28. Change of plans
TWENTY-EIGHT
CHANGE OF PLANS
Lake
I’m wearing a million-dollar outfit. The dress wraps around my body, hugging me in all the places that make me appear decadent. I’ve never felt sexier in my life. I sashay into the main space and spot Alessio on the phone by the terrace doors. He should be in a meeting.
A pair of men with military-style haircuts and wearing suits stand on either side of Leo’s door. Since it’s nine in the evening, Alessio might have tucked him in, which was what I’d intended to do.
“Hi,” I greet them. They nod and stare at the floor.
A throat clears behind me. Oh, more guards. A pair of men stands on either side of our bedroom door. Wow, see? This is why I make a crappy spy. I’m completely unaware of my surroundings.
“Sorry. Hi, didn’t see you there.”
One of them smirks before his gaze drops.
My heels click over the marble floor as I make my way to the couch, but Alessio turns, does a double take, and immediately hangs up the phone. He strides toward me, and I retreat until my back hits the bedroom door between the pair of men.
Alessio pins me. A hand sneaks under the dress that barely covers my bottom, and he grabs my ass, first with one hand, then the other. He lifts me.
My cheeks must be the color of a ripe strawberry. “There’re people here,” I whisper.
“And?”
“And… I don’t know.”
“You bought blue panties?” he asks.
“Annette told me it’s your favorite color.”
“Is that when you showed her the picture I sent your ex?”
I glance at the man next to me, who remains staring at the floor, but he’s not hard of hearing. At least, I assume he isn’t, and neither is his buddy. Which makes my cheeks flame even more.
“Matt over here doesn’t have an answer, do you, Matt?”
“No, sir.”
“There’s no reason to look at him now, is there, Lake?” Alessio grinds his teeth. “Is there, Lake?”
“No reason, no.” I swallow. “I showed her the picture after she said you’ve been in touch with her all day.”
Alessio smiles. “I had to arrange your shopping trip. My sister isn’t around.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Annette and I patched things up. Just so you know.”
“You look beautiful. Absolutely stunning.”
The heat in his gaze makes me want to hang my legs over his hips, lock my ankles, and dig my heels into his bottom. I bite my lip and look away.
“Do you want to see what I bought you?” he asks.
I nod.
Alessio steps away and does something completely unexpected. He gives his erection a squeeze. It’s a fast move but a hot one, and done deliberately so that I’d notice. I think Alessio likes to make me squirm and blush.
Since he’s backed away, I take in his black suit and a crisp white shirt underneath. He looks like a man out of a magazine, except I can’t imagine Alessio posing for anything or anyone. What you see is what you get, and if you happen to snap a picture of him, that’s what you’ll get. The real deal. The raw beauty. Raw power wrapped in a designer suit.
He pulls out a royal blue box the size of a dinner plate. Under the cover, Alessio reveals a necklace made of rows upon rows of small diamonds that reflect the light ever so perfectly.
I gasp. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Turn around.”
“Wait, Alessio. Just a second. When you said you bought it for me, what did you mean?”
He blinks. “I meant exactly what I said.”
“I can’t accept this. It’s… How much is this? You can’t buy me things like this and expect me not to gawk.”
“Gawk all you like. Turn around.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Alessio…”
He checks his watch, then levels me with a stare that feels like impending doom.
“We don’t have time for theatrics,” he says. “The man I was supposed to meet is waiting for me. I’m making him wait because half an hour before the meeting, he told me his daughter will attend with him. I’m unsure what his game is now, but since he brought a plus one, I’ll bring mine. Objections?”
I turn around and dip my head. “None at all.”
Alessio kisses the back of my neck before securing the necklace. I feel something cold and hard bounce off the middle of my back. When I reach behind me and catch it, it feels like a metal string.
“What’s this?” I look at him over my shoulder.
Alessio’s at the exit. “Come and see.”
I join him and stand in front of the mirror. The diamonds around my neck glisten even in the dim light, maybe even more than in the dim hallway. “When you said you were buying jewelry, I expected a thin gold chain with a cute pendant. This is way beyond my imagination.” I run my fingers over the jewelry. I love shiny things.
“What kind of pendant?” Alessio asks.
“Any kind.”
“A letter A perhaps?”
His reflection in the mirror tells me he’s serious.
“If that’s what you want to buy,” I say.
He smiles. “I do.” Possessively, he grips the back of my neck, and when he squeezes, goose bumps run up and down my arms. I turn around and look behind me to see a long, flat, golden chain trailing down the middle of my back and disappearing between my butt cheeks, covered by the dress.
Alessio tugs the chain. “I’m not sure how I’ll make it through the meeting with you beside me,” he says. “Look at you.” He tugs the string, and it’s quite possible Alessio considers it a leash. It turns him on big-time, and he admits it. Openly. Honestly.
I grab his suit and tug, then rise on my toes with an urge to smear my lipstick on his collar. I suppress it and kiss the side of his neck instead. He smells divine. When I go to wipe away the red lipstick stain, he grabs my wrist.
“Leave it,” he says.
Short of burning in real fire, I don’t think Alessio Angelini could get hotter.
He opens the door, and I walk out into the hallway full of men in black tactical uniforms lined up against the walls. I quirk my eyebrow at Alessio, who offers no explanation.
He still holds my wrist and moves, but I dig in my heels.
Now he raises his eyebrow at me. “Did you forget something?”
I can’t be the only one who finds his security measures a little over the top. I understand he’s involved in some shady stuff, but even organized criminals don’t have a small military unit securing their Parisian hotel penthouse. Do they? Maybe they do. I wouldn’t know, now, would I?
“We’re on the clock, remember?” he says, clearly irritated. He lets go of my wrist and marches down the hall. The men pull back their shoulders, and I shout, in my best deep male voice, “ Atencio! ”
Alessio stops and looks up at the ceiling. “Dear Lord, please save her from me.”
I hurry and catch up with him, sliding my hand into his. “I couldn’t help myself.”
We enter the elevator with more security men.
“Was that fun for you?” he asks, not looking at me. Oh no, I think he’s upset about me poking fun at what I thought was a military regiment.
“I’m sorry,” I offer.
“What for?”
“You take security measures seriously, and I made a joke about it.”
Alessio smirks. “Relax, Lake. I’m not easily offended.”
We travel down the elevator in silence before I ask, “Are you nervous about this meeting?”
Alessio appears confused. “No. Do I appear nervous?”
“Uneasy, maybe?”
“I wanted to meet with this man alone, but he might need the buffer the women provide.”
“How so?”
The elevator opens into a club. A very loud club. Oh. I hadn’t expected to go clubbing. Doesn’t seem like Alessio’s scene, but what do I know about the lifestyles of the rich in Paris?
Alessio’s palm presses against the center of my back and guides me out of the elevator. As we walk, he says, “I can’t snap his neck and leave two witnesses behind, now can I?”
Cold shivers run through me. When I glance at Alessio, I see he’s not joking, not even a little bit. Knowing that he’s a dangerous man is one thing. Hearing him talk about murder is another.
“Relax,” he says. “If he keeps his hands off you and his eyes on me, he and his daughter will survive.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Only explaining that I’m not nervous, but more like making an effort to contain myself long enough to get through this meeting before I can have you.”
At the bottom of the steep, narrow steps, I pause, fully aware that my tiny dress won’t cover my bottom when I climb.
“Go on,” Alessio murmurs in my ear. “Tease me.”
I climb the steps in the most ladylike manner I can while flashing him my blue panties. The thought of him looking up at my vagina with desire makes me feel sexy. If it were up to my vagina, she’d fix herself over his mouth like a muzzle.
At the top of the stairs, two men open a door for us to enter what I would describe as a private club. Men and women sit around three glass tables littered with guns and a powdery substance I’m sure isn’t flour.
We walk to the back of the room and enter an elevator that travels down. And down. And farther down, before finally stopping with a thud. The doors remain closed. Now I’m really freaked out. I tug Alessio’s sleeve. “Are we in the underground?”
“Yes.”
“Are we meeting with Hades?”
Alessio compresses his lips, clearly trying not to laugh. “Your sense of humor might kill me.”
“I truly hope that’s not the case.”
“Don’t worry. I wear armor.”
The elevator doors open. Hallelujah! Alessio and I walk toward more men dressed in tactical. They’re near a metal door that looks as thick as a safe door. It even has a massive circular handle.
Alessio murmurs, “Hades. How appropriate for a man who massacred tens of thousands.”
I glance at him, and I think he’s serious. “We’re meeting with such a man?”
“To some people, he’s a hero. If you recognize him from the news, try not to panic. I’ve secured this location. You’ll be safe, and rest assured that if he tries anything, I’ll end him with my bare hands.”