Page 58 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

“Was I not supposed to?” Maia gulped, her face suddenly pale.

Rhodes was silent for a full breath, his nostrils flaring as though he were trying to keep his cool.

“Maia was just a teenager like you. She didn’t know any better at the time, right Maia? One should never steal.” I clarified.

Maia looked at my serious expression and then at Rhodes stiff stature. “No. Uh, it was a different time and I’m not proud of it. But Alana caught me and then helped set me on the right track…” she winced obviously uncomfortable.

Rhodes shoulders slumped in what could only be relief. “See Em, we all make bad decisions but sometimes, we learn our lesson and good can come of it. Like Alana and Maia’s long friendship.”

“I still think that’s so cool. Can you teach me how to take someone’s watch without them knowing it?” She put her hands together in front of her chest as she begged.

“Uh…I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Maia said at the same time Rhodes barked, “Absolutely not!”

My breath caught as Rhodes went eerily silent. He pointed to the door. “Emily, honey, go eat breakfast. We’ll be there in a second. I need a quick word with my girlfriend,” Rhodes tone brooked no argument.

“Comechéri, let’s give them time.”

Emily bounced off the bed. Rhodes sighed and rubbed his face with both his hands as Emily raced out of the room and down the hall.

“We’ll be in the kitchen,” I murmured and shut the door.

The second the door shut, came a growled, “You will not teach my daughter how to steal!”

Episode 49

Information Overload

JULIANNE

“Breathe, Jules. It’s going to be okay,” Giovanni squeezed my hand and whispered in my ear as we took the elevator up to the twenty-second floor where my lawyer’s office was.

I cracked my neck from side to side and wiggled my body, staring at my all-white getup in the mirrored elevator doors. I’d gone for a body-hugging white leather pencil skirt and a silk chemise tank. No jacket. My internal temperature always tended to rise with my emotions and nerves. Already I could feel sweat coasting along the surface of my skin, dampening my underarms and making my hairline tingle.

Gio pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Here, use this above your lip. I can see little droplets forming.”

“I’m going to ruin it with makeup,” I fanned my face with my bare hand, but it didn’t help.

“I don’t give a shit. I have a million of them. Just breathe, Jules. It’s all going to be fine. I’m here with you. Nothing bad is going to happen to you with me by your side. We’re going to go in there, they are going to inform us of their findings, and we’ll determine what our next steps are.”

Giovanni’s confidence helped ease a little of the tension making my heart pound like a base drum. I blotted the moisture off my face and hairline, then did the same under my arms. Ilooked up at Gio sheepishly. I wanted to run the cloth under my boobs to sop up any moisture there but drew the line at my pits. When I felt a bit less damp, I shoved the handkerchief into my purse to launder later.

“Thank you.”

“Happy to help,” he interlaced our fingers again and kissed the back of my hand as the elevator door opened.

I left my nerves in the elevator as I strutted toward reception. The woman behind the desk stood as we arrived.

“Mr. and Mrs. Falco?”

“That’s us,” I answered. I could have corrected her that my name would officially be Myers-Falco but it wasn’t imperative at the time.

“All the members of your meeting are already here. I’ll take you to them.” She led us through a series of cubicles and then down a long hallway to a set of double doors. She opened the door and held it for us to enter.

“Mr. and Mrs. Falco,” she announced as I took in the room. Several people I didn’t know, all wearing business suits, sat around a large conference table. The wall opposite the door was floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the natural morning light. Plants dotted the space, making it feel a little less corporate.

My lawyer, Ms. Christofferson, approached first, cutting a razor-sharp image with her blunt-cut blonde bob and Alexander McQueen steel-gray suit. She shook both of our hands and gestured to a pair of vacant leather chairs.

Giovanni held my chair until I got seated, undid the button on his suit jacket, and took his own seat. I loved watching him move with such subtle grace. Gio was a man who commanded a room. Not only with his stature but with his stoic nature and cool expression. He didn’t give anything away, which made him a lethal adversary in corporate circles.

---