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  “I thought you weren’t going to be back until tomorrow, sweetie.” The sound of her mom’s voice prodded her into action and she moved forward.

  “Mr. Palazzo’s sister had an accident and we had to come back early,” Ari said as she went her mother’s bed and leaned down to give her a hug.

  “Is she all right?”

  “Yes. She’s fine. Her family is there with her now, so I wanted to come see you. It’s only been a few days, but I missed you. I bet you can’t wait to get out of here. It has seemed like forever.”

  “It’s felt like an eternity. I just want my own bed again,” Sandra said as she reached for her cup of water. “How was New York?”

  “It was amazing. We were there only a few days and didn’t get much work done, but I was able to spend an afternoon in Central Park! I also got to ice-skate at Rockefeller Center. I’m terrible at it, but I’d do it all over again. I hope to go back someday and explore more.”

  “We’ll have to go together. I’ve never been to the East Coast. We’ll make it a nice little vacation and stop in to see Niagara Falls, too.”

  “That sounds like a date, Mom. We’ll want to do it in the summer because I’ve heard those falls get pretty cold.”

  “Do you like your new job, Ari? Are you going to be able to finish school while doing it?”

  When Ari was in New York, she had told her mother only that she’d received a promotion in the company she’d been hired at originally and was now working directly for Rafe. She hadn’t known what else to tell her. Sandra absolutely didn’t need to know the whole truth.

  “I love the job, not that I really know what I’m doing yet. I think it will be a good experience. I’m going to try to get back to school soon, Mom. I promise. I will finish that degree so you can be proud when I accept my diploma at the department of history ceremony.”

  “Ari, don’t you know that I’m proud of you no matter what you do in life? I just want this so badly because you worked your tail end off and deserve to finish. It’s a shame to stop now when you’re so very close. I’d never forgive myself if you didn’t graduate because of me.”

  “Mom, the accident was my fault, so none of this is because of you!” Ari insisted.

  “We can go back and forth all day long about whose fault it is, but the bottom line is that I won’t be happy until you have that diploma in your hand. You gave up a lot of your childhood so you could earn scholarships to go to school, and now it’s time for you to shine.”

  “I am shining, Mom. You know, most college kids dream of getting a job for a company as prestigious as the Palazzo Corporation. They are high up there on the food chain. I see that look in your eyes, so you don’t have to say it. I won’t settle. I promise you, I’ll be there no more than six months, and then, even if I have to pimp myself out for college tuition, I’ll get back in the classroom.”

  Ari winced at how close to home her statement was. She might not be selling her body for tuition money, but she was for her mother’s security. The worst part was that she was developing feelings for her captor.

  “Ari! Don’t even joke about such a thing,” Sandra exclaimed. “But you know,” she went on in a deceptively even tone, “you need to tell me more about your boss — this Mr. Rafe Palazzo, who was so kind to me.”

  Ari squirmed beneath her mother’s intense gaze. She’d managed to avoid the subject many times over, but her mom was an observant woman. Ari would have to be darned convincing to persuade Sandra there was nothing going on with her “boss.”

  “He’s a great man who has decided to give a college dropout a chance. There’s really nothing much I can tell you — he’s a pretty closed book,” Ari hedged.

  “It seems to me that he’s more than your boss.”

  “That’s ridiculous, Mom. Mr. Palazzo is just one of those men who really stand out in a crowd. He’s…helpful,” Ari concluded lamely.

  “You honestly expect me to believe there’s nothing going on between the two of you?”

  “No, absolutely nothing!”

  “Now, Ari, I think your mother is a smarter woman than that.”

  Ari turned around to find Rafe leaning against the doorjamb as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She sent an urgent look his way, pleading with him to stick with her story. When he answered with a wink, she didn’t know what to expect.

  “Excuse me, Rafe. Did you want to add something?” Sandra asked as she looked back and forth at the two of them.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you looking so much healthier, Sandra,” Rafe replied as he sauntered into the room and reached down to pick up Sandra’s hand and lift it to his mouth for a kiss.

  In amazement, Ari watched her mother practically swoon. The man just had a way with women — both young and old. He could probably stop a riot with nothing but a smile and flirtatious wink.

  She was becoming increasingly grumpy the longer he was around. The ease with which he wrapped her mother around his little finger exasperated and disturbed Ari.

  “Are you going to tell me the truth?” Sandra asked in a throaty whisper.

  “I couldn’t lie to you. I’m infatuated with your daughter,” he answered before stepping over to a very stunned Ari and bending down to give her a feathery kiss. His lips touched hers for only a moment, but it was enough to make her a bit light-headed.

  “I knew it. I could tell when you were bringing me back and forth to her room. No man does that much for an old lady unless he’s getting something out of it,” Sandra said as if she’d solved a great puzzle.

  “Mom!” Ari was horrified at her mother’s speculation.

  “You are but a spring chicken, Sandra. With your grace and beauty, it was no hardship to wheel you around. If I were just a few years older, I’d be chasing you instead of your daughter.”

  Ari stood there with her mouth open as her mom actually blushed. Was she seriously buying into this crap? Ari’s own heart was buying into it as well, to her utter disappointment. She had to get Rafe away from her mom.

  “Don’t we have to catch up on work, Mr. Palazzo?” she asked, hoping to give the situation a more professional turn in her mother’s presence.

  “There’s no need to be so formal, Ari. The cat’s out of the bag,” Rafe replied as he slunk toward her. Ari retreated so quickly, she hit a wall.

  “My mom’s right here,” she warned when he hemmed her in.

  “Later,” he whispered in her ear before running his hand lightly across her cheek. Ari was a nervous mess as he took her hand.

  “It’s been such a pleasure to see you again so soon, Sandra. We’ll be by the day after tomorrow to see you home.”

  “Thank you, Rafe. Take good care of my little girl,” Sandra said in her mother hen way.

  “I most certainly will.”

  Ari wondered if he had his fingers crossed somewhere. If her mother knew some of the things Rafe wanted to do to her little girl, she’d probably fly out of the bed with a needle and stab him in the eye. Or maybe her mom would inflict serious injury lower down…

  “I love you, Mom. I’ll come by again tomorrow. Then you’ll have only one more day to go until you’re in your own bed again.”

  “Just knowing that will make time creep by. When you want the day to pass quickly, that’s when the clock stands still. I love you, too. Now, get out of here; I’m sure you’re exhausted after all that traveling.”

  “I may just sleep for twelve hours straight. See you soon.” Ari reached down and hugged her mom before reluctantly turning and allowing Rafe to escort her from the room.

  The two of them walked to the elevators in silence, and then stepped inside an empty car. Just her luck — no one else there to break up the tension.

  As soon as the doors closed, Rafe backed her against the wall and took her lips in a far less gentle kiss. Just at the point her knees were shaking, he pulled back and reached into her hair to tug her head back.

  “I should punish you for lying, figure out a sweet method of tor
ture…”

  “I didn’t want my mom to know,” she defended.

  “I don’t hide my relationships, Ari. The situation becomes too…complicated when that happens. I like to have my mistresses out in the open where there’s nothing to speculate about.”

  Ari was shocked at how cavalier he was about the whole mess. Of course, he’d been in many of these relationships, so what was one more to him?

  “I wish I could have the same careless attitude as you, but I can’t. I didn’t want my mother to know about us.”

  “I’m a very public man, Ari, and your face will end up in the papers. Unless your mother doesn’t read, watch television, or gossip at the hairdresser’s, she’ll find out. As I said, I find it’s much easier to stave off the media if I’m not hiding anything.”

  “Well, she didn’t have to know so soon,” Ari pouted. She had to win on at least one point.

  “I find it’s always best to rip off the bandage and get difficult situations over with. Considering we’re going to be together for quite some time, it’s best not to worry about whom we tell and what we tell them.”

  “First off, we’re not going to be together for that long, and secondly, my personal life is no one’s business but mine, so if I don’t want to tell people, then that’s my right.”

  “Just as it’s my right to tell anyone I please. You’re not going to win this one, Ari — you’re not going to win much at all when you battle me. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” he asked as he bent down and kissed the side of her neck.

  She was once again in a place where she both lusted after and loathed him all at once. If this was how she felt the entire time she was with him, it would be a very long three months.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I can’t believe you’re leaving us!”

  “I’m just moving to another building. I’ll still be in the city,” Ari assured Amber. Although she was saying the words, she knew the truth of the matter — that it would be difficult in the future for her to see her friends.

  “You might as well be leaving for another country,” Miley pouted as she hugged Ari.

  “You’re all being overly dramatic. I promise you I will somehow make time to see you all as often as possible.” She didn’t know how she was going to make that happen with Rafe’s demanding schedule, but Amber, Miley and Shelly had been good to her and she didn’t want to lose their friendship. It tore at her hear to even imagine that happening.

  “If you’re so sure, then let’s go out this Friday,” Amber said with narrowed eyes.

  Ari cringed. Rafe had already made plans for Friday, and for pretty much every Friday and Saturday. She had just Sundays to herself.

  “I am free on Sunday. Why don’t we meet for lunch?”

  “Sunday! That’s no fun at all,” Amber insisted.

  “With this new job, Friday and Saturday nights are going to be hard to get away, but I am free on Sundays for sure.”

  “He can’t work you six days a week, Ari!”

  Ari wished that were true, but she’d known what she was doing when she caved in and accepted Rafe’s offer. She couldn’t even regret it after taking her mother home and watching the joy fill her face.

  Sandra hadn’t said a word about any of her missing things. She’d only praised Ari over how nice the house looked. Rafe had hired professional cleaners to scour it from top to bottom, so Ari couldn’t even take credit for that.

  “We sure will miss you here, Ari. I know you were with us just a few months, but you have been a real asset to our team,” her boss said as he walked up to their small group with a plate piled high with cake and cookies.

  The girls had gone out of their way to give her a beautiful bon voyage party. Ari had been fighting tears all day knowing she wouldn’t walk into these offices anymore and see her friends. She had no idea what was in store for her the next day at the Palazzo building.

  She hoped Rafe kept his word and found her an actual job to do, because she hadn’t been bluffing when she’d told him she wouldn’t accept payment to be his mistress. She needed real work, and she wanted to do her best at it — no matter what the position was. If nothing else, working for the Palazzo Corporation would boost her résumé.

  “Thank you, Mr. Flander. I will truly miss working for you. You’ve been a wonderful boss.” Ari felt her throat tightening and fell silent. She had made friends here and it was hard to let go.

  Since she’d been so focused on her education her entire life, friendships hadn’t come easily for her, and losing that sense of belonging was almost more than she could take. Yet self-pity wasn’t acceptable. How could she regret any sacrifice she made for her mother?

  “OK, we’ll quit trying to guilt you. Sunday it is. Don’t you dare try and weasel out on us,” Miley said as she hugged Ari again.

  “I am marking my calendar right now,” Ari said. Knowing she got to spend time with her mother and her friends on her days off would make anything Rafe asked of her easier to endure. Her weeks would be exhausting, she was sure, but there would always be something good in store for her at the end.

  “I’ve been dragging my feet for an hour, but I’d better go now. There’s a car waiting for me downstairs,” Ari admitted.

  “Ooh la la. You have a driver?” Shelly teased.

  “It’s not like that. I think Mr. Palazzo was just helping out since my car gave up the ghost and I have to move this heavy box.” Lying to her friends wasn’t easy and Ari felt her cheeks heat. She hoped they didn’t notice and call her on it.

  Though Amber gave her a suspicious look, she kept her mouth closed, which Ari was grateful for. After another round of hugs, she lifted her box and started making her way to the exit. Amber followed behind. When they reached the elevator, her friend gripped her arm and stopped until Ari met her eyes.

  “You know, if you get in a bind, you can call me. I know our friendship has been all about fun and new adventures, but you’re one of the good ones, Ari, and I’ve been worried about you. If this Rafe Palazzo does anything you don’t like, just call me and I’ll be there for you.”

  Ari couldn’t speak for a moment as she looked at Amber. How was she supposed to continue seeing this wonderful woman when she’d be lying to her all the time? It seemed wrong, but she couldn’t tell her the truth. For one thing, Rafe had his stupid confidentiality clause. For another, she was ashamed at what she had been willing to do to give her mother back her home.

  “I’m doing well, Amber. I promise you. This promotion is a great thing, and yes, you know, there’s a bit more than meets the eye when it comes to my relationship with Rafe, but I will be OK. I swear I’ll call you if I need you.”

  Amber looked at her hard for a few more seconds before giving her one final hug. “You do that.” With that her friend turned around and went back to her desk.

  As Ari stepped into the elevator and hit the lobby button for the last time, she fought back tears. Though she knew she’d try to maintain the friendship, it wouldn’t be easy. She might eventually lose these women who’d been there for her during a very difficult time.

  Walking slowly through the lobby and out the front door, Ari was surprised when she saw Rafe standing next to the car. What was he doing there?

  “Are you OK?” he asked as he quickly walked to her and lifted the box from her arm. The genuine concern in his tone broke down the last of Ari’s defenses, and a couple of tears streaked down her cheeks.

  “What is it?” he asked as he handed the box to Mario and pulled her into his arms. What was she supposed to say to him? I’m miserable because you’re making me leave everyone I know behind? She doubted that would go over well.

  Rafe helped her into the backseat, then climbed in and quickly pulled her onto his lap as he gently brushed back her hair and allowed her to cry.

  “Ari, talk to me.”

  “I liked my job. It just really sucks to have to leave it,” she admitted. Rafe stiffened for a moment before his frame relaxed.

&n
bsp; “You’ll like your new position, too. I’ve put you in my charity department. You’ll be picking organizations to give money to, and also going around to hand the money out and visit the projects we fund.”

  Though Ari didn’t want to be intrigued, she was, and her tears stopped as curiosity overcame sadness. Lifting her head so she could see his face, she asked, “Did you make the position up for me?” She hoped not. She wanted to feel valuable.

  “No. There are six people in that department, and we need about ten. I’m just very choosy whom I’ll hire to work in our charitable arm. Some of the places we donate to have gone through very tough times and they need their liaisons to be kind and compassionate. As soon as you demanded a job from me, I knew you’d be perfect in that department.”

  The crooked smile on his face took any sting from his words. It was so much harder to hate him when he was kind. She hadn’t been expecting to like her new job, but she couldn’t deny that she wanted to know more. It could actually be fun.

  “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult,” she said as she gave a small smile of her own.

  “One thing I can guarantee you is that I enjoy your compassion. It’s unusual, Ari. Why don’t we have a nice dinner to celebrate your new job? I don’t always fill the dictator slot that you have pigeonholed me into.”

  Ari didn’t know what he was angling for now, but she didn’t want to ruin his good mood. If she had to spend the next few months with him, wouldn’t it be better for the two of them to get along? That wasn’t going to happen all the time — they too easily butted heads — but for one night, she could enjoy herself guilt-free, couldn’t she?

  “That sounds nice. I’d like to hear more about my job,” she conceded.

  While Mario drove them to a small seafood restaurant, Rafe supplied more details about her new position, and she grew eager to start work. Maybe some of the changes in her life wouldn’t be so bad, after all.