Page 58 of Arianna

All types of messes but especially bloody ones.

The one mess I am particularly and surprisingly fond of has a face.

A name.

And lately, has my head in a tight chokehold.

“What have you done to me?” My voice is almost a whisper as I look at the screen, zooming in on her face. She is so beautiful, with her face void of any makeup, her golden hair up in a messy knot, and a long white shirt that barely covers her ass, that it almost takes my breath away.

I adjust myself because this need has been growing since the first time I laid eyes on her and seems to be growing more rapidly, not dissipating. She was brought to my home late last night after the location of the beach house was compromised. Intruders, as well as paparazzi, barricaded her safe place. Like a man obsessed, I have been in and out of meetings with my security to find the underlying cause of this. Someone on my team fucked up and I need to find out who before it happens again.

Their mistake will not go unpunished.

That is a promise.

She could have been hurt…

She could have, and it’s been nagging at me all morning. That’s why I rescheduled a meeting with the mayor and came home early, wanting to see for myself that she was alright. I don’t know why I felt the need to pause my day to deal with the beautiful brat, but here we are.

I wasn’t planning on acting like a complete bastard to her, not after the night she had, but the damn feelings she stirred in me with just one look made me feel wild and out of control. Two things I am not.

Never have I acted so out of character, yet seconds with this girl have me scrambling to find the right words like a fool or a teenage punk. I should not feel anything towards the girl.

She is young and broken. She deserves to leave her mark on the moon without being tied to someone like me and all that comes with my life.

Then I saw her through Ellaiza’s baby monitor, ripping the clueless nanny a new one. The fire and ferocity with which she defended a child she never met— my child— left me transfixed, staring at the monitor as if I have never seen anything more perfect.

I almost choked on my whiskey when I saw Mona, our temporary nanny until I could find someone older with more experience in the childcare field, fuming like a crazy woman on the verge of tears after a twenty-year-old girl dragged her ass.

In all honesty, the little brat was right when she implied I made a mistake in hiring Mona to look after the most valuable person in my life, but the egotistical part of me would not admit it to her.

I am mad not only at the nanny but at myself for not protecting my child from someone that could have hurt her. It makes my blood boil, and that is a mistake I will not make again.

That is why I treated my new houseguest so poorly. She knew better in a couple of minutes than I did. Ellaiza’s father.

Fuck.

And then, when I tested her limits by caging her in with my other arm, she didn’t pull back or fight my palm on her neck, keeping her in place right where I wanted— no needed her to be. Closer.

The irony is that I was the one to pull back… which is what the little brat wanted. She owned my ass. I am still besotted by the attitude she was throwing down.

Her smirk is the hottest sight. A challenge and a threat.

She is both.

She can only lead to trouble, but I know deep down that I cannot wait.

Running both hands over my face, I pat my suit pocket, fishing for my cigars but coming up empty. Groaning in frustration, I sit back on the white leather chair and spread my legs wide, still staring at the screen, when my phone rings on top of the table next to me.

Grabbing it, I notice it’s Thylane calling. I hit the green button, answered the call, and watched Arianna walk around the huge hallway with countless paintings that were a pain in the ass and a hit to my bank account to acquire— I watch her as she runs her delicate fingers along the paintings.

“Yes.” I skip the pleasantries because as much as I enjoy Thylane’s company. We have never had the kind of relationship where we ask each other questions about our days or things normal couples do. We get straight to it. We pretend in the streets for our benefit, and we fuck.

That is it.

It has worked thus far.

She understands my terms and was more than willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement. The moment she betrays my trust, she will lose everything she worked and fucked so hard for. However, she made our agreement easy and comfortable for both of us by being a woman of class and a kind human, entirely contrary to me.

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