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Leo had some weird effect on me. Yes he was hot. Yes he represented everything in a man I stayed away from. That was, until I found out he was really wealthy, really powerful, and really tattooed.
God that tattoo. I still thought about it. How it looked like it came alive as his body moved and worked mine over the edge.
I shook my head. That right there was a reason I needed to get a goddamned grip.
“While I appreciate your giving me a job and a place on the grounds, I think it’s best we not discuss the facts about that night.”
“You mean the fact that you came, then left?”
I raised my chin. “Yes.”
Something heated in his eyes. He had that same look yesterday when he referred to me leaving him at the bar. Did the ultra-powerful bad boy in disguise have a hang-up on being ditched? I took in his jeans and simple tee and, even though he was dressed down, had a hard time believing Leo Savas had a hard time with anything. Especially women. Hell, I’d bet my left kidney he regularly had them running toward him, never away.
His jaw ticked like he wanted to say something, but he obviously decided against it, as the carefree swagger returned.
“I think you’re right, Red. Why rehash old memories?”
I gave a curt nod. “Well, why don’t you tell me a little about my job—”
“It’s a Saturday. Calm down. Besides, this weekend I figured you going over this”—he handed me a tablet—“would be the best use of time. Cathy, my assistant, has backed up all the necessary information, contacts, accounts—basically her entire job—on that thing.”
I looked at the tablet and powered it on. Of course it already had an e-mail account up and going for me as well as several introductory docs regarding my job description, passwords, and account managements. Yeah, I had a lot to catch up on.
“Where’s the rest of your stuff?” he asked, looking around.
“Rest?” I asked, and looked at my two suitcases still by the door. “I hung a bag in the closet.” If that’s what he meant.
He picked up both suitcases and tugged upward, as if weighing them, trying to figure out what was inside. The action did crazy things to his biceps, which made my toes curl. Thank God I was wearing closed-toed shoes.
“I’m guessing clothes.”
“And shoes,” I defended. “Why are you jiggling my luggage?”
He shrugged and put them down. “Just wondering where the rest is. Like trinkets. Photos. Keepsakes. A decorative pillow.”
“Decorative pillow?”
“Yeah, all that stuff someone hangs on to because it means something. At this point I’d settle for a DVD or favorite book.”
“I have a book on my Kindle,” I once again defended, though I had no idea what exactly I was defending. Maybe the lack of social and family life that Leo seemed to be zeroing in on.
After Amy moved, then Hazel, I realized how little of the apartment was mine. Aside from necessities, I didn’t have all those things Leo was talking about. And I was fine with that.
“Look, I worked a lot, so that didn’t leave time for chick flicks and leisurely reading. I also don’t hold on to stupid shit like macaroni necklaces from first grade or blue ribbons.”
“Why?”
Because they didn’t prove my worth . . . even if I had such things, they would only be a reminder of the life I’d come from and never wanted to be a part of again.
No. The items that were important to me were hanging in the closet. Two dresses I saved up for so I could show myself at galas and fit in. Show I belonged. Even designer outfits on clearance took a big chunk of my money. But I had spent it on my clothes and shoes not because I cared about fashion, but because they garnered respect from others. At least for a little while, I felt like I belonged somewhere.
I glanced around the small bungalow, staring down a gazillionaire, and it hit me how truly alone I was.
“Because things like that just don’t matter,” I said, half to answer his question and half to make my internal voice shut up. I liked being alone. Liked figuring things out and owning my world. Which was why I was anxious to dive into this job and get lost.
“What does matter to you?” Leo asked as if honestly wondering.
I shrugged, not wanting to answer. The idea of a life I could be proud of mattered. Therefore, as of now, this new job working for Leo mattered. Hazel and Amy mattered. But there was no way to jump into a topic like this without either tequila or emotions. And I was out of both.
