Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Ariana
Finally, the last guest had left.
My feet were aching after hours of moving around the room, smiling, chatting, and making sure everything went according to plan. I was exhausted, but in the best possible way.
It had been a successful night. I’d received nothing but praise, from the ambiance to the design of the space, and most of all, the food. Everything had come together just as I’d hoped. Now we just have to wait for the reviews.
My gaze fell on my two chefs, sitting side by side on the couch in the front lounge. They were slouched back, legs stretched out, looking just as tired as I felt. But they were smiling at me, content and proud.
I leaned over, slipped off my shoes, and walked toward them barefoot, my strappy heels dangling from one hand. They were killing my feet.
I squeezed myself between them.
“Thank you,” I said, looking from one to the other. “You two were the real stars of the night. I don’t even have the words for how incredible the food was. You’re both so damn talented.”
Kenji, who had drawn ridiculous amounts of attention for how good-looking he was, let out a soft chuckle. “You’re welcome. I thought it was going to be a tough crowd, but when I mingled with them, they said they loved everything about Ana?s.”
“And that’s all because of you, Ari,” Thiago added, turning his head to look at me. “This is your vision. You made it happen.”
“We’re fully booked for the next two months,” I said proudly. “And the calls are still coming in. You two better be ready. We’re going to be busy.”
“Looking forward to it,” Thiago said with a soft groan as he pushed himself up from the couch. “I’ve got to head home. My wife’s waiting. She’s not feeling too great.”
“Tell her I said hi, okay?” I replied. I’d met his wife, Shania, a few times, and we’d become friends. She couldn’t make it tonight because she had the flu.
“I will.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Congratulations, Ari. The event was a real success.”
He gave a salute to Kenji, who replied with a nod, before he walked to the front door.
“How about you?” I asked Kenji, glancing at him and, again, understanding why everyone was drawn to him.
He was beautiful, with all his sharp angles and striking features, a mix of Asian and Caucasian heritage.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with just enough muscle to look effortlessly strong. “Someone waiting at home for you, too?”
“Nah,” he chuckled. “Just me and my dog.” Then he looked at me for a moment with a curious gaze. “You?”
“Just me,” I said with a small smile. “Don’t even have a dog.”
His eyes drifted toward the front, landing on Stephen, who was deep in conversation with Allen. “Not with Stephen?”
I followed his gaze. Stephen must’ve sensed it because he turned and smiled at me.
“I don’t know,” I said quietly. We hadn’t talked about where he was sleeping tonight, even though he’d stayed over the last two nights. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Kenji repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“It’s complicated,” I replied.
“I never understood that, you know,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “It’s either yes or no, in or out. The only reason it gets complicated is that people make it that way. Just… un-complicate it, and things will fall into place.”
“You’re making it sound so simple.”
“Because it is.”
I didn’t respond to that, but I wished I could think the way he did, making everything simple.
I looked at Stephen. He had been there for me through the years, always supportive. I knew how he felt, even if he never said it out loud. He was waiting for me to say yes, waiting for me to choose him.
And I kept stringing him along, even though I didn’t even understand why, or why he kept coming back.
But I wasn’t under any illusion that he was sitting around waiting. I knew there were other women in his life. But I also knew that the moment I told him I wanted him, truly wanted him, he would give me everything.
The problem was, I was never sure I could give the same in return. And he knew that.
I knew what others saw when they looked at him. He was a catch. Wealthy, smart, classically handsome, with just enough mischief in his eyes to make any woman’s stomach flutter.
He was perfect.
But still, I couldn’t give myself to him completely. My heart was still locked away, buried beneath an old heartbreak that I never could escape.
Stephen must have felt my gaze because he turned to look at me.
“He’s looking at you like he wants to rip your clothes off and have you for dinner,” Kenji said with a grin. “You must’ve noticed, Ari.”
I let out a slow sigh, but didn’t have the words to respond.
“But I admire you,” he added, his expression shifting to something more serious. “His wealth and status never made you fall at his feet.”
“That man’s seriously rich,” I said, nodding toward Stephen. “I should be falling at his feet.”
“You should,” Kenji agreed with a smirk. “But that’s not you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You don’t know me well enough to say that. For all you know, I might’ve caved the moment he dangled a pair of million-dollar earrings in front of my face.”
“I know enough,” he said. “Enough to notice things that make me want to know you more.”
I looked at him, a little surprised by what he said, trying to figure out where he was going with it.
“Right now, I see the opportunity’s still open,” he said quietly. “Mr. Billionaire should be bracing himself for some competition.”
“From whom?” I asked, my voice a whisper, as we stared at each other.
But he didn’t answer. He just smiled, that same mesmerizing smile that swept my guests off their feet.
“Good night, Ari. Congratulations on the success.”
He paused, his eyes lingering on me for a beat longer.
“And you look absolutely gorgeous tonight.”
The adrenaline from today’s event was still surging through me, even after I got home.
At two a.m., I was still pacing around the room, doing random things in the living room and kitchen while Stephen silently watched me, brows furrowed.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Come sit with me,” he said, both hands patting his lap.
“Just a minute,” I replied, rearranging things in the kitchen cabinet for no real reason. “Need to finish this first.”
“Ari,” he called again, gently. “Come here.”
I glanced at him, then sighed. “Okay.”
I walked over, and when I stood in front of him, he tugged my hand, pulling me onto his chest and then over to sit on his lap.
“Everything went extremely well,” he said, his hands going to my back, holding me close to him. “So what’s still bothering you?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled. But when our eyes met, I admitted, “Everything.”
“Let it go,” he said softly. “At least for tonight.”
I frowned. “How?”
“Do something to distract yourself.”
I glanced back at the kitchen cabinet. “That’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”
He shook his head. “Distract yourself with me.”
My gaze softened as I let out a small laugh. “Nice try.”
“I’m serious.”
And he really was.
“Use me,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my neck, kissing, then gently sucking. “I can be your stress reliever.”
“That’s just your way of asking for sex,” I whispered, my breath catching. His hands slipped into my shirt, cupping my bare breast.
“Too obvious?” he asked, smiling.
His smile made me smile. “A little bit.”
“You can use me any way you want.”
He lifted my shirt and gently eased me back, then leaned in and caught my nipple with his mouth.
I gasped, struggling to speak through the mix of breath and moan. “Feels like you’re the one using me.”
“My nipple’s available too, if you’re interested,” he murmured against my skin.
I laughed, breathless. “Well, aren’t you generous tonight?”
“I’m all about fairness in this partnership.” He looked up at me with that wicked smile of his.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, still half-laughing. “You’re ridiculous.”
His fingers found the hem of my shirt, calloused thumbs brushing my waist as he gathered the fabric slowly, almost reverently.
I lifted my arms, letting him ease it off me in one smooth motion.
The air met my skin with a cool rush, raising goosebumps, but his gaze was warm, lingering on my breasts.
A flush crept up my neck, heat blooming beneath his stare.
For a moment, he just looked at me. No teasing, no rushing, just a quiet intensity that made my heart race. Then his mouth curved into that familiar half-smile, the one that always hinted at trouble.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
He kissed me, his lips moving against mine with urgency, and I melted into him. My fingers slipped into his hair as he deepened the kiss, pulling me closer like he couldn’t stand the space between us.
And for a moment, I let the world fall away. No noise. No pressure. Just skin, heat, and want.
His hand moved along the curve of my waist, then up my back, like he was memorizing me all over again. When we finally pulled apart, just enough to breathe, our foreheads stayed pressed together.
“I want you,” he whispered. “I want you all the damn time.”
“You can have me now,” I whispered back. “Take me any way you want.”
Something raw crossed his face for just a second, but he masked it quickly with a smirk.
“I’m a lucky guy,” he said, though his voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
I kissed him again, choosing to ignore the look in his eyes. “You probably did something good in a past life.”
He chuckled softly, his fingers tracing slow, gentle patterns along my spine. “If that’s true, I must’ve saved an entire country.”
“Maybe just one girl,” I murmured, brushing my lips against his. “But she was really, really worth it.”
“Too bad I can’t keep her,” he said, his voice rough as his hands grew bolder. “But I can do whatever I want with her. At least for now.”
In one swift motion, he flipped me onto my back, laying me across the couch as he came over me, his eyes darkened, the deep blue nearly swallowed by black.
In a blur of movement, he slid off my panties and stripped out of his clothes. He kissed me hard, his hands and mouth everywhere, hungry and unrelenting. He didn’t hold back, didn’t pause, and I was left breathless, panting, moaning, letting him take me.
He reached for his suit jacket draped over the table. After fumbling through it for a moment, he found his wallet, pulled out a condom, and rolled it on.
“I’m taking what you offered, Ari,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “Brace yourself.”
And before I could catch my breath, he was inside me.
He moved fast, hard, like he was chasing something he couldn’t quite reach, as if he were trying to drive out the frustration, the desperation, the mess that lay beneath the surface.
And I took it just as hard, because I needed it.
I needed him, just like he said, as a way to let everything go, if only for a little while.
It wasn’t right, and I knew it. But I took it anyway, because I needed to feel numb. To stop thinking. To just disappear for a moment.
I used him. Stephen. The man who kept waiting for me to give him more. And I still couldn’t.
He knew it wasn’t fair, but he gave himself to me anyway.
And he didn’t even ask for anything in return.
Morning had come, and I hadn’t slept at all.
I lay in bed, my head resting on Stephen’s chest as he slept beside me, his breathing slow and steady.
But my mind wouldn’t stop. It raced through everything.
And I kept seeing Grayson at his window, staring down from above. Even though I was too far away to see his face clearly, I could feel his devastation. I just knew.
My message had landed exactly as I intended.
He understood now that I wasn’t backing down. I was on a warpath, and he was my target. Maybe he still believed I was the one who betrayed him. Maybe he thought he didn’t deserve this.
But that didn’t matter anymore. The plan was in motion, and everything was falling into place. And today, I was leaving with Toby.
We were heading to the countryside.
We were going to see Christian.