Page 91 of Tempted By the Devil

“You’re dating him, aren’t you?”

My brows jump high. “Excuse me? Dating who?”

“You know who. Be honest, Portia. There’s something going on.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I murmur, quickly collecting the other things I need off my desk. Laptop charger, wireless mouse, and pad. I toss in my favorite pen and notepad too. All of it to avert his probing gaze and follow up questions.

“You think I haven’t noticed? You two went off into an elevator together… for eleven minutes. The dozens of roses? The calls to his office? The personal invite to the boxing championship? The way he can’t keep his eyes off you?”

“How is this any of your business, Baron?”

“It could be seen as a conflict of interest.” He gives yet another glance around the hectic newsroom where reporters, junior and senior alike, rush off for their next story. “Look, I don’t give a crap what you do with your off time. I’m applying for a new gig in DC. There’s an opening for Prime Time DC and I’ve applied. But you might want to be careful. Others talk. You really think I’m the only one who’s noticed?”

He walks off with those parting words that linger in his wake.

The bright mood I’ve been in pops like a balloon, leaving me empty and regretful.

So much for innocently dropping by work to pick up my laptop.

I end up returning home to the apartment I share with Jayla. The birthday girl is laying on the couch with the remote and a bowl of M&Ms resting on her belly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting your nails and lashes done? Tomorrow is your big day!”

“Eh.”

“What do you mean ‘eh’? You love celebrating your birthday! You have a whole yacht party dedicated in your honor.”

She sighs, picking a blue M&M out of the bowl and popping it into her mouth. “Maybe we should cancel.”

“You’re playing, right? Jayla, Rafael’s spentthousandson the party. He’s invited everyone you know. What’s up with you? You’ve been acting weird ever since that lunch at Bocca. I said I’m sorry—what else is bothering you?”

“It’s just… isn’t this moving kind of fast?” she asks.

“Me and Rafael? Now I know you’re playing.Youencouraged me to give him a second chance!”

“For fun. I never knew it would… get so serious so fast.” She sits up clutching the remote and bowl of M&Ms in her arms, peering at me with round, imploring eyes. “Don’t you find it kind of odd that a table of mobsters backed down as soon as Rafael’s name was dropped?”

“Rafael is an important man. He’s a billionaire, Jayla.”

“I guess…” She nibbles on her lip in thought. “Luigi’s reaction was just very interesting.”

Though I shake my head incredulously, truthfully, a part of me had thought the same. Luigi calmly backed off the second Gavino showed up and mentioned I was dating Rafael. Gavino himself had gone from cute Italian boy-next-door to hardened muscle in two seconds flat. He was strapped.

I don’t know of many chauffeurs casually carrying around firearms and confronting mobsters.

No… it can’t be…

Jayla spots the dimming expression on my face and she jumps to her feet to throw an arm around my shoulders. “Sissy, forget what I said. You know I’ve been watching a lot of Law and Order: Organized Crime. Stabler has me thinking all sorts of shit. I’m just being paranoid. I’m excited for tomorrow night. I really am.”

But it’s too late. The idea’s been planted in my head. It’s spreading fast, putting into question every moment I’ve ever spent with Rafael, and making me wonder if I’ve been wearing rose-colored glasses.

In a way, it’s Sicily all over again.

An amazing time spent with a man almost too perfect to be true…

* * *

Any concept of what Jayla’s yacht birthday party would be like goes out the window once the festivities begin. I had known Rafael was planning for extravagance—emphasis on theextrain extravagance—but I hadn’t imagined anything likethis.

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