Void (23 page)

“How do you feel about that?” I asked as I rubbed at the condensation on my water glass, watching the water bead and trickle down to the napkin on which it rested. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her set her glass back down on the table. I don’t know why I was so nervous about breaking this news to her, but I was even more nervous about the fact that she wasn’t showing any kind of reaction to it.

“Is this why we came to lunch? You wanted to break the news to me…gently?”

I looked up and saw it. I heard it in the tone of her voice when she spoke. She was angry, yet trying to hold it together as if to prove what I had told her wasn’t getting to her.

“Partly. But I also really wanted to have lunch with you.”

“Why?”

The hurt in her tone was evident. I reached over and grabbed her hands and held them in my own. I felt the strength of her grip on my own hands.

Fear.

“Why am I giving your care over to another doctor?”

She nodded.

“Well, I have a few reasons for that. But my biggest reason is because I’m not allowed to date my own patient,” I replied, adding a smile to my face and hoping that she caught on to what I’d said.

“I’m confused,” she said, knitting her brows together as she nibbled on her bottom lip. I reached up, releasing her lip from her teeth and allowed my thumb to brush against the bottom of her full pout. Her lips were soft, begging me to kiss them. If we weren’t still in a public place, I would have. I would have ravished her if there weren’t nearly sixty other patrons in the deli with us. Besides, who knew if Cardinelli was watching us right then as well?

“I want to date you, Nicola. I want to go to dinner. I want to spend time getting to know you on a more
personal
level.”

Her eyes widened, revealing even more of the beautiful hue that I had come to love. I could get lost in those eyes. Even though at times she doesn’t show a large amount of physical signs to her emotions, I could read her most days and judge how she was feeling just by looking into them.

“I don’t know what to say, Andris. I…what about Link?”

“Let me handle him. There are only a few weeks left in the contract. We’ll work it all out. So? How about it?”

She looked around the deli. All the tables were full, many with couples who looked lovingly towards each other. I knew she had to be struggling with the decision. I knew she had feelings for Link, but I also knew she had feelings for me. If I could get her turned on to the idea of
us
, then maybe I wouldn’t have to fight Link for her thoughts or her heart. I wanted her for myself, no longer wanting to share her with him, with anyone, and this would be the first step in rectifying all of that.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled.

Fuck yes.

I threw my napkin down on the table and rose, reaching for her hand, pulling her close to me. Patrons and Cardinelli be damned. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to be able to capture her lips with my own. The next few weeks were going to be difficult, fending off Cardinelli and trying to transition her connection with Link and the escort business all at the same time, but if the end result was that she was mine, I would fight till the death.

I pulled her closer, feeling the warmth of her body absorb into mine and lightly pressed my lips to hers. I didn’t take it any further, instead feeling like this small, innocent looking kiss was much more than it perceived to be. It was a promise, not only to her, but to myself. I would go to any lengths to protect her, especially from Cardinelli.

“So I take that as you are okay with it?” I asked her as I stroked the smooth skin of her cheek as my fingers threaded into the hair at her nape.

“I don’t like it, but—,” she said leaning in to whisper in my ear. “If it means that I get to finally see you naked? Then I’m all for it.”

Damn.
My dick hardened in my pants. I couldn’t wait to have her, no blindfolds, and no darkness between us. The thought made me both pleased and anxious at the same time. My arrangements with Link had always seen me through my sexual desires. Sometimes he would have the girls, and other times I would have them. Never once had either one of us fallen for one of the women until now. Link seemed to be different with her just as I was, and it made me wonder if I was up for a big fight.

Link wasn’t the only thing that gave me anxiety. I’ve never really been with a woman on a normal level. Sure, I’d fucked girls in high school and college, but this was different. This was a woman that I could imagine spending most of my time with. When she wasn’t consuming all of my thoughts, she was at least in a vast majority of them.

We walked from the deli hand in hand and snuggled up close to each other to combat against the wind that threatened to carry us away. It felt nice to live normally for once. I allowed all the bad shit to slip away and just enjoyed the moment with her. I was fucking giddy like a schoolgirl as we walked down the busy sidewalk back towards the clinic. The entire way men stared at her, women turned their heads and wished they could be her.

That’s right. She’s mine.

And I wasn’t going to let anyone, or anything get in the way of that.

I COULDN’T WIPE the smile off my face as I left the clinic after lunch with Andris. We went back into his office after we made it back to the clinic and he barely had enough time to shut the door before he spun me around and pinned me against it. When his mouth seared over mine, it was intense. I could feel the need for him to have me and it matched my own. I kissed him back with equal fervor until we were both left breathless, yet panting for more. We probably would have fucked right there on his desk if it weren’t for his secretary buzzing the intercom and announcing that his next patient was waiting in reception.

As happy as I was about the idea of developing a relationship with Andris, because seriously, who wouldn’t want a relationship with a fucking sexy as hell doctor who knew how to guide a woman to ecstasy without even touching her? I was also apprehensive because of Link. It wasn’t just that I had feelings for Andris, feelings I have
never
had for anyone until now, but I also had feelings for Link. Even though I had only spoken to him once in the darkness of the room I had spent one night in, I felt this overwhelming connection to him. He knew how to mold and manipulate my body to feel things and experience them like never before. In my heart, I felt that it was he who ignited the fuse of my vacant emotions so that I was able to open up to the idea of maybe falling in love with someone. No matter how scary it was to do so.

I left the clinic building and relished in the cool air as it hit my overheated face. Andris had warmed my body to all new heights and I was more than giddy for our first actual date tonight. He told me to dress nicely and be ready for a good time.

The only good time I wanted was to feel him inside of me all night.

I walked towards the end of the sidewalk to hail a cab, to go to Fifth Avenue. I wanted to invest in something to wear tonight and maybe also pick up something that I could guarantee Andris would enjoy taking off later.

I had nearly made it to the end of the sidewalk when I crashed into a very large body. I made my apologies without looking up, but decided to go ahead and offer my eyes to the stranger in which I had offended, when I froze in place.

Antonio Cardinelli
.

“Hello, Nicola,” he drawled in his thick accent. His voice was dripping with something. Disdain? Desire? I didn’t know what it was, but it made me shiver, losing any of the remaining warmth that had been left there by Andris.

“Um, hello, Antonio,” I stammered, trying to walk away from him. I was in a good mood and I didn’t want to talk to the creepy man who always gave me an unsettling feeling.

“Just finished seeing the good doctor, eh?” He asked as I raised my hand in the air to signal a cab. The quicker I could get away from him, the better.

“Yes, if it’s any of your concern. Excuse me, but I really must be going.”

“Why such a rush, my dear? You know, I’ve been meaning to get in touch with you. I am still very much interested in your services.”

I turned to face him, standing up to my full height that didn’t even manage to bring the top of my head to the level of his chin. Two large, younger men stood off behind him, ogling me and him as we stared at each other. My eyes flicked back toward the two men, and then I lifted my head to look at Antonio.

“I told you
Mr.Cardinelli
, that I am under a contract. I cannot provide any services for at least another four weeks. Like I said before, if you would give the agency a call, I’m sure Lexie can put you in touch with someone who can accommodate you.”

I started to walk away in the other direction, ignoring the cabs and choosing to walk instead. I had a bad feeling of dread in my stomach and I tried to quicken my pace, weaving in and out of the people who were also walking on the sidewalk. I was stopped in my tracks when a hand clamped over my arm and pulled me backward. If we were in any other city other than New York, people maybe would have noticed, but not in this city. I could be lying on the ground bleeding to death and people would just step over me and be on their way. So when a big crime boss grabs you by the arm and pulls you backward, no one gives a fuck about that either.

“I think that the terms of your contract will be negotiated,” he spoke in my ear and the smoky smell of his cigar breath made me nauseous. I tried to pull away from him, but didn’t have any strength and my attempt at escape was unfruitful. A black car pulled up to the curb and the two men standing behind him rushed over to it as one of them opened the passenger side back door.

“Get in the car, Nicola. We have business to discuss.”

“I’m not discussing anything with you. Let. Me. Go.”

I was ignored as I was pulled and then practically shoved into the back seat of the car. Although the warmth of the heated leather seats was welcome to my body, the uneasy and fearful feeling that threatened to overwhelm me was not. Antonio climbed into the back seat next to me and sat uncomfortably close. The unpleasant smell of tobacco mixed with his cologne filled the back cab of the car, nearly choking the breath from me. The two men that had been with him climbed into the front seat and we soon pulled out into traffic, heading towards God knew where.

“What do you want?” I asked as I shoved my purse next to me, trying to create some sort of barrier between Antonio and me.

“You know what I want, Nicola, don’t try to act coy. You just come off being bitchy.” I turned around in my seat so that I could look him in the eyes, showing him that I was not about to back down.

“You will
never
have me. You’re pompous and arrogant if you even think that is a possibility.”

“Trust me, my dear, you’ll change your mind.”

He ran the tip of his pinky across my jeans, and even though he didn’t touch my actual skin, it was like his touch scorched me. I didn’t want this man’s hands on me. In fact, I’ve never turned down someone who was willing to pay me, yet something about Cardinelli sent warning signals flashing through my mind. I jerked my leg away from him and he smiled with a cocky and sardonic attitude.

“You and the good doctor have gotten close.”

My head snapped in his direction. No one knew about my arrangements with Andris other than Lexie. She was the only person other than Link, Andris, and myself who knew the terms of that contract, and suddenly my warning signals started flashing stronger and brighter.