Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ariana
The ride back to Luca’s apartment was silent. His whole world was crumbling before him, and I didn’t know what to do. We took the elevator up to his apartment, and the minute we stepped through the door, he headed to his bar and grabbed the bottle of scotch.
“Drink?” he asked.
“Sure.” I set my purse down. “Why me, Luca?”
He stopped pouring the scotch and looked up at me for a moment.
“Because I believe in you.”
“Dilbert & Associates offered me the job.”
“Are you going to accept it?” he asked as he handed me my drink.
“I don’t know.”
“You shouldn’t. You’re my lawyer defending me in a murder case. It’s going to take up almost all your time. Plus, you won’t need that job anyway.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because the money I’m paying you to defend me will be more than enough for quite a while. You won’t have to worry about anything else. In fact, I don’t want you worrying about anything else but this case. I didn’t do it. You believe me, right?”
“It doesn’t matter if I believe you or not. It’s my job to defend you.”
“Throwing my words back at me, eh?” He threw back his drink.
I paced around the living room while he watched me on the couch.
“So, you want me to turn down a permanent job because I’m defending you in a murder case? And what happens when this case is over?”
“You’ll come back to my firm. You’ll always have a job there.”
“I don’t want to work for you, Luca.”
He narrowed his eye at me as he set his glass down on the table.
“But you already are.”
I sighed and took a seat next to him. “I am, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are.” A small smile crossed his lips.
“So, you think you’re being set up?” I asked.
“I don’t think. I know I am. I have a lot of enemies.”
I picked up his glass from the table, walked over to the bar, and poured us each another scotch.
“You do know this will be in the papers by morning.” I handed him his drink.
“It’s already out. Brad’s been blowing up my phone with calls and text messages.”
Just as he spoke those words, there was a knock on the door.
“Where is he?” Brad asked as I opened the door.
“In the living room.”
Luca
I threw back my scotch before Brad made it over to where I was sitting.
“What the fuck happened last night, Luca?”
“All I know is that Gina was murdered, and I was the last one to see her.”
“Excuse me, Ariana. I need to speak with Luca in private,” Brad spoke.
Ariana quietly stepped out of the living room to give us the privacy Brad asked for.
“You hired her as your lawyer? Are you fucking kidding me, bro?”
“I did hire her, and no, I’m not kidding.”
“But why? My God, Luca, she’s inexperienced. How does that look to the firm? Are you trying to get life in prison?”
“It’s my decision, Brad. I trust her and her abilities.”
“Fuck her abilities!” he shouted. “She just graduated from law school! Let me handle this for you. Or better yet, Joe and I can work together. We can prove you didn’t murder that woman,” he begged.
“You’ll be working with Ariana, and that’s an order. If you refuse, then you can find another job.” I lowered my head as I clasped my hands.
He placed his hands in his pockets and paced around the room. He was angry and had every right to be.
“Fine. But she better know what the fuck she’s doing.”
“She does.”
I got up from the couch and led him to the door.
“I’m tired. It’s been a long day,” I spoke.
Ariana returned to the living room as I shut the door with her arms folded against her chest.
“He doesn’t like me,” she spoke.
“He likes you. He’s just worried about me. That’s all.”
I walked over to where she stood and took hold of her hand.
“Thank you for doing this.”
“Did I really have a choice?” She smirked.
“You could have told me to fuck off, but you came.” My thumb lightly swept across her hand as my eyes stared into hers.
“Because you called,” she spoke in a soft whisper.
I let go of her hand and brought mine up to her face, stroking her cheek before dipping my head and brushing my lips against hers.
“Thank you,” I spoke.
“You’re welcome,” she replied.
Our lips collided and locked together as my cock grew harder by the second. Warmth radiated from her—a warmth I desperately missed but was too afraid to admit it. My fingers hooked around the thin straps of her sundress as I slid them off her shoulders, letting the fabric that covered her beautiful body fall to the ground. I was just released on a three-million-dollar bond for a crime I didn’t commit, and the only thing I could think about was fucking her again.
My hand slid down her torso and inside her panties, feeling the wetness that emerged from her. I dipped a finger inside, and she gasped, breaking our lips apart. I placed my forehead on hers as I worked my magic inside her. Her breathing increased, and the subtle sounds of pleasure escaped her as she orgasmed.
I lifted her in one swoop and carried her upstairs to my bedroom. As soon as we reached the bed, I sat her on the floor, unhooked her bra, and slowly removed her panties. She climbed under the sheet while I stripped out of my clothes. Climbing on top of her, I pushed several strands of hair away from her face and lowered my head for another taste of her sweet lips.