chapter Thirty-Seven
Rafe slammed down the phone as he stood. She’d disconnected her phone. He’d given her a week to cool off before he’d began calling again. She ignored his calls, messages, and emails.
He was finished giving her time. She could do this the easy way or the hard way, but the bottom line was that she would be his by tomorrow. He was finished waiting.
“Cancel my meetings,” Rafe announced to his stunned assistant as he walked past her and straight through the offices to the elevators.
He was supposed to meet with a congressman in an hour. He didn’t care. There was nothing more important on his agenda than getting his life back in order. He knew he had a problem – he was just choosing to ignore it. For some strange reason, Arianna Harlow had gotten under his skin. He refused to acknowledge the feelings for her growing increasingly fast within his heart – still trying to delude himself that it was about sex and only sex.
He wanted her all the time, night and day, but what angered him was he missed their daily interactions. His time with her in the hospital had been… surprisingly pleasant. He’d looked forward to hearing the sound of her laughter, seeing her victorious smile when she bested him at a game of poker, and the way she always had a kind word to say to the staff treating her.
There was so much more to Ari than he’d seen with any woman he’d been in a mutually pleasurable relationship with. He pushed that aside. She desired him – that’s all either of them needed to make this arrangement work.
Rafe called his driver on his way down the elevator, then glanced at his watch. It looked like he was going to have a meeting with Ari at her place of employment. The thought made him smile. She wouldn’t be able to fight him since she didn’t like public scenes.
The drive didn’t take long, and soon he was standing outside the front doors. Rafe didn’t hesitate as he walked inside.
“Mr. Palazzo, it’s great to see you,” the guard said as he jumped from his desk.
“Thank you, Dean. Don’t announce me. This is a personal visit.”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied with a confused frown. Rafe wasn’t known to simply drop in at his places. He didn’t like to be kept waiting, so it was much smarter for him to let the management staff know of his arrival so they were there to greet him.
He headed straight for the elevator and pushed the button for Ari’s floor. Anticipation mounted as it moved upward. When the doors opened, he stepped out and looked around at the efficient staff. The manager was running a tight ship. Rafe was pleased.
He turned a corner and spotted Ari at her desk – his gut instantly clenching. It had been a little over a week since their last encounter. He wasn’t thrilled by the fact that he’d missed her. He’d go two weeks, sometimes a month, without seeing one of his mistresses when he was traveling. It had never bothered him before.
It must only be because their relationship wasn’t official – still left up in the air. He didn’t like the waiting – the uncertainty.
“Ari.” He said nothing else as she stiffened before slowly lifting her head. He could see she’d rather be anywhere else at that moment than trapped into a conversation with him with her co-workers within hearing range.
“Mr. Palazzo, what are you doing here?” she asked between clenched teeth.
“We have unfinished business. Since you’ve refused to answer my calls, you’ve left me no choice but to seek you out.”
“There is no unfinished business. We’ve said all there is to be said. Now, I’m at work, so I’ll kindly ask you to leave. This is highly unprofessional,” she scolded.
Damn, he really did like her fire – loved the fact that she wasn’t afraid of him. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t break her, it just meant that it would take much longer for him to grow bored with their relationship.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her from the chair, not saying anything else as he led her to an empty conference room. Rafe had no doubt that the only reason she was coming along without a fight is her fear of causing a scene. It worked for him in this moment.
Once inside with the door shut, she turned to him with fire in her eyes.
“Seriously, who in the hell do you think you are? This is where I work. If you think I’ll sign your damn contract if you get me fired, you’re wrong.”
“I have a trip tomorrow and I want you to go with me so I don’t have time to wait for you to figure things out. I’ve come to expedite the situation.”
“Then you’re going to be very sad with what I have to say. I’m done with you. No more games, no more drunken sex nights. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Do you comprehend?”
“You are still refusing me?”
“That’s what I’ve just said!”
“Then, you’ve left me no choice.” He walked away. Let her think what she wanted. She’d be his tomorrow.
*****
Ari watched as Rafe walked out. She waited like a caged animal. Was it a trick? Was he going to turn around at any moment and pounce? She really didn’t know what to think right then. She waited for several minutes, and her body clenched when she saw the door handle begin to turn.
He was back.
“Ari, what the heck was that all about? Mr. Gorgeous stormed by my desk looking like he was pissed.”
“Honestly, I have no idea, Amber. He wants to be in a relationship, but I’ve repeatedly told him it’s not going to happen. He basically told me this was my last chance, and when I still refused, he left. It’s not like him. I’m a bit afraid of the other shoe dropping.”
“I get that I don’t know him – but he’s gorgeous, has a drool-worthy body and butt loads of cash. Why would you not want to go out with him?”
“It’s complicated and I just want to get back to work. I promise to tell you all about it when I’m not so freaking ticked off,” Ari said, hoping to appease her friend.
“I’ll respect your privacy, but I hope you know this is taking years off my life. I’m dying to know what the big mystery is.”
When Ari didn’t say anything else, Amber let her be. She walked from the room and went straight to the bathroom where she could splash cold water on her face and freshen up her make-up. She was in the middle of her shift and didn’t have time to fall apart.
If Rafe had other plans, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it, so it wouldn’t do her any good to fret about any of it. She’d been away from her desk for a good fifteen minutes now and it was time to get back to work.
When nothing else happened by the end of the day, she decided that maybe he’d just given up. What Ari didn’t understand was the slight disappointment she felt. With all the stress she’d been through in the last months she wouldn’t be surprised if she was having a breakdown.
Her mother was getting out of the hospital any day now and Ari still hadn’t found the courage to tell her about the house or her mother’s business. Rafe chasing her had been one wild ride after the other. Not having work – and then managing to land a great job.
Any one of those things could cause a normal person to lose a bit of sanity. She felt quite justified in having a meltdown with all of it piling up.
“Just place one foot in front of the other and remember that tomorrow is a new day.” This is what Ari told herself at least twice a day – today she may have to repeat it about twenty times.