Changes

DIABLO

Where the hell is Emma? I’ve been trying to reach her for two days now, but nothing. No calls, no messages. Her phone just rings and rings, then goes to voicemail.

She’s one frustrating woman. I need her here. I don’t know how much longer I can keep Lauren at bay. Travis has been doing a good job managing the club and Luis is... well, Luis.

Travis is still seeing Carly, but she doesn’t have any news about when Emma will be back. It seems like Emma’s been avoiding everyone. Carly only heard that she might be back over the weekend.

Carly’s been at the club every Friday and Saturday night since Travis got promoted. It’s annoying as hell, but they seem to be keeping each other in check and growing closer.

I’m starting to worry. Something must be wrong with Emma.

It’s Friday today. If I don’t hear from her by tomorrow, I’m going to call in some favors to find her. And when I do, I’m going to kill her, bring her back to life, and kill her again for putting me through this.

She’s the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met.

I’m in my office, going through some paperwork when Luis walks in.

“Lauren’s here to see you, boss. Should I let her up?”

I think about it for a moment, then nod for Luis to let her in.

Before I see Lauren, I smell her perfume. It’s too strong. She’s a good-looking woman, but she doesn’t hold a candle to my Emma. Lauren tries too hard, while Emma’s beauty is effortless.

“Lauren, I didn’t realize we had a meeting,” I say, not bothering to stand up from behind my desk.

“We don’t, Diablo. Stop being sarcastic. I’m here for one reason only. The least you can do is greet me properly.”

I stay seated and just look at her, not in the mood for her games.

She sits down in the chair across from my desk, crossing her legs and showing off more skin as her already short dress rides up her thighs.

She glares at me. I don’t know why she thinks showing more skin will change my mind.

“What can I do for you, Lauren?”

“Why did you end our arrangement if your little plaything isn’t even here? I want to renegotiate our terms.”

“And what arrangement would that be, Lauren?” I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Our sexual arrangement, Diablo. I want more. I don’t want to limit our encounters to your office anymore.”

“Lauren, I ended our arrangement weeks ago. I made it clear that it’s over. If you can’t understand that, it’s not my problem.”

“I was clear, or do I need to remind you of our conversation?”

“I remember, Diablo.”

“I just thought you’d come to your senses by now, seeing as your precious toy hasn’t shown up and your rival isn’t happy about his daughter being with you.”

“He wants to negotiate a partnership with you.”

“Lauren, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again. Listen carefully this time. I. DON’T. WANT. ANYTHING. TO. DO. WITH. YOU,” I say, speaking slowly as if to a child.

“I have no interest in partnering with your father. Emma handles that part of the business.”

“If she thinks it’s best for my business to partner with your father, we will. But until she gives the go-ahead, it’s not happening. If you don’t understand, I can have Luis explain it to you. AGAIN.”

“Emma is in charge of all future business ventures and Lauren, you and your father will have to wait for her to return. Did I make myself clear?”

“You’re going to regret this, Diablo. My father won’t be happy about this.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. If there are any problems, Emma will handle it.”

“When, Diablo?” she yells at me. “She’s not even here. Stop living in denial, she’s not coming back. She left you more than ten weeks ago. When was the last time you heard from her?”

“Get out, Lauren. Get the hell out of my office before I throw you out. Save what little dignity you have left and leave before I make you.”

“I’ll leave for now, Diablo. But my father will be in touch with you—soon.”

She leaves the threat hanging in the air, mixed with the scent of her overpowering perfume.

EMMA

I ask Levi to book a penthouse apartment for us under his name for a few nights. I want to surprise Diablo when I return, so I plan to show up at the club on Friday night.

We get back home on Thursday. I spend most of the day catching up on sleep. I give Levi the day off. I’m lying in bed, flipping through the hotel boutique’s catalog.

I’m looking for a dress that says, “Wow, she’s back and she’s changed!” I haven’t seen Levi yet, and I don’t expect to. I don’t blame him. I’ve been working him to the bone these past few days.

If I were Levi, I’d avoid me too, just in case I change my mind. He said I’m like a Rottweiler with a new toy. I didn’t take it well at the time, but deep down, I know he’s right.

I’m taking this lifestyle very seriously and trying to cover all my bases. I don’t like surprises. The thought of my grand entrance at Bijoux tomorrow night is already making me nervous.

I need to make a big impression. That’s why I’m browsing through the catalog. Levi needs new clothes too. I’m tired of the suits he always wears. They’re starting to get on my nerves.

I wish Levi would dress more casually for everyday stuff. I only want him in a suit when we're meeting potential clients.

I ask the boutique to send a few dresses to the room for me to try on, along with the necessary accessories.

I order the basic everyday clothes I need and a couple of items for Levi. After trying on what feels like a million dresses, I finally settle on a black one.

It has thin crisscross straps in the front that show off my full, voluptuous breasts, barely covering my nipples. The back is open. The skirt ends just below my ass, highlighting my long, bronze-tanned legs. I have to admit, I look amazing.

I choose black open-toe stilettos and a matching black handbag. I charge the dress to the room and send the other dresses back to the boutique.

I arrange for a hairstylist and a beautician to come to the penthouse the next day to work their magic on me. With everything in place and on schedule, I order room service. Levi still hasn’t shown up.

I'm still all alone in the penthouse. After dinner, the best thing to do is rest.

I feel like I've been hit by a truck. All this non-stop work is stressful, as is making all the appointments. And definitely coming home. The biggest stress factor is knowing I'll be seeing Diablo soon.

I go to my room, fall on the bed, and immediately drift off into a dreamless sleep, my phone, which I turned off this morning, on the nightstand.

^D-DAY/NIGHT^

By the time I wake up and switch on my phone, I see it's already past twelve. I slept fifteen hours straight. I needed the rest before the tornado called Diablo strikes.

The messages start coming through on my phone. I immediately regret turning the damned thing on.

I have a lot of missed calls—some from Dean but mostly from Diablo—a few business texts, and an unhealthy number of messages from Diablo.

I skip to his last message.

“If you don’t contact me by Saturday morning, I’m sending the cavalry so that I can kill you for being so disrespectful to me.”

Well, at least he'll see me tonight. I don’t respond to any of the messages. I'm so thrilled to see him before he kills me…note the sarcasm….

Levi knocks on my door, telling me that he has ordered room service and that it's time to eat.

I don’t even bother getting dressed, deciding to stay in my pajamas while having brunch. I'll take a shower before the beauticians come.

Levi isn't too happy with my choice of clothes for him, but I quickly remind him who the boss is. He keeps mumbling to himself.

I only catch a word here and there, something about a bossy woman with no dress sense or something or other, which I completely ignore.

We work on our entrance plan for the evening, going through all the details while we eat our brunch. It's way past breakfast time. We continue working on a few other business matters.

When we finally finish, I see it's already five o’clock. The beauticians will arrive at six. Time for a shower.

Levi dresses in the clothes I got for him.

“I don’t want you looking like a bodyguard tonight at all.”

“Emma, I don’t particularly like the clothes you selected. I feel more comfortable with the suits.”

“Well, isn’t it a good thing I’m the boss and you have to do as I say, then?” Ignoring his customary glare, I walk to my room to take a shower.

Tonight is going to be entertaining, to say the least.

DIABLO

The club is fucking busy. Not that I’m complaining. At least the noise of the clubbers and the music drown out my thoughts of Emma. I fucking miss her. I just wish she would fucking answer my calls or texts.

I saw earlier in the day that my messages had been delivered to her phone. I even tried calling her a few times but she didn’t pick up.

When I sent the text about the cavalry, I was thoroughly pissed off and ready to find her myself and punish her.

I'm startled out of my daze by the telephone ringing on my desk.

It can only be one person: Robert, the new bartender.

“What?” I bark aggressively, annoyed with the fact that he's bothering me.

“Boss, there's a lady at the bar requesting your presence; she refuses to leave without speaking to you.”

I walk to the glass portion of my office overlooking the club with the phone still in my hand. I see a woman in a black dress and stilettos, with long wavy black hair reaching past her waist.

Her back is turned to me, so I can’t see who she is from my office. Whoever it is looks stunning from behind. The dress clings to her sexy, curvy body and shows off her long tanned legs.

If her backside is anything to go by, she is one sexy woman indeed.

“Give her a bottle of champagne and tell her I’ll be right down.” I slam the phone down on my desk, intrigued by a woman for the first time since Emma left.

I walk out of my office, making sure to lock it—a habit I learned a few weeks ago after finding out that someone had been in my office.

To this day, I can't determine if anything is missing, but I'm not taking any more chances.

When I finally reach the bar, I touch the mysterious unknown woman’s shoulder, alerting her to my presence. When she turns around, I'm completely at a loss for words.

The woman in front of me is none other than Emma, my Emma, and she looks more beautiful than I've ever seen her. All other women’s beauty fades in comparison to hers.

She's changed a lot. The black number looks absolutely stunning on her body, hugging her like a second skin in all the right places, still leaving a lot to the imagination.

“Emma? Is that really you, baby love?” I ask, still shocked to see her standing in front of me.