Surrender 01 - Surrender

down the hall and walked into his room, quietly shutting the door, not allowing his anger control over him. He wouldn’t slam the door; he wouldn’t smash his fists into the walls. He’d have a drink and figure out his next move.
    He would get what he wanted — he always did. It was just a matter of time.

Chapter Twenty-One

    Guilt consumed Ari as she slowly opened her mother’s hospital room door. She hadn’t been to see her in two weeks, because she’d come down with a cold that refused to end. It didn’t keep Ari from work, but it was bad enough that the hospital staff said she shouldn’t visit her mother, whose immune system was still too weak from her last surgery for her to be exposed.
    Ari’s co-workers had wanted her to go to dinner with them, since it was Friday, but she had turned them down. Seeing her mom was much more important.
    She’d rushed from work straight to the hospital, not even calling ahead. She’d spoken to her mom on the phone a number of times over the past two weeks, but Ari wanted to be with her in person.
    Her need to spend time with her mother was another reason she couldn’t even think of agreeing to work for Rafe. He’d made it clear that being with him was the only priority she was allowed to have.
    If she became his mistress, she couldn’t see her mother when she wanted to. That would never work for her. And on top of all of that, the man had her tied in so many knots that she didn’t know what was up or down anymore. How could she continue living that way?
    Two weeks ago when she’d awoken on the yacht and found it at the dock, she hadn’t thought about anything other than escape. She’d made it from the ship without running into Rafe or any of his family members, and counted her blessings. She’d gotten as far from there as possible, and hadn’t looked back.
    OK, OK, she had looked back, to her disgust. She was angry with herself for being disappointed when she didn’t hear from him. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? She’d been well aware that he would grow bored with the game of chasing her, and she should be shouting from the rooftops with joy at being free. She didn’t have to worry about her weakness around him if she didn’t have to see him. It was a win-win situation. Of course it was.
    “Ari! It’s so great to see you, darling.”
    Ari jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice. She’d been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t realized she’d pushed the door open all the way.
    “I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner, M o m. I feel terrible about it, but the doctors said I could cause you an infection,” she replied as she rushed to her mother’s bedside.
    “Oh, posh. You have a life, dear, or I certainly hope you do. Young women have much more important things to do than to hang around an old woman’s bedside day and night — whether you’re sick or not.”
    “There is nothing in my life that’s more important than you, Mom . Dr. Morgan said there were some complications from the surgery. He said it was an infection that turned septic, and they have to keep a very close eye on you or you could have organ failure. Why does one bad thing keep happening after another?” Ari sobbed.
    She wanted to take her mother home, though she still hadn’t told her that she’d had to sell the house. She didn’t know how she was going to put her mother through that when she’d been through so much already. It was going to be a very bad day, indeed.
    “I’d hoped the doctor wouldn’t tell you any of that,” Sandra said with some annoyance.
    “I’m not stupid, Mom. You should’ve been out of here weeks ago. I knew something was going on. What was he supposed to do — tell me he had a big crush on you and refused to let you leave?”
    “Mmm, he is quite handsome, isn’t he?”
    “Mom, this is serious!” Ari scolded.
    “Oh, Ari, you mustn’t worry so much. There’s nothing we can do about any of this, and I tire of constantly discussing it. Please, please tell me anything to get my mind off it. I would even be happy if you start discussing the weather, or what you ate last.”
    Ari looked at her mom for several seconds, noting how pale she looked, how much weight she’d lost. Ari was beyond worried, but her mom was right — talking about it over and over again wouldn’t help her mother heal. All she could do was give her mom what she asked for.
    “I met these three wonderful women at work. They are very pushy, but they