chapter Twenty-Nine
There was utter silence on the car ride back to Ari’s apartment. Rafe couldn’t understand why she’d had the sudden change of heart in the apartment he’d handpicked for her. It was a beautiful place, and he’d learned much about her over the months and had items he knew she’d like brought in.
He treated his mistresses well. With Ari, he’d gone above what he normally did and had taken extra time to get to know her. He knew which scents were her favorites, knew that she preferred a luxurious bath to a diamond necklace, and most importantly, that she was in a shell, just waiting for someone to free her.
She may think she’d won in their battle of wills, but she’d only delayed the inevitable. At the moment he was too angry to discuss their arrangement any further. Besides, he wasn’t playing on a fair battlefield. She was still recovering from surgery. He preferred his victories when his opponent was at full strength.
He pulled up outside her dilapidated apartment complex and stepped from his vehicle. Annoyance flashed through him when she opened her car door and stepped out before he made it around to her side, but he said nothing, just followed her up the sagging steps.
The next item on his list of to-do's may be to get the complex condemned. He’d be doing the tenants a favor as he knew the building wasn’t up to code. Rafe couldn’t stand slum-lords. They were worthless bottom feeders who preyed on the weak and helpless. Maybe, he’d buy the property and fix it up. He made a mental note to look into it.
“Thank you for the ride,” Ari said as she slipped her key in the rickety door lock and opened the creaking door.
“I’ll see you soon, Ari.”
“Don’t bother. I think we’ve come to the end of our short journey together. I hope you’ll respect me and yourself enough to let this go,” she replied while looking down at her feet.
Rafe backed her into the apartment, his meaning clear as they moved until she ran into the wall. He placed his fingers beneath her chin and tugged until she finally met his gaze.
“If all I saw was disinterest on your face then I would go away, Ari. Unfortunately for both of us, you’re far more interested than you profess. There’s fire burning in your eyes, and whether you like it or not, your body responds to me like a fiddle to its bow. When you stop the fight, I’ll be there to release those inhabitations you hold onto so tightly and you’ll have to hang on for the ride – because believe me, it will be wild.”
Ari’s breathing deepened and Rafe knew he could take her right where she stood. He knew she wouldn’t fight him – wouldn’t do anything but cry out his name as her pleasure reached its crescendo.
He decided to let her suffer, even though he’d also be hurting. In the short run it was worth it, though tonight when he lay in bed aching, he may regret his decision.
“You have my number,” were his parting words as he walked out her door.
Needing to burn off energy, Rafe drove straight to the gym and changed, then headed to the boxing ring. As he did his warm ups, adrenaline began pumping through him. He’d feel much better after a good battle.
“Rafe, it’s been a while. You’re in luck, Sam’s here.”
Rafe turned to find his favorite trainer, Mickey, leaning against the wall with a delighted smile on his face. Rafe just nodded his head. The man got a bit too excited at the prospect of blood spilling, and they both knew that was about to happen. Sam was a middle-weight champion boxer, and Rafe’s favorite sparring buddy.
They got rough, and by the end, both of them were hurting, but it was a good ache. Boxing was an outlet – it relieved his high levels of stress and calmed him. He was ready.
A crowd started to gather as Rafe climbed into the ring. They all enjoyed watching a good sparring match. Sam stepped from the locker-room and their eyes locked and his friend smiled.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to kick some ass today. It’s been a while since you’ve been down here. Are you sure you want to go a few rounds with me, pansy.”
“I think you’re just too damn chicken to fight me. Did you leave your big boy pants at home,” Rafe shot back.
“Nah, I left them at your mother’s house when I snuck out the window this morning.”
Rafe laughed as Sam stepped into the ring and came over to give him a half-hug. They turned as Mickey joined them.
“All right, boys. You know the rules. No groin shots or any of that sissy hugging. If I have to pull you apart I’m going to get cranky. Keep it clean and knock the crap out of each other,” Mickey said as he patted them each on the shoulder.
Rafe and Sam hit gloves then went to their corners. The bell rang and they came out fighting…
“Rafe! What happened to you?” his mother exclaimed when he walked in the house. They were all supposed to be gone already. He loved them, but he was ready for their meddling visit to be over.
“I’m fine, Mom. I was just sparring at the gym.”
“You have a black eye and swollen lip,” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, that tends to happen when I spar with Sam,” he said with a chuckle. “You should see what his face looks like. It’s never pretty, but it looks even worse now.”
“That’s terrible. I didn’t know you were still into that awful boxing. I could just kill your father for introducing you to the sport.”
“Yeah, you have to say that as my mother, but it looks a lot worse than it feels. As a matter of fact, I haven’t felt this good in a while,” he answered as he walked into his den and moved behind the bar.
He grabbed a cold bottle of beer and took a long swallow. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was a lot more sore than he should be. It really had been a while since he’d sparred. He was going to have to try and get down there more often – at least a couple times a month.
“We were planning on leaving tomorrow morning, but we can stay until you’re better.”
“No! I mean, thanks for the offer, but I’ll be working night and day over the next few weeks, so you’d be wasting your time hanging out here,” he quickly said, hoping he hadn’t hurt her feelings with his insistence that she leave.
“Okay, I get it. You want your space back. We’ll take off, but you’d better call us if there’s anything at all that you need. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course, Mom. I’m going to head up to bed. Let me know when you get back home, okay?”
He gave his mother a hug, then managed to walk up the stairs without flinching. As he tugged off his shirt he winced. His shoulder felt like it was on fire. Sam hadn’t realized he’d been shot a couple weeks ago, and had landed a punch in the exact wrong place. Rafe had seen stars for a moment, and Mickey had called the fight, then proceeded to lecture Rafe for the next fifteen minutes about being a stupid idiot.
Rafe didn’t allow many people to call him an idiot, but he made an exception for Mickey. He’d know the guy since he was in grade school.
After a hot shower he felt far more human and decided he’d survive. He also got his appetite back, so made his way downstairs to grab a sandwich. After he finished, the doorbell rang. His staff was already turned in for the night and he didn’t want his parents to be woken up, so he rushed to the door to find out who could be rude enough to come calling at almost midnight.
Rage filled him when he saw who his unwelcome visitor was.
“Good evening, lover. It looks like I got here just in time. You look to be in need of some tender loving care.”