Page 81 of Ache for You (Slow Burn 3)
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He jumps to his feet, points his finger at me, and shouts, “You’re in love!”
As if an off switch has been thrown, everyone in the atelier stops what they’re doing and stares at me.
I’m going to kill him.
“Back to work!” I’m instantly obeyed, but looks are flying around the room like arrows. I have a terrible feeling this will be the subject of gossip for months to come.
Antonio turns to the room and throws his arms wide. “He’s in love with his stepsister!”
In unison, one hundred people swivel their heads and stare at me in unblinking silence, like an army of judgmental owls.
“Ex!” I shout, red-faced. I want to kick something. Especially Antonio’s fat rear end. “Ex-stepsister! And I’m not in love with her! No one is in love with anyone!”
No one dares to make a peep, except Antonio, who turns back to me with little red hearts in his eyes. Sighing, he clasps his hands together at his chest.
“Ah, Matteo. You make a very handsome couple. The children—oh! They’ll be beautiful. I’ve worried so long about you being alone. All you do is work, never taking time to meet a nice woman and settle down. I’m sure if you write the pope a letter explaining the entire situation, he won’t let your souls burn in the eternal lake of fire.”
I blow out a hard breath. “Jesus Christ.”
Antonio nods. “Exactly.”
I’m saved from the insanity of the conversation by my cell phone, which starts to ring. I yank it out of my pocket, hit “Answer,” and snap, “Pronto!”
“Uh . . . pronto yourself. I guess.”
There’s a strange sense of relief at hearing her voice that I don’t need to examine too closely. I already know what it means. “Kimber.”
“Matteo. Now that we’ve confirmed we know each other’s names, are you ready to talk? Or do you need a few minutes to finish skinning the cat or whatever you’re doing that’s got you so worked up?”
Through gritted teeth, I say, “I’m. Not. Worked. Up.”
“Really? Hmm. ’Cause you sound kinda worked up.”
I have to close my eyes and count to ten before I’m calm enough to answer. “Just dealing with some employee problems.” I open my eyes and send a lethal glare Antonio’s way.
He blows me a kiss and lights another cigarette.
“Okay. We’ll do this some other time.”
“Wait! Don’t hang up! I need to talk to you!”
From the corner of my eye, I see Antonio’s smile. It’s so big it can probably be seen from outer space. I turn on my heel and stalk off the production room floor and into my office, slamming the door behind me.
“What was that noise?” asks Kimber.
“I closed a door.”
“Closed? Sounded like you put some stank on it.”
“I have no idea what that means. What have you decided about my offer?”
When she hesitates, I feel like my chest might explode.
“Well . . .” she drawls, torturing me. Then she relents. “I suppose I can survive two dozen kisses from you if it means getting my designs back.”
I sink slowly into my desk chair. I loosen my tie another few inches, but still can’t breathe, so I rip it off and toss it on the desk.
