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“Boyfriend?” Romano asks as we drive out of the underground parking garage and through a checkpoint manned by several heavily armed dudes.
He seems way too interested in whether I have a boyfriend, so I tap out another message to Mom asking if Joel has been alright and ignore him. It’s none of his business whether I’m in a relationship. Technically he’s now my boss and I don’t get involved with people I work with. Or anyone. When we hooked up, he wasn’t my boss, so that doesn’t count.
“Husband?” he continues, his eyes flicking between me and the road. The car is impressive, I’ll give him that much. Being surrounded by all this luxurious leather makes me wonder what my life might have looked like if I hadn’t…
But we’re not going there.
“Neither,” I say eventually and he relaxes.
“I need an address.”
I tell him and he nods before tapping the digital screen in the center of the dash. Soft music starts playing through hidden speakers and I lean back in my seat. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted. But at least I got the job. Once the money startshitting my account, I can make some payments to the hospital. It should keep them happy.
Romano doesn’t say much more as we wind our way through rain-slicked streets. Skyscrapers and trendy bars give way to strip malls and rundown apartment blocks. By the time we hit my shitty neighborhood, it is well past the time Mom expected me home.
I’m going to have to ‘fess up about the dance audition, as I never got around to changing back into my work outfit. She won’t be happy, but hopefully she understands.
A couple of sketchy dudes loiter on the corner as we pull up outside my building. I can see them checking out Romano’s fine car, but he ignores them. I guess he’s not worried about being targeted by some low-life criminal. Anyone who tries it on will likely have big regrets and end up floating in Biscayne Bay.
“This is me,” I announce, eager to get out of the car and leave this intoxicating man behind. In the forty minutes it’s taken us to get here, my willpower has taken a serious hit.
“We need to talk.” He glances out of the window at the two guys hovering nearby.
I don’t want to get into a conversation. Not now.
“Thank you for the ride, but I need to go.” I start to open the door, but Romano grabs my arm. Immediately, my pulse rate rockets, and I tense up. He must sense my anxiety and he pulls his hand away, raking it through his hair with an exasperated expression. This car is too small. He takes all the space up and Iliterally can’t breathe. What on earth was I thinking accepting a lift home?
“Roxy, sorry, Rory, look…”
“It’s OK,” I mumble. “I wasn’t expecting anything, you know, before. I was cool with a one-night thing.”
He huffs with annoyance. “Maybe I wasn’t cool with just one night?”
What the actual fuck? Now I’m speechless. Instead of jumping out of this car and running away as fast as my legs will carry me, I’m glued to the leather seat, unable to process what he’s saying.
“But I thought…”
“I can’t believe you gave me a fake name,” he mutters before sliding closer to me. “I know you had a good time.” The timbre of his voice has dropped a few octaves and is now low and seductive. My body reacts immediately. It turns out six months is nowhere near long enough to forget this man. I’m not sure a lifetime would be enough, in all honesty.
A low yearning unfurls deep in my core. The car feels too hot and my skin is itchy. I want to say something, anything, but my brain refuses to work. Like a deer caught in the beam of a hunter’s spotlight, one move, and I’m done for.
“Admit you had fun, Rory,” he purrs. There’s a touch of an Italian accent, which adds to his sex appeal. Not that he needs any help. He has sex appeal in spades. Way more than a normal man.
Any sensible woman would slap his hand away when he reaches out to touch my hair, but I’m still stuck to the seat. My body wants to lean into him, I want to kiss his sensual mouth and reacquaint myself with his dick, but my brain is fighting the attraction tooth and nail.
It’s no good. A soft moan escapes when he angles his muscular body toward me and I inhale the citrus and pepper cologne he favors. Our mouths are mere millimeters apart when there’s a sharp rap on the window on his side.
He swears loudly and I pull away, inwardly cursing my non-existent willpower. I’m so fucked. There’s no way I can work at the club and avoid him, yet what choice do I have?
Romano presses a button and the window lowers.
“You’re in my parking spot,” Mr. Odessa snaps. Our apartment block has designated parking spaces. Only Mr. Odessa has a car, and he can park it anywhere, but he’s old and he likes to stick to the rules. I’m expecting Romano to unleash hell on poor Mr. Odessa but to my surprise, he apologizes and moves the car across the lot.
My phone rings and it’s Mom.Again. This gives me the motivation I need to escape Romano’s forcefield. Before he can wield his magic on me, I’m out the door.
“Thanks for the ride,” I yell before I dash into my building like my ass is on fire.
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