I can tell he wants to ask me a dozen questions, but he knows it’s not the time nor the place. Instead, he gives me a curt nod. “Yes, boss.”
I give Darlene one last look and then tear my eyes away from hers. Each step away from the confounding, innocent little angel is heavier than the last, but I press on. The underworld won't rule itself, after all.
Chapter 3
Darlene
I had the strangest dream last night.
I was taking pictures of my books and then I was kidnapped and brought before the most drop-dead gorgeous man in existence. I must be reading too many romance books. I swear the man in my dreams was a compilation of every sexy description I've ever read, only better.
He’s massive. Everyone is tall compared to my five foot, three inch self, but the man who interrogated me was over a foot taller than me. He was dressed in an impeccable charcoal suit with a clean, crisp white button-up. His dark features drew me in; perfectly messy brown hair, a close shaved beard, thick, dark eyebrows, and long lashes that framed the most incredible eyes I’ve ever seen.
They were dark like the rest of his features, but there was something hidden underneath the chocolate swirls and golden flecks. Just thinking about the eyes that haunted my dreams all night sends a shiver down my spine. It all felt so real. I swear I can feel where his fingertips brushed across the shell of my ear as he tucked away some of my hair. In my dream, he was surprisingly gentle, despite his large, rough exterior.
And speaking of his exterior...good Lord. The man had muscles on muscles that stretched his suit jacket deliciously. Everything about him exuded power and authority. I can still hear the deep, rich, velvety tone he used with me, as well as the harsh, commanding voice he used when addressing the three men who kidnapped me. Both sides of him turned me on like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
I keep my eyes closed, wanting to hold on to the image of my mysterious, lethally beautiful dream man. Rolling onto my back, I sigh and snuggle down deeper into the soft, fluffy sheets. This bed is so freaking cozy.
And then my eyes snap open. My bed isn’t cozy. It was a hand-me-down from a former coworker. It’s lumpy and has a spring poking through at the bottom left-hand corner. My eyes widen as I take in the foreign room I woke up in.
The only word that comes to mind is opulent. This whole room emanates wealth and decadence, but not in a tacky way. The dark oak furniture coupled with pristine white walls, a vaulted ceiling, and carefully crafted crown molding screams class and old money.
It was real.
All of it was real. I sit up in bed and cover myself with the sheet. More memories of yesterday come flooding back into my mind.
Matteo. My tall, dark, and earth-shatteringly sexy dream man is named Matteo. I remember his second in command, Luca, referred to him as such. Luca gave me a phone so I could make the necessary arrangements to stay here as Matteo’s maid.
It was surprisingly, perhaps pathetically, easy to wiggle out of my life. The only two people I called were my boss and Freya. The head librarian wasn’t pleased with my sudden “family emergency”, but she was understanding and said I could come back at any time and resume my work. I almost felt bad lying to Susan, but Freya was right yesterday. I do my job and the majority of hers. She’s probably more disappointed she’ll have to do actual work than she is about missing me as a person.
Freya was harder to convince of my new life plans. I obviously didn't tell her I had a family emergency since she's my only family. I wanted to tell my bestie the truth, but Luca insisted on making my calls on speakerphone right there in his office so he could hear everything. I went with an amended version of what actually went down yesterday. I told her I stumbled upon an incredible opportunity to be a live-in housekeeper for a wealthy family.
After a lengthy back-and-forth, she finally agreed being a housekeeper is the second greatest job for me, the first being a librarian, of course. I like to organize and keep things tidy. I label everything and have my bookshelves arranged by genre, sub-genre, then the author's last name. When I told her about the library I'd have access to, and the considerable pay raise, she said she was happy for me and wanted an update as soon as I got settled into my new role.
The pay raise was another stretch of the truth. I’m sure I won’t get an actual paycheck, but my living quarters have been significantly upgraded and Matteo said I’d have everything I’d ever need. I don’t need much, really, but there have been far too many times in my life I didn’t get the basics. Having assurance of food, shelter, and of course, books, means more to me than he could possibly know.
Plus, there’s the whole saving my life thing. I’m still reeling from that. From everything. What even is my life right now? I ran the gamut of emotions yesterday, from terrified to turned on, confused, sad, angry, dubious...and yet underneath all of that, I felt strangely thrilled. I still do. Especially now that I know I’m safe here.
Safe. It's not a feeling I'm used to. Growing up, I didn't fear for my life, necessarily, but I feared being sent away again. A new home, a new “family” to disappoint, a new hell to get used to until I became someone else's problem. They weren’t all bad, but I still experienced more cruelty than kindness growing up.
The last few years starting a life on my own has certainly been better, but I don't think I've truly felt safe until Matteo told me I will not be harmed as long as I'm staying with him. I felt safety and security wrap around me like a blanket, despite the crazy way I came to be in his care.
After he dropped me off with Luca to make my calls, I was sent to my new room. Or, rooms rather. There’s a living room, a bedroom, and a huge bathroom. I barely had the chance to look around before a tall, thin woman dressed in all black came in and said she was part of the security team and had been instructed to carry out protocol seven. I remember Matteo saying that to Luca, but I had no idea what that entailed.
Apparently, it's a strip search. I think there's more to it than that, but it must be behind the scenes stuff. I was shocked and totally self-conscious about standing in front of the stick figure lady in only my panties, but at least it was a woman. I have a feeling Matteo made sure I wouldn't be practically naked in front of a man, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.
Unfortunately, the woman took my clothes and said she had to burn them, per protocol seven. She gave me a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but they weren't even close to the right size. They would fit her size zero frame much better than my size sixteen.
Hence why I’m currently sitting up in bed with a sheet wrapped around me. I have no clothes aside from my underwear. I have no instructions, either, since I was pretty much told to hang out in my suite for the remainder of the evening. Dinner was brought up at six-thirty, along with a collection of Jane Austen books. I look over at the side table and smile at the small stack of classic novels. I know Matteo was behind that as well.
As much as I’d love to stay in bed all day and get lost in book after book of sweet, witty romance, I should probably figure out what to wear. And something productive to do. I don’t want Matteo to change his mind and toss me out like I have been so many times before.
I get up, keeping the sheet wrapped around me even though I’m alone, and look for something, anything other than this sheet to wear. I suppose I could always fashion some sort of toga outfit, but I have a feeling my excessive curves will make it hard for everything to stay in place.