Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) (35 page)

“The bottom line is this, Dani,” Bernard said, his tone growing serious. “Leopold and I have made a terrible mistake. We were far too hasty in our judgment and we allowed the situation to escalate beyond what it should have. There are no words to express to you how deeply sorry we are for what’s happened. It’s our hope that you’ll reconsider and join us.”

While I listened to him, I glanced in the direction of the bedroom. Marco stirred, at last, beginning to wake up.

It was obvious that Bernard and Leopold were acting out of their own selfish interests. Without me involved, Marco would fire them. That realization didn’t bother me much. After all, it was only business, not personal.

“Dani?” Leopold said, breaking my concentration. “Do you have anything to say?”

I shook my head, not fully ready to respond.

“It’s a lot to take in, Leopold. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”

“Of course,” Bernard replied. “Based on the way we left things with you, it’s understandable for you to feel the way you do.”

Marco got out of the bed and slid a robe on, draping it across his chiseled shoulders. I glanced at him.

Did he really love me? I wanted to believe it, more than anything.

It would have been easy for me to tell Bernard and Leopold exactly what I thought about how they treated me. After all, I had the upper hand.

Marco turned, our eyes met and he smiled. What did we really have, he and I, in common, besides broken pasts and uncertain futures?

I tightened my grip on the phone. My mind started to weigh the options I had with cold, calculating precision.

What if something happened between Marco and me?

What if things didn’t work out?

The thought of it made me sick to my stomach, but at the same time, the last thing I wanted to do was wind up like my mother - destitute and heartbroken. In spite of everything that had happened, I still had a chance to grab the brass ring and claim the fortune I’d worked so hard to achieve.

And besides, Marco was the reason that they called me in the first place. If anyone would support my decision, it would be him. I didn’t have to tell him the reason I’d decided to accept their offer. With any luck, he'd never need to know. Just then, he emerged from the hotel room and stretched, extending his arms towards the sky.

“I have to go,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Something’s come up.”

“Can we expect a decision from you soon, Dani?” Leopold asked.

I nodded.

“Yes,” I replied, turning my back on an approaching Marco. “I’ll be in the office later today to discuss everything with you.”

Bernard started to say something, but I hung up, disconnecting the phone and sliding it back into the pocket of my robe. Marco’s hands wrapped around my waist and he leaned in, kissing me on the cheek.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

DANI

Closing my eyes, I leaned into him, savoring the strength of his embrace.

“Good morning.”

Marco kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tight.

“Is everything okay?”

“What do you mean?”

I felt him shrug from behind.

“Well it seems to be pretty early to take a business call. Don’t you think?”

I swallowed, uncertain about the meaning behind his question. Even so, he and I had come so far in the past few days. The last thing I wanted to do was deceive him. I wanted our relationship to be about honesty and openness, no matter how long it lasted.

I wrapped my fingers around his forearms, tracing the rugged striations. Moments later, I turned to face him and Marco released his grip on me. When our eyes met, it was as if I looked into his for the first time.

I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t have to – Marco did it for me.

“I’m assuming that was Bernard and Leopold?”

I let out a long exhale, a couple of seconds at least.

“Yes.”

A chuckle rumbled in Marco’s stomach.

“Why the long face? I’m assuming they were prepared to make you an offer. Something to repair the damage Serena caused?”

There wasn’t any reason to pretend with him.

“Yes, well,” I began, biting the inside of my cheek. “Basically, they offered me my old position back, as well as the partnership. They also told me the firm would be willing to represent me in any claims brought by Serena.”

Marco leaned away from me a bit, nodding and crossing his arms at his chest.

“Of course, while they didn’t mention it, I have no doubt that the terms of their offer are dependent on whether or not you intend to stay with the firm. Considering everything that’s happened, I would understand if you didn’t want to.”

Marco listened in silence, his jaw flexed.

“Dani,” he said at last. “You’re not only beautiful but also incredibly smart. I have no intention of moving my funds, despite Serena’s antics. By the sound of it, Bernard and Leopold have come around on the issue. You’d be foolish not to take everything you have coming to you. There is no reason why you shouldn't protect yourself.”

The final words of his sentence stuck in my ear.

Protect myself?

Who am I protecting myself from? The firm? Him? Doubts flooded my mind. The last thing I had any room for in the situation was ambiguity.

“What exactly are you talking about, Marco?”

When I finished speaking, Marco frowned.

“What?”

I cleared my throat, determined to make my point.

“You heard what I said. Why did you tell me that I should protect myself? Who am I protecting myself from in this scenario? You?”

“No,” Marco replied right away. “Dani, you’re misunderstanding me.”

A chill surged through me. Grabbing my robe, I closed it tight across my chest and walked away from him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I began to shake. Everything that had felt so solid between us, so promising, began to feel like it was crumbling. Shaking my head, I continued to walk away from him.

“No, no…” I whispered.

From behind, I heard Marco’s footsteps. He closed on me at a rapid rate. I turned around to face him.

“Don’t!” I warned.

Marco never paused, stopping less than a foot from me and grabbing me at the shoulders.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked, his eyes narrowing at me. “What's wrong? All of the sudden you’re acting very strange.”

I averted my gaze, shaking my head.

“It’s nothing. You wouldn’t understand.”

Marco scoffed at me.

“Actually, I think I understand perfectly.”

For a moment, I felt bad about what I’d said. But then, self-preservation kicked in once again. I was being torn apart from the inside out - on the one hand, the achievement of my goals, my dreams, while on the other, him and all the things he represented, which I never thought were possible for me. How could I explain it in a way that wouldn't insult him? Did it even matter?

Marco strengthen his grip on my arm, snapping my attention back to him.

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, Dani?”

Wincing, I pulled myself free of his grasp.

“What am I supposed to say? You know everything there is to know about me, Marco. I don’t have any secrets from you. It’s all there for you to use any way you see fit and…”

“No!” he shouted, interrupting me and startling me at the same time. “I will not allow you to say things about me like that. I'm not here to
use you
, Dani. Whatever you’re experiencing, the self-doubts and uncertainty, it has nothing to do with me.”

I turned away from him and walked to the edge of the veranda once more.

“I’m not sure why you think I want to hurt you,” he said, his voice trailing off. “I don’t know what else I’ve got to do to prove myself.”

Closing my eyes, I dropped my head. From behind, I heard Marco take a few steps in my direction.

“Dani, you also know all of
my
secrets. No one else in the world knows what you know about me. As a man, sharing those things with you makes me incredibly vulnerable. I trust you.”

Sadness began to creep into my breath. My mind was cluttered with indecision. From behind, I felt his palm press into my lower back.

“Hey,” he said. “Turn around.”

Swallowing hard, I shuffled my feet and looked at him.

Marco shook his head before he spoke.

“I understand you’re scared, Dani. Really, I do. But this…” he began, gesturing back and forth between us. “What’s happening now, it’s not any easier for me. I’ve left my past behind with no guarantees that my future won’t cause me pain. Nothing, not even all of the money in the world, can prevent that. All we can do is live each moment, embracing it and living our lives as one.”

I exhaled, grimacing at the sincerity of his words. Why couldn’t I just
be
? He’d already told me he loved me… what more was there?

“Marco…” I whispered, shaking my head back and forth. “I can’t explain it.”

He wasted no time responding.

“You need to try. And you need to do it right now.”

I drew my eyes up to meet his face. The look in his eyes, I could see my time was running out.

“I…”

Before I spoke another word, Marco raised his hand in front of my face.

“I don’t want to hear it, Dani. I know what’s in my heart and I know how I feel. I don’t expect you to trust me overnight. I’d have to be a child to think that way. But, I’m here now. I was with you at your father’s funeral. I have no doubts. I'm ready to move forward and be with you. There is no uncertainty.”

Just then, Marco’s posture relaxed. He moved a bit closer and reached towards me caressing my upper arms with his hands.

“You’ve said that you love me, Dani, that you want to be with me. Is that really true?”

I looked into his eyes again, forcing down a hard lump.

“Is it?” he asked.

DANI

“Dani,” Leopold began, folding his hands neatly on top of the conference table. “Thank you for coming in on such short notice.”

Bernard nodded.

“Yes, Dani, thank you.”

The last time I’d been in the conference room, I thought I’d seen the end of my career. I left defeated, powerless, and feeling victimized. Now, sitting across from both of them, I felt a cautious sense of impending victory.

“I believe this is yours,” Bernard began, placing his fingertips on top of a piece of paper and sliding it across the table in my direction. “Our offer still stands.”

Taking it from him, I spun it around and looked down. It was the signature page from Marco’s agreement, the ticket to my salvation and a seven-figure income. I looked at it for quite some time, all of the memories leading up to the signing flooding into my mind. We’d been through so much, in such a short period of time, it seemed impossible to believe that this might be the end. Moving it aside, I glanced at Bernard and Leopold once more.

“Before I agree to anything, I’m going to have to insist that the firm put its promises regarding litigation in writing.”