Chapter 14
DAMIANO
Although I haven’t received more than a couple of texts from Madison since Monday morning, I know she’s been all right. Everything calm, no danger.
I know this because I still have Buster and Fletch checking in on her occasionally. They keep their distance from her house so as not to invade her privacy, but when she’s out, I prefer that they keep a visual.
Am I overprotective? Heavy-handed? Yes, without a doubt.
But it’s hard to have remorse for my protectiveness when they call to tell me she’s having car trouble on the freeway going toward Fair Heights.
“Should we help her?” Fletch asks.
“No, I’ll be right there. Can you keep watch without her being aware?”
“Yeah, there’s an overpass nearby.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon. Drop me the geolocation.”
Fifteen minutes later, I pull up behind Madison’s old car. Traffic whizzes past on the freeway. Luckily, there’s a generous shoulder. I watch her physically lock her car as I step forward, but then she unlocks it and opens her door when she sees it’s me.
“I thought that was you.” I smile and lean down to talk to her so she doesn’t have to get out of the car.
She gives me a suspicious, yet relieved, look. “What are you doing here?”
“I could say the same.” I gesture to the hood. “What seems to be the trouble?”
“No idea. Are you a mechanic?”
I laugh. “No. But I can whisk you away from here and send someone to tow your car.”
“I already have a service on the way.” She pauses. “But I don’t have to be here for that.”
I hold out my arm. “Let’s go.”
“What about…” She gestures at the freeway as she gets out of her car. “What about whatever you’re doing? Aren’t you busy?”
“I can reschedule.” I open my passenger door for her and she slides into the seat. “Where do you need to be?”
“Fenton Financials. But seriously, Damiano, I can call for a ride.” She raises her eyebrows. “I’m not helpless, you know.”
“I know you aren’t helpless. But I can be free to spend time with you. Besides, I’m friends with Marguerite Fenton and I wouldn’t mind saying hello.”
As we start driving, Madison purses her lips. “I still find it a bit suspicious you just happened to show up when I need help. Again. You don’t still have guards watching me, do you?”
“No, of course not.” The lie comes easily, even though I hate lying to her. Unfortunately, it’s better to lie and keep her protected, than to tell the truth and have her unsafe. She won’t accept my protection if I tell her the truth. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’ve felt like…weird, lately.”
“Weird how?”
“Like I’m being watched.” She laughs. “I think it’s because of that stupid burglary.
Everything is fine, the guy is in jail. I just can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.
I swore I saw a face in my window a couple of nights ago.
But I just imagined it. Super embarrassing, but I still had security lights installed yesterday, and I’ll get an alarm system, too. ”
“Good.”
Fenton Financials is housed inside an old adobe building in downtown Fair Heights. I walk in with Madison. Once she gives her name at the front desk, I offer to sit in the generous waiting area until her meeting is over.
“Actually.” She gives me a hopeful smile. “I’m not helpless, but I know nothing about managing money. Since you’re here, would you mind coming into the meeting with me?”
“Not at all.”
“Ms. Greene?” A brown-haired man around my age steps out of the hall and strides toward Madison, his eyes greedily devouring her, from her knee-length skirt to her curve-hugging t-shirt. He holds out a hand to shake hers. “I’m Raymond Glaffort, and it’s very nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Madison offers him a pleasant smile, but it’s nothing like the smiles she gives to me. After a too-long handshake, she extracts her fingers from his.
He holds out an arm. “Why don’t you come into my office, and we can chat about your financial goals.”
“Sure, but I’d like to bring my friend along.” She gestures me forward. “Mr. Glaffort—”
“Call me Raymond, or Ray.” He grins.
“Sure, um, Raymond, this is my friend Damiano Romano.”
Boyfriend. Lover. Fiancé. She can say anything but “friend.” I dutifully shake hands with Glaffort and keep my possessive thoughts in my head.
We make our way down the hall to a decently-sized office decked out in dark wood tones and ruthlessly pruned plants. Glaffort invites us to take a seat, so we do. As Madison gets settled, she leans down to grab something from her bag. Glaffort uses the opportunity to look down her t-shirt.
I will rip his eyes from his head for looking at her like that.
* * *
MADISON
Every time Raymond Glaffort looks in my direction, Damiano’s dark brown eyes narrow.
Is he…jealous? I grin to myself. This could be interesting.
Damiano seems like a man who wants to be in control at all times, but jealousy is the opposite of control.
Jealousy is allowing the greedy lizard brain to take over.
The brain that whispers, mine, no sharing.
But as fun as it could be to push Damiano’s buttons, I won’t use Raymond in that way. Even if he is a bit sleazy.
I shove aside my thoughts on jealousy and do my best to listen to Raymond’s pitch.
He talks about diversifying assets, managing my inheritance, and choosing aggressive versus conservative investments.
I do my best to follow along, but as someone who historically never had money, it’s really fucking hard to understand this language.
Damiano asks several rather pointed questions.
I can tell he doesn’t like Raymond, and Raymond probably feels the same.
They both remain professional, but frosty.
Raymond ups his efforts to impress me, but between the way he looks at me and how I caught him staring at my chest, I don’t think I can work with the guy.
Finally, the meeting is over. Raymond starts walking us out, but a dark-haired woman steps from another office and sees us. “Damiano,” she exclaims with a large smile. “What are you doing here? I hope you weren’t going to sneak out without saying hello.”
“Great! I’m here with Madison Greene. Madison, this is Marguerite Fenton.”
“Hello.” I shake her hand. I’m not sure what else to say. Interviewing her employee hasn’t impressed me. “This is a beautiful office building.”
“It really is.” She gives me a warm smile before linking arms with Damiano. “Raymond, I’ll take things from here, thank you.”
“Of course. Madison, it was very nice to meet you. I hope to hear from you soon.”
“Thanks, you too.” Except it wasn’t very nice to meet him, and I don’t hope to hear from him soon.
As soon as we’ve walked far enough to be out of Raymond’s earshot, Marguerite leans toward Damiano. “You hate him. Why?”
Damiano adopts an uncaring tone, but even I can tell he’s seething. “I don’t like his face.”
“And…?” Marguerite prompts.
“And I don’t like the way he looked at Madison.”
“Ah.” Marguerite takes us all the way outside. She turns to me. “I apologize for my colleague, and I will speak to him personally about this.”
“It wasn’t really terrible,” I say.
She narrows her dark brown eyes. “Does Damiano exaggerate?”
“No, I guess not.”
“You guess not?” Damiano shakes his head in mock outrage. “He stared down your shirt when you leaned forward.”
“Okay, enough.” Marguerite waves her hands in a calming motion.
“So I will speak to Raymond. In the meantime, Madison, I understand that you’re looking to manage a substantial inheritance.
I’m not sure which of my receptionists passed your case to Raymond, but if you’re interested, I would be happy to take a look myself and go over some thoughts with you tomorrow or Friday. ”
I shake her hand. “I’d appreciate that, thank you.”
Damiano and I say goodbye to Marguerite, who I rather like for her no-nonsense manner.
“Do you have another meeting today?” Damiano asks.
“Not until later this afternoon. Why, what do you have going on?”
“I’d like to take you for a walk in Community Park. It’s just down the street.” There’s a dangerous glint in his eyes, but he puts on a pair of sunglasses and smiles.
At moments like this, I’m taken aback by how handsome and stylish he is.
He’s wearing jeans and a cream-colored, button-up shirt.
He has the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the buttons undone to reveal a white t-shirt beneath it.
With the sunglasses, he looks distinguished and cool—there’s no other way to put it.
And here I am in my plain black skirt that falls around my knees, and a K-Pop Brain Feast t-shirt. It isn’t my most professional outfit, but I don’t want to hire a financial advisor who is going to judge me based on my clothes.
I also don’t want to hire one who is going to imagine me without my clothes.
“This way.” Damiano takes my hand and leads me toward a densely wooded area. “On the other side of the park is a European-style café where we can get coffee and pastries.”
I give the trees a dubious look. “But first we have to go through the murder forest? I’ve seen this in Flesh and Teeth, you know. Only half of the party survives.”
He leans down and kisses my cheek. “If only half of our party survives, bella, I promise it will be you.”
The wooded area grows thicker with trees as we continue along the path. It’s chilly here in the shade, so it isn’t too surprising that there aren’t any other people walking about.
“Now I have you alone, finally.” Damiano removes his sunglasses and whisks me into his arms. “I’ve been wanting to kiss your mouth for days, Madison.”
“Are you sure this isn’t because you were jealous of Raymond Glaffort?”
His eyes flash with irritation. “Jealous? Of that little worm? Fuck no.”
“You seemed jealous.” I press my palm against his chest, feeling his firm muscles. “I thought you were going to hit him.”
“He’s not worth the effort.” Damiano leans into me. “But I did fantasize about bending you over his desk and fucking you while he was forced to watch.”
“I—” I don’t know what to say. My panties flood with arousal, even though what he just said is twisted and wrong. What a sick fantasy!
A sick fantasy that turns you on, a little voice whispers in my head.
“Oh, bella.” He kisses the corner of my mouth. “You like that idea, don’t you.”
“Noooo,” I lie.
“You do. You want a repeat of our night at the auction, another man watching me fuck you, watching you get pleasured, watching you come.” He backs me toward the shadows and presses his hand against my hip.
Slowly, slowly he slides his hand under my shirt.
For such a refined man, he has rough calluses, and they move deliciously against my skin.
“I could arrange it. We can call Seth right now.”
“No, don’t call him—”
“No?” His hand moves up and up, until his fingertips brush my nipple, back and forth over my lacy bra. “Didn’t you like when he watched?”
“Yes, but—” I gasp when he pinches me.
He takes advantage of my open mouth by kissing me full and deep. He tastes citrusy, like oranges, and I grab his arms to keep him close. I could kiss him forever.
His fingertips pluck and pinch at my nipple. Soon I’m writhing, rubbing up against him like I did that first night, trying to take my pleasure from his hard body.
He pulls away from the kiss, his eyes dark, a small smile playing on his lips. “Soon, bella. We’ll recreate our night again. Soon.”