VEDA
Today the temperature outside was going to be in the hundreds, which wasn't unusual for summer in Austin, Texas. But it made me really glad I was going to be spending it on the water. Maybe we could even have dinner on the boat and watch the sun go down. I'd have to ask Luca if that was something that we could do. He'd said it wasn't the kind of boat that pulled a skier behind it, so I assumed it wasn't a speedboat. Although I didn't see what kind of an escape plan it would be if the thing didn't go fast enough to outrun another boat.
In any case, a part of me couldn't wait to get out of this fucking house. And the other part-a much larger part-wanted to hide under the bed until Mario and his men found someone else to play their spy games.
After dinner last night, my nerves were stretched tight. I should've known that my little happy act wouldn't fool a man like Luca. He noticed everything, knew everything that was going on inside his domain. But honestly, I was scared shitless. So far, I'd found out absolutely nothing about any of his dealings, except that he laundered money through his strip clubs. And I only knew that because I'd overheard him talking to Tristan and Enzo in his office the one day I'd gotten up the nerve to eavesdrop. He'd been saying something about how he needed to make an appearance at the clubs so he could check on the girls and make sure everything was running okay.
Something hot and rabid had risen within me at the mention of "the girls," and I'd had to stop myself from storming in there and demanding how exactly he planned to "check on them." Like some kind of jealous girlfriend.
But I wasn't his girlfriend. I was his prisoner.
Walking over to the mirror in the bathroom, I took one last look at myself. My bleached blonde hair with its ashy roots was pulled into two braids that hung over my shoulders, the tips of my hair brushing the tops of my breasts. And I had my favorite swimsuit back, a color-block two-piece in coral pink and lavender. The top-purple on one side and pink on the other- crisscrossed in the front, wrapped around my back, and tied in the front just under my ribs. The lavender bottoms were your usual bikini bottom, with two strips of the pink making up the sides. It was different than the usual Texas stars and stripes everyone else wore, and I loved it.
Or at least, I used to.
Eyeing the bright red scars that now marred my chest, I pulled on a simple black cover up that was basically an oversized T-shirt, slid my feet into my Keds, and went downstairs to wait for Luca to get done with work for the day.
I found Lisa in the kitchen, and was pleasantly surprised to find her packing a large cooler with food and a bottle of wine. She gave me a large smile when I walked in. "You look so cute!"
"Ah, thanks," I told her, glancing down at my white legs. "I can definitely use some vitamin D."
She dismissed my comment with a wave of her hand. "You have gorgeous skin."
My smile trembled a bit at the corners, and I looked away. I didn't want to see the look on her face when she realized what she'd just said.
But instead of being embarrassed, Lisa put down the stuff in her hands, walked over to me, and waited until I met her straightforward gaze. "You have gorgeous skin, Veda. What Mario did…it's temporary. It'll fade away. But do make sure you put some sunblock on."
"I will," I promised her.
"That reminds me," she said. Disappearing into the large pantry, she held up two bottles of sunblock and dropped them next to the cooler, where she had some paper plates and other non-food items in a bag ready to go.
"Thank you," I blurted.
She looked over at me in surprise. "Oh, you don't have to thank me, honey. Mr. Morelli pays me well to pack this cooler."
"That's not what I meant," I told her. "I meant thank you for being a friend to me here."
Putting the last of the items inside, she closed the lid and looked over at me. "We all need a friend sometimes. And it's been my honor to get to know you, Veda."
I blinked against the sudden tears in my eyes. "Same here." We stared at each other for a moment in womanly kinship, and once again I counted my blessings that she put up with a boss like Luca.
"I hope I'm not interrupting."
At the sound of Luca's deep voice, my entire body went on instant alert. I hadn't realized how tuned into him I was until just that very moment. My breathing picked up with my pulse, the fabric of my soft pullover suddenly scratchy against my overly sensitized skin. My breasts felt heavy and a growing ache began in my groin, tightening the muscles low in my belly until I felt a rush of moisture dampening my suit and I could barely resist the urge to squeeze my thighs together. I stared at him, remembering how he'd touched me the night before, and hungering for that touch again.
His blue eyes took in every inch of me, from the top of my braided hair to the soles of my slip-on sneakers, always so intense. He could probably recite to someone exactly what I was wearing six months from now.
Lisa broke the sudden tension in the room. "I packed your dinner, as you requested, Mr. Morelli."
Tearing his eyes away, he gave her an easy smile. "Thank you, Lisa." Then he turned back to me. "Let me get changed and I'll be ready to go."
It was only then I noticed he was still in his black slacks, house shoes, and a dark blue button-down shirt. His top buttons were undone, revealing a swatch of tan skin and soft chest hair, and his jacket was thrown over one arm. "I'll wait here," I told him.
With a smile at Lisa, he left to go get changed.
"Maybe you should follow him," Lisa said from behind me.
I turned back to her, taking a seat at the island. "Huh?"
"Don't act dumb with me," she teased. "Good lord, you two were giving me hot flashes just now."
I didn't even try to deny it. "I don't know what's wrong with me," I whispered.
"I do," she said. "You have the hots for my boss."
"Your boss and my kidnapper," I told her. "Isn't there a name for that. Stockholm syndrome? Is that it?"
"I don't think that's what's happening here." She put the teapot on the stove and turned on the burner. "I think it's more than that. You two have had some kind of current running between you since the moment your eyes met."
"You weren't there when I first saw him. And since you weren't, let me just fill you in. I was drugged and had a hood over my head when I was dropped on that couch…" I pointed out the doorway, where we could see the end of the couch in the sitting area near the patio doors. When I turned back to Lisa, she was leaning on the counter with an unreadable expression. "What?" I asked her.
"It's just…I've never seen Luca like this. I mean, he's a passionate man. Anyone can see that. And he has his demons. The way he works. The way he punishes himself in the gym-" "The way he kidnaps innocent women."
She gave me a disapproving look.
"Don't look at me like that," I told her. "He took me from my sister's home, Lisa. He forced me to stay here, dressed me up like her, and paraded me around the city until his brother was drawn out of hiding. And then he planned to shoot me in front of him."
"But he didn't," she said.
"Really?" I said. "That's your argument?"
"I said he has his demons. I wasn't lying. I've worked here a long time. I've seen and heard a lot of things."