chapter Thirteen
Ari awoke feeling better, but still not at a hundred percent. Stretching her arms above her head and arching her back, she didn’t realize she wasn’t home until she turned and felt the cool satin beneath her fingertips.
There was no way she was sleeping in her own home. Had she died and was now feeling what heaven was like? The sheets were amazing and she felt like she was sinking into a vat of cotton, the bed was so comfortable.
Opening her eyes, Ari was bombarded with natural light as she looked across the huge room and out the opened curtains of at least eight foot high window panes.
“I was beginning to think you were going to sleep the entire day away.”
Ari jumped at the words and whipped her head around to find a young woman in her mid-twenties, standing next to the bed.
“Um, where am I?”
“You’re at Mr. Palazzo’s residence. He said you may still be a bit unsettled when you woke, that you’d been drugged. I’m so sorry you've had to go through this. The doctor looked at you again this morning and said your fever is down and you’re almost back to full health, but he also said you needed to be looked after for another twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“Forty-eight hours? What day is it?” Ari asked as panic began to set in.
“It’s Monday, just past ten in the morning. You’ve been here for two full nights, but you spiked a fever yesterday and the doctor gave you a heavy dose of pain relievers and antibiotics. Your coloring looks much better now. ”
“I have to go! My boss is going to fire me,” Ari exclaimed as she jumped from the bed. The room began to spin slightly with her quick movements and she found herself falling back, thankfully landing on the soft mattress.
“Whoa, slow down. Mr. Palazzo already called into your work and they know you’ll be out for a few days.”
“He doesn’t have the right to do that. He certainly doesn’t have the right to abduct me from my home!”
The woman looked at Ari like she was mentally ill. Maybe she was, but she was angry that he’d swooped in and taken over her life. She refused to be in debt to the man. Thinking back over the events of the last few days, and the hospital incident, she couldn’t seem to get away from him. She couldn’t afford to owe him anything more.
“It’s okay, Misty. I’ll take care of Ms. Harlow now.”
Ari’s head turned sharply and her breath caught at the sight of Rafe standing in her doorway. Without giving her eyes permission, they drank in his massive frame. How she could despise everything the man stood for and still feel attraction for him – she didn’t understand – but every time she was in his presence, she found herself fighting just a little more to keep her hormones at a neutral level, especially after that dream.
With a quick pep-talk, she tore her gaze from his mesmerizing eyes and focused upon a button on his shirt instead. She had to remain calm, and then get back to her apartment and the real world before she began to think she could accept his indecent proposal.
“I appreciate you taking care of me the last few days but I need to get home. I have a job that I happen to like, and a life waiting for my return,” Ari told him, proud of the false bravado to her tone. Inside, she was shaking like a leaf in a fall breeze.
“You’re not going anywhere, Ari,” he said before pausing. “Doctor’s orders.” As if his doctor giving an order was going to stop her.
“Where are my clothes?” She’d learned enough about Rafe by now to know that arguing with him was useless. She wouldn’t bother with a battle she knew she’d lose. She’d simply get dressed and walk out the front door. She didn’t think he’d go so far as to physically hold her.
“You have a fresh change of clothes in the bathroom – that door on the right. Why don’t you take a shower and then meet me downstairs for lunch.” As if the matter was settled, he turned and exited the room.
Ari really wished she was quick enough to come up with a sarcastic retort, but of course she didn’t think of anything witty until she was locked in the guest bathroom.
She looked around the space with awe. How she’d dreamed of having such a wonderful bathing area as she’d watched romantic movies all her life. She hadn’t been poor, but the modest home she’d shared with her mother had been efficient, not luxurious.
The room she was standing in could be classified as a spa it was so spacious and ornate. She glided across the heated tile, then ran her hand along the marble surrounding the large tub. She hadn’t planned on taking a bath, not wanting to follow any order Rafe commanded, but the tub was calling her name. He’d told her to shower, anyway so taking a bath wasn’t exactly doing what he’d said.
The gold handles of the taps were smooth and well-polished and pushed on with no effort at all. A giggle escaped her as the water flowed out of the spout, cascading down like a waterfall. Several bottles of bubble bath sat clustered in a basket on the corner of the tub, and Ari’s hardest decision in that moment, was which amazing scent to use. She finally settled on peach and honey, then inhaled as the expensive aroma surrounded her.
As Ari stepped into the tub and sank down allowing only her face above the water, a content sigh escaped. With a satisfied smile, she decided she could stay in this exact spot for the next hundred years or so. Rafe could just go ahead and wait on her to show up for lunch. Hopefully, he’d get so frustrated that he’d just leave, making it easy for her to escape.
As she laid her head back on the soft cushion of the bath pillow and closed her eyes, she ignored the small voice inside saying that she was crazy to want to escape a secret haven such as this. It wasn’t the incredible spa bathroom she was running from – it was the rules Rafe insisted on if she were to accept his generosity.
She was no man’s mistress – not for any amount of luxury or security. Part of her wished she could just say yes and let him take the weight off her shoulders, but a greater part of her knew that wasn’t who she was.
Her mother had raised her to be independent, to earn what she wanted in life, and to never let anyone make her feel cheap. Being with Rafe would slowly suck away her soul – everything about who she was. It may feel like heaven, but in reality, it was just a very disguised hell.
When she turned on the quiet jets and they began gently massaging her body, Ari’s mind shut off and she drifted to sleep, fully enjoying the magical ambiance of Rafe’s guest bathroom.
*****
Rafe’s irritation grew as an hour passed with still no sign of Ari. He knew the girl was stubborn and wanted to do the exact opposite of anything he asked of her, but he found it exceptionally rude for her not to show up when he was being so hospitable.
Never before had he brought a female to his home. It was a huge jump for him, and as his temper flared, he was beginning to understand exactly why he didn’t invite women over. This was the reason he chose not to enter into relationships.
Having a contract with a woman, making sure she knew the score, was far smarter than playing games and walking on pins and needles. He wanted his women to do what he said when he said it – not fight him each and every step of the way.
He should’ve just hired a nurse for Ari. He didn’t quite understand why he’d felt the need to take care of her, himself. He still couldn’t believe he’d spent time in her horrific apartment.
He’d offered her a nice place to live, a great salary, and luxuries he was sure she’d never seen before. Why would she turn her nose up at all of it?
When another fifteen minutes passed, Rafe lost his last ounce of patience. Not allowing his irritation to show, he slowly stood from the table and sauntered down the hallways of his large home.
It took him several minutes to reach the guest room Ari had been placed in, but he didn’t allow himself to change the speed of his steps. He wanted to reach her quickly, which made him stay cool and steady.
No woman would control his actions.
“Mr. Palazzo,” Misty said as she jumped from the chair in surprise. “Ms. Harlow hasn’t emerged from the bathroom yet. Do you want me to hurry her along?”
“No. You’re dismissed.” Rafe didn’t stop his forward movement to the bathroom door, nor turn to make sure his maid followed orders. Everyone who worked for him followed orders without question. He really should quit trying to hire Ari. It couldn’t possibly end well.
He reached for the doorknob and found it locked. A wicked smile crossed his features. Did she honestly think she could keep him out of any room in his own house? His pulse quickened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a master key. Training Ari to surrender to him would be more fun than he could remember having in years.
The sensual fragrance of the bubble bath filled his nose the instant he entered the room. It sent his pulse racing as his eyes zeroed in on Ari in the tub. The bubbles had mostly faded, leaving plenty of her nearly perfect figure for his visual pleasure.
Ari, covered in water and a thin veil of bubbles, was going to cause a few fantasies over the foreseeable future. He felt himself begin to harden as he stepped closer, then sat on the edge of the tub and let his hand sink into the still warm bath.
When his fingers brushed along her ribcage, she twitched and then her eyes slowly opened, connecting their gazes. His stare was hot and hungry, hers was slowly waking, desire quickly filling their sleepy depths.
“I don’t like to be kept waiting, Ari,” he whispered as his fingers danced along her slick torso.
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words drifted out as she was caught up in this strange chemistry they shared.
It was time he showed her how good it would be between the two of them if she decided to agree to his terms. Obviously patience wasn’t working, and he still couldn’t seem to get her from his mind. Now it was time for persuasion.
He reached into the water and pulled her dripping figure easily from the tub, setting her naked form on his lap, soaking his suit.
With a startled gasp, she pressed her hands against his chest, intending to push him away.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“What we both want.”
His mouth dropped and he broke his 'no kissing' rule – devouring her mouth in a seemingly never-ending hunger that tore right through him.