Chapter 4
ALESSIA
I had tried not to obsess over the elevator incident, watching television and playing games on my phone that evening, trying to clear my mind.
But when I’d laid down in the darkness of my bedroom, all I could think of was the soft curve of his lips and how they’d feel pressed against mine.
By morning, I was little more than a puddle of female hormones.
I hadn’t expected to hear from Luca immediately, but I was still disappointed the next morning when my phone showed no missed calls or messages.
He didn’t strike me as the type to engage in silly games, but he also didn’t seem like a man who would be desperate for a woman’s attention.
He said he would be in touch, and I believed he would, in his own time.
Until then, should I run into him at work, I wanted to make certain he knew what was at stake. I spent a solid hour on my hair alone that morning, ensuring every detail of my appearance was perfect. I may have been a hot mess emotionally, but I was one damn good-looking hot mess.
When I crossed the marble floors of the lobby on my way into work, my eyes were drawn straight to Luca.
I wondered if I’d ever get used to the sight of the man.
Each time I saw him, he rendered me breathless.
He wasn’t just attractive; he was animal magnetism personified.
He was every crush and craving, each desire and fantasy, all rolled into one.
Something about him called to me on a visceral level, and I was powerless to deny it.
He stood with two other men near the center of the room, listening to one of them talk.
Another day and another expensive suit, this time accented with a simple black tie.
Compared to the two men he was with, Luca was a formidable presence.
Where others were simple evergreens crowded in a forest of trees, he was an ancient redwood, statuesque and imposing.
It wasn’t merely height that made the man stand out, it was the powerful aura that surrounded him.
People stepped out of their way to give him a wide berth while their eyes were drawn his direction, unable to look away from the man who exuded power from his every pore.
My hands tingled in anticipation at the sight of him, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how he affected me.
Instead of walking over to say hello or letting him catch me staring, I turned my head just before he began to look my direction and took the escalator without a backward glance.
Inside, I may have been a teenager fangirling over her celeb crush, but on the outside, I forced an impervious air all the way to the office.
Work was infinitely more enjoyable without Roger there.
We had a quick staff meeting in the morning, and I was able to catch up with a couple coworkers I hadn’t spoken to in a while, which made the morning pass quickly and kept thoughts of Luca from occupying my mind.
When I finally returned to my desk, I had a text waiting for me.
I saw you watching me.
My body thrummed with excitement at receiving his text. I thought about admitting the truth, but I decided there was no way he could have seen me staring at him. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
His reply was almost instant. Don’t lie to me, ever.
The words sent a shiver prickling down my spine. Had he truly known I’d been watching? How? And how did he manage to be domineering even over a text? I felt like I was back in school, being reprimanded by a teacher, and it automatically elevated my defenses. I’m not making any promises.
I didn’t ask for promises, just honesty.
Well, damn.
When he put it that way, I felt like an ass for resisting. Asking for honesty wasn’t so unreasonable—it was a far cry from demanding the truth. Funny the difference a few words could make. Alright, I’ll do my best.
There was no response for several minutes.
His other replies had been immediate, and I wondered where he was and what might have his attention.
I debated putting the phone down and getting back to work, feeling foolish for staring at a screen, waiting for a reply, but the conversation dots appeared before I could force the phone from my hand.
Let me take you to dinner.
I noted the absence of a question mark—yet another command. Did the man ever ask politely for anything, or was every word out of his mouth an order?
I had an intrinsic reaction to his domineering behavior in person, but over text, I felt more in control. No, I don’t even know you.
Take that, Captain Pushy Pants. Let the man work for his dinner. He may have been above playing games, but apparently, I was not. Plus, Luca was clearly a man who would lose interest in a woman who fell at his feet. No doubt, he had plenty of those in his life.
Isn’t that how we get to know one another?
Yes and no. I usually only go out with people I have a connection to. You could be an axe murderer, for all I know.
How has that been working for you?
Well, fuck.
He was right. I hadn’t had a decent date in months.
The last man I’d been out with was an accountant my mom set me up with—the son of some friend of hers.
He’d sent his food back three times, complaining about too much garlic, used an inhaler halfway through the meal, and refused to leave a tip because of the imaginary garlic.
I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Touché. I’ll think about it.
Don’t think too long.
A giggle slipped past my lips at his reply.
My immediate reaction was to text back or what, but I didn’t cave to the temptation.
A man like Luca was accustomed to getting his way, and something inside me reveled at denying him the satisfaction of a response.
I tossed my phone back in my purse and buried myself in work.
I was successfully able to distract myself all day, but twenty-four hours later, Luca was all I could think about.
I didn’t see him the next morning on my way into work, and I was getting twitchy about not giving in to his request for a date.
Could my little show at playing hard-to-get backfire on me?
He certainly hadn’t reached out to push for an answer—could he have decided I wasn’t worth the effort?
My thoughts were consumed with questions about Luca, so much so that I was a distracted mess.
I had turned on the ancient industrial coffee maker without any water in it, sent out an email to the wrong person, and had put a handful of letters into outgoing mail without any postage—all before ten a.m.
I scolded myself, insisting when I returned from lunch, I would get my head on straight before I made a major mistake and got myself in trouble.
I likely wouldn’t get fired—that was one of the perks of being the boss’s daughter—but explaining a screw up to my dad would be a far worse punishment.
Memories of past reprimands would likely forever haunt me—I didn’t need to add to their numbers.
One of the most vivid of those memories danced around in my subconscious every time my father grew agitated.
At the ripe old age of seven, I had left the water on in the bathtub while I ran to collect some toys for my bath.
Distracted by a Barbie my older sister had mutilated, I forgot about the water.
Manufacturers make those little drains on the inside of tubs to catch overflow, but I’m not sure why—they don’t work worth a flip.
The water flooded the bathroom and into my bedroom before I discovered what had happened.
Even better, my room was on the second floor.
The water leaked into the floor and dripped down into our living room.
My mother made me face my father after he came home from work and tell him exactly what had happened.
The veins in his temples had pulsed with anger.
He’d berated me for acting like a baby and suggested I returned to wearing diapers.
He never raised a hand to me or punished me unfairly, but his disappointment and anger had been enough.
I’d only been seven, but I remembered that day like it was yesterday.
I hated seeing the disappointment in my father’s eyes when I let him down, and if I didn’t pay more attention, that was exactly the direction I was headed.
The problem was, Luca was nearly as captivating as my father was intimidating.
Everything about the man screamed ‘stay away, danger’—but did that stop me from daydreaming at every opportunity?
Hell, no. I was drawn to the cool control Luca exercised over himself, and likely everything in his life.
Girls should be drawn to men who are sweet and respectful, not controlling and domineering.
He made me nervous, but in a good way—as if being the sole focus of his attention could make the world disappear.
Nothing else would matter, only him.
It was a terrifying and intoxicating prospect.
I stepped into a crosswalk as I made my way back from lunch, absorbed in my thoughts, and was suddenly yanked back into a hard body as a small delivery truck whizzed by right where I’d been about to walk. Adrenaline surged through my veins, and I turned wide-eyed to look back at my savior.
Luca glared down at me, eyes blazing with fury.
“What … how?” I was too disoriented to formulate a clear thought.
“What the fuck, Alessia? You almost walked straight into traffic,” he growled down at me, hands still gripping my arms.
“I was distracted,” I replied, still breathless from the incident. I glanced down at his hands, and they slowly released me, but neither of us stepped apart.
He looked up at the buildings above us as he took in a deep breath, some of the tension softening from his features. “You have to be more careful,” he chided when he brought his gaze back down to me. “I haven’t gotten my date yet.”