Thin Lies (Donati Bloodlines #1) (11 page)

Emma
leaned against the entrance wall of the casino, swallowed by the flood of
patrons moving in and out. Across the golden decorated, overly ostentatious
foyer of the venue, Calisto stepped up to the chip desk. He dropped a satin
bag, handed out to the guests when they needed to carry a load of winnings to
be verified and cashed in, on the desk. He rested against the desk, and by the
looks of it, barely spoke to the woman behind the counter as the chips were
taken and dumped into the electronic sorter and counter.

Like
this, behind Calisto and far away where he didn’t know Emma was watching, she
had an entirely different view of the man.

An
easy posture. A lazy smile. Drumming fingers. His left foot hooked behind his
right ankle as he waited. Relaxed shoulders.

Instead
of the seemingly aloof, unapproachable right-hand man to Affonso, Calisto now
seemed his twenty-seven years, loosening up and having a bit of fun for an
evening. Nothing more, nothing less.

Appearances
certainly were deceiving.

Any
woman would probably see Calisto and think he was a charming, handsome man. If
the woman were lucky enough, maybe she could catch his eye. A man like Calisto,
one that radiated confidence, intrigue, and sexiness all in one wave, was
impossible to ignore.

He
demanded attention.

But
he didn’t seem like he noticed.

Calisto
had changed from the jeans and leather jacket attire he’d sported earlier in
the day when he had interrupted her dress shopping. Tonight, he’d opted for a
flat black suit with sharp lines and perfectly tailored hems. All black,
actually. Black, like the color of his dark gaze, something else about Calisto
that Emma noticed drew people in closer to him. The sort of darkness that made
people wonder, like little moths flying straight toward a brightly burning
flame, wanting to touch the pretty colors only to be burned into nothing but
ashes. From the dress shirt underneath, the tie with a straight, tight knot, to
the pants and Italian leather shoes he wore, everything was black.

And
the man looked good in it.

Really
good.

She
bet he thought dressing in dark clothing would allow him to blend in more, but
she thought it made him stand out.

Calisto
was trouble waiting to happen.

She
could feel it in her blood.

So
why couldn’t she bleed the curiosity out?

Emma
averted her gaze, hoping that if she quit watching Calisto—and wondering about
everything little thing that surrounded him—maybe that would help.

Surprise.

It
didn’t.

Sighing
harshly, Emma pushed off the wall. She fixed the skirt of her dress, readying
to meet Calisto when he was done cashing in his chips. He hadn’t seemed all too
concerned earlier when she left the table. Emma figured he would only have to
play a few more hands to knock out the other players in the poker game, take
his winnings, and run with it.

She’d
been waiting for an hour.

Briefly,
the jealous flare she’d felt when watching the woman try to flirt with Calisto
came back to Emma with a vengeance. Had that been what took him so long? Had he
taken the woman up on some kind of offer? Was that his reason for taking an
hour, instead of the maybe twenty minutes it should have been to end the game?

Why
do you even care?

Emma
brushed off her inner voice. Other than being mocking or confusing, her
instincts weren’t helping her out all that damned much lately. Especially not
where Calisto Donati was concerned.

She
knew right from wrong, though. That was the important part. It didn’t matter
what Emma felt for Calisto, it was still wrong to act on it. It wouldn’t make a
difference that the man could make her heart race, her lungs stop breathing, or
her blood heat up with a single look … not when acting on the attraction would
only put her in a grave.

And
him, too.

Emma
couldn’t forget that.

Running
her thumb over her finger, Emma felt the band of her engagement ring press
against the pad of her digit. It was a good reminder of the weight already
resting on her shoulders, and how she certainly didn’t need to add any more to
it.

Glancing
up from the floor, Emma stilled in place. Calisto had turned around, cash in
hand, and was watching her from across the casino’s foyer. She stopped toying
with her engagement ring instantly.

How
long had he been watching her?

Calisto
nodded toward the elevator as he shoved the small wad of cash into the inside
pocket of his jacket. Emma thought the wad looked smaller than it should have
been, considering what he won in that last pile.

It
didn’t matter.

He’d
followed through on their deal of letting her try to make him go broke at the
poker table. Emma had lost.

Fun
time was over.

Back
to reality again
,
her mind taunted. She didn’t even know what her reality was now.

Calisto
met Emma at the elevator with one of those easy, smooth smiles that could make
a woman wet just at the sight alone. The small flash of his teeth when his grin
deepened and his gaze raked over her form let Emma know that she was not immune
to the man’s charms.

Was
he purposely doing this?

Emma
shook off the oddities and pressed the button for the private elevator. While
there were several elevators in the casino, this specific one took patrons
straight to their very expensive, and high penthouses. Once inside, all Emma
would need to do was swipe her card and the elevator would take her directly to
her penthouse apartment without stopping.

“Ready
to call it a night?” Calisto asked.

Emma
shrugged. “I’m out of cash.”

“Oh?
I thought you had a trust fund to dip into when you wanted.”

“Nice.
Cheap shots.”

Calisto
smirked. “I’m joking. Don’t be bitter that I beat you.”

“I’m
not.”

“Then
what’s with the pout,
dolcezza
?”

The
elevator door opened, allowing Emma a reprieve from answering Calisto. She
stepped inside, expecting him to stay behind like he usually did. This time,
Calisto stepped in with her.

“What,
you need to see me walk into the apartment tonight?” she asked.

“No,”
he answered simply.

Emma
didn’t press him for more information. “That was a good hand, by the way. I
don’t think I’ve ever pulled pocket aces like that.”

Calisto
chuckled. “Luck and nothing more.”

“It
takes a bit of skill.”

“Sure.
A damn good poker face will get you everywhere. Bluff it until they fold it.”

“Exactly.”
Emma shifted in her heels, aware of how close to Calisto she was in the small
elevator. The mirrored walls let her see every angle of the man without even
needing to turn. She simply had to look through her lashes and admire in
silence. “Took you a while.”

“Business.”

“Oh?”

“Mmm.
No good made man wins a decent sized pot in a Don’s casino without paying the
man some kind of tribute for the business. I found one of Maximo’s guys and
paid him a reward to deliver half of my chips to the boss’s offices.”

Emma
blinked, stunned. It wasn’t the woman in red that kept Calisto away for longer,
or anything like that. “Oh.”

Calisto
glanced down at her. “What?”

“Nothing,”
she said quickly.

“You’re
lying.”

“No,
I’m—”

Calisto
turned quickly, his hand coming up to snag Emma’s wrist tightly in his palm.
Heat siphoned immediately from his skin to hers, making her feel drunk and
awake all at the same time.

“Lying,”
he interrupted. “Did you think I was going to leave you to do whatever while I
was playing poker?”

“No.”

“I
didn’t think you’d mind if I took a bit longer. You know the place, after all.
You live here. What’s the issue?”

Emma’s
cheeks pinked and she refused to look at him again. “Nothing. Leave it alone.
It’s not important.”

Calisto’s
hand tightened around her wrist before he dropped it fast. “The woman at the
table, was that it? You might as well have ‘pissed off woman’ stamped on your
forehead, Emmy. What, did you think I kept you waiting so that I could get a
quickie with that woman?”

Why
did he have to be so astute?

Goddamn
him.

“Did
she offer?” Emma asked.

She
knew better.

“She
offered something. I wasn’t interested. Does that make you feel better?”

Yes
.

“Should
it?” Emma asked. “What does it matter? It doesn’t. I told you to leave it alone.”

Calisto
didn’t answer. Emma peeked up at him through the shielded veil of her sharply
cut bangs. The distance on his features was something she had seen him wear all
too often. The confusion setting his mouth down into a frown was new, however.
As was the sadness coloring his stare.

“It’s
not important,” Emma said weakly. “It was a stupid, errant feeling that doesn’t
have any say on anything.”

Emma
didn’t believe her own lies.

She
had seen the way Calisto watched her at the table. And earlier in the day at
the dress shop? God, she had the pleasure of seeing him stare at her then, too.
Like he was fucking starved for something beautiful, and his hands had suddenly
felt it the moment they touched her skin.

He’d
comforted her, but he hadn’t needed to.

He’d
helped her, but it wasn’t his job.

And
it had been there—right there in his soul-black eyes.

Desire.

Hunger.

Lust
.

Calisto
wanted her, too.

Emma
wasn’t dumb.

“Not
important,” she repeated.

Maybe
if she said it enough, it would make it true.

“Yeah,”
Calisto said gruffly. “You’re right.”

It
still hurt.

Emma

“Have
a good evening,” Calisto said quietly when the elevator dinged.

Emma
stood unmoving, even with the sight of her penthouse apartment opening up
before her. She was unsteady on her feet and unsure in her heart. A part of her
wanted to ask Calisto if he would come in and have a coffee with her, talk, or
… something. When the man was open and not being an asshole, he was enigmatic
to her, drawing Emma in like a magnet. The other part of her, the rational one,
kept her quiet and demanded she get out of the elevator. 

“The
elevator only stays open for so long, Emmy,” Calisto added.

Her
nickname coming out of his mouth sounded a lot more affectionate than she was
willing to admit. He spoke it soft enough to make her think that maybe he
cared. Emma couldn’t get mixed up in that trap.

Whatever
it was.

The
elevator dinged and the door started to close. She still hadn’t moved. Calisto
reached out and stuck his hand over the sensor. He didn’t drop his arm, so the
elevator door wouldn’t close until he did.

“You
all right?” he asked.

“Thank
you for the poker game,” Emma said.

Calisto
offered her a smile. “Don’t thank me for that. I beat you, after all.”

“But
you gave me the distraction I needed. Losing the money was worth it.”

“Well,
then I guess you’re welcome.”

“You
didn’t need to come up with me, you know.”

Calisto
chuckled. “You said that already. And I know that I didn’t, but I’m ready to
call it a night as well.”

It
took Emma far too long to catch onto what Calisto meant. 

“You
have a suite in the hotel?”

“I
have to keep an eye on you, don’t I?”

Emma
glanced away to hide her frown. “Sure, but this elevator is used for the
expensive suites, not the regular ones.”

Calisto
nodded toward the other side of the elevator. “Once the door closes to your
penthouse, I just have to swipe my card and the other side of the elevator will
open to the penthouse apartment that was rented for me to use this month.
Affonso wanted me to be as close as possible to you, instead of a few floors
down like I was first situated.”

“Oh.”

“It
also makes it easier on me with the hotel security,” Calisto added. “They
simply call through to my room to let me know the sensors are showing activity
in your apartment in the mornings. It gives me a chance to get up and
downstairs to meet you. I’m usually already up, but there have been a couple
mornings when I slept in.”

Her
heart clenched painfully. A fast rush of anger followed right behind. Emma
wasn’t exactly surprised that Calisto had been situated directly across from
her penthouse for the duration of his stay, but the security thing was new
information.

She
had no privacy.

The
security in her penthouse apartment was meant for break-ins or other kinds of
trouble. If there was unusual activity, she would get a call to ask if she was
all right or needed help.

“They’ve
been using my security system to alert you when I start to get ready in the mornings?”
Emma asked.

Calisto’s
expression remained a blank slate. “Yes.”

“Oh,
my God. That’s … fucking ridiculous. It’s my private space.”

“No
one expects you to like it, Emmy. That’s probably why you weren’t let in on the
secret. Nonetheless, it’s what Affonso wanted. He demanded someone have eyes on
you as much as possible. I couldn’t keep watch if I didn’t know something as
simple as when you were leaving the penthouse in the mornings.”

It
didn’t matter how Calisto tried to spin it, Emma still didn’t like it. It left
a bad taste in her mouth, not to mention she felt violated in a way.

“I
haven’t done anything wrong,” Emma said, trying to keep her tone level and hide
the anger flooding her heart. “I’ve followed the rules, stayed quiet, and did
whatever that asshole wanted. Doesn’t he trust me at all?”

Calisto
cleared his throat. “You’re a woman, Emmy.”

“What
does that have to do with it?”

“Affonso
doesn’t trust any woman.”

Well,
then.

Fuck
him.

“Is
this what my whole life is going to be like now?” she asked.

The
sharp, rugged lines of Calisto’s face softened when he smiled crookedly.
Despite his small grin, sympathy flashed in his midnight-gaze.

“Without
a doubt. It may seem like you’re alone, but you never will be. I explained this
to you once. Did you think I was lying?”

“No,
but …”

“Hmm?”

“I
thought he would give me a bit of leg room to breathe. If all Affonso wanted to
do was put me in a locked box, he might as well have just dragged me to New
York when he left instead of leaving me here.”

“Leg
room?” Calisto asked. “For what, to let you run?”

Emma’s
fingernails bit into her palm when she squeezed her fists tight. “I never
suggested I might run.”

“I
didn’t say you would, either. Affonso thinks differently.”

“I’m
really just a child to him, aren’t I?”

“You’re
something else he can control, if that’s what you mean.”

Emma
swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “Once I’m in New York, I’ll still
have a babysitter.”

“You
already know this.”

“It
won’t be you, though.”

Calisto
tilted his head to the side slightly before saying, “No, it’ll be whoever
Affonso decides is the best to watch you. I have a job to do back home. And it
doesn’t include keeping an eye on you,
ragazza
.”

But
did he want it to?

That
was the better question.

Emma
didn’t ask.

Steeling
her spine and refusing to give away her inner turmoil, Emma smiled. What in the
hell else could she do? “Thank you again, Cal.”

Calisto
nodded. “No problem.”

“Goodnight.”

Emma
stepped out of the elevator and into her penthouse. Calisto dropped the hand
covering the sensor the moment she was gone.

“Goodnight,
Emmy.”

She
didn’t look back at him when the elevator door closed.

Sleep
didn’t find Emma. She tried everything to clear her mind enough that she could
forget about the day and rest, but nothing worked. Frustrated, she tossed and
turned until she was on her back, and staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Emma
didn’t know how long she stayed like that. An hour, maybe more. The darkness of
the bedroom would usually soothe her, but tonight it almost felt like it was
taunting her. Staring at the ceiling helped to slow her racing thoughts enough
that she could think.

In
just a few days, she would be on a plane to New York.

A
married woman.

Her
life irrevocably changed.

Emma
had done her best to ignore what was happening around her by staying out of
things and keeping quiet. She couldn’t do that anymore. The changes were staring
her right in the face, about to take over, whether she was ready for it or not.

Slowly,
Emma’s thoughts began to drift in another direction. Calisto’s handsome
features filled her mind. She was still angry after what she learned earlier,
but only because no one had thought to tell her sooner. What made her more
confused, was how she was angry with Calisto for not telling her.

Calisto
owed Emma nothing.

He
was nothing to her.

And
yet, she was still angry with him.

Thinking
about Calisto while Emma was in bed was not a good thing. It was bad enough
that her strange attraction to Calisto wouldn’t let up no matter how much she
wished it would. Being alone with thoughts filled with only him left her with
an ache between her thighs that she couldn’t settle or soothe. She shouldn’t
let a man that she couldn’t even have affect her.

Calisto
wasn’t hers.

Simple
as that.

Annoyed
and unsettled, Emma shoved the blankets away and pushed out of the bed. Her
bare feet hit the cold hardwood, and a chill filled her to the brim. Padding
out of the bedroom, Emma made her way to the kitchen. She made a peppermint
tea, hoping it would calm her nerves and let her sleep. As the tea steeped, she
went in search of something chocolatey and sweet.

Indulging
a craving seemed fitting.

Her
mother would have a fit if she knew Emma kept a secret stash of sweets hidden
in the pantry of her penthouse. Heaven forbid Emma eat a cookie and gain five
pounds.

Pressing
on the slightly indented panel on the wall, the hidden doorway swung open under
Emma’s hand. The pantry was a five-foot by eight-foot section of the kitchen
that Emma rarely used, as she didn’t need the extra storage. Usually, she went
out to eat more often than she cooked for herself.

Emma
flicked on the pantry light, illuminating the space. She snatched the package
of cream-stuffed chocolate cookies on the top shelf and turned to leave. The
gray, metal door on the other side of the pantry caught her eye, stopping her
from closing the pantry door.

It
was the second exit to the penthouse. Fire code demanded that every suite in
the casino which used a private elevator access have a second emergency exit,
in case of fire or something else. The door led to a staircase that went up to
a rooftop fire exit, or down to the ground floor where the underground garage
was situated. Each fire exit locked from the inside and couldn’t be accessed
from the outside unless the master key was used.

Emma
never thought about hers. She hadn’t needed to use the door before. Her heart
raced again, but she didn’t want to allow herself to consider what using the
door might mean.

Security
would know she skipped out.

Wouldn’t
they?

Emma
shook her wayward thoughts off. They were crazy, after all. She couldn’t
indulge errant ideas that would probably only get her into trouble. As she
flicked off the light and closed the pantry door, Emma was still watching the
metal fire door.

Stop
it
,
she told herself.
It won’t work. It’s pointless.

Emma
hadn’t even gotten back to her tea before the penthouse phone rang. She looked
to the decorative clock hanging on the kitchen wall, noting it was well after
midnight. No one should be calling her at this time. She made it to the phone
on the third ring.

“Hello?”
Emma asked into the receiver.

“Miss
Sorrento, it’s Mark from security downstairs. We noticed your sensors were
showing activity and wanted to make sure everything was fine.”

Emma
blew out a breath and pinched her nose. She should have known. It wasn’t like
she wandered the halls of her penthouse every night, but that didn’t help her
agitation.

“Didn’t
you notice the sensors started to show movement from my bedroom?” Emma asked.