Power and Possession(113)
She lifted one eyebrow. “It’s a little hard to forget when she said you two had a child. Does Kate know?”
He wanted to slap that smug look off her face. He knew what she was doing. A good offense is the best defense. “Yes, Kate knows. And the child wasn’t mine. The situation was taken care of a long time ago. End of story.”
Nicole made a face. “Funny. She says the child is yours.”
One of his eyebrows flicked; that was all. “Since you met her, you have to be aware that she’s a gilt-edged, lying bitch. Now, we’re done with this conversation and if you mention it to Kate, I’ll have you on a plane home so fast your head will spin. Do we understand each other?”
“I’m not going home, so fuck you and your threats,” Nicole snapped.
“You’re going home if I say you’re going home,” Dominic snapped back.
“Jesus, Dominic, who made you God?” she shouted. “I’m twenty-two years old, I’m not your child, you have no say over what I do.”
“Keep your goddamn voice down or you’ll wake the kids,” he growled. “And little missy, right now, I’m the only one who does have a say. Or would you like me to tell your mother who you’re mixed up with? No? It looks like you don’t think that’s a great idea. I won’t even mention your dad because he’d lock you in your room for the next decade if he knew what the hell Rafe Contini does in his free time. And I’m not talking about the Chandelier Club. He took you there because it was tame. Yeah, look all wide-eyed. That place is like nursery school for hard-core players. Okay?”
“And you would know,” she hissed.
“I did. Not anymore. But that’s the difference between him and me. The serious, anything-goes, twisted, fuck scene is still his playground.” His gaze narrowed. “You wouldn’t like it. There’s nothing pretty about it.”
“You can’t scare me. If other places are worse, he didn’t take me to those, okay? There’s nothing about him that frightens me.” Unblinking, she stared at him. “So stop with the bullshit. And I’m only here for the summer anyway—a few weeks more. Then I have to go back to school. You don’t have to make a federal case about this. We’re both just enjoying the holiday.”
“He’s got other problems,” Dominic said flatly. “Business shit that could be dangerous.”
“If you’re talking about the attack on his company computers, that’s over.”
Dominic slid two small cups of espresso out from under the machine spouts, and walked over to the table, wondering what lie would best serve. “There might be more attacks,” he said simply, setting the cups down and taking a seat at the table.
“Rafe has plenty of security. Like you. He protects me the same way you protect your family.”
She didn’t have a clue in hell. “I’m not sure that’s true.”
“See, you’re equivocating.” She jabbed her finger at him. “You don’t know.”
“Maybe if you just went home for a week or so,” Dominic suggested, perjuring himself without a qualm, intent on getting Nicole to the States, where she’d be safe. “Once things calm down you—”
Two young children suddenly burst into the kitchen screaming, high-pitched and repetitively, “Auntie Nicole! Tanti Mic! Auntie Nicole! Tanti Mic!”
And a moment later two little pajama-clad bodies hurled themselves at Nicole. She leaned down, scooped them up on her lap, and the adult conversation was over.
Kate arrived a few minutes later, tying the belt on her robe. “Morning, everyone. Isn’t it nice Auntie Nicole is visiting?” She smiled at her children crowded together on Nicole’s lap. “Tell Auntie what you’ve been doing this summer.”
Both children began talking at once, giving Nicole a breathless rendition of their activities: how they’d been learning to swim, underwater, they both explained in an excited rush of words. How they were going to go to the seashore too before they had to go back to school. How they’d had classes in computer games, James explained with such swelling pleasure, his words tumbled out in an unintelligible flurry that required interpretation from his older sister. “Isn’t that so, Jimmy,” Rosie said, after making everything clear. He nodded furiously, his dark hair flopping back and forth and went off on another tangent, requiring further explanation.
Their indulgent parents watched and smiled.
Nicole was smiling too. She and the children were close.
Suddenly, the back door to the kitchen opened and a tall, gray-haired woman walked in, carrying a market basket with fresh produce and two baguettes tucked under her arm. She greeted everyone with a smile and a cheerful, “Bonjour.”