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“Get in the fucking car, Cin. It’s been a long day. I’m tired. You need to get home so you can get to your other job tomorrow. And your car needs to get fixed. What about this is hard to understand? So, now that we’ve gone through the entire situation from top to bottom, can you get in the fucking car so I can take you home?”
The urge to tell Rhys to go fuck himself was strong in Hyacinth. Not the smartest thing to do, so she chose the other option. And walked her ass over to the car and waited for Carlos to open the door for her.
“Thank you, Carlos.”
“My pleasure, Ms. Hyacinth. Sorry you’re having car trouble.”
She nodded at him before turning to stare at Rhys, who was standing a few feet away from the car. His head thrown back with his eyes closed. She noticed his chest moving up and down from the deep breaths he took.
Glancing at Carlos, her lips lifted in a smile. “Well, our boss has been kind enough to offer to have it fixed for me.”
“He’s a good man, Mr. Mannetti.”
A good man? Maybe.
Someone who was used to getting whatever they want? Absolutely.
“Hmmmm. Yeah, I guess he is,” she responded before climbing inside.
A few minutes later, Rhys climbed into the vehicle. “Ready to go?”
She nodded. “Yes.” As she glanced over at him, she couldn’t help but see the strain on his face. With everything happening right now, she could be nicer to the man. “Thank you for the ride home.”
His head leaned back on the soft cushion of the seat. “You don’t have to thank me. I take care of my people.” A pause. Then, “Cin?”
“Yes,” she stared at him, waiting for him to continue. When he finally looked at her, she could feel herself getting lost in his gaze.
“You don’t have to fight me every step of the way. I’m only here to help you.” He smiled and her insides melted. Damn, why was he so fucking fine? “You know, the way we met still surprises me. If not for some random person speeding down the street, we never would have crossed paths. When I think about that, I know it would have been a damn shame.”
A shame indeed, she thought before chuckling.
Rhys raised one arm and placed it on the back of the seat. His fingertips were just inches away from her. “I’m glad I was the one who saved you.”
Hyacinth nodded. “Me too.” Might as well tell the truth. No use in lying about how she felt. Meeting him had been a lucky break for her. Her attraction to him was a by-product that she didn’t need or want, but here they were.
“Do you enjoy working at Mannetti’s?”
Somewhat surprised by his question, she frowned at first. At the waiting look on his face, she nodded before angling her body toward him. “I do. The people are great. And while I have super long days, the money I’m making is helping me, so that’s a positive.”
“How about I ask it another way,” he said, still staring at her with that intense look in his eyes. “Do you enjoy working with me?”
Well, damn. That was not what she was expecting.
Although a month wasn’t all that long, she felt she knew him better than most employees. She spent time with him while planning staff changes and assignments. He sought her out for her ideas he had about the menu, even having her do tastings with him for any new items he was considering.
Of course, on the first day of their acquaintance, he’d saved her life, offered her a job, and she’d seen him physically assault an ex-employee. Although that guy had been a thief, so that didn’t really count.
He pissed her off every other day with his demands and his need for everything to be perfect. But what business owner wanted to have their shit looking sloppy, which would cause customers not to return?
Okay, but half the time he ignored her and hid inside his office and the other half, he stared at her as if he wanted her out of his sight. Fine, maybe she could admit that the last one may hurt her feelings just a little.
Everyone else was friendly and kind to her. They laughed and talked and told jokes. All the while, Rhys would hover in the background, looking surly and pissed that they were having fun without him.
“Cin? Are you going to answer me?”
“Does it matter if I enjoy working with the boss? You sign my paycheck. What do you think I’m going to say?” With that non-answer, Hyacinth turned back to the window to look at the scene passing by. But quickly realized she never gave him her address. “How do you know where I live?”
“You filled out an employment application with all your information listed. I accessed the HR system and sent the information to Carlos’s phone.” He smiled. “Did you think I was stalking you?”
