He frowned and a shadow crossed his features. I honestly thought he was going to start talking…until he lifted his fork again and began to eat, taking all the time in the world.
I groaned.
Damn!
He did it again—ignoring me. Letting me wait on purpose just because he felt like being in control.
Assessing. Testing.
Testing what?
I felt like leaning over that table and shaking some sense into him. Maybe even strangle him while I was at it, because his reasoning, or lack thereof, made no sense to me, and I was slowly losing my patience at his reticence.
“It’s not just Lucazzone I’m talking about. It’s the elite club he belonged to,” he said slowly. “My father, Robert, was involved many years ago.”
“What club?” I eyed him carefully, sensing the sudden change in the air.
Jett sighed and ran a hand through his tousled dark hair. His gloomy expression reflected the countless emotions fighting to gain control inside. In the end his shoulders slumped like he’d made a decision he didn’t want to make, but his dark expression didn’t change.
“I’ll tell you everything I know, okay?” Jett said. “But I want you to just listen and listen carefully. Whatever I say today doesn’t leave this table. You cannot tell anyone.”
The sharp edge in his tone instantly raised my alertness. He grabbed my hand and gave it a hard squeeze until I nodded, silently giving him my word.
“A few years back, Alessandro Lucazzone was involved in my father’s business. It was for a brief time and he was never officially listed as a shareholder, so I couldn’t figure out why my father would let him make the decisions he made—decisions that cost us millions. I stumbled upon it when I checked our financial reports dating back to my time at college. A few weeks ago, Robert finally came clean and admitted something that could harm the company.”
Jett paused and his eyes narrowed, the angry line between his eyebrows saying more than a thousand words. His grip on my hand tightened, hurting me just a little, but I didn’t pull back. “They were both involved in this sort of elite club. You know, drugs and kinky sex practices, and lots of people to be paid off to keep quiet. My father and quite a few people—many of them rich and famous—were addicted to that stuff and paid whoever hosted the events millions. In my father’s case, he paid it out of the company’s accounts. When I joined the business the company was on the verge of liquidation, in which case we would have lost everything. I’ve pulled in enough business to keep us afloat for a while. But one wrong decision and it’s all over the media, and we’ll end up losing major deals and our good reputation. If anyone finds out, the company’s done. You were right about everything.”
“I don’t understand. Right about what?” I had a hard time following him and the sudden change in tone didn’t exactly help. His gaze settled on me, imploring me to understand. His hand squeezed mine again, silently asking me to relate, to feel his emotions, or maybe to believe him.
“Robert thought by buying the Lucazzone estate he could save the company. I first agreed it was a good idea because the land is valued at much more than we initially offered and tourists flood in every year. I thought, why not try to sell it as the next St. Tropez or Kitzbuhel?” He began to massage his temples.
“But you increased your offer. It was a huge gamble. You could have lost a lot of money,” I whispered, my head still spinning around the words ‘sex practices’ and ‘elite club.’ It sounded like a bad Hollywood movie.
“I was against paying more because, like you, I know when the risk’s too high but he wanted it and in the end it’s still his company. After meeting you, that wasn’t what worried me. I was afraid that once the people involved learned of your inheritance, they’d come after you to make sure you wouldn’t find out their secret and talk.”
His hands cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I nodded, but not because I understood. He was nervous. I could feel tension wafting from him in strong waves. The glint in his eyes scared the hell out of me.
“You said ‘club,’” I began slowly. “Are we talking about a few kinky preferences like a bit of BDMS or—”
He shook his head gravely and let go of my face but didn’t break eye contact.
“All I know is that they’ve been fanatic about keeping their identities protected, which leads me to assume there was more to it than that.”
“Wow.” I bit my lip hard, barely feeling the pain. “Where did the meetings take place?”
A grimace crossed his face and a silent look passed between us. He didn’t have to tell me that it was the Lucazzone estate.
“According to my father, many powerful people were involved,” Jett said. “He made it clear that many of them would stop at nothing to keep their preferences hidden from the public.”
“But why would they think I’d know anything about them?”
“Because you’re the heiress. You’re expected to inherit Lucazzone’s secrets and no one knows the specifics. They’re probably scared. I know I’d be.” His expression remained earnest, but the sudden caginess in his voice didn’t escape me.
“You were never involved?” I tried to instill nonchalance into my voice, like his past didn’t matter. After all, we didn’t know each other back then, so it wasn’t really my concern. But it mattered. I didn’t want him to be some pervert.
Shooting me a dirty look, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The way his fingers began to tap on the table told me he was having a hard time keeping his annoyance under control.
I raised my chin a notch and regarded him stubbornly. “Were you—”
Jett cut me off. “I heard you the first time and I’m fucking pissed you’d ever think that of me.”
“I didn’t. I—” My throat constricted at the angry glint in his eyes.
“What the fuck, Brooke? I thought you knew me.” His voice came so low I had a hard time understanding him, which was worse than yelling. It made me feel bad—disappointed in myself—even though I had no reason to be.
“I don’t know you because we’ve barely scratched the surface of your life,” I said warily. My heart was beating a million miles an hour. “I’m sorry. It was just an innocent question. Anyone would ask the same thing, given the circumstances.”
“Given the circumstances.” His jaw set. He pulled his hand away and leaned back in his chair, putting as much distance between us as our sitting arrangement allowed.
He was angry and I couldn’t blame him.
“I didn’t mean to be accusatory,” I said. “It was just a question, Jett.”
He laughed slowly, still avoiding my gaze. I scanned his beautiful face. His scowl didn’t distract from his beauty; it just made him look different, and I realized I really didn’t know much about him.
“I wish I knew you better,” I said softly. “The real you—not the mask you’re putting on to hide what’s inside.”
His cloud of anger lifted just a little bit. “I’d love another date.”
I laughed at his impudence. “This isn’t a date.”
“Whatever you call it, I’d love another one of those.” He cocked his head, giving me the kind of smile I had been waiting for all day.
No, Stewart. Don’t you dare!
“I’m not asking you.” The corners of lips curled upward. “If you say ‘no’ then you leave me no choice than to do the next stupid thing, like kidnapping you because I want to earn your trust. I want to make things right again. What do you say?”
My heart skipped a beat and I had no idea whether it was because Jett’s strong grip on me sent naughty thoughts through my head. Or because his threat both scared and fascinated me.
“You don’t mean it.”
“Try me.” No smile. No blinking. Just pure, raw determination to get his way.
I swallowed down the big lump in my throat. This was supposed to be a formal meeting. Nothing too intense. Yet here I was, tempted to give him another chance, knowing I might be heading down a self-destructive path.
“Your whole story sounds kind of far-fetched, Jett. You don’t have any real proof. Everything’s based on assumptions. Give me one good reason why I should believe you.”
“Because it’s the truth.” He didn’t hesitate; didn’t even blink. “I was never involved, Brooke. That’s not the kind of person I am, and I hope one day you’ll know that deep in your heart.”
Maybe, but that time hadn’t come yet. Jett was a convincing person who might or might not tell the truth. I needed proof before I was ready to trust him again.
I checked the time on my cellphone and brushed my hands over my skirt the way I always did when I was about to leave.
“I have to go. It’s getting late and Sylvie’s expecting me in ten minutes.” It wasn’t a lie. Without waiting for his reply, I grabbed my bag and stood, wondering why I wasn’t as pleased with our meeting as I initially thought I would be.
Maybe because he hasn’t given you any real answers.
True. In fact I ended up with more questions than before, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” Jett walked around the table and stopped in front of me, his height intimidating me, as usual. My eyes lingered on his lips. So close. So delicious. I held my breath as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face. His touch sent a shiver through me, making me all too aware of just how close we were standing. My heartbeat started to drum in my ears. I had experienced this feeling before—at the office back in New York the day I broke up with him, thinking I had lost him forever. Right before he told me that he loved me.
His lips moved just a little bit closer to mine, hovering inches away. Not too close but enough to make me aware of his manly scent and the sudden tension in the air. Aware that even though he had explained his reasons, it was still over.
“You really are amazing, Brooke,” he repeated.
“Why are you telling me this?” I almost choked on my words.
“Because I should have told you before, when you would’ve still believed me. And I should have told you as often as I could so you’d never forget.”
Damn him and his ability to say the right things at the right time. I didn’t want to fall for him any deeper than I had already. He was gaining the upper hand again, turning the table on me.
“Jett please, just stop.” I blinked back the telltale moisture gathering in the corners of my eyes.
“Why?”
Because you broke my heart once, and there’s no guarantee you won’t do it again.
“I don’t believe you, Jett. Everything you said—I just can’t believe you anymore. Not until you give me proof.” It was the truth. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t trust him. “I should never have come here. Sylvie was right when she warned me about you.”