Is he looking at my ass? The thought that he might be makes me lick my lips. And arch my back.
De Rossi clears his throat and takes a loud bite of his stupid apple. I smile.
My little victory is cut short when I move to get up and instead end up falling back down on my butt.
“Ouch!” I wrap my palms around my calf. Goddamn charley horse. It must be all the physical labor this week.
“What happened?” De Rossi gets out of his seat and kneels beside me. “Are you hurt?”
“Spasm,” I grit out as I rub my tense muscles. Tears spring to my eyes.
“Let me see,” he demands.
“There’s nothing to see, I just need to work it out.”
“Stop being stubborn.”
The protest dies on my tongue when he wraps his big hands around my calf and smooths both of his thumbs down the back. He’s stronger than me, applies more pressure, and it feels so much better than whatever I was doing to myself. The sensation is enough to work a small moan out of me.
“How’s that?” he asks in a low tone.
“Better.”
“Hmm.”
I drop my head to rest against the edge of his desk while he keeps going. My lids lower. It’s hot today, and now that I’m not in motion, the tiredness sets in. De Rossi hadn’t been totally wrong about me when he deduced I hadn’t had to work a day in my life. Food, shelter, and money had always been a given. Not anymore. I’ve worked hard this week, harder than I’ve ever had to, and my body hasn’t had time to adjust to it yet.
He digs his fingers into just the right spot, and I bite my bottom lip to hold back another moan. A completely unwanted tendril of heat swirls in my core. I was attracted to him before he opened that cruel mouth-a fact I’d love to forget. This is De Rossi, for God’s sake. He saw someone in pain and decided to help out. It doesn’t change anything.
But when I crack open my lids, the look on his face makes sparks crackle across my skin. It’s downright wolfish. He meets my gaze and holds it. I suck in a breath.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” I whisper.
His fingers slow, his touch turns gentler. “You’re probably dehydrated.”
“A businessman and a doctor. How do you find the time?”
He drops his hands away from me and rises. A second later, I’m handed a bottle of water from his desk. “Drink this.”
I do because… Well, he’s probably right. I haven’t had anything to drink since this morning. I’ve forgotten how to take care of myself, and I’m still trying to remember.
“Thanks,” I say after I finish the water. “Take a look around. Let me know if I missed anything.”
He passes a cursory glance around the room. “It looks fine.”
“Fine’s not good enough for you, De Rossi. It needs to be excellent.”
I think I see a flicker of respect in his eyes. I give him a tired smile. “I’m a quick learner. And as I tried to tell you, I work hard.”
He tilts his head slightly to the side, and after a moment, he extends his hand. “Let me help you up.”
His hand is warm and steady. I rise to my full height, putting my eyes on the same level as his collarbones. When he appears in no rush to let me go, I tip my head back and meet his gaze.
He’s wearing a thoughtful expression. “I talked to Inez. She told me you’re one of the best employees she’s ever trained.”
My body feels light with relief. Inez put in a good word for me? I’m going to give her a long hug next time I see her. “She’s good at directions.”
He inhales and then lets out a resigned breath. I can tell he’s not thrilled with having to utter his next sentence. “I’ll admit, I may have been wrong about you.”
I swallow, trying to tempter my premature excitement. “Does that mean…”
His smile is a mere flicker. He drops my hand, walks behind his desk, and closes his laptop. “It means this won’t be the last time you clean this office.”
A grin overtakes my face. “Yes, boss.”
“On Monday, bring your documents. Ras will arrange your contract.”
Documents?
Crap.
VALENTINA
When I get back to the hostel, Astrid and Vilde are in our room, and I tell them I got the job.
“Welcome to the team,” Astrid exclaims. “We should celebrate tonight.”
“Don’t you need to work?” I ask. De Rossi didn’t give me more than a moment to enjoy my achievement before flinging another problem in my face, so I’m not in the most celebratory mood.
I don’t have any papers to show him on Monday, and I have no idea how I’m going to weasel out of that. I still have my real passport-tucked under my mattress-but it’s useless to me now.
“We’re both scheduled on Saturday this week,” Vilde says. “And we were already planning on taking advantage of our day off. One of the other dancers told us about an incredible seafood restaurant that’s right on the water.”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty exhausted after the week I’ve had,” I say.
“We’re in Ibiza. The entire point is to go out and have fun and meet people. Maybe I could get laid tonight,” Astrid says wistfully. “It’s been too long. I broke up with Matthew two-no, three-months ago, and after him there was that one guy, but he was really awful in bed. He was poking around down there like I was a TV remote or something.”
Vilde and I grimace at the vivid image.
“What about you?” Astrid asks. “You have a boyfriend back in Canada that you’ve been quiet about?”
Lazaro’s face appears in my mind. “No boyfriend.” Just a possibly dead psycho ex-husband who’s only slept with me once. I’ve spent so much time hating Lazaro for what he forced me to do to his victims, that I’ve barely considered the other ways he’s harmed me. I’m not a virgin, but I’m not far off from it. My marriage was a hideous farce in more ways than one.
My one sexual interaction with Lazaro lasted all of three minutes. He took off my dress, put his fingers inside of me, and after a few seconds replaced them with his dick. I held on to him for dear life, forcing my tears back, praying the pain between my legs would go away quickly. It didn’t. It didn’t stop until he finished and pulled out.
You know what would really go against everything my family taught me? Casual sex.
Oh God, they would lose their minds if they knew their daughter not only ran away, but also became a whore. In the clan, being called a whore was the worst thing a woman could be labeled. Whores are disloyal. They can’t be trusted. They certainly shouldn’t be loved. Only fools fell for them, men that didn’t know any better.