Page 162 of The Bonus

“What will we be eating?” Dominic sighs.

“You will eat whatever he serves up.”

“What if it’s brains?” Dom replies.

“Then you eat the brains.”

“What if it’s caterpillars?” He smiles darkly as Lucia frowns in horror.

“Then you eat the damn caterpillars.”

Turn right.

Google notifies me of the driveway and I peer at the lights disappearing up and over the hill.

Jeez.

The sweeping driveway is huge and grand with big white ball lights on both sides, it looks more like a main road than it does a driveway.

“This is it,” I say as I turn right.

“This is his house?” Lucia gasps. “Is he rich or something?”

“He must be,” Dom agrees. “Only rich people have driveways like this. I bet he has a pool too.”

“Who cares if he’s rich or not?” I snap. “It’s rude to talk about money, guys. Please never do that.”

Oh hell, these kids are going to sound so uncultured and country bumpkinish.

Well…they are.

We continue up the hill for miles and the car is silent as we look around at the beautiful surroundings, okay…this driveway is swish, it’s like the botanical gardens, even I’m in awe.

Ugh…so typically him.

What a wanker.

My palms begin to sweat as I hold the steering wheel, the magnitude of tonight is really beginning to freak me out. “Guys…just please, promise me that tonight you will be nice to Gabriel, okay?”

“Yes, Momma.” Lucia smiles from the backseat.

My eyes flick to Dominic in the rearview mirror for confirmation. “Dom?”

“Yes.” He huffs. “I told you already.”

We come over the top of the hill and my eyes widen at the sight. The house is white and huge, three stories tall and lit up with the same fancy big ball lights. It has a sweeping veranda and beautiful gardens.

“Woooooah,” the children gasp from the back seat.

I swallow the lump of sand in my throat as I park the car. “This is it.”

The front door opens and Gabriel comes into view, he waves and smiles as he walks down to greet us. “Hello.” He opens my car door.

Be nice for the children.

I look up at him and smile awkwardly. “Hello.”

Tall with dark hair and a jaw that could cut glass. He’s wearing blue jeans that fit snug in all the right places and a white T-shirt. I’ve only seen him in casual clothes a handful of times, luckily for me…because he looks damn well delicious.

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