by Pamela Yaye
Her thoughts wandered to last night. At dinner, she’d sensed the couple’s displeasure, their unhappiness, and if it were not for Ava sitting beside her eating happily, she would have left the five-star restaurant and returned home. Nicco insisted that things would get better in time, but Jariah suspected his parents would never accept her.
Casting her gaze around the spacious, sun-drenched room, she marveled at just how good-looking the Morretti men were. It didn’t seem fair that they were all attractive, successful and filthy rich. Demetri, a baseball superstar with dreamy eyes and a chiseled physique was soft-spoken, great with kids and wholly devoted to his fiancée, Angela Kelly. The couple sat cuddled up on the sofa, his arm draped around her shoulders, and they shared kisses when they thought no one was looking. Rafael, the firstborn and heir to the Morretti shipping empire, had a somber disposition but on the rare occasion that he smiled, he could give any Hollywood heartthrob a serious run for their money.
“We’ve interviewed several witnesses, and have generated some strong leads, but we still have a lot of holes in our investigation,” Detective Katsu explained. “We were hoping you could fill in some of the holes for us.”
“What do you want to know?” Arturo glanced between the detectives. “I have nothing to hide and I want the bastard responsible for the fire brought to justice.”
Detective Katsu took a pen out of his shirt pocket and flipped open his blue spiral notebook. “I’d like to start with Demetri,” he announced. “Why did you file a restraining order against your former publicist, Nichola Caruso?”
“Because she kept dropping by my estate unannounced. My lawyer said filing a restraining order would be in my best interest, so I filed the paper work with the court last week.”
“I’ve seen this happen a million times.” Detective Bueschler stroked his broad chin, regarded Demetri closely. “You had a fling with Ms. Caruso that went south, didn’t you?”
“Our relationship was strictly platonic. Nothing inappropriate ever happened. Nichola was like a kid sister to me, and I viewed her as nothing more than a great friend.”
Detective Katsu nodded, and then flipped to the next page in his notebook. “Why did Tye Caldwell resign from Morretti Incorporated? Was the decision of his own free will?”
Jariah felt Nicco’s body tense and she squeezed his right hand to offer her support. His shoulders stiffened, and the veins in his neck were twitching, but his voice didn’t betray his emotions. “It was a mutual decision between all parties involved.”
Detective Bueschler barked a cold, bitter laugh. “Mr. Caldwell’s Facebook and Twitter posts tell a very different story. He hates your family, and it sounds like he’s out for revenge.”
“Tye would never do anything to hurt us,” Nicco argued, rising from his seat.
“I can’t prove it, but I have a feeling my former assistant, Gracie O’Conner, is involved.”
“That petite brunette with the braces?” Detective Bueschler doubled over, chuckled as if he was at a comedy club. “Right!”
“Tye didn’t vandalize my restaurant, and he damn sure didn’t set my car on fire. He isn’t even in Miami. He’s been backpacking in Europe for months.”
“So you’ve been in contact with him then?”
“No,” Nicco said in an exasperated tone of voice, “but my security team monitors his movements, and his ex-wife does a great job of keeping me in the loop.”
Detective Katsu closed his notebook. “If Tye’s out of the country, then we’re back to square one, because I thought for sure he was our guy.”
“Arturo, can you think of anyone who would want to harm you and your family?” Detective Bueschler asked, stroking the length of his jaw. “Anyone at all?”
Rafael gave a wry laugh. “Pull up a seat detectives. This could take a while.”
Eyebrows raised, the detectives exchanged a curious look.
Silence plagued the living room, causing the tension in the air to rise.
“Non voglio farti del male, Nicco, ma questo deve essere detto,” Mrs. Morretti said, her voice matter-of-fact. “Jariah ha datato un sacco di uomini. Come fai a sapere uno dei suoi amanti online non ha definito le Mercedes in fiamme in una rabbia gelosa...”
A crippling pain racked Jariah’s body. Tears pricked her eyes, and it hurt to swallow. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, couldn’t believe the lies coming out of Mrs. Morretti’s mouth. You think one of my online boyfriends set Nicco’s car on fire in a jealous rage? What online boyfriends? I don’t have time to play the field; I’m a single mother, and my daughter is my number one priority! Something inside Jariah snapped, causing her pulse to go haywire, and her temperature to spike. Her fast, heavy breathing filled the air, and her heart was beating so loud she knew everyone inside the living room could hear it.
Straightening her spine, she pinned back her shoulders and openly glared at Mrs. Morretti. Her stomach muscles clenched and contracted, but she spoke in a clear, confident voice. “Perché, Nicco è l’unico uomo che io sono uscito e stato intimo con da quando ho rotto con il mio ex. Non ci sono gelosi ex-fidanzati, e non ho alcuna intenzione di datazione chiunque altro. Nicco è tutto l’uomo che mi serve, e non ho mai amato nessuno più di quanto ami tuo figlio.”
To Jariah’s surprise, Vivica cooed, Demetri and Rafael wore matching ear-to-ear grins and Mr. Morretti nodded his head in approval.
“Y-y-you speak Italian,” Mrs. Morretti stammered, her face as pale as her white, cashmere scarf. “I had no idea...That means you understood what I said last night at dinner.”
“Sì, l’ho fatto, ma io non ho intenzione di lasciare che tu o chiunque vieni tra me e l’uomo che amo. Nicco è la mia anima gemella, e non sarò mai lasciare la sua parte.”
“Baby, that’s beautiful.” Nicco’s tone was soft, a soothing caress, and happiness shone in his eyes. “I love you, too, more than you will ever know.”
His words comforted Jariah, made her feel incredibly special, but she turned to Detective Katsu and asked the question on the tip of her tongue. “Is it safe for me to go home? The Sheraton is great, but I’m sick of eating room service, and my daughter misses her friends.”
“Absolutely not. The lunatic who started that fire is still out there,” Nicco said, furiously shaking his head. “You and Ava will move in here for the time being.”
“We’re going to stay here? Yahoo!” Ava raced into the living room with Richie in tow.
“I appreciate your very generous offer, but we can’t live here. I don’t want to set the wrong example for my daughter.”
“The wrong example?” Nicco repeated, folding his arms. “What are you saying?”
“That I won’t shack up with you. I made that mistake once, and I won’t do it again.”
Their eyes aligned, and an awkward silence fell over the room.
“Then,” Nicco said, with a grin, “I guess this is the perfect time, Ava.”
“For what?” Richie stopped and scratched his head.
Jariah shot Nicco a what-are-you-talking-about gaze. And she watched him reach into his pocket and pull out a small turquoise box. He presented it to Ava, and she burst out laughing.
“Nicco, I can’t marry you,” she said, cupping a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. “I’m only six, and you’re super old!”
Everyone smiled and chuckled.
“Ava, I bought this ring for you as a sign of my love,” Nicco said.
“Wow, it’s pretty.” Ava snatched the heart-shaped diamond out of the box and slid it on her finger. “Thank you, Nicco. I’ll never take it off. Not even when I go to bed!”
“I promise to take care of you, and to do everything I can to make you happy.”
Glancing around, Ava shielded her mouth with the back of her hand. “Are you going to help me do my homework and sneak m
e chocolate cookies when my mom’s not looking?”
Nicco winked. “Yup, and I’ll take you to Chuck E. Cheese’s on Fridays so you can beat Richie at ‘Western Wrangler.’”
“Yahoo!” Ava threw her arms around Nicco’s neck, and kissed him on the cheek. “And I promise to be the best stepdaughter ever!”
“Is it okay if I propose to your mom now?” Nicco asked. “Is that okay with you?”
Nodding, Ava scooted behind Jariah and shoved her into his open arms.
“Mom, it’s your turn!” she said excitedly. “I think Nicco has a ring for you, too!”
Tears flowed freely down Jariah’s cheeks, and the living room became a big, white blur. Her heart was pounding, and her breathing was so shallow she feared her next breath could be her last.
“Baby, I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re smart, vivacious and fiesty as hell, and knowing you has made me a better man.”
Jariah sniffed, willed herself not to sob. There was nothing cute about her cry, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by slobbering all over herself.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Nicco took her hand, and pressed it flat against his chest. “You’re my life, my oxygen, the very air I breathe, and I want you to marry you more than anything in the world.”
It was the biggest surprise of Jariah’s life, a moment she would never forget, and she couldn’t contain the excitement bubbling up inside her. “Ti amo così tanto! Certo che ti sposo! Tu sei tutto quello che potevo desiderare in un uomo e molto di più!”
“Baby, you’re jumping the gun,” Nicco whispered. “Say yes after I propose.”
Jariah giggled, felt happier than she’d ever been. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Mrs. Morretti dabbing her cheeks with a pink hankerchief and wondered if she was crying tears of joy or grief. Deciding it didn’t matter, Jariah returned her gaze to the man she loved, her heart so full of love and affection she felt like she was going to burst.
Nicco took another turquoise box out of his back pocket.
“Dang, bro, just how big is your pocket? What are you going to pull out next? A brand-new car!” Rafael laughed at his own joke. But when Nicco dropped to one knee and clasped Jariah’s left hand, he was the first one to whip out his iPhone and start snapping pictures.
“Jariah Brooks, will you marry me?”
The engagement ring was a stunner, a rose-gold sparkler that twinkled and shined, but it was the loving expression on Nicco’s face that took Jariah’s breath away. They had a lot of obstacles to contend with, and his mother would probably never accept her into the family, but Jariah chose to focus on the positives. As long as she had Nicco’s unconditional love and support nothing else mattered.
Jariah wanted to dive into Nicco’s arms and plant a sexy, red-hot kiss on him, but decided to have a little fun with him first. “I don’t know. I’m, ah, having second thoughts.”
His face fell, and the grin slid off his mouth. “You are?”
“The ring is so big, and look at all the sparkling baugette diamonds. It’s so not me.”
Nicco tossed his head back and erupted in laughter. Chuckling, he scooped Jariah up in his arms and spun her around until she begged in English and Italian for him to stop. “That’s what you get for teasing me. I almost had a heart attack!”
Laughing, cheering and applauding, the Morretti family surrounded the newly engaged couple, offering hugs, kisses and well-wishes.
“Welcome to the family.” Arturo kissed Jariah on both cheeks and whispered in her ear, “You’re the perfect woman for my son, and likely the only person who can keep him in check. I’m thrilled, and I can’t wait for you guys to fill this big, empty mansion with children.”
Me, too, Mr. Morretti. Me, too.
It was a beautiful moment, but Jariah wished her parents had been there to witness it.
Later, after Nicco’s family left, they’d drive over to her mom and dad’s house to share the wonderful news.
“Congratulations,” Detective Katsu said. “We’re leaving, but we’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks for stopping by.” Nicco shook hands with the detectives. “Take care.”
“Isn’t it great? Now I have three grandmas instead of two!” Ava wrapped her arms around Mrs. Morretti. “I love you, Nicco’s mom. You make the best peanut butter cookies ever!”
It was the first time Jariah had ever seen Mrs. Morretti smile, and when she bent down and kissed Ava’s forehead Jariah wanted to weep for joy. “I know we got off to a rocky start, but I hope one day we can be friends,” she said, choking back tears.
“I’d like that, and from now on please call me Vivica. You’re going to marry my son, and one day give me grandchildren. Mrs. Morretti is way too formal!”
Jazz music flowed through the sound system, and waiters appeared holding trays filled with artichoke brushetta, crab beignets and rose champagne. Toasts were made, laughter abounded and the appetizers were devoured in the blink of an eye. Richie told knock-knock jokes with the skill of a seasoned comic, and Ava wowed everyone with her Taylor Swift impression.
Alone in the corner of the room, Nicco and Jariah kissed and laughed like teenagers inside a parked car at Lover’s Lane. Boldly capturing her around the waist, he took her in his arms and tenderly stroked her cheeks with the back of his hand.
“You’re the sexiest, most captivating woman I have ever seen, Mrs. Nicco Morretti-to-be.” Nicco’s mouth moved over her forehead and across her cheeks, teased and tickled her warm flesh. His lips continued to arouse and entice her, caused waves of pleasure to consume her body. “Think we should kick everyone out so we can have engagement sex?”
Jariah swatted his forearm. “Nicco, you’re terrible. I swear sex is all you ever think about.”
“Don’t Nicco me. You were thinking the exact same thing.”
A giggle fell out of her mouth. “You know me so well.”
“Of course I do. We were made for each other.”
Their eyes aligned, made an unspoken vow, a promise.
“You’ve made me a very happy man, Jariah.” Nicco bowed his head and murmured into her ear in a voice rife with hunger and need. “I love you, baby, always and forever.”
“I love you with all my heart, Nicco, for as long as we both shall live.”
Nicco kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, brushed his lips gently against her earlobes, and when their lips touched, Jariah knew all of her dreams had finally come true. He kissed her slowly, thoughtfully, like a man hopelessly in love, and his touch warmed her all over.
“I can’t wait for you and Ava to move in,” he said, burying his hands into her hair. “The three of us are going to have a blast together.”
“And now that I’m unemployed, I’ll have plenty of time to cook for you.”
“Don’t even try it. I expect you at the office bright and early Monday morning.”
Jariah pouted, made a face. “Can I at least keep the severance check?”
“No, but if you’re a good girl I’ll let you drive the Lambo when we go see your parents.”
“Wow,” she gushed, widening her eyes. “You really do love me!”
They cracked up, and the warmth and beauty of their unbridled laughter made everyone around them smile.
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Kimani Romance.
You dream in vibrant hues! Harlequin Kimani Romance stories feature sophisticated, soulful and sensual African-American and multicultural heroes and heroines who develop fulfilling relationships as they lead lives full of drama, glamour and passion.
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ISBN-13: 9781460337080
SEDUCED BY THE CEO
Copyright © 2014 by Pamela Sadadi
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