by A. C. Arthur
“You underestimated me,” he replied. “I don’t like that.”
She straightened. “I don’t like any of it,” she told him as she stared up at him. “I didn’t then and I don’t know. It’s the way it is.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s not the way it has to be. You can trust me, Adriana. The fact that you told me something you’ve never told anyone else tells me that somewhere deep inside, you already know that.”
“I don’t know much about trusting anybody anymore,” she confessed.
“I’m not anybody,” he countered and when she looked away, he touched a finger lightly to her chin bringing her back until their gazes met once more. “I’m not.”
She knew that. A part of her had known that the first night she’d sat across the table from him. He was a Donovan, but he was unlike any of the Donovans she’d met. He was easy to laugh and not as easy to anger, she realized, but he could get there. She remembered the look in his eyes when she told him about the rape.
“I know,” she admitted, releasing a deep breath. “I don’t know how that makes me feel though. I don’t know how any of this, between us, I mean, makes me feel.”
He nodded. “Well, that’s an easy one.”
Moving in that quick and decisive way of his, Parker lifted her up, setting her on the island. He smoothed his hands over her thighs, spreading her legs apart enough so that he could step between them. Then his hands were on her ass, scooting her forward until she could easily wrap her legs around his waist, press her breasts against his chest.
“It makes you feel hot and excited,” he said leaning forward to nip her bottom lip with his teeth, then suckle it quickly.
“It makes you feel nervous because you want it so bad, more than you’ve ever wanted anything else in your life.”
A lick of his tongue over her top lip.
“It makes you wild with wanting it to happen again and again, to exploring and experiencing, to being one and now a part of two,” he whispered this time, just before kissing her.
Adriana wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting her head into the kiss, taking every part of what he was giving, letting the warmth and familiarity rush through her, the words he’d just spoken still floating in her mind. He was right, she thought when he moaned, his hands gripping her bottom, her legs wrapping around his waist. She was hot and excited. She was nervous and she wanted him to make love to her again and again. She wanted to explore every part of his body, to have him explore hers. And she wanted, she thought with a start, loving the way he sucked her tongue deep into his mouth, to maybe try being one and now a part of two.
Her reaction may have been different if she’d opened her eyes to see Jaydon standing in the doorway to the kitchen, watching them with a definite frown on her face.
#
“She’s got him,” Bruce said coming to stand beside Reginald at the far end of the yard.
Knowing exactly who his brother was referring to Reginald could only nod his agreement as he watched Parker and Adriana come out of the house, holding hands. They were a handsome couple Parker’s darker look joined with Adriana’s exotic beauty. A part of him wanted to be happy for his oldest son, just as it wanted to be happy for Regan and Gavin, but lately, Reginald had been second-guessing everything.
“And she still wants him,” he said raising his brows as a few seconds later Jaydon came out behind Parker and Adriana.
“You’re right about that,” Bruce said folding his arms over his chest, his feet spread a distance a part. “Look at how she’s frowning. She’d been smiling when she got here.”
Reginald nodded again. “Yes. She was.”
“I never did get used to Parker and her as a couple,” Bruce added. “But she’s damn good at running DNM.”
“Which is the only reason why she’s still around. I told Parker when he first brought her home to be sure he knew what he was doing. Mistakes made when you’re young,” Reginald trailed off, not needing to say the rest.
“Can come back to bite you in the ass,” his younger brother finished. “Dad used to say that and we all experienced it.”
“We’re still experiencing it,” Reginald said, turning so that his back was now to his family.
He’d walked down to the end of the yard, where the tiled ground gave way to freshly cut green grass. About ten feet ahead was a row of steps going down to the dock that stretched out towards Biscayne Bay. Today was a perfect day for sailing and so there were many boats on the water as Reginald looked out to the fading sunlight. It used to be that standing out here, looking out to the water and the horizon brought Reginald peace and solitude, that’s why he’d wanted to buy this house in the first place. He’d lived here for thirty-three years now, had raised his family here, but now, even those thoughts couldn’t drown out the weight of what was going on with him and his brothers.
“She wants $500,000 this time,” Bruce said once he’d turned around as well. “Al’s emailing everyone the letter. He’s really shaken because she said this is the last polite offer she’s going to make.”
“When has Roslyn ever been polite?” Reginald asked with a sigh.
“Al doesn’t think she’s bluffing.”
“No, she’s not bluffing. She wasn’t when she told us before she was making her last polite request.”
Bruce shook his head. “But then we’d had somebody we trusted that we could send to deal with her.”
“And now Tony’s dead,” Reginald told him. “I’ve never been able to forgive myself for getting him involved. Paying for Gavin and his sister’s tuition and making sure his wife received a monthly stipend has never seemed like enough.”
“We don’t know that Roslyn was involved in him being shot, Reggie. He was on duty, answering a call for domestic violence. You’re starting to sound paranoid like Al.”
Reginald slipped his hands into his pockets. “When his back-up arrived there was nobody in that apartment, Bruce. It was empty and hadn’t been leased out in a year prior to the call being made. And they couldn’t trace the 911 call. It was a set-up. You know it and I know it.”
“We don’t know anything for certain,” Bruce agreed.
Reginald gave a wry chuckle. “And that’s our biggest problem. We still don’t even know if what she says is true, so we keep paying her to keep her quiet and people keep dying. How is that helping anything, Bruce? And for how long are we going to keep this up?”
“Al wants to pay her,” Bruce replied. “He doesn’t want Bailey, Brandon and Brock to find out that Darla didn’t die from cancer like he told them. Because the moment that gets out those kids are going to dig deeper. And they’re too smart not to find the truth.”
“And then what?” Reginald asked turning to his brother. “We lose everything. All of us will lose everything we’ve worked so hard over the years to build. Is that what we want?”
“What side are you leaning on Reggie? You want to pay her to keep her quiet or do you want to stand strong? We’ve got to make a decision, all of us and we have to agree.”
“Like we agreed before,” he said quietly.
It had been a mistake, agreeing to pay Roslyn Ausby a one-time settlement and believing that she would go away that easily. How could they possibly trust that this time would be any different?
“I don’t think she’s going to walk away this time,” he said. “And my greatest fear, outside of the possibility of everyone finding out what happened all those years ago, is that if we don’t do something soon, somebody else—someone we all know and love—will die, just like before.”
Bruce lowered his head then, his shoulders slumping in the same fashion that Reginald’s had, but he didn’t speak again. He didn’t know what else to say and neither did Reginald. And neither of them knew what to do about a woman from the past that could ruin their future.
Chapter 8
“Congratulations on what promises to be another great season,” Parker said to Giovanni.
They were at the
end of season cast party celebration. A three hour event where select reporters, bloggers and of course the cast of the show came together after the last episode that they’d wrapped up late last night. It was held at the studio, in a large room they’d had built for specifically this reason. One of Miami’s hottest and best restaurants had catered the event, Spaga’s, so there were numerous tables filled with fantastic American and Mediterranean inspired food. Regan was in her glory, smiling in celebration of Indiscretions, while at the same time talking to reporters about Spaga’s and Gavin’s shows that were in the works.
All three of them had decided to attend this party as a way of pumping up the All Access event taking place in a few weeks, which meant that Savian had to tap into the charming and social side of his personality and make the rounds with the reporters. Parker had even spotted him taking pictures with Adriana, Lori, the showrunner, and several of the other cast members throughout the afternoon. The event was winding down and overall Parker thought it had been a success, one that he would report at the next monthly meeting. His father had already requested a written breakdown of the event since he and Uncle Bruce had gone to Houston to see Uncle Al a few days ago. They were expected to return sometime tomorrow.
For the past two weeks Parker had been basically stuck at the office, he and Dion taking meetings that would have normally been their fathers’ responsibility. The two Senior Donovans had never missed this much time from the office and Parker, his siblings and his cousins were all growing concerned. They’d agreed to wait until after the All Access event and things on the business front calmed down a bit before they approached their fathers in an attempt to find out what was going on. It was just another one of the many pressing issues that had been on Parker’s mind lately.
Giovanni was another and Parker had just found the perfect moment to deal with that one. Although Savian had spoken to the man about Adriana and her performance weeks ago, Parker had a few things he wanted to say himself. He would have done this sooner but for the drastic change in his work schedule. He’d just spotted the man standing near the entrance, his sunglasses propped on top of his head, wearing white pants and a denim shirt that was only partially buttoned. That effect was for the ladies Parker suspected and decided to ignore how unprofessional he thought it was especially for an event where he knew the press would be attending. He’d given the man a compliment and now waited to see how the rest of this conversation would play out. It probably wouldn’t be good, but he was prepared for that too.
“It’s going to be a fantastic season!” Giovanni said overenthusiastically, which had Parker wondering if the man were mocking him.
Still, he only nodded, determined to keep this calm and civilized. “We’re talking about season three and keeping all our current actors in contract.”
As Parker thought he might, Giovanni frowned. His thick eyebrows furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. “All the current actors, or one in particular?” Giovanni asked.
Parker had not been standing very close to Giovanni, someone could walk between them if they needed to get by. Except now, he closed that space, stepping closer to the man. “Excuse me?”
The grin on Giovanni’s face spread, his gaze remaining on Parker, even as he chuckled. “What you really want to tell me is that Adriana is staying in contract. Regardless of my reports about her and how hard it is to get anything done with her. You’re going to keep her on the show because it satisfies…um, shall we say your other needs.”
“Do you know who you’re talking to?” Parker asked, his voice going dangerously low.
“Oh yes, the mighty Parker Donovan,” was Giovanni’s casual response. “And I’ll save you the trouble,” he continued standing up straight so that he was almost eye-to-eye with Parker. “I quit. You can find yourself another director for your precious season three. Preferably one that knows how to deal with an erratic and inexperienced actress that doesn’t know if she wants to eat or puke. Oh, but she was smart enough to know which one in the Donovan hierarchy to sleep with in order to keep her bread buttered. Good luck with that one.”
The man meant that as his parting shot but Parker blocked his exit, using one hand to the center of his chest, pushing him back against the wall. “You bet your ass you quit!” he said, his voice low, lethal. “And you’re going to watch what the hell you say out of your mouth about Adriana because the next time, regardless of where we are and who may be watching I’m wiping that smug ass smile off your face.”
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Donovan?” Giovanni asked, or rather, taunted.
“Yes, are you threatening him, Parker? Over Adriana Bennett?” Jaydon asked, coming to stand so close to them, someone could have mistaken them for a threesome.
“I don’t make threats,” Parker said, yanking his hand away from Giovanni but keeping his eyes on the man. “I make promises. And rest assured, I follow through on all my promises.”
“Right, I’m sure you do,” Giovanni quipped, brushing down the front of his clothes as if Parker’s touch had somehow sullied the rotten bastard. “Look, I’ve done my part. This gig is definitely up. Good luck on the next season without me and with your fresh new sidepiece.”
Giovanni acted as if he were going to walk away but turned back giving Parker that smug smile again. “But she’s not really all that fresh is she? Man, I know she’s gotta be a hot piece in bed. Really, I know because a picture’s worth a thousand words.”
He laughed as he walked away and Parker took a step to go after him. To hell with the reporters he was going to beat the crap out of this fool and then have him thrown off his property. But a hand to his arm held him back.
“That’s probably not a good idea,” she said, pulling him so that he was now standing right next to her.
“This doesn’t concern you, Jay,” he said barely tossing her a glance.
Parker was looking around for one of the plain clothes security officers they always had around the studio. Dealing with celebrities and high-profile professionals, Parker had made it his personal responsibility to ensure that there was ample security around for those who signed on to work with DNT. The fact that he didn’t see anyone at this moment was pissing him the hell off.
“Oh but it does,” she said in a tone that Parker immediately recognized.
He looked at her then, saw the lift of her carefully arched brows, the upturned smirk on her lips. “And how is that?” he asked, knowing he wasn’t going to like what would come out of her mouth next.
“If you’re firing directors because he says something about you sleeping with the help, that’s a problem for not only you, but me and this company as a whole,” Jaydon said to him.
“First,” Parker told her, pulling his arm out of her grasp. “Adriana is not the ‘help’ and that’s damned disrespectful of you to say considering she’s your client. And I didn’t fire that leech although I was getting ready to. He quit!”
“You threatened to punch him in the face just because he picked up on your little tryst with…one of the actresses. Even though that entire situation is tired and so damn cliché, especially for you, Parker. I would have quit too.”
Parker shook his head as she continued to stare at him. There was something else here, something looming in the air around them. He’d thought the same thing that night at his house. Remembering that had Parker sighing. He wasn’t in the mood for this, not here and especially not right now. “Don’t, Jaydon. Now is definitely not the time.”
“So when is the right time, Parker? After you’ve brought the company down because you can’t keep it in your pants?” she snapped back.
After what he’d deemed a really good day, Parker had, in the span of about ten minutes been pushed into a totally pissed off mood. This wasn’t the norm for him, which only made his growing agitation all the more intense. He flexed his fingers at his side and tried taking a deep breath.
“Okay, I see I wasn’t as clear as I should have been a fe
w weeks ago. But I’m going to say this to you now,” he said, being very careful to keep his voice down especially since two reporters had just walked past them.
“We will not be getting back together. Not now and not later. That’s over and done with. If that’s going to be a problem for you I’ll gladly take your resignation now,” he said, a part of him hoping she would in fact resign. Everyone had asked him if he was going to be able to work with Jaydon after their break-up and Parker had assured them that there would be no problem. He and Jaydon were mature ambitious adults, they would put work first every time. Now, he was beginning to see that might not work out so well, especially now that he was seeing Adriana, and Jaydon so obviously disapproved.
She tilted her head, as if she had to take a second before responding.
“You need to think about what you’re saying and doing, Parker. Really, I suggest you slow down and consider this.”
Parker shook his head because that tone she was using on him was only serving to piss him off more. He had no idea what gripe Giovanni had suddenly developed with Adriana. The first season everything had been fine. Adriana had told him so and the director had never voiced anything different. Now, he seemed adamant about her being a problem and about Parker sleeping with her, which was none of his business and definitely, none of Jaydon’s business.
“This is your family’s company you’re playing with. What happens when this…fling you have going with her ends? Or worst, what if the press gets hold of the fact that you are truly sleeping with her? What then? With all the show’s success, that one tidbit of information could bring it all crashing down. Hell, what if she does you the same way she did Carlo diMarco? Not only would your career be over but you’d be in jail!” she yelled
That last word had turned some heads and Parker frowned, watching as both Savian and Adriana had started to make their way over to him.
“Don’t question me or what I do, Jaydon. My personal life is none of your business and if you want to keep your job you’ll remind yourself of that each time you think about making a comment where me or Adriana are concerned,” he said the last through clenched teeth as Savian and Adriana were close enough to hear them now.
