CHAPTER TWENTY
BLOSSOM
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Rome Cattaneo had just been in my store. THE Rome Cattaneo. The Rome Cattaneo with the deep, swoon-worthy voice. The one whose dick I'd seen countless times through our private video chats.
And a big dick it was, I might add.
The Rome Cattaneo I'd touched myself in front of while he’d jacked off as he watched me, instructing me on how to pleasure myself. The Rome who wouldn’t quit mentioning how he couldn’t wait to meet me face to face.
The Rome I couldn't stop thinking about, and had even said I wanted to give him a massage. The Rome Cattaneo who’d stayed up with me last night watching an anime and discussing the episodes.
The Rome my heart had given itself to, despite my brain’s warning. THAT Rome, the Rome I was supposed to be avoiding, had just been standing a few feet away from me, breathing the same air I was.
He’d stared at me with those dark eyes and made me feel tingly all over. If only I’d noticed him sooner, maybe I could’ve reacted better. But I had a habit of only focusing on the brides when they came to my shop.
There had been too many occasions where brides, in bride mode, got upset if they thought their florist was talking to their fiancé too much. Or, if they caught their fiancé staring at the florist with interest, they blamed her, not the man.
To avoid that, I focused only on the bride. That’s why I hadn’t been prepared when I’d looked up into the dark eyes of the man who made my heart race and my pussy wet.
“Pinch me,” I told Ivy. “Ow!” Damn! Rubbing my arm, I glared at her. “You didn't have to do it that hard.”
“I wanted to see if we were dreaming too!” Ivy mumbled, still staring out the door.
I followed her gaze to make sure Rome had actually left. His vehicle was gone. Good. I still couldn’t believe he’d been in my store. I stared down at my hands that were trembling slightly. This encounter had me all shook up.
I couldn’t handle any more customers right now. Not when my emotions were all over the place. I flipped the sign to CLOSED and locked the front door. Then I turned toward Ivy, who seemed just as shocked as I was.
“Ivy, follow me into the back room.”
Nodding, she turned and headed toward the break room. My heart was still racing like it was trying to beat out of my chest and follow Rome home. I couldn't believe I'd just been face-to-face with the man of my dreams and my nightmares.
“You're not moving,” Ivy called out.
I blinked and met her gaze. She was halfway to the breakroom. And I... well... I was still standing by the front door. I looked down at my feet. They were still planted in place. My gaze rose to hers.
“My legs won't move,” I whispered.
Shaking her head, Ivy started my way.
“I can't stand seeing you like this.” She sighed dramatically when she reached me. “Do you want me to put a bomb in his car and blow him up?”
I swatted her arm. “Stop thinking about killing all the time.”
“It's one of my best qualities.”
“Come on. Let's go to the back room.”
She wrapped her arm around mine, and together, we headed through the shop. I was moving like a baby calf taking its first steps. My legs were shaking, and I felt I could collapse at any moment.
How embarrassing!
There was no reason for this man, who didn’t even know me, to have this kind of effect on me. I didn't relax until we reached the breakroom. The moment we entered, I shut the door and locked it.
“Why are you locking the door?” Ivy asked. “Do you think he's going to double back and try to break in?”
Before I could answer, she yanked open the drawer beneath the sink and pulled out a nine-millimeter. She checked the clip.
“Put the gun back in the drawer,” I told her, dropping into a chair.
Ignoring me, Ivy paced in front of the cabinet.
“I can’t believe he had the nerve to come into our store,” she complained. “Do you think he knows something?”
“No, I don’t thi...”
“He has to know something.”
“Ivy...”
“But he didn't look like he knew anything.” She stopped pacing. “Maybe he doesn't know anything for sure, but suspects something.”
“Ivy...”
“Ugh!” she groaned. “We should just kill him before the stress from all of this kills us.”
“Sit down, Ivy,” I said calmly, tapping the table.
“I can't sit down.” She pointed toward the front of the store. “I had my hand on the gun under the register the entire time he was in the shop.”
My eyes widened. “You did what?”
“I was nervous as hell, and you know I hate being nervous. It makes me trigger happy.”
“Were you that nervous about Rome?”
“Fuck Rome! I was nervous about shooting an innocent bystander. Monique. If I killed him, then I’d have to kill her. Then, the news would get out that killers owned the popular floral shop, and we’d lose the store.”
“What...” I started, but she kept going.
“That would upset my mom and my sister. You know how those two are. Hearing that I was on the run and we’d lost the shop in Biloxi would cause them to go on a killing spree.
Then they’d get investigated, and the authorities would learn that they worked at the Blossoms and Vines floral shop in New Orleans.
That would cause all our other branches to be investigated and closed down because customers would be afraid of us. ”
I pinched the bridge of my nose as Ivy continued her wild train of thought.
“Then the Petals all over the world would be without their branches, and The Circuit would be forced to close down, and everything would be ruined. All because I killed an innocent bystander in our shop.”
By the time she finished, she was breathing heavily. I shook my head, hating that I understood her logic.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “First of all, he didn't seem to recognize us. And no one died today. So, sit down. We need to talk.”
Ivy finally shoved the gun back into the drawer. The chair scraped against the floor as she pulled it out and dropped into it.
“Do we have to work this wedding?” she asked.
“I don’t want to. But, it would look suspicious if we backed out now.”
Ivy groaned.
“Plus,” I continued. “Stefanie Adams recommended me to her. I can't make Stefanie look bad. And I need her to keep recommending us to people. Recommendations are what keep the normal customers coming our way and help us cover up the fact that most of our money comes from the abnormal ones.”
The assassins and others who knew of our special garden and our intel hub.
“Which Stefanie?” Ivy asked. “The weather girl?”
“Former weather girl. And guess who she's dating?”
“Oh, right.” Ivy slumped lower into her seat. “I almost forgot she was dating a Cattaneo.” Ivy sighed heavily before saying, “Stefanie is dating a Cattaneo. Tatianna, Ms. Tina's daughter, is dating a Cattaneo. And now our client, Monique Rose, is engaged to a Cattaneo.”
“I know,” I mused.
Ivy shook her head. “Why are we surrounded by women who fraternize with the family we're trying to avoid? Are the Cattaneo men the only guys in the city for these women to date?”
“It does seem like we can't avoid the Cattaneos no matter how hard we try,” I whispered.
“Oh, and did you see the way Rome Cattaneo was looking at you?”
A shiver raced down my spine.
“No,” I lied.
“Heffa, yes, you did. That’s why you froze up like that. Are you sure he doesn't recognize you?” Ivy asked.
“I'm sure.”
At least I thought I was. I hoped I was. Because if Rome knew I was Juliet...
No. I wouldn’t even allow myself to think like that. However, I couldn't stop thinking about the way he'd looked at me. I’d seen the interest in his eyes. How could he look at me like that while claiming he wanted Juliet?
Cheating ass!
I frowned. Wait. I was Juliet. Damn. I was starting to confuse myself. Either way, it still felt like he was cheating on me. Did he not take Juliet seriously at all? Had all those sweet things he’d said to her, to me, been a lie?
Had our lunch dates and nightly video calls meant nothing to him? If he looked at me like that, he probably looked at all attractive women like that. And here I was, thinking I was special to him.
I hadn’t gone on a date since the first day I hacked him. Mainly because most of the men in the area were scums who only wanted one thing. Even so, after my feelings started developing for Rome, I hadn’t entertained the thought of dating.
I didn’t even notice attractive men because none of them measured up to him. Yet, I’d felt his eyes on me the entire time I’d been talking to Monique Rose. That motherfucker!
“Did you hear me, Blossom?”
I blinked. “What?”
“I said I'm not going to lose you to a Cattaneo, am I?”
“Wait. What?” I frowned.
“You heard the question, and you understood the context. Answer me.”
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. Should I tell her the truth and admit to how deep my feelings for Rome ran? I wanted to. I desperately needed someone to confide in. But Ivy had a short temper.
There was no telling what she’d do if she expected I was emotionally compromised and couldn’t think clearly about the situation. If the roles were reversed, I’d be pissed at her for not telling me.
I’d be angry as hell at her for putting us all in danger over something as fragile as love. Love came and went. It bloomed, and it wilted. I was a florist. I saw high-profile brides when they were at their happiest.
I also ran an intel hub, so I often heard the gossip when their marriages ended. Not knowing it was run by me, some even hired The Circuit to spy on their significant others. Spying on cheating husbands was actually how our hub started back in my grandmother’s day.
So, I knew that today’s love could be tomorrow’s hate. Though I knew that, I still couldn’t let go of the feelings I had for Rome. I wasn’t stupid. I knew they were irrational. I knew they were risky.
Yet, they were important to me. He was important to me. And I’d be the first to admit I was a hypocrite, because I knew I’d be angry if Ivy did this. Even so, I couldn’t tell her how I felt. I was a fucking idiot.
“Blossom, will I lose you to a...” Ivy started.
“No,” I hurried and said before she could finish her question.
Even as I uttered that word, I knew I was already lost and didn’t know how to find my way back.
“Good.” Ivy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Remember what our goal is. Remember why you hacked him in the first place.”
“I know.”
“Don't get distracted by his handsome face and those nerdy glasses.”
I groaned. “I know.”
“I know you're a sucker for a handsome nerd.”
Such a sucker. It was embarrassing, actually. But she wasn't wrong. I had to think about the bigger picture. The problem was that the bigger picture kept getting overshadowed by Rome's face.
At first, Rome was simply a threat I was monitoring. He was someone I was trying to hack to see what intel he’d found on the people who’d spied on Marcel Cattaneo. But the more we talked, the deeper our connection grew, and the more dangerous the situation became.
Rome may be interested in Juliet. He may even find me, Blossom, attractive. But if he ever discovered who I really was, he would hate me for my connection to the intel leak. It wouldn't matter that I hadn't approved it.
It wouldn’t matter that no one on my team had wanted Marcel to be kidnapped. We hadn’t wanted anyone to be kidnapped. It wouldn't matter that the situation was complicated. All he'd see was betrayal. Then whatever this was blooming between us would wilt and die.
“I'll find out if he suspects me of being the hacker he's been talking to,” I told Ivy.
“Find out, and then cut ties with him for good.”
Easier said than done.
“Our plan to pin the incident on the dead hacker is good,” Ivy continued. “We can't mess it up by being sloppy. Okay, Blossom?”
“Okay.”
“By the way, when was the last time you went out on a date?” she asked. “With a real man?”
“A real man?” I frowned.
Did she think I normally dated aliens or something? I mean, I had dated some weirdos in the past. But damn!
“I mean, a real date. Not a hacking date,” she explained.
“Months,” I admitted. “But in my defense, I’ve been a little busy.”
“You need to get laid.”
“Whoa. That escalated fast.”
“I’m serious.”
“Not everyone has a boy toy in their back pocket,” I told her, remembering her words to Ms. Tina.
“I was just playing with Ms. Tina. I’m not actually seeing anyone at the moment. But I need to get out. I need to relieve some stress. We should hit a bar tonight.”
“Sorry. I’m not in the mood to get dressed up or get hit on by drunk men.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what you need.”
Shaking my head, I scooted my chair away from the table and stood up.
“Once this threat passes,” I told Ivy. “Let’s all go on a girls' trip. Me, you, Dayana, your sister, and Kelly.”
“Kelly?” Ivy grinned. “Does that mean you’re going to call her and tell her to come back to work so I don’t have to handle flower orders so much?”
I chuckled. “Yes, I am. But I’ll wait until after Monique Rose’s wedding. I don’t know how Kelly would react if Rome Cattaneo walked into the store while she was here.”
Ivy nodded. “That makes sense. I’m going to hold you to that. You’re going to hack Rome one more time to make sure he doesn’t suspect us. Then you’ll leave that fucker alone, finish Monique’s wedding, and then let Kelly return to her regular schedule.”
“That’s the plan. Come on. Let's get back to work.”
Together, we returned to the front of the shop. I unlocked the door and flipped the sign to OPEN. I didn’t return to work right away. I stood there, staring through the glass, wondering if Romeo was somewhere out there thinking about his Juliet.
My heart hoped he was.
But my mind and my survival instincts hoped he wasn't.
Seeing his response to me today should’ve put things into perspective for me. Juliet wasn’t that important to Rome. I wasn’t that important to Rome. That was a good thing. That would make letting him go slightly easier.
And I had to let him go.
I couldn’t keep being a hypocrite. I couldn’t keep putting myself and my staff at risk like this. I had to let Rome go for good, for real this time. One more hack. That was it. Just to gauge his reaction, to see if he suspected that Blossom was Juliet.
If he didn’t, I would let him go.
Cold turkey.
Withdrawals be damned. There was no future for Romeo and Juliet. The only thing that awaited us was hostility and heartache. It was best I ended this now, before this fragile love turned into hate.
After all, there was a reason the full name of Shakespeare’s play was...
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.