Page 54 of Ruthless Touch
He sweetly smiles and nods at my joke. “Even if you buy one of those, although I know you don’t like that artist’s style.”
“I just don’t want you to hate whatever it is I buy. It’s your villa. Maybe you should buy it.”
Shaking his head, he levels his gaze on me like what he’s about to say is important. “Aria, I trust you. I want you to be happy at the villa, and right now, it’s all my style. So go buy something that you love.”
He kisses me and then begins walking out toward the front door as he fixes his tie. Still unsure what he wants me to buy, I say, “You know, you made it seem like you were a bad man when I first got here. I’m pretty sure bad men don’t hand a woman their credit card and tell her to buy something for herself.”
Gideon stops right before he reaches the door and looks back at me. With a devilish smile, he says, “I am a bad man. Just not with you. Raphael will be waiting to escort you wherever you need to go today. I can’t wait to see what you buy.”
As the door closes behind him, I don’t know what he means about being a bad man. So far, other than keeping me here under that stoic guard who rarely speaks to me, Gideon has been more thoughtful than most men I’ve met.
But that only means I need to be on my guard because if experience has told me anything, it’s that even good men do bad things that can hurt you.
After an entire day’s shopping at eight stores and approximately ten words spoken between Raphael and me, I return with a sculpture of a woman carrying a vase I found in a little artist’s boutique tucked away on a side street. Made of black marble, it cost far more than I would have ever considered paying for any one piece of art, but Gideon did say price was no object, and as soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew it would look great in the villa’s main room.
I set it down on the table behind the sofa and instantly wonder if he’s going to be disappointed I didn’t buy anything for the kitchen. He’s right that it’s quite sterile. All white with black accents and stainless-steel appliances looks modern, but it creates a cold feeling.
Maybe I should have gotten a red or yellow piece for that room instead.
Today felt so great, though, so I can’t let myself worry about not getting something for the kitchen. Even though I had to spend it with Raphael, who always does a bang-up job pretending to be mute around me, I enjoyed being able to walk around freely and visit whatever stores I wanted to.
And yes, I liked having the protection of a bodyguard to make sure Franco or one of his friends didn’t jump out from out of nowhere and grab me. Even if Raphael didn’t speak two sentences to me.
Behind me, the front door opens, and the look on Gideon’s face is one of pure joy. I don’t think I’ve seen him this happy in all the time I’ve been here.
“I saw you and Raphael walk through the lobby and wanted to come up to see what you bought,” he says, looking around the living room to locate my new purchase.
Stepping to the side, I reveal the black marble sculpture and watch as he nods his approval. “Do you like it? I didn’t get anything for the kitchen that would brighten it up, but I can go back out tomorrow, if you want. Or I can go now, assuming Raphael doesn’t have an issue with that.”
Gideon takes me in his arms and kisses me like he hasn’t seen me in days. “First of all, Raphael has nothing to do other than protect you. That means if you go somewhere, he goes. More importantly, I love what you bought. Where do you think we should put it in the villa?”
Thrilled he approves of the sculpture, I say, “I thought in the main room right over near the doorway out to the terrace. I think it would look great there.”
“Then that’s where we’ll put it. If you want to go back out tomorrow for something to brighten up the kitchen, that’s okay too. Keep the card just in case.”
Unsure if what I bought or something else has put him in a great mood, I ask, “Did work go especially well today? You seem very happy about something.”
He shakes his head as his excitement dims just a little. “Actually, work was work. Nothing good or bad. Just work. I’m happy because you bought exactly what you wanted. I assume there were no issues with Raphael. I didn’t ask him how it went today on my way in, but since he didn’t say anything, I’m guessing you two got along fine?”
I can’t help but roll my eyes. “He didn’t say anything because I think he’s just like that woman with the vase sculpture. I think she’d say more if she had the chance. I don’t think he spoke ten words to me the entire day. It was like having a statue walk around with me for all those hours.”
“Raphael does as he’s told. He’s not supposed to chit chat with you all day,” Gideon says with a grin. “I might get jealous if he did.”
Surprised to hear him say anything like that, I glance at the door where I know Raphael is standing on the other side and then back at Gideon. “He’s not my type. You know how much I hate the silent treatment, don’t you? Anyway, I don’t think he likes me, to be honest.”
“I don’t care what he thinks of you. All I need him to do is keep you safe, which he did, so for that he gets to keep his job. You seem to have had a good time despite not having anyone to talk with. Did you see anything else you want to buy?”
“Are you kidding? I saw dozens of things, but you said to buy one thing, so one was all I got.”
Gideon takes my face in his hands and presses his forehead to mine. “The next time you go out shopping, feel free to buy whatever you want. I mean it. If you want it, it’s yours.”
“Really?”
He leans back and nods. “Yes, really. If it makes you happy, then I want you to have it.”
“And price is no object?” I ask, sure this time he’ll tell me to keep it to a certain amount. He’s wealthy, but I can’t imagine he wants me blowing his money all over town.
“No object. The only thing that matters to me is you’re happy.”