I see the notification showing the funds are in my account and an intense wave of relief pours through me.
Oh my God. I have twenty thousand dollars!
The other man leaves the office and pulls the door shut behind him.
“I kept my end of the deal,” Adriano says, his tone still carrying a dangerous edge.
I put my phone away and adjust the strap of my handbag over my shoulder before I meet his eyes again.
“Come closer,” he reminds me.
Right.
I nervously nibble on the inside of my mouth and slowly inch closer, as if I’m approaching a bear.
He just gave you twenty thousand dollars. Do whatever he wants so you can get out of here, then screw the deal and make a run for it.
By the time I stop right in front of him, my breaths are nothing but shaky puffs over my dry lips.
“That’s better,” he murmurs darkly.
Adriano leans down, causing my body to tense up even more, and I almost back away but stop myself in time. Then a frownforms on my forehead when he doesn’t touch me, but…is he sniffing me right now?
I become aware of the rich amber and leather cologne, which only adds to his dark aura.
My cheeks flush with heat because I haven’t showered in two days, and when he pulls back, I can’t force myself to meet his eyes.
“Hmm…” It’s more like a predatory growl than a sound a man would make. “You blush.”
My gaze darts to his, and when I see satisfaction in his dark brown eyes, more heat creeps into my face.
After several long seconds, he orders, “What happened to your job and house?”
“Ah…” I wet my lips again and fold my arms around my middle. “I got fired.”
Adriano begins to frown, and not wanting him to change his mind and take the money back, I add, “I was dating my boss’ brother, but he turned out to be a cheating bastard, and after he kicked me out, she accused me of stealing money and fired me.”
By the time the last word leaves my lips, Adriano looks scary as hell, and I can’t stop myself from taking three steps backward.
“I swear I did nothing wrong. I’ll put my hand on a bible. They’ve been conspiring behind my back, and there was nothing I could do.”
Saying everything out loud, the anger and hurt return full force, and the urge to cry almost overwhelms me, but I bite the tears back.
“I believe you.”
My lips part, and I blink at Adriano, a man I know next to nothing about. Still, for some reason, hearing him say that makes me feel a little better. “Thank you.”
He takes a deep breath and exhales through his nose as he pushes away from his desk. “Let’s go.”
“Go?” My eyebrows fly up. “Where?”
“To a hotel. You need to clean up, eat, and get some sleep.”
I can feel my neck and face growing beet red, and I lower my head as my pride takes another hit.
I’ve always been able to take care of myself, but this past week has stripped me of all control over my life.
And it sucks.