The Playboy's Fugitive Bride (10 page)

Nia flung back the covers and hopped out of bed.  Descending the three steps, she walked across the fluffy white carpet, then down a marble corridor that led to a huge shower stall.

Massimo was mapping out her day, making plans for her as if he owned her.  She was not used to people telling her how to run her life.  She’d been taking care of herself since she was seventeen.  She made her own decisions.  She decided when she went to bed and when she got up in the morning.  She booked her own hair and nail appointments—every once in a long while. 

Massimo Andretti did not own her.  And he would be very aware of that quite soon.

As she stood under the warm shower sprays, Nia thought about Massimo’s important business meeting tomorrow night.  If he honored their agreement, she would have her two million dollars by then.  Escaping from this fortress would have been easy while he was preoccupied elsewhere with Andretti business.  But no, he had to order her presence at the meeting.  She was sure it was a calculated move to keep an eye on her.

Nia smiled as she lathered the shampoo into her hair.  Massimo thought he had her cornered, that he’d captured her knight and her bishop in this human game of chess they were playing.  But she still had a few pawns left, and they were working overtime to protect their queen.

At some point during the meeting, he’d have to leave her side to mingle with his colleagues, and if that didn’t work, she would excuse herself to go to the bathroom and just never return.  She didn’t think he would follow her to the ladies’ room, but just in case he was blatant enough to do it, she would feign illness and leave for home early.  If the meeting was as important as he said it was, he would have to stay behind, giving her the perfect opportunity to vanish quietly into the night with his money.

She’d have to keep a low profile until the dust settled.  She might have to cut and dye her hair since her face would be made public tonight.  She’d done it six years ago when she ran away from Maine.  Being on the run was nothing new to Nia.  She’d perfected the art of staying hidden with new names and new identities for her and Aaron.

The time had come to change again.  Both she and her brother were past eighteen so she wasn’t concerned about Maine Child Welfare Services coming after them.  What could they do, now?  Put them back into foster care?  The thought pulled a snicker out of her.

Although she’d set her plan in motion in New York by obtaining a passport, credit cards, and opening a bank account in the name her parents had given her, there was still a lot to be done.  Foremost was resigning from Ellswood Charter School.  She couldn’t just leave them high and dry since she’d need a strong reference for a new teaching position—a position she’d thought she had a month to find.

Then there was the matter of booking a Saturday morning flight from Manchester to New York then one from New York to Miami.  Then finally a cruise from Miami to the Bahamas if she could find one at this short notice.  Zigzagging her way to Dulcina using a new name was a sure way to keep Massimo from tracking her down.

He would be looking for Nia Sylk, but she would have disappeared without a crumb trail.

Nia chuckled as she imagined Saturday’s headlines: “
Two Gone in Three Weeks: Is Massimo Andretti Losing His Touch With The Ladies?
”

That should bring him down a peg or two.  The joke was surely on Massimo.  He was about to become the biggest
punda milia
on the planet.

* * *

Massimo walked into his home office on the second floor of the west wing and locked the door behind him.  Dropping into a huge leather chair behind an elaborate desk, he picked up his secure phone and dialed a number.  

In a matter of seconds, a man’s voice boomed, “Dawson,” from the other end.

“Paul.  It’s Massimo.”

“Hey, Mass, can you hold a minute?”

“Sure.”  Massimo leaned back in his chair and thought of the night he met Paul in a restaurant in Paris.  Paul had been unsuccessfully trying to order a meal through a waitress who spoke no English, when Massimo walked by.  He’d been happy to help out a fellow American in a foreign country and had invited Paul to join him, Adam, Bryce, and Erik at their table.

At the time, Erik was married to Cassie and Bryce and Pilar were newlyweds.  Their lives had changed so much since then.  Paul was inducted into the circle that night, and he and Adam had struck up a close-knit relationship—closer than the rest of them, perhaps because both their hearts had been broken by women they loved.  Misery loved company, Massimo supposed.

Having an FBI agent as a friend was a good thing when you needed to have someone investigated.  There was no agency more thorough than the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  They had a plethora of resources and legitimate access to information that a P.I. didn’t.

Why hadn’t he thought of putting Paul on the missing persons case he’d been trying to solve for years?  The private investigator he’d hired had tracked the family to Philadelphia, but after that the trail had gone cold.  They had simply disappeared off the face of the earth.

Not a day passed by that Massimo didn’t feel a pang of guilt for what had happened to that family.  He was obsessed with righting the horrible wrong that had been done to them.  It was the last mess left by Maurice Spencer that Massimo had to clean up.

“Sorry about that,” Paul’s voice jarred Massimo back to the present issue.  “I’m working on a top-priority case.  It’s personal, too.”

“Serious?”

The agent hesitated before responding.  “Yes, and no.  I’ll fill you in later.” 

“And my trivial affair is diverting your attention.”

“Hey, what’s the use of a friend if you can’t count on him when you’re in need?  I don’t mind a trivial diversion once in a while.  As a matter of fact, I was planning on buzzing you this morning.”

Massimo pulled a ballpoint pen from its holder on his desk and grabbed a notepad.  “I suppose you wouldn’t have been thinking of getting in touch if you didn’t have something to report.”  He got straight to the point.  Nia would be coming downstairs soon and he needed everything wrapped up by then.

“The lady is who she says she is.  She’s been teaching math at Ellswood Charter School in Brooklyn for the past two years and she also works part-time as a tutor at a community college.”

Massimo’s fingers slithered lightly across the pad as he jotted down the information.  “Where did she go to college?” 

“Rutgers in Newark.  She studied Applied Mathematics and gained her Bachelor’s in three years.”

Bold, beautiful, and intelligent
.  “Has she ever been in trouble with the law?”

“Not even a parking violation.  I took the liberty of calling her school this morning under the guise of a potential part-time employer.  Everybody knows teachers are grossly underpaid so no alarm on their part.”

“What’s the verdict?”

“Well, it’s closed for winter vacation, but the principal was in and she thinks very highly of her.  To quote the principal, ‘Miss Sylk is competent and patient.  Very much loved and favored by her students, and respected by her peers.”

“Wow, that’s a stellar recommendation.”

“I’ll say.”  After a pause, Paul said, “There’s a downside, though.”

“What?”  Massimo held his breath, his fingers tightening around the pen.

“She’s up to her neck in debt.  All her credit cards are maxed out.  She has trouble paying her bills and she’s delinquent on her student loan payments.”

“Well,” Massimo said, letting out his breath, “times are tough.  Do you have the contact information for her creditors?  All of them, even her student loans,” he added, realizing he had no idea where to begin looking up information on federal loans.  He’d never had to worry about money his whole life.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Massimo wrote quickly.  “Her medical records?” he said, moving on.

“Clean.  No history of mental or any other medical diseases.”  Paul paused.  “And yes, according to her records, she is still a virgin.”

“Hmm.”  Powerful relief filled Massimo.  She wasn’t lying about that.  “And has she ever traveled outside of the U.S. to the U.K. specifically?”

“No, man.  She doesn’t even own a passport.”

Massimo breathed another sigh of relief.  At least he could rule out her association with Galen.  It was just a coincidence that Galen had booked a flight to New York at around the same time Nia would be in Granite Falls.  He was due to arrive next week.  His suspicions of Nia’s relationship with his half brother had increased exponentially after the P.I. he had on Galen’s track relayed the information in the lobby of Hotel Andreas yesterday.

Massimo had immediately put a stop to his bastard brother’s travels to make sure he stayed in England, at least for the time being.  He could not deal with another distraction right now.  He would pick up his investigation on Galen once he was married and his inheritance secured.

It was a relief to know that Nia wasn’t in cahoots with anyone, but herself. 
But why?

“Who’s this girl, Mass?  And why are you having her investigated?” Paul asked.

“It’s business.”

“Other than sexual, what kind of business can you possibly have with a virgin schoolteacher from Brooklyn?”

Wouldn’t he love to know
?  “What about her family?  Does she have any relatives?” he prompted to defray Paul’s interrogation.  The man was an FBI agent.  Probing was his specialty.

“Well, actually, she—”

“Massimo?”

Massimo swiveled around as he heard Nia call his name.  “We’ll have to finish this conversation later, Paul.  The lady is at my door.”

“She’s at Andretti Estate?  But you never—”

“Yes.”

Paul chuckled.  “You dirty dog.  You just broke up with Gabrielle and you’re already back in the game.  I guess Miss Sylk won’t be a virgin much longer.”

“You know me too well, my friend.”

“I should call the boys so we can make bets on how long this one will last.”

A smile played at the corners of Massimo’s mouth.  He hadn’t missed Nia’s slip this morning when she’d asked if he was going to tell people she offered him her virginity for two million dollars.  The girl needed some serious lessons in the Art of Deception.  “Heads up, buddy,” he said to Paul.  “Three full days, if it was all up to her.”

“Three days?  Man, your exploits are getting shorter and shorter.  Are you trying to break some kind of record?”

“I’m trying to break something.  Not quite sure what it is yet.”

“Massimo?” Nia called again.

“I do have to go, Paul.  Thanks for the info,” he said as the doorknob rattled.  “I’ll be in touch again, soon.  I have another matter I’d like you to check into when you have the time.  I’ll have my secretary email you the file later today.”

“Okay.  Anything for you, my friend.”

Massimo hung up the phone, tossed the pad into his desk drawer and locked it.

“Why is your office locked?”  Nia asked when he opened the door.

He shrugged.  “Force of habit.  I prefer not to be disturbed by the help when I’m conducting business.”

“But Azi seems to be the only help around here.”

“Help, nonetheless.  Were you looking for me for any particular reason?”

“Azi says breakfast is ready.”

Massimo took in her attire—a pair of designer jeans and a turquoise sweater. 
Simple, yet sexy
.  Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, dramatizing her high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, and her smooth brown skin glowed with an innate vitality.  He would love to take her back to his bed and have her for breakfast.  The thought of her hot juices flowing into his mouth as he brought her to an earthshattering climax cause a lump to lodge itself in Massimo’s throat.

She had no idea how close he’d come to living out his fantasy earlier in his bedroom—ripping the sheet from her body and riding her into the sunset.  The only thing that had stopped him was the fact that he had no clue who she was, or what she really wanted with him.  But now that he had credible and pleasing information about her…

Massimo drew her to him and pressed her face into his chest.  She was really a teacher, and she was adored by her students and admired by her peers.  According to her principal, she was kind and patient.  Those were the very qualities he desired in the mother of his child.  The fact that Nia was the sexiest, feistiest woman he’d ever met were added bonuses.

What on earth had propelled her to step outside of her character and offer to sell herself for four million dollars?  It had to be more than the fact that she was buried in debt—a debt she’d incurred recently by making several large cash advances on her credit cards.

What kind of trouble was she in?  Who had she borrowed from and had to repay?  Was it a loan shark or some other questionable individual?  New York City was rife with shady characters ready to pounce on inexperienced, innocent young women like Nia.  Had she had the misfortune of falling prey to one of them?  She was only twenty-three, and although she put on a brave act, her youth and innocence rendered her defenseless against the harsh realities of life.

A consuming need to protect Nia surged through Massimo’s veins.  The reason she had sought him out to solve her financial problems didn’t seem important anymore.  He didn’t care, just thankful she’d come to him.  Another wealthy man might not have been as honorable and considerate as he, even though she might not think him honorable at all.

His arms tightened possessively about her.  He buried his face in her hair where traces of ginger and grapefruit from her shampoo and conditioner still lingered. 
Simple and refreshing
—a nice change from the strong nauseating fragrances a lot of women used.  He liked the fact that she was different.

“You’re suffocating me,” she said, struggling to break free.

“Sorry, pussycat.”  He relaxed his hold and stepped back to gaze into her hauntingly familiar eyes.  Since she wasn’t conspiring against him with Galen, he could not have seen her in the background of any surveillance photos.  She wasn’t a model or a movie star, so he would not have seen her in a magazine or on TV.  So where had he seen her, and why was it only her eyes that were familiar?  He would have remembered her entire body if he’d seen it once.  It was just her eyes.  “Are you sure we haven’t met before, Nia?’ he asked as frustration gnawed at his insides.