Page 22 of Spice and Revenge

Leonardo

“Don, I’m only suggesting that you take it easy on her. She could quit her job, and she is the best chef we’ve had in a while.”

I grit my teeth together before looking up to glare at Nina, who is standing by my office door. I was surprised when she came to inform me that dinner was ready. I have a wristwatch, and I know that dinner should be ready by 7 pm. Now I see why she came. She had an ulterior motive.

“Are you questioning me, Nina?” I drawl, my voice low and threatening.

She shakes her head immediately. “No, of course not!” she denies it in a panicked tone.

“I’m just thinking all the extra stuff will burn her out from her real job. I got the household's best at heart...”

“And I don't?” I interrupt.

Nina visibly gulps, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

My voice becomes hard. “Are you teaching me how to do my job, Nina? How to be an employer?”

“N-no, Don. I apologize,” she stammers, her head slightly bowed. “My suggestion was totally uncalled for. I believe you know what you are doing, and I trust every decision you make.”

I give her a scrutinizing look. If she weren't so darn good at her job, she'd be out.

“Get out,” I hiss. Nina wastes no time in turning on her heels and scurrying out of my office.

I try to return to work, but I’m unable to focus. It’s a Sunday, and I should be getting some rest or doing something productive. Yet, I’m holed up in my office, pretending to work as a way to distract myself.

After walking in on Alessandro and Lorena talking last Tuesday, I increased her duties, so she doesn’t have the time to do anything else, like flirt with my friends.

I made her solely responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of all kitchen equipment, including dishwashing, deep cleaning, and dusting and polishing every surface from top to bottom. She also has to wake up earlier every morning to join the gardener in tending to the garden and harvesting fruits and vegetables. The menu's revamped too, adding more complicated Sicilian dishes to it.

Nina's right. The extra responsibilities, along with her actual job as a chef, will wear Lorena out. Well, it’s a shame because that’s exactly what I want.

The last time the guys came over, which was two days ago, Alessandro asked about her. I didn’t think he was genuinely interested in seeing her. He just wanted to piss me off. Unfortunately for him, Lorena was too busy to entertain his shenanigans.

It’s been almost two weeks of her working here—two weeks of me pretending like she doesn’t affect me, pretending like I’m not attracted to her.

The attraction I feel for Lorena is like the pull of gravity; irresistible. Every time my gaze falls on her, there's this magnetic attraction that pulls me towards her, no matter how much I try to resist it. It prompts me to want to say something to her, to provoke a response from her. Each time I see her, I try to convince myself that she’s just like any other regular chef. But no other chef has made me hard just by merely glancing at them.

The way her hips sway as she walks and the way her chef uniform fits snugly against her body, showing off every dip and curve of her frame. The way her long, curly blond hair flows down her back when she doesn’t have it up in a tight bun. I imagine myself wrapping her hair around my fist as she sinks her sinful lips down my throbbing shaft, staring up at me with her seductive, green eyes.

“Shit,” I mutter. Just thinking about that witch makes my dick hard.

Giovanni’s words come rushing back into my head. Maybe I do need to visit the club and unwind. I haven’t had sex since the maid I fired on Lorena’s first day. It’s been almost two weeks. My longest dry spell since adulthood.

My chair screeches against the floor as I push it backward and stand up. I leave the office for my bedroom, freshen up, then grab my Ferrari keys.

“What are you up to tonight?” Fabio asks from the living room as I walk past. I glance over at him. He is in pajamas, with a TV remote in his hand, an action movie playing in the background.

“Since when did you become my mother?” I grunt.

“Hey, is it a crime to care 'bout big bro's whereabouts?” he snickers.

I roll my eyes, but I can’t deny the pleasant feeling that rolls up in my chest. After my father died and I came back to take over as the head of the family, it was hard for my half-siblings to accept me. I pretended like I didn’t care about their acceptance, but I can’t deny how good it feels that we are somewhat on good terms.

Well, except for Carmela, but she's another story.

“I’m heading out. Don’t wait up for me,” I reply.

Fabio laughs. “Like I would.”

---