Love in the City, an erotic romance novel (24 page)

“I hope you had fun,” she said bitterly.

“Anabelle, it was just a function. I was doing my part to…”

“Now it’s my turn to ask you to stop. Don’t try to convince me you were doing ‘your job’. Not too many jobs require sudden departures from hotel rooms late at night to go drinking and carousing.”

“Carousing? Why would you say that? You and I shar
ed something special last night. What would I possibly be looking for after that?”

“Oh yeah, real special. So special you ditch me and don’t give me a second thought. Just another night out for you probably.” The tears were flowing now. As confusing as this had all been, she was hurt. “You’re probably a regular in that room.”

“Anabelle! I don’t deserve that. That’s a really low thing to say.”

She scoffed at that. “I saw the way women were coming onto you all night. I don’t know what happened when you went back down there. Whatever it was, it kept you away for hours, drinking.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Listen, can we talk in person? We’re not getting very far over the phone. I think this is a conversation better had in person, don’t you?”

“Something you don’t want to say to me over the phone?” she snapped. “Whatever it is, I don’t need you admitting it to my face and making me feel worse.”

“That’s not what I meant, I just…”

“Forget it.”

“I’m not going to forget it. Nothing happened. I don’t want you thinking something did.” He waited for her response.

“I’m meeting Sarah later.”

“Okay, how about before or after that?” he asked.

She was torn. Part of her wanted to see him and wanted to believe him, but part of her was still hurt
and felt threatened. “Giorgio, even if nothing happened, how do you think it felt to be left alone like that after what we shared? Maybe this kind of thing is commonplace for you, but it isn’t for me. I laid awake for hours wondering where you were, if you were even coming back. Then, when you did finally saunter in, I couldn’t sleep wondering what you had been doing. I know what alcohol can do to people, especially when faced with boatloads of temptation.”

He sighed. “
I get it. I do. You’re right. I’m sorry, Anabelle,” he said softly. “I wasn’t thinking how it would come across to you.”

She didn’t say anything.

“On that note, can you also maybe appreciate how it felt to wake up and find out you just left me without a word…in person, I mean. It was a big night, in lots of ways, most importantly, between us. And you were just gone. No discussion, just gone.”

She wiped away some more tears. “Yes,” she
replied as her voice cracked.

He heard sniffling in the background. “My beautiful girl, you’re crying? I didn’t realize…” He groaned. “I never meant for the night to end like that.”

“Me neither,” she said. “I’m sorry, too.”

“It’s ok
ay,” he said, sounding relieved. “Can we just chalk this up to a misunderstanding and not knowing one another very well yet?”

“Yeah,” she said, staring at her coffee cup. “That’s probably best.”

“Good.”

“Do you even still want to see me after this disaster?” she asked.

He laughed softly. “Of course I do. Regardless of what you think of me, I’m not in the habit of having casual relationships. And what happened between us was not commonplace for me. It was incredible. You’re incredible. You’re a goddess to me.”

Her heart melted. “You make me feel…like nothing I’ve ever experienced with a man before. You take my breath away, physically, emotionally, everything…” her voice trailed off, as another tear fell.

“We need to start trusting each other,” he said.

“I know,” she
admitted. “It’s just that…I have the most powerful reactions to you. It’s kind of making me crazy at times. You’re…you mean a lot…to me.”

“I feel the same way,” he said. “So, can I see you?”

She thought about it for a moment. She couldn’t yet admit why she needed to see him after she talked to Sarah. “I really am getting together with Sarah today for an early dinner. I had to cancel our last two get-togethers. I promised her I wouldn’t do it again. And it’s my treat.”

“Right,” he said.

“I do want to see you, but I don’t think either of us has slept much, and tomorrow is the big presentation.”

“I don’t mind.”

“How about tomorrow night? We could get together after work? After the pressure of the presentation is off.” It wasn’t ideal, but she was hoping he’d say yes.

He let out a long, disappointed breath. “Sure, if you insist. I can pick you up around 5:30 again, if that works for you.”

“Great,” she said. “Why don’t we just head straight to Brooklyn after work. We can order in some takeout at my place.” She knew they needed to have this conversation in private and she’d feel much more comfortable in her own home.

“It’s a deal,” he said. “Just one more thing.
”

“What?”

“You’re sure you’re not just the love ‘em and leave ‘em type?” he asked with a hint of playfulness in his voice. “Maybe you got what you wanted from me and now that your curiosity’s satisfied, you’re moving on.”

“Ha ha, very funny. As if.
I’m not the guy in this situation, remember?”

“
Ouch,” he said.

“Well then don’t make silly comments.”

He whistled. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to take that as reassurance.”

She sighed.
“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

“Me too, beautiful girl.”

After her conversation with Giorgio, Anabelle made herself some breakfast and polished off her coffee. She was bagged. She jumped in the shower and changed into pajamas. She had some time before meeting Sarah, so she decided to try and get a bit more sleep. She felt more relaxed now that she had spoken to Giorgio. Things weren’t perfect, but they were good enough for now.
Besides,
she thought,
perfect and relationships don’t really seem to go together.

She was
very nervous about the presentation tomorrow and especially about telling Giorgio afterwards that she had asked Sarah to look into the online attacks on his company. She hoped he wouldn’t be angry about it. But that was a battle for tomorrow. She was too tired to think about things anymore, so she curled up in bed, setting the alarm, just in case she was able to fall asleep. Jasper joined her. The two of them fell fast asleep.

Anabelle’s alarm went off at 4 p.m. She awoke, feeling very groggy, but grateful she’d actually been able to sleep for awhile. She got up, fed Jasper, and then got ready to go meet Sarah at Lexi’s Diner, which was only a ten-minute walk from where she lived.

Anabelle headed over to the popular diner, arriving right at 5 p.m. She spotted Sarah in a corner booth. She waved.

“Hey there,” she said, giving Sarah a hug. “Thanks for getting us a table.”

“You bet,” she said. “I thought I’d get here a few minutes early to get the best spot.”

“I’m glad we
finally got together,” Anabelle said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “We have a lot to talk about, I think.”

“Oh yeah, we do,” Sarah said, giving her a knowing glance. She had her long hair pulled back
over her head with a blue patterned scarf, adding to her hippie vibe.

The waitress came by and took their order. They ordered the same thing – veggie burgers, fries, and lemonade. They knew the menu by heart.

Anabelle looked at Sarah, who seemed to have a bit of a glow about her. “So, what’s up with you, missy?”

“What do you mean?”

Anabelle raised an eyebrow. “Spill it.”

Sarah laughed. “Alright
, I’ve been dying to tell you anyway. I stopped by Painter’s Cove one night last week.”

“Ooh, I like where this is going,” Anabelle said, grinning.

The waitress came by with their lemonades.

“Thanks,” Sarah said.

“Carry on,” Anabelle urged.

“I would have invited you, but you were working late. I just needed to get out of the house you know
, I’ve been working a lot, too.”

“Mmmhmm,” Anabelle said, taking a sip of her lemonade. “And then what?”

Sarah laughed. She blushed a little. “Well, I just sat up at the bar since I was by myself. I had some food, a glass of wine…”

“Get to the good part
s!”

“Barry was working. It was kind of a quiet night there, so we ended up talking. For hours.”

“Excellent!”

Sarah nodded, a big smile spreading across her face. “We have tons in common. We talked about music, art, my job at the Indie Voice, his business. Before I knew it, I had closed the place down.”

“And?”

“Well, he is really cute. He offered to give me a ride home since it was so late.”

“Good-looking, artistic, responsible, and a gentleman, too,” Anabelle said. “Sounds like a very good catch.”

Sarah giggl
ed. “He’s a good kisser, too.”

“Yaay!” Anabelle exclaimed. “Finally! We must toast to that.”

They clinked their lemonade glasses together.

Sarah continued. “He also asked me out and we had our first date Friday night.”

“What? That’s so great! Man, I’ve missed a lot,” Anabelle said.

“Well, things have been pretty busy for you.”

Anabelle nodded. “So, tell me how your date went!”

Sarah beamed. “It was wonderful. We went to hear a live band play. He has a friend who’s the guitarist. They were fantastic. We had drinks with them afterwards, and we all went for late-night munchies after the bar closed. We stayed out until 4
a.m., laughing and telling stories. It was a blast.”

“That’s a super cool first date.”

“Yeah, it was. It was chill and low-key, we didn’t have to face any awkward moments, since it was a busy place with entertainment. It was all so…comfortable.”

“And then?” Anabelle asked.

“And then…,” Sarah said, looking up at her, “he dropped me off at home.”

“More kissy-faces, I hope!”

“Yup, and little touchy-feely time,” Sarah said, grinning from ear to ear. “No problems at all in the chemistry department, that’s for sure.”

“I knew you two would make an excellent couple,” Anabelle said, happy for her friend. “When do you see him again?”

“This week. Nothing’s firmed up yet. He’s going to let me know what night he can get off from Painter’s Cove.”

“Psst,” Anabelle said
, leaning in. “Maybe we’ll both finally get some use out of our birth control pills one of these days,” she whispered.

Sarah giggled. “There’s hope for us yet!”

They both blushed as the waitress came by and dropped off their order.

They each tucked into their burgers and fries.

“So, your turn,” Sarah said, wiping some ketchup off the corner of her mouth. “Fill me in on Romeo.”

Over the course of their meal, Anabelle proceeded to give her friend a play-by-play of everything that had happened, including the conversation she overheard in the bathroom and who she thought was talking.

They finished their food and the waitress came by to take their plates away. She also brought them refills of lemonade.

“Wow,” Sarah said. “Quite the drama.”

“Yeah,” Anabelle agreed, nodding. “I’m a little bagged and shell-shocked by the whole thing. It’s been a lot. Maybe too much, too fast.”

“That can happen when your hormones sneak into the drivers’ seat.”

Anabelle whistled. “And how. It’s like he’s a walking, talking sexual narcotic for me. My head is kind of spinning. It’s hard to think straight around him.”

“Then I think it’s good that you have a little bit of a break after that. It sounds like you need some breathing room.”

Anabelle nodded. “I do. I definitely do. Plus, I wanted to see him
after
I talked to you.”

“Right,” Sarah said, then took a long sip of her lemonade. “You asked me to look into what was going on in the
nasty little rumor mill about Giorgio’s company. I do have some news for you.”

“Oh?” she said, biting her nails.

“Stop it!”

“Sorry,” Anabelle said. “I’m nervous.”

Sarah shook her head. “Well, further to what you showed me earlier, it seems that someone is systematically planting seeds of accusations of wrongdoing in every news item or release the company is making. It’s been going on for months.”

“What else are they saying?”

“They’re trying to say that this is another scam like the financial institution collapses. That they’re scamming investors. Pretty much everything you overheard that Portia woman saying. I’m a journalist. There’s no way that’s a coincidence. The mentions of secret overseas transfers, suspect timing of activities, duping creditors are a consistent theme in what I’ve been reading. She has to be behind it.”

“But why? She works there. And she’s married to the Senior VP.”

“I have no idea, but it makes sense it’s coming from inside the company.”

“What do you mean?”

“The comments are posted very shortly after news about the company is posted. Within the hour, in fact. They’re too detailed and they tie into actual company facts, except that they’re casting a dark cloud of suspicion that results are being misrepresented for malicious purposes. They’re also claiming that the sole person behind it is Giorgio.”

“What?” Anabelle asked, shocked.

“Yup,” Sarah nodded, her face grim. “It seems that whoever this is had no qualms about Tsar before your new lover took over. Someone’s accusing him of mishandling things to gain personal profit. They imply that he’s going to cannibalize the company and take off back to Greece. That he’s unfit to be CEO, never wanted the job and that he wants out anyway.”

Anabelle looked stricken. “
But he’s new. He’s only been in that role for the last year, since his father died.”

“I remember, we read that in the
article we first found on him.”

“That’s what Portia mentioned as well when I overheard her talking,” Anabelle said, “that because he’s a new CEO, no one trusts him.”

Sarah nodded, then she hesitated, staring into her lemonade. She bit her lip.

“What is it?” Anabelle asked, frowning.

Sarah looked up at her with a serious expression. “Well…if any of the accusations are actually true…Giorgio could go to prison for a very long time. Like forever.”

Anabelle sat back in her seat, feeling
suddenly winded.

“Do you think it’s possible there’s anything untoward going on with him?
Business-wise?”

Anabelle shook her head. “I’ve never gotten that kind of vibe from him
, but I really know very little about his business dealings.” She leaned forward. “I’ll tell you this though, I sure don’t like Portia. I wouldn’t trust her to tell me the time. She’s definitely up to something, and she’s way too friendly with Giorgio.”

“Hmmm,” Sarah said. “
Then maybe she’s plying him for information or she wants him all to herself. But I don’t think someone would set out to hurt someone they’re interested in. Plus, you said she’s married to his brother and she works at the company.”

“Yeah,” Anabelle said, frowning. “These kind of attacks would hurt them, too.”

“Unless, it’s just to get Giorgio out of the picture.”

“But then, why would she be so flirty with
him?”

“Maybe she’s playing both sides. Hoping one will fall and she can step up.”

Anabelle took a long sip of lemonade. “This all sounds crazy.”

“No kidding. But you are entering a different arena by dating someone like him. Like I said before, these people don’t play by our rules.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Anabelle said, running her fingers through her hair.

Sarah nodded in agreement. “Well, you have to tell him about what you overheard at the ball and how it lines up with what I’ve found. I really don’t think for a minute it’s a coincidence. I’m sure that these attacks are motivated by this person’s anger over him taking over as CEO. I think someone wants
him out, and won’t stop until he’s gone.”

“Oh, that’ll be a fun conversation.”

“I know, but you have to. Just gauge his reactions. See what you can glean from that. If he seems defensive, surprised, not surprised, evasive, etc., that’ll at least tell you something.”

“What a mess.” Anabelle let out a long sigh. “I’m not looking forward to
it.”

“Better to find out now tha
n to get hurt worse and be forever linked in the press to someone who could end up spending a life sentence behind bars.”