Page 7 of Alessio

She arches her eyebrow and moves into his space. “Are you saying I’m incapable of doing my job?”

“No,” he chokes on that one syllable.

“Well, I suggest you find your way out of my kitchen and finish your coffee elsewhere.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I fight back a smirk. As soon as he’s gone, I mutter, “That was so adorably funny.”

“I’m the only one who can get away with it. I’ve known these boys since they were young. Although, Mr. Conti is another matter. It would be best if you kept your distance from him and said little to nothing to the man. He is an extremely serious man.”

“Understood.” I nod, and she gives me a tour. Then, it’s time to start cleaning. I’m given the main guest sitting room, and I start with dusting. It takes a long time because it’s massive, and I understand why they need someone for so many days. I don’t take any breaks, even when it’s suggested. All I do is have a glass of water and a banana. Frankly, it’s all I can stomach.

Every once in a while, I can feel eyes on me and it unnerves me. My belly does a flip, and I wonder if it’s Alessio spying on me. Does he watch me because he doesn’t trust me, or does he feel the same need that I do? It’s stupid. Of course he doesn’t crave me. I’m a kid, and he’s a grown man who probably sees me as a young screw-up while he’s a CEO of an obviously successful company.

My body feels like it’s on fire, burning with lust for the man to the brink of insanity.

“It’s time to call it a day,” he says with a deep timber.

“Ah,” I scream, jumping backward, landing in Alessio’s arms.

He chuckles next to my ear before setting me back on my feet. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m glad you weren’t on a ladder.”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you come into the room.” I step back and drop my cleaning spray into the bucket and then dump my gloves inside as well.

“That’s fine. You look like you were well invested in getting the window really clean.” He looks out the window and scowls. I follow his gaze, moving in closer again, and it’s actually the first time that I notice anything through the clear glass panes. It leads to the pool area, and there’s a man climbing out of the water. His figure looks like it’s cut straight out of marble, just like Alessio’s.

“What did they tell you about the boss?” Alessio growls behind me, now standing so close his breath is on my neck. I can smell his strong, manly scent, turning me on even more.

“I wasn’t watching him,” I blurt out a little too loud and fast for my own good, making me appear deceptive as fuck, my arousal messing with my voice and head.

He whips me around, and our faces are mere inches apart. “That’s the fucking only warning you’ll get.” My heart races, but not because I’m scared. No, because I want to touch him, and that would be stupid. He steps back with a grunt. “It’s time to call it a day and take you to your room in the staff quarters.”

“Okay.” I grab the bucket and walk to the cleaning closet.

“Oh, hello, Mrs. Ricci. Will you point me to the staff quarters so Mr.…”

“It’s Alessio…” he snarls, “and I’ll take you there. I won’t have her carry your things.”

“I can carry them just fine,” I hissed under my breath.

Mrs. Ricci smiles but presses her hand to his arm and says, “Actually, Alessio, it would be better if she stayed on your property. There’s no more room here in the staff area, and you know that the boss doesn’t allow…”

“Of course. I set your things down in the hallway closet. Now come on,” he snarls at me. I guess he wasn’t attracted to me like I hoped. Perhaps I read too much into the tension between us and it’s all just his bristly demeanor.

“I swear I wasn’t watching him,” I insist.

He turns to me, gripping my hair, pulling my head back and leaning in. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Juniper. I can smell the desire pouring off your young body.” If I didn’t know better, I’d think he sounds jealous. Of course, there is a rule about the boss, so he’s just doing his job. If Alessio only knew that I’d been in the window heating up to thoughts of him.

“Yes, sir,” I answer breathlessly.

He growls, releasing my hair, and then takes my wrist, leading me out of the room and toward the front door. He opens the closet off to the side, pulling out my luggage. We head to a black SUV where he opens the door for me and then loads my things in the back.

He pops into the driver’s seat and hits the engine. “Let’s go, and I’ll show you to the room you can stay in.”

We drive down a path from the main estate. “Is it your dungeon or something?” I challenge, pussy flooding with need.

He raises one of his thick, well-manicured brows and gives me a smirk. “Why? Do you feel like being tied up?”

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