26. Katie
Katie
Iunlock my front door and step inside, letting it shut behind me as I drop my bag by the wall.
The silence is immediate. There are no voices, no desks scraping, and no one yelling, “Ms. Miller!” from across the room.
I stand there for a second, rolling my shoulders.
I should feel more excited that it was the last day, but really I’m just exhausted.
I push off the door and head down the hall. I pull my hair free from it’s bun, and my curls fall around my shoulders in a frizzy mess. I don’t even care. I’ve got about an hour before Luca picks me up. It’s going back up for work anyway.
I throw my phone on the bed, change out of my school clothes, and into some jeans and the bar t-shirt. Then I fall back on my bed and stare at the ceiling. I’m fucking twenty-four years old. I shouldn’t be this tired.
Whatever. I grab my phone, and Michael’s name is still at the top. I open the thread, and his last message is sitting right there.
Michael: I’ll miss you too, Doll.
I bite down on my lip smiling. I want him to fuck me, and the craziest part is I’d let him.
No hesitation. No second guessing. I stare up at the screen, my chest rising a little faster.
I’m going to lose my virginity to this man.
The thought should scare me. It doesn’t.
If anything, it makes that pull in my stomach tighten even more. I rub a hand over my face.
Get it together, Katie. You’ve known him for four days.
It doesn’t matter. I can’t wait to talk to him tonight. I already know I’m calling him the second I get home. I don’t care how late it is. He said he wants me to, and I want to hear his voice.
I sit up, lock my phone, and head back out to the living room. My phone buzzes in my hand.
Sarah: pulling up in a few
Awesome. I still haven’t told her that Luca is driving us. That should go over well.
Me: Okay!
I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder as a horn honks outside.
“Hey, bitch,” Sarah says, pulling me into a hug as soon as I open the door. “Tell me everything. Did you finally lose your virginity?”
I laugh into her shoulder, pulling back. “We haven’t fucked yet.”
She groans. “That is actually devastating news. I really thought it was going to happen, especially since I so generously removed Luca from the situation.”
“Your sacrifice will not be forgotten,” I say dryly, shutting the door.
She flops onto the couch, legs sprawled, already making herself comfortable. “I expect a full payoff soon.”
“Yeah, well—“ I hover for a second, rubbing my hands together. “Speaking of Luca.”
Her head tilts, eyes narrowing slightly. “I’m not going to like whatever comes after that, am I?”
“He’s driving us tonight.”
She sits up. “I’m sorry—what?”
I suck in a breath. “Michael didn’t love the idea of me leaving the bar alone at one in the morning while he’s out of town. He’s in Santa Barbara, and he just wanted to make sure I got home safe.”
“Katie,” she says, choosing her words very carefully. “That’s a little intense. And also—how did I get dragged into this?”
“I told him we could ride together,” I say quickly. “So technically he’s looking out for both of us.”
She stares at me for a second and lets out a breath. “Okay. I’m sorry. That’s kinda hot.”
I blink. “What?”
“That level of control? Luca? The timing?” She shakes her head. “Yeah. That man walked straight out of a dark romance novel.”
“Shut up,” I say, even though I can feel my face heating.
“So,” she says, drawing it out. “I need to tell you something.”
I look at her. “Am I’m about to be annoyed?”
“I slept with Luca.”
I blink at her. “I’m sorry, you what?”
“When you and Michael went outside,” she says, already talking faster, “he started flirting with me. Like, not even subtle. And then during the games he kept giving me these looks—“
“Sarah.”
“And on the drive to his house, we were talking and laughing, and it just kind of—happened,” she finishes. “By the time I got to his driveway, we were already making out.”
I stare at her, trying to catch up.
“He invited me in,” she says. “What was I supposed to do? Turn him down?”
“Oh my god. You are such a slut.”
“I can’t help it,” she says, completely unapologetic. “He’s six-two and delicious.”
I roll my eyes. “Anything else I need to know?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Did you know he and Michael are related?”
That gets my attention. “What?”
“Yeah,” she says, sitting up a little. “I was looking around his place, and there’s this picture of them together. It was him, Michael, and a bunch of other guys.”
A small knot tightens in my stomach.
“I asked him about it,” she goes on. “He got weird for a second. Said it was nothing.”
“And you just let that go?” I ask.
She ignores me. “Later, I see his college diploma hanging on the wall.” She leans forward slightly. “Guess what it said.”
I shake my head.
“Luca Amato.”
I blink at her. “Amato?”
She nods, watching me. “Luca and Michael are first cousins.”
For a second, I don’t even know what to say.
“Why wouldn’t he tell me that?”
She shrugs. “I asked Luca. He said Michael runs the company and likes to keep things professional.”
“But he wasn’t being professional last night,” I say. “And Luca was still calling him Boss.”
I trail off, the thought sticking. Sarah doesn’t say anything, just watches me.
“And seriously,” I go on, trying to shake it off, “who calls someone boss like that?”
“Katie,” she says, “I know I hyped this whole thing up, but it’s weird. He’s really into you. That’s obvious. But what do you actually know about him?”
I huff out a breath. “More than you think. We talked. A lot. He told me about his childhood, about running the company. We talked about random stuff too. It wasn’t all intense.”
She tilts her head.
“Stop,” I say. “He was just a guy. We hung out, and I really like him.”
Her expression doesn’t change. I fidget with my fingers.
“Why are you doing that?” Sarah pushes.
“Because I’m pretty sure I’m his girlfriend now,” I finish.