Page 14 of Wretched Choices

I can feel the intensity of his wrath, like we’re alone in a bubble that explodes when the woman with the third man accidentally makes a false move and a small drop of sauce falls on his pants. He growls at her, calling her names. The woman shrieks, and just as I want to stand and give him a piece of my mind, Ethan’s hand lands on my thigh in a firm grip, preventing me from doing as I want. I glare at him. He pleads with me with his eyes not to do a thing. I close my eyes and grit my teeth. His hand wraps around my waist, pulling me to him, and he whispers in my ear.

“Calm down. You can’t do anything.”

What kind of place is this? I take a deep breath. The poor woman is shaking.

I feed Ethan his steak, and all the while, Salvatore stares daggers toward Ethan. Ethan smirks at me the whole time. He thinks this is funny; I wish I could grab his plate and throw it in his face. He knows this is the closest he and I will ever be.

“What the….” Ethan doesn’t continue as he looks across the room.

When I follow his gaze, all the tension I felt disappears when I glimpse Cece and Logan Hall. We look at each other, confused. They seem very comfortable with each other. I knew they knew each other from when she visited me, but I didn’t know they were that close.

“There must be an explanation.”

I forget all about Salvatore Catalano, at least as much as I can. Not that his intense gaze is allowing me to. Instead, I concentrate my attention on Cece. When she makes her way to the ladies’ room, I excuse myself and follow.

I can feel the burning of Salvatore’s gaze all over me as I walk.

Closing the door behind me as I enter the black and gold room, small chandeliers light the space, reflecting on the granite countertop and golden sink. A big golden mirror hangs on the black wall behind it. I lean my shoulder on the black wall near the sink and wait for Cece to appear.

I can’t believe she would come here, and with my boss. She was secretive last week, but I was too busy in search of any dirt on Salvatore Catalano.

The door of one of two stalls opens, and she startles upon seeing me.

“Isa!” she gasps, her hand landing on her chest. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Since when are you so cozy with my boss?” I narrow my eyes at her.

She exhales, giving me an apologetic smile. Raising her finger silencing me, she turns toward the stalls and looks under the door, checking if someone else is here. When she’s sure we’re alone, she exhales deeply and leans against the wall.

“I got the case of a young woman two months ago, claiming her date forced her to do some weird things and wanted to press charges against him. I can’t tell you any details, so don’t ask. Our investigators found some things that led us here. Logan’s name came up, so I confronted him. We had a heated argument, one thing led to another, and he told me he was investigating a story.”

“But Logan doesn’t investigate or write stories. He is COO and a board member. And he makes sure to mention that at every meeting,” I say, confused.

“Yes, but someone asked him to do the story and I don’t know who because he’s protecting them. So, we came to an agreement to work together so the story doesn’t get exposed without the right evidence.”

I shake my head. She is a strong woman and can handle it. All I can do is support her.

I hug her, murmuring into her hair, “Be careful.”

“Of course. What are you doing here?” She looks at me, confused, probably remembering where we are.

“I’m here with Ethan. He cashed in his favor. He was asking about you.”

“Oh, I ignored his calls. Tell him I’m sorry, but he will survive.”

I laugh. “Yes, he will. You go out first.” I motion to the door. “I need to do my business.”

We hug one more time before she leaves me to do what I need to do. After washing and drying my hands, I leave the bathroom.

Not even a step out, I get pulled to the side by a strong hand. Only after I have been slammed against the wall do my confused eyes clash with the furious glare of Salvatore.

“What is your problem?” I hiss, trying to free myself from him, but his grip on my biceps has pinned me in place. It’s then I realize how close he is. His body is almost flush to mine. I inhale, calming myself, only to breathe in his spicy scent. All the tension present at the table comes back, this time more intense because of his hands on my skin.

“You. You are my problem,” he growls in a low voice. “I told you to stay away from my business.”

“Why would you think I’m here for you? I’m here with Ethan. I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

His nostrils flare and his square jaw is so tight it might break.

---