Page 44 of Forbidden Deception

That is so rude of him. He could have just asked me to stay quiet.

I start towards the door of the grand suite, not paying attention to how grand the living penthouse suite is.

Such a beautiful suite and Rafael decided he wants me to shut up? Of course, he wants me to stay quiet. I am probably ruining the only hours of peace he is going to get for the next couple of busy days. Me getting angry at this is so ridiculous.

Raising my hand, I twist the knob and open the door. A large hand slams it shut in front of me.

My hands jump to my chest.

But I don’t talk.

He wanted me to stay quiet. Well, here it is.

“You didn’t mind me telling you that before. What’s wrong now?” His murmur travels from my ear all the way down to the pit of my stomach. His warmth wraps around me from the back, and tingles erupt all over my whole body.

I don’t answer him.

He’s so close, his body brushing against my back, that my mind fogs for a second.

“Venezia, you think giving me the silent treatment will work in your favour?”

I can feel him everywhere, more than ever. I shouldn’t be this attuned to his body.

He towers over me easily. He could crush me with his bare hands and kill me, and yet, I have never felt this calm in any anyone’s presence other than my brother.

His hand is still on the door in front of me. Those long fingers, veiny hands, and muscle-corded arms look mouthwatering. My mind instantly changes direction and imagines obscene images of him pumping those fingers inside of me.

I clench my thighs and squeeze my eyes shut.

What am I thinking?

“You want to play this game? Fucking fine.”

His warmth disappears from behind me, and I finally let out a breath, my hands dropping to my sides.

Whatever he had decided to do clearly didn’t sit right. He’s going to tell me to get out and—

I am forcefully turned around and slammed against the door. Rafael looms over me, looking down at me and crowding my space. He looks like a dark lord right now. Cunning, sinister, manipulative and ruthless. His hair is ruffled, and his unbuttoned shirt reveals ripped abs that look as if they have been shaped from stone and a happy trail that dips into his trousers. Every inch of him is so rock-hard and solid that I imagine touching him would feel like a warm hard wall.

“You—” He stops, lifting his hand and slowly wrapping it around the base of my neck.

My eyes widen at this touch. This is very inappropriate for a boss and an employee. It’s forbidden. Wrong. Tempting.

What is he doing? He shouldn’t be touching me, shouldn’t be crossing boundaries like this between us. Is he threatening me? I talked too much. I know it.

Why does his threat not feel as dangerous as I expect it to be?

His eyes blaze with a fire I have never seen in his usually calm eyes before.

“—have to stop occupying my time, my silence, and my space everywhere I go with your presence,” he grinds out, his jaw ticking as if I am just out of reach of his control and he desperately wants to reel me back in.

The hold on my neck slowly tightens to the point where my breaths are restricted.

My hands fly to his wrist.

“I’m your assistant. That is exactly my job,” I bite back finally, not out of anger but to see where this will get me. “You are a calm man. Nothing sets you off. So if you want my silence, that is what you will get.” I pull at his hold and manage to make him let go of me, but as soon as I force my eyes to look away from him, a rough grip on my chin pulls me back towards his powerful eyes.

“No,” he grits out. “You don’t get to give me so much and then decide you will take it away. I don’t give a fuck if I am usually a calm person. You will soon realise that I am the opposite when it comes to the object of my obsessions.”

---