Page 48 of Ruthless Touch
Twisting her face into a scowl, Sasha stands up to leave. “She didn’t say that, and you know it. Just because you’re jealous and don’t want to let anyone even see her doesn’t mean she feels the same. We could have a good time, you know. We have before.”
I shake my head, wishing she’d stop. “No. Aria is different. She’s not a plaything of mine. I care about her, so I want you to respect that.”
Sasha’s eyes open wide at my confession that I truly care for Aria. Other than with Gia, my assistant has never seen me care about anyone.
“Do you mean that? Are you in love with her?” she asks, nearly collapsing into the chair beside her.
There’s no point in denying what she’ll see with her own eyes in due course anyway. “Yes. I’m in love with her.”
“And she said she’s in love with you?”
I wish I could say yes, but I’m not going to lie to Sasha. “No, but now that I’ve given her some freedom and let her see I care about her, she’ll come around. So no more hitting on her.”
Quietly, my assistant says, “Okay. I won’t do it anymore.” She stops for a moment before adding, “I don’t know what to feel about you being in love, Gideon. I’ve gotten used to you being the man you’ve been for all this time since Gia. Does this mean I’ll have to find another job?”
Jesus, where the hell did that come from?
“No,” I emphatically say, shaking my head. “Why would you ask that? What does you working as my assistant have to do with my being with Aria?”
She slowly stands up and sighs. “You may be in love, but you don’t know a thing about women, Gideon. Aria isn’t going to want me around. You and I are practically joined at the hip twenty-four seven. No woman will tolerate that. You and I weren’t that close when you were with Gia. We’re different now, but Aria’s not going to want that in her life.”
I wave away her concern for the ridiculous nonsense it is. “No, that’s not going to happen. I can’t run this hotel without you, so that settles that.”
“You can, and you know it. You’ve just grown used to having me as your right hand,” she says in a voice tinged with sadness.
I need to lighten the mood in here right now. “Of course I can, but then everyone would have to deal with me, and you and I both know that’s never a good thing. I work best as a figurehead for this place. You’re the face everyone wants to deal with.”
As she walks toward the door, I hear her say, “That’s not how love works. You’re going to realize that soon.”
Sasha seems particularly off today. She’s crazy if she thinks anything has to change now that I’m with Aria. What’s gotten into her?
I can’t think about that right now. I need my head in the game for this meeting with Marcello Angeloni. There can be no chance he gets the upper hand on me today. If so, then I may have to admit to my father that my way of dealing with things didn’t work this time.
For five minutes, I prepare myself for a meeting I can’t be sure will be as cordial as our last encounter at the masquerade ball. This is no different than any other time I’ve had to handle things in my tenure here at the hotel.
Well, except for one big distinction. I’ve never met one-on-one alone with anyone who’s sworn to kill anyone with my family name.
When Sasha opens my office door, I look up to see her escorting Marcello in. “Gideon, Mr. Angeloni is here for your meeting. Would you like me to bring in coffee for you two?”
The expression on my assistance’s face tells me she’s worried about what’s about to happen, but I simply smile at her suggestion as I wave it away as unnecessary. “No, thank you. Close the door on your way out.”
She gives me one last look to warn me about how uncomfortable she is about this meeting before turning to leave as Marcello walks toward the chairs in front of my desk. I extend my hand to shake his, choosing to make this as businesslike as possible.
At least to begin with. How it ends will depend on how he takes what I have to tell him.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today, Marcello. Please sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”
He gives me a smile that’s little more than forcing the corners of his mouth up for a split second before unbuttoning his black suit jacket. Sitting down in the chair to the left, he shifts in his seat for a moment and then looks across my desk at me like he finally remembers he’s supposed to be some kind of badass who plans to kill all my family, including me.
“Thank you, Gideon. I hope we can keep this meeting as cordial as we are now,” he says, practically gritting his teeth.
I’m surprised at how little control he has over his emotions this morning. I expected him to act like he did at the ball the other night. Smooth. Poised. Masterful in handling the situation.
This man seems nothing like that one.
“I hope so too,” I say with a lilt to my voice that should give him a clue I doubt the possibility of that actually happening.
He looks around my office and nods as if he approves of what he sees. “I believe you and I have similar tastes. Your office reminds me of mine, or at least one I used to have before I came back here. Minimalist but opulent. I would love to know the name of your decorator. I have the chore of redoing my brother’s office to my liking. As it is now, I can barely think in that room.”