High Stakes Seduction - Book 4 (3 page)

Chapter Six

“Ange? Are you awake? You don't want to be late for work.” Maria rapped lightly on my door.

Oh, I was awake all right. I’d woken up an hour before my alarm went off, and now it was an hour after I was supposed to be at the store, but I hadn't even gotten out of bed.

Maria opened the door a crack, peering inside. The light from the hallway streamed in.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m not feeling well,” I lied. I dug myself a little deeper under the blankets, feeling childish but I didn’t care. My emotions had taken a beating, my spirit kicked around. Was a day in bed asking too much?

“Angela,” Maria said in that tone of voice that made her sound just like Mom when we’d been naughty. She wheeled into my room

Now I really did feel like a child. I sighed and threw off the covers, sitting up on the bed.

“Ange, what is it?" Maria asked softly, laying a hand on my knee. "Did something … go wrong … between you and Antonio?”

I lowered my head a little, my hair falling forward to curtain my face.

Maria leaned forward, peering beneath my curls. “Sis, come on, spill.”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, shoving away the memories of last night’s dream. “It’s complicated,” I murmured.

"Well I figured that. Tell me what
isn't
complicated when it comes to men," Maria gave my leg a little squeeze. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head. I could hardly spill everything to Maria without hurting her, too.

Then I nodded, changing my mind. I could talk about some of it; I'd just leave out the stuff I was afraid might hurt her.

“But it isn’t just about me and Antonio. Not entirely. You know that day I confronted him in his office about the life insurance policy? Well, he didn't
just
give me a job. Oh, he offered me a job all right, that's true enough. But there were … conditions."

Maria sat there, listening. But her eyes narrowed at the word "conditions".

"Dad had a huge amount of debt. Apparently after Mom died, he really racked it up. I guess with the drinking and all, he just went overboard. You know how distant he became with us, how we never knew if he'd be home or in what condition?"

Maria nodded, a sad, faraway look taking over her eyes. A cross between introspection and some distant picture. "That was such a hard time. Mom was gone, I was in the hospital. It must have been even worse for you—having to handle all the things Dad simply couldn't."

I waved off her empathy. That was done. Over. We got through it. But not without a few scars.

"Well, I guess it got worse after Dad left us. After he disappeared." The 'dark days' as we'd called it. "Remember the thugs who were constantly bothering us for a while? I found out not only what they wanted, but also why they stopped."

I told Maria how Dad had gone to Antonio, had begged him for a loan to pay off the goons.

"And Antonio agreed?" Maria shook her head. "Is that what the insurance policy was about? Dad set it up as payment?"

I nodded. "But it's worse. Apparently Antonio also holds the mortgage on the house."

Maria stared at me. I could see the question in her eyes.
The mortgage. Our house.
Her reaction wasn't so different from what mine had been.

"So that means…" she started.

"…he pretty much owns us." I completed.

"Oh, Ange. I had no idea. I just thought he was a nice man who gave you a good job."

"Well, remember Sis, how I didn't want to take it at first? Honestly, he scared me in his office. But after that awful day in the restaurant, I figured anything would be better than being pinched on the butt by a customer while I was being yelled at by my jerk boss." I sighed. And now, here I was back at square one, facing going back into the same kind of work environment because I couldn't face my personal upheaval with Antonio and Naomi.

"So what're these conditions? I mean, why would he bother to offer you a job? Especially if he owns everything?"

I took a deep breath. "I’m working for Antonio to pay off Dad’s debt. He told me if I came to work for him I could earn back the mortgage, and then the house would be ours again—if I stuck it out for the next four years. But, oh Maria, I wasn’t supposed to…”

Maria’s hand found mine and held it tight. “To fall in love with him?” her voice was soft and there was sympathy in her eyes.

Tears started trailing down my face as her words hit my heart
. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a man whose “business meetings” involved terrible people and dangerous plans.
A man who ran hot and cold. A man who made me tremble every time he touched me, but worse, made me question my own values and morals. A man who had insisted Naomi was only part of his past, then abandoned me the moment she reappeared.

I squeezed Maria’s hand tighter, wanting nothing more than to lay my head in her lap and tell her everything.

But how could I do that? How could I risk taking away that wonderful smile she'd had on her face last night when she showed me her sketches? How could I deny her the chance of being able to use her legs again? I'd give almost anything to make that happen, but, how could I continue on with this charade?

“I don’t think I can stand to work for him anymore, Maria,” I managed.

“Ange, I know Dad’s situation has put a lot of pressure on you over the years, and I’m grateful to you for
everything
you’ve done and how hard you’ve worked. You’ve always been so dedicated when it comes to keeping your word—even with the not-so-great jobs.” Maria patted my leg. "But… you made an agreement."

I stared at her.
Agreement?
She had no idea…. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I shook my head.

"Oh, Sis, don't start! You don't know how hard it would be to face him. Every day."

“Why? Because things didn’t turn out the way you planned? I can’t help you if you don’t share why you’re this upset.”

I don’t say a word, just sat there, staring at the wall.

"Ange, unless he’s done something awful you haven’t told me about, is it possible you’re over-reacting a bit? And if you are over-reacting, then please stop for a moment and reconsider, because it's your
word
. It's your honor. Regardless of who's on the other end of the agreement. As hard as it might be to face this man, you have a… an obligation. And you've never shirked your obligations before."

I knew she was right, but I didn't want to hear it. I just wanted to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head.

She went on. “I know you. You’ll beat yourself up forever if you simply walk away. You’ve never given up on anything in your life.”

That was true, and maybe she was right. Maybe I was overreacting. After all, he and I had made no promises to each other. Maybe my inexperience in the world was just screwing me up.

She pushed my limp hair off my forehead. “I get that this … 'relationship' ... with your boss might be really hard to deal with, or even create some chaos with the everyday stuff, but I think you’ve got to set aside your personal feelings and do what you’ve agreed to do. And I don't mean just to save the house."

I listened to her words numbly and then resentment began to rear its ugly head. It felt like everything was on
me
to fix this. To make right what Dad had done wrong. For a moment, I felt anger and self-pity rising in me, bitterness that Maria was so willing to lay all of Dad’s debt on me when I was the one who'd been working to take care of us both.

But just as soon as the thought struck me, I realized how selfish it was, and it quickly vanished. I knew that, were things different—if I’d been the one in the accident—Maria would have been the first one to step up and take care of me, just as she always had.

“You can do this, Ange,” Maria said, wrapping an arm around me and pulling my head down onto her shoulder. “No matter where things stand between you and Antonio personally, you have to think of this as a business arrangement. And you have to honor your agreements. That’s what the folks always taught us. And, it's what you've always done.”

“I know,” I said. Sister Maria, my conscience.

“Look at the bright side. Continuing to work for him gets you away from him sooner.”

I looked at her as if she’d grown two heads and she laughed.

“If you were making minimum wage, it would take you ages to pay him back. But, with this job and salary, you’ll be done with it sooner and then you can really put him behind you.
If
… that’s what you still want by then.”

She was right, of course. When had my sister gotten so world-wise and smart? I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I just wished I had a few extra days to recover. It would probably be too much to hope that he would be gone at least for a few more days. At least that way I could get my bearings before I had to face him.

“I doubt he'd let me out of the contract anyway," I sighed. "Give me about twenty minutes to see if I can repair these puffy eyes—and whatever other damage I don't want to show.”

“No problem,” Maria smiled. “I’ll warm up breakfast.”

Chapter Seven

If there was one good thing I’d learned from my mom, it was to never be late for a scheduled appointment.
Unless you were trying to make a point
, I reminded myself, thinking back to that very first day when I'd met Antonio Mancini. Being late was a sign of disrespect. It forced others to compensate for your tardiness.

The expectation was so ingratiated in me that the guilt of showing up at the store three hours late was almost palpable. It just added to my general discomfort and relative fear about being in the store at all. And, I prayed I wouldn't run into Antonio.

As luck would have it, I ran into his General instead. The first person I saw when I slid in through the glass doors was Priscilla.

Well, no escaping it now. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I told her, masking my face with what I hoped was a charming smile.

She simply tilted her head and raised her perfectly arched brow at me. The unforgettable expression could mean anything from utter disappointment to grudging approval. I was pretty sure where I stood on that scale right at this moment.

“I guess I’m still running on cruise ship time,” I said, hoping the lie didn’t sound as weak as it felt.

“I assume your timing will improve tomorrow, Miss Tilson,” Priscilla said in that chilly tone of hers that left no doubt of her feelings and no room for rebuttal.

She turned back to the desk without further comment, effectively dismissing me.
Hell of a way to start my first day back
, I thought as my cheeks flared.

“Wait, Priscilla,” I said, reaching into my bag. “I brought you something.” I took out the small box of perfume and the decadent chocolate. I’d picked out a refined, austere scent and the Cacao Grenada chocolate for my no-nonsense boss with her straight to-the-point personality.

I stood there, my hand outstretched, praying that my peace offering would be accepted.

“I hope you like them.”

Her brow rose, and for a moment, I thought she was going to reprimand me further. But instead, I saw what could only have been a smile pull at the corner of her glistening, perfectly made up lips. “This is a bit unexpected,” she said, eyeing me as if to see if there was a catch.

“We visited some wonderful factories and distilleries and learned about the manufacturing processes as well as the people of the islands. It was fascinating to see the items in various processes of being made. I really wanted to share at least a small part of it with the people I’ve really come to appreciate, even though I’ve only known you for a short while.”

Priscilla regarded me for a moment longer. Beneath the weight of her stare, I worried that she would think me insincere, just trying to gain favor, or covering for my tardiness. The silly thing was, I really meant what I said.

Priscilla was almost single handedly the reason I had done so well. In the short time I’d worked under her wing, I’d learned so much. When I’d started this job, I had no idea what to expect, having little experience in sales and no experience about the fashion industry beyond what the magazines suggested I should be wearing each season.

But, thanks to Priscilla’s guidance, I'd kind of found my way. I even secured a new line of designs from a pair of gifted, young, up and coming designers from Europe.

And, no matter how it had turned out, I'd taken the leap and gone on a two-week Caribbean cruise with Antonio. I'd mingled with politicians, even been wined and dined, flirted with,
and finally bedded by the owner of the Empire
…

“I just wanted to say thank you,” I added with a smile. "I could hardly have learned so much in such a short time without you."

“Well,” Priscilla began, “this is very kind of you, Angela.”

I breathed a little more easily when she used my first name. Hopefully, that meant I was forgiven. Now to make it through the rest of the day without a mishap.

“Angela!” came a gleeful voice behind me.

I turned to see Nevia heading toward me, her blue eyes bright with a smile. She threw her arms around me the moment she got close enough. Over her shoulder, I spotted a few of the other clerks heading my way, each wearing happy smiles.

A few moments later, Nevia was snapping off pieces of the Espresso flavored dark chocolate I’d bought for her and sharing it with our co-workers.

“I have more,” I said, scooping a handful of the smaller bars out of my purse and spreading them across the counter.

The ladies squealed, reaching for the delicious chocolate and playfully elbowing each other out of the way. Their exuberance and enthusiasm was positively contagious.

Note to self: Chocolate is a big hit with the staff!

I sighed. Too bad I had to give up my fantasy of dripping the warm, rich chocolate onto one gorgeous executive's chest while I slowly licked it off. But the way things were looking, that chance would never come anyway.

Priscilla’s cool voice caught my thoughts before they headed down a path where I’d rather not go. “Did you bring your portfolio in with you, Angela?”

As usual, she was all business, even in the midst of the other girls’ elation and delighted “mmms”.

I hadn't even thought about my promise to bring in a sample of my photography. I'd been busy "in the moment" with all the new things I'd experienced on the trip. And besides, Priscilla hadn’t specified a deadline for when she wanted to see my work. But, I suppose I should have gotten things organized sooner.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to put anything together,” I said.

Despite how well I’d been working with Priscilla and how pleased she was with me, it was as though these past two weeks away had reset our relationship. Now, I felt like a child who’d failed to hand in her homework on time.

Not that Priscilla was treating me any differently. I just couldn’t help feeling self-conscious under her gaze. I was more than just a little concerned that she might suspect what was going on with Antonio—her boss as well as mine—and was judging me for my indiscretions.

“I did take a lot of great pictures while I was away. Could I show you those?”

“Oh, can we see them, too?” Nevia piped up and the other girls joined in around mouthfuls of chocolate.

“That will do,” Priscilla said and stepped out from behind the counter. “I will remind you ladies that this is a place of business,” she said, letting her gaze fall on each of us. We all smiled sheepishly.

“Fortunately, we do not appear to be busy for the next few moments.”

With that she walked away. The five of us exchanged glances and raised eyebrows as we realized she’d given us permission to have fun for a little bit longer.

I breathed a sigh of relief. As uncomfortable as I'd anticipated my return to the store was going to be, it was turning out okay. So far.

A sense of dread still tickled the back of my mind, reminding me that Antonio was likely in this very building, maybe just a few floors away. But, for the moment, being here, surrounded by friends and having something to do, was way better than lying in bed feeling sorry for myself.