Page 28 of Ruthless Boss

"That's the least I can do. I know it isn't easy being here without being able to do much or having free time."

She threads her fingers together. "I mean, would I like to maybe go bowling once in a while? Sure. But I understand your reasons."

"That's generous of you," I say, shaking my head. I know she gets paid well above the average as a way to buy her freedom, so to speak. Most girls her age wouldn't be into this kind of work commitment, no matter the compensation. Doubt stabs at me. What if she changes her mind? What if, one day, she wakes up and decides she's had enough? And she wants to go to clubs, date horny musicians, and makes stupid mistakes. The thought hurts me like a blow.

She reaches for my elbow, and I stiffen my shoulders, fully aware of her touch. "Are you okay? I'm sensing tension."

"I worry about you…hmmmm… leaving."

She bites her lower lip, then looks away. "Because of AJ?"

"Yes, that too."

"What else?" she asks, lifting her chin, her soulful brown eyes daring me to lie.

"Fuck…" She's going to make me say it. Feels so wrong and right at the same time. I could never become this attached to AJ's mom or anyone else. The idea of Lucia leaving messes me up in ways I don't understand. "…Because of me." Those three words are my downfall. They weaken me, strip me of my power, and, worst of all, a twinge of guilt twists in my chest for being unable to say them to Andie.

"I worry too," she says, her gaze locked with mine. "Because of AJ… and because of you."

I close the distance between us and pull her to me. So many different thoughts cross through my mind that I don't know which one to address first.

"Then what do we do?" I ask.

"We stop worrying for a while," she says and stretches to her full height, standing on her tiptoes. Then, she circles her arms around my head and pulls me closer.

16

Gia

"Can I look?" I ask, touching the blindfold mask Dante fastened on me thirty minutes ago before he slipped me into his car.

"Not yet," he says, guiding me through a space. I follow his lead, wondering if he took me to a sex club in the middle of the day. He asked Amara to come over and watch AJ for a few hours, so at least I know he's not taking me out for a long time.

I inhale, trying to smell something. If this were a sex club, I'd hear moans and smell sex and leather. Instead, my nostrils pick on the hint of cleaning products mixed with the subtle scent of shoes. Worn shoes, not brand-new ones. So, he's not taken me shopping.

Yesterday, I told him to stop worrying. I should follow my own advice.

"Now," he says, and I yank it off quickly.

I look around and bask in the many empty, long, narrow lanes, the colorful paintings on the walls, and the monitors and tables at the end. A smile lights up within me, and I tilt my head at him. "A bowling alley."

"You mentioned you'd like to go occasionally," he says casually.

I scan the large space, realizing the place has no one but us. Did he rent an entire bowling alley for us? I clear my throat, a silly emotion taking charge of me. Of course, he did.

"Did you pay extra for this place or threaten whoever manages it to kick everyone out?" I ask, only half-jokingly.

He winks at me, and I welcome the easy energy between us. "Does it matter?"

I shake my head, then turn around and grab a ball from the rack. "Are you good at this?"

"I haven't gone bowling since my teens, but I'm good at most things," he says with his usual cocky confidence.

Boy, don't I know it. "So you mean you haven't played in a few decades?" I tease him, nudging his forearm with my free hand.

He picks one ball from the rack. "Funny."

I stare at him, at the few crinkles around his eyes, the couple of streaks of grey that one has to come close to see, weaving their way amongst his dark blond locks. Damn it, he's a handsome thirty-nine-year-old. But he's about to get his ass kicked.

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