Chapter Five #2
I shrugged, trying to appear casual despite the butterflies taking flight in my stomach. "Maybe he was worried about a lawsuit or something."
"A lawsuit?" Sophia arched an eyebrow. "Belle, he's Dario Luca. People don't sue him; they disappear." She must have noticed my alarmed expression because she quickly added, "I'm kidding! Mostly. But seriously, what happened in that break room?"
I traced the edge of my bandage, choosing my words carefully.
"Nothing! He cleaned the cut, put on a bandage.” My voice grew higher in my anxiety.
My heart started pounding and I felt a fine sheen of sweat erupt over my skin.
“He told me to take the night off." I deliberately omitted the electricity I'd felt when he touched me, the intensity in his blue eyes as they'd held mine, the way his voice had dropped to a near-whisper when he'd said my name. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that encounter had been anything but one sided and my fantasies were not Sophia’s business. Especially regarding the boss.
"That's it?" Sophia looked disappointed. "No heartfelt confessions? No 'I've been watching you since your first day'?"
"God, no!" I laughed, the sound slightly forced.
"He's the boss, Sophia. Even if he showed me some attention for a brief moment, everyone knows he’s way out of my league. I’m not stupid.
I need this job more than I need a one night stand with a man like Dario Luca.
" I kept my voice to a near whisper. The last thing I needed was anyone overhearing this conversation.
"League has nothing to do with it," she countered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Chemistry, on the other hand..."
I rolled my eyes, ignoring the flutter in my chest at her words. "There's no chemistry. He was just being... considerate."
"If you say so." Sophia's grin turned mischievous. "But if Dario Luca ever looked at me the way he apparently looked at you last night, I'd climb him like a tree."
"Sophia!" I hissed, my face burning as I glanced around to see if anyone had heard.
"What? I'm just saying what everyone's thinking." She laughed at my mortification. "The cookies were a nice touch, by the way. Very 'girl-next-door' charming."
"They weren't for him," I protested. "They were an apology to everyone for leaving mid-shift."
"Mmhmm." Her knowing smile made me want to sink through the floor. "Well, whatever your intentions, people are talking. Not in a bad way," she added quickly when she saw my expression. "More like... interested. You've become a bit of a mystery."
I groaned softly. "The last thing I want to be is a mystery. I just want to do my job, get my paycheck, and not have anyone looking at me."
"Too late for that, honey," Sophia whispered, her eyes darting past my shoulder. "Don't look now, but someone's definitely looking at you. And not in a good way."
Of course, the words "don't look now" made it impossible not to look.
I turned slightly, trying to be subtle, and caught a glimpse of a woman at the far end of the main bar.
She stood in a pool of amber light, the illumination catching on her honey-blonde hair and the expensive jewelry at her throat, right wrist, and her ears.
Her elegant gray dress clung to a figure that made me instantly conscious of every curve I lacked.
But it was her eyes that held me. Sharp and calculating, she fixed her gaze directly on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"Who is that?" I asked quietly, turning back to Sophia.
"Valentina Reeves," Sophia replied, her voice dropping even lower. "She runs some fancy art gallery downtown, but she's better known as Dario's ex. They broke up about six months ago, but she still comes in regularly. Rumor has it she didn't take the breakup well."
I swallowed hard, sneaking another glance at the woman. Valentina raised her glass slightly, taking a measured sip without breaking her stare. The gesture felt pointed somehow, almost like a challenge.
"Why is she looking at me like that?" I whispered.
Sophia raised her eyebrows. "Three guesses, and the first two don't count."
"That's ridiculous," I whisper-yelled, turning my back fully to Valentina. "Nothing happened with Mr. Luca!"
"Maybe not," Sophia conceded, "but she doesn't know that. And after last night's little display, she probably thinks you're his newest... interest."
The idea was so absurd I almost laughed. "Me? And Dario Luca? Please. He probably doesn't even remember my name."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Sophia murmured, her gaze moving past me again. "The way he looked at you last night... well, people noticed. Including, apparently, his ex-girlfriend."
I shook my head, determined to change the subject. "We should get to work. Doors open in thirty minutes."
"Fine, avoid the topic," Sophia sighed dramatically. "But this conversation isn't over. I want details. All of them." She pointed at my chest, giving me a stern look. Then she broke out in a smile and looped her arm through mine as we headed off.
We moved back toward the main floor. I couldn't resist one final glance in Valentina's direction.
She still watched, her perfectly manicured nails now tapping a slow, deliberate rhythm against her glass.
There was something predatory in her gaze, something that made me instinctively want to make myself smaller, less noticeable.
I turned away quickly, focusing instead on preparing my service tray, checking my section assignments, anything to distract from the unsettled feeling in my stomach.
The notion that Dario Luca, the boss, might have shown me special attention was too absurd to consider.
Men like him didn't notice women like me, not in any meaningful way.
And yet, the memory of his touch lingered, as did the intensity of his gaze when our eyes had met.
I shook my head, dismissing the thought.
I was here to work, to earn a paycheck that would keep a roof over my head and food on my table.
Everything else was just workplace gossip, the kind that would die down as soon as some new drama emerged.
Besides, the very last thing I needed to do was become embroiled in some kind of workplace tryst because it was always the nobody employee like me who got canned. Never the owner of the place.
By the time I finished my preparations, I'd almost convinced myself I was right.