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“Don’t even worry about it. You need it for this morning, and it wasn’t any trouble at all.” She squeezed Summer’s shoulder while I scrolled through the new emails that had flooded my inbox. “Luc.”
I looked up from the note I was scanning from John.
“Max and Lil are staying here while you’re getting familiar with how things work. That way you’ll have more opportunities to get to know Lil, and Max said you two would get started in the gym after lunch.”
Nicole smiled then left, and I waited for Summer to drink half her coffee.
She set the cup down then turned to me with a raised brow. “What?”
“We need to set a few ground rules before we get started.” I inched closer to her, inhaling the light floral scent she wore. “If there is something you don’t understand, talk to me. You work for me, not anyone else in this household. Anything with my company is confidential.” I paused. “I don’t want any secrets between us. This situation is unique as it is.”
“Got it.” The glimmer in her eyes told me she was holding back sarcasm.
“Tell me what you’re hiding.”
Her spine snapped straight, and a wall fell over her expressive features. “Nothing. Other than you’ve abducted me and gotten me involved with a Chicago crime syndicate. I guess I’m hiding those crimes from the police.”
I let a slow smile spread across my face. The slight widening of her eyes told me the message was received. “Think carefully about those accusations and remember what city we’re in.”
“You’re an ass.” Summer scowled at me, and anticipation raced through my slowly heating blood.
Pushing her buttons was the highlight of my day, but our banter was taking up too much time when I needed to get her set up with tasks. “Get your laptop turned on and log in to the company’s server.”
She worried her lower lip, and I realized she had no way of knowing how to do that since she didn’t have a laptop because of her temporary position. I took the computer from her hands, booted it up, and got her set up. Once she was ready, we got down to work.
As the hours flew by, I was pleasantly surprised by how quick her mind worked. She more than made up for the areas she lacked with her handle on algorithms and patterns. We worked well together. But every time our hands accidentally brushed, my awareness of her grew and my frustration climbed higher.
Hyperaware of how close we were sitting, I focused on clearing my mind as I emailed Becca to find someone competent to take care of the half of the job that was outside of Summer’s skill set then prioritized a list of tasks for her and attached it to a working calendar with a to-do list for the day.
By the time we had to pack up, I was more than ready to put some distance between us. I didn’t want to need her, but I did, and I was constantly distracted by images of the night we’d spent together.
We stood, and she gathered her laptop. I’d given her enough to do so that she was busy the rest of the day. My mind wandered to what my afternoon with the other bosses would be like.
“I don’t trust you,” she whispered.
I couldn’t say I blamed her. I had accused her of something she didn’t do, even though the circumstances had pointed to her involvement. Considering I needed her for the duration of my stay in Chicago, it made sense for me to apologize. She was right. There was no trust between us, and for good reason. “I’m sorry for accusing you of stealing my money and working with Edward Cartier to sabotage the company.”
She snorted. “I want to believe you, but…”
Yeah, the way she’d muttered about needing the job as a mantra to get herself to open the door and join me that morning had told me she was struggling. It would take time for trust to build between us. Once I set my mind to something, I always achieved it, though, and I was determined to repair what we could have had. She’d wormed her way into my thoughts at inopportune times throughout the night and day, and I wanted to explore more than a working relationship with her.
We exited the study side by side. I paused and turned toward her. She did the same. “Look, we need to work closely together, and I have a feeling the next couple of weeks are going to be chaotic at best.”
“No doubt, Mr. Mafia Boss.”
“Cute.”
We faced one another, frozen in the hallway at the entrance to the foyer. The door slammed, and three of the wives walked in: El, Sofia, and Emiliana. Lil was already somewhere in the house, I figured.
“Luc.” Emiliana nodded, her lips curving up in a mischievous way that put me on alert.
“Perfect timing,” Sofia purred, and El laughed. “We’ll be taking Summer shopping.”
Marco, Enzo, and Stefano trailed behind their wives. I felt Summer stir at my side, and something snapped. I didn’t know them that well, and I worried over her safety. “The hell you will. I forbid her from going anywhere without me.”
“Forbid!” Summer growled.
I heard the guys snicker, and when I looked up, the girls had drawn their guns and aimed them at my chest.
