Chapter Ten
Ariano could see how heavy Celina’s lids had grown as she lay on the pillow, her hair still damp from the long and imaginative shower they had shared.
But she refused to succumb to sleep, her blue eyes watching his face in the shadowy light of the bedroom.
“You’re a lot different than the other leccaculos who work for my father,” she told him, her voice low and tired.
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replied, stroking her hair, silently willing her to sleep. He felt naked in those moments and it had nothing to do with the lack of clothes between them.
Somehow, Celina had stripped away his inherent suspicion and skepticism by baring her own vulnerabilities.
He wasn’t sure he liked it.
I’m not sure I hate it either, he thought, marveling at the beauty of the woman in his bed. In spite of himself, he couldn’t help but feel a connection with Celina. But it wasn’t like something he had experienced with other women.
The desire to possess her had been fulfilled and yet he still couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face.
I want to…hold her, and never stop, he realized. The sex isn’t enough. I want…more.
“You’re smarter,” Celina continued. “More… intuitive. I think my father sees himself in you.”
“Poor guy,” Ariano chuckled but she didn’t smile.
“What is it about you?” she asked quietly. “What makes you so different?”
“I didn’t realize I was,” he answered softly, shifting his eyes away from her, suddenly embarrassed by the scrutiny, but Celina wasn’t finished.
“Why did you come to Miami?” she asked sleepily and Ariano found himself tensing at the question.
“For work,” he replied truthfully. “I was offered an opportunity to work for your father and I took it.”
“Luca Cambrini sent you, right?” she asked and he was surprised that she knew that much about him. Celina didn’t seem like the type to care about the men in the family.
Maybe she only cares about you, a small voice in his head offered and he instantly silenced it, furious at the thought.
Whatever had transpired between them could not happen again. The risk of Giovanni or anyone else learning about it was far too grave and Ariano knew he would not get lucky twice where a don’s daughter was involved.
“Yes,” he replied slowly. “He did.”
“He didn’t want you to work for him?”
“Miami is much nicer than Jersey,” Ariano replied, hoping that it would be the end of the conversation.
Go to sleep, he begged her silently, not wanting to ruin what had been a perfect night otherwise. Let’s not talk anymore.
“Why do I feel like there’s more to the story than you’re saying?” she asked suspiciously and Ariano released a groan of frustration.
“I don’t know,” he replied, trying to cover up the inadvertent sound of annoyance. “Maybe you’re just tired.”
The post-orgasmic look slowly vanished from her face and she sat up, pinning him with her gaze.
“Am I bothering you?” she asked coldly, the familiar mask slipping over her face. “Sorry for wanting to know something about your life – after all, you know just about every fuckin’ thing about mine.”
Ariano shook his head, sighing with frustration.
“It’s been a long week, Celina,” he answered, wishing that he could go back in time a couple of minutes.
“Oh yeah,” she snapped. “I forgot. You were busy chasing me around. Poor baby.”
She tossed the sheet aside and dropped her manicured toes onto the hardwood.
“Celina, where are you going?” he groaned. “Come on, don’t be like that.”
“I made a mistake coming here,” she retorted. “I should get back to my car before Alex calls my father.”
Ariano scoffed.
“Now you’re worried about that?” he asked skeptically.
She didn’t answer, throwing on her clothes haphazardly as Ariano watched her.
“I’ll drive you back to your – “
“I’ll call an Uber,” she interjected and Ariano knew there was no sense in arguing with her.
“Celina – “
“Goodbye, Ariano. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about this,” she tossed over her shoulder as she slipped from the bedroom.
Fuck. She is such a pain in the ass, he thought as he heard the front door close. A gorgeous, interesting, and funny one, but a pain in the ass no less.
He sighed inwardly, knowing she was stubborn enough to stick to her pique until she was good and ready to talk to him again.
I’ll give her a chance to cool off and tomorrow we’ll talk, he told himself.
*******************
He pulled the Audi up to Celina’s building at seven a.m., scanning the area for Alex’s Mercedes.
Where is that stronzo? He thought angrily, glancing at his cell phone. There was no text indicating that there had been a change of plans. As far as protocol went, Alex should be out here to meet him and go over any pertinent details from the night before. Ari was pretty sure that Alex wouldn’t be confiding any actual details though, he thought with an inward chuckle. No way would he admit to losing Celina on his first night guarding her.
He fired off a message to Celina.
<Where are you?>
Sitting back, he waited for a reply, his eyes again raking over the lot.
Opening his GPS tracker, he looked for the locator on Celina’s car, his annoyance growing with each second.
But when the screen showed that her car was still in Miami and nowhere near Cutler, Ariano’s irritation dissolved into alarm.
Dammit! he thought, putting the Audi in gear. Where did she go after she left my place?
Once again, Ariano felt the unfamiliar jagged edges of jealousy slide through him. He took off toward the interstate, his mind racing.
She was pissed but she’s not stupid. She wouldn’t go off grid without telling anyone where she is, no matter how much she loves to play games.
As he raced down the road against morning traffic, he texted Alex.
<Where are you?>
He dropped the cell on the dashboard and ground his teeth together, waiting for one of them to respond.
Unable to concentrate, he dialed her number through the Bluetooth but it went directly to voicemail.
“You know who you’ve reached. You know what to do.”
He disconnected the call, remembering how much fun she’d had at Alex’s expense listening to his voicemails the previous night.
No way am I going to give her the satisfaction of doing the same thing to me, he thought through clenched teeth, his foot hitting the gas even harder.
Again, he enacted the hands-free and called Alex.
After the third ring, he answered lazily.
“Hello?” he drawled and his tone instantly infuriated Ariano.
“Where the fuck are you?” he demanded. “You weren’t at the condo.”
“Hmm?” he asked. “What do you mean? I saw you this morning when we traded shifts, paesano. Don’t you remember?”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Alex? Where is Celina?”
“You lost Celina?” Alex cried. “Does Giovanni know that? He’s gonna be pissed!”
Ariano suddenly slowed the car, recognizing something sinister in Alex’s tone.
“Where is Celina?” he demanded, his face growing hot with anger. “Alex, where the fuck did you leave her?”
“Leave her? Last I knew, she was home. I followed her back in an Uber last night. She’s not there?”
“Alex, I swear to God…wait, what do you mean you followed her home in an Uber. From where?”
A low snicker piped through the phone.
“I think we both know where she was coming from, asshole. And now you’re going to get what you deserve,” he gloated maliciously.
Alex’s tone was like venom and Ariano knew he was in trouble, but at that moment, he had a bigger concern; finding Celina.
“You saw her go into the condo?”
“She’s your problem now, stronzo. I’ll call the boss if you want and let him know you lost his daughter after she spent the night at your place. And in the future, Ariano, if you’re gonna fuck her, maybe give me a call to give me the night off.”
“You gonna tell Giovanni how you managed to lose her last night too?” Ariano retorted. “Because for all I know, you haven’t seen her since you lost her at the restaurant.”
“And yet I know she was at your place and took an Uber. Not very gentlemanly, Ariano. Couldn’t even drive her home? I can’t really blame you, though. She’s such a bitch. I wouldn’t want her to stick around after I fucked her either.”
Ariano’s back became a rod of steel.
“Don’t you fucking talk about her like that,” he spat but his mind was working quickly.
Why would she go back to Cutler without her car? That doesn’t make any sense. She was right there.
Alex howled with evil glee.
“You can’t drive the whore back to her car, but you’re defending her honor when I call her a bitch? You’re such a dick, Ariano.”
“Fuck you, Alex.”
He disconnected the call, debating what to do next.
Somehow, he felt like Alex was lying to him, but the asshole had seen Celina leave and followed her home.
She’s home and ignoring me, he thought. I’ll just go let myself into the condo if she doesn’t answer the door.
He pulled into the parking lot of Rizzo and saw her car still in the lot, untouched but for a ticket for parking overnight unauthorized.
Ariano snatched up his phone again and fired off another text to Celina.
<Cara, you got a ticket. Why didn’t you pick up your car?>
Of course there was no answer and as Ariano pulled the Audi back toward the interstate, he tried to tell himself that there was no need for the mounting alarm in his gut.
She’s being typical Celina, he told himself. She’s still mad and her phone is off. In a few hours, I’ll find her and she’ll smirk at me as if I am the one being irrational.
But when he found his way back to Cutler and rode up to the penthouse, letting himself into her place, Ariano’s fears were confirmed.
She was not there and there was no sign that she had been there in hours.
Had Alex lied to him or had she just pulled another disappearing act to evade him again?
Ariano thought about how unnerved Celina had been the previous night, her desire to escape Alex’s watch.
It had nothing to do with playing games.
She had been nervous – or at least as close to nervous as she would ever let anyone see.
No, Ariano thought firmly. Something’s wrong. She’s not playing games. Something’s happened to her.
But what could he do except wait?