Page 59 of Coerced Kiss

I catch his wrist. “Wait.”

He pauses, watching me with expectation.

Reluctantly, I say, “I was having a really bad day. My mom… Something happened.”

“She stole your money, spent it on booze, got herself attacked, and ended up in hospital.”

I look at him quickly. “How do you know?”

“How do you think?”

Livy told him. Kudos to him for winning her trust so fast. Not that I blame her. He’s a great actor, and she’s a romantic soul who looks at the world through rose-colored glasses.

“Carry on,” he says in a commanding manner.

He really has a way of wearing me down. Too tired to argue or fight any longer, I blow out a sigh. “I went to a bar for a drink. He seemed kind and caring. He bought me a drink, and one thing led to another.” I look at my hands. “We were careful but obviously not enough. I wasn’t surprised that he ghosted me.” Shrugging, I face Saverio again. “It happens. What floored me was finding out he lied about his identity and about being single.”

“That piece of scum,” Saverio says, his upper lip curling. “You’ll burn every dollar he gave you, understand? I don’t want anything that belonged to him anywhere near you, and I’ll be damned before I let you buy a damn thing with his cash.”

“Don’t worry.” I laugh to hide my discomfort. “I didn’t take his money.”

“Why not?”

“He was unhappy about giving it.”

The car comes to a stop.

“You did the right thing, Anya. If you want him to pay?—”

“No,” I say quickly. “It’s in the past. I can’t change what happened. I just want to move on.”

“All right.” He nods. “I’ll respect your wish. But…”

I stare at him, my mouth going dry. “But what?”

His tone is clipped. “From now on, I never want to hear you speak his name again.”

Before I can reply, he pushes a button to lower the partition.

Giving the driver my prescription, he says, “Go get this from the pharmacy.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver replies as Saverio opens his door and gets out.

I freeze. I think he believes me. I’m ninety percent sure he’s not going to stab me to death and bury my body on a hill, but there’s always that ten percent of doubt.

Bending my head, I try to get a glimpse of our surroundings. The stately mansion and manicured garden that are visible through his open door catch me by surprise.

Panic engulfs me when he opens my door and offers me a hand. Not wanting to aggravate him and ignite his anger again, I slip my fingers into his.

“Where are we?” I ask as he helps me from the car.

In the distance, the green expanse of Prospect Park is visible. We’re in a posh part of Park Slope.

“This is my home.” He places my hand on the crook of his elbow. “Come, I’ll show you around.”

I dig in my heels. “I have to get back to the office. I’ll get into trouble if I’m late. The HR manager was unhappy with letting me take the morning off as it is.”

“I already told them you won’t be in today.”

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