He remained quiet and turned to stare up at the ceiling fan, still stroking the bend in my leg.
“What about you? What made you decide to be a bad guy?”
He chuckled dryly, his eyes mischievous as he turned back to look at me. “I decided to make myself incredibly wealthy. It came with the job.”
I found it ironic then that I’d fought so hard to leave the life behind to become something other than the gun-slinging misfit I was while my lover bought into the life purposefully.
“We are two completely different people, Daniello,” I mumbled with a long breath. “I fight hard every day to be legitimate, while you effortlessly remain corrupt.”
“And yet we are still a match.”
“Made in hell.” I half-laughed, half-moaned as he rolled himself on top of me. His grin was infectious as his newly hard cock nudged me.
“Tell me, Taylor Ellison, do you think I am the devil?”
“No.” Staring into his etched features, I had no choice but to draw my conclusion. “I think you are his greatest creation.”
Alone again, I dressed and was at the office early. Nina had been taking on more and more clients, and business was thriving. In my early years at Harvard, I’d pictured a career, any career that meant money, security, things I’d never had before. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined being a part of something so lucrative and satisfying. If I had nothing else in my life, I had a career to be proud of. I stared down at the tourists, a cup of coffee in hand, as I wondered what it was like to again be one of them. It was simple, really. Just a few hours touring around Charleston with a couple hundred dollars in my pocket, buying useless but necessary items from the market, hearing the history from one of the many tour guides. It seemed so simple, and yet the thought of going alone saddened me. Nina had grown up here and probably had no interest in doing such a silly thing, but at the same time, I was too embarrassed to ask. For a second, I thought of Daniello and me in a horse-drawn carriage. That happy thought was immediately interrupted by an angry Rocco on the opposite side of the carriage, glaring at me. This brought a fast laughter that rang out through my office.
“There’s something you don’t hear often,” Nina remarked as she joined me at the window. She followed my gaze. “Thinking of finally taking some time off?”
“Soon,” I replied, turning away from our view.
“Taylor, God knows you work your ass off, but let me clue you in. You own half of this company. You employ close to two thousand people. We will survive. I’m sure there is something you can do for a few days.”
If she only knew my only thought was to tour the city I’d lived in for the better part of three years she would probably laugh, or worse, pity me.
“So have you said yes to Devin yet?”
Her eyes narrowed as she sat behind my desk with a sigh.
“No, and I won’t. I said I was never marrying again and I meant it.”
I nodded, knowing it was bullshit. Devin was a magician when it came to Nina, and his brand of magic was suited just for her.
“Knock, knock.” I looked up to see Nina’s younger brother, Aaron, greet us. Nina jumped from her seat in obvious surprise and met him at the door in a long hug. For a split second, my envy got the better of me before I composed myself and smiled.
“Good to see you again, Aaron.” He gave me a warm smile and replied, “You too, Taylor.”
“How long will you be staying?” I asked for Nina’s sake. I knew her little brother meant the world to her.
“A month or so. I want to try some courses here, and Florida is getting pointless.” Aaron was a semi-pro golfer and was recovering from a terrible accident as a result of being too close to Nina’s boyfriend’s psychotic ex-wife. He’d been an innocent bystander to all the events that led up to Nina’s newfound happiness and had almost been a casualty.
“Healed up nicely?” I asked as Aaron’s eyes appraised me as they had the first time we’d met. He was attractive and had an appealing warmth about him. If I were into nice guys, I’d be tempted to learn more.
“Doc says I can ease into it,” he replied as Nina eyed him warily.
“I call bullshit. I’l
l call him myself,” she huffed and grabbed Aarons arm, pulling him out of the office while she addressed me. “See you at our three o’clock. This one should be interesting.” She gave me a wink before pulling a protesting Aaron through my office door. I smiled after the two and silently wished for Amber to call. It had been weeks and still no word. I texted Cedric.
Me: Are you sure it was her who got the message?
Cedric: Still no call?
I didn’t reply. He knew as well as I did it was a long shot and Amber was apparently holding some sort of grudge. Or even worse, she may not wish to know me at all. Still, I hoped for the chance to at least see her. To know my mother hadn’t tainted her to the point she was unrecognizable.
Finishing up my day, I let my mind wander to the last words Daniello said before I drifted to sleep the night before and he again disappeared from my bed. Words I knew he hadn’t meant for me to hear.