Secret Designs (12 page)

"Oh. My. Fuck," Trey said. "You're in love."

"Don't be ridiculous," he retorted. "I like her, but love is nowhere near the equation yet."

"Yet?"

"Yet. Never. I don't know. All I know is I like her a lot."

"Well, for your sake, I hope she passes, Dyl. But be warned. We will be gentle, but we won't take any short cuts."

Dylan shook his head, hugely irritated. He was dumb to arrange this dinner with Ari and his friends tonight. He hadn't seen her for a week and now there was a possibility that their night could be ruined by his too-well-intentioned pals.

*******

"Hi," Dylan said as he watched Ari get out of her car.

"Hi," she replied with a gorgeous smile. "Didn't you think I'd find the spot?"

"It wasn't that," he chuckled. "I wanted to come down so I can properly say hello to you."

"In the car park of your building?" she teased.

"Better than having Trey and Adam watch us kiss," he said as he pulled her to him and captured her lips.

They were still kissing sweetly when a voice intruded. "Hey, we were wondering what was keeping you two."

Dylan sighed and released Ari. "What do you mean, Adam? I came down here less than five minutes ago."

"Actually, I wanted to borrow the picnic blanket you have in the back of your car," Adam said. "Since you were down here already …"

"I don't have my car key with me," Dylan said.

"Oh. Later then," Adam said then turned to Ari. "Hi, beautiful. Great to see you again."

"Hi, Adam. Great to see you, too."

"Isn't it handy being able to park in Dylan's extra car spot?" Adam asked conversationally as they walked to the elevators. "It's ridiculously hard to find parking around here on Saturday nights—at any time, in fact."

"Yes. I was just thinking that," Ari responded. "The last time I was here was when Jasmine took me to Dylan's birthday. We had to park at that public car park a few blocks away because we couldn't find any street parking nearby."

"That would have been a fair walk for you," Dylan said with a frown.

"It was," Ari said with a short laugh. "It was tough on the feet when you're wearing party high heels."

He put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. My friends do bay for my extra spot whenever they drive to this part of town. But all you need to do is tell me when you'll be around and no one else can take it."

She smiled at him, then turned to Adam.

"Where did you park, Adam?" she asked.

"At the public car park you were talking about," Adam responded.

"Oh. Do you usually park in here when you visit Dylan?"

"Yes."

"So I took your usual spot?" Ari's face was pink.

"Yes. I wrestled with Dylan for it earlier, and I lost. So you get the spot."

"Sorry," she said in a small voice. "Maybe next time it should be first come, first served."

Adam laughed. "Don't worry about it. I don't wear high heels."

"What about Trey? Where does he park?"

"He only lives a couple of blocks away."

Dylan hid a smile as he listened to Ari and Adam's conversation. He knew Adam came down to begin the ISAG and that extra parking spot was a good place to start. Women he'd allowed to park there always ended up acting princessy and got all miffed when he turned them down subsequently. Like he said, Ari was different. Adam seemed to accept that. He wasn't probing anymore.

But Adam had always been a softie. Trey was another story.

*******

"So Ari, do you like living in Burwood?" Trey asked as they ate Dylan's passable attempt at homemade pizzas.

"Yes. Where I am is convenient. It's a couple of minutes walk away from the shopping mall."

"Dylan and I love living around here. What do you think of Potts Point?"

"I love this area. It's convenient, vibrant, a short walk to the CBD."

"Which would you prefer, Burwood or Potts Point?" Trey prodded.

Ari gave him a "you're kidding, right?" look. "If I could afford to live here, I would prefer it here. But having said that, I don't mind living in Burwood at all."

"You plan to stay there for a while, Ari?" Adam asked.

Ari took a deep breath. "Well, I hope I can stay where I am. I really like it there."

"You hope?" Dylan asked.

"Well, I'm thinking of moving," Ari said cautiously.

"Why?"

"I don't really need two bedrooms so I thought I'd find a one-bedroom place."

"But your other bedroom is your work room. It has your sewing machine in it," Dylan said, confused.

Ari shrugged. "The machine's not big. It can fit anywhere."

"Is it because you haven't found another job yet?" Dylan asked with concern. Was she having financial problems?

"There's not a lot of opening for what I do, so times are a little tough for me," she said with a nervous laugh.

Dylan caught how Trey glanced at Adam before his buddy gave him a warning look. He could almost hear what Trey wanted to say out loud. "
Don't bite. Don't offer her anything at this point. You don't know her well enough."

"We can talk about it later," he said to Ari.

Trey narrowed his eyes at him.

"Hey, I've been considering renting out my spare room. It could be cheaper than you paying for your two-bedder in Burwood," Trey said to Ari.

"What?" Dylan exclaimed in shock. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm just saying," Trey replied. "I do have an extra room."

"So do I," Dylan said. He couldn't see where Trey was heading with this.

"Sure, but that's not the same. If Ari were to share with you, it would be akin to the two of you moving in together, and I think you two are still far from that. If she were to share with me, it would just be like a flatmate arrangement."

"Why are you considering getting a flatmate all of a sudden? You don't need the extra money and you love your privacy," Dylan said, trying to sound neutral although he was miffed with Trey. What if Ari took Trey up on his offer? If she were to share with another guy, it would be with him. He didn't care that Trey was one of his oldest and most trusted friends. He wouldn't be happy if his girlfriend lived with another man.

"You know me, Dyl. Always looking for income-earning opportunities," Trey said with a ghost of a smile. "What do you think, Ari?"

"I don't think so, Trey. But thanks for the offer."

"I guess you'd prefer living with Dylan than with me, huh? I'm sure he won't charge you any rent, unlike me," Trey said innocently.

Ari blushed and her brows furrowed. "Like you said, Trey, Dylan and I are still far from that. We just started dating, you know. That kind of discussion shouldn't even be brought up," she chided.

Dylan breathed a discreet sigh of relief.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear about your situation, Ari," Adam said.

Ari shrugged and smiled. "Thanks. I'll be fine."

"This moving thing: is this something you're just thinking about or is it something that has to happen?" Adam queried. "The reason I ask is I'm good friends with a couple of real estate agents. I could ask them if they have one-bedders on their lists."

Ari's eyes lit up. "That would be great, Adam. Thank you."

"So which area are you looking at? Burwood and surrounding suburbs?"

"Preferably. I don't mind going further away from the city as long as it's a decent suburb and a well-maintained apartment block."

"How far away are you considering?" Dylan asked. Surely, she wasn't so cash-strapped that she needed to move to the outskirts of Sydney just to lower her rent?

"I don't know. It would really depend on when I find another job," she said, looking a little embarrassed.

Hell, he couldn't let her suffer. She was his girlfriend now.

"You need your other room, Ari," he said. "You couldn't possibly work well in a cramped space. Stay where you are in Burwood. We'll figure something out."

Ari smiled at him but shook her head. "I'm not just talking about a couple of hundred here and there, Dylan. I do need to lower my expenses."

"For what?"

Ari pressed her lips together, as if considering something. "My sister and my nephew. I help them out financially."

Trey's eyebrows arched and Dylan could almost see cynicism coming out of his buddy's ears. He couldn't say he was surprised by that reaction.
 
Trey had heard it all before.

But something warred within him, too: concern and suspicion. He had been sold a fake heart-wrenching story in the past, and he'd stupidly bought it. But surely Ari was not like
that
woman?

"I'd love to meet your sister and your nephew, babe. Can we go visit them?" he asked. At least he'd be able to determine if what she said was true.

"That would be good," Ari replied readily. "Maybe in a few weeks when I go there for a visit."

"A few weeks? How about tomorrow?"

"Didn't I tell you? They live in Port Macquarie. That's almost a five-hour drive from here."

"We could fly."

"No, it's okay. I already told Sylvie I won't be able to see them for a while, as I need to make sure I finish Jasmine's orders on time."

How convenient.

*******

Dylan sat back on the couch as he stared at Ari standing outside on his balcony. She was talking to Jasmine on the phone.

"I think it was a good idea to suggest you visit her family, Dyl," Trey said in a low voice. "At least you'll know if she's telling the truth about them needing her support."

"I still don't believe Ari's a gold digger," Adam said. "I know we don't know her well enough, but from what I've seen so far, she seems genuine."

"So you believe her story?" Trey asked. "It's the classic I-need-to-support-my-family line. That was exactly the line Dylan was fed by
that
woman, in case you've forgotten."

"Well, that's easily proven, isn't it?" Adam replied. "She didn't seem scared when Dylan suggested they visit her sister and nephew."
 

"Yeah, but then she said they couldn't go for another
few
weeks. How long is a few weeks?" Trey pressed.

"Enough, guys. I don't want to talk about this," Dylan said quietly.

"I understand what you're going through, Dylan," Adam said sympathetically. "You guys get me in this space often enough."

Dylan grimaced. "Sorry, dude. Now I get it."

"What do you plan to do now?" Trey asked.

Dylan was silent for a moment, considering his answer. "Well, so what if she's interested in my money? It's not like I don't have any."

Trey's eyes bulged out. "Are you kidding me?"

"As long as she also wants
me
. The way I see it, my wealth and success are part of who I am. Shouldn't she embrace that, too?"

"What if she only wants you for your money? If you don't have it, or if you refuse to use some on her, would she leave you for another guy?"

"Well, we'd never find out, would we? Because I can't change the fact that I've earned shitloads in the last few years, and I kind of like the idea of looking after her. Who knows? I could get sick of her before she gets sick of me."

"I'm with you on this, Dylan," Adam said. "I'm still with Sandy because she's an absolute stunner, she's great in bed, and I really like her. I know a huge part of what attracted her to me was my income and the lifestyle that gives her. But, you know what? She treats me well because she doesn't want me to dump her. And we do enjoy each other's company. We have great fun together. She loves to shop, but I can damn well afford to pay for her expensive tastes. As long as she doesn't cheat on me with another guy, as long as she's not scamming to steal from me, then I don't have a problem. And let's be honest here. Who doesn't want to be rich?"

"I don't believe this," Trey said, shaking his head. "You guys have rocks for brains. Have you forgotten why we want to put girls through the ISAG in the first place? Dylan, you almost lost
our
money because you were crazy for this chick who wanted to steal from you. Adam, you've had two girlfriends who couldn't stop flirting with the next rich guy and we had to mother you while you were crying your eyes out from being dumped. At least I've learned my lesson. When I got jilted at the altar by that gold-digging bitch, I knew what I wanted when it comes to women. Have sex with them? Yes. But take care of them only to be cast aside in the end? No."

"Ari likes me, money or no money," Dylan said.

"How do you know that?" Trey challenged.

"What's not to like?" he grinned.

"Sure. Rich, good-looking guy that you are," Trey said sarcastically. "My sister said to me the other day that I'll never find someone who'd want a serious relationship with me because I can't be trusted to keep my dick in my pants around beautiful women. Does Ari know about your playboy past?"

"Hey, I wasn't a playboy. I just didn't want a relationship," Dylan said heatedly.

Trey smirked. "Think about this: if you didn't have this apartment or your car or your money, would Ari be so quick to be with you, knowing you're someone who was only interested in one-night stands for the last five years?"

Dylan glared at Trey. Now he was more confused than ever.

"Did your friends leave early because I'm here?" Ari asked Dylan after he saw Trey and Adam off.

"Nah, don't worry about them," Dylan responded, giving her a small smile. "Do you want to watch a movie? I have a few Blu-rays here," he asked, walking over to his entertainment unit.

Her brows furrowed. Something was off with Dylan. "Is everything okay?" she asked as she put an arm around his waist.

"Sure," he said, kissing her forehead.

She watched as he continued to rummage through his vast collection of Blu-ray movies.

"You want to choose?" he asked, seemingly distracted.

"You can choose," she said, not really interested in a movie, but looking forward to cuddling on the couch with him. Maybe they could have sex on the sofa. It looked comfortable.

"This one?" He pulled out a title of an action movie.

"Sure. I haven't seen that one yet. Do you want me to pour us some drinks or make coffee?" she asked.