Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) (15 page)

“What’s the latest with your dad?”

I shook my head.

“There’s not much change, really.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“No, not yet,” I replied. “I haven’t had a chance to, and it looks like I won’t for at least a few more days.”

Chloe took a sip of her champagne.

“Why?”

“It’s just work stuff.”

“That’s a bullshit excuse, Dani. You need to just forget about all this drama with your mom and get on the phone with him.”

Exhaling, I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.

“The drama with my mom… Trust me. I’m over that.” I began, opening my eyes and looking in her direction. “Work
has
to be my priority right now. That’s all there is to it.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes at me.

“Is it that race car driver? Marco?”

I nodded. “Yes. You know how important getting this deal is to me.”

“So you’ve got it then?” she replied, her tone getting more excited. “He signed off on it?”

“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “But I’m almost certain he will.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Well, um, he wants me to fly to Monte Carlo to talk about it.”

Chloe arched an eyebrow.

“He wants you… To fly to Monte Carlo… To talk about it? Is that what you’re telling me? For real?”

I frowned at her.

“I don’t need you judging me right now, Chloe. Just because I’m going to see him again doesn’t mean anything’s going to happen, okay? And anyway, I don’t really have a choice. Bernard and Leopold gave me two weeks to get the deal done, or they’re going to give it to someone else in the firm.”

“What? When did that happen?”

I shrugged. “This morning, actually.”

She shook her head.

“That totally sucks, Dani, honey.”

“I expected it though. Marco’s account would be the biggest in the firm’s history. So it only makes sense that they want to get the deal done and the sooner, the better.”

Chloe took another sip of champagne.

“So, like, how do you feel about seeing him again?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know, you’ve already hooked up with him once. Now, you’re going to go back there and see him again. Aren’t you the least bit worried that you’re going to be mixing business and pleasure?”

Hell yes, I was worried!

But, what choice did I have? Unless I went to see him, there was no way Marco would sign the agreement. And if I couldn’t get Marco to sign the agreement, then I could kiss my partnership goodbye. I wasn’t just worried -- I was
petrified.

I knew full well Chloe’s suspicions about Marco were already sky high. I just had to find a way to work through everything. I had to tell her something,
anything
, to keep her from getting carried away. But, before I could get a word out, Chloe said something that caught me by surprise.

“Don’t do both things, Dani. If you think you might want to be with him, you should just tell him that. You know?”

I scoffed, surprised by her sudden change in heart.

“Didn’t you just tell me the other night that I was giving him control of my life? And now, you’re sitting there and telling me –– what exactly? That I should pursue a romantic relationship with him?”

Chloe cleared her throat.

“No, I’m totally not saying you should do that,
at all
. All I’m saying is that you need to make up your mind before you see him again. It’s like, it’s gotta be one or the other, you know?”

I nodded, waiting until she finished before I replied.

“I understand exactly what you’re saying. I agree with you. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going to seal the deal and that’s the end of it.”

A soft smile came to Chloe’s face. Yet, there appeared to be a hint of sadness in it.

“You know I just want the best for you, Dani. That’s all.”

I stood from the chair and leaned over to hug her.

“I love you, Chloe. Thank you.”

“I love you too sweetie.”

DANI

My talk with Chloe strengthened my resolve to keep things professional with Marco. And if he didn’t sign the agreement, then so be it. Even so, getting much rest the night before my flight proved to be almost impossible. I managed to get some sleep here and there on the flight over, but it was nowhere near enough.

When I arrived, Marco sent a limousine to pick me up from the airport, and it wasn’t long after I met him for dinner. I’d spent most of the last twenty-four hours building up my courage, but when the limousine pulled up in front of the restaurant, I felt my resolve start to slip. My hands moistened, my stomach churned – and that was before the driver even opened the door.

Come on Dani. You’re almost there. Come on.

After feigning a smile towards him, I exited the back seat and walked towards the entrance of the restaurant. Approaching the maître d’, I happened to glance at a softly lit corner. Marco sat there, talking on his cell phone. A wave of panic broke over me.

“Bonsoir, mademoiselle,” he began, standing tall and greeting me with a pleasant smile and arched eyebrows. “Comment puis-je vous aider?”

Crap.

“Um, I’m so sorry. I don’t speak French.” I replied, my mind going blank while I tried to remember what to say next. “Uhhmm, parlez vous...”

“Anglais?” he said, his smile taking on a merciful warmth. “Oui mademoiselle. How can I help you?”

I swallowed hard and relaxed the death grip I had on the strap of my purse.

“Yes, I’m here to meet someone for dinner.” I began, pointing towards the corner where Marco sat. “He’s right over there.”

The maître d’ did a half turn, looking over his shoulder towards Marco. He turned back towards me, eyebrows raised once more.

“Yes,” he began, gesturing for me to pass by him. “Mr. Rhys is expecting you. Right this way.”

I followed him to the table. Marco took notice and wrapped up his phone call.

“Yes, okay then,” Marco said, raising his index finger towards me. “I’ll have to call you back. Thank you again for all your help.”

With that, Marco disconnected his call and placed the phone on top of the table. A smile broke across his face. Marco slid out of the booth and stepped towards me, repeating the now familiar ritual of kissing me on the cheek.

Even in the midst of a busy restaurant, I found it difficult to keep my urges in check. My eyes fluttered closed. I leaned my cheek in the direction of his lips, trying to keep them pressed against my flesh for just one more instant. At the same time Marco’s mouth brushed against me, he slid his hand around my waist, squeezing me just above the hip, and then moved away.

“It’s good to see you again, Dani,” he began, his voice throaty and low. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

My body still tingled from the feel of his lips across my cheek. Heat swelled up inside of me, threatening to betray my desire with a flush of crimson. At the last instant, I gathered myself, nodded and smiled at him.

“It’s nice to see you again too.”

It wasn’t long after I sat when I realized this was the first time we’d been out together one-on-one. Even so, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a
date
. After all, I had my objective clearly in mind, and
he’d
invited me here to discuss business. Yet somehow, in the soft lighting of a romantic restaurant in Monte Carlo with a famous Formula One driver – well, let’s just say that if I wasn’t careful, I could easily lose my concentration and possibly, much more.

We spent a bit of time making small talk, during which Marco pointed out some of his favorite items from the menu. After putting in our order for dinner and a bottle of wine, Marco looked at me.

“What’s the latest with your father, Dani?”

“There’s been no change. I decided to wait until I return home from my trip to see you before getting in touch with him. Where my family is concerned, it’s a long story.”

Marco leaned back into the booth, draping one arm over the top of it with a casual ease and shrugged.

“I’ve got time. Tell me about it.”

Without hesitation, I shook my head.

“Oh no, no. I wouldn’t want to bore you with it. Trust me. There’s nothing about it that’s interesting.”

Marco continued to stare at me, his face holding an expectant look on it.

“I’m going to have to insist, Dani. After all, that’s the reason you’re here. To trust you with my fortune, I need to know exactly what kind of person you are.”

I swallowed hard. The very last thing I wanted to do was talk about my crazy family. I’d never had a potential client so interested in my personal life. On the other hand, I’d never slept with any of them either. Unconsciously, I dropped my hands into my lap and while fidgeting, I averted my gaze.

“Is there something wrong, Dani?”

I felt trapped. I looked at Marco once again.

“If it’s all the same to you,” I began, shaking my head. “I'd really rather not talk about my family. I hope you can understand and respect that.”

Marco said nothing but grabbed a glass of water in the center of the table. He took a big swallow of it and placed it back on the table. Next, he reached inside of his jacket, pulling out the signature page from the agreement. Marco unfolded it and placed it on the table – nodding and pointing at it.

“This is why you’re here. Isn’t it?”

I moistened my mouth and shifted in my seat.

“What do you want me to say? You and I both know the answer to that, Marco.”

“Well,” he began, placing a palm flat on the tabletop. “If you can be honest with me about that, what’s stopping you from being open with me about the rest of your life?”

I exhaled.

“I don’t get what it is you want from me, Marco. I’m having a hard time understanding if our relationship is business or personal.”

“What difference does it make? We’re here together now.”

“The
difference
is,” I said, leaning in his direction and placing my hands on the table in front of me. “I can’t exist in a world of ambiguity like you do. I’m not suggesting that you are manipulating me or taking advantage of me, but…”

I lifted my hands off the table and waved them in front of my face.

“You know what,” I said, frustration lacing my words. “I’m sorry, I just, I can’t…”

Marco looked at me in silence for several moments. At last, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“My father, Antonio – he was married six times, Dani. I grew up as an only child. My earliest memories were not of being cared for by two parents, such as you have, but rather an endless parade of nannies and caretakers. Until I was in my late teen years, I never had any true friends. If my father taught me one thing, it’s that when you have money and power,
trust
is the most precious commodity of them all. You’re right, your personal life is none of my business. I shouldn’t have imposed…”

I interrupted him, caught by surprise at his sudden confession.

“Marco, that’s not what I meant.”

He raised his hand, showing me his palm.

“As you can see, I have no problem being honest with you, Dani,” he said, pointing towards the signature page. “I need a partner who feels the same way.”

Silence fell between us. The sounds of the busy restaurant hardly entered my awareness. I looked at him again, unsure of what to say next. No matter how comfortable he might have been telling me about himself, I worried that doing the same made me so much more vulnerable.

That was especially true because of everything I had to lose with the firm. Even though he said he wanted nothing but honesty from me, somewhere inside I just didn’t believe it. I couldn’t explain why, but all of a sudden, I began to think coming to Monte Carlo might’ve been a mistake.

A huge one.