CHAPTER FIVE
The next day, Penny started taking interviews in her fancy office at Goldman Corp.
She had made the phone calls the day before, under the shade of the umbrella, as Juniper and Thorn had drawn and colored in their books at a small table next to hers.
What she had realized was that she enjoyed their company.
They were timid, yet clever, and they deserved the best teachers in New York.
They best acquired new information through play and association, so she only called those applicants who were young, loved children, and seemed to work with modern, fun, and creative methods.
By noon, she had already done three interviews.
She wasn’t hungry, but she needed a second coffee, so she left her office and went into the kitchenette to grab a cup.
She spotted Jenny outside, on the terrace, smoking, and thought it might be nice to say “hi” to her.
It was hard being new in a company where everyone knew each other, and they already had friends and small groups.
Jenny was easily approachable, though, so she could start there.
“Penelope Walton… what a pleasure to see you this fine day!”
The smooth, masculine voice she knew so well made Penny jump so hard that she almost dropped the hot cup of coffee.
“Jesus! You scared me!” She turned to him, anger flickering in her deep blue eyes. “What are you doing here?”
Enzo smiled seductively. “I’m working on a collaboration with Richard, remember?”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, what are you doing in the kitchen? If you want coffee, Mr. Goldman has a secretary.”
“Oh. You got me. Sexy and smart. I like that.”
Penny huffed and made to walk past him, but he stopped her. His warm hand on her waist sent hot shivers up her spine and down her legs. He was barely touching her, and her body was already trembling with desire. How frustrating!
“Are you mad at me, Penny? What have I ever done wrong? Just tell me, and I’ll do my best to fix it. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to bother you. I just saw you come out of your office, and wanted to talk to you. I’m not here for coffee.”
The sincerity in his voice made her hesitate.
She turned to look into his beautiful green eyes, and the genuine concern she saw there melted her resolve.
Who knew? Maybe she was, in fact, being unfair to him.
Friday night, she had freaked out because he’d asked questions about Juniper and Thorn.
The interest he’d shown in them and their story had given her the creeps, so she’d called an Uber and went home without any explanation.
Was it possible that she’d exaggerated? Maybe Enzo’s curiosity about the twins had nothing to do with them per se, and it was just that: curiosity.
She sighed and relaxed under his soft touch.
“No, you’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just tired, I guess.”
“Are you sure? Because you seemed quite distressed the last time we saw each other.”
She blushed. The last time they saw each other… Flashes of that night flooded her vision. Her legs wrapped around his waist, Enzo pushing her against the wall, his cock inside her, his lips on her neck… She blinked rapidly to chase the images away.
Enzo noticed her reluctance. To him, her body language was obvious.
He almost didn’t need her to say anything to have his fears confirmed.
He had screwed up. Asking so many details about the children Goldman had recently adopted had been a mistake.
Huge mistake. Penelope was in charge of them, that much he’d figured out, and she cared about them.
It was natural. So, having a complete stranger interrogate her to rudely about them had surely made her alarm bells go off.
He was in too much of a hurry… Yes, time was of the essence, but he couldn’t afford any rush when the situation was so delicate.
This beautiful, curvaceous woman was his only chance.
Richard was impenetrable, and so was Marcia.
Killian was too much like his father, Zane was away, and Carmine and Opal were clueless about what was really going on in their own house and their own family.
Penelope Walton knew, however. She had to.
Or, was it possible that Goldman hadn’t told her the truth about his adopted kids? Too many questions… Too many variables…
“Earth to Enzo!” Penny waved his hand in front of his eyes.
“Sorry.” He smiled charmingly.
“You went somewhere far away… Where were you?”
Shit. He had to think fast. “Home. I… I guess I miss Spain. I travel a lot, but I never stay away this long.” He was lying. He hoped to God she wouldn’t catch him.
“Huh. I’d say I get it, but the truth is I haven’t traveled much myself.”
“You’re kidding!”
Penny looked down at her coffee. “N-no. Well, I was born in the most amazing city in the world, so I’m not complaining.”
Enzo smiled indulgently. For a moment, he wanted to contradict her, but then he remembered he needed her on his side. At all cost.
“New York is impressive, I agree,” he said. “Haven’t you ever thought of visiting Europe?”
“Many times. But, you know… life got in the way… College, work…”
“Well, if you ever want to come to Spain, I’m ready to act as your guide.” He winked.
She laughed. “I don’t know. Life is pretty busy right now.”
“And it will always be.” He turned to the coffee machine and made himself a cappuccino.
“It depends on you to make it less busy. You know… sort out your priorities and figure out what actually matters. For me, it was very important to have freedom and time to travel and work on any side projects that strike my fancy. So, I delegate a lot.”
Penny laughed. “Yes, but you have your own business. I don’t.”
They went into the common room, where employees could hang out when they took a break, and sat at a table by the window.
“Nothing is stopping you from having your own business, too,” he said. “Let’s see… what do you like doing? I mean, not like. Love. What do you absolutely love doing? What are you crazy about?”
She blinked in slight confusion, then took a sip of her dark, strong coffee. She couldn’t believe this man, this successful Spanish businessman, was sitting before her, asking her about her hobbies. Her own parents hadn’t asked her about what she liked since fourth grade!
“I… I don’t know. I studied Business Management in college…”
His face lip up. “And that’s awesome! It would help you tremendously if you ever decided to start your own thing!”
Shyly, she tucked her hair behind her ear. His enthusiasm for something that didn’t even exist as a concept was endearing, in a way.
“But forget about what you studied. What do you really love doing? Like… when you start doing that thing, you lose track of time, and you can work for hours on end without eating or drinking, and you don’t feel tired afterward.”
“Wow. I… Yeah, that’s an interesting question. I haven’t thought about it.”
“Do it now.”
“I like many things. Fashion, make-up, art…”
“So, you like being creative.”
“I guess. Yes.”
He leaned over the table and placed his hand over hers. He looked deep into her eyes, as if he was trying to read her soul. His smile was warm and encouraging.
“Penelope, you can do anything you want to do. You don’t have to follow the rules or live your life like the rest of the world. I see you love your job, but will you love it in five years? In ten?”
She chuckled. “If I’m still a personal assistant in five years, then I’m doing something wrong. No, this isn’t my dream job.”
“Exactly.”
She pulled her hand away, leaned against the backrest, and crossed her arms over her generous breasts.
“Wait. How did you know I’m not one hundred percent happy with what I’m doing? Why are we even having this conversation? It seems so… out of the blue.”
Enzo shrugged. “I can see it in your eyes. I’ve been my own boss for…
” he hesitated, “… many years. I’m very passionate about what I do, and I can immediately tell when someone feels the same for their job, career, or business.
You don’t. And I’m not saying this to criticize you…
Please don’t think that! Far from me the thought!
I just… I care about you. I want you to be happy and have all the time and the money in the world for all the things you truly love. ”
“Hmm…”
“Hmm… what?”
“I’m not sure. You’re such a mystery to me, Mr. Salvador.”
He grinned. “Looking at you right now, I’d be tempted to say you like a good mystery.”
“And you wouldn’t be wrong.”
“Alright. Then, how about I give you another chance to solve it? Dinner tonight? I discovered an amazing Italian restaurant nearby.”
“Spanish two days ago, Italian now?”
She didn’t hate the suggestion. And he was asking her out to dinner, not to his place. No one said she had to spend the night with him. She could simply enjoy a nice meal, then go home and sleep in her own bed. Alone.
“Maybe I’m trying to make you fall in love with Europe,” he teased.
“And, maybe, I don’t mind.”
It was on. She wanted to play his game. Two nights before, he’d been hot, and charming, and had done all kinds of sinful things to her body. Now, he was being interesting, considerate, and a great conversationalist. What else might she discover about Enzo Salvador?
“Then, it’s settled. At eight? Should I pick you up?”
“N-no. I’ll grab an Uber.”
He laughed. “That’s ridiculous! I’ll pick you up, just give me your address.”
Penny finished her coffee, checked the time, and stood up.
“No, I’m fine.” She gave him her phone, Google Maps open. “I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”
Enzo sighed, but he had to comply. He typed in the address and gave her back her phone.
It was clear to him that she didn’t trust him yet.
He could sense that every time she was around him, her feminine instinct would kick in and hold her back.
She might not know much about Goldman, the Bulgarian twins, or about the real reason why he was in New York, but she had a good, strong intuition.
He couldn’t help but admire that about her.