Defense

  “Things could never work out for us?” She cocked her head. “And why is that, Luca?”

  “Because I’m not the man you think I am.” I placed my hands in my pocket and paced around the room. “Everything I’ve done for you, I did because you needed help. Olivia is an employee of mine and you’re her good friend who suddenly up and left Boston with no place to live and no job. I helped you get in to take the bar because I didn’t want to see someone as bright as you have to work a dead-end job because of formalities.”

  “And the furniture?” she asked as she took another sip of wine.

  “It was just to help you get settled faster. If you want, I can have payroll make weekly deductions for it.”

  “Yes, please do. I don’t want to owe you a thing.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “And what about the other day when you couldn’t keep your hands off me?”

  “We’re two consenting adults who were attracted to each other. It happens all the time.”

  “You’re right, and I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but to me, it was only sex. So, Mr. Russo, I’m apologizing to you for giving you the wrong idea. Obviously, you misread me and assumed I wanted something more from you. My apocalyptic life is a mess as it is and the last thing I need is the complications of some relationship with a man I barely even know.”

  “You were pissed off at me the other night outside my building.”

  “You’re right. I was. And you want to know why? Because I thought we were friends. You had helped me so much since I moved here and all I wanted was one drink with you before I had to take the biggest exam of my life.”

  “Again, I’m sorry. I just thought—”

  “You just thought I fell madly in love with you because you stuck your dick in me. That’s what you’re used to. Well, I’m not, Luca. And as far as you not being the man I thought you were, you’re right. I’m not even sure being friends is in the cards for us. I think it’s best if we maintain a professional relationship since we have to work together.”

  “That’s what I came here to tell you.”

  “Good. Then we both agree,” she spoke. “I’ll see you at the office, Mr. Russo.” She walked to the door and opened it.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I nodded.

  I left her apartment feeling worse than I did when I first arrived there. I was ready for it. Ready for her to fall to her knees with tears streaming down her face, begging me to stay. That was what the women I dated always did. But not her. No. She just stood there with a serious look on her face and a serious tone in her voice and told me that I just assumed she felt something for me. That I was just her friend. She was a good liar. Of course she was; she was a lawyer. Hearing her say what she did pissed me off. I came there to tell her it would never work for us. But she turned it around, monopolized the conversation, and told me things I didn’t want to hear. The more I thought about it, the more anger flowed inside me. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. I wanted nothing more than to protect her and that was exactly what I was doing. She wouldn’t understand. She couldn’t understand. Fuck. Why did this hurt so bad?

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ariana

  I shut the door and let out a deep breath. Now I could fall apart. I walked over to the couch, laid down, and brought my knees to my chest. The hurt and anger I felt was unbearable. What did I do to make him feel that way? When we parted ways on Sunday, everything was perfect. The job, the dinners, the furniture, the bar, the study material, the sex. All of it was for what? Maybe that was what he did. Olivia told me he was never with the same woman for more than a week. My time was up. Bastard. I didn’t think it would be possible to work for him. There was no way I could see him every day and pretend that I hadn’t fallen for him. It would be too painful. I’d ride it out until I found another job. With my credentials, I’d have no problem finding another firm to work for. He used me, and now it was my turn to use him.

  Taking in a deep breath, I walked down the hallway of the firm and took a seat at my cubicle. Olivia had sent me a text message early this morning telling me that she was sick with the flu. Of all times for her to be sick, and of all days. This was the day I needed her here the most. Just as I put my purse away, I heard Luca’s voice call my name, and instantly, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach settled in.

  “Ariana. I need to see you in my office.”

  I got up from my seat and nervously stepped inside.

  “Since Olivia won’t be in today, I need you to fill in for her.” He handed me a few files.

  “Okay,” I softly spoke.

  “We go to court tomorrow morning for the Michaels’ case and since you were the one who found out about the bartender, I want you there. Court starts at eight. So just go straight there from home.”

  “I’ll be there.” I nodded.

  He wouldn’t look at me. He just kept looking down at the file he was studying.

  “Is that all?” I nervously asked.

  “Yes.”

  As the morning passed, I finished up what Luca had asked of me and stepped away to use the restroom. When I returned, I saw Luca standing in the doorway of his office.

  “Ariana. Please come into my office.”

  I sighed, and when I stepped inside, I saw David Hildenberg sitting across from Luca’s desk.

  “Hello, Ariana.” He smiled.

  “Mr. Hildenberg. What are you doing here?”

  “Have a seat. Will you?” He motioned for me to sit down.

  Shit. Was this good or bad?

  As soon as I took a seat, David opened up the file he had in his hands.

  “I have the results of your exam.”

  “Already?” I asked.

  “I didn’t plan on finishing it up until tomorrow, but once I got started, I couldn’t seem to stop. On a scoring system of 400 points, you need at least a 265 to pass the bar. You, my dear, scored a perfect 400. In all my years of grading these exams, I have never run across something like this.” He grinned.

  “Congratulations, Ariana,” Luca spoke from behind his desk.

  “Thank you.” I looked at Luca and then turned to David. “Thank you, Mr. Hildenberg, for coming all the way here to tell me.”

  “You’re welcome, Ariana. You are a very bright woman and you will excel as a lawyer.”

  “How soon can you get her sworn in?” Luca asked.

  “Well,” he spoke as he reached into his briefcase, “I happen to have an admissions application and other related documents right here.” He handed them to me. “Take it to your desk and fill it out now. I’ll wait. Once I get back to the office, I’ll have these expedited. Should only take a couple of days and then you can come down and be sworn in and take the oath on Friday.”

  “Really?” I asked with a smile.

  “Really, Miss Williams. Now go start that paperwork. Perhaps Luca and I can go to lunch while I wait.”

  “We certainly can, David.” He smiled.

  I took the paperwork back to my desk and started to fill it out. I knew I’d pass the bar, but I didn’t know I’d get a perfect score. This was a cause for celebration. But with whom? Certainly not my family or Luca. Olivia was sick, so I guessed it was just me. Another milestone in my life and one of the most important days of my life and once again, it was shit.

  I finished the paperwork just as Luca and David arrived back from lunch.

  “All set, Mr. Hildenberg.” I smiled.

  “Thank you, my dear. Luca, it was a pleasure having lunch with you. Call your grandfather and set something up for the three of us.”

  “Will do, David,” Luca spoke.

  David walked away and Luca stood in front of my desk.

  “I think a celebration is in order for the outstanding job you did on the bar exam,” he spoke.

  “I agree.” I smiled. “And that celebration will consist of me and a bottle of wine in the comfort of my own home.”

  “Despite the conversation we had last night, I st
ill would like to help you celebrate. This is a really big deal, Ariana.”

  “Just like graduating from law school was a really big deal and we saw how that turned out. Celebrations for me don’t mean anything anymore. It’s just how I feel.”

  “So you’re throwing yourself a pity party?” he asked.

  “No. I’m just not setting myself up for any more disappointments.”

  He glared down at me, his eyes burning a hole through my very existence.

  “Have fun,” he spoke with irritation as he walked away and went back into his office.

  ****

  Luca

  I shut my office door and threw my phone across my desk in anger. Was she insinuating that I was a disappointment? I did everything to help her out, and if she saw me as a disappointment because of what I said, then that was her problem. She didn’t get it, and I wasn’t about to tell her either. From here on out, it would be strictly professional. She was right; we couldn’t even be friends. But I was still her boss and her passing the bar was a big deal. Picking up the phone, I placed an order for some flowers to be sent to her home with a card that read: “Congratulations on passing the bar exam. From your associates at Russo, Greggs, & Butler.”

  Chapter Twenty

  One Month Later

  Ariana

  Things with Luca and me never got better. He stayed away from me, as I did from him. As soon as I obtained my attorney license, he had me moved down one floor into a spacious office with some of the other junior associates. It was for the best. The less I had to see him, the better off I was. He got Vi to confess on the stand for killing Mrs. Michaels. He broke her, just like he said he would. In the interim, I met a man one night about three weeks ago at a bar when I was with Olivia and Harry. He was cute and his name was Jimmy. He stood about six feet tall, had short blond hair, green eyes, and a medium build. He was there celebrating his sister’s birthday with the family when we accidentally bumped into each other trying to push our way through the crowd to get to the bathroom. He apologized. I apologized. We ended up talking and I thought he was nice. He bought me a drink, I gave him my number, and we went out a few times. A movie, dinner, the bar. Yeah. He was nice. A really nice, uncomplicated guy who worked for a cement company.

  I craved normalcy and Jimmy was normal. Olivia told me that he was a rebound from Luca and that I was just using him to try and get over my hurt feelings. She also pulled the “I told you so” card where Luca was concerned.

  It was a Saturday night and Jimmy took me to dinner at Del Posto. As soon as we were seated, I excused myself to the restroom.

  “I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” I smiled.

  “Shall I order you a glass of wine?”

  “Yes. Please,” I replied.

  When I was finished, I headed back to my table and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who was sitting at the table next to us. I swallowed hard and ran back to the hallway where the restrooms were located. Standing up against the wall, I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. Of all the restaurants in New York City, why did he have to choose this one tonight? I took in a deep breath and thought about texting Jimmy and telling him I wasn’t feeling well so I left. But that wasn’t fair to him and it had become apparent to me that all I did was run when I didn’t want to face certain situations. So, I pulled up my big girl panties and strolled over to my table.

  “Ariana?” Luca cocked his head as I sat down.

  “Luca. What a surprise.” I smiled.

  He glared at me and then over at poor Jimmy.

  “Jimmy, this is my boss, Luca Russo. Luca, this is Jimmy.”

  “Nice to meet you, Luca. Ariana has told me a lot about you.” He smiled as he held out his hand.

  “I’m sure she has.” His eye narrowed at me. “Grandfather, I would like you to meet Ariana. Ariana, this is my grandfather, Franco Russo.”

  “Ah, so this is the beautiful and highly intelligent Ariana Williams.” Franco smiled as he took my hand and pressed his lips against it.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Russo.”

  “Please, call me Franco,” he insisted.

  “Have the two of you ordered yet?” Luca asked.

  “No. I was waiting for Ariana to return from the restroom,” Jimmy replied.

  “Then you must join us.”

  The sick feeling in my stomach intensified.

  “That’s okay. We don’t want to intrude on your dinner,” I spoke.

  “Nonsense. You wouldn’t be intruding at all.” Luca’s brow raised.

  The four of us ended up having dinner together and I had to sit there and watch Jimmy be put on trial. Luca asked him all kinds of questions. How we met. When we met. How long had we been seeing each other. What he did for a living. The only question he didn’t ask was if we’d had sex. But I knew damn well he was thinking about it. Once dinner was over, Jimmy drove me home. He wanted to come up, but I politely thanked him for dinner with a kiss on his cheek.

  “I’m really tired and I think I might be coming down with something,” I lied.

  He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Get some rest and I hope you feel better.”

  “Thank you. I will.”

  I pushed the button to the elevator and waited for it to open. What an exhausting night. Dinner was awkward and draining, something I never wanted to experience again. The doors opened and I stepped inside and pushed the button to my floor. As they began to close, a hand stopped them, and when they reopened, Luca was standing there.

  “What are you doing?” I asked with irritation.

  He stepped inside the elevator and stood next to me.

  “Did you fuck him?” he asked in a stern voice.

  “That’s none of your business!”

  “The hell it isn’t.”

  He grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall, smashing his mouth into mine. I was taken aback and wanted to fight him off, but his lips on mine again felt too good. When the elevator reached my floor, the doors opened, he broke our kiss, grabbed hold of my hand, and led me to my apartment. Neither one of us spoke a word. My heart was pounding out of my chest and I didn’t know what to expect once we reached my apartment.

  “How dare you,” I spoke as I stuck the key into the lock. “You had no right to do that.”

  “I didn’t see you fighting me off,” he whispered as he kissed the side of my neck from behind.

  Shit. I shouldn’t have, but I wanted him. I hadn’t had sex since we last saw each other and I craved it; craved him. It was wrong and I knew it. It would only make things more complicated. But my body was on fire and the ache down below needed to be soothed. The minute I opened the door, he followed me inside and shut it. Taking off my shoes, I turned around and looked at him. My breath hitched. He placed his hands on each side of my face and brushed his lips against mine. Not soft or gentle, but rough, like in the elevator. He was hungry and he wanted to devour me. Our kiss was wild, almost as if we couldn’t get enough of each other, like two animals in heat. His fingers reached down to the bottom of my shirt as he lifted it over my head and tossed it to the floor. His mouth instantly swept over my cleavage as he unhooked my bra and then took each hardened peak in his mouth.

  He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom, threw me on the bed, and hovered over me still fully clothed. His tongue slid across my neck and then back down to my breasts while his hand went up my skirt, pushing my panties to the side and plunging his finger inside me. I gasped at the feeling as he manipulated me in every way he knew how.

  “Before we go any further, I need to know. Did you fuck him?” He stared into my eyes with his fingers still inside me.

  “No,” I whispered. “I didn’t.”

  His mouth once again smashed into mine as he hit the right spot and sent my body into an intense orgasm. He climbed off me, pulled down my skirt and panties, spread my legs wide, and devoured me down below. His tongue. God how I missed it. When he was finished, he stood up, slipped off his
clothes, hovered over me, and brought my arms above my head while he thrust inside me at a rapid pace. One stroke and he was buried so deep, I could feel every thick inch of him. He pushed in and out, kissed my lips, and held my wrists with a tight grip. It hurt, but it turned me on. After a few hard thrusts, he turned me over on my stomach and took me from behind, our moans syncing together from the ecstasy we both felt. His mouth kissed my bare back while his hand reached around from the side and his fingers pressed against my clit. I couldn’t take any more as my body geared up for another orgasm.

  “Come for me. I need this from you, Ariana,” he spoke breathlessly.

  My panting was out of control as I came for him. His thrusting went from fast to slow with smooth long strokes as he groaned and came inside me. His body dropped on mine and our fingers interlaced. His lips pressed against my shoulder as he tried to regain his breath, and I lay there, not regretting what had just happened. But come tomorrow, it might be a different story.

  He climbed off me and stood up. Walking over to the other side of the bed, he pulled the covers back and looked at me. He was staying and I didn’t know what to say. I stood up, did the same, and climbed in next to him, cuddling against his body, and laying my head on his chest.

  “Why did you come here, Luca?” I asked.

  “I don’t want you seeing him again,” he spoke, totally dodging my question.

  “That isn’t up to you.”

  “I don’t like him. He isn’t good enough for you.”

  “And neither are you,” I spoke.

  “I know.” He sat up, forcing me to lift my head.

  I sat up, holding the sheet against me and faced him.

  “You barely spoke to me in a month. Only when you had to regarding a case. Then you see me out with someone else and you think you can just come at me like you did?”

  A smirk crossed his face. “I didn’t hear you complaining. All I heard and felt was pure pleasure from you.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” I looked down. “What we did was wrong.”

  “But it felt right. Didn’t it?”