Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) (5 page)

“I’m sorry, Marco. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Dani,” he began, his eyes now locked on me. “Put yourself in my situation. Ever since my father fell ill last year, investment banks have been circling like vultures. I know that you’re here to do a job, so let’s just leave it at that.”

I looked away from him and glanced down towards my clutch. I couldn’t explain it, but all of a sudden I felt bad for even bringing the agreement with me. I wrapped my fingers around the top of the bag and squeezed the clutch before looking back at him once more.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

He nodded and looked away from me, staring out the window. Silence fell between us again. A few minutes passed when I noticed Marco checking the time on his watch.

“We’re nearly there.”

I swiveled my head, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Nearly
where?

DANI

Marco nodded, pointing out the window towards a building at the crest of the hill ahead.

“My place.”

I swallowed.
His place?

A minute or so later the limousine pulled up to the front of the building. After getting out and entering Marco’s building, we took the elevator up to the top floor and his penthouse. He opened the door and stepped to one side, gesturing for me to enter. I smiled at him and walked inside.

To my left, I noticed a series of floor-to-ceiling windows, at least ten feet high. Moving my eyes from left to right, I swiveled my head, taking in the view of the sparkling lights of Monte Carlo far below. Tasteful contemporary designs and straight lines mixed with hues of white, gray and black filled my gaze. The open concept and sleek lighting seemed consistent with someone who drove more than two hundred miles an hour for a living.

I continued to turn my head, nearly covering the entire length of the windows when something unexpected caught my attention. I stopped dead, my vision frozen with what I saw. Not more than twenty feet in front of me, I noticed a woman, seated in the middle of an expansive black suede couch. A striking brunette, she had her hair pulled high. Pricey looking earrings dangled like icicles, matching the wintry expression on her face.

From behind, I heard the door to the penthouse close and then, nothing. It was the calm before the storm.

Without a word, she stood and began to walk in my direction. The woman made long strides. Her green dress, like the kind you
might wear to an awards gala
, fit like a glove and sparkled, shimmering in the ambient lighting. Her heels
click clacked
like a metronome, riveting my attention.

And then she stopped, only a few feet away, glaring at me.

“What are you doing here?” I heard Marco say.

Immediately after, he appeared in my peripheral vision. The woman fixed her eyes on me for another moment or so until at last, she stopped, and instead turned her focus to Marco.

“What am
I
doing here?” The woman began, crossing her arms and glaring at him. Her voice carried the hint of a French accent. “Can you see how I’m dressed? What do you
think
I’m doing here, Marco?”

I swallowed hard and looked away. My skin crawled with goosebumps and
not
the good kind. All I wanted to do was leave, just turn and get the hell out of there. Mercifully, Marco stepped between us. For whatever reason, she hadn’t yet said anything to me. Judging by her increasing anger, I figured it was just a matter of time.

“You need to leave,” Marco said. “Now.”

I peeked around him, hoping my eyes wouldn’t catch hers.

“No, Marco, I’m not going anywhere,” she began, keeping her gaze fixed on him. “I want to know why you stood me up for the gala.”

What?

Marco casually slid his hands in the pockets of his pants, waiting a few seconds before responding.

“By my count, Serena,” he said, pausing for emphasis. “This is the
sixth
time I’ve had to tell you this. We aren’t together anymore.”

Girlfriend?

It was the only thing that made sense. I’d never seen any mention of him being married. While I thought about it, I noticed him turn in my direction.

With a subtle nod of his chin, he continued, “As for tonight, I found someone else to take instead. Someone I
knew
I’d have a good time with.”

Oh no. No, no, no…

The absolute
last thing
I needed right now was to get in the middle of whatever was going on between them. I forced a hard swallow down my throat, and before either of them could speak, I jumped in to fill the silence.

“I’m sorry. I’m going to go.”

Right away, I tried to turn and walk towards the door. Before I got a single step in, Marco curled the fingers of his hand around my upper arm.

“No, Dani. Stay. Serena was just leaving.”

My eyes shot towards her. She still hadn’t said a word to me. If the situation were reversed, I would’ve had no problem telling another woman exactly what was on my mind. But Serena didn't seem threatened or the slightest bit angry with me. In fact, when I looked at her, just the opposite seemed to be the case. Far from an expression of rage, Serena’s face held a look of profound sadness.

“This man,” she began, lifting her hand to her mouth and struggling to get the words out. “He is incapable of true love. It is not in his nature.”

Chills ran down my arms. Although he probably had no idea this woman would be here waiting for us, what did it say about him? On the other hand, I didn’t know what kind of person Serena was either. For all I knew,
she
could be the one lying. The whole thing baffled me.

For his part, Marco seemed unfazed by her behavior. He merely cleared his throat and walked around me towards the entrance of his penthouse. I wanted to turn and look but found myself unable to do so. This was probably one of the most awkward situations I’d ever experienced.

“For the last time, you need to go now, Serena,” Marco said.

The tone of his voice carried firmness but not anger. No sooner had he said those words than Serena’s face began to wrinkle with ugliness. Almost on cue, tears started to flow, but she made no effort to walk towards Marco. Serena smeared away the sudden streaks of sadness from her face. After a few sniffles, she spoke.

“Y-You’re going to wind up just like your father, Marco. Just like your father…”

I swallowed hard at her words and swiveled my head to catch Marco’s reaction. His expression darkened. Based on the conversation we just had in the car, I expected more anger from him at any mention of Antonio Rhys. Marco lowered his eyes and glared at Serena.

“I’ve been polite to you, but you’re an uninvited guest – and it's time for you to leave. Dani and I have a business matter to discuss.”

Serena sniffled again and flung her hair away from her face. A defiant grimace came to her lips.

“You know I’m right, Marco. Don’t you? The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

No sooner had she spoken those words than Marco started to walk at a rapid pace towards her. Serena backed away. Her expression changed from anger to fear. Marco nearly bumped into me on his way by. I stepped aside at the last instant, swiveled my head, and held my breath in my throat.

Serena shrieked. “No Marco! Don’t hurt me!”

Hurt her?

Wordless, Marco snatched her by the upper arm and turned in the direction of the front door again. For each determined step he took, she did everything in her power to resist him, dragging her feet and trying to do anything she could to slow him down.

A moment later, they reached the door and Serena cried out, “Please! Marco, I love you! Please don’t do this!”

The two of them jostled and struggled in the doorway, until at last, Marco pushed her into the hallway and slammed the door in her face. I felt my pulse thump in my throat.

My breath stuck in my chest.

Marco stood there with his back to me for a moment. Finally, he lifted his head and turned in my direction. When he did his face held no emotion.
Zero.

What could’ve happened between them to cause her such pain and him such emptiness? I looked at him for another moment, and then, just beyond the doorway, my attention turned to the sounds of Serena’s sobs… growing fainter by the second.

DANI

Marco reached up towards his neck and began to undo his tuxedo tie while he walked towards me.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Dani,” he said, passing by without looking at me. “Serena is… she’s an emotional person.”

I shook my head.

“There’s no need to apologize, Marco. Really, I-I don’t want to be involved. I should just go. I’m more than happy to discuss the agreement at a later date and…”

Marco pulled his tie away from his neck and tossed it aside with a casual flick. It landed, sliding across the slate-colored marble of the kitchen counter top and spinning to a stop.

“No,” he said, interrupting me. “There’s no reason for you to go anywhere or for us to delay our discussion.”

I took a deep inhale, holding it for a moment before speaking again. Awkward though the situation might’ve been, I’d come here to get the contract signed. If he was prepared to do it now, then who was I to argue? I wasn't certain why I’d had such a strong reaction to Serena’s breakdown, but it didn’t matter. Marco's personal problems were none of my business.

“Okay,” I began, looking around the immediate vicinity. “Where would you like to talk?”

Ignoring my question, Marco walked into the kitchen and headed in the direction of a large wine refrigerator. After reaching it, he turned and looked at me.

“Red or white?”

Still slightly buzzed from the cocktails I’d had earlier, I hesitated for a second or two. The look on his face suggested I didn’t have an option.

“Um, red,” I replied at last.

Marco nodded, opened the door and reached inside. A few seconds later he gathered up wine glasses and a bottle opener.

“Join me,” he said, gesturing with his chin for me to walk towards the kitchen.

After walking inside, I placed my clutch on the kitchen counter. The sound of wine gurgling in the glass caused me to look in his direction. Marco pinched the stem of the wine glass between his thumb and forefinger, extending it to me. Taking the glass from him, I lifted it towards my nose and inhaled. It was magnificent. I’d never smelled anything like it.

“What should we toast to, Dani?” Marco asked, breaking my concentration on the full bodied aroma wafting from the crystal.

Marco stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter in a casual pose. His glass remained on the counter while he looked in my direction, waiting for me to reply.

I shrugged. My mind went blank.

“How about…” he began, squinting in concentration. “To trust?”

Trust?

There had to be some meaning to it, but in the moment I had no idea what it could be. Marco didn’t give me much time to think. Instead, he picked up his glass and gestured for me to do the same. We cheered, and I took a sip.

The liquid rolled across my tongue, coating the inside of my mouth with a smooth feel and a heavy oak flavor. The taste confirmed what the aroma hinted at – it was spectacular – unlike anything I'd ever had in my life.