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I push out my chest and pretend like I belong here. “How do you know that?”
“Because I work for Sergio,” he says brusquely. “And your name and picture are on every fucking directive we have to keep you out.”
I feel my hands clench into fists. For some reason, that makes me angry. “So everyone else can just saunter in and out of here like they belong, but I’m kept on the outskirts?”My voice rises.
My throat tightens, because I just accidentally stated, out loud, for this perfect stranger to hear, my entire life’s struggle.
I want to belong. I need to belong. And right now, the only man I’ve ever been attracted to in my entire life has orchestrated things so that the only thing I’ve ever wanted is out of my reach.
“It’s for your own good,” he says like I’m a child.
“Oh, is that right?” I take a step toward him. I must look pretty angry, because he’s bigger and way taller than I am, but he takes a step back.
“Now listen, I don’t want to lose my job. If Sergio finds out—”
“That she directly disobeyed my orders?”
My skin feels strangely tingly. That can’t be Sergio. How could it be Sergio? He isn’t here already, is he? No…
It’s hard to imagine a big, tall, strong man like this guy quaking at the thought of disobeying someone, but here we are. He looks like he’s afraid Sergio’s going to hurt him.“I’m so sorry, sir,” the man says.
And maybe he is. Because of me.
“It isn’t your fault,” Sergio says because sure enough, he’s here. Likeright. Here.He has a horrible-looking wound above one eye, and bruises along his neck. He’s got bandages and smaller, angry-looking lacerations, but he’s here. “It’s hers.”
Her fault. As inme.
“I thought you were hurt,” I whisper.
His eyebrows rise as Gino reaches us. “Do I look uninjured?”
“No,” I whisper. “You look terrible.”
He huffs out a laugh. “You really should consider telling the truth once in a while.”
I swallow.
I’m going to lose my job. He’s going to fire me for this, and I don’t know where I’ll go.
But he’s fair, I tell myself. He’ll at least pay me for what I’ve done, won’t he? Would that be enough to do what I have to? My mind races with fear.
“Office,” he snaps, pointing to a stairway. At the top there’s a closed door, and from here I can see a glass panel that overlooks this room. His… office. “Now.”
My heart beats to a crazy tempo, and I shiver in fear. What’s he going to do? I don’t want to lose my job. I can’t—
“I’ll—go back to the—the kitchen,” I stammer, turning away as if I can just go ahead and pretend that nothing went wrong, that I wasn’t here, that I didn’t just blatantly defy an order.
“Excuse me?” Sergio’s words make both the man in the suit and Gino wince. I feel as if someone’s just sucked all the air out of the room. I draw in a shaky breath.
“You don’t need to—hurt yourself,” I begin inanely. “You look like you need rest. This was just an accident. We’ll just pretend like this never happened and you and I can—”
Sergio takes one step toward me, his eyes flashing. “I’m going to repeat my instruction one more time, Eden.” Sergio’s voice is low and controlled. “And understand that I never repeat myself.”
“He never repeats himself,” Gino corroborates, shaking his head. “Consider yourself special, girly.”
Lucky me.Like I needed the input.
The next time Gino wants cookies, he’s going to have tobuy them.
