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“I hope you’ll be happy working for me,” he said, changing the subject. “I can sometimes be a little demanding.” His tone hinted at flirtation, and again their eyes met.
“I’m sure it can’t be that hard,” she said, returning his light tone.
“Just tell me if you want me to take it easy on you,” he replied, obviously enjoying the game.
“I can handle a lot more than you think I can,” she replied.
That made him grin. She could see some of the weight he carried lifting from his shoulders. It had to be tough being the alpha, especially a new one who had to make his mark.
Their banter was interrupted by the waiter bringing the wine. Lorena was grateful to have a glass to hide behind. It covered her growing attraction for a man she was destined to betray.
The meal was perfect, everything she would expect from a high-class place like this. Thomas’s company was also perfect. He was so easy to get along with. He loved conversation, and she couldn’t help but rise to it.
At the end of the evening, she headed straight to the hospital to see her father before visiting hours ended. The drive there seemed endless. She was a bundle of nerves and swore the red lights were out to get her.
She thought about the interview and her rapidly growing attraction to Thomas. In other circumstances, she couldn’t help but think he would be perfect for her. She liked her men to beall man. Not that she’d had much experience in that regard. But if she had a type, Thomas Leone was definitely it.
Maybe she could put Sonny off. Tell him she couldn’t find anything. String him along until her dad was recovered enough to go home. But somewhere inside, she knew that would never work. Sonny was not the kind of man to be trifled with. She would have to give him results, and soon.
She parked in the garage of the hospital. These places always gave her the creeps, though she didn’t know why. With a feeling of dread, she punched the elevator button that would take her to the fourth-floor ICU, but when she got there, her dad wasn’t there.
The dread balled itself up into cold hard fear. What could have happened?
“Excuse me,” she said to the lady at the reception desk, trying to stay calm. “Can you tell me where Alfredo D’Augostino is, please? He was here last night when I visited.” She held her breath, hoping for the best but fearing the worst. They would have called her, surely, if something had happened.
The receptionist looked up and smiled. “Sure, hon. They were so happy with his progress that they moved him to Room 42, just down the corridor. He’s still barely staying conscious for long, though, so don’t expect him to be up and chatting.”
“Thank you so much,” Lorena replied.
She made her way down the corridor and pushed open the door. Her father was laying propped up in bed. Most of the wires and tubes had been removed, and he had a little color in his cheeks.
“Papa, hi. It’s me, Lorena,” she said.
To her immense relief, he responded to her voice. His lips twitched up in a smile, and he managed to raise a hand slightly in greeting.
“Oh, Papa, you’re looking well,” she said. “We’ll have you out of here and back on your feet in no time.”
She sat in the chair beside him, holding his hand. He even managed to give her fingers a small squeeze. It was so reassuring. Her heart gave a happy flutter.
“I started a new job today,” she told him. “With Thomas, the new alpha of the Leone pride. He seems really nice.”
Again, the twitch of a smile at the corner of her father’s mouth.
For a while, she sat in silence. The reassuring beep of the heart monitor was the only noise in the room. It was amazing to see his vitals so steady, his heart pumping rhythmically.
A wave of gratitude toward Sonny ran through her. Then she remembered the cost of his help, and the cold knot of anxiety returned to her stomach. Why couldn’t Sonny have named a lower price?
The image of Thomas laughing at the restaurant table sprang into her mind. She felt such a strong attraction to him. In other circumstances, things could be very different between them. She was pretty sure it wasn’t her imagination that he was attracted to her too. She didn’t think he would wine and dine all his employees on their first day at work.
It made the betrayal all the harder. Thomas did not seem the kind of guy to give his heart easily. If he started to harbor feelings for her and then she turned against him, it would be way more difficult for him. She resolved to keep him firmly at arm’s length.
She looked at her father’s peacefully sleeping face. All the lines of pain had relaxed around his eyes and mouth. It had been so long since she’d seen him without pain. She’d almost forgotten what his handsome, weathered features looked like.
Her heart filled with love for the old man. She would give anything for his life. Her own happiness was a small price to pay.
Maybe I could talk to Sonny,she thought.Maybe I could offer to pay for the treatment some other way.The thought repulsed her, but the situation she was in was much worse.
She could vaguely remember Sonny from her childhood. He had seemed like a big gruff man in her child’s mind. The thought of his fat body pumping away on top of her filled her with revulsion. Maybe instead, she could stall him while she tried to work something else out.
