I couldn’t believe my luck.

Arielle was opening up to me further, Dubois was giving his daughter privileges for this upcoming party, and he’d practically handed the Heart to us on a silver platter.

When Arielle told me he’d given her the pick of jewels, I’d sensed the opportunity and suggested she choose the most expensive. We already had a list of all the man’s rarer and expensive possessions, so I knew it would automatically mean the Heart of Mary.

If she could get it outside the vault for us… There were so many steps we’d be able to skip, and the job would get way easier. Of course, there was still the issue of taking it from Arielle without her noticing.

Basically, there was no way that would happen. Short of me asking to see it, taking it and running as soon as she looked the other way, there was little chance of me getting the gem without directly accosting Arielle.

Don’t think too much about that, I tried to reassure myself. It might not have to happen. It was entirely possible that my brother could find a way out of the hole we’d dug ourselves into. I pushed all the negative thoughts out of my mind, which only left me with one thing to dwell on:

Seeing the Heart around her pretty neck, with her dressed up in something other than the casual ensemble she usually had on whenever we met.

Hm. If I was going to sneak into this party, I’d have to blend into the crowd, which meant I needed to get a suit for the occasion and…

I pushed all those considerations to the back of my mind for now. I had a date to prepare for.

* * *

We met near the place where we’d started our walk on the Riviera last time. She launched herself at me when she caught sight of me, and the surprise made me stumble back. But I couldn’t help but laugh when she started giggling with her arms wrapped around my neck.

“Hey there,” I said softly, hugging her back before gently pushing her away. “I want to take you somewhere else today.”

She looked up at me curiously. “Where?”

“You’ll see.”

When I tugged her along, she just shrugged and followed me. Again, I wasn’t sure whether it was tragic or not that this girl was so gullible. She knew next to nothing about me. I could have been leading her to her death, and she wasn’t even questioning me. It only made me feel guiltier.

But… if there really was a way for me to not have to deceive her… I would take that solution, no matter the risks. My brother was working on it, but in the meantime, I had to stick to the original plan. We couldn’t let Gamble think we were slacking.

I took Arielle to a small apartment I kept on the Riviera, separate from where I was staying with my brother. I could have brought her here before—the place wasn’t tied to either of us in a way that would get us caught—but I hadn’t wanted to leave her with a way to track us, even if it would be a dead end. Now, though, I wanted to bring her there. I’d taken her first time on the deck of a boat, with only a blanket under us. I planned to have more of her, but I wanted it in a bed this time.

“Is this your place?” she asked as I let us in. “I didn’t know you lived this close.”

“I move from place to place, traveling a lot because of work,” I said vaguely. “But yeah, this is mine. Sorry I didn’t bring you before, but I didn’t get back in town until just recently and the place wasn’t presentable.”

I’d taken most of the day just to clean the place up.

“So, do I get to have a tour of the place?”

The smile she used on me made my body hot, and I couldn’t help smirking.

“Sure,” I said with feigned nonchalance. Then I went up to her, threw her over my shoulder, and carried her to the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” she said, then broke out into a fit of giggles.

In the bedroom, I set her next to the bed and leaned down to kiss her as my hands went to remove her clothes. She didn’t even question me, and soon we were rolling in the sheets in nothing but our underwear. Even that felt like too much, though, and I finally caught her under me.

I gave her a stern glare to keep still as I brought my face down to her chest. I hooked a finger under the cup of her bra to tug it down until I could see her nipple, then took the pink bud in my mouth and rolled it between my teeth. Her other nipple, I played with between my thumb and forefinger.

She went wild, her hands clutching my hair as her legs wrapped around my waist and squeezed. She panted and moaned, writhing under me, and I growled in satisfaction. I wanted to do so much more with her, more than we’d gotten to do the other night.

I tried to pull away, only for her limbs to tighten around me. I growled and went to move again, and this time she complied with a low whine. But then her fingers in my hair were tightening, tugging, so I looked up, and her lips pressed against mine. I froze, torn between giving her what she wanted and giving her pleasure, but there was no contest between the two.

So I kissed her, chaste and slow, then a little deeper, a little rougher, a lot wetter. But she wasn’t letting me go, and my body was already straining for release. I wanted to help her before I lost myself too much.

“Hang on,” I murmured, breathless as I pulled away from her. “Wait a bit, Arielle.”

She shivered against me when I said her name, and it was enough to make me want to stop being careful and ravish her. But she was still very new to this kind of experience, and I didn’t want to scare her, not when I’d come this close to achieving my goal.

“For what?”

I grabbed her by the arms and gave her a quick, hard kiss. Then I leaned toward the nightstand and pulled out the strip of condoms.

Arielle’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s all this for?”

I grinned. “I was wondering if you’d like to experiment with me.”

“Experiment?” she repeated, looking interested.

“Sex positions,” I clarified.

“Um,” she murmured, eyes widening. “I’ve never really tried that sort of stuff before.”

I leaned forward for another kiss, this one harder than the last. I was definitely glad that I had been her first, pushing aside all thoughts that made me feel guilty for taking her virginity when she was seven years younger than I was.

“It’ll be easy, and it’ll feel really good. Trust me.”

There was a moment where she paused, and I wanted so badly to know what she had in her mind, but I knew she was more than just interested. The light in her eyes couldn’t be misinterpreted. After a moment, she nodded. Then she bit her lip and looked at me coyly, and I had to hold back a groan, because I wanted to push her down and have my way with her body already.

But no, I wanted this to be good for the both of us, amazing even.

“Can you show me how?” she asked shyly.

I felt my heart jump into my throat, and I swallowed it back before nodding at her.

“Turn around,” I commanded.

She didn’t hesitate for more than a few seconds, doing as I asked, and I took a moment just to admire her. But I could take my time with that later. At the moment, I had better things to do.

“Get on your hands and knees. Or you can fold your arms and lean forward on them.”

Again, she followed the directions, giving me a spectacular view of her ass and between her thighs. She whimpered and squirmed, and I thought she was embarrassed, probably because of the position I’d put her in. I stroked gently up and down her side, her back, trying to soothe her. After a while, she relaxed, though the position still looked uncomfortable for her.

“Why don’t I get you relaxed?” I asked.

I crawled after her onto the bed, my hands cupping her ass cheeks and spreading them open so I had a better view. I moaned as I leaned closer and placed a soft peck on each cheek, before I moved my mouth to her sex. I licked from her clit to her entrance, once, then again, then over and over until she was wet from my spit, moaning into my pillow and squirming again.

“You taste so good, Arielle,” I said huskily as I kissed up from her tail bone, but I didn’t get far before I was heading back down. “So damn good.”

Her only answer was a moan as I brought my mouth back to her sex.

After the demands I’d had of her body last time, I was going to try to hold myself back. I was pretty sure I caught her limping on the way home, and I’d worried that I somehow hurt her, even after she claimed she was just fine. I was going to let her come before I took her, and we were going to try a few more positions before I was satisfied with this.

I pulled away from her to take three of my fingers into my mouth, getting them wet. I leaned back to lick at her clit, then slid my tongue to her entrance and thrust inside, moaning as I tasted her natural slick. I worked her open with my tongue before sliding a finger in. She took it well, so I carefully added two, and when there was still no word for me to stop, I added the third.

I watched, transfixed, as my fingers disappeared inside her, only to pull out again as I thrust gently. A light tremble was spreading over her frame, and I smirked to myself, feeling smug. I thrust my fingers faster and leaned down to flick the tip of my tongue against her clit. I curled my fingers, and the tremors in her body grew stronger.

Wanting it to last longer, I moved back, my fingers slowing down. I reached for the strip of condoms and tore one out of the foil. I held it on the head of my cock, pinching the tip before smoothing it down my length. My eyes went back to Arielle, who was moving her hips to meet my fingers in their thrusts, and I was grateful for the experience that let me put on a condom one-handed.

Again, I moved my fingers faster and leaned down to tease her clit with my lips and tongue. Arielle let out a long, low whine, and I felt her insides begin to contract around my fingers.

Seeing my chance, I got in position, pulled out my fingers, and replaced them with my cock in one smooth thrust, until my hips smacked into her ass. Arielle yelped, and I grunted and thrust into her again, harder this time, sliding in deep and making sure she could feel every inch of me as I worked my cock in and out of her body, picking up a fast pace.

She buried her face in the pillows and screamed, pushing her hips back to meet mine with every thrust. I balanced against her even as she continued to convulse around my cock, the vice grip making me wince. I was holding back, because I didn’t want this to be over yet.

As her body calmed down and she relaxed under me, I leaned over her back to nibble on the nape of her neck, gratified when she let out a breathy moan. I moved my hands from her hips, one sliding up and around her body so I could squeeze her breast and play with the nipple. My other hand slid lower, between her thighs, my fingers finding her clit and rubbing gently at first, then a little harder as her body grew aroused again.

“Alan,” she whimpered.

“It’s fine, Arielle,” I murmured, trying to be soothing even as I didn’t stop touching her. “Don’t think about it, just feel.”

She moaned again as she moved her hips against mine, moving forward so I slid out of her, then back, taking in every inch of me. She gasped, her back growing taut as she arched, and I grinned against her spine. In this position, with the different angle, I could have her feeling twice the amount of pleasure she had so far, and she’d just found that out for herself.

She deserves a reward.

I started some shallow thrusts, barely pulling out before I was sliding into her again, increasing depth with every thrust and adding a bit of speed. My hand squeezed her breast, the other rubbing hard against her clit as I fucked her from behind, my thighs slapping against her ass in light smacks that filled the room along with our panting and the moans and cries she let out underneath me.

“You’re so perfect, Arielle,” I told her honestly. “So fucking perfect.”

I moved even harder, even faster against her, and she threw her head back as she cried out even louder. I felt the trembles that meant she was close, and moaned as my thrusts moved out of rhythm as I grew close as well. I gave one thrust, two, a last one, and I was emptying into the condom as Arielle squeezed my cock. I held her body through the shudders as we both orgasmed.

As my body started to calm, I slid out of her and to the side, holding onto the condom so I wouldn’t spill it. I tossed it off the side of the bed, and pulled Arielle so she was pressed with her back to my chest.

“Does sex ever get boring?” she asked, almost sounding wistful.

I froze for a moment in surprise, then laughed.

“It really depends on the person, but Arielle, don’t tell me you’re bored. Was I not good enough this time?” I teased.

She giggled. “No, it’s just… that was amazing, Alan. Thank you.”

I rolled her over so I could see her face. “Why are you thanking me so early into the night? I’m hardly done with you.”

Her eyes widened, and I chuckled again as I leaned forward and took her lips in a kiss.

* * *

Arielle was sleeping next to me, looking peaceful. I wanted to leave her to her dreams, but it was time for her to head home. I gently shook her shoulder, but she just frowned and burrowed deeper into the covers. After a while, she opened her eyes, but then closed them again, and I sighed.

“Come on, Arielle,” I coaxed. “You need to get up and go. I don’t think you even have time for the shower.”

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, yawning. She didn’t look in any hurry to get dressed, and she pouted at me when I prodded her arm to get her moving.

“Do I really have to go?” she pled, voice soft.

My heart clenched. I didn’t want her to go either, but I knew better. She just wasn’t thinking straight at the moment. I needed to get her out the door and on her way home quickly, or she wouldn’t make it home in time to go unnoticed, and that would be bad. For the plan.

With the way she was looking at me, though, it was hard to keep thinking about the plan.

“You know better than that, Arielle,” I chided. “Your dad will blow a gasket if he finds out you weren’t home last night. And if he finds out somehow that we spent it together, chances are I won’t ever see you again.”

She remained silent for sometime, staring off into the distance. And then, out of nowhere, she started crying. It wasn’t the heavy sobbing that came with loud wails and snot, but just seeing the fat tears rolling down her cheeks was enough to make me want to give her whatever she needed to calm down.

Don’t be ridiculous, I scolded myself. You know better.

But knowing better didn’t prepare me for how weak I felt as I watched her cry.

“I want to stay here with you,” she admitted. “I don’t want to go home. It’s just so… I’m lonely there. I know it makes no sense when I’m surrounded by people, but—”

She cut herself off and looked at me. Her eyes were wide and wet, pleading with me, but I knew better. We were too close for me to ruin the plan, whether or not I still liked it. I kept repeating that to myself so I wouldn’t do something stupid.

“I do know what you mean,” I told her gently. “And we can spend time together whenever you want, Arielle. I have your number and you have mine, so we can text and call all the time. But you can't stay here.” She looked crushed when I said that, and I had to take another moment to steel my resolve. “We need to get you home. I’ll call, and text, and we’ll see each other soon. It’s not like you’ll never come back here. I can bring you as many times as you’d like.”

I watched as she blinked the tears out of her eyes, and I leaned down to peck her forehead and wipe her cheeks. It took a little more coaxing to get her on her feet, dressed, and out the door.

But even as I led her back home, I had to admit to myself that I wished I’d kept her there. Away from her father, away from my problems with Gamble, just the two of us. If only life could be so carefree and simple. But I knew better.

Still, I did have something to celebrate: I’d arranged to have the Heart of Mary removed from the secure vault and displayed in public. It would be so much easier to steal now. I’d have to talk to my brother to figure out a way to wrest the jewel from Arielle, because I couldn’t think of anything that didn’t leave my chest aching. I wanted to hurt her as little as possible.

I ignored the internal voice that derisively called me a coward. It wasn’t like I didn’t know that. Yet another reason why not forming attachments was so much easier: less pain involved.

I returned to the apartment I rented with my brother, mouth open to call out to him—only to freeze on the doorstep as I found the place ransacked.

It took me a moment to realize the implications of finding the place ruined, and I felt ice run through my veins before blood started pounding in my head as panic set in.

“Leo?” I called urgently, forcing my way into the house. “Are you here?”

He didn’t answer. I scoured each room for him, but found nothing except more carnage. Furniture overturned. Trash strewn about. Eventually, I found my way to the kitchen. Leo’s spot at the table was empty, and his laptop was gone. Which probably meant someone had taken both him and his prized computer.

I had the feeling this disaster had occurred sometime ago, hours, and it angered me that I hadn't been here for my brother. If only I hadn’t taken Arielle to my private apartment and spent so much time with her there.

But I couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. I had to find some way to get Leo back.

Of course, it was easy to guess who’d taken him. There was only one asshole currently on us for something, and I wanted to find him and beat him for this.

Damn that bastard, I thought, clenching my fists, my body trembling as panic gave way to anger. I am seriously going to fucking end him!

As if blackmailing us wasn’t bad enough, he’d added kidnapping to his list of offenses.

While I looked on hopelessly at the wreck of an apartment, my phone suddenly rang in my pocket. The second I saw the blocked number, I knew it was Gamble calling to gloat. Slowly, I put the phone to my ear, too angry to even speak as I waited for him to say his piece.

“You thought you were really clever, didn’t you?” Gamble said smugly. “Your brother managed to erase all the security tapes, removing my leverage against you. But did you really think I would be that careless? I run a tight ship, you know. My IT experts traced the hack back to your brother, who is now in my custody.”

“What do you want?”

“You know what I want, Alan. The Heart of Mary. Bring it to me in four days or less, and you get your brother back. Fail, and, well…”

He didn’t finish, but I didn’t need him to. Leonard would be dead, and I’d be next. I hung up the phone before I could tell the bastard what I really thought of him and this little game he was playing. Some way, somehow, I was going to get back at him.

But how was I going to deal with this, and who could I rely on for help?