A Test of Love: Interracial Erotic Romance (Chasing Love) (21 page)

“Tessa what?” Vivian’s eyes grew wide.

I batted my eyes. “It means treasure in Italian.”

“What means ‘he’s full of shit’ in Italian?”

I gave her a thumbs down. “You’re in such a mood today. What’s up?”

She grumbled, but said nothing else.

I bet she would’ve been fine if Troy had come.

Vivian and I approached the car.

“We should stay in Rome at least four days. You can’t see this whole city without that much of time at least.” Chase held my hand as I stepped into the limo. Then he waited to assist Vivian who stuck up her middle finger and climbed in herself. They’d been tossing each other angry glares all day. Chase snuck them, when he figured I wasn’t looking. Vivian could care less if I knew. She still wasn’t convinced he’d changed enough to be worthy of my love. For that fact, I loved her even more. Vivian served as my brain when my hormones took over. Most of the time she was right about a guy being horrific for me.

I hope you’re wrong this time.

“I’m not sure if we should stay any more than a day or two.” I scooted in. “I want to head back to Oshane this week. I have an interview coming up next week.”

“Oh, really.” A muscle in Chase’s jaw line twitched as he got next to me. “With whom?”

“None of your business.”

“Why not?” he asked in mock innocence.

“Because you scare the people off behind her back and make sure they don’t hire her,” Vivian went over to the seat across from us. “Which makes you a bigger dickhead in my view.”

He grinned, but his words held venom. “I don’t want my woman to have to work, and if she does, I want it next to me.”

“That’s not ideal for me. I like some space and separation from my boyfriends.”

“Boyfriends?” He slammed the door closed.

I jumped a little. “I’m trying to say that when I have one, I enjoy some free time away from him.”

“There’s plenty of free time at Stone Industries,” he countered, right as the limo moved.

“I’m not interested. Plus, the organization that wants to interview me is nonprofit and helps inner-city youth. Clearly, I was made for this job.”

“What’s the name?” he asked.

“Why?” I placed my hand on my hip.

“I would like them to get a donation.”

“Will it be like with Gabe?” Vivian asked.

“No.” Chase’s voice held an edge.

“Then I’ll tell you about the organization when and if I’m hired for it.”

“Okay. Then I’ll make sure you’re back in time for your interview.” He leaned my way and whispered, “Just don’t forget who you belong to.”

I tensed. “If I remember correctly, I don’t belong to anyone but myself.”

He seized my thigh and licked his lips with no concept of privacy or the fact that a seething Vivian sat by. “Don’t make me remind you of whose pussy this is.”

Blushing, I opened my mouth to speak, couldn’t think of anything, and closed it. He adjusted his shirt collar with ease, which was surprising, being that his ego must’ve weighed half a ton. Surely, he had some trouble even moving his head and hands.

Really? You’re just going to tell the whole car that you own my pussy. What a gentleman.

His words caused a shiver that started right at the center of my core and climbed up my through my body with a ferociousness I’d never sensed before. If Vivian hadn’t been here, I had no doubt my legs would be open and panties falling to the ground. Chase pierced me with his gaze and then let it brush over my whole body before turning away. My flesh heated as I swallowed. “So, four days in Rome? I don’t know about that. Maybe we can stay until tomorrow.”

“Or maybe you can tell us what’s really going on?” Vivian gazed out of the window, her view set on the sky. “This Rome trip comes out of nowhere. You may have filled Jasmine’s eyes with wealth and Italian elegance, but I’m not buying it.”

“Hey, my eyes aren’t filled with anything.” My fingers itched to take my camera out, pull the window down, and take more pictures. However, that might have defeated my defiant statement just a bit. If truth be told, Chase did spoil me, and sadly I was getting too accustomed to it. He ruined me, just like he declared he would.

“No other man will be able to please you.”

I twisted to him. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” He checked his phone again.

“Why do you keep looking at your phone?” Before he could answer, I held up one finger. “And let’s remember that we did this cool thing where we agreed to tell each other the truth and hide no secrets.”

He shut his phone off. “Sometimes the truth is necessary and sometimes it should be—”

“Put on probation.”

Groaning, he scowled at me and held a stare that was sharper than most kitchen knives. But his childhood was the story of a pampered boy with some tragedy where mine moved in and out of suffering and fear. That stare couldn’t put me in my place like he’d done with his other women many times before on the footage I’d watched with Troy.

“Probation is no longer an option,” he just about growled.

“It is when I don’t get the truth.”

“Maybe there is no truth, just speculation.”

“Then I should hear it.”

“Or wait until I know more.”

“Then we’ll both be waiting.” I closed my legs to make a point that I was sure rang loud and clear.

No honesty. No sex.

Rubbing his full lips, he gaped at my shut thighs with a fierce insanity. I almost opened them, just to get the overconfident Chase back. Even Vivian turned away from her sky watching to witness him at his weakened point.

“Are you sure you want to use sex as a weapon with me?” Those words left his lips. An intensity laced them.

“I’ll use any weapon that gets you to be truthful and less of an asshat.”

“You’ve called me that a lot.”

“I’m actually thinking of getting you a little shirt that says it.” Vivian grinned. “Picture this. A pale behind on top of someone’s head. Ass hat. I think that would rock. If you held a press conference with that shirt on, the world would go crazy with inspiration.”

Chase’s phone buzzed. He swiped his finger against the screen and lifted one side of his mouth into a sneer. “Well, here’s the truth, you two, Miss Sexually Abusive Siren,” he glared at me, then turned to Viv, “And Miss Thoroughly Hard to Please.” He turned his phone off. “I shut off Dawn, Wendy, and Lucy’s accounts, shut down Willow Park, and seized their vehicles and belongings. For Dawn, this would piss her off and make her dip into her trust fund. The only problem with that is she made me the power of attorney over all of her property and assets.”

“So you closed the trust fund too?” I asked.

“No. I kept that open, but with strict instructions for her to use a sort of credit card that’s attached to the account. She had no idea I requested it and probably thinks I haven’t considered her trust fund at all. But then, I may not know women, but I damn sure know money.”

“And what does the money say?”

“That Dawn purchased three rooms in Atrani yesterday afternoon.”

Fury boiled in my veins. “What!? I want to go back to Atrani.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

Even, Vivian sat up. “Oh, yes, especially since we know they’re there.”

“That’s the problem. No one checked in. I think it was a test to see what I would do. I figured that so my head of security hired two local women to knock on each room. No one answered. The women checked with the hotel staff. The manager explained that although the reservations were made, no one had checked in yet, and a woman called ahead to say they would be a bit late.”

I could barely breathe. Oxygen whooshed in, but barely made my lungs expand. “I want to go back to Atrani. If any of them is there, then I want to see them, face to face. Forget all of this dark alley mess.”

“Ha!” Vivian proclaimed. “You think those chicks are going to actually want to talk to you Jasmine? No way. The killer is a coward. She kills with precision and smarts. She won’t bring the fight to you, not out in the open.”

“And that’s not why I think they’re here.” Chase turned his phone back on and typed something into it.

“Why do you think they’re here?” I asked.

“Oh, they want their money of course. Dawn is the only one with it, which means they would’ve latched onto her like little parasites. If there’s one thing I know about Dawn, she hates to share, especially when money is involved.”

“So they’re here for your money?”

“Yes, and all their property. I’ve had their passports flagged. When they booked their flights to Italy they called my right-hand man, the one who blocked them himself. Dawn pleaded to be allowed into Italy.”

“That’s too risky,” Viv interrupted. “They can get into Italy and then travel throughout Europe if they want.”

“Which is why I’ve been busy today. I’ve assigned a good bit of man power to airports and docks. More people are watching the house—”

“How much is all of this costing you?” I frowned.

He laughed. “Don’t ever worry about that with me. The biggest fear in my life I have besides you leaving me is going broke. I don’t plan to be without money at any point in my life.”

“And for Wendy and Lucy, I bet they’re afraid to be poor too,” Vivian added. “They’ve spent too many years in the good life.”

“And one of those two just might be the killer,” Chase admitted.

“Are you no longer thinking its Dawn?” I asked.

“When it comes to your safety, I’m assuming all three of them had something to do with your arm. I won’t be making the mistake of trusting them again.”

“Good. Now you can put your trust in me.” I sighed. “And your first step should be apologizing for taking me out of Atrani under the guise of a trip—”

“A guise trip would be me concealing the true nature of why we’re going. I didn’t know if they would really be in Atrani or not,” he pointed out.

“I still would’ve wanted to know, and to stay there.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near them.”

“Too bad. I want to fly back, tonight. In fact, I want to go to the airport now.”

“We’ll go after dinner.”

“I don’t want dinner, unless those three heifers’ heads are on the plate. They’re hunting me, Chase. Not you.”

Vivian snickered. “That’s a meal I could eat.”

“We’ll go after dinner,” Chase repeated.

“No.”

His whole body stiffened in front of me. I didn’t know if he was taking great efforts to not yell or hit something, but it damn sure appeared so. Quiet passed for a full minute before he took his time saying the next words. “We’ll go after dinner because I’ve made special plans for you this evening. Then we can return so that you can eat my ex-girlfriends. And hear me when I say this, I understand that you’re scared. I get that you want revenge and this sicko taken care of, whichever one it is, but, and I say but with as much force as possible and the hopes that you understand how serious I am. When the money leaves the board, that’s when the game really begins. For those three, the game starts at the point they come face to face with me. There’s no need to rush that. I have the cards now.”

“No. The killer has the cards,” I argued.

“Then why is she coming to Atrani?” he asked.

“Because I’m not dead yet.”

Chapter 20

JASMINE

For a foodie like me, Rome was the Mecca of trips. Like Paris, Michelin-starred restaurants flooded the city, boasting elegant ambiance and stunning dishes. To get one Michelin star was to say that your establishment represented one of the best in the city. Two stars screamed that excellent cooking occurred within those walls, and not just outstanding meals, but fare so brilliant everyone should make a detour from the normal spots. France had over 500 Michelin-starred spots, and Italy and Germany close to 200.

That evening we dined at a place called Aroma. Michelin awarded it three stars—exceptional cuisine that was worth a special journey. The restaurant sat on the rooftop of the Palazzo Manfredi hotel. Unlike the many historical interiors I’d seen in other places in Rome, Aroma gave off a sleek vibe, with its blend of silver and ivory linens and accents all around us. There were no walls or ceiling on the rooftop, just an indigo sky with brilliant stars and a show-stopping view of the Coliseum before us. Vanilla tablecloths covered the tables. Silver vases decorated the center and were filled with elaborate flowers done in white. Decadent dishes rested on all of our neighboring chairs. We’d been in a somewhat private section of the rooftop. Chase had ordered it. We sat in the corner, and the closest diners to us were at least three tables away. They could no doubt see us, but could barely catch our conversation.

Although we didn’t have time to see the Coliseum, Chase made sure to find a high-end spot that gave me a view of that big arena all lit up in gold and radiating history.

What an amazing thing to behold.

It stood hundreds of feet in the air. Chase declared that it could hold over 50,000 spectators. I believed him. It was a giant of proportions all created from sandy brown stone and the blood-mingled sweat of hundreds—three stories of arched entrances and semicircular columns holding them up. Men and animals had died there, thousands of them. People had sat there—from royalty to slaves. They partied there and watched the life leave many victims’ eyes and clapped away with joy.
I bet not all of them loved to see people die.
Such a dark part of humanity’s history, yet one that should be remembered if only to not do it again.

I wonder if one of Chase’s sick ex-girlfriends is clapping right now? Which one of you is delighted to be in Italy to watch the life leave my eyes?

I turned away from that captivating view and returned to staring at Chase.

He sat right next to me, claiming that putting a table between us was too much space. Vivian stuck her finger in her mouth and mimicked vomiting. I knew he was just coddling me, making sure that I wouldn’t go crazy.

Too bad you can’t control everything, Chase. I am going crazy, whether you sit across or right next to me. We should be in Atrani, not freaking Rome.

My nerves flared within me. My heart beats had increased since he gave me the news.