Chapter 5 #3
"She didn't raise me. A slew of nannies and housemaids did, only they never stayed very long because my mama was always firing them.
Stick to being pretty, Charles, or you won't last very long.
My papa puts up with this—" I waved my hand at the farce in front of me.
"Because she's a nightmare, and he didn't realize until he signed the pre-nup. "
I vibrated with a pent-up darkness I despised.
It was a weakness to let her get under my skin.
Lara flattened her palm on my chest, and my heart thumped against the shield of her hand.
My back straightened because I wasn't alone.
Normally I would sit at this table, no matter who I brought with me, but no one ever made me feel like they had my back.
"Well, I wouldn't have had to fire them if your bastard papa could keep his…" I didn't let her finish her spew of vitriol, giving her my back instead.
Lara's body trembled, and I turned her toward me as we waited for the elevator.
"Are you alright?" I asked, but she only collapsed against me, giggles spilling over the clamp of her hand.
I held her shuddering body against me, fighting a chuckle of my own. The horrible, choking grip of darkness softened. The desire to spiral into a den of substances, fast cars, and willing bodies? That faded too. I hugged Lara tighter, staring down at her in wonder.
This woman, this woman. What was she doing to me?
"Ray. That was insane. Oh my god, your Mama? Her special friend? The butler guy? Am I in some sort of alternate universe right now?" She wiped tears from her eyes, her laughter petering out as she realized how tight I was holding her.
Her tongue darted out to coat her bottom lip, and I wanted it in my mouth. Needed it. Had to have it. I lowered my head, relishing the sharp inhale she made and the way her pupils dilated.
"Excuse me, Mr. Donato?" a crisp voice interrupted our near kiss, and I swallowed a curse as Lara whirled out of my arms.
Her flushed cheeks looked like ripe apples, and my mouth watered to take a bite. Thompson stood a few feet away. His sharp gaze flicked up and down Lara.
"We aren't staying for lunch. You can tell my mama after she mops up her tears, if she even notices. Just bring her a bottle of prosecco. She'll brighten up in no time."
"Very good, but that's not what I wanted to speak to you about." He tucked his hands behind his back.
"What is it?" I clenched my jaw, wanting to get back to Lara and resume our almost kiss.
A seriousness stripped the lush warmth from her cheeks. Damn Thompson for interrupting. He looked between us and hesitated. His gaze lingered on Lara for a beat too long.
"I'll give you a second." Lara darted into the elevator before I could protest, leaping nimbly out of my reach.
I folded my arms and scowled.
"Apologies for interrupting the interlude with your girlfriend, Mr. Donato."
I didn't correct him because damn, why did girlfriend and Lara seem like such a delightful combination? I'd never considered dating anyone seriously. Fake dating Adelaide was enough to make me want a shower, to wash off the association of commitment.
"Well, she's waiting. Tell me what was so important."
"I know Mr. Donato likes to be informed about Mrs. Donato's liaisons, and I am in a unique position to assist with whatever information you need.
This latest fling is more serious than her other philandering in the past. Discussions about living together, for example.
He already has her passwords and full access to the apartment. I wanted to offer my services to you."
Thompson waited, his gaze glinting with leashed eagerness.
"Why?"
"I know where the future leads, Mr. Donato." Thomson dipped his head, and darkness coiled in my stomach.
The future was like laying my neck in a noose. The possibilities choked with responsibility. All the myriad ways I was going to fail. I wanted to race back to Lara, snatch her hand, and disappear.
"For a price, I'm sure? I don't get involved with whatever deal my parents have."
Thompson whipped out a card, good quality stock with a neatly typed number on it.
"As you wish, here is my number. Call me. I would enjoy working with you."
Working with me. Not my papa. That was a new one. I shook my head as I joined Lara in the elevator. There weren't many people under the Donato umbrella who considered me worth anything. I traced the edge of the card before tucking it into my pocket.
"Shall we continue?" I backed Lara against the back of the elevator and drank in the hitch of her breath.
"Ray, stop," she scolded and pushed me off. "Your family is… and we're not supposed to." But her gaze dropped to my lips. She felt it too, this hunger between us. I was at ease in her presence, the way I'd never been with anyone else.
"That woman up there? She's not my family. But I have people I care about who treat me like a son. Maybe I'll take you to meet them sometime."
Lara's eyes brightened, and jittery heat surged inside me. Like when I slammed my foot down on a green light and jerked forward, my car roaring like a beast. That unattainable surge of power, joy, and lust.
I should have felt scared. Run the other way. But something made me lean in and taste the potential. I was going to fix my reputation, and afterward? Maybe there was a world in which a Donato could escape the darkness he was raised in.