For His Pleasure Page 7

  “You don’t sound okay.”

  “No, I am. Just … tired. How are my brothers doing?”

  “Stressed. That Whispers reporter got the wedding fiasco bumped up to a two-page spread and a TV spot on their nightly program. Investors are starting to pull out of the company. You really need to come home, Ari. We need to make a united front.”

  “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can’t?”

  “If I come home, then Leo will just continue to control my life. I have to make a stand.”

  Karin glanced at the bathroom before continuing. “Landon’s been asking for you, too.”

  Ari sighed. “I know. I’ve already spoken with him this morning. We’ve come to an understanding.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah, turns out, he was having second thoughts about the marriage, too.”

  “Really?”

  “It wasn’t as if we loved each other, Karin. I guess Landon’s new boyfriend didn’t really like the idea of him being married, despite the union being in name only.”

  “I see.” Karin nibbled her lip in thought. “You need to talk to Leo, Ari. He’s so worried about you.”

  “I will, I promise. I just have to figure out what to say to him, first.”

  “What do you mean? You don’t have to say anything. Just tell him that you’re all right—”

  “Remember our conversation before I left?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is about taking a stand and becoming my own person. Leo treats me like a child.”

  “But he gave you shares in Perconti Enterprises. That must show that he has faith in your abilities.”

  “Not really. On paper I have a good portion of Perconti stock, but I know Leo won’t let me sit in on corporate meetings, or listen to my ideas. He’ll control me there just like he controls my charity. I’m just a figurehead.”

  “I’m sure if you tell him this—”

  “He doesn’t take me seriously, Karin. He never did. To Leo, I’m still that poor, lost teenager with no ambitions or direction for my life. I always will be.”

  Karin sighed. “Okay, I’ll try to talk to him.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “Just tell me where you are now. Leo’s sick with worry and I need to let him know you’re okay.”

  “I’m at Stone Suites.”

  Karin stood and blinked in shock. “Stone Suites?”

  “Karin?” Leo asked as he emerged from the bathroom. “Who’s on the phone?”

  “Karin, are you there?” Ari asked through the receiver.

  Karin blinked at Leo, unsure of what to say.

  Leo closed the distance between them. “What’s going on? Why are you talking about Stone Suites?”

  Karin worked her jaw, but no sound came out. Leo slipped the phone from her hand and put it to his ear. “Who is this?”

  * * *

  Ari bit back a gasp as her brother’s booming baritone came over the line. Shit. This was the last thing she needed.

  Swallowing her nerves, she cleared her throat and tried to appear nonchalant. “Hey, Leo.”

  “Ari? Is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Where the hell are you? Did you know that some filthy cab driver has your phone in Southie?”

  “Yeah, about that—”

  “Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Tell me where you are. I’m coming to get you.” Ari heard the jingling of keys and started to panic.

  “No, you can’t.”

  “What do you mean I can’t?”

  Ari took a deep breath. She really didn’t want to have this conversation, but he had left her no choice. “I don’t want you to come get me.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “I don’t want to go home, Leo. I want to stay here.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Karin mentioned Stone Suites. Are you there?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea of the scandal you’d create if the media learned you ran away from your own wedding to stay with our fiercest competitor?”

  “Look, there’s no need to worry—”

  “Did he put you up to this?”

  “Who?”

  “Stone.” Leo ground out the name as if it left a bad taste on his tongue.

  “No, of course not.”

  “When I get my hands on him—”

  “Leo, this has nothing to do with Jason.”

  “Oh, we’re on a first-name basis, are we? Pack your things, Ari. I’m coming to get you.”

  “But—”

  “And don’t even think of running away from me again.”

  “Leo, please—” The phone went dead, and she made a frustrated sound. “God damn it, Leo. Why don’t you ever fucking listen to me?” She threw the cell phone at the dresser on the other side of the room. It crashed and fell to the floor. Falling back onto her pillows, Ari let out a loud noise of disgust.

  Some days she really hated her brother.

  Minutes passed as Arianna lay in bed with the covers pulled up around her chin. What the hell was she going to do now?

  Leo was coming after her. It had probably been a mistake to call Karin, but Ari thought that they had really connected and Karin would understand her predicament. Now she knew better. They might have bonded over champagne at the Palazzo, but her loyalties were still firmly grounded with Leo.

  Well, unless her brother tied her up, threw her over his shoulder, and dragged her back to the Palazzo, Ari wasn’t going home with him. One way or another, Leo was going to have to learn that he couldn’t push her around anymore.

  Turning onto her stomach, she buried her face in her pillow. It was so hard fighting Leo alone. The man was like a bulldozer, destroying everything in his wake. He had no finesse, no understanding of what she was going through. She had no experience sparring with her older brother, or anyone else for that matter. She needed someone on her side who knew Leo’s weaknesses and could use them to her advantage.

  Which led to her next problem: Jason had never come back to the room last night. He had promised he would, but it was obvious something had happened when he’d left her in the basement. Judging by the phone call this morning, Ari was beginning to suspect that it wasn’t her brother who’d met Jason in the lobby. She wondered what had happened, and if Jason had had a change of heart about letting her stay.

  Exhaling another small sigh of disgust, Arianna turned over, threw off the covers, and got out of bed. A quick glance at the hotel alarm clock showed that it was almost 8 a.m. She wondered if Jason would come back to the room at all. If he’d had a change of heart and thought to return her to her family, it would stand to reason that he’d soon send someone upstairs to get rid of her.

  Frustrated, Ari considered the possibility that Jason wanted to get rid of her. Well, she wouldn’t sit around and let the men in her life lead her around by the nose. She was going to fight them, which meant that she needed to shower and get dressed before Leo burst into her room and started making demands. It would be infinitely easier to toss him out on his ass if she was dressed to impress.

  Ari grabbed a Stone Suites robe from a nearby chair as she headed to the shower. As she moved, she caught sight of the hotel emblem on the lapel. Stopping, she turned the soft, white terry cloth over in her hands to get a better look. The words STONE SUITES were sewn with crimson thread in block lettering. Underneath were a few cobblestones, forming a path that could be found in most places in Boston.

  She ran her fingers over the stitching, remembering the games she had played with Jason in the laundry room. Jason had always been straightforward with the rules of their play, never manipulating her to do something she didn’t want to do. When he made a choice, he acted on it, just like he did when he told her she could stay at his hotel. He had immediately given her his card and told her she could stay in a h
oneymoon suite. There was no debate, no dragging his feet. He just made the decision and ran with it. If Jason really wanted to send her home, he would have done it last night instead of waiting until the morning. There had to be some other reason why he didn’t come up to the room last night, but what?

  Frowning, she slipped on the robe and padded over to the small espresso machine on the other side of the room. Perhaps some caffeine would help her sort all of this out.

  The machine was much fancier than the ones at the Palazzo, but then again everything about Stone Suites was fancier than her family’s hotel. Jason wasn’t one to cut corners, and always demanded the very best. It was something that they had in common. Arianna had frequently argued with her brother about the quality of the items he purchased for his hotels. She wanted the top-of-the-line conveniences for the guests, but Leo was far too practical, and would never spend money on anything he felt was unnecessary or frivolous.

  It seemed as if every year Leo became more miserly with family finances, and the family donations to her charity were no exception. Because of her lack of funding, Ari had to cut corners, including hiring a CFO who was willing to work for almost nothing in pay. When it had come out that her CFO was embezzling money, Leo had wanted to shut the charity down. Ari had fought hard to keep it going, and in the end they had compromised. Ari’s Kids would stay open, but only if Leo had the final say in all of the major decisions.

  It was the last straw in a haystack full of oppressive demands. Ari’s charity had been her only outlet, the only thing in her life that she had control over. Leo had helped her set it up as a way to help her grieve over her best friend’s death from cancer. It had helped her to stop shoplifting, and did a lot of good for families in need. The thought that she might lose all of that made her sick to her stomach.

  That was why, when he had suggested that she marry Landon Blake, Ari had jumped at the chance. She’d do anything to keep her charity afloat. It gave her a sense of purpose beyond being a hotel heiress. That charity was her legacy, her passion. If she lost her charity, Ari would lose herself. Entering a loveless marriage had seemed like a small price to pay to keep her sense of identity.

  Slowly, she picked up the rented necklace she had tossed aside last night and put it around her neck. No, at first she hadn’t minded the idea of marrying Landon. They had an understanding. He would keep doing his own thing, and she hers. The union would be in name only and at the time seemed to be the answer to everyone’s problems.

  But that was before she had seen Leo and his new girlfriend, Karin. Watching them interact, seeing how in love they were, made Ari realize that she wanted more than a business-deal marriage. She wanted fun and laughter. She wanted love.

  As she waited for the coffee to heat, she caught sight of herself in the mirror behind the espresso machine. The diamonds looked lovely against her skin, making her look much more dignified and regal than she felt. As she considered her smooth, heart-shaped face and almond eyes, she inched open her bathrobe and ran her fingers along the upper swell of her breast. Yes, she deserved more than a loveless marriage. So much more.

  She watched her fingers in the mirror as they slid down the edge of the robe, pulling it open and revealing more of her chest. The tabloids had called her a sex-obsessed party girl, and suggested that she was nothing more than a vapid socialite, focused on spending her brother’s money as fast as he could make it. At one time she supposed that was true, but not anymore. Ever since Alisha had died of brain cancer in high school, Ari had shed her partying ways and focused on making the world a better place, not only for herself, but for her friend, who had always had a positive attitude, even in the darkest moments of her life.

  As Ari slid the robe from her shoulders and cupped her breasts, she realized that Jason had never commented on her lack of intelligence. To him, she was both beautiful and smart, capable and fun. If only the world could see her the way Jason saw her, and not the little lost party girl of her youth.

  While Jason was an improvement over Leo, he wasn’t perfect, either. If Jason had any decency, he would have visited her last night to see how she was doing, or at least stop by this morning. It seemed as if he had dismissed her, which in some ways was worse than Leo treating her like a child.

  Ari was so tired of not being taken seriously by the men in her life. She was going to have to do something drastic if she wanted Leo and Jason to pay attention … but what?

  * * *

  Jason straightened his suit jacket and waited for the elevator doors to open. He wished he’d had a chance to freshen up before he dragged Ari out for a little joyride, but he found he needed to be with her more than anything. Those pictures had disturbed him more than he cared to admit. If someone was watching both him and Ari in this place, then he needed to get her out of here, at least for a little while. Once he had his security team sweep the building, then he’d feel safe once more.

  Once the doors parted, he made his way down the hall to her suite. On the way he passed two other honeymoon suites, both under renovation. Their doors were wide open and equipment and plastic tarps covered much of the open space. A quick check of his watch showed that it was still too early for the crew to start working. He and Arianna would be the only ones on the floor for another hour at least. This was good. He didn’t want anyone snooping around where they didn’t belong.

  He knocked on Ari’s door and when no one answered it, keyed himself inside with his spare card. He started to call out for her, but a low, throaty noise stopped him. Curious, he placed the key card back in his pocket and made his way through the living area and into the bedroom. There he found Ari sitting in front of a small table with a Stone Suites robe gathered around her waist, frowning into the mirror. She was cupping her breasts and examining her body, like a scientist might look at an interesting finding under a microscope. A simple diamond necklace hung around her neck. It looked stunning against her smooth skin.

  Jason became instantly hard as he stood in the doorway and watched her.

  She was criticizing herself in the mirror, he realized. Jason wondered what she was thinking. Surely it couldn’t be that she was flawed in some way, could it? Her long black hair cascaded down the smooth skin of her back, and her large, amber eyes watched through half-closed lids as she squeezed her breasts.

  Within a minute or two, her frown evaporated, replaced by an expression filled with hunger and need. The change captivated him. Ari was so physically beautiful it hurt, and those little noises she made were enough to drive a man insane with lust. He longed to go to her, but at the same time, he didn’t dare break the erotic spell. He didn’t want to ruin such a beautiful picture.

  Another low, throaty groan filled the room as she lifted her leg and settled it on the small table, next to the coffeepot. The movement tugged the belt on her robe loose, and as it fell aside Jason held his breath. Blood rushed from his head to his cock, leaving him light-headed. He leaned against the doorway as he became dizzy with need.

  Ari was completely naked, and her body was just as beautiful as ever. Crossing his arms, he pretended to appear nonchalant as he spoke.

  “An interesting way to fill your time.”

  Ari froze, her eyes going wide as if she was a deer caught in a headlight. After a long moment, she cleared her throat and lifted her chin.

  “You,” she said as she straightened and lowered her hands.

  “Me?” Jason pushed off the wall and slowly started to close the distance between them.

  “Yes. You.” She watched him through the mirror and waited until he stood behind her. “You’ve been ignoring me, Jason.”

  “I’m sorry. I got tied up with work.”

  “All night?”

  “All night.”

  “Does it have anything to do with whoever you met in the lobby last night?” When he didn’t immediately answer, she turned away from the mirror. “I already know it wasn’t my brother.”

  “Smart girl.” He put his hands on her shoulders
and was surprised to find how tense they were. “No, it wasn’t Leo.” Her skin was so soft and smooth, like freshly brewed coffee with lots of cream. Jason’s mouth watered as he imagined tasting that skin and running his tongue over those sensitive tissues.

  She turned back to the mirror and stared at him through the reflection. “Who did you meet?”

  “No one important.”

  “Must have been at least a little important if it kept you away from me all night. Lower.”

  Jason shifted his hands lower and smiled when she groaned her appreciation. “The person in the lobby had nothing to do with why I didn’t return. It was something else. Business.” He leaned in closer to her ear. “Believe me, if I could have gotten away, I would have.”

  “Promise?”

  Jason forced himself to look up and meet her gaze in the mirror. He immediately saw vulnerability in her eyes, something he had never seen there before.

  “Promise. You know I would have come up here if I could.”

  “Do I?” Slowly she leaned back in the chair, exposing more of her body for his viewing pleasure. “If you’re playing games with me, Jason—”

  “I’m not.”

  “I’m not going to sit up here and wait around like your little plaything.”

  “Of course not.” He pressed his lips against her shoulder. “You are so much more than a plaything to me, Ari.”

  “Am I?

  “Absolutely.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He dragged his head up and met her gaze in the mirror. “Then I’ll have to convince you, won’t I?”

  Chapter 6

  Jason slid his rough fingers over her shoulder and to the front of her chest. Her skin was so warm and soft, so inviting. As he touched her, he thought about the pictures down in his office. Were they being watched now, just like they were in the laundry room? He didn’t think so, but one couldn’t be too careful.

  He glanced up at the security camera in the corner of the room. It was possible that someone was using the security tapes to watch both him and Ari. If that was true, then it wasn’t safe to be here. It was possible that, to keep her safe, he’d have to move her somewhere else—like his apartment. The idea didn’t scare him as much as he thought it would. In fact, it felt oddly right, something that both pleased and terrified him. His home was considered his sanctuary. Never before had a woman set foot over the threshold—unless it was his cleaning woman, Marta. Having Ari there would be a touch too personal. Letting her into his apartment would be like admitting that she meant something to him, and that she was different from the rest. Jason wasn’t ready to make that kind of statement. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be ready.