“What about your mother?” he asked, as if reading her mind, his gaze boring into hers. She was stunned by the question, leaving her silent for a couple of seconds too long.
“How do you know about my mom?”
“I know everything I need to know about you, Arianna,” he replied with a slight lifting of the corner of his mouth.
His expression was far too knowing and she immediately felt the urge to flee. Something wasn’t right, something that was telling her to get out while she still could. She was in over her head, she could feel it. All signs pointed to her jumping from the chair and rushing out his door. Loyalty to her mother kept her seated where she was.
“Yes. Of course,” she responded instead. “My mother is being well taken care of. She’s not even aware of who I am at this point. It won’t hurt her in the least if she doesn’t see me for long stretches of time.”
He circled her again, causing her foot to twitch. When she was nervous, she did one of two things – tapped her foot, much to the annoyance of everyone around her, or bit on her thumbnail. She felt the urge to raise her hand, making contact with thumbnail and teeth, but mentally insisted she keep her hands folded in her lap.
“I can see that as a hindrance, but as she’s the only family member you have, I’ll let it slide for now.”
Was this guy for real? He’d let it slide? Ari was taking in air through her nose in long deep pulls to keep her temper at bay. She needed the job, she kept reminding herself as she clenched her fingers tightly in her lap and locked her jaw to keep from spilling out the words she wanted to throw at him.
“Is something upsetting you, Ms. Harlow,” he asked, his voice smooth as molasses as he came back around and looked into her eyes again. She felt like he was analyzing her, breaking her down into parts, trying to decide if she was a waste of his time or not. She was sure that’s how he conducted all his business. It was most likely why he was where he was at in life, which was the top of the ladder, and why she was where she was at, the bottom.
That pure confidence, the ability to command control and conquer the universe oozed off of some people. Mr. Palazzo had that in spades. She’d give her soul for just a piece of his winning attitude and unyielding faith in himself.
“Everything’s fine, Mr. Palazzo,” she replied, proud of how smooth her voice sounded, especially since her nerves were fried.
“You intrigue me, Ms. Harlow. I don’t hesitate once I make a decision, and I’ve decided to hire you… temporarily. I can see your temper as causing a problem, but then again, meek has never been my style. Obedient… yes, but not meek.”
Ari gaped at him as she tried to decipher what he was talking about. What did meek and obedient have to do with anything?
“You’re aware you signed a privacy notice before ever stepping foot into my office, correct? Whatever is said by me is strictly confidential… and highly enforced. A former employee tried to go to the media once. Let’s just say, she’s now in prison… and the rumors were quickly squashed. I very much play hardball, Ms. Harlow, and it would behoove you to not become my enemy,” he said conversationally.
Ari swallowed hard as her eyes continued to follow him intently. He spoke of a woman going to prison as if he was absently mentioning what he had eaten for lunch the previous day. Did she really want to work for this man?
Honestly, what choice did she have?
“I’m aware of what I signed, Mr. Palazzo.” Ari sat up straighter in her chair, the reality of obtaining the job starting to set in. She wasn’t afraid of being locked up in prison because she knew how to keep things private. It wasn’t like she had any girlfriends to gossip with, anyway. She’d always been too focused on school to make new friends.
Her one attempt at socializing… the thought made her shudder. It was the reason she was stuck in an interview for a job she was afraid to know the title for, instead of sitting in class listening to her professor.
Rafe Palazzo’s gaze seared her to the spot as if he were assessing the situation. He’d said that he didn’t go back once he made a decision, but the uncertainty in his eyes bellied his words. She could see that he was indecisive of whether he wanted to actually hire her.
She said a quick prayer that she hadn’t blown this opportunity. Of course, her mother’s words of advice as she’d dropped Ari off at the Stanford dorms for the first time flashed through her mind. Her mom had said, if the situation looks too good to be true then it probably is and you should run like hell in the other direction. Ari thought maybe she should start running.
“Very well, then, Ms. Harlow. The job position is for a mistress… my mistress, to be exact.”
Chapter Two
Rafe watched as Arianna’s eyes widened at his words. He knew he should send her on her way, but from the first moment she’d stepped inside his building there was something so mystifying about her that his interest had been instantly piqued.
She carried an almost haunted presence in her eyes, but he pushed that thought aside. He couldn’t afford to feel anything more than lust for the women in his life. He respected some of his lovers, but it was only minimal. He didn’t mistrust them – he just wouldn’t let them in.
He needed the women for a specific purpose – that was all. They satisfied his needs, a must, since he was a highly sexual man. They also accompanied him to events where he was expected to have a woman on his arm. He normally could care less what the world thought about him, but he enjoyed having a woman’s soft curves pressing up against his body while he was surrounded by lackluster business colleagues.
The fullness of a woman’s pale br**sts peeking out of a dark satin gown, the way her thighs would flash at him with each step she took into a room – watching a few strands of her hair tumble down around her shoulders, begging for him to release the knot at the back of her head from its tight confines to allow her thick mane to flow. The extreme femininity of a woman held his attention during such tedious business gatherings. All of those things and more were what kept him interested in having a mistress.
He liked women to be near him, he liked them to do his bidding. He really liked them to satisfy his needs.
Since his divorce he’d discovered he had far more needs than he ever realized. He hadn’t found a woman who could keep his interest longer than three months since the day Sharron had left. He was fine with that.
When he got bored, he found another willing applicant. The line was a mile long of women willing to serve him – after-all; he was Rafe Palazzo. The world was his canvas, and the women in line were all hoping to have their affair turn into something a lot more permanent. Too bad for them it would never happen.