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“See? I knew when I looked at you that I was looking at a sensible person with no interest in penalizing Alicia for a whirlwind romance.” I sit back, beaming at my bride, who looks like she sat on a thumbtack and is trying to cover.
“Very well. You’ve convinced me, Mr. De Luca.” She looks to Alicia, grinning conspiratorially. “And now I understand how he convinced you to run off and marry him at the drop of a hat. A very smooth talker.”
“One of my many qualities. But I doubt you want to go into the private details of my life.” She chuckles when I wink, so I plunge ahead. “Oh, now that I’m thinking about it, I’ll need you to add me as the primary contact on Alicia’s file.”
“What?” Alicia whispers. “I don’t think they do that… babe.”
Catherine’s warm, open attitude turns frigid. “Exactly why would you want me to do that?”
“So I can be sure she’s staying on the straight and narrow, of course. I want to make sure we’re all working together, and she’s living up to her end of the bargain we’re making today.” I take Alicia’s chin in my hand, pretending to be playful for the sake of our audience. “Besides, if there are any financial issues or any problems, I want to be sure I’m made aware of it immediately. I know if you look at the file, you’ll see she’s been through some hardship before. That part of her life is over, but I’m sure you can understand how reticent she is over the idea of ever visiting the financial aid offices again. I would much rather take that off her hands.”
I glance at the advisor, who’s frowning. “And between the two of us, she has a tendency to take too many things on her shoulders. She’s accustomed to handling everything on her own, having been alone for so long. It’s admirable, but I hate thinking of her struggling in silence when I could so easily help.”
“That’s very sweet of you.” She’s warming up again, that chilliness thawing.
“What do you say? Could you be a good girl and do it for me?”
Her cheeks flush, and she bites her lip. “I mean…”
“Come on, now. It’s simple. I know you can make it work. Especially if it means sitting in an actual office one day,” I add, and I’m barely able to bite back a satisfied smile at the open interest that flashes across her face. “I could make that happen, Catherine—if you’re a good girl and make this happen.”
She looks to Alicia, who’s fallen silent and still. “Is this what you want?”
If she knows what’s good for her, it is. “It would be nice not having to worry about things anymore. Like my husband said, I’ve been on my own for a long time. It’s a relief knowing he wants to help me take care of things. I can focus on my coursework now.”
“See? Really, in the end, this is in everyone’s best interest.” I turn the full charm on the woman in front of me, who is practically putty in my hands now. If it wouldn’t go directly against the loving picture I’ve tried to concoct, I’d offer to take her to dinner to sweeten the deal. I’m sure it’s been a while since she’s had a date with anyone but her cats.
“All right,” she finally relents. “I’ll put you down as the contact person where your wife is concerned.”
“Thank you so much. You’ve taken a stressful situation and turned it into a lovely meeting.” I stand and offer my hand to shake. “It’s been a real pleasure meeting with you. And I would love to meet again sometime to discuss the other arrangements we hinted at.”
“I would be happy to speak with you at a time you find convenient, Mr. De Luca.”
Alicia winds her arm through mine. “Now, babe, you said it yourself earlier. She’s a busy woman.”
“I’m not too busy for that,” she assures us.
“I didn’t think you would be.” I leave her with a wink before escorting my wife from the office. We aren’t out in the hall yet before I can’t help laughing softly.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think my loving wife is jealous.
9
ALICIA
Ihave so many reasons to hate Enzo, but right now? The fact that I’m swamped with work is the primary reason. Why did he have to make such a big deal of me making up all the work? Couldn’t he have sweet-talked that cat lady at the administration office into letting me slide a little? The way she was looking at him, I have no doubt she would’ve gone for it. The woman’s tongue was practically lolling out of her mouth, for God’s sake. It was pathetic.
But no, he couldn’t be bothered. He probably gets off on knowing I’ll have all this work to make up.
My head is still spinning hours later, stretched out on my bed, for lack of a desk, textbooks and syllabi spread out in front of me. I might as well get used to not sleeping since that’s the only way I’ll be able to catch up. All thanks to him, of course. Nobody asked him to kidnap me and hold me hostage like he did. This is all his fault. He should be the one doing the homework, not me.
Ugh. Yes, I’m being a baby. All things considered, I doubt anybody could blame me.
“How’s my little student doing in here?” The man is loving this, poking his head into the room and grinning when he sees the mess around me. “I know I shouldn’t interrupt when you’re so busy, but I couldn’t help it.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” I mutter, my teeth clenched. “The more you interrupt me, the longer I’ll spend digging my way out of the hole you put me in.”
He lowers his brow, and I know that was a mistake. Not that I needed to have it pointed out to me. Smarting off like that is a calculated risk. Right now, I’m willing to take it. He needs to hear what an asshole he is.
