Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Ariana
Before I went to the Peninsula Hotel to view the security tapes of that night, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts and picked up a dozen donuts, all nicely boxed up and ready to give to Bruce, the security manager. How did I know he loved donuts? I overheard him talking to one of the cleaning staff the last time I was there. He thanked her for bringing him a box of his favorite donuts.
“Excuse me, Bruce.” I smiled as I lightly tapped on his door.
“Yes? Miss Williams, right?”
“Yes. I need to look at the security tape from the night of the murder. I was hoping you could help me. I brought a box of donuts.” I held them up with a wide smile.
“That was so nice of you,” he spoke excitedly as he got up from his chair, took the box from me, and opened it up. “Please, sit, and I’ll pull up the tape from that night.”
“Thank you.” I sat down.
“Would you like a donut?” he asked as he held the box before me.
“I would love one. They are my favorite sweets.”
“Mine too. In case you couldn’t tell.” He chuckled as he placed his hands on his belly.
He pulled up the tape from that day. At approximately three p.m., Gina Burroughs checked into the hotel. At approximately three-thirty p.m., she exited the elevator, pulled her phone from her purse, dialed a number, and spoke to someone while she stood in the lobby, staring out the window, almost as if she was waiting for someone.
“Wait. Go back to where she pulls out her phone,” I asked Bruce. “Okay, now zoom in on it.”
He did as I asked while grabbing another donut from the box. I leaned closer to the screen to ensure I was seeing exactly what I thought. Pulling my phone from my purse, I dialed Sheila.
“Hey, Ariana,” she answered.
“What kind of phone did the police find in Gina’s purse?” I asked.
“I believe it was an iPhone. I can double check. Why?”
“Do me a favor and find out for sure. Also, find out what color it was and if it has a case on it, and then call me back ASAP.”
“Sure. I’ll do it right now.”
I ended the call and continued looking at the tape. Once Gina placed her phone back in her purse, she waited in the lobby. Then a few moments later, she pulled her phone back out, looked at it, put it back, and headed out the hotel doors.
“She was waiting for someone,” I spoke.
“Yep. Sure looked like it to me,” Bruce spoke as he bit into his third donut.
“I need to find out who that someone was.”
My phone started to ring, and Sheila was calling.
“Did you find out?” I asked as I answered her call.
“The cops recovered a white iPhone 6 with a pink and black polka dot case.”
“That’s what I thought.” I bit down on my bottom lip as I had remembered seeing it at the police station in the bag of evidence. “The phone she pulled from her purse in the hotel lobby on the day of her murder was black, bigger than the iPhone 6, and it didn’t have a case on it.”
“Then where’s that phone?” Sheila asked.
“Exactly. She had two phones, and I’m guessing the black one was her business phone. See if you can find another phone number for her and get those phone records.”
“I’m on it.”
The tapes showed her enter the hotel again at approximately eight p.m., step onto the elevator, and then return to the lobby at nine-thirty p.m. when she headed straight to the bar area.
“Where were you for four hours, Gina?” I asked out loud.
“You know you can check the security cameras outside. Just about every street corner has them,” Bruce spoke.
“Oh, my God. That’s right. Bruce, you are a genius!” I smiled as I kissed his cheek.
“Thanks.” He blushed.
I grabbed my purse and headed out the door, but not until after I took pictures of what I needed to from the security footage.
“Thanks again, Bruce.” I waved.
“No problem. Thanks for the donuts.”
“You’re welcome.” I grinned.
When I arrived home, Luca was unloading groceries from brown paper bags in the kitchen.
“You went grocery shopping?” I smiled.
“I ordered online, and they delivered.” He smiled.
“Ah.”
“How are you?” he asked with a serious tone.
“I’m okay. We need to talk about what I found today. Things that, with a little further investigation, may help your case.”
“What did you find?” he asked.
“Gina’s client list.”
“How and where did you find it?” His eye narrowed.
“In her apartment, in her closet, inside the wall,” I replied as I grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge.
“What?”
I looked up at him before pouring a glass of wine.
“I have done nothing wrong. It is well within my right as an attorney to try and prove my client’s innocence.”
“I didn’t say you did anything wrong, but how the fuck did you find it?”
“I was looking through her designer gowns and saw the cuts in the wall. So, I pulled the piece out, and there it was.” I shrugged.
Bringing my glass to my lips, I looked up at Luca, who had a grin splayed across his face. He reached over, took the glass from me, and his lips brushed against mine.
“You’re amazing. Do you know that?” His thumb gently moved across my chin.
“It was luck. Anyway, we need to talk about that list.”
The romance in his eyes quickly dissipated as he stared at me.
“My name is not on that list. And if it is, someone put it there to frame me. I have never been with that woman or any call girl in my life.”
“Your name isn’t on the list.” I pulled it from my purse and handed it to him.
He took it from my hand and looked it over.
“Sam Butler? Are you fucking kidding me? He never told me he knew her. Not even after he tried to get me to stay out of the office. That son of a bitch.” He started to pace back and forth.
“Would he have any reason at all to want to frame you?” I asked.
“No. Not that I know of. Jesus, Ariana, the names on this list.” He looked up at me in disbelief.
“Are you really surprised, Luca?” I rolled my eyes. “Isn’t that what high-powered men do?”
“Some. But not all. If this list ever got out, it could destroy half the police department of New York City. Not to mention the CEOs of all these major companies.”
I didn’t say a word. I just brought my glass up to my lips, took a sip of wine, and smiled.
“This is inadmissible in court, you know?” He narrowed his eye at me. “You can’t use this.”
“I know. But it sure is a handy little blackmail tool.” I grinned.
He walked over to me and placed his hands firmly on my hips.
“Blackmail is illegal.”
“And so is trying to frame someone for a murder they didn’t commit.” I cocked my head.
“You’re playing with fire, Ariana.”
“The bigger the fire, the better,” I spoke as I raised my brow.
He took in a long, deep breath.
“Be careful. You have no idea what can of worms you might be opening.”
“I’ll be fine.” The corners of my mouth curved up into a small smile.
His lips pressed into mine for a passionate kiss. My fingers worked the buttons on his shirt as he lifted my top over my head, and his hands roamed up and down my sides before reaching into the back and unhooking my bra while I pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He grabbed my arms, turned me around, and planted my hands firmly on the counter. Pushing my skirt over my hips, he took down my panties and ran his hand up my inner thighs, his fingers on the edge of my lips.
“You’re so wet,” he whispered 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 his 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 of tugs before thrusting deep inside me. Our lips reunited, and our tongues tangled amongst each other. 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.