Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Luca
I promised her that I would be on my best behavior tonight. Was it a promise I could keep? Yes. As hard as it would be to keep my hands off her, I had to. I needed to gain her trust completely, and as of now, I didn’t have it. Whatever happened back in Boston with her family broke her into tiny little pieces. She didn’t trust anyone. I could tell. She probably didn’t even trust Olivia. She was a lawyer and top of her class. I knew she was intelligent as hell, and now she turned me on even more, intensifying my need to fuck her.
Picking up the phone, I dialed my friend, David Hildenberg, a family friend I’d known since I was born.
“Luca, my boy. How are you?”
“I’m good, David. How are you?”
“I’m doing well. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“I have a friend who just moved from Boston, and she just graduated from law school. I want to hire her as soon as possible as an associate, but she has to take the bar. I know there’s one coming up in a couple of weeks. I need her to sit for it. You know I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.”
“What’s her name?”
“Ariana Williams. She graduated top of her class from Harvard.”
“Send me what you have on her, and I’ll register her. How fast do you need the results?”
“As soon as possible. I’m very anxious to get her on board here at the firm.”
“Would your grandfather approve of her?”
“Most definitely. In fact, he probably would have called you himself.”
“Okay. I’ll make it happen, but you know this conversation never took place, Luca.”
“I know, and thank you, David. I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important.”
“We’ll talk soon,” he spoke before ending the call.
Brad walked into the office as I got up to tell Ariana the good news.
“How was court?” I asked as I stood up.
“It was good. We won.” He smiled. “Settlement for one million dollars.”
“Excellent. Got a minute?” I asked as I sat back down.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Ariana graduated at the top of her class from Harvard Law.”
“What?” His eyes literally popped from his head. “Are you serious? She’s a lawyer?”
“She will be as soon as she takes the bar in a couple of weeks. I told her that I’d bring her on as a junior associate as soon as she passes.”
“Why? We don’t need another lawyer for the firm.”
I shrugged. “We could always use another good attorney around here. Clients are pouring in, and the caseloads are getting heavier.”
“Did you fuck her already? Is that why you’re doing it?” he asked.
“No. I haven’t fucked her, and I’m doing it because she just moved here and needs a job. Someone with her education and skills would be a great asset to this firm.”
“I’m guessing she said no to you already, and you’re offering her a job to get up that pretty little skirt of hers.”
“You’re wrong.” I arched my brow at him.
“Somehow, Luca, I don’t think I am. I know you and beautiful women. Except no woman has ever turned you down before.” He cocked his head. “So that means she must have.” A smirk crossed his face.
“We’re having dinner at my place tonight. So, your theory is wrong. She didn’t turn me down.”
“Maybe not for dinner, but I can guarantee she won’t let you fuck her.”
“Don’t you have a case to put together or a client to meet?” I leaned back in my chair.
He looked at his watch and got up from his chair. “Actually, I do have a client meeting in ten minutes. Good luck with dinner tonight. I hope the dessert is just as good.” He winked.
I decided to wait and tell Ariana the good news at dinner. I called the steakhouse and placed a delivery order when I arrived home. I didn’t have much food in the house, and my meeting ran late, so I didn’t have time to stop at the store and pick anything up to cook. After changing into something more casual, I set the table, opened a bottle of wine, and then placed my hands on the counter as I thought about her. Fuck. How would I behave tonight when all I wanted to do was throw her on my bed, spread her legs wide, and shove my cock inside her? I made a promise and always kept my word, no matter how much it killed me.
Ariana
The cab pulled up to the curb of 575 Park Avenue, and when I climbed out, an older man opened the building door for me.
“Good evening, Miss. Are you visiting tonight?”
“Good evening. I’m here for Mr. Russo in apartment 810.” I smiled.
“And your name, please?” he asked as he picked up his desk phone.
“Ariana Williams.”
After hanging up the phone, he pointed to the elevators.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Really? You want to know my name?” he asked in confusion.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
His face gave way to a bashful smile. “I’m just the doorman. No woman that has visited Mr. Russo had any interest in knowing my name.”
“Well, I do.” I gave him a friendly smile.
“I’m Emil.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Emil,” I spoke as I extended my hand to him.
“The pleasure is mine, Miss Williams.”
“No need for formalities. Just call me Ariana. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head up to Mr. Russo’s apartment.”
After stepping off the elevator, I found apartment 810 and lightly knocked. I would admit that the nerves in my belly were getting the best of me. Olivia didn’t seem too happy that we were having dinner at his place and clearly stated that not even she had ever been there.
“You’re late.” He smiled as he opened the door.
“Sorry. I was talking to Emil,” I spoke as I stepped inside.
“My doorman?”
“Yes. He seems very nice. He even told me that not one of the thousands of women who have been up here ever bothered to want to know his name.”
“He said that?”
“Okay.” I smiled. “He didn’t say ‘thousands.’”
He gave me a small grin as I followed him into his white tiled kitchen with black granite countertops and top-of-the-line appliances.
“Dinner will be here shortly,” he spoke as he poured a glass of wine and handed it to me.
“Ah, I thought you were cooking.”
“I was going to, but my meeting ran late, and I didn’t have time to stop at the store.”
“So, you do cook?” I smirked.
“A little bit. How about you?” He poured himself a glass of wine.
“I’m no gourmet chef, but I can cook. I used to cook all the time with—” I paused and looked away from him. “Anyway, what did you order for dinner?”
“You can talk to me, Ariana,” he said as I walked to the living room.
“I really like the beamed ceilings in here and this wood floor. What type is it?” I asked to change the subject.
“It’s a herringbone floor,” he replied.
Before I knew it, I felt his hand on my shoulder as my back was turned to him.
“I’m a good listener,” he spoke.
“And I’m not a very good talker, so let’s not talk about my family.”
His phone rang, and I was saved by Emil, who called to let him know that our food delivery had arrived. Luca walked over to the door and opened it as the deliveryman handed him a couple of bags and then left with a generous tip. I followed Luca into the kitchen as he placed the food on the table.
“We have a couple of filets, baked sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus, salad, and some bread. I hope you like filet.”
“I do.” I smiled as I sat down.
“Good. Let’s dig in.”
I wanted to know more about him, but how could I expect him to tell me anything when I wouldn’t tell him about my family? Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea after all. Olivia did warn me that he was a very private person. I was going to give it a shot anyway.
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked as I cut into my filet.
His brow arched. “You want to talk about my family, yet you won’t tell me anything about yours?”
“You already know I have a sister.”
“True, and no, I don’t have any siblings. My father passed away when I was fifteen, and my mother died three years ago. All I have left is my grandfather.”
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
He gave me a small smile and took a sip of his wine. “I don’t want to talk about my family. I have some news for you. You’re all set to take the bar exam. You should be getting an email with all the information within a couple of days.”
“I don’t know what to say, Luca, except thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Since you don’t want to talk about your family, why don’t you tell me why you wanted to become a lawyer.”
“I like to debate.” I smiled. “I took a law class in my junior year in high school. I wanted psychology, but that class was already full. It was that semester that I became fascinated with the law. In that class, I also discovered how unjust the law could be to people, and I wanted to help those in need. By the time the semester ended, I had left with a 4.0 in the class, and my teacher told me that I should consider studying law as a career. It was weird because, after that class, I became obsessed and spent hours researching cases and studying law books. I knew I needed to attend a good law school if I wanted to be the best lawyer I could be. So, I obtained my bachelor’s degree at Boston University, took the LSAT, got into Harvard Law, and here I am.”
“What was your GPA from Boston University?”
“4.0.”
His brow arched with impression. “And your LSAT score?”
“180.”
“Let me guess. Captain of the Harvard Mock Trial Team?”
“How did you know?” I grinned.
“I can just tell.” He winked.
“We were undefeated and won first place at nationals every year.”
“Impressive, Miss Williams. You should have no problem passing the bar.”
“I know I won’t.” I held up my glass to him.
“Good, because I’m anxious to bring you on board as a junior associate.” He lightly tapped his glass against mine.