Working for the charitable side of his company, reading donation requests and sending replies, was very engrossing. Some of the letters coming in had brought her to tears.
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What had completely surprised her were the thank-you letters that frequently arrived. Not only did Rafe donate millions of dollars to worthy causes, but he also made personal appearances. She’d stolen one of the pictures an elementary school class had sent.
Rafe was surrounded by six-year-olds and he was wearing a T-shirt they’d obviously made him with their handprints all over it. The letter thanked him profusely for the donation enabling them to go on field trips that year.
Letter after letter came pouring in, full of gratitude for everything from computers for senior centers to money for programs cut for lack of funds. Rafe had a generous heart. Why he guarded it when it came to women she didn’t understand.
So what if his ex had cheated on him? That was an old song that many had danced to. Most marriages ended either because of infidelity or financial problems. Divorcés and divorcées didn’t normally turn into coldhearted monsters.
What Ari was learning about Rafe, though, was that he was far from a monster — he just wanted women to think of him that way. What it would be like, she wondered, to peel back a few of his hardened layers?
Was she bold enough to do just that? She honestly didn’t know if she was. Maybe he would behave abhorrently one too many times, and she wouldn’t care enough to find out what lay beneath. She could certainly imagine that scenario a lot more easily than one in which he had a change of heart.
With a grudging sigh, Ari climbed from the tub and was just finishing up flinging on clothes when the doorbell rang. It looked as if it was time to play dress-up.
The next two hours whirled away as Ari tried on dozens of dresses. Finally, the woman seemed satisfied and freed Ari from that ordeal. Which of the outfits would she be wearing? She honestly didn’t know, and at that point she couldn’t have cared less. The salon beckoned almost as a reprieve from all that zipping and buttoning and tying.
Ari knew from her high school and college days that a lot of women loved getting dressed up and being pampered — if you could call it that — but she’d never been that girl. She’d been far more interested in studying than in the latest Paris fashions. It all just seemed so trivial.
Granted, Ari did get off on finding that flawless pair of jeans — a pair that slid on and fit her as if they had been made just for her body. She had one pair in her closet that she loved. Those were from the days before she made such an attempt at hiding her curves. When she slipped them over her h*ps and they molded to her behind, she felt sexy and sleek. Yes, she’d take a pair of jeans over silk any day. Ari smiled at that thought.
Since she was able to bring her thriller with her to the salon, having her hair tugged, ironed and twisted in all directions didn’t bother her. She became lost in the story again and was able to tune out the constant droning of the many people gossiping all around her. Before she knew it, this second ordeal was over, too.
By the time she got home, put on the gold satin dress that had been laid out for her, and then turned to look in the mirror, Ari was shocked. Wow! She wasn’t in the least bit vain, but she just about took her own breath away. Slowly, she approached the mirror and looked at herself from head to toe.
Her hair was partly up, so it was away from her face, but the rest was left cascading down her back in soft curls. Just how did she feel about the dress? She had no words. It molded to her curves like a second skin and dipped dangerously low in front and to nearly indecent levels in back. One more inch and she’d be showing parts of her behind not meant for public consumption.
The makeup artist had transformed her features, making her appear almost exotic with dark eyes and rose-colored lips. With her mysterious look, her tumbling locks, and the golden gown, she felt like a princess from another era. Now all she needed was a knight to come riding in to rescue her from her lofty tower.
As she twirled in front of the mirror, assessing the effect of four-inch heels, she felt invincible. Being a little vain wasn’t so bad, she decided with a laugh. Maybe the day, and night, wouldn’t be a terrible loss, after all.
With a new bounce in her step, Ari made her way to the elevator and rode down with a smile that refused to leave her lips. Rafe was running late at work, so he would meet her at the business bash. She was anticipating his reaction; her grueling beauty boot camp had earned her at least a little head turning.
“You look stunning, Ms. Harlow. ”
“Thank you, Mario. I was dreading the entire ‘day of beauty,’ but wearing this gown has changed my opinion of being ‘pampered,’” she responded with a giggle.
“The gown is gorgeous, indeed, but you’re the one who makes it shine. ”
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“You are about to sweep me off my feet,” she said, taking his hand as he helped her into the back of the car.
“I don’t think my wife would be too happy to hear that,” he joked as he shut the door, then made his way to the driver’s side of the car.
“I didn’t know you were married, Mario. Your wife must be a lucky woman. ”
“I think she’d agree with you on some days, and disagree on others. ” Ari loved how comfortable Mario made her feel. He was a kind man, even if he refused to call her by her first name. She had argued with him too many times over the matter already; why resume the fight this beautiful evening?
They chatted for a few more moments, and then Ari rested while he chauffeured her across the city. She wondered what Rafe would think of her look. But she hated that she cared.
Chapter Sixteen
Rafe glanced at his watch for the twelfth time in the past hour. It was ridiculous. He didn’t care if he was late to a function he hadn’t been interested in attending in the first place, so why was he continually checking the time?
His life had stopped making sense. Sheesh. He couldn’t even make it through a simple business meeting without having Ari repeatedly pop into his head. And now he was rushing through town in the back of a limo to meet her at an event that promised nothing but boredom.
He was losing control and the frightening part was that he didn’t much care half the time. When he was in her presence, he felt alive — as if he could do anything. No matter how much he tried to pull back from her, a secret smile on her face was all it took to make him fall to his knees.
The situation was absurd and he knew that, but still he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at his watch, yet again.
“How much longer until we arrive?”
“We’ll be there in five minutes, Mr. Palazzo. ”
Rafe found himself wanting to snap at the driver to pick it up, but he forced himself to sit back and take a drink. If he didn’t want to pin Ari to a wall the second he saw her, he’d need a hell of a lot more bourbon before the night was over.
Never had his sexual appetite been so endless. He wanted her night after night — no breaks in between except for those miserable Sundays she reserved as her own. She might not have realized it, but he was holding himself back. He could see that her body was sore, though she wasn’t complaining. She was still argumentative, and about the worst submissive he could imagine, but she made him — happy.
When they arrived, Rafe didn’t wait for the driver to come around and open his door. He stepped from the vehicle the second it stopped and found himself rushing inside the exclusive country club.
The function was to celebrate a new collaboration between his company and a foreign electronics manufacturer. The merger would create tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue for both countries.
Rafe should be joining in the celebration, seeking out his new business partners, not searching the crowd for a small, dark-haired minx who had his insides turned upside down.
Snatching up a couple of glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, Rafe made his way through the crowd, intent on finding Ari. He’d get her alone for five minutes, and then he’d be back to himself and could handle his investors.
When he turned a corner and heard the sound of Ari’s laughter, his apprehension faded. Then he saw her. For a stunned moment, Rafe stood motionless, gripping the champagne flutes almost too tightly as her beauty stole the air from his lungs.
Ari was facing him, sheathed in a gold creation that flattered her every feminine curve. He drank in her alabaster complexion, touched with just enough makeup to bring out the fire of her eyes and the natural plumpness of her lips.
When she threw back her head and laughed, his stomach tightened at the sight of her enticing cle**age, showcased by the exquisite cut of the gown. But when the man she was speaking to raised his arm and caressed her shoulder, rage quickly crowded out lust.
Ari was his — and some man had just made the very foolish mistake of touching her.
Rafe moved swiftly through the parting crowd, ignoring the few people unwise enough to try to speak to him. Ari didn’t notice his approach until he was grabbing her arm and pulling her away.
“Rafe! That was rude. I was speaking to someone,” she scolded.
“You were done,” he snapped as he dragged her across the room, intent on getting her away before his anger escalated.
“What is your problem?” she asked as she stumbled along beside him, his pace making it hard for her to keep up in her heels.
Before Rafe could answer, he got a glimpse of the back of her dress while prodding her to go through a doorway before he did. The amount of skin she was exposing for all the men to see jacked up his anger to a new level.
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Needless to say, his stylist was fired.
“What is going on? Why are you acting this way?” she asked as he led her down the terrace steps and out to the back lawn. He spotted a secluded path and hurried her down it. When he found a small alcove with a bench, he pulled her inside and crushed her against his chest.
“You are mine! Don’t ever forget it,” he growled before his lips crashed down on hers. The kiss was all about possession and need, about untamed hunger. He wanted to brand her, make sure she never looked at another man again.
Even though Rafe knew jealousy was egging him on, he couldn’t seem to stop. His hand gripped her h*ps as he pushed against her — pressing his solid manhood against her body.
He backed up and sat on the bench, pulling Ari forward so she was standing between his thighs. The anger still gripping him fused with an overwhelming passion that pulsed straight through his erection. Rafe leaned down and gripped the hem of her dress, sliding it over her seductive hips, his frustration mounting at the semidarkness and his inability to drink in her full beauty.
“Straddle my lap,” he ordered as he drew her forward. Ari stumbled before he caught her and assisted her onto his muscular thighs.
The feel of her straddling him was indescribable. His hands traced the curve of her back as he lost himself in the taste of her neck.
“No one should see you in this dress except me,” he growled.
“It’s just a dress, Rafe,” she panted.
Surprise made him lift his head. He needed to look into her eyes, but he could just barely see the outline of her features through the dim moonlight.
“You’re right, Ari. It is just a dress — but with you in it, the material comes to life, showcases your curves, and makes every man in the room think of taking you home and ravishing you until the morning light breaks the dawn. That right belongs only to me. ”
Ari shuddered in his arms as she leaned toward him, and he couldn’t resist taking her mouth as he moved his hands to shift his clothes. He didn’t want foreplay — he wanted to sink deep inside her. He hoped she was ready because he felt on the verge of exploding.
“Take me, Rafe. If I’m yours, then show me,” she demanded as her hands gripped his shoulders.
Relief coursed through him as he finally freed himself from his pants. Moving his hands back to her hips, he ripped her panties free and then pressed himself against her aching core, with her wet heat summoning him to enter.
“Mine,” he growled as he gripped her h*ps and thrust deep inside her, their bodies now fused into one.
Ari took over as she clutched his shoulders and began moving up and down his shaft, her h*ps swinging forward, torturing him with pleasure. She wasn’t in a hurry, taking her time as she groaned with each seductive movement.
“Faster,” he urged.
Ari stilled as she bent down to kiss his neck, making a slow journey to his ear where she licked the outer lobe. “Don’t you know the voyage is what it’s all about, Rafe? Listen. Can you hear the music?”
Her husky words confused him until she started gyrating her h*ps and rising and falling to the beat of the slow song that drifted out from the clubhouse and trickled down to them.
“Yes, Ari. You can’t imagine what you’re doing to me right now,” he groaned as his head bent forward and he ran his tongue down her cle**age.
Her moans encouraged him to go on and he shifted the delicate fabric with his teeth, not caring if her dress ripped in the process. With a shrug of her shoulder, the small strap fell down her arm and the material moved, exposing her na**d br**sts to his mouth.
Normally, Rafe didn’t like ha**ng s*x in the dark. He wanted to watch his partner plunge over the edge of pleasure. With his sight out of commission, however, he needed his other senses to take over. Pricking up his ears and making his mouth explode with flavors, he was able to focus so much more on the sound of her moans and the taste of her skin.
With a tug of his jaw, her dress slipped further and he immediately sucked in the delicious peak of her breast and nipped at her greedily.
As the music picked up rhythm, so did Ari’s synchronization. She began moving faster, pushing down on him with each beat of the bass, making him lose his breath as he neared completion.
Lifting his hand, he pushed down her other strap and shoved her dress down so both br**sts were exposed for his pleasure. He alternated between the toothsome mounds, teasing her peaks and making her cry out.
She was his — and he could do whatever he wanted with her.
What he wanted was to pleasure her.
“I want to hear you scream my name,” he whispered before taking her lips, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth and committing her texture to his mind.
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It still wasn’t enough — he could never get enough.
“Now, Ari. Your heat is gripping me — I can’t hold out anymore,” he said as his hands held tightly to her backside.
“Yes…now…Rafe…I’m ready,” she agreed, her halting words ending on a groan.
Stars exploded as she sank fully on him, his manhood deep inside her quivering flesh, their groans now mingling together.
Tremors continued racing through his body long after the last of his release. What she did to him was criminal. In that instant, he knew he couldn’t let her go — not ever.
Rafe held her tight as their bodies relaxed against each other, her moist heat holding him safely inside her. Even telling himself they needed to get up, needed to move, he couldn’t force his body to respond.
He didn’t want to let her go — didn’t want to put the distance between them that he always insisted on after sex. He wanted to hold her in his arms and fall asleep so they could wake in the morning and start all over again.
Rafe didn’t know what was happening to him — but the longer he was around this woman, the more he didn’t care.
He felt Ari slump against him and a smile flitted across his lips. Though the night was quickly cooling and their bodies were still fused together, she was so comfortable with him, she had fallen asleep in his arms.
He hated to disturb her, but he had no choice.
“Ari, we need to go out front and get the car. I’m ready to take you home. ”
“Mmm” was her only response.
With great reluctance, Rafe lifted her from his body, feeling an unaccustomed emptiness as he pulled out of her. She grumbled as she half awoke, but didn’t put up further protest.
Rafe straightened their clothing, then led her through a trail to the front of the clubhouse. It took less than a minute for his driver to arrive and for Rafe to step inside the back of the limo. He pulled Ari onto his lap and held her while she fell back to sleep, her head resting on his shoulder.
As he leaned his head back, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He was in way over his head with his mistress — his feelings for her were becoming too much of a burden for him to want to deal with.
Chapter Seventeen
Shane
Shane looked around his favorite club and felt nothing but boredom. He needed to get back down to South America, but he had too much going on here to leave right now. The fact that Lia was still in the U. S. wasn’t helping him deal with his vow of keeping their relationship platonic.
After she’d been released from the hospital, it had taken all his restraint not to check on her in person, but he didn’t trust himself enough to go to her place.
Her parents had come and gone again and Rachel was in and out. If he showed up at her home and she was all alone, he could hardly be held responsible for his actions. For him to be thirty years old and out of control over one woman —that just didn’t compute.
“Hey, gorgeous, you haven’t been here for a while. ”
Shane turned up his megawatt smile without a thought. Flirting, to him, was as natural as breathing — he didn’t even think about it.
“Hi, Gwen. I’ve been working a lot lately, sad to say. Don’t tell me you’re here all alone. ”
“My date turned out to be a total snooze fest. But the night just got a whole lot better since I spotted you. How long am I going to stand here looking beyond fabulous before you buy me a drink?” she asked with an exaggerated pout.