Page 213 of Modern Romance November 2024 5-8

Her eyes widened. After a beat, she said, ‘Whining?’

‘Winter in Manhattan means bad weather,’ he explained. ‘You need to toughen up.’

While he waited patiently—and people thought he didn’t have patience? Such a misconception!—for her to display some remorse and do as he’d requested, Victoria’s now narrowed eyes did not leave his face. It was a long moment before he realised that mutiny rather than remorse had settled in them, a mutiny carried through to the lifting of her chin and the sucking in of her cheeks. ‘I tell you what, why don’tyoutoughen up? You’re not an invalid. You’ve got a pair of fully functioning legs—if the weather out there’s as tropical as you seem to think it is, then go and get your own damned bagel. I’m going home.’

To his astonishment, Victoria finished her tempered outburst by striding across the kitchen, her long red hair swishing behind her.

Incredulous, he took a few beats to realise she was being serious.

‘Do I have to remind you the home you refer to comes courtesy of your job for me?’ he called out.

‘A job that this is my first day off from in eighteen days,’ she retorted without looking back.

He strode after her. ‘You think I take days off?’

She stepped through the door. ‘I am your employee. I have a contract that affords me rights.’

The door almost closed in his face. Almost as put out at her failure to hold it open for him as he was by this bolshy attitude, which, even by Victoria’s standards, went beyond minor insubordination, Marcello decided it was time to remind her who the actual boss was and of her obligations to him.

‘You cannot say you were not warned of what the job entailed when you agreed to take it,’ he said when he caught up with her in the living room. She was already at the door that would take her through to the reception room. ‘It is why you are given such a handsome salary and generous perks.’

Instead of going through the door, she came to a stop and turned back round, folding her arms across her breasts. ‘Quite honestly, Marcello, the way I’m feeling right now, I’d give the whole lot up for one lie-in. One lousy lie-in. That’s all I wanted but you couldn’t even afford me that, could you? I tell you what, stuff yourhandsome salary and generous perks—I quit.’

Too astounded to do anything but laugh, he shook his head. ‘Now you are being...’

But she’d already disappeared into the reception room, again not holding the door for him. This one being a spring-loaded, reinforced safety door, he came within an inch of having his nose broken by it slamming on him.

His patience close to being fully evaporated, he pushed the door open and loudly said, ‘You have to give three months’ notice.’

She emerged from the drying room with her outdoor clothing bundled in her arms.

Poker-faced, she eyeballed him as she pressed her thumb to the pad that summoned the elevator. ‘Consider this my notice.’

‘Are you actively trying to put me off providing you a reference?’

She held her palm up beside her face and gave it a little wave. ‘Is this the face of concern?’

The elevator arrived.

‘If you leave now, I will sue you for breach of contract,’ he threatened.

Still not removing her gaze from his, she gave a defiant smile and stepped backwards into the elevator.

‘I mean it, Victoria. I will sue you.’

Still smiling, she wound her scarf around her neck then, the doors closing, waved at him, this time in farewell.‘Ciao, amigo.’

He wedged his foot in before the doors could fully close and slipped into the elevator with her. ‘Amigois Spanish.’

‘I know.’

‘You can’t quit over a bagel.’

She punched the button to get the elevator moving. ‘I just did.’

‘It is not valid until it is in writing.’

‘I’ll email HR as soon as I get home. Oh, and if you sue me, I’ll countersue.’

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