Chapter 5

I've been anticipating tonight with bated breath. I'm hoping everything goes as planned. This is the first step. The beginning of Ariella Gregory's falling in love with me and leaving her ass of a boyfriend.

I'm getting ready to leave for her house at around five-thirty. But I restrained myself. I don't want her to think I'm overjoyed and too eager, even if I am on the inside. It's a thirty-minute drive from my opulent mansion to hers. And I can't seem to stop pacing. I'm dying to get there right now. But I need just a little bit more patience. I've waited ten years. What harm can another fifteen or twenty minutes of waiting do?

A ping on my phone notified me. I immediately took it out of my pocket, thinking it was Ari. When I realized it was Kyle, my excitement turned to frustration. What exactly does he want now?

"Hello, bro, I hope you have a wonderful date night with lady love. But, for the fucking life of me, don't turn off your cellphone later when things get steamy. I hope you're still aware that I need to send in the codes later tonight."

After reading the message, I realized how irritating my friend could be. Despite the fact that he is our mafia group's second in command, he is behaving childishly. Most of the time, I have no idea why I put him in that position.

What a jerk! He really knew how to ruin my mood. He does have a point, however, in that I should be on high alert at all times because the delivery is critical to our operations.

"Whatever you want, ass! Be sure to come to my office first thing in the morning. That, however, is not a request. That's a command." I texted back.

"Copy." He also texted back right away.

I'm not sure what the fuck is going on with me. Kyle is completely right; I am the one who is turning into a wuss. I understand how extremely crucial this shipment is to our operations, but look where I'm going! I am going to a fucking gala! I shook my head in complete disbelief at myself.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was a quarter to six. I think I should go. I'm hoping that everything goes as planned for this date and the deliveries.

---

"Oh! My goodness, Elliot!" As soon as Ari saw me outside her apartment, she yelled. I rake my gaze over her. She resembles an angel fallen from heaven.

She was dressed in a fucking red-tight dress with a slit almost to her thigh. Her hair is sprawled above her shoulders. I can't take my eyes off her sexy body. I wet my lips with my tongue while still paying complete attention to her. I was completely captivated by the way she slowly approached me.

It's like we're in a fucking movie where everything is turned into slow-motion when the man meets the lady of his dreams. Elliot, what the fucking shit! Even your mind is turning into jelly. Shit, I need to compose myself.

I bit my lower lip and stare at her seductively with my brows furrowed. She's very attractive. As she slowly approaches me, I can't help but feel the need to grab her in my arms and kiss her relentlessly. But I know I won't be able to. No, not yet. No way, not tonight.

She approached me with a cute little smile on her face. Elliot, what the fuck?! It appears that the word "cute" has now become your all-time favorite. "Allister, keep your eyes up here. How dare you look at me like that?" she jokingly said.

Her gaze travels up and down my body as well. She bit her lower lip, which doesn't help with the twitching I'm experiencing down there. I moved a little closer to her and whispered in her ear, "I have come to appreciate you, Ari. But now, it seems like we're even. Do you like what you're seeing as well? It seems like you can't get enough?"

She flushed immediately upon hearing those words. "I can't believe you're this attractive and hot, Elliot."

I shook my head and let out a small, restricted laugh. "I've been this hot and attractive for a long time now, Ari. But you're on fire, baby! Are you attempting to seduce me right now? Because it's definitely working."

Her eyes widen as she hears me say that. Her pink cheeks are proof that my words have an effect on her. "El, stop!" she stated.

"We'd better keep going before I change my mind and take you somewhere else." I grumbled, earning myself a slap on the arm from her.

"What a tease!" she retorted.

"Oh, baby, this isn't teasing you yet. I'll make sure to inform you and give you the opportunity to experience how I tease and flirt."

"Geez, is that your pick-up line, so you can get inside all the ladies' dresses?" she asked.

"I don't need a pick-up line, baby. They need me to pick them up, not the other way around." I said before urging her to get inside the car.

"Whatever, El." she said.

"No need to be jealous, baby. I'm all yours as your boyfriend."

"Back-up boyfriend, Elliot. Back-up boyfriend." And there she goes, bursting my bubble once again.

The forty-five-minute drive to the gala venue is something I'd expected. Ariella, the chirpy one, is always present. I would have enjoyed the ride if it hadn't been for her cellphone's constant pinging. What's more annoying is that every time her phone turned on, a smile appeared on her face. It's as if she's completely forgotten I'm with her.

I try to keep my rage and fury under control. And I feel as if I'm suffocating. This is the longest I've had to put up with trying to control my rage. And it's all because of Ari's jerk of a boyfriend, who keeps on texting her when I'm with her.

Her face lit up as soon as we arrived at the venue. I can tell she is very excited about this. "Thanks, El!" She says as she looks at me with those mesmerizing eyes. "Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for me."

I slowly nodded to acknowledge what she said. Then she put her hands up for me to hold. I snaked my arm around her waist instead of holding her hand. It's better so that most of the jerks here know she's mine.

The moment we walked in, I felt like all eyes were on us. All the ladies are envious of her. What can I say, I am a ladies' man. Though, it didn't keep my eyes from noticing the lustful stares my date was receiving from the jerks here. This urged me to pull her closer into my body.

"Aren't we possessive now?" she chirped.

"Ari!" A lady called her. She approaches us seductively, clearly staring me down from head to foot. Ari noticed this and snaked her arm around my waist, leaning a little bit closer.

"So, who's the possessive one now?" I mumbled. She gave me an annoyed look before returning her gaze to the person who had called her.

"Trish."

"It's great to have you here. And I'm assuming this is the boyfriend, correct? Because if not, you know, I'd love to apply to be his girlfriend." Trish, as Ari refers to her, is an obvious flirt.

I raised an eyebrow and swept my gaze over her. She's scorching hot, I'll give her that. When she noticed the looks I was giving her, she bit her lip seductively and said, "I'm Trish." She extended her hand for me to shake.

Ari's hand lands in her hand before I even have a chance to shake it. The lady is clearly taken aback by the gesture. "Trish, he's El, my boyfriend. So you might as well target someone else instead of him. Clear?"

Ouch. I've got a sassy one here. She's being possessive and territorial of me, which I like. The lady appears to be embarrassed by the action. "I'm sorry, Ari, but I'm not flirting or anything."

Ari introduced us, saying, "Babe, this is Trish."

"Nice to meet you, Trish." I said huskily, making Trish blush. Ari locked her gaze on me once more. And I just raised my shoulders casually.

"I'll see you two later, lovebirds. I'll just go meet Leila." Trish excused herself, and as soon as she was gone, Ari was staring at me with dagger eyes again.

"What was that?" she sounded irritated.

"What was what?"

"That, that! Nice to meet you, Trish." She said, imitating my tone of voice. I can't stop laughing at how she's acting. Is she extremely jealous? This is really appealing to me.

"Are you jealous? There's no need to be jealous, babe. I told you, I am all yours." I said quietly in her ear. I noticed a blush creeping on her face once more. I whispered again before she could say another word. "Why don't we just enjoy the night, instead of giving me those dagger stares?"

"Fine. Don't even think about flirting!" She makes a threat.

"Don't worry, I'll only be flirting with one lady. And it's just you, babe." I can see her trying to hide the smile that is slowly plastered on her face as I say those words.

I've been having a great time with Ari by my side the entire night. Everything she does makes me fall more and more in love with her. A ping on my phone notified me. I'm hoping it's the codes from the shipment so that I could focus on having a good time. I quickly took my phone from my pocket and check the message.

It was, as I expected, a message from Kyle. And it said, "KC182022."

"Code received!" I immediately replied to the message. "Report transactions."

It's a purely administrative function that reports on what happened during the shipment transition. Even if I am present at the time of delivery, we always receive reports from all posts to ensure that no police or authorities are notified.

Kyle's message alerted me once more. "The spy was intercepted. Post no. 3"

I cannot believe what I have just read. What the fuck is this? I immediately felt a surge of rage within me. A spy? Who is the spy? Why was there a fucking spy involved in this transaction? Who would even have the guts to go against me and plant a spy?

I almost forgot that Ari was beside me. "Is everything all right, El?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I just need to make a quick call." I said as I excused myself and exited the hall and motioned for my bodyguards to follow.

I called Kyle when I was a safe distance away. I need to ensure that Ari won't hear any of our conversations. "What the hell happened?" I yelled as soon as he picked up the phone. "What happened to the fucker?"

"Basement. We're about to start the interrogation. Hopefully, the bastard will start talking."

"Good. I'd like the entire report. ASAP."

"Copy." He said as he hung up the phone.

Kyle is someone I know I can put my trust in. Even if he is a jerk at times, he knows how to do his job well. I'm confident we'd get to the bottom of who the fuck is spying on us. In the mean time, I will try to remain calm. Ari has no idea about this side of me. Right now, she can't see my rage. She doesn't need to know all about this. Calm yourself, Elliot. Take a deep breath and relax.

"Is everything all right, El?" I heard her voice, and when I turned around, there she was, walking towards me. "What happened?"

"Nothing, just some business stumbling blocks. Nothing to be concerned about."

"I’m here, El. I’m always here for you. If you need someone to talk to, I will always be here as your best friend."

"Yeah, best friend." I retorted while trying to keep my sour mood at bay.

Fuck it! Friend zoned once more?! Can my night get any better than this?