by Zoey Parker
“What about her?” I frowned. “Did you—did you want me to talk to her for you?” I asked weakly.
It wasn’t the most unusual thing in the world, for a man like Ryan to want me to speak to another, younger woman. I didn’t always find it flattering, but mainly I was just relieved that Ryan wasn’t very interested in me.
Ryan chuckled. Something about the way he laughed made me uneasy. It wasn’t like unattractive men to be so damn condescending, and I’d about had enough of it.
“No, honey, that’s not what I want,” Ryan sneered out, his ugly face suddenly scowling at me. I yelped at the tone of his voice, and he dragged me closer. “You see that little bitch? Well, I had her. And she’s not half as hot as you are. I’m gonna have you, too. So, the sooner you agree to go out with me, the better.”
I stepped back, successfully pulling my wrist away from Ryan’s clutches. “No,” I said firmly. “Sorry. That’s not how I work. Besides, I have a boyfriend.” I didn’t have a boyfriend, but I figured there was no way Ryan could know that.
He laughed in my face, sending a gust of anchovy-scented wind right into my nostrils. I gagged and coughed until tears came to my eyes.
“No, you don’t have a boyfriend, honey,” Ryan said. “Do you really think I’d be dumb enough to go after a girl with a man?” He burst out laughing as my cheeks turned crimson with anger and shame.
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied primly, stepping backward. “You leave me alone, or I’ll call the stage manager on you!”
Ryan snorted. “That wouldn’t do anything.” He grinned, exposing oddly white teeth for someone as nasty as him. “I own this town, baby. I own L.A. You ask any of those bitches out there,” he added, gesturing towards all of the women. “They’ll tell you: don’t fuck with Ryan Winters.”
I threw him one final petulant glance before bolting away. I didn’t even find the manager to tell her that I was leaving; I just left. I called Anya in the car, shaking and sobbing. She promised to make it right. Even though I was blacklisted from that charity for a few years, it was all worth it.
# # #
“Katia? Hello?” Anya leaned in close. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing,” I mumbled. “Just thinking about when I ran into that guy before.” Anya, Dante, and Troy all listened as I recounted the tale of that disastrous afternoon. I noted with satisfaction that both Dante and Troy looked murderous by the time my tale was over.
“And did you ever see him again?” Dante pressed. He drained his wine glass and set the empty cup down on the table. “After that, I mean?”
I shook my head. My cheeks were pink with the wine and the warm air inside Enchanted Wild, but I couldn’t deny that every time Dante looked at me, I blushed even harder.
“Yeah. He was a judge at some of my pageants, and I saw him from afar at some events, but that was the only private communication we ever had.”
Dante nodded, then frowned. “So, I wonder why he’s bothering you now? It’s almost like something would have triggered him to start stalking you.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “It might just be a weird coincidence. Who knows, this city is full of weird shit.”
Troy licked his lips. He reached for a piece of garlic bread and savagely bit into it, chewing ferociously. He had a kind of animal magnetism about him, and I could see why Anya was attracted.
“He’s a real asshole, Katia,” Troy grunted out. “We’re gonna take him down though. You don’t need to worry anymore. We’ve fuckin’ got this.”
Anya and I went to the ladies’ while Troy and Dante finished eating.
“I think I might go home with Troy,” Anya whispered. She reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick. I waited until she’d finished applying the coral matte cream before replying.
“You should,” I said carefully. “But you promise that if I need you, you’ll pick up the phone?”
“Definitely.” She hugged me. “Katia, you know how important you are to me. You’re more than just my boss. You’re like my sister.” She kissed my cheek. “And I’m really sorry about everything I said earlier today. I know you’ve really grown up a lot.” She shook her head. “And you’ve definitely come a long way from that spoiled Valley Girl brat persona. You’ve turned into a real woman, Katia.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “I love you, too,” I told her. “Now come on, the guys are waiting for us.”
Chapter Seventeen
Katia
Anya and Troy left together on Troy’s bike, leaving Dante and me with the car. I’d drunk so much wine that I almost wanted to call for a driver, but Dante assured me that he was fine to drive. As soon as we got in the car, I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him close.
“Katia…” Dante trailed off. “This isn’t a good idea. You know that.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered. Pressing my lips to his, I moaned softly into his mouth. Dante only resisted me for a second. After a moment, I felt him respond to my touch. Dante eagerly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. His tongue slipped between my lips, and I groaned softly as he began to suck and nibble on my lower lip.
When we parted, he was staring at me with lust in his eyes. During the drive home, I snuggled close to Dante on the bench seat and slipped my hand in between his thighs. Dante groaned as my fingers stroked the bulge of his erection through his jeans. He let out a wild cry of pleasure as I brought my hand to my own lap, touching myself through the crotch of my jeans.
“Katia, I’m going to ravish you.” Dante grunted as he turned his car into the driveway of my condo. My heart was thudding as he slowed to a stop. We both leaped out of the car and bolted towards the front door, eager to rip each other’s clothes off as quickly as possible.
I knew immediately that something was wrong. The foyer was untouched, but the condo felt different, as if someone had somehow taken ownership in my absence and removed everything that had made Katia Reynolds’s condo special to Katia Reynolds.
“Something’s wrong” I whispered as I stepped forward. Dante gently pushed me to the side and ran ahead to flick the light switch. The foyer was drenched in bright yellow light, but nothing looked out of place.
“Come with me,” Dante said. He grabbed my hand. “And don’t let go, Katia. Don’t leave me unless I specifically tell you to do so, okay?”
I nodded, whimpering in fear. Dante pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans and began leading me down the hallway. We checked each and every room, even the locked guest room that I used when Anya stayed over after a long night of chick flicks and wine. As far as I could tell, nothing was amiss.
“Maybe I’m just being paranoid,” I mumbled as Dante dragged me into the dining room and turned on the lights. He inspected every surface, looking for unfamiliar crumbs or footprints pressed into the shag carpeting. Still, there was nothing.
Finally, we approached my bedroom. A cold sense of dread enveloped me much like the one I’d felt at the coffee shop earlier when Anya had shown me those dreadful pictures. Tightening my grip on Dante’s hand, I tried to focus on my breathing.
In, out, in, out, I thought, picturing my breath filling a large red balloon with every exhalation. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m with Dante. He’d never let anything happen to me, not on his watch.
Dante kicked my bedroom door open and sprang inside. He flicked on the lights, then glanced down at the floor. As we entered the room together, I frowned.
“Something smells funny,” I said.
Dante turned to me. “Katia, do you have a cleaning service? Or a maid?”
I nodded. “Consuela comes on Saturdays.” Our eyes met as Dante glanced up at me from the carpeting. “But today’s Tuesday,” I added quickly. “Besides, she always leaves the lights on and a note in the foyer.”
“You left some stuff on the floor last night, didn’t you?” Dante stared into my eyes. “Your panties and bra.”
I gasped. I realized he
was right. The fancy lingerie that I’d worn to seduce Dante was gone. I’d left it on the floor where he’d thrown it, and I’d completely forgotten about it. I swallowed hard.
“I know it was still there this morning,” I said in a trembling voice. “I kicked the garter belt on my way to the bathroom.”
Dante looked like he’d been punched in the gut. “Come with me,” he barked out. “Come on, faster!” He gripped my fingers tightly and bolted down the hallway to the second guest room where he was staying. As he kicked open the door, the curious smell from my bedroom got even stronger. I covered my nose with my free hand and gagged.
“It’s piss,” Dante said disgustedly.
He sniffed the air again and then dropped my hand and squatted down. Reaching under the bed, Dante grunted with disgust as he pulled out a duffel bag. It was soaked with urine. The smell was enough to turn my stomach, and for a moment I came very close to barfing expensive wine all over the carpet.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Dante muttered. He pulled his hand away and shook it, spraying the carpet and duvet with urine. “This is fucking ruined.”
The air whooshed out of my lungs, and I felt faint. “We can’t stay here,” I said softly. “We have to leave. We have to go somewhere else.”
# # #
Thirty minutes later, Dante and I left the house in Anya’s car. I suggested someplace classy, like the St. Regis, but Dante turned me down.
“Those places don’t have the best security,” he said. “And that’s exactly where someone’s going to look for you first.” He sighed and ran a hand through his cowlicked hair. “We’re going to have to go somewhere cheap.”
“Like a Holiday Inn?”
Dante chuckled. “Baby, I wish. No. I mean like a motel outside of town.”
I groaned. “Oh my God, no, we’re going to get bedbugs if we go there,” I whined. “I can’t! Those places are so gross.”
Dante sighed. “I know it sucks,” he said calmly. “But you’ve gotta stay calm and suck it up for now. We can order pizza,” he added. “Does that make it sound better?”
I pouted. “No. Dante, do we have to? Can’t we drive to San Diego or something and stay in a nice place there?”
Dante shook his head. “I gotta stay close if Troy and I are gonna catch this guy. Come on.”
I crossed my arms and slumped down in the driver’s seat, staring out the window. I knew Dante was probably right, but I didn’t want to admit it. After all, I knew enough not to be mad at him. But making me stay in a cheap motel was just ridiculous. They never even wash the bedspreads in those places. Just thinking about it was enough to make me nauseous again.
Dante had kept the urine-soaked duffel bag in a garbage bag and tucked it carefully into Anya’s trunk. He planned to go to the police with evidence. The urine and the theoretical fingerprints outside my condo were hard evidence that we could hopefully use to convict Ryan, but I made Dante promise that he’d stay with me all night.
I felt so guilty because now he was in danger, and it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten so attached to Dante. I was putting him at risk every second that I spent thinking about him. It wasn’t fair, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stop. I loved Dante, and I was going to have to deal with that after this whole mess was over.
Dante bought us a room at the shittiest motel I’d ever seen.
“I’ve seen garbage heaps that look more appealing than this,” I complained as I stepped out of the car and massaged my calves. They were sore from wearing heels for so long. “Do we really have to stay here?”
“Sorry, Princess,” Dante said with a smirk. “It’ll be over soon. Just a couple of days, and then you can go back home.”
I sighed. “I don’t even want to go home. Not with that creeper out there. I don’t want to go back to my condo until I’m sure that he won’t be coming back.”
Dante nodded. “I get that. Trust me. I know this sucks, babe, but it’s okay. We’ll get Ryan soon, and then you can go back home. I know you’re probably looking forward to having alone time again, huh?”
I pouted but didn’t respond. The truth was that I was dreading the day Dante left and went back to Heaven’s Veil. I wanted him around, all the time, not just when he was protecting me. And right now, I knew that I couldn’t tell him. It would just make things worse and probably put Dante in even more danger.
Dante carried our bags up to the second story. Our room was at the end, 111. As Dante jammed the key (a real key, not even one of those plastic card thingys!) into the lock, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I was dying for a long, hot bath but I had a feeling that the tub in the bathroom would be one of the most disgusting things that I’d ever seen in my life.
“Well, home sweet home,” Dante said when he got the door unlocked. He kicked the door open and strode inside, carrying our bags like they weighed nothing at all. As soon as he flicked on the lights, I let out a loud scream.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Dante said. He set the bags down on the ground. “What now?”
Shaking, I pointed my finger forward. “That,” I whispered. “What is it?” I stepped closer, not wanting to get too near the gray bulge on the floor. “Is it a mouse? A dead rat? Dante, help!”
Dante chuckled. “Baby, it’s a ball of lint,” he said. He reached down to grab it, and I shrieked, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. “What, you don’t want me to get the big bad lint ball?”
“No. I want you to stay with me.”
Dante stood up. I was still gripping his arm, and for a moment, we swayed uneasily together. His dark blue eyes were staring into mine, and I shivered; he had a way of looking at me that made me feel like I was naked.
“And just what exactly do you want me to stay for?” Dante’s voice was a husky growl that sent shivers down my spine. I stepped closer, swaying dangerously on my heels.
“To protect me,” I said softly. “That’s what I hired you to do, right?”
Dante chuckled. “You did. And that’s all?” He raised his eyebrows at me.
For a moment, I was tempted to respond. I wanted to tell him everything; how I’d unwittingly fallen in love with him, how he’d somehow captivated me beyond all imagination, how I’d never felt like this about a man before. I’d never even come close. Yet, telling Dante was the scariest part of all.
The words were in my mouth, wrapped around my tongue, and caught in my teeth, yet I was unable to speak. It was as though some wicked sorceress had put a curse on me, and I couldn’t do anything to break it.
Dante reached up and brushed a stray piece of blonde hair behind my ears. My heart leaped into my throat as the tension between us sizzled and sparked between our bodies. I took a step forward and closed the gap between Dante and myself. He was warm, and I deeply inhaled his scent. By now, it was a scent as familiar to me as my own, but unlike my own scent, smelling Dante made my belly jump, tingle, and flutter in anticipation.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Dante whispered. He leaned down and nuzzled my neck, making me shiver. The sensation of his lips gliding over my skin was heavenly, and I let out a small moan as he nipped at my collarbone.
“Yes. This is what I want.”
And just like that, Dante’s arms were around me, and we were kissing. Our lips tangled, moving together with a slow, lush speed that immediately soaked my panties. I was no longer thinking of anyone else or any of my trouble. Dante was my whole world, the air that I was breathing, every thought that was running through my mind. He was my body, my soul, my blood, even the tiny little cells in my skin.
Dante moaned. “God, Katia.” He tangled his hand in my loose curls and yanked my head back, exposing more of my neck for him to ravish. As he kissed his way down my flesh, I shuddered and cried out with pleasure.
Dante eased me back until I was tripping over the mattress. We fell gracefully down, landing with a thud on one of the hardest beds I’d ever felt. Being in the cheap motel no longer mattered, and I
didn’t even care that I was probably going to get fleas from this damn bed. All that mattered was that I was with Dante, alone, and that we were going to make love.
I knew in my mind that this could very well be the last night I ever spent with Dante. Tomorrow, he and Troy could go catch Ryan. Then, Dante would be back with Heaven’s Veil, riding around L.A. on his bike, and wreaking havoc.
I had a feeling that if I saw him with his guys, I wouldn’t even recognize him. That wild look in his eyes that I’d seen back when we first met would take permanent residence and replace the kind looks that he shares with me. Never again would the surprisingly sweet Dante stroke my hair or order me a bottle of the wine list’s second most expensive bottle.
I’d be lucky if I saw him again at all.
The reality of knowing that soon Dante would be gone made me even hornier. I dug my fingers into the back of his neck, kissing him desperately until we were both gasping for air. I savored his taste, sucking his tongue, and running the tip of my own tongue along Dante’s teeth. He moaned with delight as I ran my hands down his muscled chest, over his body and down between his thighs. His cock was rock hard, and when I stroked my fingers over it, Dante shuddered.
