Page 74 of Crazed

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Everything about Horatio pushes my buttons. He's lazy, constantly late, and sometimes disrespectful to Alicia. I arch my eyebrows and in a cool voice, answer, "She's not uptight. Go to lunch."

He dramatically gasps. "What's up your ass today?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sticking up for the boss? Tell me, what's she done for you?"

My annoyance grows. I step behind the counter and place the pile of books on the cart. He should have done it, but it's not a surprise he didn't. I honestly wonder how he even keeps his job.

Horatio glances toward Alicia's office then smirks, "You must not have noticed her conversation with your boy toy yesterday."

Heat floods my cheeks. "Donotcall Massimo my boy toy."

"What's wrong with that? I wouldn't mind a little time in playland with him," he claims.

My stomach flips at the thought. Massimo is mine, and no one else's to fantasize about, even if they have zero chance of turning their wishes into reality.

He's only yours for now.

I need to find a way to keep him.

Impossible.

I snap, "Shut up, Horatio. Go to lunch."

His eyes widen. "Oh, sorry. Did I hit a nerve? Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you this, then."

My pulse pounds between my ears. I lock eyes with Horatio, knowing I shouldn't take the bait but unable to stop myself. I seethe, "Spit it out."

Satisfaction appears on his face. His grin widens, making my stomach flip faster. His eyes dart around us, then he steps closer, lowering his voice. "I'm pretty sure something is going on between Massimo and Alicia."

Bile climbs up my throat. It feels like a hand is clawing at my gut. I snarl, "Stop spreading false information."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he taunts. "Have you missed all the clues?"

I grip the edge of the desk, holding myself back from slapping Horatio. Unable to stop myself, I continue to engage when I should do nothing of the sort. I question, "What would those be?"

The gleam in Horatio's eyes sparkles brighter. His lips twitch as he states, "The flirting. The touching. The hushed voices."

"We're in a library," I point out, trying to keep my cool. My rationale says Horatio's only trying to start trouble, but his comment is like a seed. He's planted it, and now I need to figure out how to not give it any water so it dies.

Plus, the notion of Massimo and Alicia together is insane. She's slightly older than him, married, and has three kids. I suppose once upon a time she was attractive, but she is five foot nothing and probably weighs close to three hundred pounds. Her gray roots need to be touched up, and she could do with a fashion consult. Her clothes always seem to not fit her body correctly. She's the typical definition of a woman who's let herself go.

I'm not naive enough not to know affairs happen, yet Massimo and Alicia are oil and water. There's no way Massimo would ever be interested in her, but Horatio's comment still bothers me. I hate that it does, but the thought of anyone else with Massimo makes me feel ill.

Horatio grunts. "Go ahead and stay in the dark, then."

"Go to lunch," I repeat, stepping into his space in front of the computer, relieved when a mother and her two children appear. I smile and ignore Horatio, chirping, "Checking out?"

"Yes, please," she replies, stacking a dozen books on the desk.

I focus on her, scanning the barcodes. Horatio steps away, and relief fills me. For the next few hours, there's a steady line of readers. The few moments I have alone, I push thoughts of Massimo and Alicia out of my head.

Horatio is lying.

He's a trouble-stirring jerk.

Massimo wouldn't do that to me.

---