“You’re so wet,” he whispered softly in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
His lips caressed my neck as his fingers moved swiftly inside me.
“You’re going to come first before I shove my hard cock inside you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” I spoke breathlessly.
“Good girl.” His hot breath swept over my skin.
The way he spoke to me, his tone and overall demeanor during sex, escalated my excitement. He was the most perfect and skilled man in the sex department I’d ever been with. Subtle moans escaped me as his fingers moved inside and his free hand groped my breast. The buildup was there and I couldn’t help but tell him not to stop.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
His fingers pinched my hardened nipples as he placed his thumb directly on my clit and whispered in my ear.
“I’m never going to stop making you come.”
Those words were enough to send me over the cliff and right into a full-blown orgasm. My legs tightened and my body shook as I tilted my head back and moans of pleasure erupted.
“That’s what I like to feel and hear,” he softly spoke.
He took my skirt down and turned me around, lifting me up onto the counter. Taking a step back, he stared at me while he took down his pants, revealing the delicious v-line he sported that I loved to run my tongue along. His cock stood tall and proud as he wrapped his hand around it and gave it a couple tugs before thrusting deep inside me. Our lips reunited and our tongues tangled amongst each other’s. His thrusts were long and hard. He wasn’t holding back and he was in full control. Groans rumbled in his chest as he pushed in and out of me.
Leaning back, I pushed my breasts up, signaling to him that they desperately needed attention. His mouth instantly roamed to my left one, exploring every inch of bare skin before taking my nipple into his mouth. Another orgasm was coming as I prepared myself for another trip to euphoria.
“You’re going to come. I can feel it,” he spoke. “I want you to tell me.”
“I’m going to come,” I panted.
“Say my name, Ariana. I want you to scream my name when you come.”
It only took a couple of more thrusts and his lips around my nipple to get me to the breaking point.
“Luca!” I shouted as the release rushed through me.
“Say it again, baby. Say it again.”
“Luca!”
His thrusting slowed as he pushed deep inside me and halted.
“Fuck, Ariana.” He strained.
My heart was rapidly beating as he wrapped his arms around me and mine went around him and we were frozen in time. Something neither of us had and it weighed heavily on my mind.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Luca
We stayed in all night, cooked dinner together, watched a movie, made love, discussed the case, and then drifted off into a deep sleep. I found when I was with her, everything bad that was happening in my life disappeared. The only thoughts that ran through my head were about her and how once all this was over and I was found not guilty, I’d ask her to be mine.
We got up early, showered together, and then headed to the courthouse for jury selection. I’d never thought in a million years that I’d be sitting in that same spot letting twelve strangers decide my fate. The judge made it very clear to both Ariana and Wendy that they would have a jury picked by the end of the day. Judge Kingsley was tough and he didn’t play around. The two things he hated more than anything in his courtroom were games and chaos. He didn’t have time nor the patience for bullshit or friction between the district attorney and the defense lawyer. Namely me. I wreaked more havoc in his courtroom than any other lawyer, and he took great pleasure in holding me in contempt and fining me whenever I gave him the chance.
Jury selection was over in five hours and Ariana did an amazing job. Watching her up there talking to the jurors the way she did impressed me. I was overly concerned about a couple jurors she picked, but she told me she had an eye for detail and not to worry because she saw something I didn’t. I wasn’t sure if I trusted her decision and it bothered me.
We headed to my grandfather’s house, and when we arrived, we were seated in the living room where we waited for him to come down.
“Hello there, son.” He smiled as he wheeled himself into the room.
“Hello, Grandfather.” I gave him a hug.
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay.”
“Ariana, good to see you, sweetheart.”
“Good to see you too.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.
“Now what’s this I hear about you wanting Luca’s file? That doesn’t have anything to do with this case. In my honest opinion, it would be a waste of your time to be looking through that.”
“I do respect your opinion, Franco, but it’s just something as a lawyer to my client that I feel I need to see.”
“All right. Didi,” he called out.
“Yes, Mr. Russo?”
“Will you escort Miss Williams to my office? You’ll find the file on my desk, Ariana.”
As soon as she and Didi walked away, I got up and poured a glass of scotch for me and my grandfather.
“Luca, I’m concerned.”
“About what?” I looked at him.
“About Ariana’s defense strategy. Looking at your file is a pure waste of time.”
“She obviously has her reasons, Grandfather.”
“Explore all options if they are available to you,” Ariana spoke as she proudly walked into the room. “Someone is framing Luca for murder. Who knows, maybe it could be someone from his past having to do with this case?”
“Nonsense. He was fifteen years old. He didn’t have any enemies,” my grandfather spoke.
“Maybe he didn’t or maybe he did, but it doesn’t hurt to check out every possible thing. He’s being indicted on two counts of murder. We can’t afford not to explore everything.”
The three of us sat and had dinner together and then it was time for us to head home.
“Thank you, Franco.” Ariana smiled as she took hold of both his hands.
“You’re welcome, my dear. If you need anything else, call me. “I’ll be staying in the city during the trial. Is it okay if I stay with you, Luca?”
“Actually, you can have the whole apartment to yourself. I’m staying with Ariana for the time being. The reporters outside my building won’t give up.”
As we drove home, Ariana studied my file. Every time I looked over at her, I couldn’t help but smile. She was sexy, intriguing, intelligent, very focused, and she was everything I knew I always wanted in a woman if I didn’t let my fears take over.
“Find anything yet?” I asked as I glanced over at her.
“Not yet.” She smiled. “I’ll let you know if I do.”
When we arrived back at her apartment, I changed into my pajama bottoms and climbed into bed with my laptop while she went into the bathroom and washed her face.
“She had two phones,” she spoke.
“What?” I asked as I responded to an email.
“Gina had two phones. The one she pulled from her purse the day of the murder was not the one the police took.”
“How do you know that?”
She changed into her nightshirt and climbed on the bed with her phone.
“I viewed the security tape from the hotel today and at approximately three thirty, she pulled this black phone from her purse. The one the police have is a white iPhone with a case on it. I think this was her client phone. Which leads me to believe she was meeting a client that day. I checked her calendar and the only thing she had on it was the hotel name and check in at three p.m.”
“If she had that phone on her that night or even up in her room, then where the hell is it?”
“Exactly. I’m having Sheila try to trace the number and get the records.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?”
“I didn’t have
a chance.” She smiled. “I only got as far as telling you about the client list I found and then you distracted me with multiple orgasms.”
“And this morning?” I raised my brow at her.
“We had jury selection and then we went to your grandfather’s.”
“I don’t like you keeping information like that from me.”
“I’m preparing your case. Let me handle the details.”
I stared at her for a moment and then my eyes traveled down to her bare legs, which were stretched out on the bed. I set my laptop down, rolled on my side, and ran my hand up her thigh until I reached her panties.
“Are you up for a couple more orgasms?” I smirked.
“I’m always ready, but this time, use your mouth for one of them.”
Instantly, my cock stood at full force.
“It would be my pleasure to satisfy you with my mouth.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ariana
I spent the next day talking to Gina’s former boss, Kit Caldwell.
“I’ve already answered the detective’s questions, Miss Williams.”
“I know and I’m sorry to bother you. How did you feel when Gina quit?”
She laughed. “How do you think I felt? I was pissed as hell. She left, took all my top clients, and cost my agency millions of dollars. But what could I do? Her contract with the agency was up and she chose not to renew. She had this crazy idea that she was going to start her own agency. I wished her good luck.”
“And you were aware that she hired Mr. Russo for representation a year ago?”
“Yes. In fact, I was the one who suggested his firm.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because they have a good reputation.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Sam Butler being a client of yours, would it?”
“I’m sorry but I don’t have a client by that name.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Let me double check, but it doesn’t ring a bell.”
She tapped the keys on her computer and then looked at me.
“No. He’s not one of our clients. Maybe Gina took him on after she left.”
“Thank you for your time.” I smiled.
I left the agency and hailed a cab to the police station, where I found Detective Jacks sitting in his office.
“Hello there.” He smiled as he looked up from his computer.
“Hello, detective.”
“To what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my office today?”
“I need to see the security footage from the cameras outside the Peninsula Hotel.”
“And for what reason do you need to see that?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair.
“Gina Burroughs met someone that day after she checked into the hotel and I want to know who it was.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that without a subpoena, and good luck getting one from the judge. Who she may or may not have met isn’t relevant in this case. Your client’s prints were all over that murder weapon. Need I remind you of that?”
I stood there, slowly nodding my head at him. I had hoped it wouldn’t come down to this, but he left me no choice.
“Maybe you’ll change your mind once you see this.” I pulled Gina’s client list from my purse and held it up at a distance from him.
“What is that?”
“Gina’s client list.” I turned it around and studied it. “The number of cops and detectives on this list is astounding.” I looked at him. “It seems to me that everyone on this list could be a potential suspect. They were clients of hers. They knew her and now she’s dead. I’m sure the D.A.’s office would love to get their hands on this list.”
“Do you know what that’ll do?” he asked.
“Of course I do. Listen, I’m trying to clear my client of murder. Why are you fighting me on this? Your job is to put the right person behind bars, detective.”
“So you’re blackmailing me?” His brow arched.
“How could I be blackmailing you? Your name isn’t on this list. I’m just asking to see the recordings from the day of the murder. It’s simple. You show me, I thank you, I walk away, and the list stays a secret.”
He sighed heavily and got up from his chair.
“Fine. Follow me, but I’m sitting right there with you.”
I gave him a small smile as he took me downstairs and introduced me to a man named Rowan Harrison.
“Rowan, I need you to pull the footage from the night of the Burroughs’ murder.”
“Starting at three-thirty p.m.,” I said to him.
He pulled it up and I watched her walk out of the hotel and climb into a black limousine.
“Can you get the license plate number?” I asked.
Rowan zoomed in and I wrote the number down on a pad of paper that was sitting in front of Detective Jacks. Around eight p.m., the same limousine pulled up to the hotel and Gina climbed out alone.
“Thank you, detective, for your help.” I smiled.
“Do you want me to run that plate for you?” he asked.
“Would you?” I cocked my head.
He shot me a look and took the paper out of my hand.
“Let’s go back to my office.”
I followed him upstairs and took a seat while he keyed the license plate into his computer.
“The number is registered to Graystone Limousine Company over on West 37th Street.”
“Guess that’s my next stop.” I smirked.
As I was on my way to Graystone, my burner phone rang.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Where are you? I haven’t heard from you all day and I’m starting to get worried,” Luca spoke.
“I’m working and I’m fine. Are you still at the office?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Stay until I get there.”
“Ariana, what are you doing?” he asked with concern.
“My job. I have to go, Luca. I’ll see you at the office.”
I asked the cab to wait for me while I stepped through the double doors of Graystone Limousine. Maybe this was a longshot and it would turn out to be nothing. Perhaps she was just meeting a client for the day. But I found it odd there was nothing about a client on her calendar.
“May I help you?” an older woman wearing a dark gray pantsuit asked.
“I’m hoping you can. I have a license plate number and I need to know who rented that particular limousine on the day of September 5th.”
“I’m sorry, miss, but I’m not allowed to give out customers’ information.”
“Even if it involves a murder case?” I cocked my head.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to get a warrant or something.”
“Thank you for your time.” I walked away in disspointent.
I climbed back in the cab and sat there for a moment.
“Where to, lady?” the driver asked.
“Hold on a second. I’m thinking.”
“I ain’t got all day,” he spoke with irritation.
“Why? I’m paying you, aren’t I?” I threw my hands in the air. “How am I any different from anyone else that would be sitting in the back of this cab?”
“Just let me know where you want to go.”
Think, Ariana. Think. Suddenly, my phone rang and it was Sheila.
“Hello.”
“Ariana, I got the number and the records of that other phone registered to Gina Burroughs.”
“Great! I’m on my way to the firm. Are you there?”
“I’m in my office.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
As soon as I reached the firm, I called Luca and told him to meet me in Sheila’s office. By the time I got up there, he was already sitting down.
“I highlighted the phone number from when Gina was in the lobby at approximately three thirty p.m.,” Sheila spoke as she handed me the call log. “That number appears on her phone an awful lot. It had to be one of her clients. I co
uldn’t trace the number so I’m suspecting it’s from a burner phone.”
“Then let’s call it and see who answers.” I pulled out my burner phone and held it up with a smile.
I dialed the number and put it on speaker. After three rings, a male voice answered.
“Sam Butler.”
I looked at Luca as I hung up.
“Did he work that day?” I asked.
“Only for a half a day. He said he and his wife had plans for his birthday before the party that night. You don’t really think Sam had anything to do with this, do you?”
“I don’t know. Do you know of a company called Graystone Limousine?” I asked him.
“Of course. That’s the company we rent our limos from. Why?”
“Sheila, find out who rented that limo. If it was Sam, which my suspicions say it is, he would have done it through the firm.”
“I’m on it.”
I got up from my chair and began to walk out of Sheila’s office.
“Where are you going now?” Luca asked.
“To have a little chat with Sam.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ariana
I carefully opened Sam’s office door and peeked inside, only to see that he was on the phone. When he saw me, he waved me in. After finishing up his call, he leaned back in his chair and brought one leg up and rested it on the other.
“What can I do for you, Ariana?”
I put on my sweet and innocent face, acting as if this case was a hopeless one.
“Can you recall anything odd or out of the ordinary the night of your party?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Everyone was having a great time. Why?”
“I just feel like I’m at a dead end here and I can’t seem to find anything that could clear Luca. I’m really worried, Sam.”
“Ariana, Luca never should have hired you to defend him, and I don’t know what he was thinking. I mean, come on, this is your first real case. You’re fresh out of law school and really don’t have much experience.”
I wanted to throat punch him.