Secret Designs

by Miranda P. Charles

  Hell, he couldn't let her suffer. She was his girlfriend now.

  "You need your other room, Ari," he said. "You couldn't possibly work well in a cramped space. Stay where you are in Burwood. We'll figure something out."

  Ari smiled at him but shook her head. "I'm not just talking about a couple of hundred here and there, Dylan. I do need to lower my expenses."

  "For what?"

  Ari pressed her lips together, as if considering something. "My sister and my nephew. I help them out financially."

  Trey's eyebrows arched and Dylan could almost see cynicism coming out of his buddy's ears. He couldn't say he was surprised by that reaction. Trey had heard it all before.

  But something warred within him, too: concern and suspicion. He had been sold a fake heart-wrenching story in the past, and he'd stupidly bought it. But surely Ari was not like that woman?

  "I'd love to meet your sister and your nephew, babe. Can we go visit them?" he asked. At least he'd be able to determine if what she said was true.

  "That would be good," Ari replied readily. "Maybe in a few weeks when I go there for a visit."

  "A few weeks? How about tomorrow?"

  "Didn't I tell you? They live in Port Macquarie. That's almost a five-hour drive from here."

  "We could fly."

  "No, it's okay. I already told Sylvie I won't be able to see them for a while, as I need to make sure I finish Jasmine's orders on time."

  How convenient.

  *******

  Dylan sat back on the couch as he stared at Ari standing outside on his balcony. She was talking to Jasmine on the phone.

  "I think it was a good idea to suggest you visit her family, Dyl," Trey said in a low voice. "At least you'll know if she's telling the truth about them needing her support."

  "I still don't believe Ari's a gold digger," Adam said. "I know we don't know her well enough, but from what I've seen so far, she seems genuine."

  "So you believe her story?" Trey asked. "It's the classic I-need-to-support-my-family line. That was exactly the line Dylan was fed by that woman, in case you've forgotten."

  "Well, that's easily proven, isn't it?" Adam replied. "She didn't seem scared when Dylan suggested they visit her sister and nephew."

  "Yeah, but then she said they couldn't go for another few weeks. How long is a few weeks?" Trey pressed.

  "Enough, guys. I don't want to talk about this," Dylan said quietly.

  "I understand what you're going through, Dylan," Adam said sympathetically. "You guys get me in this space often enough."

  Dylan grimaced. "Sorry, dude. Now I get it."

  "What do you plan to do now?" Trey asked.

  Dylan was silent for a moment, considering his answer. "Well, so what if she's interested in my money? It's not like I don't have any."

  Trey's eyes bulged out. "Are you kidding me?"

  "As long as she also wants me. The way I see it, my wealth and success are part of who I am. Shouldn't she embrace that, too?"

  "What if she only wants you for your money? If you don't have it, or if you refuse to use some on her, would she leave you for another guy?"

  "Well, we'd never find out, would we? Because I can't change the fact that I've earned shitloads in the last few years, and I kind of like the idea of looking after her. Who knows? I could get sick of her before she gets sick of me."

  "I'm with you on this, Dylan," Adam said. "I'm still with Sandy because she's an absolute stunner, she's great in bed, and I really like her. I know a huge part of what attracted her to me was my income and the lifestyle that gives her. But, you know what? She treats me well because she doesn't want me to dump her. And we do enjoy each other's company. We have great fun together. She loves to shop, but I can damn well afford to pay for her expensive tastes. As long as she doesn't cheat on me with another guy, as long as she's not scamming to steal from me, then I don't have a problem. And let's be honest here. Who doesn't want to be rich?"

  "I don't believe this," Trey said, shaking his head. "You guys have rocks for brains. Have you forgotten why we want to put girls through the ISAG in the first place? Dylan, you almost lost our money because you were crazy for this chick who wanted to steal from you. Adam, you've had two girlfriends who couldn't stop flirting with the next rich guy and we had to mother you while you were crying your eyes out from being dumped. At least I've learned my lesson. When I got jilted at the altar by that gold-digging bitch, I knew what I wanted when it comes to women. Have sex with them? Yes. But take care of them only to be cast aside in the end? No."

  "Ari likes me, money or no money," Dylan said.

  "How do you know that?" Trey challenged.

  "What's not to like?" he grinned.

  "Sure. Rich, good-looking guy that you are," Trey said sarcastically. "My sister said to me the other day that I'll never find someone who'd want a serious relationship with me because I can't be trusted to keep my dick in my pants around beautiful women. Does Ari know about your playboy past?"

  "Hey, I wasn't a playboy. I just didn't want a relationship," Dylan said heatedly.

  Trey smirked. "Think about this: if you didn't have this apartment or your car or your money, would Ari be so quick to be with you, knowing you're someone who was only interested in one-night stands for the last five years?"

  Dylan glared at Trey. Now he was more confused than ever.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  "Did your friends leave early because I'm here?" Ari asked Dylan after he saw Trey and Adam off.

  "Nah, don't worry about them," Dylan responded, giving her a small smile. "Do you want to watch a movie? I have a few Blu-rays here," he asked, walking over to his entertainment unit.

  Her brows furrowed. Something was off with Dylan. "Is everything okay?" she asked as she put an arm around his waist.

  "Sure," he said, kissing her forehead.

  She watched as he continued to rummage through his vast collection of Blu-ray movies.

  "You want to choose?" he asked, seemingly distracted.

  "You can choose," she said, not really interested in a movie, but looking forward to cuddling on the couch with him. Maybe they could have sex on the sofa. It looked comfortable.

  "This one?" He pulled out a title of an action movie.

  "Sure. I haven't seen that one yet. Do you want me to pour us some drinks or make coffee?" she asked.

  "I wouldn't mind finishing that bottle of wine that we opened for dinner."

  "Okay."

  She went to the kitchen to get the bottle and two wine glasses. When she came back, Dylan was sitting on the couch and staring at the TV screen, although he didn't seem to be paying attention to what was showing. Something was definitely wrong.

  She sat down next to him and poured the wine.

  "What's wrong, Dyl?" she asked as she handed him his glass. He took a sip from it before placing it down on the side table next to him.

  He looked at her and shook his head, smiling. "I just had a disagreement with Trey. It happens."

  "Oh. And it's not sorted yet?" she asked, rubbing his thigh in a comforting gesture.

  "Not yet. But it'll be fine eventually," he said reassuringly.

  "You're very close to them, aren't you?" she observed.

  "Yeah. They're like brothers to me," he said a little sadly.

  "I hope you settle your differences soon." She curled up her legs underneath her and put her head on his shoulder.

  Dylan took her glass from her hand and put it down beside his. He caressed her face and kissed her—tenderly at first, then insistently, as if he was trying to coax some answer from her mouth.

  Aware of his need for her, she wrapped her arms around him gave him her body as solace for his unsettled mind.

  *******

  "I'll be very busy this week, baby. I'm way behind with my project so I can't see you until next weekend at the earliest."

  "That's okay." Ari smiled at Dylan as she snaked her arms around his neck. "I have to work hard on the dresses
, too. I should be finished with your mum's outfit for Faye's wedding this week so I could hand it to her next weekend."

  "I'm sure Mum would have another dinner party in celebration of the completion of her dress," Dylan grinned.

  "Well, I hope she doesn't invite Rosie again," she said with a mock pout.

  Dylan rolled his eyes. "Knowing Mum...I'll ask her not to." He gave her a quick kiss then released her to open her car door. "I'll see you next week at my parents', okay?"

  "Okay," she said and got in her vehicle.

  As she drove away, she wondered how Dylan intended to tell his mother not to ask Rosalie to dinner. He didn't say anything about telling his parents about them. Or wasn't he ready for that?

  Come to think of it, she hadn't told Jasmine about them either. It was still too new, and it was nice to be able to just 'keep him to herself' for a while. Except that his best friends knew already. She didn't mind, but she still felt that Trey had acted a little weird. He gave off vibes that made her feel he didn't like her.

  *******

  "Hello, Ari," Linda greeted her. "How are you, darling?"

  "I'm well, thank you, Linda. And you?"

  "Very well, thank you," Linda responded, her eyes shining as she took the garment Ari had in her hands. "I can't wait to try this on. Do you mind if I do that now, before we start dinner?"

  "Sure," Ari grinned, just as excited as Linda was.

  "Jasmine and Kane are already in the games room waiting for you," Linda said as she made her way up the stairs.

  The doorbell rang.

  "That's probably Dylan. Would you mind getting that please, Ari?" Linda asked as she stopped in the middle of the steps.

  Ari turned around to open the door, her heartbeat already accelerating. She hadn't even spoken to Dylan all week. They'd both been very busy. She had been tempted to call him a couple of times, but decided to let him concentrate on his work.

  She turned the knob and tried to look unaffected, conscious of Linda waiting to see who was at the door.

  "Hey, gorgeous," Dylan said with a surprised smile. "I wasn't expecting you to open the door."

  "Hi," she said shyly.

  "Hello, darling," Linda called from the stairs. "I'm glad you're on time tonight. No parties?"

  Dylan smiled resignedly at his mother as he closed the door behind him. "Hi, Mum. I haven't partied for a while. Been too busy."

  "Good. I'll be back down in a few minutes to parade my new outfit." Linda continued her ascent up the stairs and left them alone by the threshold.

  When Linda disappeared from view, Dylan leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. "How've you been?" he asked softly.

  "Good, thanks. You?" she asked breathlessly. Lord, she missed him.

  "Not bad." Dylan put an arm around her waist and led her to the games room which seemed to be the hub of the Summers household.

  "Dyl," she said in a low voice, "how should we act toward each other tonight?"

  Dylan smiled at her. "I've been thinking about that, too. Do you mind if we keep this quiet for a while? Is that okay with you?"

  "Sure."

  *******

  "Hey, Dyl," Bradley said as they all gathered in the living room after they'd finished dinner. "I bumped into Trey at The Establishment last Friday night. He said I just missed you. You left with a girl named Cindy or something."

  Ari's head whipped toward Dylan in surprise.

  "Who's Cindy? A new one-day girlfriend?" Riley asked in a teasing tone.

  "No." Dylan scowled at both of his twin brothers. "She just happened to leave at the same time as I did."

  "She wasn't very pretty, I take it?" Bradley teased.

  "I'm just not interested in her, so shut up, Brad," Dylan replied through gritted teeth.

  "Hey, relax! What's with you tonight? This never bothered you before."

  "Maybe he really likes this Cindy chick, and that's why he's being weird," Riley egged.

  Dylan shot dagger looks at Riley.

  "Stop it, you two. Leave him alone," Kane warned the twins.

  "Ooh. Something is up with you, Dyl," Bradley said. "How come Kane's in on the secret and we're not?"

  Ari felt her face heat up. Fortunately, all eyes were on Dylan—except for Kane's and Jasmine's. They were glancing at her surreptitiously.

  "Is this Cindy person the reason why you asked me not to encourage Rosalie to come here tonight, Dylan?" Linda asked.

  "Oh, Mum, come on. Not you, too," Dylan groaned.

  "Your older brother and your younger sister are getting married, Dylan. You're the guy in between them. You should at least consider finding yourself a girlfriend."

  "Mum, we've been through this countless times," Dylan complained.

  "I can live in hope," Linda sighed.

  Ari was more than disappointed that Dylan didn't even glance her way during the conversation about this Cindy woman. She was under the impression that he'd holed himself up at home to meet his project deadline. She'd even avoided calling him to give him the space.

  But obviously he'd gone out with his friends. Not that she minded him hanging out with them. It was just that as his girlfriend, she had expected that he would invite her along as well, or at least let her know he was going clubbing on a Friday night without her. Was that too much to expect? And who the hell was Cindy? And why on earth did he want to keep their relationship a secret from his family?

  Jasmine sat next to her. "Are you okay?" her friend whispered.

  "Yes." She gave Jasmine a smile that struggled to reach her eyes.

  "Oh, Ari. You really like Dylan, don't you? But you know what he's like."

  "What is he like, Jaz?"

  "I told you once before, he's not into relationships. You said you knew that, too."

  Ari chewed her lip. "You think he won't change?"

  Jasmine shrugged and leaned closer to her ear. "Ari, I love Dylan like a blood brother, but if all he's interested in is casual sex and that doesn't work for you, then I really think you should forget about him."

  "Hey."

  Ari and Jasmine both looked up, startled, as Dylan sat on the other side of Ari.

  "Hey, Dyl. The twins are giving you a hard time, huh?" Jasmine asked teasingly.

  "Yeah," he said to Jasmine then flicked his gaze to Ari. "Sorry," he mouthed.

  Ari looked into his eyes, trying to guess exactly what he was sorry about.

  "Sometimes my brothers don't know when to zip it," he continued. "I didn't intend to go out last Friday, but Trey forced me to. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

  Ari heard Jasmine gasp beside her. She turned to her friend and smiled at her shocked expression. She patted Jasmine's hand, resolving to tell her all about it when they were alone.

  "I don't think he likes me," she said, looking back at Dylan.

  "From what I'm witnessing right now, I think your statement is inaccurate," Jasmine said, clearly dazed.

  Ari and Dylan chuckled.

  "I meant Trey, Jaz," Ari said.

  "Don't take it personally, babe," Dylan said. "There's a good reason why he's acting like he is. Don't worry about it."

  Ari doubted she could just sweep it aside. Trey was like a brother to Dylan. If she couldn't get along with him, it would put Dylan in a hard place.

  "Come on, guys. You're killing me. What's going on between you two?" Jasmine whispered earnestly.

  Ari shrugged. "I don't know."

  "Ari, don't be like that," Dylan said softly.

  "What are you kids whispering about there?" Linda called out. "Come and have some tea."

  *******

  "Shit!" Ari hit the brakes just in time to avoid the car in front, which had slowed down to match the traffic.

  "For goodness' sake, Ari, watch the freaking road," she muttered to herself. The last thing she needed was an accident two minutes from home.

  She'd been in a spin all through dinner and was even more upset now that she was feeling frustrated.

  Dy
lan confounded her. He wanted her to ignore the twins' teasing about Cindy, yet he didn't explain who the woman was. He wanted Jasmine to know about the two of them, but he went out of his way to hide their relationship from the rest of his family. He whispered in her ear that he missed her, yet he didn't want to spend the night with her. Sure, he had an early morning meeting tomorrow to present the completed project to their client, but he'd found the time to hit the bars last Friday night, hadn't he? Something just didn't feel right.

  And, damn it! Why were her eyes misting?

  Don't make a mountain out of a molehill, Arielle Mitchell.

  She turned on the radio and cranked up the volume, singing loudly with the upbeat dance song to muffle the doubting voices in her head.

  She slowed down as she reached her apartment building and her heart almost flew out of her chest.

  There was Dylan, leaning on his Mercedes, waving to her.

  She wound down her window as she stopped next to his car, gaping at him in surprise.

  He walked over to the driver's side and poked his head in the open window. "Hi, baby."

  "What are you doing here? I thought you said you were too busy to be with me tonight," she said with a touch of frost.

  He frowned at her. "You make it sound so cold," he rebuked. "I was going to head home, but I miss you too much. so I drove here instead. I can't stay for the night because if I do I might not be able to get up early for my meeting tomorrow morning. But I was hoping to hang around for an hour or so?"

  She stared at him dubiously.

  "What do you say, baby?" he asked anxiously.

  "Who's Cindy?"

  "No one—just some girl who introduced herself to us while we were having drinks. She followed me out when I left the bar but I told her I already have a girlfriend. And right now I'm really hoping that my girlfriend will invite me over to her place, because I think I'm going to go crazy if I don't get to touch her tonight," he said with a cute pout.

  She sighed. How could she resist? Her body was already getting excited and readying itself for him.

  "What about if I sleep over at your place? That way you don't have to worry about being late tomorrow," she said bashfully.