Page 28 of Bella Rosa
I shake my head. "It's not very good."
Goofy Matteo from the car is suddenly gone. "I don't believe that for a second, Rosa."
Now I'm fidgeting. I can see he's not going to back down, so I sigh and text him the link. "Fine, but don't judge me."
His face turns serious as he leans over the table. "I will never judge you, only praise you."
I suddenly can't get my lungs to cooperate. "You haven't even read it."
He leans back in his chair and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He never looks away from me. "I don't have to. I know you, Rosa." He suddenly shifts his attention to my lips. I slightly part them as I take a breath. I watch as his eyes darken and he shifts in his seat. "Watch yourself, Rosa."
I squirm in my seat again. I can't help it. Matteo is lighting my entire body on fire. He leans forward again and rests his elbows on the table.
"Are you thinking about what it felt like to have my lips on you? Tasting you?"
I nod my head slowly without breaking eye contact. "Yes."
He leans back and smiles just as the waiter arrives with our salads and bread. "Good."
I have to squeeze my legs together to give myself some much needed relief. The waiter arrives with our food. When he walks away, Matteo leans in to whisper, "You're blushing." He pulls away with a smirk on his face.
He unlocks his phone and starts reading my blog. The expression on his face never changes. When he gets done he sets his phone down and looks up at me. "Do the marketing for my restaurant."
I pause with a fork full of salad halfway to my mouth. "What?"
"I want you to do the marketing for the ten year anniversary of the restaurant. I want you to take the photos and write for my new website, and I want to use your photos for artwork in the main room."
I can't believe he would hire me just from looking at my blog. He picks up his phone, unlocks it, finds what he is looking for, and hands it to me. "How much for this photo?" The photo he helped me take of the rose and the mountains in the background is on the screen.
"You want to buy that?"
He nods his head. "Yes. How much?"
I'm shaking my head as I had his phone back to him. "I can't ask you to pay for that. You've driven me around for the past week and taken so much time out of your schedule. I'll give it to you. Consider it a thank you gift."
He sighs and accepts defeat. "Fine. I accept your thank you gift." Before he picks his fork back up he looks me in the eye with such determination I can feel it coming off him in waves. "Your blog is excellent. Don't ever let anyone tell you any differently."
"Oh, let me guess, you'll beat them up for me?" I laugh as he sets his fork down and gives me a look that could set the room on fire.
"No, Rosa. I'll find them and lay them at your feet so you can use them as a stepping stone on your way to greatness."
My breath is coming in short pants as I take in this man in front of me. I've never had someone believe in me like this. Not since my father.
Matteo gestures to my plate. "Eat up. We've got another stop after this, and I don't want us to be late."
Matteo pulls on my hand to stop me. We've been walking for a few minutes since we left the restaurant. "Okay, close your eyes."
I laugh as we move to the side of the walkway so we aren't in anyone’s way. "How will I navigate if my eyes are closed?"
"I'll help you. Don't worry." He smiles as he extends his hand to me. "Trust me?"
I grin and close my eyes as I take his hand. He puts one arm around my waist and pulls me close to him.
I can somewhat make out the direction changes as we walk. We take a left, then a right, and we cross a street after that. He pulls me to a stop and leans down to whisper in my ear. "Don't move." That sends chills down my arms. I hear a bell that normally indicates the opening of a shop door, then his arm is back around me. I jump slightly because I wasn't expecting it. He chuckles. "Relax. It's just me."
We move forward a few more steps before he picks me up. I make a little yelp sound and he sets me back down. The air is a little cooler now. "Sorry. I should have warned you. There were a few stairs to go up." He directs me through a few more twists and turns before we come to a stop. I haven't heard any voices, so I'm assuming we are alone. He lets go of me and moves away. "Okay, you can open your eyes."
I open them and squint from the bright lights in the room. I look around and see... machinery? What the hell?
