The door cracked open, and Marco walked in. The bastard looked as beautiful and put together as always in his charcoal slacks and a crisp white button-down shirt. His perfect teeth showed as he grinned, his light brown hair shining with an amber shimmer where he stood beneath the light.
“Hey,” he said, closing the door behind him and moving until he was in front of my desk. “You look tired.”
“Thanks,” I said, trying and failing to sound bright. A yawn broke free, too. “I’ve been taking meetings in the middle of the night because of the time differences, but I think I’m finally getting the hang of some of those regulations. Did you come by only to compliment me, or did you have another reason?”
Amusement flashed in his gorgeous eyes. He pressed a hand to his chest but somehow still looked genuine. “You know you’re always beautiful. Being tired doesn’t change that. In fact, it might be a bit of a turn on that you’re tired because of all the hard work you’re putting in for me.”
I rolled my eyes, but a soft laugh escaped anyway. “You’re ridiculous. If that turns you on, I think we need to talk.”
“Isn’t there a rule against judging someone else’s kink?” he asked, splaying his fingers and pressing his palms to the glass countertop of my desk. His eyes caught on mine. “You should also know that I’ll take you however I can get you. You’re my kink, even when you’re tired.”
“You sure know how to romance a girl, don’t you?” I retorted, but there was no denying that he did bad things to me. Even when he was being ridiculous, I still wanted to jump his bones right there on the desk. Especially with the way his shirt was stretching around his sculpted muscles from how he was posed.
The smirk that curved at the corners of his lips told me he knew exactly what effect he was having on me. Sadly, he didn’t seem interested in doing anything about it.
“I came by to ask if you wanted to go to lunch with me,” he said, straightening up again. “I feel like Carpaccio, and it’s just not the same to order it in than it is to have at the restaurant.”
I tapped the side of my mouth. “Carpaccio? That’s the appetizer that’s really just slivers of raw meat and toppings, isn’t it?”
“When you say it like that, it sounds disgusting.” He grimaced. “Let me take you to a place that will prove to you it’s much more than that.”
“Okay,” I said the word slowly, dragging it out. “But I have to warn you, I’m not a fan.”
An hour later, I changed my mind. Marco had brought me to an authentic restaurant on the top floor of a semi-dilapidated building. I’d been hesitant about even entering the place at first, never mind tasting the food.
He’d convinced me, though, luring me in with pretty words and sexy promises. I’d followed him into the carpeted, cramped dining area.
Despite its shabby appearance, I had to admit that the variety of appetizers he had ordered was some of the best I’d ever tasted. “Okay, you win. That was awesome.”
A blinding smile lit his face. “I’m glad I could play a role in the refinement of your taste buds.”
“Wow, that didn’t sound snobby at all.” I pushed my empty plate away.
Marco shrugged, chuckling as his shoulders lifted. “I don’t mind sounding snobby if it means you’ll trust me in the future when I suggest a place to eat.”
“Let’s give it a few hours. I still have to see whether I get sick. But if I don’t get sick, then I won’t question your choices again.”
“Done.” He grinned. “Wait, that counts for all my choices, right?”
“Not a chance, but nice try.” I pushed my hair behind my ears, sighing when I realized it was probably almost time to go back to the office. “Before we leave, I have some questions about bills of lading. Do you mind if I pick your brain?”
“I don’t mind at all, but there’s something else I need to talk to you about. Can we discuss your questions when we get back to the office? I have a meeting at two, but it should be wrapped up by four. Does that work for you?”
“Sure.” I frowned, my pulse kicking up a notch. When a person said they needed to talk, it usually wasn’t a wonderful sign. Considering that this person was not only the man I was sort of seeing but also my boss, my nerves were suddenly frayed. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Uh, it’s a personal matter,” he said, delicately picking at his paper napkin. “That’s why I thought it best to discuss it outside of the office.”
I steeled myself, bracing for the worst. “If this is your way of easing me into it, please don’t. Just rip the band-aid off. What’s going on?”
Marco’s tongue darted out and swiped across his lower lip, a nervous tick I didn’t think I’d ever seen from him. “My mother wants to meet you.”
“What?” My jaw loosened so much it practically dropped. “Are you serious?”
“As a potential heart attack,” he said, his expression grim.
I blinked too many times in rapid succession. “Why? I thought you said it would be a long time before that would happen. Didn’t we just talk about this after the weekend?”
“We did, but things have changed.” He rolled his lips into his mouth. “She found out about you, and I’m afraid she’s insisting on meeting you.”
“Did you tell her—does she know we’re—” I lowered my voice to an urgent whisper. “Sleeping together?”
“She knows we’re in some kind of a relationship and that it’s very new. I’m assuming she knows there’s a certain level of intimacy that goes along with that.”
A cold tremble ran down my spine. “How did she find out about me?”
“Aldo told her.” Marco screwed his eyes shut and sighed. “He thought he was doing right by
