Ari jumped at the sound of Rafe’s voice. By the teasing quality of his tone she knew he was once again trying to rile her – she refused to bite.
“Hello, Mr. Palazzo. It seems to be an unfortunate occurrence that I continue running into you here. Hopefully this time I don’t end up needing an x-ray,” Ari said as she turned to see his eyes narrow.
“Ari, Ari, Ari. Did you not listen the last time we spoke? I warned you that you’d be punished the next time you called me by my last name.”
“As we’re in a public building, I don’t see that there’s anything you can do to me,” she smarted off, secure in the knowledge that not only were they surrounded by patients and visitors, but there were also armed staff throughout the building.
“I see that you think you’re safe, but never underestimate me, Ari. Once I decide on a course of action, nothing… and no one… can stop me,” he threatened as his hands came up on either side of her head and he boxed her against the wall.
“Normally, I’d love to prove to you how wrong you are, but today’s not the best day. I need to get back soon.”
His eyes assessed her face, and though she tried to keep a neutral expression plastered on, she knew he could see right through her. She had dark circles, edged by red from the tears earlier shed, along with another five pounds of weight loss. She looked terrible, and she knew it.
“What’s wrong?”
“None of your business.”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to play games. If you don’t, then just answer my question,” he said firmly.
“Fine. It’s not like you can’t figure it out. With most people, you barely open your mouth and they’re spilling everything to you. My mom’s in surgery. It’s just been a little stressful. She had complications from her last surgery and they had to go back in. She should’ve been out of her weeks ago, but her body is fighting her every step of the way. I know she’ll be fine but I can’t stop worrying.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d tell me or not. Thank you for sharing. I’m going to help you take your mind off the surgery while we wait for information from her doctor.”
Rafe moved his hands from the wall and gripped her arm, sliding it through his. He started tugging on her, causing her to nearly trip as she tried to make a stand. Since she could either plummet to the floor or go along with him, she finally started to move. It was the lesser of two evils since she didn’t want to cause a scene and have people staring.
“I don’t need your pity or your attention. I’ve been doing just fine all morning on my own.”
“Obviously you aren’t doing fine. You’ve lost even more weight that you can’t afford to lose, your cheeks are sunken in, and you look like you haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in ages. You, more than anyone I know, should be working for me. You obviously need a keeper.”
Ari was almost grateful for his words. For a brief moment, her worry over her mother was pushed down as irritation with Rafe jumped to the forefront. She couldn’t stand how bossy he was.
“I’m taking care of myself just fine. I absolutely don’t need a keeper. As a matter of fact, I had a large breakfast this morning.”
“Liar. I bet you’ve only barely pecked your food over the last few days, and had absolutely nothing today. You’re worried about your mother and I can understand that. But, you’re being selfish, Ari. How do you think it makes her feel to see her daughter taking such poor care of herself. Your mom will need to worry about getting herself better when she comes out of surgery, not spend her time fretting about you.”
Ari took in a sharp breath at his words. He was so arrogant and rude. It really infuriated her that he was also right. The thought of food was turning her stomach. How could she eat when her mother could possibly be dying? It just seemed wrong.
“Where are we going?” she finally asked as he turned a corner.
“To get lunch.”
“I’m not hungry. I already told you that I ate.”
“And I already called you a liar. How many arguments have you won with me, Ari? None. You may not be mine to control yet, but that’s just a formality. I plan on having you, therefore, your health is of importance to me. You can either sit here in this cafeteria and eat a decent meal, or I won’t hesitate to throw you over my shoulder, take you to my place, and force food down your throat. Your choice.”
Ari stopped outside the cafeteria’s doors as she stared at him incredulously. The outrageous things he said to her in a normal, everyday tone of voice never ceased to amaze her. She really, really wanted to call his bluff, but by the look in his eyes, she had no doubt he’d follow through on his threat.
Even though the building was filled with security, he was a major donor to the hospital. She was beginning to doubt that they’d stop him from kidnapping her even if she were screaming her head off. She couldn’t take the chance of him taking her away and her mother coming from surgery without her there.
With a growl of frustration she turned from him and walked into the quiet cafeteria. Thankfully, there weren’t too many people present. She didn’t want to listen to their conversations, or squeeze past a line. She was going to have to concentrate fully on trying not to choke on horrible food while her stomach was already heaving at just the thought of cramming anything down her throat.
“Ah, Ari. I’m a bit disappointed you didn’t choose option two. I like the thought of you thrown over my shoulder with your ass next to my face. I’d have to turn and take a bite out of your luscious curves.”
A shiver ran down Ari’s spine at the image he was placing in her mind. She wouldn’t mind having him nibble on her derrière, either. Guilt seized her at having such a thought when her mom was still in surgery. One more reason to hate Rafe.
She ignored his comment as she moved through the various displays of food. Nothing looked remotely appealing, so she finally just grabbed an item. This didn’t seem to please Rafe because he threw several more items on her tray, then shuffled her along to the cashier.
She didn’t even attempt to pull money from her purse. She hadn’t asked for the meal so she wasn’t offering to buy it. Rafe paid the cashier, then led her to a table in the back corner of the cafeteria.
She was less than thrilled to have another private moment with him. There were about ten other people sitting around the room, but they were far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.