Recently he’s been more inquisitive.
“Stuff,” I answer knowing it will purposely rub him the wrong way. He can be so obvious sometimes.
“Does this stuff involve Rachel?” His brows knit together.
I lean in closer and hold his gaze. “Peter, what if it did? I’ve always been a part of her life and you want me to just stop?”
“Dante, things are different now. that was before I knew you were into her.”
“Okay… so tell me, because you didn’t before, what problem do you have with me being with her, Peter.”
His eyes become stony and a muscle flicks at his jaw. Maybe I’ve said too much.
“She’s my kid Dante.”
“She’s not a kid Peter.”
“You still want her. Don’t you?” he asks with insistence.
I rise to my feet. the meetings over and I don’t need any more of this shit. “I’ll see you tomorrow Peter.”
“Why can’t you give me an answer about the weekend?” he challenges. “What are you doing?”
“Fucking.” That shuts him up
He frowns at me as I walk out and leave his ass.
I’m not seeing Rachel tonight because she’s with her friends. I’m going to go home, grab a beer and head to the gym to do a couple of hours before I crash out.
I don’t know what I’m going to do with Peter and Rachel. He knows I’m seeing his daughter and I need to come clean. I’m not some teenage boy who needs to sneak around.
I guess though that the real question I need to ask myself is where I’m going with this relationship.
What do I want?
There’s no point asking her what she wants because I can see it. I’ve been able to see it for years. I can see that what she wants is me and I hoped it would change because even without Peter telling me to stay away I knew he’d have a problem with me being with her.
Now he’s suspicious. So what do I do?
Do I fuck up my friendship with Peter by coming clean? Or, do I keep my mouth shut and allow this secret relationship to ride out?
The latter doesn’t sit well with me. I think if I can allow a woman I asked to marry me to walk away because her suspicions were correct about Rachel then deep down I want more than waiting for the relationship to ride out.
As I turn the corner and drive up the road to my house all thoughts fade from my mind when I spot a familiar silver Miata.
I bite down hard on my back teeth when I see the owner sitting on the porch with the amber light beaming down on her blond head like a halo.
It’s Marie. She sitting there waiting for me.
When I pull up on the drive she stands and looks on at me in anticipation.
Shit… what is she doing here? She made it clear that I’d never see her again when she left and went back to LA.
I get out of the car and make my way up to her. her bright blue eyes look me over nervously but she still overs me a little smile.
“Hi,’ she says first.
“Hello.”
“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by. I just thought maybe we could talk.”
About what? What could she want to talk about?
“Sure, come in,” I answer and open the door.
She follows me inside and we go into the living room.
I continue standing because I don’t want her to get too comfortable or think I’m okay with her showing up unannounced.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” I start.
“Dante… I,” she begins then stops. “I think that I made a mistake. I mean I think that it was a mistake breaking up.”
Jesus… I don’t fucking need this now. Not now when I’m already so confused on what I’m doing with Rachel.
“What made you come to that conclusion? It’s almost been a year.”
“I’ve had time to think and I realized I was just jealous and being foolish. I was wrong to think that you had any kind of feelings for Rachel and it just got to me in the worse way. When you told me you loved me I should have believed it. I had no reason to be jealous of her.”
I just stare at her. How do I tell her she was right? How do I say that? And what the fuck did she think I’d do? just take her back because she realized her jealousy?
“Marie… you were right to break up with me.”
“No, I wasn’t. It was crazy and stupid and I still love you. I never stopped. I want another chance Dante. I want a chance to make it up to you and fix us.”
I sigh and look over to the long French windows. I hate being stuck in shit. I hate it. But it’s my fault. I always knew what I felt for Rachel and I thought the feeling would just stop one day. I hoped she’d meet someone and forget me. I hoped I would meet someone too. I did and I couldn’t forget her.
I look back to her and shake my head.
“Marie, you can’t fix us and I can’t fix us. I’m seeing someone.” It’s best to tell her that. “I’m in a relationship.”
Wow, I guess I just decided I’m really in a relationship with Rachel.
“Oh… I …didn’t realize you were seeing someone.”
“I’m sorry Marie. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“I did and I lost it.” she brings her fingers to her cheeks and draws in a breath. “I better go.”
A tear slides down her cheek and she heads back out the door before I can answer.
I didn’t have an answer for her anyway.
I lower to sit on the sofa and pose the question to myself again.
What am I going to do?
I just told Marie I’m in a relationship. If I am then I need to work on it not being secret.
I just don’t want to lose my friendship with Peter. It’s the only end result I can see though. The end of our friendship.
Chapter Twelve
Rachel
I’m so happy I could burst.
Literally.
The CEO of Activate called Dad earlier today to thank him for all my hard work. Me specifically. Not Allen or anybody else. Me.
I just made them a total of one million dollars and they asked for me to work on another upcoming campaign they have in the works.
I was so proud of myself when Dad told me and it highlighted the fact that there’s very little I do here that’s recognized even when I do so much.
Because I work in projects with teams of people we tend to get recognition as a group, but nobody sees me. Nobody sees the work I can actually do on my own.
They didn’t see me before now and it’s all down to Dante’s efforts to utilize my ideas.
I’m making my way to his office now to tell him. He’s been in meetings all day so I haven’t seen him and I’m not supposed to see him until tomorrow for a wild night at The Dark Odyssey.
His door is slightly ajar but I knock anyway and go in when he tells me to.
His face brightens when he sees me, although he looks tired.
“Come here,” he says beckoning me to come to him.
I close the door and rush into his arms. His arms around me feel better than anything and as I lift my head he kisses me.
He kisses me like it wasn’t just this morning we saw each other. It’s moments like this when I wish we could be this way forever.
He picks me up and sets me on top on his desk so he can get better access to my lips.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Princesa.”
“Am I?” I giggle touching his cheek.
“Yes, you know you are. Happy to see you. You look happy.”
“I’m happy with you. You opened the door for me to finally shine.”
“What happened baby?” he asks.
I start telling him everything and he listens, hanging on to every word. When I’m done he sits next to me on the desk.
“Rachel you know you didn’t do all that much to get that campaign to work magic. That’s natural abilities and talent.” He muses looking even prouder. “It’s stuff nobody has to tell you to do, you just kn
ow how to do it for yourself.”
“Thank you. I guess I just tend to fall in line here and do what I’m doing. All I did was tweak the images for the ad campaign and use models actually wearing the sportswear, rather than just having pictures of the clothes on mannequins.”
That was how Activate wanted it in the beginning so we followed. After there weeks of launching the online store I knew straightaway the we could do better so I insisted that we did.
“My thoughts exactly, which was why I allowed you to contact them,” he answers with his trademark sexy grin.
“Thank you. Dad would never allow me to do that.”
“Baby… you know you don’t have to stay here. It feels to me like this is your comfort zone. Bradleys Inc is fantastic but why do good when you could be great?”
I chuckle. “Sometimes I ask myself the same thing, but I like it here.”
“Do you just want to work projects? Baby you’ve been here for years. I’m not telling you to leave or anything like that. I just want to make sure you know your worth. Marketing is about passion and understanding what people want. Its psychology. You appeal to their desires and their needs, their wants, sometimes their fantasies. Someone with your skill can do that without being taught. That means you could go anywhere.”
It’s the first time I’ve ever really thought about it. “You think so?”
“I know so. I don’t want you to think that this is the only option for you. The world’s your oyster, Princesa.”
“Thank you. That means a lot. I’m going to think about it.” He’s planted the seed in my mind and made me realize that hope to do more here may not actually happen. Matt and Jeff were already doing heaps in their first and second years of working with Dad. I’ve been here fulltime for nearly five years and every year I hope things will be different. “I’d certainly like to stop being blamed for the loss of the last contract.”
“What happened with that?”
I never told him. It was embarrassing enough telling Dad then not having him believe me.
“It’s okay. I’m over it.”
He straightens up and narrows his eyes. “Rachel you do that a lot you know. You don’t have to brush stuff your worried about under the rug with me, talk to me. It’s not the first time you mentioned your Dad being pissed about the last project you worked on. Funnily enough he didn’t exactly share the reasons why it didn’t work out either.”
I bring my hands together and my shoulders slump. “The client wanted me to sleep with him and I said no,” I answer and Dante’s mouth falls open. “ I told him no, so he pulled the contract and made up a load of bull shit to tell dad. He said I was unprofessional with his brand. Dad believed him over me.”
“What the fuck?” he fumes. “Rachel, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I just… there’s rarely a week that goes by when Dad isn’t breathing down my throat for one reason or another. It’s always something I’ve done and this is possibly the longest that he’s gone without bitching at me.” I’m hoping today’s news will place me in his good books.
“Jesus Christ Rachel, no, that’s not acceptable and that’s no reason to not tell me. What about Allen? Has he been bothering you?”
I shake my head and smile. I like when he gets so protective of me. “He hasn’t, not since that day when you promised him his funeral.”
“Good. You’re… father liked him for you,” he points out.
“I know, but I didn’t like him for me. I like you.”
He holds my gaze with that hesitant stare I’ve been seeing every now and again. It puts me on edge and makes me nervous that he’ll end us.
“What?” I ask seeing his continued hesitation.
“I might not always be here Rachel,” he answers and my stomach clenches.
“What do you mean?”
“Can you keep another secret? I feel like this is one I should be telling you.”
“Of course.”
He takes my hands into his and strokes the top of my skin.
“I’m leaving Rachel, maybe another month or two tops. I want to see this project through for your father and then I’m out.”
My lips part and then I swallow hard. “Oh my God… you’re serious. You’ve always worked for Dad.”
“Yeah, and turned away a lot of opportunities. This job may take me away a lot and I’ll be travelling backwards and forwards between here and the Caribbean. I might not get to see you as much as I want to, that doesn’t mean I want you to wait around for me.”
Tears sting the backs of my eyes as emotion grips me. “I would wait.”
“Rachel… you’re a bright young woman and you have your choice of men. The same way I don’t want you settling for being here I don’t want you settling for me.”
I don’t know how he could say that to me. “I’m not settling,” I say shaking my head. “I really want to be with you.”
“And maybe I want to be selfish and keep you with me.”
“That sounds fine to me.”
“Depends on what we are baby, I don’t know how long we can be a secret. Look at you… I don’t know any man alive who’d want to do that. I’m no different.”
“Then don’t.”
“Think about what you’re saying Rachel. I know your father isn’t going to be happy about it. I don’t think he’ll forgive me if he finds out.”
The dark dread that comes into his eyes makes guilt weigh heavily on my heart.
I’d feel terrible if that happened. I’d feel so bad if I came between their friendship. And it follows that if Dad would be so furious with him, he’d be the same with me too.
“Come here, baby,” he says crooking his finger for me to come to his lips. I do and we kiss. It’s a sweet, sensual kiss that makes my heart skitter.
I don’t need to think about anything to know what I want. The answer is still the same.
I want him.
Nothing else and no one else matters.
Chapter Thirteen
Dante
This is probably the mildest fantasy we’ve had, but it’s times like this when I lose my damn mind. It happens every time I’m with her.
We’re at the Dark Odyssey living out another fantasy. This time we’ve chosen one of the fantasy rooms.
It’s the Roman paradise set up to replicate ancient Rome. It’s beautiful with pillars and a pool and a chaise lounge. It’s perfect for the couple who have lived out months of fantasies and just want to enjoy each other.
That’s what we’re doing tonight, playing.
I’m a Roman soldier and she’s a gift to me from Caesar after my courage in battle.
I’m dressed like a roman soldier, only wearing the tunic and she’s dressed like a very sexy slave. She’s topless with a cloth wrapped around her waist and her hair down.
I can always tell when she’s aroused and wants me to take control. Tonight was one of those nights.
I’m sitting on the chaise lounge and she kneels before me. I reach for her nipples and caress the tips slowly.
“What does my master want me to do to him this night?” she asks and I take hold of her waist. She definitely has the sexy role play thing down.
I smile as I lift her up and set her on my lap to straddle me.
I lean close to her ear. “I want to fuck you all night.”
“You can do that,” she says unwrapping the cloth from her waist.
“I plan to, but first I want to taste you.” I’ve decided to accept the truth of the matter that I lose my mind when I’m with her and there’s no coming back. No point in even trying to hold on to some semblance of what we are and what we might be.
Since that talk I had with her two days ago, we’ve become more intense. I’ve decided to put the ball in her court. I want the decision to lay with her. I know what I want and it’s her. If she tells me she wants me to take this relationship out of the dark then I’m doing it and I’ll lose Peter.
I pi
ck her up and take her over to the four poster bed where I lay her down and look at her. Set against the beauty of the room she looks like a goddess. There’s a waterfall behind us that flows into a pond of colorful fish. Palm trees line the bank of the pond, and just like the rest of the club makes you truly believe you’re Venice, I believe I’m in Rome with this naked beauty at my mercy.
I’m always thinking about what she has and hasn’t done. Maybe because I wanted her to do everything with me.
She giggles when I reach for a bunch of grapes and start placing the little grapes over the flat of her stomach and the valley of her breasts.
I set out ten because I have a game I want to play.
“What are you doing, Dante?”
“We’re playing ten secrets. I am your master for tonight. The next order of activity will be us sharing secret things we’ve always wanted to do. We get five each. You share and I share but I get to either feed you a grape or eat them off you, and of course pleasure you in some way.”
Her eyes twinkle with excitement. “I love that game.” Her laughter reminds me of happiness and the look of delight on her beautiful face makes me want to seal it in time and keep it forever. The same I’m finding I want to keep her forever.
“Good, you start Princesca, tell me your first secret.”
A blush creeps down her cheek and flushes over her elegant neck. She smiles though when I pick up a grape and feed it to her.
“I… wanted you to be my first,” she says and looks down embarrassed. “I remember making a pact with myself that I was going to tell you how I felt about you when I was eighteen and it never happened. I chickened out because I realized how ridiculous I would have seemed.”
Her eyes flick back up to meet mine and I continue to gaze down at her perfection. There’s something I’m noticing, something that pulls on my heart. Every time we talk in this kind of way I see that this thing with us wasn’t just recent or even in recent years. She seemed to have always felt this way for me.
Tempt: A Dark Billionaire Romance (Dark Odyssey Club Fantasies Book 2) Page 8
