Page 27 of Crazed

Except for Leo for rent.

"Don't get insulted, Katiya. Consider it the perks of being with me," Massimo claims.

I push the voice out of my head, replying, "Is that how you see it? Perks?"

He removes his hand off the stick shift and slides it between my thighs until he's cupping my pussy. In a cocky voice, he proclaims, "I come with all sorts of perks. Money isn't the best one." He squeezes his palm on me.

I slap his arm, and he laughs, removing his hand. I turn in my seat. "I don't want to rely on you for money."

He picks up my hand and kisses it. "One of the many reasons I love you. All the women I've been with see a big fat bank account. You aren't a vulture. So you shouldn't feel bad if I want to spoil you. Besides, think of it as me being selfish to get what I want."

My heart soars and sinks at the same time. I love how he sees I don't want anything from him, but more guilt devours me that it's not entirely true. I'm trying to figure out how to trick him into telling me who his contacts are and where they reside.

God, I'm a horrible person.

He maneuvers through more traffic, shifting to decelerate off the ramp. The Ferrari comes to a stop at the light, and he reaches for my chin. He turns my face toward his and demands, "Tell me you'll come with me."

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

He cocks his eyebrows. "You don't want to go?"

I shake my head. "No. It's not that."

"If money weren't an issue, would you say yes?"

I hesitate.

His eyes turn to slits. I can see them through the lenses of his sunglasses. "What's the real issue?"

A horn blares, breaking our gaze. He accelerates, turning left, then in an annoyed voice, says, "So you don't want to go with me?"

Panic mixed with annoyance fills me. I let my irritation rule and reply, "I care about my job. I don't know how taking time off would work. Just because you have money doesn't mean I can neglect my responsibilities."

"I didn't say that," he snaps.

"Really? Then what did you say?"

He cuts off a car and turns on a side road. "Are we seriously fighting about me wanting to take you on vacation?"

Shame fills me. Massimo isn't doing anything wrong. He's a man used to getting what he wants. He has the money to do it, and he's always generous to me. Yet I don't know how to get around the Leo issue. I drop my voice, admitting, "I'm not trying to fight. I've never taken a day off, even when I've been sick. It makes me nervous."

He exhales deeply, softening his voice, too, asserting, "That's why it'll be okay. They probably owe you a ton of vacation days."

"I-I don't know."

He pulls up to a building and parks in a fire lane. "Tell you what. Why don't we stop arguing about this? You talk to your manager tomorrow and then we can figure this out."

Relief floods me that he's dropping it. Maybe I can convince Leo it's necessary for me to find out what he wants. I nod. "Okay."

Massimo's expression lights up. He pecks me on the lips. "Good girl." He jumps out of the car, races around the vehicle, and opens my door. He reaches in, helps me out, then tugs me into him.

I tilt my head and state, "You can't park here."

He grunts. "Sure I can."

"You'll get towed."

He steers me toward the zit-filled, red-headed, barely an adult valet who's bolting toward us. "Make sure nothing happens to my Ferrari." He holds the keys out.

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