Chapter Fourteen
Vito
Rat Problem
For two weeks, Nicole met me at the door with her list of grievances each morning. She was under my protection. I wasn’t letting her go out alone. Hell, I wasn’t letting her go, period. And that was final. Yet, she complained about not being allowed to make her own store runs. She complained about Russell watching her every move. She complained about Amber doing things for her that she could do for herself. It was starting to feel like her complaints had complaints.
What she couldn’t complain about was the fact that she was well taken care of. My home had a world-class gym, a gourmet cook, and a movie theater. She had her personal guard and personal assistant. I spared no expense in making sure she was comfortable.
I couldn’t guarantee that Desi wasn’t still plotting to take her life and that major detail kept me up at night. He had apparently skipped town. I couldn’t locate him anywhere. It was as if he had someone help him disappear. That was the reason Nicole still had around-the-clock security. Some men tell a woman they will protect her, and it’s bullshit. When I said it, I meant every single word.
As I attempted to leave the house this morning, Nicole blocked my path out of the front door. “Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.
“Sure. Is everything okay?” Knowing she had yet another complaint about Russell or Amber, I headed her off with a smile and asked, “Are Russell and Amber treating you right?”
“They treat me fine, but I want to get a job. I tried sitting here and letting you take care of me, but I want the freedom to come and go as I please. I need to get out of here,” Nicole protested. Her lips formed into the perfect pout, making me want to suck each one into my mouth and devour their juiciness.
“It’s still too soon. You can’t leave alone yet,” I stated bluntly.
She folded her arms across her chest. The action caused her breasts to sit up higher. Yeah, she definitely wasn’t going anywhere.
“Nicole, I guarantee you the time will come when you can get out there and work again. It’s just not safe right now.”
She dropped her hands to her sides. “You say that all the time. Do you have any other words to use?”
“When it’s safe for you to go out alone, I will use other words.” I had been hunting Desi night and day. Apparently, he wasn’t as big of a fool as I thought. He had either been tipped off or was smart enough to get out of town when he found out I was looking for him.
“Well, I’m tired of being here alone.”
“You’re not alone. You have lots of company.”
“Who him?” Nicole jutted her finger toward Russell, who stood so stiff against the wall that he could blend in with the tiles if you stared at him long enough. “He’s like a piece of furniture here. He doesn’t even talk to me except to tell me what I can and can’t do. And Amber is buried in her phone, half-listening to me unless I’m giving her an order.”
It didn’t surprise me that Russell and Amber weren’t communicating with Nicole. Russell was trained to be in the room physically but not part of the goings-on in the room. Amber was a young lady who was good at her job but scrolled through social media when she wasn’t busy.
I asked, “Since they bore you, who would you like to be here with you?”
Her gaze turned hopeful. “How about you?”
That caused an unexpected smile to brighten my face. “You want to spend time with me?”
“Why do you think I’m still at your house? I would have found a way to break out of here by now if I didn’t want to be here with you. But it’s like you moved me in and forgot I was here.”
Tell that to the blood that rushes south in response to your every move. “Oh, I haven’t forgotten that you’re here, Nicole. Not by far. I’ve just been busy.” Trying to hut down your ex so I can kill him.
She rolled her eyes. She never believed me when I told her I would kill Desi. Little did she know, that was what I wanted to do most, second only to making love to her.
“I can understand being busy for a night or two, but every night? It feels like you’re avoiding me,” she huffed, the rise and fall of her rotund breasts causing my line of vision to fall to her chest.
“You want to talk to me every night? I was giving you space to sort your feelings out.” And giving me space, so I wouldn’t have the urge to ravish your body every second of every hour.
“Well, my feelings are sorted. And I want to spend time with you,” she admitted. “Will you be home in time for dinner tonight? Your chef is great, but you miss getting the food when it’s hot because you’re always working late.”
I took in her concern and smiled. “Since you want me here for dinner, I’ll be home by six.”
Nicole’s victorious grin made me want to call off all my meetings and stay home with her, but I had one meeting this morning I couldn’t miss.
“See you tonight,” she said and walked away, her voluptuous hips swaying to her own special cadence.