Page 59 of Forbidden Deception

That’s the second time he has laughed in my presence.

“You seem hard to please,” he narrows his eyes.

Untangling myself from him, I walk around towards his desk and sit on the edge of it. Rafael turns to me and pockets his hands.

“Problem with that?” I lift a brow.

Rafael walks towards me and leans down, placing both hands beside me on the table.

“None, don’t you know I am ready to give everything to you?”

I tap a finger on my chin, putting on a thinking face. “No, I don’t,”

Holding back a smirk at his frown, I look away towards the papers and files on his desk.

“You didn’t finish—” a kiss on my neck stops me.

My words fail me when another is placed just below the first one. And another. Rafael steps closer and stands between my legs and I finally look up at him to find his eyes dark.

“Give me motivation to finish the work,” he suggestively says, his eyes dipping to my lips and then down my caged breasts in my dress shirt then back up to my lips.

Biting back a smile, I lift my lips.

As soon as his lips brush mine, I push at his shoulder and jump off the table laughing.

“Focus on your work mister.” I throw a wink over my shoulder at him, catching the sight of his tongue poking through his cheek with a smirk before I shut the door.

The rest of my evening plans of taking a long bath crash, and Danyi shows up with bags of noodles and a horror movie of my choice. Though, I should have known trying to hide my excitement wouldn’t go unnoticed by her.

“Tell me right now what has made you look this happy.” Danyi stops eating her noodles and turns to me on my sofa.

“What?” I look away from the movie to find her lifting a brow.

“You know exactly what I am talking about. Out with it. Who is the mystery man?”

Looking away from her, I lift the blanket up to my chin, but Danyi grabs my blanket and pulls it away from me.

“Danyi! Stop it. I swear it’s no one.” I laugh, then instantly stop.

Silence overtakes us.

Danyi tilts her head as if saying, ‘see?’ and I just roll my lips in, looking away.

“It’s nothing.” I shrug, clearing my throat and keeping my eyes on the paused screen of the TV.

“There has to be someone, Venezia. Ever since you started working at Gustav Industries, you have felt gloomy, like the damn weather, and now? Now you are lost in another universe, giggling, smiling, and laughing more freely. If that isn’t love’s effect, I don’t know what is.”

I force a laugh and roll my eyes. “Oh no. You got me. What will I do now?” I say with a straight face.

Danyi pushes me with a laugh. “You idiot. Go on. We aren’t watching the rest of the movie until you tell me.”

“It’s…” I look at her but stop once I see her determined expression. She won’t let this go.

“Okay, yes, I’ve met someone, but the first date is a couple of days away. I don’t know how well it’ll go, but I know him very well. We have come quite far, too. So I guess we’ll see how it goes.”

“Why are you nervous, though? You are Venezia. My Venezia doesn’t get nervous or choked up about a date. So what is stopping you?”

I look up from my hands to meet Danyi’s eyes. It feels like she can see right through me like an x-ray.

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