“You should have told me that earlier.” I injected a healthy dose of regret into my voice.
Her brows pulled together in a frown, but then she burst out laughing and shoved lightly at my arm. “You had me going for a second there. Thank you for including me in your call, Marco. It was great. I think we’re going to make a good team.”
“Yeah, so do I.” I knew I had made the right decision by bringing her on. She’d proven herself to me twice now.
All that was left was for me to figure out a way to stop thinking about fucking said new teammate. On the other hand, didn’t teammates slap each other on the ass all the time? I could definitely go for some of that. It was too bad she would never let me.
Chapter 12
Addy
“What a day,” I just about squealed to Elena when I dropped into the seat across from her.
We had chosen a small cafe down the street from our apartment to have a celebratory dinner. She’d left our place when I had left my new office and had beaten me there.
The table she chose for us was out on the sidewalk. A circular, metal tabletop was between us with a basket of breadsticks and a bottle of water already waiting.
All around us, people were laughing, talking, and walking their dogs, and even though it was a Wednesday evening, there was a general sense of merriment in the air. I smiled widely as I took it all in. Knowing now that I wouldn’t have to stress about paying rent every month, I felt lighter than I had in years.
It was the first time in a long time that I could really just… be. Just sit and absorb the wonder of where I was without financial worries nagging the back of my mind. It was damn freeing and definitely a feeling I could get addicted to.
Besides that fact, which was already major, it didn’t hurt that I’d genuinely had a good day at work.
Elena gave me one look and obviously picked up on my joy. Her grin matched my own, her blue eyes bright as she filled my water glass and pushed it across the table. “I’m taking it your first day on the job went well then?”
“So well.” I let out a contented sound, propped my elbow onto the table, and rested my cheek in the palm of my hand. “I can’t even believe how happy I am right now. Working for Marco is like working in a different world compared to working for Antonio.”
“Well, if he’s as hot as you say he is, it would be completely different. You get to perv all day instead of gagging.”
“I didn’t perv all day,” I objected. Elena didn’t have to say a word. Her slightly raised eyebrow and the knowing look in her eyes said it for her. “Okay, so I perved but not all day.”
She shook her head at me. “Yeah, right. If it wasn’t so great just because he’s hot, what was so great about it then?”
I exhaled a breath as I considered her question. My teeth sank into my lower lip and I slowly released it. “I think it’s because I haven’t really had to use my brain at a job for a really long time. With this job, I have a feeling I’m going to be really challenged. By the job itself and by Marco.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?” She still had that knowing look, but I ignored it as I tried to work out the answer to her question.
“It’s just a feeling I’ve gotten while I’ve been with him. He’s so smart, and he likes to challenge me. At least, it seems like he does. I like being challenged, too. It makes me feel like I’ve actually earned the opportunity I’ve gotten.”
“He offered it to you in a strip club,” she dead-panned. “You earned it by showing off your awesome cleavage.”
“See, that’s the thing. I was worried that might be it, but I don’t think so. For starters, he only offered me his card after we’d talked. Then it seemed like he was just taking pity on me again when he offered me that money without really knowing if I could do the job, but it’s different now.”
“You were happy about the job when you were worried about why you’d gotten it, too.”
I nodded. “Who wouldn’t be? It was a job I could do fully clothed. I still didn’t want to feel like a charity case or a pity appointment, though. That was why I worked so hard to prove myself to him, and now I’ve really done that.”
“I’m glad,” she said with a soft smile. “You’re smart. You deserve to work for someone who values your brain. Being challenged sounds like too much hard work for me, but if you’re enjoying it, then that’s great.”
“I really did enjoy today. You should see Marco in action. God, it’s so hot. But it’s also inspiring, you know? Now that I’ve really started peeking behind the curtain of what he’s built for himself, he’s really impressed me. Also, you should see when he gets all fired up. I—”
Elena’s eyebrows climbing and the sudden intensity of the knowing look made me cut myself off before I continued rambling. Once I was quiet, she folded her arms on the table in front of her.
“You have the hots for your boss.”
I scrunched my nose up. “No one says ‘hots’ anymore.”
“I do.” She reached for her glass and took a sip of water. “Besides, it doesn’t matter what you call it. You know exactly what I mean.”
Our waiter appeared then, interrupting my reply. I chose a bottle of wine from the laminated menu and waited for him to leave us. When it was just the two of us again, I lowered my voice.
Marco was a big deal in this city. There were plenty of Marcos around, sure, but
