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“Enzo?”
I look at her.
“Will you stay until I wake up?”
ChapterFour
Chellie
I had an emergency appendectomy in China when I traveled there will Laura. She was my interpreter, and fortunately, she’s fluent. But that didn’t mean it thrilled me to have surgery in a country where I knew no one but my fellow foreign friend. I broke my leg skiing and had to wait for the emergency personnel to ski down and find me behind a tree I wiped out on. I got lost at an amusement park when I was five. I took my LSATs without studying at all.
I’ve done some scary shit. But never have I been as scared as I was tonight. I’ve made some shitty decisions walking home alone at night in New York. I admit that. But I should have been safe in my office. I should have been able to trust that my client wouldn’t attack me. I seriously thought I was going to pass out, and he was going to assault me.
When Lorenzo burst through the door, I about pissed myself with relief. It was like everything was right again. He would deal with the fucker, and I would be safe. He would protect me, and I could breathe again. Literally — since the douche no longer had his hand around my throat — and figuratively.
“I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”
Forever?
“Thanks, Enzo.”
I’m ready to take a step back, but he doesn’t release me. I place my hand on his chest and offer him a reassuring smile. That’s when I realize his heart is racing. He looks cool, calm, and collected. But under the surface, he clearly isn’t. Is it from bursting in and rescuing a damsel in distress, or could it have been from our kiss?
“Stay for a minute.”
His request is barely more than a whisper. I rest my head against him, and I feel his sigh. It’s like the weight of the world was just lifted from his shoulders.
“Enzo?”
“Yeah. Let me just hold you.”
I wrap my arms around him again, and my heart melts. He presses soft kisses to my forehead as I just enjoy another moment of peace. The rest of the world disappears as I inhale the hint of cologne that’s spicy and musky. It’s perfectly manly and perfect for him. When he loosens his hold, I nearly ask him to hold me again. But we need to leave. The evening custodial crew will be in soon, and I’d rather not have this closeness ruined with people watching us, waiting for us to get out of their way.
I gather my stuff, which he carries, and we head to the elevator. His hand slides into mine and entwines our fingers as though we’ve done it for years, and we walk out of the building. He points to a town car, and we head toward it. The driver appears and opens the rear door. I get in and slide over, not wanting Lorenzo to have to step into traffic.
He hands my work bag to the driver but gives me my purse. The driver pops the trunk, then I hear a soft thud. I guess my laptop and papers went in there. There’s privacy glass that’s up, so I don’t know how the driver knows where to go. Maybe Lorenzo whispered it, and I didn’t hear it. Maybe he planned to take me to my place all along. That would normally creep me out. But it doesn’t.
“Come here,piccolina.”
He opens his arms to me, and I inch closer. But that’s not enough for him. I didn’t have a chance to put my seat belt on, so he lifts me onto his lap. This goes against everything I learned in high school driver’s ed, but as usual, I feel safe with Lorenzo.
“Will you tell what you and that bastard were talking about when the assault started?”
“Yeah. There’s a gala coming up that one of my clients hosts annually. We’d just finished a meeting between my client and that man about his role in the event. He’s a high dollar donor and is sponsoring almost all of it. My client left, and I thought he was right behind them. But he stayed behind to say how much he appreciated me explaining all the options for maximizing his donation. The door was still open when he started saying it, and I was looking down at my desk. I heard the lock turn, and that’s when I looked up. He was blocking the door with his back to it. I told him he needed to leave and to unlock the door. I told him I had someone waiting for me. I tried to get around my desk so I could run to the door without him trapping me. But I knew either way I went, he could block me. I told you the rest, and you saw it.”
“Do you blame yourself for any of it?”
“No.”
“Good. I’ll stay out of it, even though I don’t want to. But you need to report him.”
“I know. My boss is going to shit a brick. He has no tolerance for that. Someone assaulted his daughter in college. He’s very conscious of making sure everyone in the office feels safe and that there is no tolerance for any sexual harassment. Not even a hint. But his boss — well, she’s going to shit a brick too. But it won’t be in my defense.”
“The money’s too important.”
“Yes. That man’s contributions help keep our client solvent. If the charity goes under, then they won’t be paying us the big bucks they do. He figured that since most of the money he donates helps fund our client’s legal fees, he owned me indirectly.”
“Did he say that? Did he use that word?”
