“Sounds good.”
Natasha dropped him off at the hotel thirty minutes later.
“See you in a couple of hours,” she told him before driving away.
“Looking forward to it.”
I can’t believe Ari is cooking me dinner. Natasha stifled her happiness. This was probably just another business meeting. Despite the long looks he gave her, Ari never once hinted at his attraction to her.
Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe Ari wasn’t interested in her in that way. Natasha released a long sigh.
In the residence, Ari conducted a quick search of the kitchen to see if he had everything he needed.
Ricardo said, “If you’d like, just give me a menu and I’ll prepare everything for your dinner.”
“Thanks, but tonight I’ll be cooking.”
The chef looked disappointed, so Ari explained, “I would like to try and impress Miss LeBlanc with my cooking skills.”
Ricardo smiled. “I understand.”
Ari wasn’t sure why he’d been so transparent with Ricardo, but it was the truth. He wanted to impress Natasha.
He had Ricardo sample the food when it was ready.
“I am impressed,” the chef told him. “Where did you learn to cook like this? You went to culinary school, yes?”
“I’ve taken some cooking classes, but nothing on the line of what you can do. Ricardo, you belong in a restaurant—your own restaurant.”
“This is a dream of mine,” Ricardo confessed.
Ari made a mental note to talk to his father. “I guess I’d better shower and change. Natasha will be arriving soon.”
He had just finished getting dressed when she arrived, looking stunning in a black maxi dress with spaghetti straps.
Ricardo had transformed from chef to waiter for the evening. “This is my gift to you,” he whispered to Ari as he ushered them into the dining room.
“How did you become such an excellent cook?” Natasha asked after trying the scampi.
“I took over the cooking when my wife first got sick. I didn’t want her to worry about taking care of me—I just wanted her to get well. It was very relaxing, so after she died, I took cooking classes.” Ari took a sip of wine and then swallowed. “Sometimes, I would go into the kitchen at our hotel and help prepare meals.”
“You must really enjoy it.”
“I do,” he said. “It’s how I relieve my stress.”
“What will you do now since you have an award-winning chef at your disposal?”
“I won’t be needing him.” Ari smiled at her. “But my parents may feel differently, although my mother is an outstanding cook. I’m sure my dad will be more than happy to give him a great reference, but he won’t need it. He’s a great chef.”
“Why not make him the head chef at the restaurant in Marina Del Rey? Stacy is the chef there now, and she’s getting married in a few weeks and moving to France after the wedding.”
“This is perfect timing,” Ari stated. “I was going to talk to my father about Ricardo taking over one of the restaurants.”
She held up a glass of wine and said, “Great minds think alike. At least that’s what I’ve always heard.”
Ari tapped his glass to hers. “Looks like we make a great team.”
Chapter 13
Ari was finding it hard to keep his emotions at bay. It had been a long time since he’d felt so close to a beautiful woman—the only other one being his beloved April. Since her death, he focused on his work as a way to ease his grieving. Ari had never considered that the time would come when another woman would ignite a spark of desire within him. He wasn’t prepared for the way Natasha made him feel.
Just being here in this room with her sent a course of electricity within him. Ari tried to shake off the feeling of being so alive, but he failed. The part that he thought had died with April rose up in him and refused to be ignored.
After they finished their meal, Ari and Natasha settled down in the living room.
“Thank you for such a delicious dinner,” she told him.
Ari met her gaze and couldn’t look away, feeling that there was a deeper significance to the visual interchange. He pulled her toward him and kissed her, surprising them both. Heat sparked in the pit of his stomach and ignited into an overwhelming desire.
He kissed her a second time; his tongue traced the soft fullness of Natasha’s lips.
She gave herself freely to the passion of his kiss, matching him kiss for kiss. It had been a long time since she felt a man’s lips on her own.
Ari’s mouth covered hers hungrily until reluctantly he released her.
The kiss left Natasha weak and confused.
“Natasha, I’m sorry. I hope I haven’t offended you,” Ari said quietly. “I have no idea what came over me.”
Natasha cleared her throat and gave a nervous chuckle. “It was probably the wine. I recall you saying that you have never been much of a drinker.”
“I suppose we could pretend that the kiss never happened, then,” he suggested.
She nodded stiffly.
His senses reeled as if short-circuited, but he tried to display an outward calm, despite the physical reactions to his desire for Natasha.
“Maybe we should call it a night,” Ari suggested.
She agreed. “Too much wine…”
He escorted Natasha to the door. “I really didn’t mean to ravish you like that.”
She placed a hand to his mouth and said, “We’re both adults. We’re fine, Ari.”
Natasha opened her purse and pulled out her keys. “Good night.”
When she was gone, he strode back into the kitchen. Ari picked up the bottle of wine, which was still three-quarters full.
Natasha relived the kiss she shared with Ari over and over in her mind for the rest of the evening and most of the night.
The next morning had come much too quickly for her, but it was time to get out of bed. Natasha crawled from beneath the covers and made her way to the bathroom for a quick shower.
After she got dressed, Natasha walked down the hall to her son’s room. He was still sleeping.
She kissed him on the forehead.
He stirred and his eyes opened. “Mommy…”
“I’m leaving for work, but I will see you this afternoon when you go in for your treatment.”
He started to cry. “I don’t wanna go…”
“I know, baby, but it will make you all better. It’s already working.”
“I always get sick, Mommy. I don’t like it.” Joshua’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t wanna go.”
“The treatment will help to kill the cancer, baby. Hey, you know I’ll be right there with you.”
He wrapped his tiny arms around her. “I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you more.”
Wiping his face with the back of his hand, Joshua gave her a tiny smile. “I love you the mostest.”
Monica arrived just as she made her way down the stairs.
“Joshua has chemo today, so I’ll meet you at the hospital at three,” Natasha told her as she grabbed her keys. “He’s a little anxious about it. Joshua doesn’t like the way it makes him feel.”
Monica nodded. “I understand. I’ll talk to him and see if he has any questions or just wants to vent.”
“You’re so good with him.”
“He’s such a sweetheart,” Monica complimented. “I love him like he was one of my own children.”
Natasha left the house and drove to her office. She met with her staff for about an hour, made a few phone calls and then headed to the Alexander-DePaul corporate headquarters.
She decided she would follow Ari’s lead. If he acted as if nothing had happened between them, then so would she.
Her cell phone rang.
She saw that it was Harold who was calling and let it go to voice mail. She was in no mood to deal with one of his temper tantrums. Natasha was well aware of what she had to do.
When she arrived,
Ari was in business mode, so she pushed all thoughts of the kiss to the back of her mind.
They were in his office talking about the future of the company. “I would love to expand to the East Coast,” Ari mentioned.
“Maybe you should talk to your father about taking the company public,” Natasha suggested. This was the perfect time to bring up the subject. “It will result in increased capital and create a type of currency in the form of its stock that the company can use to make other acquisitions. It’s something I think your family should seriously consider.” Natasha paused a moment before adding, “Robert was thinking of selling off shares of the company before he got sick.”
Ari didn’t respond.
“You’ve gone quiet on me,” she said. “What are you thinking?”
“What you’re saying sounds pretty good, Natasha, but I’m not sure it’s the right move for us. Going public is an expensive process and if the offering does not go through, the company will lose that money. Another disadvantage is that the decision-making process becomes more formal and less flexible when there are shareholders. More importantly, this would also put the company at risk of takeover attempts.”
“I would certainly advise you to implement certain antitakeover measures,” Natasha stated. “It’s just another option.”
“So noted,” Ari said. A smile tugged at his lips.
“I’ve heard that you have made a tremendous impression on the staff here.”
Ari shrugged. “I am just being myself. The employees are wonderful, and as long as they do the work they were hired to do, I’m happy.”
“Apparently, they are thrilled to have someone fair and objective in leadership.”
“My grandfather hired some of the best, from what I can tell.”
Natasha nodded. “He did. Robert always said that the hotel clientele demanded quality in every area, and he intended to give them their money’s worth.”
“This is as it should be,” Ari stated.
Feeling like a traitor, Natasha made up an excuse to leave Ari’s office.
I can’t believe I just sat there and lied to Ari that Robert was considering taking his company public.
The truth of the matter was that Harold had approached his uncle with the idea, but Robert quickly nixed the suggestion for pretty much the same reasons Ari had stated.
As soon as she arrived back to her office, Natasha checked in with her assistant before heading into her office and closing the door.
She placed a call to Harold.
“I did what you asked,” Natasha told him when he answered the phone.
“How did it go?”
“Surely you didn’t expect a decision this soon,” she responded. “Harold, I didn’t like lying about your uncle. None of this feels good to me.”
“Just think of your little boy and what those treatments will mean to him.”
Natasha kept her temper in check.
“In a few days, you should follow up with Malcolm. Forget that idiot son. He will be the one to make the decision, after all.”
“That’s all I wanted to say,” she stated. “I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I need to prepare.”
“Natasha…”
“Goodbye, Harold.” Natasha disconnected the call.
She settled back in her chair and closed her eyes. I never should’ve gotten involved in this thing between Malcolm and Harold, but it’s too late now.
She was falling hard for Ari, and she felt terrible for what she was doing to his family.
Natasha placed her fingers to her mouth. Ari’s kiss had marked her for life. No man had ever kissed her so passionately.
I don’t deserve a man like Ari. How could I betray his trust like this?
She already knew the answer.
I would do anything to save my baby’s life, including help Harold.
The next day, Sage and Blaze arrived on the private plane. Ari didn’t meet them at the airport but had arranged for them to be picked up by the DePaul chauffeur. He was glad they were there.
The chauffeur had called him ten minutes ago to let Ari know that they were only minutes away from the hotel. He took the private elevator downstairs.
The limo had just pulled up in front of the hotel entrance.
Ari greeted his siblings.
“I don’t know if I can ever fly domestic again,” Sage told him. “Flying on a private plane is definitely the way to go.”
Blaze nodded in agreement. “The flight was smooth.”
He walked beside them while the chauffeur took care of Blaze’s and Sage’s luggage.
“This hotel is gorgeous,” Sage exclaimed, her eyes bouncing around the lobby area. “I can’t believe this is all ours.”
Ari and Blaze chuckled.
She turned around to look at her brothers. “You can laugh all you want. I’m still pinching myself. We’re rich.”
“No, Sage,” Ari corrected. “Dad and Mom are wealthy.”
“Hey, it’s part of our inheritance,” Sage countered. “In case you’ve forgotten, this is going to be a family business.”
“We work for Dad,” Blaze interjected. “All of this belongs to them.”
“You have always been a party pooper,” she said.
He chuckled as he led the way to the private elevator.
When Sage walked into the penthouse, she looked around in awe. “I could really get used to living like this,” she murmured. “Dad said I could pick out one of the residences as my own.”
“I’m going to check out some of the condos on Wilshire Boulevard,” Blaze stated. “I’m not like you and Ari. I don’t want to live where I work.”
Sage laughed. “You just don’t want Mom and Dad in your business.”
“You’re right,” he responded. “Mostly, I don’t want all of you nosing around. I had enough of that when we were growing up.”
Sage waved her hand in dismissal. “We’re just trying to look out for you. I know I don’t want some woman trying to use you or mistreat you.” She strolled around the room, looking at and touching the furnishings. “I’m very protective of my family.”
Ari smiled. His sister was telling the truth. Sage had always been protective of them.
Blaze walked over to the window and peered out. “Now, this is what I call a room with a view.”
Sage and Blaze settled down in the living room with Ari.
“So, bring us up to speed,” Blaze said. “What’s going on around here? Dad told us that the nephew and employees loyal to him all left the company.”
Ari nodded in agreement. “He’s got them convinced that there won’t be a hotel left after we’re done. He told them that we didn’t know what we were doing.”
“He said that?” Sage asked.
“Yeah,” Ari responded. “He practically said it to my face.”
“I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s a fool,” Sage interjected. “He has no idea what a smart businessman our father is, and he clearly knows nothing about you.”
Ari shrugged in nonchalance. “It doesn’t matter. I think it’s best that he’s not working with us. We could never trust the man.”
“Blaze and Sage are here with me,” Ari announced when he reached Natasha on the phone an hour later. “I was wondering if you could join us for dinner.”
“I wish I could, but I won’t be able to make dinner tonight,” Natasha responded. “I have other plans, but how about lunch on Monday?”
“Sure,” he replied. She had been acting strangely since they shared that kiss. Now she seemed to be avoiding him.
Ari worried that he’d misread her, but then the memory of her matching him kiss for kiss told him otherwise.
Perhaps she was just as confused as he was about the kiss. What was going on between them? Was it something he wanted?
Ari didn’t think so. He wasn’t ready for the complications of a relationship. He wasn’t over April, and he didn’t think he could ever love another woman as much as he had loved his late
wife. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Natasha.
He had no right to kiss her like that, because he could never offer her his heart. There just wasn’t enough room for two women. April had owned his heart completely.
“So will the consultant be meeting us for dinner?” Sage asked him. “I can’t wait to meet Miss LeBlanc. I can usually get a good read on a person within five minutes.”
“That’s precisely why I wanted her to meet you,” Ari said. His sister had an uncanny ability to really see inside a person. “But she has other plans tonight. However, you’ll get to meet on Monday. We’re going to have lunch together.”
“Tell me about this woman,” Blaze said with a grin. “Is she pretty?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Sage wanted to know. “I don’t care what she looks like. We just need to know if we can trust her.”
“I’m just asking.”
“Cut it out, you two,” Ari said. “I need to go over some stuff with you. Dad has a to-do list for all of us.”
“Already? We just got here,” Sage argued.
“You have met our dad, haven’t you?” Ari asked. “We will work harder for him than any other employer in life.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “So you’re saying that Dad is a slave driver, in other words.”
“I didn’t say that, but yeah.”
Sighing loudly, Sage pulled out her iPhone and a notepad from her tote. “I’m ready.”
Ari and Blaze exchanged amused looks.
Chapter 14
Natasha didn’t really have plans for the evening. She was just not ready to meet other members of the Alexander family. It was hard enough having to face Ari almost every day.
She regretted ever aligning herself with Harold, but there was nothing she could do about it now. For a brief second she considered going to Ari and confessing everything. Of course, she would lose any chance of receiving the money from Harold. Joshua deserved every opportunity to receive treatments for his leukemia.
Joshua didn’t qualify for medical assistance because she made too much money, and Natasha couldn’t get additional medical benefits because of his preexisting condition.
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