The Playboy's Fugitive Bride (12 page)

Their eyes locked in the mirror.  Hers, warm and sensuous—his, intense and desirous.

Massimo’s breath caught in his throat as an ineffable trepidation overwhelmed him.  When it came to women, he was always in control.  He could turn his affections on and off like a faucet.  He decided when a relationship began and when it ended.  There were no lingering drips once he’d made that decision—he made sure of that with the generous settlements he provided his ex-lovers to leave him alone.

And there would be no lingering drips with Nia.  She was a means to an end.  A very delicious means.  No need to get his heart involved.  Andretti men only loved two things—sex and money—a fact Nia had contemptuously pointed out last night.  Andretti wives were in the habit of withdrawing emotionally and physically once their duties were accomplished.  Some, like his mother, foolishly fell in love with men like his father who were incapable of reciprocating that love.

Which was Nia’s fate? Massimo wondered, mildly.  Would she love him and try to make their marriage work, or would she become cold and bitter and wither away when he couldn’t love her?

“I do have to get to the office,” he said, staring at her reflection in the mirror.  “And you have your spa appointments at two-thirty.  Don’t be late.”

She gave him a radiant smile that made his heart skip a beat.  “Thanks for the clothes and the car, Massimo.  I really appreciate them.”

You can thank me properly tomorrow night once you’re my wife and lying naked under me while I fill you up to the hilt.
Your moans and the writhing of your sexy little body will let me know how appreciative you are.

“You can show your full appreciation next Monday when we seal our deal,” he said out loud.  He spun her around, planted a wet kiss on her lips, and left before he lost control.

Alone in the dressing room, Nia took several deep breaths to regain her wits.  Since she wasn’t going to be around to thank him, she wasn’t flustered by Massimo’s threats about showing her appreciation on Monday.  She actually smiled through the rush of warmth his words had generated in her.  It was all physical, she told herself—just the natural reaction of a girl to a boy.  Nothing more.

She stared derisively at the new clothes he’d just shelled out thousands of dollars on.  Yesterday, when he told her she would have a new wardrobe, she’d thought of keeping it, but as she glanced at the colorful array of dresses, sweaters, skirts, and pantsuits hanging on the rolling racks, she realized that most of them would be useless on a tropical island.

They were indeed a lovely waste of money, she thought, running her hands along the assortment of fabric—silk, satin, wool, linen, and dozens more she’d never heard of.   She didn’t know there were so many kinds of fabric until Massimo began describing them as she modeled for him.  But fabrics and textiles were his specialty.  Some of these fabrics were probably manufactured in an Andretti factory somewhere in the world.

Nia turned at the knock on the door.  “Come in,” she called.

One of the clerks came in and handed her a cordless phone.  “Mr. Andretti is on the line,” she said and walked back out, closing the door.

Wondering why Massimo would be calling her when he’d just left her less than ten minutes ago, Nia raised the receiver to her ear.  “Hello?”

“
Cara,
I just realized I don’t have your cellphone number.  What is it?”

Nia went into panic mode.  “I...  I don’t have a cellphone.”  She hated lying, yet again, but she’d been calling Aaron in Dulcina on that phone.  If Massimo knew her carrier and her number, he could track her there once she disappeared.

“No cellphone?”

“I lost it...  yesterday,” she added as a precaution.  Longer than a day, and he’d want to know why she hadn’t replaced it.  Not being in possession of a cellphone these days seemed to be an invitation for interrogation from those who thought the mobile device was as vital to life as the air they breathed.  “I think I might have dropped it on my way up the mountain in pursuit of you.”

“Is that so?  Have you informed your carrier?  You don’t want someone racking up unauthorized charges in your name.”

“Yes, I did.”

“When?”

“When?”

“Yes, Nia, when did you call your carrier?”

“You think I’m lying to you?”

“I don’t know, Nia.  Are you?”

Nia sensed that he was not just asking if she were lying about the cellphone but about everything else she’d told him since they met.  He’d been practically glued to her side since she approached him in the cabin, and she hadn’t made any phone calls since then.  His suspicion and curiosity were reasonable.

Nia took a deep breath.  “I’m not lying to you, Massimo,” she lied.  “When I got back to Hotel Andreas, I realized that my phone was missing.  I called my carrier from my room while you were otherwise occupied in the lobby.”

“I suppose you haven’t gotten a new one yet.”

“I haven’t had time.  I’ll probably do it later today.”

There was a long pause before he spoke again.  “No need.  Why don’t you swing by Andretti Industries on your way to the country club and I’ll have a corporate one ready for you.”

Sure
.  It probably had a GPS just like her brand new Mercedes so he could keep tabs on her.  She wouldn’t be surprised if he had listening devices installed in that car.  “Massimo, you don’t have to—”

“I won’t have you driving around without a phone, Nia.  Suppose you get into an accident and need to call for help.  These country roads can be extremely dangerous in the winter.”

“In that case, OnStar will kick in, I’m sure.”  She was getting good.  Her lips spread into a smile.

“I’m not about to argue with you, pussycat.  I expect you—”

“Massimo, go tend to Andretti affairs and leave me alone to mine.”  Nia pushed the end button and tossed the phone on the chaise lounge.   She picked up her coat, shrugged into it, and stormed out of the room. 

To hell with him
!

He’d already taken up most of her day.  She was not wasting another minute bending to his imperial commands.  She had more important things to do.

He could use her slot to get his own nails and hair done, get himself a facial and a full body massage.  Then right after she got her two million dollars tomorrow, Massimo Andretti could go take a flying leap off Mount Washington straight into Crystal Lake for all she cared.

At five minutes to six, Nia entered an impressively decorated room at Granite Falls Country Club.  She dropped her shawl on the back of a chair, set her purse on a table, and stared into a crackling fireplace as she recalled the last few hours of her life.

When she arrived at the club—two hours late for her appointment, a young man was waiting for her in the foyer.  He’d hesitantly stated that Mr. Andretti had instructed him to take possession of her car.  When she asked how she would get home to prepare for the night’s event, he informed her that everything she needed was already delivered to the club and that Mr. Andretti would meet her here at six.

Fuming, Nia had asked to use the club’s phone to call Massimo.  He was conveniently in a meeting.

‘Everything’ turned out to be the red dress she’d sworn not to be caught dead in, a pair of six-inch silver stilettos—her size, surprisingly—a pair of black lacy panties, no bra, since she couldn’t wear one with the dress, a silver, diamond-studded clutch, a white cashmere shawl, and a diamond and ruby necklace with a matching bracelet and earrings.

Since her jeans and sweater mysteriously disappeared when she donned a robe in preparation to be pampered like an Andretti woman, she had no other choice but to wear the clothes Massimo had picked out for her.  He’d even told the hair specialist that he wanted her hair up off her neck in a French chignon, with a few curly tendrils falling down her cheeks and shoulders.

The man had a lot of balls.  What did he hope to accomplish by bossing her around?  Was this the reason his relationships were short-lived?  No woman could take his domineering attitude, no matter how much money he threw at her.  Somebody needed to tell him that no woman liked the constant feel of a boot heel on her neck.

When she walked out of Joanne’s Boutique, Nia had been tempted to forget her plan and get the hell out of Granite Falls and away from Massimo.  But thoughts of Aaron lying in an alley beaten to death kept her on course.  Just one more day and she’d be free of Massimo forever.

“
Cara
.”

Nia turned to see Massimo in the doorway.  It was impossible to stay mad at him, she realized in despair as her annoyance dissipated at the sight of him.  He looked irresistible in a dashing black and white tuxedo, his wavy black hair flowing from his face like a crest.  He was every woman’s wish, and every man’s envy.  He’d been her dream since she was seventeen.  Just a dream, she reminded herself as butterflies started fluttering around in her belly. 

He strolled toward her, and when he was close, she licked her lips as the faint yet heady smell of sandalwood and spice wafted up her nostrils.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he said.

The tremor in his voice and the sensuous light in his eyes made her knees weak.  At least he wasn’t staring at her chest, like most men did when they talked to a woman.  As a matter of fact, Massimo always looked her in the eyes when he talked to her, Nia realized.  She clasped her hands together in front of her and cleared her throat.  “I’d better look stunning since you picked out every stitch of clothing I’m wearing.”

His lips parted into a seductive smile.  “Don’t remind me, pussycat.  I’m already aching from visions of those black lacy panties nestled against your—”

Nia gasped as electricity shot through her.  “Is sex all you think about, Massimo?” she asked pertly.

“What else am I to think about?  Sex is all you offered me.”

“Exactly.  I didn’t ask to be presented to the public and paraded in front of your friends.”

“Being pampered is one of the roles of being my lover.  And it serves to heighten the anticipation of my claiming what you offered.  Although the rest of the world would think that I’ve already had you, only you and I know the truth.”

“Right, I forgot your motto: Capture.  Devour.  Pamper.  Release.”  She was pleased at how nonchalant she sounded while discussing their agreement.

He chuckled softly.  “You know me well, pussycat.”  His face softened, his eyes twinkling in the light from the overhead chandelier and the fire.  “Only a virgin, or a very inexperienced woman would blush at such playful banter.  But I’m confident that this time next week, you’ll be welcoming my sexual taunts, perhaps trying out some of your own?  It makes for wonderful foreplay,” he added with a hopeful lilt in his voice.

Feeling the familiar tingle of her skin only Massimo could generate, Nia shifted her gaze to the wintery scene on the other side of a window.  This time next week she’d be in the sunny Caribbean.  Massimo would just have to find someone else to stroke his big ego.

“I’m surprised they were able to pull this off when you were two hours late for your appointment,” Massimo said. 

Delighted with the change of subject, Nia said, “Three attendants worked on me simultaneously.  One did my pedicure, another my manicure, while the third did my hair.  I had a quick facial, but had to forgo the full-body massage.”  She dared not tell him what else she’d had done at his expense.  It was her little secret.  “They are quite talented,” she continued on a tantalizing smile.  “I’ve never looked this polished, even after an entire day of preparation.” 

“Why were you so late?”

“I had some business to take care of.”  She dropped her gaze to his wide chest.

“What kind of business?”

“Personal.”

“Tell me.”  His voice was irascibly patient.

Nia crossed her arms and meeting his gaze again, she began relaying her prepared tale.  “When I came to Granite Falls, I didn’t know if you’d take me up on my offer, so I left my life as it was.  But now… well… I have to rearrange my personal affairs in New York.”

“I thought you said you weren’t planning to change your life much.  You mentioned returning to your teaching post after I’ve had my fill of you.”

“It’s not a huge change, but since I’ll be a multimillionaire, I thought I’d move into a nicer apartment—maybe even purchase one in a better neighborhood.”

He nodded agreeably.  “Makes sense.  If you need help with the move and need to be present to make other arrangement, I can fly you to New York in my private jet.”

“There’s no need.  I’ve taken care of everything.”

“So what specifically did you need to do that took so much time?”  He folded his arms and probed her with his piercing eyes.

After she left Joanne’s Boutique, she’d stopped at the library to type up her resignation, then she’d headed to the post office to mail it.  After that, she’d stopped at Mountainview Café and made some calls over a bowl of homemade chicken gumbo soup and a cappuccino.

She’d managed to book a Saturday morning flight out of Manchester to JFK.  From there she would take a taxi to the location where Eddie had instructed her to drop off his money within the two-month period.  Nia had checked out the place before she left New York.  Apparently it was a branch of Eddie’s corporation that was operating under the guise of a check-cashing business.  The cloak of anonymity suited Nia just fine.  She never wanted to meet that man.

She’d called her landlord to let him know she was breaking her lease, which would be up in a month—one of the reasons she’d asked Massimo for a month.  Her security deposit and four rooms of fairly decent furniture that she offered the landlord were enough to cover her remaining rent and pay the penalty for breaking her lease.

Next, she’d called Aaron and asked him to start looking into rental properties on Dulcina.  She told him she wouldn’t be contacting him again until late next week.  He had lots of questions.  She provided no answers.

It was a good thing she’d packed up her personal belongings before she left New York.  If she’d known she only had a week to terminate her old life and plan her new one, Nia would have mailed the boxes to Dulcina herself.  Her landlord had agreed to store them then put them on a freighter to Dulcina once she was settled.  If she didn’t have so many memories of her parents in those boxes, Nia would just forget about them.