by Lara Hunter
So there I was, stuck with him. Feeling him watching me. I wanted to scream.
“It’s late,” he said again. “We should get some sleep.”
I nodded. “Where should I sleep?”
“With me, of course.”
My head snapped up, eyes blazing.
He held up one hand in surrender. “Not like that. But I don’t trust you to stay in a room by yourself.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Lucas. Do you think I’m going to swim away? Or run the miles and miles back to the city?” I rolled my eyes.
“You have a point, but still, I’d feel better if you slept in my room. I’ll take the sofa by the fireplace. You can have the bed to yourself.”
I didn’t have much of a choice. At least it was comfortable, though it would take some time before I could lie in it without remembering the feeling of being tied up. The cold terror of wondering what he intended to do with me.
Minutes later, we rested on our respective beds. The lights were out, the room quiet. Almost too quiet.
“Goodnight,” he murmured from the sofa. He sounded a million miles away.
“Goodnight,” I said softly.
I wanted to apologize, to say something that would make up for what I’d done. But there was nothing that could possibly make up for it, so I stayed quiet.
After a few minutes, Lucas’ voice rang out again. “I think I know who’s behind all of this.”
“What?” I sat up in the massive bed, my eyes searching for him in the darkness.
“I’ve had a good idea all night, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. It seems pretty obvious.”
“Well? Who is it?”
He sighed. “My brother.”
TWELVE
Lucas wouldn’t tell me any more about Diego or his suspicions, insisting we get some sleep and talk about it in the morning. That was easier said than done. It took me an hour, at least, before I finally calmed my thoughts enough to sleep.
When I woke, sunlight streaming through the windows facing the water, it was with a heavy heart. I knew I should have been happy to wake up in luxury, but in that moment, I would have given anything not to be there. Not when Lucas hated me so.
I sat up in bed, finding myself alone in the room. Lucas had slipped out at some point, and in his place was a note. I got up to read it.
The shower’s yours. Clothes in the dressing room.
I found the bathroom—more like a spa, really, complete with a whirlpool tub I wished I knew how to work. The shower was superb, especially with the multiple jets that hit me all over my body. I could have stayed in there all day.
Wrapped in a thick, fluffy robe, I walked across the heated floor in search of the dressing room. When I came upon it, I gasped at the sight of clothing waiting for me. It was all in my size, too. I chose a T-shirt and jeans, marveling at how easy it was for the rich to get whatever they wanted. Even clothes for a perfect stranger, delivered before she got out of bed.
I wandered the halls, getting a little lost in my quest to find the kitchen. I thought I might have smelled coffee, so I followed my nose to the stairs. I could find my way from there.
Lucas was waiting for me in the kitchen. I swallowed hard at the sight of him in jeans and a tee of his own. I hadn’t yet seen him in anything more casual than a suit—apart from his birthday suit, but that hardly counted. He could wear the hell out of a pair of jeans, his backside defined to perfection. The sleeves of the shirt were a little snug against his thick biceps, and when he turned, I saw just a hint of his tanned chest below the V-neck.
Holy moly, he was something else. Even though he was holding me hostage, I couldn’t help but appreciate him.
“Good morning,” he said, motioning toward the espresso maker. “It’s already loaded up for you, if you’re interested. Just turn the knob one click to the right.”
I did, and as if by magic, fresh espresso poured out from the spout. The smell was magical, reaching parts of my brain even a brisk shower hadn’t managed to wake up. I felt much better after the first sip.
“I need to know,” I said then, unable to hold back. There was no sense in tiptoeing around the subject.
“You need to eat first, Selena. You didn’t have any dinner last night. I imagine you’re starved.”
He wasn’t wrong; the sight of bread, cheese, meat and fruit sent my stomach into a frenzy. I could have eaten all of it but settled for taking as much as a small plate could hold. I sat on the same stool I’d taken the night before, and Lucas did the same.
“All right,” I said through a mouthful of food. “Talk to me. What makes you think it’s Diego?”
He put down the paper he’d been skimming with a heavy sigh, then lowered his head onto his hands. My heart went out to him at that moment. He looked so lost. I asked myself how I’d feel if I found out my sibling, the part-owner of my company and somebody I’d looked up to all my life, was trying to sabotage me.
“We’ve had problems in the last few months,” he began.
I thought back to the fight I’d listened in on, that night on the yacht. Eight months, if I remembered correctly—but there was no way I would let him know I’d been listening. He already didn’t trust me.
“So that’s enough for him to want to sabotage you?” I asked.
“Diego is successful in his own right. He had plenty of money before I ever entered the business world. He doesn’t need De Rocha Medical for his living—if anything, the title is a technicality, something I gave him as a way to thank him for giving me the money to start the business. He could go back to his life without blinking an eye.”
“I still don’t understand why you’d think he’d want to,” I murmured, sipping the espresso. I could think much more clearly with a full stomach and plenty of good coffee. He’d had me at a disadvantage with the booze the night before.
“It’s a long story,” he started. “Pretty personal stuff, but suffice it to say we had a falling out over a woman.” He raised his eyes to look at me. “Oldest story in the book, huh?”
“One of the oldest,” I said with a sympathetic smile.
“It tore us apart. We used to be tighter than tight. You don’t even know. My brother is the most important person in the world to me, believe it or not. But he can’t forgive me for something he thought I did, and I can’t help wondering if it wasn’t enough for him to turn on me and want to take me down.”
It seemed like a long shot, but I didn’t have the nerve to tell him I doubted his theory. I didn’t know Diego any better than I knew Lucas; while he seemed like a kind, thoughtful person on the surface, he could be hiding any number of grudges against his younger, more handsome brother.
“So you think he’s angry enough to go this route? To pay as much money as he offered me?”
“How much did he offer you?” he asked, suddenly curious.
“That’s private,” I retorted.
“I’m not allowed to ask how much money you were willing to destroy me for?”
I flinched at his words, because they rang with truth. “All right. The pay for the job would have been three-quarters of a million dollars.”
He absorbed this with a neutral expression. “It’s good to know my demise wouldn’t come cheap,” he finally said, nodding his head. “I guess that’s a lot of money to you.”
I tipped my head to the side, narrowing my eyes. “It’s a lot of money to most people, Lucas. I’m sure it would have been to you back when you were poor.”
I got up to put my plate in the sink, and when I came back, he held out a hand to stop me. I looked down at my arm, where his hand circled it, then up at him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put it that way. I guess you really needed the money. It must have been a tough decision for you.”
I nodded, swallowing the sorrow that bubbled up in my throat. “You have no idea,” I croaked.
Lucas nodded, releasing me, and I sat down to give my shaky legs a break.
“What wi
ll you do about it?” I asked.
He looked thoughtful. “I don’t have any choice but to confront him about it, do I? I need to know, now. It’ll eat me alive.”
I could understand that. I watched while he thought it over in his head.
“All right,” he finally said, pulling his phone from his jeans.
“Oh my God. You’re calling him?”
“No,” he said, smirking.
The call connected, and Lucas started talking to whoever had answered. “Hi. I’d like to make a reservation for this evening… Yes, yes, I know you’re booked up several months in advance… Can I speak with Raphael, if he’s there?”
He waited, tapping his fingers the way he tended to do when he was feeling impatient. I was starting to find out little things like that about him, all of which made him seem more human.
Then he smiled. “Raphael. It’s Lucas De Rocha. I’m doing very well, and how are you? Wonderful. Listen, Raphael, I have an important meeting tonight and can only think of one place I want to hold it.” He laughed. “My normal table? The one with the view of the water? Wonderful, glad to hear it. I’ll see you at eight.”
Then he hung up. I was speechless.
“Wow. They were already booked for months?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t take much when you know the right people. I’m a good customer, and a good tipper. Hell, I’ve probably put the owner’s kids through college.”
I snorted, then looked nervously down at my casual clothes. “I don’t suppose your personal shopper picked up anything worthy of a swanky dinner, did they?”
He shook his head. “Looks like we have some shopping to do together.”
Of course, we did. He wouldn’t let me go on my own for anything in the world, would he?
Lucas’ next phone call was to Diego. I watched his body language change as he made the call—where he’d been relaxed before, he became tense and closed-off. I heard the faint sound of Diego’s voice when he answered, and even from that I could hear how surprised he was to hear from his brother.
“Will you meet me for dinner tonight at Raphael’s? It’s very important that I get to see you. Please.” He glanced at me, and I saw that his tanned cheeks were a little red. He didn’t like me hearing him talk to his brother this way. If anything, it helped him come off as an actual human being instead of the untouchable god he normally looked like.
When Diego accepted, his face broke out in a smile. “Great. Eight o’clock.” When he hung up, he let out a sigh of relief. So did I.
THIRTEEN
Lucas’ driver brought us to Raphael’s for seven-forty-five, and moments after stepping out of the limo the maître d’ showed us to our table. I noticed more than one jealous look from groups of people waiting to be seated. People with billions of dollars to their name didn’t have to wait, evidently.
I tried to avoid looking smug as I sashayed past in the black cocktail dress Lucas had purchased for me earlier in the day. I wore a silver shawl over my shoulders, while a matching clutch and shoes completed the look. I almost felt like a princess. It was a shame that I was there as his prisoner.
Still, the way Lucas smiled at me as he helped me into my chair warmed my heart. “You look lovely,” he murmured. “I’m proud to be here with you, even if you’re a traitor.”
“Thanks,” I smirked, choosing to let the subject drop. Lucas looked gorgeous, in one of his customary suits, but that was nothing new. He didn’t wear a tie, choosing to leave the top button open instead. Just that one little touch sent him into the stratosphere, and if I hadn’t been ready to strangle him, I might have kissed him instead.
“So, you think he’ll show?” I murmured, draping a napkin across my lap.
“He will. I know him well enough.” I didn’t think he believed his confident words, though, not from the tone of his voice. I wondered exactly what had happened between the two brothers to tear them apart. I didn’t have any siblings, and had nothing to compare his situation to.
Then I saw Diego enter, and elbowed Lucas to get his attention. He stood when his brother approached, and I watched as Diego froze for a second, surprised to see me.
“Selena. It’s nice to see you.” His dark eyes shifted to Lucas. “I didn’t know this was going to be a business meeting.”
“It’s not—at least, not strictly. But it does have to do with her.”
The two men sat. Diego’s eyes found me again, and I saw nothing but bitterness there. “Let me guess,” he started. “This has to do with what happened on the yacht, right? You can’t just let me talk to a beautiful woman. You have to make sure you humiliate me in front of her, too.”
I hadn’t guessed he would react that way, and I blushed furiously at the way he’d mistaken the situation.
“It has nothing to do with what happened the other night,” Lucas spat. “You’re very good at playing dumb, brother.”
I winced—it didn’t seem to me that Diego was pretending. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me.
“Then what’s it have to do with? I’m not playing dumb, I assure you.” He looked at me, then back at Lucas. “Well? What’s up?”
“You want to act like you don’t know? Fine. But you’ll answer my questions, damn it.”
Diego’s expression changed. He was totally perplexed. “Questions about what?”
“Before I get started, I think it’s best to let you know I have guards stationed all around the building. Don’t bother trying to run. It’ll only make things harder for you.”
Diego’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? You’re not kidding about this?”
“This is no joking matter, big brother.”
Diego looked to me for help, but there was no help I could give him. It was clearer with every passing moment that he didn’t have the first clue what Lucas was accusing him of. I could sense his frustration building.
“I’m confused,” he finally admitted.
“Me, too. I’m confused as to why my brother would stoop so low as to try to take me down the way you’ve been doing.”
“What?” he whispered, his eyes wide. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Lucas…” I hissed, kicking his ankle. I was starting to get the idea his theory was totally off; I’d met plenty of liars in my time, and Diego didn’t strike me as one.
But Lucas ignored me, focusing his attention solely on his brother. “So? What’s it gonna be? Are you going to play it straight, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?”
“Lucas, please. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I thought this dinner was going to be a chance for us to reconcile.”
“What?” Lucas’ eyebrows shot up. He was flabbergasted.
“I thought that’s why you’d invited me tonight. I was hoping that it could mean a new beginning for us. I want us to be brothers again, Lucas. But then you do this…?” Diego’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ve missed you, brother. I don’t know what this is about, I don’t know what you’ve brought me here for. I want us to be brothers again, the way we used to be.”
I was sure Lucas would break down, since I’d gotten the idea during our conversation that he wanted the same thing. I could tell it tore him up to be without his brother, the man who he’d looked up to, who’d given him his start. I was surprised, therefore, when Lucas snorted at his brother’s show of emotion.
“Pretty slick, but I’m not buying it. You don’t close somebody out of your life the way you have and then just turn around and decide to forgive them.”
“Please…” Diego started to beg.
Just at that moment, my phone rang. I reached into my purse, embarrassed, having forgotten to turn it to silent. Then I saw who was calling and my eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
“It’s them,” I whispered. “It’s the client!”
FOURTEEN
“Are you going to answer?” Lucas asked.
“I have to, don’t I?”
I took a deep breath, feelin
g Diego’s questioning eyes on me as I did. I couldn’t think about him just then. I needed to be calm, natural. I couldn’t let the client know what was happening around me.
“Hello?” I answered, sounding polite but neutral. At least, I thought so. Lucas nodded encouragingly.
“Is it done?” the voice asked.
“Is what done?” I asked, glancing at Lucas.
“You know what I’m talking about, Selena. Don’t play games with me. We have an arrangement, and you haven’t been holding up your end of the bargain. Who do you think you’re dealing with?”
