“I can assure you, Ms. Ricci, I don’t bite. Please, do sit down.”
I can only imagine what is going through her mind right now. The main thing being how perturbed she is that I didn’t introduce myself last night. But where would the fun be in that?
Finally, she retreats to one of the chairs in front of my desk, plopping her plump ass down. “I would hope not,” she says, playfully. She sits with her legs crossed as she runs her hand that was just held prisoner by mine through her long, dark hair, tousling it over her shoulder.
I rub my chin, dragging my digits in front of my mouth, partially covering it. “Not unless you want me to,” I mumble under my breath.
She bobs her head slightly. “What did you say?”
This is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. I can’t seem to behave around her already, and by the looks of it, neither can she.
I let her sweat it out a bit before I respond, for no other reason than I like the way she looks when she is angry. She is incredibly sexy when she is exasperated.
“I’m so glad to have you join us here at Marked Inc., Ms. Ricci,” I say as I bring the cuff of my shirt to my mouth, and in one swift motion, loosening the grip of the cuff on my wrists. I take my time rolling up my sleeves. I notice her taking in the ink splashed all over my forearms.
“Yes, thank you for the job offer, Mr. Moretti.” She shifts in her chair, crossing her legs. “If I may be bold—”
I interrupt her. “Be as bold as you need to be, Sienna, and please, call me Carmine.”
She blushes.Fuck, she is stunning.
“Well, thank you. As honored as I am by the more than generous salary and benefits, I am just a little uncertain of what I am doing here … still.” She looks around my office, as if anything in this room could possibly have the power to reveal the true reason why she is here, right now … with me. She continues, “You were a bit vague on the phone last week with what you needed me to do here.”
Inching forward, I rest my forearms that are now free from the confines of my shirt onto my desk. “I already told you that your role here, with me, is vital. Don’t you remember?” I click my tongue at her.
She bites down on her lip, as if she is trying to stop herself from telling me off. Fuck, I wish she would, but since she is trying so hard to keep whatever it is that she really wants to tell me in, I decide to continue.
“Per our phone conversation, as you should remember, we represent some exclusive clientele. People come far and wide to acquire our representation. Think of us as a high-end clean-up crew. When a high-profile client needs to fix a mistake, to lay low, or even hide, we work closely with their attorneys to rewrite the script as we fix the problem.”
She shifts in her chair. “So, you want me to write lies for you, is that it, Mr. Moretti?”
“Again, call me Carmine,” I remind her.
She tilts her head with a confidence that looks divine on her. “You are my boss, and I am my own person. Mr. Moretti feels more appropriate.” The tone in her voice sounds more like she is trying to convince herself of that rather than tell me.
“As you wish,” I say in agreement.
She settles back in her chair, motioning for me to continue.
“A large part of what we do here is writing and rehearsing public statements. Our previous writer didn’t fit the bill.” I leave out the little tidbit about the previous writer also being a lying cokehead who started stealing, and that I had to remind him where he stands with the company.Demoted and six feet under the fucking ground.
I lean back in my chair, reaching for a cigarette. “Smoke?” I offer as I run the filter through my lips before flicking the switch on my lighter.
“No, thanks,” she says as she lifts her hand to decline.
I continue to light up when I notice she looks like she has something to say. She is biting her lip, as if to keep the words from spilling out of her mouth. I sit back, waiting for her to speak what is on her mind.
“So, it’s not just at the bar you allow people to smoke, it’s in the office, as well?” she blurts.
There it is.
I knew she was stewing over last night. I’m surprised it took her so long. Just as I am about to say some smart-ass remark, as I am known to do, we are interrupted by a knock at the door.
Assuming it is Lizzie, I keep my eyes on Sienna as I answer the knock. “Come on in, Lizzie.”
Slowly, the door opens, revealing a man about as tall as myself, with a blonde, scruffy beard. He enters my office awkwardly, as he gazes at Sienna sitting in front of my desk.
Noticing his eyes falling on what is mine, I interrupt his gawking at her. “Can I help you?”
