Page 26 of Mafia Rules

I pace back and forth, the anticipation building as I wait for whoever arrives first.

"She's just arrived," I hear Stella announce on the intercom.

My mind switches over to lover mode, waiting for her to enter my lobby. As soon as I reach the door to open it, she also opens it simultaneously. Walking past me, her typically warm eyes now look dark, and her mouth is tightly drawn.

"Eve, I'm sorry," I offer as she walks past me to her desk like I wasn't standing there.

"It's over." She sits down in her seat a little too hard with a wince on her face. "I'm here to work."

"Because I didn't text you?" I lean on her desk, slightly surprised at how childish she's behaving. It wasn't over, not even close.

"I won't be ignored." She straightens her jacket and starts up her computer. "Do you have work for me, or should I see if Stella needs help?" Her perfectly plucked eyebrows perk up.

"That’s it? I can’t even explain?”

“I’ll ask Stella.” She grabs the handle of her phone, but I place my hand on hers, putting it back on the hook.

“The client is coming in today.” With my hand still on hers, I feel her warmth before delicately sliding my fingers between hers.

She shakes her head and pauses, looking like she is searching for words, maybe understanding my silence since yesterday. The client never comes to my office, and I’ve drilled it into her head that she can never meet the client, but that’s all about to change today.

She’ll meet my father and Sasha shortly. I want to lie to her about Sasha because I know Eve will compare herself to her. Eve was fucking beautiful but had no clue, which made it more endearing. But her jealousy irritated me. If I wanted someone else, I would be with someone else.

“What should I do?” She stands up, glancing at the door as if expecting my answer.

“I’ll take the meeting in my office. You will stay here and pretend like you’re an excellent secretary.” A faint grin forms at the corner of my mouth at the idea of her doing well in the office. I put both my hands on her hips and pull her closer to me, and to my surprise, she doesn’t fight me. “My father will be here.”

Looking up at me, she keeps her red lips tightly closed, and the silence hangs heavy in the air. Her gaze lingers on my face, searching for any hint of my feelings. “Do you need me to help with anything?” she finally says.

“I need to get through this day, then curl up with you in bed tonight. I don’t even care if we fuck, Eve. I just want to hold you.” My lips touch down on her cheek, and the sweet smell of vanilla reminds me of her naked body, and my cock stands at attention, even though it’s the last thing I need right now.

I need to tell her about Sasha. I gently pull away from her and tuck strands of her hair behind her flawless face. How do I break the news that my ex, the last person who meant anything to me, would walk through that door any minute, and that she was the client?

A knock on the door interrupts our moment. I step away from Eve and wait till she is seated before I call out, “Yes?”

Stella opens the door. “Five minutes till they are here, Mr. McKenzie. Where should I seat them?”

“My office for now and the large boardroom once the greetings are over.” I observe Stella's eyes darting between Eve and me. “Is there something else?”

Stella steps forward and motions for me to lean into her. “What about…” She points to Eve. “She’s not ready to meet your father in any capacity.”

“We’ll protect her.” My smile widens, and I am happy that Stella has actually taken a liking to Eve despite her daily criticisms.

Stella nods before walking out of my lobby.

“I'll order coffee?” Standing at her desk, Eve fidgets with her phone, ready to receive my instructions.

“Yes, please.” I walk back into my office, aware of the elephant about to trample into this room. As soon as Sasha sees how sweet and shy Eve is and clues into my affection toward her, she’ll try to fuck it up.

“Umm. How many people, sir?” She emphasizes the last word a bit, and reminds me of our night together.

We hadn’t really gotten into any submissive sex talk yet, but she’d know how to drive me fucking crazy. But I didn’t need a hard-on right now. I may need to distance myself from her today just to think straight. Play time will be tonight. I’ll gladly push her to her limits in bed. She does not have to do anything tonight but enjoy herself after dealing with Sasha.

“Let’s do it for ten. I’m not sure of the exact numbers. My brothers might be here too.” I sit down and avoid looking at her, hoping my hard-on goes away before they arrive, although seeing my father for the first time in years should help with that.

“Yes, sir,” she says sweetly with those red plump lips.

“Please close the door,” I ask, then feel her glare at me. It's something I never ask her to do, but she must realize today is different. I may need to act differently; I don’t need her to witness that.

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