AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckled. “Your personal life will no longer matter once you walk through these doors, tesorucci.”
“Little Treasure,” I murmured.
“You speak Italian.”
I smiled at his shocked expression. “A little,” I lied.
I didn’t want to reveal my Black-Italian background. My parents fell in love, and I was created from that love, living for many years in Italy and some in America. My father left his family’s lifestyle when he met my mother in Chicago. I was born, and he showed us the world, letting me grow up to be who I wanted to be. Interracial marriage was still frowned upon, but my parents’ love allowed me to grow into a confident, intelligent woman.
Mr. Calabresi clicked his pen. “You will be hired on a trial basis.”
“Thank you.” I smoothed a hand through my hair.
“Don’t thank me yet. As I said, you're young in a world where you have no clue how to navigate. I’d hate to see anything happen to you.”
His words felt like a gut punch, making me think he knew the real me. “I promise to do my best, Sir.”
“Fill out the hiring packet before you leave. Ask my assistant, and she’ll show you where to start.”
“Thank you, Mr. Calabresi.”
Holding my gaze, he took my hand, creating a spark that almost made me shiver.
I had a feeling my life was about to change.
I came home from the interview to find Mark bleeding from a cut on his cheek, which was swollen.
“Shit! What did you do?” I demanded, grabbing an icepack and hurrying to help him.
“Nothing to worry about.” Mark rose, snatching the ice pack from my hand.
I frowned as he sidestepped the issue. I could almost hear Cassandra yelling at me for letting him come back home after he cheated on me six months ago. I told him I was done, but we knew our relationship was far from over. It could be toxic sometimes, but Mark was a good guy who made mistakes, like anyone else.
“Of course, I worry. My boyfriend could’ve been killed! Did you gamble after you promised you’d stop?”
Mark ran his hand through his curly hair. I loved his long hair, especially at night when we were in bed watching TV, and I ran my fingers through it while he snored. “Why do you care?”
Our relationship was nowhere near perfect. He often drank and gambled our money away, so I had to pick up the slack. I remembered the unconditional love he showed, taking care of me when my parents died. I loved him more than anything. It didn’t hurt that he was tall, lean, and athletic but not too muscular, and tattoos covered the bronze skin of his hands and neck.
I chewed my bottom lip. “Are you serious right now?”
“Did you get the job, Nyla?” He changed the subject as usual when I called him out on his bullshit.
“I did. What’s the next step?” I moved around the couch, interlocked our hands, and rested my head on his shoulder.
He winced as I caressed his cheek.
“Sorry.” I lifted onto my toes to capture his lips. “All you bad boys are alike,” I teased.
Mark smirked against my mouth. He pulled away as his phone rang, holding a finger to his lips to be quiet as he answered. “Hello."
“You do it yet?” the voice on the other line inquired.
Mark glanced at me. “She got the job. I’ll have the money soon.”
“Fuck me over, and you’re dead.” The call ended.
An eerie tingle ran down my back. “Maybe we should rethink the plan, Mark.”
