Chapter 14
Anna couldn’t believe her luck. Neither could Rachel. Not only was Dom the perfect sugar daddy, but she actually had feelings for him.
“I mean, it’s only been a month, but it’s perfect. I kind of feel like I cheated or something.”
Anna held the phone as she turned the corner, squinting at the street sign to make sure she was going the right way.
“Cheated at what?”
“I don’t know. Life? You’ve been seeking arrangements for…. What? A year?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So it took you an entire year to find your perfect match, and it took me two weeks?”
“Hey. Don’t rub it in my face. You got lucky, but don’t worry, karma’s a bitch… to us all. Your time will come.”
Anna grimaced. “Hey! That sounds a lot like you're wishing something bad happens to me.”
“I’m not wishing anything, honey. I just know that these are the break. Some people take more hits in life, but we all know what it feels like to hit a home run and strike out when you’re at home base.”
Anna parked her car and pursed her lips. “Wow, Rach. That sounded a lot like real advice.”
“Don’t get used to it,” she said in between laughter. “I’m now going back to being the Naughty Jiminy Cricket as your guide.”
Anna shook her head and was beyond amused. Rachel was turning out to be one of her best friends. Yes, they had met under the strangest circumstances and before, Anna had thought Rachel didn’t like her, but now, they were like two peas in a pod.
“Okay, Naughty Jiminy. I got to go.”
She groaned. “But it was just getting fun.”
“I know, but I have to go. I have something to do.”
‘Oh yeah, that’s right. You told me. What are you running off to do again?”
Rachel asked again like Anna hadn't told her she wasn't going to tell her what it was before. “I hadn’t mentioned.”
“I know you sneaky bitch. You can mention now.” Listening to Rachel, one would think Anna had a secret lover or baby on the side.
“No time. Gotta go. Love you. Bye.”
She hung up with a smile that faded in seconds. Rachel was like a dog with a bone. She wouldn’t let Anna drop it until she spilled the beans. Thing was, she didn’t want anyone to know what she was doing right now. Not Rachel, and especially not Dom.
She checked her hair and makeup before donning a pair of shades and climbing out of the car. She needed to get in and get out. This wasn’t a trip for pleasure. It was strictly business, and the sooner she was done, the better. She needed to make it to the salon. When she returned to the cabin, her hair had to be done; that’s what she had told Dom she'd be doing while he was gone.
The hostess held the door open with a smile. “Good afternoon, ma’am. Table for one?”
“Two. I’m meeting someone.” She skimmed the room as she talked and saw a man waving at her.
“That’s me,” she said with a polite nod and walked towards the table.
There he stood in luxury clothes, with his black hair gelled back and a small smile that some women would find inviting. He was young. Much younger than she expected. Most men on the arrangement site were in their older forties, yet he looked like he was in his mid-twenties, and had the demeanor of a man used to getting his way. Anna could see that. He could be considered attractive. His olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes that were filled with confidence could get him in most doors. In another life maybe she would have considered him attractive, if she wasn’t already falling for Dom. He held his arms out in a welcoming gesture that Anna felt would be rude to ignore.
“Ah. Mi bella Anna!”
He talked as if they really knew each other.
“Um, hello.” She felt awkward standing in his arms as he kissed both her cheeks and finally pulled back to sit.
“How are you?”
“Um. Great. Thanks for asking.”
She didn’t want to be rude, but she really didn’t want to stay. “Are you thirsty? Can I get you anything?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before waving the waitress over.
“Yes, Sir?”
“She wants something to drink.”
The waitress stared at Anna with expectancy, so ready to serve that she felt compelled to order. "Just a sweet tea, please.”
“Of course.”
Again, she sat in awkward silence as the man before her sipped his coffee. “So. You may not know, but my name is Luca Roberto Costa.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The waitress chose to come with the tea then, and with more gratitude than she had ever had for a waitress, she sipped from the white straw.
“And you are Anna Adams, no?
“Yes, that is me. In the flesh.” She forced her lips into a smile before she clasped her hands in front of her.
How could she ask for the money without being rude?
“Well, thank you for meeting me.”
“Well, you do owe me a large sum.” She spoke with confidence, but her flushing skin gave away her embarrassment.
“I understand. You believe me to be a charlatan, and for that, I am devastated.” He reached for her hand. “I am an honest man and have come to prove my honor.”
He turned to the duffel bag beside him and didn’t react to Anna’s gasp at seeing his bag was brimming with cash. He pulled out three small stacks and set them in between them.
“As promised.” He looked very satisfied with himself. “Three grand. For all your help.” He continued talking like there weren’t literal thousands of dollars on the table and she sat unsure whether she should take it and risk looking greedy or leave it and risk the talk the staff would start assuming what exact services she’d rendered him.
He took the decision from her. “Here,” he said, pushing it towards her. “Go on. Take it.”
She stuffed the cash into her small backpack, putting them out of sight. “What exactly did you do with Dom’s information?”
“Ah, my friend, now that is my business.” He had the nerve to appear cheeky, as if they were friends and could joke around. “If I told you, I would have to kill you.”
He laughed, not caring that she was both too nervous and embarrassed to laugh along. She had just met him; how could she know if he was telling the truth or joking?
“Okay then.” She stood up, not wanting to spend any more time with this man. She got what she had come here for; she didn’t need to sit around any longer. “Well, thanks.”
“The pleasure is all mine. If I need any more from you, I have your number,” he reminded her as she walked away.
She nodded her head but didn’t turn around. He no longer had anything for her. If the past stayed in the past, her future with Dom was looking up.
Her hair salon was five miles from where she was now, and she drove there feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her business with the Italian man was over. It had been strange work, and she did worry that Dom would find out, but now that he wasn’t messaging her anymore and now that the money he'd promised was received, she could pretend none of it had ever happened. All traces of their history were gone from her web browser and her phone. With a quick trip to the bank, there would be nothing to show her dishonesty.
That made her feel better. She felt so good, she added curls to her hair and highlights. When Dom’s driver came to pick her up, she was overjoyed and anxious to see what he thought of her new look. She touched the curls as the car drove the familiar hill, smoothing down invisible frizz so she could look her best when he saw her.
Dom was waiting for her at the door.
“Hey, baby.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tip toes to kiss his warm lips. The last month of their agreement had brought them close, and now instead of feeling nervous, she was comfortable enough to claim his body and house home.
“Hello, Anna.”
Something about his tone was off.
“Did you enjoy getting your hair done?”
“Mhm,” she said, brushing past him into the house. “I tried something new.” She sat her purse down on the couch and turned in a small circle to give him the full effect. “What do you think?”
“I think anything you wear looks lovely.”
The words were right, but the tone was off. Something wasn’t right.
“Is that all?”
That wasn’t the reaction she had been going for.
“There are more pressing matters to attend to.”
She sighed but nodded. Her man was intense, and not always the most social.
“Alright.” She sat down on the couch, preparing to hear one of his 'I need to leave for business' speeches and how many days he’d be gone. “What is it?”
“We need to talk.”
There was not a single person on this earth that liked to hear that phrase. That phrase was like a kiss of death, a foolproof way to make a dick soft and make a woman’s heart race, which was what Anna’s was doing.
“About?”
“About how you breached our agreement.”
She stared at him dumbfounded. Their arrangement was straightforward and clear. There wasn’t much she could do to ruin it. Her mind ran through everything she might have done or said since the last time she had seen him. She couldn’t figure out what might have made him upset.
Her brows scrunched together in confusion.
“I think there must have been some kind of mistake.”
“No,” he said, still standing at the door. “There has been no mistake.”
“But, Dom, I did everything you asked of me.”
“You did… everything but one.”
“I canceled my SB account and haven’t reactivated it. We’re exclusive, and I haven’t talked to any other man.”
“So not only do you go on a date with someone else, but you have the gall to lie about it to my face,” he said.
Blood drained from her face when she saw Dom nod in acknowledgment. “Exactly, Anna. It’s written all over your face.”
“Dom, that wasn’t what you think it was.”
“It wasn’t?” His tone scolded her like a school girl. “So you weren’t out with another man?”
“Yes, but…”
There wasn’t too much she could say. Saying anything else would make it worse.
“But what?”
“But that wasn’t what it looked like.”
“So you were not out with another man?”
“Technically yes.”
“And this man did not buy you a drink?
The more he talked, the worse it looked for her. She wasn’t sure how much he knew, but she was hoping she could still salvage what was left.
“He did but—”
“And he also didn’t give you wads of money?”
That was it. There was nothing left to clean up. He had seen it all.
“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Then you broke the words you signed in our arrangement and my trust.”
She hung her head in shame. There was nothing she could do fix this.
“I didn’t…”
She didn’t know what she could say, but she wanted to try and rectify it. He cut her off.
“Your driver is waiting outside. Please collect your things. He’ll take you home.”
She sat there, stunned, unmoving as she processed his words.
“If I find anything of yours up here, I’ll be sure to have it sent to you.”
She finally looked at him, seeing cold eyes. “So that’s it then?”
“That’s all it can be.”
It couldn’t be. “But I only messed up once.”
“No, you were only caught once.”
That was true.
“I don’t know how long you’ve been lying to me or about what. How do I know you were even going to tell me? If I hadn’t run into town for a last-minute errand, I probably never would have found out about you and him.”
“But… there must be some way I can earn back your trust.”
“Trust is a lot like a piece of paper, Anna. If you ball it up and try to straighten it again, it will never be the exact same.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am,” he said with muted eyes and a neutral face. She hated that she made him look like that. She wanted nothing more than to see his smile again.
“Please. There must be something I can say.”
“No, there isn’t.” He walked to the door and opened it, holding it out without looking at her. “I can’t believe a word you say.”
The invite was clear. He wanted her to leave, and with a hung head, she did that, knowing she had no one to blame but herself.