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Marianne nodded eagerly. “I will!”
“Good. In the meantime, you three have an assignment.”
“Is that right?” asked Pearl.
Logan checked his watch. “It’s a little after one right now. I’ve made dinner reservations for eight. Until then, the three of you need to take the afternoon and find something to wear for the opening tomorrow. I’ve been in contact with a few boutiques in town, all with prêt-à-porter clothes, so you should all be able to find something.”
“We get to try on dresses!” Marianne said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “This is going to be so fun!”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, anxiety taking hold.
“What about… you know.” I didn’t want to come out with the exact words, not wanting to scare Marianne.
Logan stepped over to me. “Here in the penthouse, you’re as safe as it gets. This building is as secure as a bank vault, with on-staff security and no way to get in or out without explicit permission. As far as when you’re out in the city…”
As if they’d been awaiting those very words, Roberto and two other men entered the apartment. Both men were huge and hulking, just like Roberto. One had a shaved head, the other with long, dark hair pulled into a neat ponytail. Both wore serious expressions of all business, their eyes hidden behind sunglasses and their mouths in hard, flat lines.
“Roberto?” Logan asked. “You want to introduce our new friends?”
“Gladly. Ladies, this is Edgar,” the man with the shaved head nodded, “…and Renaldo.” The man with the ponytail nodded. “Now, as much as we’d love to give you three the run of the city, we’re going to err on the side of caution. To that end, each of you will have one of us assigned to you for the next few days while we’re here.”
Marianne appeared worried. “Is this because of what happened at the beach?” she asked. “With Marta?”
“That’s right,” Logan said. “But I’m almost positive that there’s nothing to worry about, sis. These guys are just here to make sure this weekend is fun and safe, OK?”
Marianne nodded, but I could see the tinge of fear in her expression.
“We’re going to be shadowing you three,” Roberto went on. “So, just try to pretend we’re not there.”
Pearl smiled, her eyes lingering on the two new men in a way that made it clear she was happy with the displays of machomanhood on display. “What if we don’twantto pretend that you’re not there?”
Roberto chuckled. “Easy, Pearl. Try not to chew these poor boys up and spit them out.”
Pearl laughed. “I’ll do my best.”
“Anyway,” Roberto said. “There’s a pair of cars outside. We’ll take one, you three will take the other. I’ll be the driver of your car, ladies. Take a few minutes to get settled in, then we’ll be on our way.”
“Come on,” Logan said, an espresso in his hands. “I’ll show you to your room.”
He nodded toward the spiral staircase and together, we went up. The height of the stairs afforded an incredible, sweeping view of not just the apartment, but the city outside the tall windows. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before.
“This is a big place.” Not knowing what else to say, the words came out of my mouth sounding silly.
“A little too big, if you ask me,” Logan replied. “I’m here most of the time by myself, and sometimes it can feel a little empty.” He chuckled. “I bought this as something of a celebration for myself when I turned thirty, to celebrate my first billion.”
I blinked hard at that revelation.
“Marta made me Crème Brulé for my last birthday.”
He chuckled at my words, the two of us reaching the third floor and heading down the hall. Logan opened the door to a large bedroom, the window-walls looking out over the south half of Manhattan.
“Hope this works for you,” he said, shutting the door as he spoke.
“Should be just fine. And—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish. Logan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss, the suddenness of it shocking and wonderful all at once. Our tongues met, the taste ofespresso on his lips. I fell into the kiss right away, eager for him to take me right then and there.
Instead, he pulled away. The cocky smile that remained on his face suggested that he knew just what he was doing by denying me what I wanted.
