Page 18 of The Dark Obsession

He clasps his hands on the back of his head in frustration, staring hard at the mirror opposite him. “Sorry, Rosalie. You must think I’m a terrible person. I don’t want to be like this with her, but I also don’t want to lead her on. I have none nor have ever had any intentions for her, other than work.” He speaks through gritted teeth, trying to control his surfacing, frightening rage.

I laugh, shrugging as I rise. “Any luck with the documents?”

“Yes, I found them moments before Lucy knocked. Let’s go.”

“What about the coffee?”

“Never mind the coffee,” he says with a frown. He holds the door open for me as we leave. His right hand guides me from behind, not touching me, just inches from my waist, as if waiting for me to fall or suddenly drop to the floor.

Silence follows us through the house and down the stairs, but I’m too preoccupied with not tripping or making a fool out of myself and, most of all, not letting him save me.

Lucy stands at the bottom of the stairs, our jackets hanging off her arm, her eyes glued to Rafael. “Sir.” She holds his jacket open for him.

He simply pulls it from her hand.

“What about your coffee?”

He ignores her.

“Miss,” she says, still eyeing her boss. She pushes my jacket into my arms and turns on her heel.

I follow behind Rafael to the door, and he holds it open for me.

“Lucy, don’t cook tonight. I’ll get some dinner later with Rosa.” Rafael says, his voice harsh.

I raise my eyebrows, a bemused look crossing my face.What?

We get to my car, and, as always, Rafael, being a gentleman, holds open my door.

His green eyes pierce mine. “Please, after work, get dinner with me.” He must notice my wide eyes because he hurries on. “As partners, I don’t mean anything by it. I just want to get to know you more and brief you on some more cases.”

“Sure, but I have to be back by seven o’clock.”

“Of course, Cinderella. By the way, the trial is over, Rosa. You’re easy to work with, mostly. Let’s give this partnership a go.” A smile spreads across his face.

Chapter 9

The rest of the day flies by. We return to the office and process a small stack of paperwork. Rafael hands me several photographs to take home—photo evidence that has been recovered from the crime scene, which is almost as useless as having no evidence at all in this case. My stomach growls in anticipation for this evening.

I stand and put some papers onto Rafael’s desk then grin. “Done.”

“Me too. You ready to go?”

I take a deep breath. “I think so.”

We leave the office together. Several of Rafael’s employees greet me with a nod and a smile. I try to smile, but the air feels dry as I think about the upcoming dinner.

“I’ll drive us, Rosalie. Leave your car here, then I’ll ask my driver to drop your car back. I can take you home so you can change.”

I survey his shiny dark grey Lexus in a huff. How many cars does one need? I glance at my timid old Mini Cooper and back at his Lexus. Show Off.

“I can just drive mine back. It’s fine. You can meet me at mine,” I say, recognising the inconvenience of him driving me back.

His cheeks redden. “Look, it’s a new car, and I’ve not managed to show it off to anyone yet.”

“Sure, it’s very nice.” I laugh. “So, is that the day finished? It’s only four o’clock.”

“Yes, tomorrow we have a lot to do. You’ll get a temporary contract tomorrow until next week so we can figure out the final details.”

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