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Turning away, he strutted to his desk, and a low chuckle rumbled from his tall, well-built frame. “The story is about a guy who pledges his life to corruption in order to live and get out of the hardship he—” He paused, taking a deep breath as his eyes fixated on the wall. “—lived in as a kid.” Sighing, he fidgeted with a letter opener on his desk. “He lost his father to a mobster.”
“That sounds,” I swallowed hard, eyeing the shiny object in his hand, “intense, to say the least.”
“Mmm.” Grabbing the handle, he spun the tip of the dull blade on the desk, applying enough pressure to cause a small nick in the dark wood. “Quite intense, actually. My father was also killed by—” His sentence trailed off into silence.
“It’s okay.” Cautiously, I took a step forward. “You don’t have to discuss it.”
The fact he was playing with a letter opener made me uneasy. Though it wasn’t that sharp, he was strong enough to cause a little damage with it. Alejandro seemed troubled, but he had tried to comfort me. As I opened my mouth to speak, my phone vibrated in my front pocket, but I ignored it.
“Are you going to get that?” He took a step away from his desk, dropping the blade on the surface. It was as if the muffled sound of my phone jolted him out of his gloomy thoughts.
“Um, okay.” Nodding, I dragged my phone out, seeing PRIVATE on the caller ID.
Hello?
Hello!A woman’s cheerful voice greeted.Is this Amber Wilson?
Who’s speaking?I wrinkled my nose.
Alejandro pretended to be busy straightening random objects on his desk.
Miss Wilson, this is Amanda Kloss with Hollywood Entertainment. I’m calling to ask about your breaku—
I hung up before she could finish.
“Not important?” Alejandro tilted his head, inching the corners of his lips up.
Shaking my head, I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “I get about twenty calls a day about Chance, but I never pay much attention to them.”
“Yeah,” he snickered. “I saw a few media people hanging around outside the club, but Ian told the bouncers to get them off the property.”
“Really?” I groaned, burying my head in my hands. “I’m sure he wassooohappy about that.”
“Eh.” He shrugged.
“So, about this book?” I held it up.
“Oh, that.” Pausing, he lifted his hand, stroking his chin while staring at me.
“You’re a closed book, aren’t you?” I snickered. “No pun, obviously.”
Bowing his head once, he mumbled, “Follow me.”
Taking the book, he led me out of the room and down a long hallway, before opening a set of French doors that led outside. Like a gentleman, he let me exit before him, closing the doors behind us.
Peering out across a prominent, landscaped yard, I inhaled the aroma of the freshly bloomed flowers throughout picturesque flowerbeds. Perfectly shaped shrubs outlined a long, winding stone path.
“It’s so breathtaking out here.”
“I didn’t grow up with this.” He exhaled, almost as if he had just been taking in the fragrances as well.
“Oh.”
Taking a step in front of me, he turned to me. “I am the illegitimate son of someone important. He met my mother while in Spain on business. He was married, but he fell in love with her anyway. I guess it was his poor attempt to start an affair.” Sliding his hands into his pockets, he lowered his gaze to mine, a dark chuckle vibrating from his chest. “He divorced his wife for my mother without discussing it first. Unfortunately forher, she didn’t want to be with him. He disowned me until I was nineteen. By then he had remarried someone else.”
“Oh, my God!” Though it wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever heard, it was still shocking. After processing his words for a moment, I shook my head. “Wait, what do you mean,unfortunately for her?”
“Let’s just say that he didn’t take too kindly to rejection.” His jaw clenched tightly after the sentence left his mouth.
