by Melody Anne
They both knew she had nothing on beneath her skirt. Maybe it was time for her to remind him of that fact, which would be especially fun in a room full of people where he could do nothing about her taunts.
With a determined set to her shoulders, Ari stood, grabbing her laptop. She stopped by the bathroom, applying shiny red lipstick and unbuttoning her top button. With a gleam in her eyes, she made her way to Rafe’s office.
Since his door was open, she sauntered in, wondering what her next move should be. She’d never been a seductress before and didn’t know where to start.
“The meeting is in the formal conference room. Follow me.”
He didn’t even bother glancing up as he delivered another curt order. This must be something important — even better!
Ari trailed behind Rafe down the hallway and they entered a large room with a massive table surrounded by twenty chairs. She hadn’t been there before and had to admit that the décor impressed her.
Elegant snacks and beverages sat atop the table, and the chairs, though suitably businesslike, looked plush and comfortable This room was clearly designed to welcome superstar investors and clients.
A smidgen of fear slithered down her spine at the thought of playing games with him in such an environment. When she was just about to talk herself out of antagonizing him, she stiffened her shoulders and reminded herself that he always managed to get the upper hand. It was time he lost a bout.
“Sit in the chair on the end next to mine. Type up everything we speak about; there’s no need for you to contribute. I’ve been working with these men for two years now on a deal that is invaluable to the Palazzo Corporation.”
“I understand,” she said through gritted teeth.
Rafe took his seat, and Ari slowly moved toward her chair. Just before sitting down, she stumbled, making sure she fell against him. Rafe caught her with quick reflexes, leaving her face inches from his own.
Pressing her body in more tightly against his, and breathing against his neck, she remained there for a few seconds longer than necessary before trailing her hand along his thigh and whispering in his ear. “I’m so sorry about that, Rafe. What a klutz I’m being.”
His short intake of breath gave her a measure of satisfaction. Using his thigh to help herself back up, she made sure he had ample opportunity to see her cleavage, then she stood up and went to her chair.
She could have called him on being a Neanderthal and not holding her chair out for her, but they were working — this wasn’t a date.
“Try to be more careful,” he finally said, his normally tight control just the tiniest bit unraveled.
“Oh, I will,” she purred at him as she leaned forward with her elbow on the table, squeezing her arms together. When his eyes shot down to her chest, she fought back the smile wanting to burst forth as she leaned back while rubbing her painted fingernail against her thigh, raising her skirt, reminding him she was pantyless. His sharp intake of air was a well-earned reward.
“Mr. Palazzo, your visitors have arrived.”
The two of them looked up to see one of his employees standing in the doorway with a clipboard.
“Send them in. We’re ready,” Rafe responded, instantly back to businessman mode. Ari would just have to shake him right back out of that.
Rafe stood as several men walked into the room. Ari was unsure whether she should stand or not, so she did the safe thing and rose from her seat. When the final visitor walked in, her mouth dropped open for an instant.
The man had to be several inches over six feet tall, and his olive skin and sparkling near-black eyes fit his masculine features perfectly. The bold red sash over the front of his dark suit made the man stand out even more.
Ari had no doubt he was the one in charge. His eyes scanned the room and honed in on hers, his lips turning up in a smile as he moved forward.
“Prince Adrian, I hope your travels went well,” Rafe said as he offered his hand.
“Yes, I have had quite the pleasant journey. Thank you, Rafe. Now, who is this divine creature?”
Both men turned to stare at Ari, and she had to fight not to melt to the ground. With Rafe’s intense purple eyes gazing at her, and Prince Adrian’s dynamic black ones doing the same, she was rooted to the spot.
Holy hell, the two of them could start a war with a single word as long as they stood side by side. She felt as if she should pull out her camera and start snapping pictures for a magazine spread.
“My secretary became ill, so Arianna is filling in for her today,” Rafe finally answered. Ari barely managed to hide her irritation at his words. Yet that was exactly what she was doing. She didn’t expect him say, This is my mistress, whom I screwed in her office a few minutes ago. She thought maybe he might have been a bit warmer with the introduction, though — to let the men know she wasn’t available.
Ari nearly laughed aloud at that thought. This was a freaking prince, for goodness sake, and certainly wouldn’t be asking her out on a date. His men hadn’t even bothered looking at her, so she was pretty safe with them. Man, she needed to pull herself together.
Prince Adrian stepped forward, walking with sure movements until he was standing right before her. He reached out and grasped her fingers, raising her hand slowly to his lips as he bent forward and kissed her just above the knuckles.
“Such a beauty may call me Ian,” he practically purred.
Ari couldn’t help a slight swoon at his velvet-smooth voice. She’d never met a man so suave. She was sure he had an entire harem willing and ready to do anything he asked.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ian,” she finally gasped, wanting to smack herself for the breathy sound of her voice.
“Now that introductions have been made, let us start the meeting.”
Ari was yanked out of her trance by the deadly steel behind Rafe’s voice. He sounded angry, though she couldn’t figure out why. Yes, she’d sounded a bit awed, but surely she wasn’t acting abundantly ridiculous.
“Yes, sir,” she muttered as she pulled her hand back and waited for Rafe and the prince to take their seats. She didn’t want to commit a faux paus by sitting first.
“Please sit, Arianna. My men wouldn’t dare be so rude as to have a seat before a beautiful lady has first become comfortable.”
This man was good — really good. Ari was back to feeling as if she were melting.
“Yes, please have a seat, Ari,” Rafe quietly growled.
Ari’s head whipped around to look into his tumultuous eyes. He was undoubtedly ticked off. Maybe now wasn’t the time to pursue a mission of revenge, with Rafe so dangerously moody.
Ari sat down, then watched in amazement as Rafe and Prince Adrian took their seats. Only then did the rest of the men sit, as well.
Twenty minutes into the meeting, Ari’s fascination with the prince had dimmed. Yes, he was still just as stunning, and yes, his voice could melt butter, but her eyes were drawn to only one man in the room — Rafe.
The prince continually looked her way, but soon Ari was able to tune out the flirtatious looks and smooth voice, and simply do her job of taking notes of the meeting.
If she put everything else aside, what they were planning was quite amazing. If it worked, thousands of jobs would be created and better conditions brought to both the prince’s country and some impoverished areas in the U.S.
As she continued taking notes, she learned more about Rafe. She knew he had a good heart beneath the hard exterior he showed to the world, but listening to the excitement enter his voice as he spoke of a multibillion-dollar merger was still eye-opening. She had a feeling he would do so much good during his lifetime — control issues aside.
Without her realizing it, several hours passed. She could have sat there all night listening to his and the prince’s plans.
“Rafe, I think we have a deal. I look forward to getting this started. We’ll meet in January to break ground.” Prince Adrian stood up and stretched his arms. He had removed his jack
et earlier, and the sight of his muscles flexing beneath the white silk of his shirt proved a real treat. Ari might not want the prince, but that didn’t mean she was immune to his aura. She was human, after all.
“I have to admit, this is the first project I’ve been truly excited over in some time,” Rafe said. “I look forward to spending time in your beautiful country. I hope you feel the same about your time here in the States.”
“Yes, I am going to take some time off in a couple of months to observe the better areas here where I would like to see our business grow. I haven’t had time in a while to relax, but with your people so kind and helpful, I always find myself quite happy after a vacation here.”
“We’ll have to get together when you return.”
“I will give you a call.” He then turned to Ari. “It was a rare treat to meet you, my lady. I look forward to seeing you again.” With those words, he kissed her hand once more, before walking from the room.
Ari was glad she wasn’t expected to come up with a reply, because she had no clue what to say.
It was a minute after the door shut that she realized she was still staring at it. She also realized she was standing alone in the room with a very riled-up Rafe.
“It appears you were quite fond of the prince,” he snapped.
“I was being polite. Did I do something to upset you?”
“I don’t share my mistresses, Ari,” he reminded her. As if she didn’t know that already! She wanted to call him on his idiocy, but thought better of it.
“I’m not interested in the prince, but considering he was the first royal person I’ve ever met, I was a bit starstruck. I’m so sorry if I’m not as sophisticated as you.” Ari had to suddenly fight tears. He was making her feel like a fool.
He might have been used to mixing in high circles, but she wasn’t. She’d read about princes in books and magazines, had watched movies on Lifetime TV about princes marrying poor maidens, but she’d never thought she’d meet a real live prince. Of course she was a bit flustered.
Even if she had imagined meeting a royal, she never would have expected him to call her beautiful and kiss her hand. Rafe could stick his crappy attitude where the sun didn’t shine. She wasn’t going to allow him to make her feel bad when she should be floating on a cloud.
She turned to storm from the room when Rafe grabbed her arm and whipped her back around to face him. He studied her face for several long seconds, then his features relaxed and he softened his grip, pulling her tightly against his chest.
“I apologize. I’m not prone to jealousy, but you tend to bring out the worst in me. You did nothing wrong.” He bent down and gently caressed her lips in a tender kiss. Ari’s anger evaporated as she leaned into him.
How she could go from humiliated to seduced in a couple of seconds, she would never know, but Rafe had a way of doing that to her. As she swayed in his arms, she knew the difference between being starstruck and being swept off her feet.
The prince had certainly made her swoon a bit, but Rafe…Well, Rafe made her feel as if the ground were coming up to swallow her whole. He did things to her she couldn’t come close to describing.
“It’s late; I’ll order dinner in,” he said as he draped his arm around her shoulder and led her from the room.
For one moment, Ari allowed herself to lean into him. It had been a roller-coaster ride of a day and she could afford to let down her defenses for a brief moment. How badly could it really hurt her in the end?
A lot more than she was prepared to deal with.
Chapter Twenty
“I want you to know that my friend Amber is furious with me. She can’t believe I’m leaving for a fun-filled weekend while she’s stuck at home with a sick child.”
“That’s what happens when you get all happy, fall in love and start producing the next generation. You miss out on all the fun,” Lia said with a laugh.
“Do you not want kids?”
“I want an entire houseful of the little monsters, but not for a few more years. I’m still too selfish to dedicate my life to a brood of children, but someday I want them crawling all over me. I know that sounds strange, but the thought of being all alone later on in life isn’t appealing. I want noise during the holidays, and messy fingerprints on the cupboards. I want the whole white-picket-fence thing,” Lia answered.
“I can see it now,” Ari joked. “A Palazzo in a megamansion surrounded by a white picket fence.” Still, she sat back and thought about Lia’s words. She’d never really thought very deeply about a family. She’d always just assumed she’d have one someday. That’s what people did — they grew up, got married and had kids.
What if she didn’t want them? What if she never got beyond being self-absorbed and then ended up an old lady with twenty cats? As she and Rafe’s sisters pulled up to the airport, doubts flooded her. She was way too young to be stressing over such a thing, so she needed to push it from her mind and focus on today only.
“OK, enough of this talk, you two. We’re about to board a beautiful jet, and set off to fabulous Las Vegas. I want the weekend to be about hot guys stripping and all-I-can-drink-margaritas,” Rachel demanded.
Her words pulled Ari from her disturbing thoughts — that was until they approached Rafe’s jet. Ari’s nerves jumped as they neared the steps. The last time she’d entered Rafe’s jet from this location, she’d been given an ultimatum. Approaching the beautiful aircraft now brought the turmoil she’d felt that dark day to the forefront of her mind.
“What took you ladies so long? Do you always need to make an entrance?”
“You know we do because we’re fabulous,” Rachel quipped as she ran up the steps.
Ari turned to face Rafe and her stomach clenched. Only two days ago, she’d had the choice to leave him, yet here she was, about to board his jet again. After his intense lovemaking in her office, and then the even more intense board meeting with the prince, he’d been called away and she hadn’t seen him since.
“I can see you’re fighting yourself again, Ari. Sometimes it’s much better to just go with the moment and not overthink everything,” he said as his arms wrapped around her and he leaned down to gently kiss her lips.
It was these moments when he was so human, so caring, that confused her most. Mr. Hyde she could handle, Dr. Jekyll, not so much.
“I’m just looking forward to Vegas,” she said in a falsely high voice.
“Good. I think you’ll enjoy the trip if my sisters don’t get you into too much trouble.”
“I happen to be very fond of your sisters,” she replied honestly.
“That’s how they get you. They suck you in and then you become one of them,” he warned with a wiggle of his brows.
“I’m standing right here,” Lia said as she smacked his wrist. “Come on, Ari. Ignore my worthless brother.” Lia grabbed her arm and pulled her up the stairs.
Knowing Rafe was right behind her, most likely staring at her rear end, made Ari put a little more wiggle in her hips. He’d left her hurting; now with an audience, he couldn’t do anything, so she decided finally to repay the favor. Prince Adrian had thrown her off her game, but she was making a grand comeback.
They all boarded, but Shane was running late, so Rafe told them to settle in and have a drink and snack. Ari chatted with Lia and Rachel for a while, then turned her head and noticed Rafe sitting in one of the corner chairs, working on his computer.
Slowly, she stood and walked toward him. His eyes lifted and he watched her with suspicion. She stopped and bent down so only he could hear her.
“I had a dream about you last night.”
His eyes widened as he waited for her to continue.
“I think it’s the best sex I’ve ever experienced. I was a little sad to wake up and find out it wasn’t real.” Rafe’s eyes narrowed as he reached for her. She backed up just out of his reach before she leaned in again. “By the way, I’m not wearing any panties — or a bra.”
With that she turne
d and walked back to his sisters. The air exploding from his lungs was sufficient enough to put her in an incredibly good mood. She only hoped he ached the entire flight to Vegas.
After another ten minutes passed, Ari could still feel Rafe’s gaze burning a hole through her. She finally looked up and met his desire filled-eyes. Though she was melting from the inside out, she winked at him as she lifted her glass and licked the rim.
As his eyes narrowed, she grabbed an ice cube from the drink and ran it along her neck, the cold liquid dripping down her shirt. “It’s really warm in here, don’t you think?” she asked him.
“Why don’t I take you in the back? I can crank up the air conditioner so you don’t overheat,” he responded as he rose to his feet. Ari had no intention of caving in to him — the point was to make him suffer. Slowly, she walked to him, rubbing against his chest.
“I don’t think so. You left me high and…wet the other day; now it’s your turn,” she said with a smile as she quickly backed away.
“You’re not going anywhere, Ari,” he growled, stepping forward. Dancing backward quickly, Ari found safety in between Rachel and Lia. Rafe didn’t look as if he were going to let his sisters stop his advance. The thought of the way he might retaliate made her stomach tremble.
“I’m here! The party can officially start.”
Ari jumped at the sound of Shane’s voice as he walked inside the aircraft. The distraction of his arrival was better than a bucket of cold water. Rafe stopped in his tracks, and everyone turned toward the newcomer.
Ari bent down and grabbed another ice cube to run along her neck just to drive the nail in a bit harder with Rafe, and when he turned back in her direction, she could swear there was steam coming from his ears.
Looking down at his pants, she noticed a definite bulge. This was one round she was winning.
“Thanks, love,” Shane said as he grabbed Rachel’s drink; she snarled at him.
“Nice of you to join us,” Rafe commented dryly after quickly pulling himself together.
“Duty called. Sorry,” Shane replied, though he didn’t look the least bit apologetic.
