Dangerous Beauty: Part One: Destiny (24 page)

Mickey laughed loud. “Well, it looks like we both have our issues, don’t we?”

“Yep.”

“Hey, I heard you on the phone with Jenna earlier. Make sure you get wings for tonight. A lot of them. I think I’m going to be very hungry.”

Carter laughed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll get them,” she said wrapping her arms around Mickey’s waist as they walked out of the hotel. “Now, kiss me so we can part ways.” Mickey chuckled, threw his arms around her and placed a big long smooch on her cheek. Carter giggled and hit his arm. “Don’t let your boys be late tonight. We haven’t gotten a chance to just hang out since Hope Beach. When you get to the office tell Nathan to get his ass home on time tonight or I’ll come up there and drag his ass home by his hair,” she said with a playful smile. But she wasn’t playing. Nathan had been late coming home too damn much lately, and Carter wanted him home tonight, no excuses. She knew he had been busy lately with his responsibilities as well as the search for Mitchell, who disappeared the same day Carter came to town, but Carter didn’t care. She wanted her Nathan home in their bed with her every night where he belonged. Not behind that stupid desk.

“Yeah, I hear, baby. I’ll tell him. What do you want me to tell boyfriend number two?” Mickey teased.

Carter knew he was talking about Kyle. It was a whole thing at the office that Carter had two boyfriends, Nathan and Kyle. Carter thought it was ridiculous, but she doesn’t stop them, she could take a joke.

Carter punched Mickey in the arm and he chuckled. “Tell him to bring his ass too,” Carter said as she walked passed Mickey to her car but not before she pinched his ass.

Mickey gasped and turned pointing at Carter. “Watch it, Carter,” he warned through a laugh. “If you get to pinch my ass, I get to grab yours, psychotic boyfriend or not.”

Carter laughed. “See you later, Mickey,” she said as she walked to her car where her driver had the door held open for her to enter.

***

Carter had everything she needed for her night with her boys. She was really excited that she was going to get to spend time with the guys and Jenna tonight. She definitely missed the fun they all use to have when the guys vacationed in Hope Beach. It felt like that was a life time ago, and Carter hadn’t gotten to see Dante and Lucca in a week, and she really missed them both.

Carter walked into the lobby of her and Nathan’s apartment building with a bunch of grocery bags full of junk food in her hands. “Hey Reno,” she said waving to the man behind the security desk.

“Hey Carter, you want me to get that stuff for you? I can get Rocky to come out here and take over until I get back,” he said frowning at the bags in her hand.

Carter smiled let out a relieved breath. “Yes, please. I was about to collapse. All of these bags and stilettos do not mix.”

Reno chuckled, ran over, and took all the bags into his big hands. Carter wanted to kiss him. Being surrounded by big men who carry your groceries and tell you how great your outfit is, really comes in handy sometimes.

Carter walked to the elevator with Reno following close behind her. Just when she was about to enter the security code for her and Nathan’s private floor she heard someone yell.

“Hold it, please!” a woman’s voice said.

Carter looked up, and a tall beautiful woman with platinum blond hair that fell a little passed her shoulders was speed walking her way to the elevator. Her very high heels clicked against the floor loudly, and she carried a large amount of department store shopping bags in her hands. She wore a very short, very tight, pink dress, and her sunglasses nearly covered her face.

“Umm,” Carter heard Reno say.

She turned to look at him and he was looking at the woman like he wanted her to disappear off the face of the earth. Carter frowned, curious to why Reno would look at the girl like that.

“Oh my goodness. Thank you! I would have been so mad if I had to wait,” the woman said as she made it closer to the elevator. She stepped in the elevator and sat her bags on the ground. She let out a long sigh. “My goodness.” she looked over at Carter. “Who ever said shopping wasn’t cardio was lying,” she said with a smile. Carter smiled back and the woman’s eye brows rose. “Wow… you are a very good-looking individual… and Jesus Christ your hair!” she exclaimed “Is it real?”

Carter smiled tightly and nodded yes.

Bitch!

“Damn. Well, it’s gorgeous,” the woman said still looking at Carter. She was starting to make her feel uncomfortable and Carter wished she would avert her eyes.

Carter just smiled at her hoping she would say her floor soon. Although people commented on Carter’s looks often, she still felt a little uncomfortable when they focused on her appearance too long. It was even more uncomfortable with Reno standing behind her still looking at the woman like he didn’t want her to be there.

“Did you just move in? I’ve never seen you before,” she said waiting for Carter to say something, and when Carter didn’t she continued talking. “Let me guess, you’re a model. Probably a high demand one with those cheek bones. Are you foreign or something, you look exotic? I’m a model too. I never see you at any parties. Are you new to New York?”

Carter wanted to roll her eyes. This woman really talked too much. But instead she just shook her head no. “I moved in about four months ago,” Carter said hoping that the woman would say her floor now. No such luck.

“Four months. OMG! I guess I really don’t pay attention to new people that move in the building anymore,” she said.

Carter didn’t like her voice. She had an arrogant tone that made Carter want to smack her.

“Hey, don’t I know you?” the woman said to Reno. “You remember me, right? Julia, I know your boss,” she said looking at Reno.

Carter’s eye brows rose and she looked back at Reno.

“What floor miss?” Reno said not making eye contact with Carter.

“Do you live here now? Does Nathan pay you that much?” Then she looked at Carter. “Is Reno your boyfriend?”

Reno?
Carter had to slow time down in her head in order to process every question the girl just asked.
Jesus she talks so damn much! And what the hell does she mean, does Nathan pay Reno that much? Why does she know Nathan?

“Speaking of Nathan, have you…umm…seen him at all?” Julia asked. “It’s been a long time and I know he’s probably still upset, but tell him that he doesn’t have to avoid me anymore because I want what he wants, he will know what that means,” she said to Reno in a pleading tone.

Carter just looked at the woman blankly.
Oh hell no!Nathan was fucking some bitch that lives in the building!

Carter could feel her temper rising and she knew she needed to calm down. She silently wished upon whatever star was in the sky in the middle of the day that this big blond bitch in front of her would be walking a runway and her heel would break and she’d fall and break her ankle. That may be mean, but Carter didn’t give a shit.

“What floor should I press, Julia? Is it?” Carter asked looking at the woman with a fake smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you were there. You’re a short little thing. Umm, I’m on the tenth floor, and yes my name is Julia,” she said with what Carter was sure was a fake smile as well.

Bitch!
Carter wanted to choke her, but she didn’t, she just pressed the tenth floor then pressed the top floor button and typed in the security code for her and Nathan’s floor.

“You just pressed the top floor,” Julia stated looking at Carter.

“I did,” Carter said not looking at the woman.

“That’s the owner’s floor. You know Nathan?”

“I do.”

“Are those his groceries? What are you like his shopper or something?”

Carter looked at Julia trying not to show her irritation. “I told you that I live here.”

“Why are you going to Nathan’s floor? He’s the only one that lives there and he doesn’t allow anyone on his floor,” she said with confusion in her tone.

Carter stared at her blankly. She looked like she was on the verge of panicking, this amused Carter. Of course Nathan would have a woman in the damn building that’s in love with him. She really didn’t need this shit.

“Julia,” Carter said her name as if she was speaking to a child. “I pressed that floor and entered the code to get access because I live there.”

“I didn’t know Nathan hired a live-in maid. It isn’t like him to have someone living with him. He’s a very private man,” Julia said.

And she was serious. She was fucking serious. Carter’s jaw clenched and she felt Reno nudge her with the grocery bags. She looked up at him and assured him she wasn’t about to snap. Reno and every other man in The Salerno Organization knew about Carter’s temper, and this hoe was real close to finding out just how jealous of a girlfriend Nathan had. Seriously, did Carter look like the fucking maid.

“Julia, I am not Nathan’s maid. I am his girlfriend. We live on the top floor together. I’m going to the top floor because that is my home that I have been sharing with my boyfriend, Nathan Salerno, for the past four months,” Carter spoke slowly so the bitch would get the picture.

The elevator opened on the tenth floor, but Julia didn’t move.

“This is your floor, hun,” Carter said with a smirk. “Get off of the elevator, Julia. Reno doesn’t need to tell Nathan what you said. I’ll let him know. But there will be no point really. I’m pretty sure you don’t want what he wants, honey.” Carter leaned forward. “Because he wants me,” she whispered to her with a smug smile on her face.

“Have a good evening, miss,” Reno said and he pushed her forward until she was out of the elevator.

Julia gasped and tried to grab her bags as Reno began tossing them out of the elevator.

“Hey! Stop throwing my shit,” she yelled.

“Sorry miss, but you’re moving too slow, and I’m sure Ms. Stone wants to get home,” Reno said tossing the last bag out then he pressed the button to close the elevator door. And the elevator slid closed.

Carter leaned against that wall of the elevator and looked at Reno with her arms crossed over her chest. “Well, now I see why you were looking at her like that,” Carter said with a smile.

Reno chuckled. “I didn’t look at her like anything Carter. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Carter smiled deviously. “Well, everyone in the office is going to be surprised when Nathan comes in with a black eye on Monday.”

Reno laughed, loud.

***

“She called you the maid!” Jenna yelled.

Carter stormed into the living room in her tank and panties with a pair of shorts in her hand.

“Yes, can you believe that?” Carter said putting on her shorts. “She was so arrogant and she wouldn’t shut up! She just kept talking and talking. She had the nerve to tell me how ‘private’ my Nathan is, and how she couldn’t believe he had anyone living with him. I was like, woe hoe, I know my man. I don’t need you all up in my face telling me about mine. Bitch, you don’t know my life. Oh my gosh. Jenna I am so serious I was so close to going straight hood on that bitch.” Carter got yet another bottle of wine for her and Jenna to pop open.

They were on their third bottle. She and Jenna had been drinking since Carter walked in the house, went straight for the wine, and started telling Jenna about her little encounter with Nathan’s model in the elevator. And that was two hours ago. They just took a break so Carter could go and change out of her work clothes. Let’s just say they were a little more than tipsy. Ok, fine, really buzzed, Carter’s buzzed, but so was Jenna. They drank and made enough food to feed an army of men.

Jenna laughed. “You’ve never lived in the hood, Carter.”

“So what, Jenna, that has never stopped us from going hood before,” Carter said looking at Jenna with her hands on her hips.

“True, true,” Jenna said then she shot up from her seat on the couch. “Let’s go find that bitch!”

“Right! I can’t believe we’ve been talking for two hours and I forgot to tell you about that maid shit, Jen.” She had been too caught up on a long rant about how she was going to kick Nathan’s ass for him not telling her about Julia in the first damn place.

“You know me, Carter. I would’ve popped that bitch.”

“I know, and then she started talking to Reno like I wasn’t even there about
my
man and told me she forgot I was there because I’m a ‘short little thing’ or some shit.”

“Oh no she didn’t.”

“Right? I was like, I’m Carterina Stone bitch. Nobody forgets me.”

“Carina what?”

“Carterina, Jen, my name. Damn girl, keep up,” Carter said.

Jenna nodded firmly. “Oh yeah, I got it. Yeah, nobody forgets Katrina Stone,”

Carter laughed loud. “Carterina,” she yelled.

“Yeah, that!” Jenna yelled and plopped back on the couch.

Carter frantically ran over to the couch, jumped over the back and sat in front of Jenna on her knees. “Jen, omigod. What if she’s better than me?” Carter said frantically.

“Huh?” Jen said looking at her curiously.

“In bed, Jenna. I had like one sexual partner before Nathan, who is a fucking sex God! I bet that girl knows like a million tricks that Nathan loved. What if he gets tired of me and goes to the hoe who knows tricks?” Carter whined.

Jenna scrunched her nose. “Tricks?” she said through a laugh.

“This isn’t funny, Jenna! I need to get better at sex before Nathan goes back to a bottle blond,” Carter whined louder.

“Carter, does it seem like he enjoys the sex you guys have?” Jenna asked.

“Well, yeah, I think so, we have sex a lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was pregnant right now, lately we’ve been irresponsible as hell.”

“And there is the way he looks at you.”

“Huh?”

Jenna giggled. “Sometimes Nathan looks at you like you’re a hot meal after a week of starving,” she said through a chuckle.

Carter laughed. “He does, doesn’t he?” Then Carter got on all fours and started crawling toward Jenna like a predator. “And he growls,” she said with a mischievous smile.

Jenna smiled wide and started backing away from Carter. “He growls? How?” she said playing Carter’s game.

“Like this.” Carter did her best impression of Nathan and his sexy growls. She failed miserably, but it didn’t matter, it made her hot just thinking about how Nathan is when he’s in the mood.