“No!” I pulled back but his arms went tighter. “I’ve got a shed load of work to do and with all this nonsense, I’m way behind. You cuff me to the bed, I’ll miss a deadline and lose a client.”

His eyes narrowed on me. “Can I trust you not to do anything stupid?”

“Of course.”

Without hesitation, he asked, “Can I trust you not to lie to me about not doin’ anything stupid?”

“Luke!”

His hand went into my hair, his head slanted and he kissed me, hot and deep. Then he did it again, hotter and deeper. When I’d pulled his tee out of his cargos and was running my hands up the muscles of his back and pressing myself full frontal into him, his lips detached.

I stared at him in a total and complete Luke Lip Fog.

“That’s how I like it,” he muttered against my mouth, moved up to kiss my nose then he was gone.

Chapter Eleven

That Didn’t Go Too Good

After Luke left, I had, what I found out much later, was a very stupid idea.

After that, I had what Luke would consider a very stupid idea (if he knew about it, which I was not about to tell him). I had to admit, the way it turned out, if he had known about it and given me his opinion, he would have been right.

* * * * *

See, I figured if I took care of myself then I wouldn’t get so hot and bothered all the time when Luke kissed me. I hadn’t had an orgasm in awhile and I thought if I had one then no way would Luke affect me so much. I’d be oblivious, unmoved and I could resist him.

Not to mention, after Luke’s wakeup call and his recent kiss, I was way turned on.

So I lay in his bed and waited for awhile to make certain he wouldn’t come back. Then I unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and slid my hand inside.

What I did not know was that’s when, not far away, a guy named Jack, sitting in the surveillance room at Nightingale Investigations leaned forward and flipped off the switch that activated the cameras in Luke’s loft that Luke just called him and told him to switch on.

* * * * *

As I mentioned, it had been awhile (and it was helped by the fact that I was in Luke’s bed) so my self-gratification didn’t take long to achieve.

After as I was lying in bed, pleased with myself (very pleased), a thought came to me. A way out of this mess.

Uncle Vito.

If I got to Uncle Vito first, before Luke, taking Sissy with me, and told him what was happening with Dom, he’d deal with it. He’d even probably help Sissy out in the divorce. He was Italian, he was Catholic but he also thought Dom was a dickhead (like everybody else). And since he loved both Sissy and me, if we double-teamed him we couldn’t go wrong.

That way I wouldn’t owe Luke and I could move out of his house. All my problems solved!

I don’t think this is a good idea, Good Ava commented, wringing her hands.

I think it’s a GREAT idea, call Sissy right now, Bad Ava yelled, jumping up and down with excitement.

I called Sissy.

“Hey,” she said.

“Yo. Listen, you know who kidnapped me?”

“Mister Zano,” she answered.

“Vito Zano,” I said.

“Uncle Vito?” she sounded shocked as if there were five thousand “Mr. Zanos” in Denver. However, I didn’t blame her, I would have been shocked too if at the time I knew Uncle Vito kidnapped me, he loved me. “Who told you that?” she asked.

“Luke.”

“I don’t believe it. Uncle Vito wouldn’t kidnap you, he loves you.”

See!

“I have a plan,” I said then I told her the plan.

“I’m in,” she agreed immediately, as bestest best friends do.

“We have to hurry, we have to get there before he meets with Luke.”

“Come get me. I’ll be ready.”

* * * * *

I was in the Range Rover just blowing out of Luke’s parking garage when my phone rang.

It said “Shirleen Calling”.

I flipped it open and put it to my ear. “Yo.”

“Yo mama. I called this morning early ‘cause I know these boys like their mornin’ piece of ass. You didn’t answer. Please tell me you didn’t lose me another fifty bucks,” Shirleen said.

“I didn’t.”

“All right, girl,” she sounded pleased. “You got to hold out until tomorrow then you and Luke can do the nasty. It has to be tomorrow.”

“Shirleen, Luke and I are never going to do the nasty.”

“Unh-hunh.” Now she sounded like she didn’t believe me.

I rolled my eyes and came to a stop at a red light.

“He there now?” she asked.

“No, I’m on my way to pick up Sissy.”

“He let you out?” Now she sounded surprised.

“Not exactly.”

“Oh Lord.” Now she sounded worried. “What’re you and Sissy plannin’ to do? Daisy’s over and we’re gonna watch a Days of Our Lives marathon. Now that I got a day job, I got to Tivo Days of Our Lives. I watch the whole week solid every Sunday afternoon. It’s a ritual. You and Sissy could come over, we got popcorn.”

“Sissy and I are going to talk to Vito Zano.”

Silence.

“Shirleen?”

“Girl, why in the hell are you and Sissy goin’ to talk to Vito Zano?” Now she sounded kind of mad.

“He’s Dom’s uncle. Sissy and I both know him. We’re going to ask him to help us out. He loves us. He’s Uncle Vito.”

“Uncle Vito my ass. Are you crazy?” Now she sounded like she thought I was crazy.

“Relax, Shirleen, I have it all figured out.”

“Shee-it, girl. You’re cracked,” she took the phone away from her ear and I heard her talking to Daisy then I heard Daisy screech. “Is she crazy?”

Jeez.

Shirleen came back to me. “Tell me what chance I got of talkin’ you out of this fool idea.”

“Zip,” I informed her.

“Tell me where Sissy’s stayin’. We’ll meet you there.”

“Shirleen, there’s no need.”

“There’s a need, there’s so much of a need, I’m missin’ my Days of Our Lives ritual. Tell me the address.”

“Shirleen –”

“Tell me.” Now she sounded like she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

I told her.

* * * * *

Sissy, Shirleen, Daisy and I rolled up to Uncle Vito’s house in Englewood.

He lived in what looked like your normal, average, everyday house in a normal, average, everyday neighborhood. It wasn’t until you got inside and saw the Picasso scribble framed on the wall and swam in his indoor pool off the back room that you found out he was loaded.