I jump away from him and straighten myself out.
“Sorry, we were just—”
“No apologies. You’ve worked your ass off today, and I appreciate it.”
“I’ll come in early tomorrow and get all of this done.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Okay, uh, what?” I start to panic. Does she know about me in the rest room? Have I not worked hard enough today? No, she said I’ve worked my butt off and I have.
“Arianna, darling. You’ve worked so hard, I’m giving you the rest of the week off. I need you firing on all cylinders next week, so take the rest of the week off, relax, pamper yourself. Then come back ready for the craziness that happens after the summer ball.”
“Oh,” I say surprised. But I have no idea why it surprises me. My imagination is a dangerous place to be sometimes. “Thank you.”
“And you.” She points at Denham and looks at him sternly. “I would be thankful if you don’t distract my staff during work time.” He chuckles and doesn’t look in the least bit embarrassed but I think I blush enough for the both of us. “Now take this girl home and wait on her hand and foot. She’s worked like a Trojan today.”
“Thanks, Beth. I certainly will,” he says, stepping forward to kiss her on the cheek before holding out a hand for me to take. I grab my purse and we head out.
When we pass the large glass double doors, I look to see where commando is.
“No bodyguards this evening?” I ask.
“Nope. I’ll be the only one guarding your body this evening,” he says, causing me to laugh.
“Is that right?”
“Yep.” He stops in the middle of the sidewalk to turn to me. He brushes my hair from my shoulder and leans in so his lips are just touching my ear lobe. “I won’t just be guarding your body,” he whispers. “I’ll be touching it. And licking it. And I’ll make sure that I’ll be sucking it too.” He finishes his sentence by pinching my ear lobe with his teeth, then straightens himself and holds out his arm for me to link mine with. Again, he renders me incapable of moving for a couple of seconds, just until my body comes down a little from the high he puts me on, and my feet start to move again. I link my arm with his and he strides forward with a grin on his face.
Chapter 14
Arianna
As much as I’ve enjoyed the first few days at Chique, it’s been exhausting. I insisted that Denham go to work, much to his protesting. Today is not for him, or us. It’s a girlie day with Lottie. Today, we are shopping! Before I left, he tried to give me his AMEX, which then got shoved right back at him. He laughed it off, but I can see that he really wanted me to take it. We will have to agree to disagree on that one, as I will be paying my own way whether he likes it or not.
I’m still a little on edge from seeing Jonny two days ago. But, in the idea of being strong and moving forward, I’m putting it to the back of my mind. I know this is dangerous, and not a solution, but it’s all I’ve got right now. It’s the only way I know to not let him win. Anyway, it’s not exactly just me and Lottie. We’re not on our own and vulnerable. We have not one, buttwo commandos keeping an eye on us. This was at Denham and Spike’s insistence. I’m aware that they are shadowing my every turn, but they don’t intrude, in fact, it’s quite easy to ignore them.
“So what exactly are you looking for?” I say to Lottie as we walk down the strip.
“Something that makes a statement. I would rather be wearing something magnificent from the boutique my best friend works at, but she’s too stubborn to ask her boss if we can borrow something.” She looks at me with one brow raised.
“Lottie, you always make a statement, wherever you go, even if it’s just to the store. And you know my reasoning for not asking Beth. She’s done so much for me already, I’m not asking for anything else.”
“Fine. Let’s go find something else then,” she grumbles.
“What kind of style do you want to go for? Any colors in mind?”
“You know me, I like to be individual. I’ll know when I see it”
“I know,” I say, bumping her shoulder with mine. “And I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“You should have seen the dress I wore last year; it was so over the goddamn top. I loved it!”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“So, I want to do something a little different this year. Actually, I want to find a dress that is so different from my usual style, it will make people take a second look.”
“Okay. And where are we going to find this fabulous dress?”
