Chapter 10:

"Oh good you are both here!" Maxie exclaimed as she stepped off the elevator carrying a white baker's box. "I have cake samples from the Metro Court's pastry chef for you to try."

Maxie set the box on her desk and pulled out three forks, handing them each one. "As the maid of honor I get a vote too. None if the choices are the ho-hum choices of plain chocolate or vanilla."

Maxie opened the lid. Tucked inside were ten sample wedding cake slices. "Okay, this is what Pierre made," Maxie took a deep breath and pointed to every slice describing each one. "Key lime, coconut, marble, red velvet, passion fruit, strawberry and cream, chocolate truffle, chocolate raspberry, mint chocolate, and lemon raspberry, I could get more if you don't like any of these choices."

Dante stared at the cakes, his mouth began to water. He never knew that there were so many different flavors for wedding cakes. Whatever Lulu wanted he would agree to. He just wanted to keep her happy.

Lulu bent over and placed her fork in one of the cakes. She made a face. "It's okay, but not for me. Why don't you taste something, Dominic? Don't you want to have what you want too?"

Dante felt a stab in his heart each time she called him by his undercover name. He wished he could hear his real names on her lips. He just needed to find the perfect time and place to tell her the truth. He hoped that she'll be just as understanding once he told her.

"Whatever you choose, I'll be happy with."

Lulu dipped her fork into the chocolate raspberry cake, holding it out for Dante. He took a bite. "Now that is really good." He took the fork from her and dipped it in the cake. "Now you try it." He held out the fork to Lulu.

"Ewww!" Maxie make a gagging sound. "If I knew that you two were going to feed each other cake, I would have left the room. You two really need to get a room; don't use Kate's office this time."

Lulu ignored her. "I think we have a winner. We both like the chocolate raspberry cake."

"Good." Maxie snatched the box. "I'm going to put this in the fridge and you two can take the rest of the cake home to eat. Then I have to check with Carly about an event that Crimson wants to happen here. Don't get your panties in a bunch, its not your wedding."

She took the box into the break room. Dante wrapped his arms around her. "That was a welcome distraction. Tell me, what happened? Who dropped off the flowers off?"

Lulu shook her head. "I don't know. The box was on my desk when I got here. And no, nobody was around…"

"But?" Dante asked. "What happened?"

"The new security guard, you know the one we met yesterday, can by. He told me that the lights and the phones maybe screwed up for the next few days because of the upgrades that Jax is having done."

"And he didn't see anything?" Dante asked concerned.

"No, I don't think so. I just told him that I owed the flower delivery guy a tip," Lulu told him truthfully.

"I'll get Spinelli to check the surveillance video feeds of the Metro Court to see who this person was."

Lulu shook her head. "What if it was some guy that Santos' guy gave him a great some of money to just to drop off the flowers; I don't want someone to die just because he was paid a couple hundred bucks to do Santos a favor? No, I will not be a party to that."

Dante nodded partly because he knew that Lulu was right. Santos was sending Lulu a message. That he could get to her anywhere and anytime. Dante was damned if Santos was going to get to her. He was going to protect her until his dying breath.

She pulled away from him. She noticed the intense look on his face. "Why so serious, Dom it's not like Santos sent me a bomb."

"That is not funny," Dante said. "Santos is capable of many things. I think we need to go home." He reached for her.

Lulu backed away from him. "No! I am not going to be a prisoner in my own home! I'm not going to let Santos and his merry bands of thugs intimate me!"

Despite of himself, Dante snickered at Lulu's comment. "'Merry bands of thugs'? I've never heard of that description before when someone describing Alfonso Santos before."

"Are you mocking me?" Lulu pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's not fair."

"What, I mock you? Never." Dante wrapped her in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Lulu. I won't do anything that will hurt you."

Dante thought that this was the perfect time to tell her the truth. He opened his mouth; his lips began to form the words. "Lulu there is something…"

Lulu's cell phone rang. "Hold that thought, I need to get this."

She reached for her phone while Dante swore softly to himself. He wanted her instantly change as whoever was talking to her on the other end. "Hey Kate, yeah I know about the remodeling that Jax ordered…. Ah huh…okay. I'll keep in touch."

She hung up. "Kate is stuck in Paris right now. She is sick and the doctors won't let her fly for the next few days."

"That can't be good." Dante muttered.

"Yeah that means that Maxie and I have will have to work a lot of hours to put the fall collection to bed," Lulu muttered.

"So that means I can't take you home now?" Dante asked. He was concerned about Lulu even though she was covering pretty well; he knew that she must be frightened about getting the flowers.

"You wish. I have to get back to work. Make yourself comfortable we are going to be here for awhile." Lulu gave him a small smile.

Hours went by, Dante sat in the reception area out of Lulu's way but he was able to keep an eye on her. He was amazed on the amount of work that she and Maxie had to do to put the magazine to bed. They were on the phone with a number of different designers and photographers setting up shoots, coming up with locations for the shoots. Samples of clothing and accessories came in by the truckload. Maxie and Lulu ooh and ahhed over some gorgeous designer handbags and shoes. Dante didn't get it. Wasn't a purse a purse and shoes were shoes?

A few hours later, Dante ordered a pizza because he figured that they were going to be there for a few more hours. He waved a paper plate of a double cheese pizza in front of Lulu's face as she was typing on the computer. "Can my beautiful wife have time to have lunch with her husband?"

Lulu pushed back from her desk. "Yes! I need a break!" she took the plate from him. "Sorry was it boring for you to just sit there and watch me work? I know there are things that are more important for you to do."

"Not as important as your safety," Dante returned, taking a bite from his slice. "I take that seriously."

"If Santos wanted to do something to me, wouldn't he have already? I mean sending me a box of dead flowers and a note doesn't scream mobster to me." Lulu took a bite from her pizza.

"He's waiting for the right time," Dante said. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Lulu. I'm promising you that now."

"I know you won't and I love you for it…." Lulu trailed off realizing what she just said.

"You love me?" Dante repeated, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"I… yes I do. I love you, Dominic."

Dante took the plate from Lulu, setting it on her desk. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an intense kiss. After they broke the kiss, Maxie had left to get something from the lobby for retrieval of more packages and was going to be gone for awhile.

"Maxie should be back soon," Lulu stated.

Dante scooped her in his arm and carried her into Kate's office. "Okay, then we have to be quick," Dante said, kicking the door closed behind them.

Dante watched as Lulu slept peacefully on his chest, they didn't make it to the sofa on their first try. He just backed her against the door. They made it to the sofa on the second try, a pile of their clothes were in a heap by the door. He managed to cover them with a small blanket. His mind went back to the moment that Lulu admitted her true feelings for him. Dante wished he could have told her the truth before she said that she loved him. He wished that she called him by his real name when she said that she loved him it would have made the difference.

Now it just got messier.

He had to tell the truth and soon, nothing is like to do it in a semi-public place and while she was naked. She has nowhere to run; Lulu had listen to him she had to hear him out.

"Hey Lulu," he said rubbing her shoulder. "Wake up; I need to tell you something that is very important."

Lulu stirred, opening her eyes. "Why do you always want to have serious conversations when we are naked?"

Dante laughed. "So I know that you aren't going anywhere." He tightened his arms around her waist to keep her with him.

"So what do you want to talk about, Dominic? Can't this wait until we get back home?" Lulu asked. "We will be all alone on that big bed…" She began to kiss him along his collarbone. "I can do things to you there that we can't do here."

"As lovely that would be. I am serious; I really need to tell you this, Lulu."

Lulu stopped and looked up at him. "What is going on?"

"Lesley Lu, please let me what I am going to say without interrupting. It's hard enough," Dante said.

"Wow, my full name. It has to be serious," Lulu laughed.

"Lulu, please. No interruptions." Dante said. "Just hear me out then you can have your say."

He was so deep in thought that Dante didn't hear footsteps approach in the hallway until the door opened. "Oh geez, I am so sorry!"

Then the door slammed shut. Dante instantly recognized that voice. It was Ronnie.

Lulu was a deep shade of red as she reached for her clothing and began to pull them on and handing Dante his clothing. "That was so embarrassing. I need to get back to work." She looked over Dante who was getting dressed as well.

Dante hid his disappointment; he was ready to kill Ronnie. Why was he here anyway? Ronnie was going on and on how Dante needed to be honest Lulu, and when Dante had her undivided attention, Ronnie goes and interrupts them. It could have been worse Ronnie could have walked in a few minutes earlier when Dante and Lulu were in the middle of doing what they were doing.

Ronnie was waiting in the reception area when Dante came out of Kate's office. Lulu stayed behind to straighten up and finish up some work to give them some time to talk.

"What the hell man? Why didn't you call before you showed up?" Dante said softly so that Lulu wouldn't overhear.

Ronnie grinned. "I see that you are not banished to the sofa anymore. How is married life, now buddy?"

Dante sighed. "Why are you even here? I was in the middle of something."

Ronnie laughed. "I saw that…"

"Not that! Get your head out of the gutter. I was about to tell her the truth about everything," Dante explained.

"You were going to tell her the truth when she was naked and in a hotel? There is a lot of sharp pointy object lying around," Ronnie said. "And she would have nowhere to run."

"That is not funny, Ronnie!" Dante exclaimed. "I really love her! I hate that I have to tell her the truth and I don't want to hurt her! That is why I figured out that I would tell her the truth while she was naked; she had nowhere to run and had to hear me out."

"I came here because you missed our last few meetings at the location."

"Sorry. Santos is out there hell bent to get to me by hurting Lulu. I am not going to let that happen to her."

"You can't watch her every second," Ronnie warned. "Santos finds a way to get everything he wants."

The images that Dante had seen earlier of what Santos capable of flashed through his mind. He knew what Santos was capable of; he was to be damned to let Lulu be another of his victims. "I know; Santos already has gotten to her."

Ronnie followed Dante's pointing finger to the box of dead flowers. "Did it have a note?" Ronnie voice grew serious.

Dante nodded as he pulled out the note from his pocket and handed it to Ronnie. "This came with it. Lulu was remarkably calm about this. But underneath all that layers of thick skin I think she is afraid."

Lulu folded the blanket and set it back on the sofa. She smiled. Her husband really made her happy, she hasn't been this happy in a long time. There was a muffled ringing that filled the room. It took her a moment that it was from her cell phone.

It had fallen and slid across the room. It was under a rack of clothing. She picking it up on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hello Lesley Lu," the computer altered voice said, sending a shiver down her spine. "Did you get my gift?"

"Listen to me you sick freak," Lulu seethed into the phone. "You just wasted your good money on that gift. You don't scare me at all. You might as well as give up and leave me the hell alone." She hung up.

Jorge looked at Santos as there was a dial tone. They had the entire phone call on speaker phone. Santos smiled. "This is going to be more fun than I thought. Start phase two."