Chapter 16
Isabella
Two days later, it was the evening of the charity ball and I was dressed in a sexy new dress I’d bought the previous day with money Papa had handed me in cash.
I felt sick to my stomach as I entered the room on Papa’s arm. I caught Adam’s eye immediately. He was standing, talking, and shaking hands with a group of men, but his eyes trailed over me. I’d picked out this dress with its long slit on the side and the endless bare back for a reason. I wanted Adam to find me irresistible tonight and it was working.
I wandered away from Papa; he wanted me to go to the bar and get started on the drinks while he mingled with the people at the event. As I walked towards the bar, I could sense heads turning and Adam’s eyes on me. I knew I would attract a lot of attention in that silver sparkly dress. Papa had already praised my choice in the car, telling me how proud he was of his beautiful daughter. I felt anger when I heard those words; he’d never told me how proud he was of the person I was, or of Sofia, or the fact that I had stuck with him through all the madness. He was just proud because I looked pretty.
I sat at the bar, with my heart racing in my chest. The bartender turned and I saw it was Leo. He was in a black tuxedo, looking handsome enough to take my breath away. I hadn’t had any contact with him since that day in the cafe and now he was here, posing as a bartender at the charity event. I nearly jumped off the bar stool and into his arms, I was so relieved to see him.
“What can I get you, miss?” he asked, in his heavily accented English. There were some people around us and I could sense that he was trying not to arouse their suspicion.
“A dirty martini,” I told him, watching him closely as he moved around, making my drink. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way his muscles moved under his jacket, his strong jaw, his dark slicked back thick hair. In the past three years, Leo had grown more handsome, he looked stronger and more confident. He was the father of my daughter, and I blushed at the thought of that.
When he placed my martini glass in front of me, our eyes met and he smiled softly.
“You look beautiful and you’re doing very well. That bastard can’t stop looking at you,” Leo said, in a low voice but casually. I could feel my cheeks growing hot. Why was it that when he complimented me, my heart started racing in my chest?
“What should I do now?” I asked.
Leo was wiping some glasses, continuing to work while he talked to me casually.
“There’s a room upstairs, on the second floor, 209. We’ve already booked it in your name. Take him up there, and give him this drink. It takes about fifteen minutes to kick in,” he replied and produced a glass from under the bar counter. He also slipped across a key for the room he was talking about. I put it in my purse quickly. The drink looked like whiskey, like the one I’d seen in Adam’s hand already.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there, trust me,” Leo said and swiftly moved away. I opened my mouth to say something to him, to get his attention again, but he was already taking the drink order from someone else.
“Isabella…you look like a million bucks!” I heard Adam’s voice behind me. It was all happening so fast I didn’t even have the time to prepare myself. I turned in the stool to look at him, trying to smile.
“I’m glad you noticed,” I replied and picked up the glass of whiskey Leo had left. Adam’s blue eyes narrowed on me, admiring me, his gaze sweeping up and down and fixing eventually on my heaving breasts, at the cleavage spilling from my dress.
“What do you have there?” he asked and I handed him the glass of whiskey.
“A drink for you. I was hoping you’d come over soon and talk to me,” I replied and Adam’s thin lips stretched in a smile. He took a sip from the glass with his eyes still focused on my body.
“This must be my lucky night,” he said in a low husky voice. I could sense that he’d had some drinks already, his guards had been lowered…he did not suspect me of anything.
“It could be, depending on what you consider lucky,” I told him, biting down on my lip. Adam grinned and took another sip.
“You know, Isabella, I didn’t think you liked me very much,” he said and stepped closer to me, close enough for me to smell his whiskey-laden breath.
“Clearly you don’t know me very well. Do you know that I’m very lonely? Locked up in that big house in Queens. All I want is a strong man like you to make me feel alive,” I replied, making my voice as seductive as possible. I had to force myself because I couldn’t even stand to keep looking at him.
Adam’s breathing became harsh; he took another sip.
“Your father will be so happy to hear that. He looks up to me, you know?” Adam stated and a light chuckle escaped his lips.
“I have an idea of what we can do to make him even happier,” I said and slipped off my stool. I grabbed Adam’s hand and started leading him out of the room. His bodyguard, who always stuck with him just like Papa’s did, was following us. Adam allowed me to lead him away and when I looked over my shoulder at the bar, I saw that Leo was already gone.
***
“Stay out here!” Adam growled at his bodyguard outside the hotel room. I giggled and opened the door and Adam stumbled in behind me.
I couldn’t tell if it was the sedative that Leo had mixed in the drink which was beginning to take effect, or if it was just the alcohol, but Adam was definitely more misbalanced now.
I locked the door behind us and he walked to the bed, wobbly on his feet. He sat down at the edge of the bed with a thump, then patted the spot beside him.
“Come here, let me undress you,” he hissed, narrowing his blue eyes at me. I could feel a wave of nausea rising in me. Leo was nowhere in sight. I didn’t want to have to take this any further.
I walked slowly to the bed, shying away from looking at Adam. Maybe some women might have considered him to be a handsome man, but I didn’t. He was too thin, his face looked too pinched, and he was at least a decade older than me. He had a sly smile and a glint in his blue eyes, like he was a hungry wolf salivating at the thought of devouring me.
“Sit down!” he growled and I had no choice but to do as I was told. He stared at me from my face and all the way down to my cleavage.
“I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you,” he declared and he reached a hand out to cup my breasts. I gasped when he touched me, feeling the coldness of his skin seeping through me. I resisted every urge to lash out, to push him away. Because now, I could see Adam’s eyelids drooping, growing heavy. I could sense him about to pass out.
“You are such a sexy little pixie.” He slurred his words and swayed towards me. I smiled at him, and the next second, he fell forward, crashing down on me and laying me flat on the bed. I’d squealed from the suddenness of his crash, and I felt trapped under him.
I tried to push him, but he wouldn’t budge. He was passed out cold on top of me, and that was when the bathroom door opened.
“Shhh…” Leo said, stepping out. “I heard him fall,” he said and rushed to my side.
Gripping me by my shoulders, he smoothly slid me out from under Adam.
“What if he wakes up and sees you here?” I asked, jerking away from the bed. I wanted to get as far away from Adam as possible.
“He won’t, not for another two hours. You have to stay in the room until he wakes up,” Leo said and I gulped as I saw him take out a device, which looked like a small flashlight.
“What are you doing?” I asked him, whispering as I watched Leo flip Adam’s deadweight body over and remove his jacket and shirt.
“I need to plant the chip somewhere discreet, some place he won’t notice right away,” Leo said and then he pressed the front of the device to Adam’s back. There was a sound like a stapler being snapped down and I saw the light bulge under Adam’s skin, just underneath his shoulder.
“Done,” Leo declared and started putting the shirt back on.
“That’s it?” I asked and Leo nodded his head as he worked. He left the jacket off and undid Adam’s pants.
“He needs to think you had sex because he won’t remember what happened,” he said and finally turned to me. I had my hands clasped to my mouth. All this was too scary for me, I could barely keep standing.
I swayed where I stood and Leo leapt at me, circling his arms around my waist.
“It’s okay, I’ve taken care of everything. Isabella, you’ll be fine,” he said and gently ran the back of his thumb on my cheek. Nothing in the past three years had felt as good as being in Leo’s arms now. I’d been trying so hard to resist him but I couldn’t anymore. I couldn’t deny the fact that I wanted him.
“I’m so scared, Leo,” I whispered and our eyes met. I looked into his handsome dark face and he was smiling softly.
“You shouldn’t be, Isabella, I’m here now. I’ve finally found you,” he said and slowly, he pulled me down to the carpeted floor.
We were tangled in each other’s arms, we were speaking in hushed tones and suddenly, I knew he was right…I wasn’t scared. I’d been scared for three years but not anymore.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, Leo. I thought you’d betrayed me,” I said and tears welled up in my eyes again. Leo stroked my forehead, pushing away the stray strands of my hair. He was looking into my eyes, staring at my face like he couldn’t believe I was in his arms again.
“And I spent the past four years looking for you. I knew I was going to find you, Isabella. I would have done anything to prove the truth. I would never betray you,” he said and then gently kissed my lips.
I sank into him as he kissed me. I’d been waiting to feel this again for three years, to relive those few stolen moments I’d spent with him. His hands traveled up from my waist to my back. His touch was warm and rough and gentle on my bare skin.
“This asshole is going to be out cold for two hours,” he whispered as his lips grazed down from my chin and down my neck. I shuddered at his touch, at the feeling of desire welling up in me.
We looked into each other’s eyes and we both knew exactly how we were going to spend the time that we had.