Page 45 of Scorned Obsession

“Divina said you were aloof. You seem normal to me.”

“Sloane!” Divina reprimanded her before turning her flushed face to me. “I’m sorry, but…”

I laughed. “No. Don’t be. I wasn’t welcoming yesterday.” I turned to Sloane. “And it’s not nice embarrassing your friend that way.”

“It broke the ice, didn’t it?” Sloane retorted.

“Do you know my situation here?”

“Yes. Forced to marry Sandro. I was expecting a hysterical bride, so I’m glad you’re quite the opposite. Okay, what job do you girls have for me?”

My mind was spinning. I loved no-nonsense people who got to the point, but Sloane broke all the sound barriers.

“Slow down,” I enunciated. “We’re still having coffee.”

Sloane made a point of checking her watch.

“We’ll pay you for the entire day or week since it seems you’ll have to do the entire house.”

That got her interest, and she looked at Divina, who appeared surprised at my offer. “Uh, Bianca…”

“Does she know my rate?” Sloane deadpanned.

Uh-oh.

“Tommy said as long as Bianca needs you. Sandro will pay.”

“Just out of curiosity, what is your rate?” I asked.

“A thousand an hour.”

That jolted me. I wasn’t sure if I was outraged or impressed. “That’s highway robbery. Even lawyers don’t charge that much.”

“Sloane, stop messing with her.”

“I’ll give you a fifty percent discount.” She winked. “Okay, coffee sounds good. But the clock is ticking.”

I didn’t balk at her abrasiveness. It was probably because of her hypnotic voice. I’d never heard anything like it. It was just the right amount of huskiness and almost had a musical quality to it. “Do you sing?” I blurted out while sliding her a mug of coffee.

Her mouth tipped up at the corners. “If I had a dollar for every time I hear that…no. I have a terrible singing voice, but before you ask, I have also gotten offers to do those sexy hotlines.”

“I never thought about that. So you prefer cleaning?”

“It’s a family business.”

“Sloane wanted to be a nurse,” Divina said.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Debts to be paid.” Sloane raised the mug to take a sip. “Huge debts.” I saw regret and sadness in her eyes, but her mouth quickly corrected to a smile as she said, “This seems like a big enough house. Might make a dent in that debt. I don’t normally do residential cleaning, but Divina is a friend.”

“Thank you.” Divina gave Sloane a hug.

After the coffee break, we worked through lunch, then stopped in the afternoon for pizza because the men were hungry and wondered where lunch was. I told Sticks to tell one of the guys to get pizza because Sandro forbade delivery.

We continued to clean until late afternoon. Sloane was a workhorse. She had shed the top of her coveralls to reveal a tank and firm arms and curves underneath. She took off her fisherman’s cap and replaced it with a bandana. Her hair was up in a messy bun.

We’d cleaned three bedrooms and most of the first floor. We were in the home theater now and she insisted on waxing the leather chairs. The home theater was an exact replica of what we had at the De Lucci mansion. Sandro had seen it. I wondered if he had it copied. And if he did, I didn’t know how to process my emotions about that.

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