Page 72 of Betrayed

“No. I go in, act natural, explain to Katy it was all a mistake, and everything is hunky-dory in Mari-Arturo world once again. Then, when I get Adri alone, I tell her what you told me to.”

“Good girl.”

She stiffened as the warmth of his approval washed over her.

“I’ll pick you up at seven. When you get inside, note the utility van parked out front. That’s how close Rossi’s men are, and I won’t be far away, either.”

She nodded, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“I know this is hard, but you’re holding your head high despite everything. That takes courage. You could give fuck all about my opinion right now, but I’m proud of you, baby. When this is through, we will talk.”

“You keep saying that, but you’re wrong. When this is through, I don’t want to see you again.”

He didn’t reply immediately, the increased pressure on her arm so subtle and fleeting, she wondered if she imagined it.

“After we talk, if those are still your wishes, which I sincerely hope they are not, I will respect them.”

She swallowed. Her rational side told her not to act rashly, but her aching, irrational heart was still in control. “I hope I can trust you to keep your word on that.”

“You can.”

Biting back a smart-ass remark that would make her feel better, but would only increase the tension between them, she settled for a skeptical grunt instead, as she pulled away and got out of the car.

Arturo’s long legs eliminated the distance between them as he came around the front of the car, and together they walked to the service door in the rear of her shop. He caught her hand in his as she reached for the doorknob.

When she tried to pull free, he reminded her, “We’re supposed to be intimately involved, remember?”

She shot him what she hoped was a withering look. His eyes were dark and serious, his usually smiling or teasing lips set in a grim line. He didn’t appear to be enjoying this charade any more than she did. Resigned, she took a deep breath, plastered on a false smile, and pulled open the door.

Once inside, Arturo laid it on thick. He brushed her hair back from her face, his fingers lingering lightly on her cheek, his white teeth flashing his devastating smile as he completely charmed Adri and Katy who were both working the midday-to-closing shift.

“I thought it was over,” Katy mouthed when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

“A lover’s spat is all, I assure you,” he said, having intercepted the silent message. “But we made up over a very pleasant lunch.”

His arm at her waist curled her into his side. Laying a hand on his chest as she gazed up at him seemed automatic, as did him lowering his mouth for a tender kiss. The audible sighs from the other two women echoed her own melting response, and she could barely suppress one of her own. The tremor coursing through her body was not so easily checked, however, and gave her away. When he lifted his head, the resolve in his glittering green eyes was unmistakable, and it was clear he intended his words only for her. “It is far from over,minou.”

Then he squeezed her hard, brushed a kiss against her temple, and with a nod to her twitterpated staff, was out the back door.

“Gone a few weeks and you’ve got a French hottie on the string. Girl, spill,” Adri insisted.

“I’m so relieved everything turned out okay!” Katy gushed, her face beaming with joy. “What was so pressing he had to speak to you alone this morning?”

Being light-complected, she always blushed easily. For once, she was thankful for her crimson cheeks, which told the story they wanted to believe, without her having to say a word. She added, playing her part to the hilt, “It was a little misunderstanding, but as he said, we talked it out over lunch.”

Adri didn’t miss much and pointedly looked at the clock. “For five hours? Gotta say, honey, that takes kissing and making up to a whole new level.”

“Oo la la, girl,” Katy teased with a knowing grin. “Let me say on behalf of all woman-kind congrats. He is f-i-n-e, Mari, and the way he calls you kitten...” She patted her hand on her chest. “Be still my lonely heart. That is so sweet.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Adri said with a wave. “I don’t want to hear about sweet. I want hot and dirty.”

“Oh no. I’m not kissing and telling,” Mari said as she walked toward the front of the store, the words she really wanted to say to her so-called friend, burning a hole in her tongue. At the window, she caught sight of the white van with the local cable company logo on the side, right where he said it would be.

“Come on, Mari. You’re the only one of us who has any sex life to speak of and you’d deprive us of the sexy details?”

She turned. “But, Adri, you’re married.”

“Yeah...” she sighed. “As I said, the only one of the three.”

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