Hot Latin Men 1 The Arrangement Delaney Diamond

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It wasn t a request, Alexa.
She allowed silence to remain on the line for a few moments. Of course it wasn t. Leonardo was in
control, and he wouldn t take no for an answer.
Just drop whatever I have planned?
Precisely.
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The Arrangement
Delaney Diamond
Is that what I can expect moving forward? This can t go on indefinitely.
It won t. As you reminded me before you left, it s only for two months.
Fine. Since I don t have a choice. She wanted to sound angry, but instead her voice came out
weaker than she intended. For some ridiculous reason, having him remind her that they were only
back together for a short while made Alexa unhappy.
You always have a choice. You had a choice of whether or not you should come back to me, and you
chose to do so. I didn t force you.
She held back the laugh that threatened to ripple from down deep in her throat. How could two people
have such disparate views of the same situation?
I still have to find a dress, Alexa said. There isn t much time. I d have to spend all of tomorrow
shopping if I m going to find something appropriate to wear to the Simpsons party.
There s no need to be concerned about what you ll wear tomorrow,
Leonardo said in a brisk voice, which was an indication he was ready to wrap up the conversation.
Everything you need is at the house. So you ll join me tomorrow? I think everyone will enjoy seeing
you and be pleased that we ve reconciled.
Except that they weren t reconciled. It was a lie.
Alexa bit back the angry retort that hovered around her lips. Instead, she kept her voice neutral when
she spoke again. I ll join you tomorrow night.
I ll go along with your charade for the next two months, Leo. I ll go to your parties, act like the
perfect hostess when you throw your own, and run your home the way you like. But as soon as the
time is up, I m walking away as quickly as I can.
Don t forget you ll also have to share my bed every night, Leonardo said.
Alexa felt her pulse flutter. Of course he would remind her of that part.
I will see you tomorrow night at home, he added.
At home.
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The Arrangement
Delaney Diamond
Alexa froze as her neck muscles tensed. The words left his tongue with ease, but for her, it was
difficult to imagine the sprawling mansion as home.
It hadn t been home for some time, and she wondered what it would feel like to be back there and if
anything had changed. No doubt Leonardo had worked to eradicate from every corner any evidence
she had ever lived there.
I ll see you tomorrow, Leo.
* * * *
The well-tended lawn and shrubs looked the same when the chauffeured car Leonardo sent for Alexa
cruised through the iron gates and made its way up the winding cobblestone driveway made of granite
pavers. The grass looked like a soft green carpet, and the shrubs were rounded and trimmed into neat
cylindrical shapes. Even the rose bushes she d requested the gardener plant were still in place on
either side of the imposing front door, adding a vivid splash of color against the stucco walls.
Upon entering the house, Alexa found that the furnishings and d�cor were exactly the same, too. She
didn t know if that was a good thing or not.
Because her surroundings were identical to when she left, she felt her old apprehensions resurfacing.
She was back in the same imposing house she had fled because she was so unhappy.
Good afternoon, Mrs. Silva.
The housekeeper greeted her with a smile when their paths crossed.
Because of the housekeeper, the maids, the house manager, the butler, the cook, the gardeners, the
pool man, and the chauffeur, the mansion operated like a Fortune 500 company. When Alexa lived
there, her role as the woman of the house was to manage the staff, but they were so efficient she often
felt superfluous.
Alexa returned the housekeeper s greeting. If she was surprised to see Alexa, she gave no indication,
and neither did the other employees. Everyone behaved as if she had never left. It made her wonder
what exactly Leonardo had said to them.
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The Arrangement
Delaney Diamond
She took her time up the stairs to the room she would once again share with her husband. The master
bedroom suite was at the end of a hallway in the east wing of the house. The balcony leading off of it
overlooked a swimming pool. Concrete steps led from the balcony to the private courtyard below. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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