Page 104 of Powerful Deception

“Are you enjoying yourself?” I ask, closing the suite door behind me and locking it.

Arianna turns to look at me with surprise, which quickly turns to this sexy, lust filled look that I know so much.

She gives me a nod. “Got everything handled?”

“I did.”

“Good.” She says turning back to the window. “I wouldn’t be able to do half the things that these women do.”

I chuckle. “If I remember correctly, you wanted to be one of those girls. Isn’t that why you came that first day?”

“I needed the money, and if I remember correctly I also offered to be a bartender.” She gives me a shrug before she continues. “Besides, I like the job that I actually got. Way better than dancing in my opinion.”

“Is that so?” I ask and I make my way over to her.

“Oh, definitely. Angel and Alessandra are my life now. Best decision I made was saying yes to Evelyn when she called.”

Angel and Alessandra are her life now.

It's a simple sentence that I’m sure she wasn’t aware was coming out of her mouth, but I hold on to it.

I’ve known for a while that Arianna cared for my children, I see it every single day with how she interacts with them. I see it in the way that she treats them more as if they were her own and she wasn’t their nanny.

Seeing it and hearing confirmation of it being true feel like two different things.

Hearing her say that the kids are her life now, makes it feel like a switch was flipped and I’m looking at this in a new perspective.

Like not wanting what’s going on between me and Arianna to end.

“Which by the way, I think you should fire me.” She states, taking me out of my headspace.

She wants me to fire her?

“Why would I do that?” I can feel a bit of anger boiling inside of me as I wait for her to answer the question.

“Because you shouldn’t be paying me to watch your kids. Especially when we’re, um, you know.” Even through some light makeup, I can see a blush creep up her cheeks.

I take a step closer to her. “Fucking?” the blush grows a bit. “Sharing a bed? In a relationship? Because we're a couple?”

Her bottom lip goes between her teeth as she mulls over my words.

After a minute is or so, she speaks. “Are we… are we those things?”

“Do you care about my kids?” I ask.

“I love them with everyone that I am.”

I smile. “Do you care about me?”

“I–”she starts, but quickly stops and starts over. “Yes, I care about you. A lot.”

She was about to say the same word she said for the kids, love. I can see it in her face and how she gnaws at her lip. She shouldn’t love me, yet there’s a possibility she does, and I’m more than okay with that.

Fuck.

I think I’ve really fallen for this girl.

“I care about you too.” I say, closing the distance between us and wrapping my arms around her body. “So I would say yes, we are those things. You okay with that?”

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