AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ARIANA DE LUCA
“Something interesting happened today.”
I jumped, surprised, and the glass I’d been cleaning fell. Bastian caught it before it hit the floor, and when he handed it back to me, our fingers brushed and lingered.
I pulled back and scowled at him.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” I hated when people snuck up on me, though it rarely occurred. “You never know what might happen.”
“Worried about me?”
“Worried about my paycheck.”
“Right. Your unearned pay raise. Speaking of, are you going to ask me what happened today?”
“I’d rather guess—you finally grew a conscious?”
“Ha. Ha.” He tilted his body, blocking out the rest of the bar, where no one bothered to hide their staring, least of all Dana. “Actually, I asked Emily how long she’s known you,”—Oh, shit—“but she says she’s never even spoken to you.”
Truth was, I had read her file, and it’d been too tempting not to call Bastian’s bluff yesterday.
I’d been sick of his constant threats against my job and, for the sake of my cover, needed to secure my place here, but perhaps it’d been at the expense of my cover.
Oh, how I hated irony.
I leaned a hip against the counter and eyed Bastian up and down, my faked nonchalant confidence never wavering.
Did the way he filled out his obnoxiously expensive suit intimidate me? A little.
But I didn’t show it as I spoke with a relaxed voice, “I never took you for a sore loser, Bastian.”
“It’s Mr. Romano.” He leaned forward. “Deflection isn’t your strong suit.”
“But it’s yours?” I took a step closer to Bastian as Dana began the trek over to us. “‘Deflection’ implies there’s something to deflect against.”
He leaned toward me, lessening the already small gap between us.
“How did you know all that stuff about Emily?”
I cocked my head slightly to the side. “Have you always been a sore loser?”
“I don’t lose. It’s my tenacity you’re reacting to.” His eyes narrowed. “Now, answer my question.”
“Bastian?” Dana approached us from the side, her eyes drifting to the negligible space between us. “I was hoping I could talk to you.” Her face hardened as she shifted her gaze to mine. “Am I interrupting something?”
I took a step back. “No, not at all.”
Not at all, Dana.
Not at all.
Before Bastian could stop me, I walked to the other end of the bar, putting as much distance between me and Bastian as I could without quitting.
And ten minutes later, when I gathered the courage to glance their way, Bastian was still staring at me.
A shiver trailed down my spine. I had a feeling he’d be watching me closer from here on.
I didn’t know how I found myself sitting in L’Oscurità during my free time. One minute, Tessie had come barreling at me at work, and the next, I’d agreed to come to her half-birthday party.
