivious to the difficulties her daughter had suffered in the past year. Ari’s life could return to normal.
She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t get words to surface. Rafe didn’t move as he waited for her decision. When several uncomfortable moments had passed, Ari finally gazed into his eyes. When she saw a flicker of emotion cross his face, she knew she wasn’t leaving.
“I agreed to three months. I don’t go back on my word,” she said. There was no way she would admit to staying for any other reason. For a split second she thought she observed relief in his expression, but she had to be wrong. Rafe didn’t really care if she stayed or went — did he?
In the blink of an eye he crossed the room and walked her backward until he had her pinned to the desk.
“This is your choice, Ari. You had better be sure,” he commanded, his mouth an inch from her own, his scent surrounding her, stirring her appetite.
“I’ll stay, but I won’t ever be what you want. I’ll never submit to you, Rafe.”
Staying strong was the only way she could justify her decision. If ever the day came that she gave herself fully over to him, she feared it would be too much — that she’d never be the same again.
“Ah, it will be my mission to change your mind — and, Ari — I’ll fully enjoy the challenge,” he said with a smile before his mouth crashed down on hers.
Ari grabbed his shoulders and held on. She could pretend this wasn’t what she wanted, but what would be the point. She was hungry and it had nothing to do with food.
Rafe punished her mouth, kissing her fervently until she could no longer breathe. His hands moved down her body, molding her curves and tugging her tight against him. She squirmed to get closer, gasping as she felt his hardness press against her belly.
Desire pooled in her core, waiting for him to enter her slick folds. It was always so good. He hadn’t touched her in two days and she was about to explode in his arms. He’d turned her into an insatiable animal, and she didn’t care.
Rafe pulled away and she whimpered. No! She needed him to finish what he’d started. She could later berate herself for wanting him so much, but right now, she needed him inside her, needed to feel the conjunction of their bodies.
Without a word, he turned her around and hiked her skirt just enough for her cheeky Victoria’s Secret panties to show. Oh, yes, they hadn’t done it on a desk yet. Oh, the places he’d taken her – the kitchen table, in front of the giant fireplace, against the front door – but not yet bent over her desk. Anticipation built as he slid her panties down her legs and bent her across her desk.
His hand pushed against her back before sliding down the curve of her bottom and into the V of her legs. He pushed against her thighs, spreading them wide, then slid two fingers deep inside her heat.
“Rafe!” she called, her desire so intense it was almost painful. She wanted him buried deep inside her.
His fingers pulled out and then nothing touched her but the warm air drifting through the room. She squirmed beneath him, but he held her tightly against the desk as he stood behind her, so close, but not nearly close enough.
“Now,” she demanded as she twisted beneath him.
Suddenly he pushed inside her, his hard staff plunging deeper than he’d gone before. He stopped when she was completely full, and then bent forward, his breath brushing across her neck.
“Tell me I’m in charge, Ari,” he whispered, as his body moved backward before he thrust inside her again.
“No.”
“Tell me,” he demanded as he plunged in and out.
“No.” She was so close, almost delirious from the building pressure.
Rafe pushed in and out of her several more times, his hips slapping against the softness of her backside as he gripped her hips tightly.
She was reaching the edge when he slammed against her, taking her breath away, and then his body began to shake as he groaned low in his throat. A few more strokes and he stopped. Ari pushed against him. She was on the edge, needing just a little more of a push to reach her goal.
He pulled from her and turned her in his arms. Satisfaction filled his features as he pulled her tightly against him.
“I like your defiance, Ari, but now you get to suffer the rest of the day. When you submit and follow my rules — I’ll reward you with more pleasure than you can image.”
Ari gasped in frustration. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into his confident eyes. He was so sure she’d cave — that he held all the power. She could go into the bathroom and take matters into her own hands, but then he’d have a victory.
Her victory would come by showing him that it didn’t matter. She pulled back and pushed her skirt down before holding out her hand.
“Do you want something?” he asked innocently.
“My panties, please?”
“No — I think I’ll hold onto them. You can think about what you’re missing out on as the air caresses your womanhood all day.”
Rafe turned and walked to her door, unlocking it before turning around. “If you want me to relieve the ache, all you have to do is come to me, sit on my desk, and ask.” His gaze held hers for several tense seconds as he smiled in victory.
Ari glared at him, feeling ready to scream as he walked through the door and left her standing there, nearly shaking in her frustration. If she wanted him t
o own her pride, she could go to him, but this was a game — one that she was determined to win.
With as much dignity as she could carry, Ari patted down her hair, then followed him, making a beeline for the women’s bathroom, where she could clean herself up. As she wiped away the evidence of their quick joining, her body shuddered.
It would be so easy to ease her ache, but he’d know and then he’d win. With a growl of frustration she washed her hands and walked back to her office. Not having her panties on intensified the throbbing. It was going to be a long afternoon.
As she sat at her desk, a smile appeared. Either she could sit there and pout, or she could plot revenge. He might think he held the power, but it was time she started turning things around. Yes, he was in possession of her panties, but that meant that he knew she was naked beneath her skirt. She would see who cried uncle first.
With that thought, Ari got back to work, feeling a lot better about the way things would go over the next day — week — even month.
Chapter Nineteen
“Ari, report to my office immediately.”
Well, that was rude. Hesitating for a moment so she wouldn’t snap, Ari took a calming breath before hitting the reply button on her speaker.
“Do I need to bring anything?”
“Yes. Your laptop. My secretary became ill and had to leave for the day, and I have an important meeting in fifteen minutes. I need you to take notes.”
“I’ll be right there, Mr. Palazzo.” It seemed only fitting to use his last name when he was acting the way he was.
“Ari…” Her name came out on an exasperated breath. She chose not to reply.
Sitting for a few moments, Ari glared at her phone. First, he had the gall to take her in his office without offering her any satisfaction, then he took her panties with him, and now he was demanding she take notes for him. Take, take, take. Who did he think he was?
She thought briefly about ignoring his summons and staying right where she was. But after her initial impulse to defy him had simmered down, Ari smiled. He was giving her a great opportunity for retaliation.
