Page 17 of Dangerous Kiss
Chapter Seven
Stella was hyperventilating as Gunter tried to comfort her. “Someone tried to take me,” she wailed as she saw Cosimo and Biba arrive.
“We heard gunfire,” Cosimo said, looking at Gunter, who nodded.
“It was Rich. He took off chasing the guy.”
Stella, sniffing, and obviously genuinely scared, left Gunter’s arms and went to Cosimo. Cosimo had no choice but to put his arms around the distressed woman. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Rich came back then, sweating, his eyes darting everywhere. “Guy got away, I’m sorry. Stella, you okay?”
Stella, happy in Cosimo’s arms, nodded. “It was just scary. How did he get in?”
“Well, unfortunately, it’s pretty open here, and the studio won’t pay for total protection,” Rich was breathless. “It’s difficult to police with just us.” He looked at Cosimo. “Sorry, boss.”
“Not your fault. Listen, hire some more guys. I’ll pay for it. Stella, do you feel safe in your room?”
She shook her head. “Maybe I should move closer to your room, Cosimo.”
Biba felt a flash of jealousy run through her, especially when Cosimo nodded. “We’ll get you a suite in the big house. Biba can stay with you, then we can protect you both.”
Stella didn’t look enthusiastic, and Biba agreed with her. Sharing a suite would mean neither could indulge in secret assignations…was Cosimo doing it on purpose?
Biba trailed behind them as they walked up to the manor. She felt miserable and guilty. Miserable because she had blown it spectacularly with Cosimo, and guilty because clearly, Stella had been in danger. What the hell was going on?
Rich caught up with her. “You okay, boo?” She nodded but felt even more guilty. She’d said yes to a date with Rich and not even an hour later, she was naked with their boss. God, she was a mess, wasn’t she? Maybe Cosimo was right. Maybe the incident with Damon had fucked her up more than she liked to admit.
She got the answer to one question a little later when she and Stella were alone. They were changing for bed: Stella walking around completely naked, Biba shimmying into her shorts and T-shirt discreetly as always. She felt Stella watching her.
“Were you and Cosimo together earlier?” Stella was smoking a cigarette, blowing the smoke out of the window. “You seemed to arrive at my trailer at the same time.”
Ah. So, Stella had been watching them. “I was down by the lake at the same time, is all,” Biba said casually. “We just said hello when we heard the gunshots.” She was amazed at how easily the lie slid from her lips, but she really didn’t want to deal with Stella’s jealousy tonight.
“Huh.” Stella was fishing, Biba could tell. “I didn’t know you two were on chatting terms.”
“He was being polite.”
Stella seemed satisfied with that, but an hour later, Stella snoring gently beside her, Biba couldn’t help reliving the soft kisses, the taste of his skin, the way his intense gaze made her stomach flutter with desire. With it though, came a sense of certainty, of misery, knowing that by the way Cosimo reacted, there would be no repeat of this evening’s intimacy.
He’s right to withdraw,she thought, but the idea of being distant with him now was making her chest hurt.
She finally fell into a fitful sleep, only to be woken by Stella a couple of hours later, showing her the note that had been sent to her.
My darling Stella,
Know that tonight was just the beginning. We will together soon, my love, and you will never have to worry about anything ever again. If anyone tries to stop our love, know that I will do anything to stop them. Anything. Your director, the security teams, that pretty assistant of yours…all of their lives will be forfeit if they try to stop me.
Soon, my darling.
Soon.
Cosimo had called in the FBI, and they had agreed. “Guy’s a nutball,” Luke Harris, the FBI agent, said with a nod to them as they all gathered in the manor’s dining hall. “Luckily for you, nutballs are our thing.”
Biba hid a smirk at the agent’s words, shooting a look at Reggie. She knew he was thinking the same thing—this dude was a swaggering moron. Still, this wasn’t about their opinions, rather Stella’s safety. Biba didn’t even register that she too had been threatened until Cosimo spoke up. “Agent Harris, I need reassurances that Stella, Biba, and the rest of our staff are safe.”
“We’ll do what we can, but I have to say, with respect to Mr. Furlough and Mr. Wolff, your security here is lax. That this guy could break in and return later to leave a note…”
“Maybe he left the notebeforehe tried to take Stella.” Biba spoke up, wanting to defend Cosimo. “It would make more sense.”
