Page 19 of The Breeding Cave
“S-sorry for asking,” I said, gulping in an attempt to control myself. “I just …”
The scent of his woodsy cologne became stronger, or maybe it was just the cinnamon tea trembling in my hand. But it was all I could smell, all I could inhale, and it was driving me mad with pleasure.
“Control yourself,” he hissed. “Now.”
My cheeks warmed, and I gripped my left wrist with my right hand to stop it from trembling. God, I haven’t even started my first day of work yet, and it already looks like I’m going to be fired.
As soon as the elevator doors opened on the top floor, Mr. Grumpy stormed off the lift and down the short hallway past the front desk. Then a moment later, a door slammed, the sound echoing through the top floor. My stomach tightened, and I suppressed the urge to hurl.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Can I help you?” a pretty girl said with a smile at the front desk with a nameplate that said Iris.
“Hi. It’s my first day.”
“Are you Yeosin Cho?” she asked, pronouncing my name wrong.
“Yes, but you can call me Alana.” I tucked some hair behind my ear. “It’s easier.”
After clicking away on her computer for a couple more moments, she smiled. “So, what’d you say to make the big bad boss mad?”
I furrowed my brows and stared at the long hallway that led from the front desk to—what I guessed was—the main office area, where Luciano had disappeared moments ago. After tugging on my sleeve with my thumb, I peered back at Iris. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, don’t piss him off too badly.” She shot me a small smile. “The only person he hates who he’s kept around is Ella.”
“Ella?” I repeated, already not liking her.
She stood, handed me a folder, and guided me down the hallway to the main office area, where about twenty people were working at desks and another several were gossiping by the coffee maker. After leaning closer to me, Iris nodded to two girls who were giggling to themselves.
“The girl in red is Ella,” Iris said.
“Cool,” I said in an attempt to sound interested.
Iris let out another low laugh. “You don’t have to pretend to like her. Not many people do, but Luciano keeps her around for whatever reason. Rumor has it—at least the rumors that Ella has spread herself—that they’re sleeping together.”
My chest twisted, and I gritted my teeth. “Oh?”
While Mr. Grumpy hated me—I thought he always had—that one little good moment that I’d had with him the other day at Pink Ivory made me feel some kind of way about him. It’d made me … possessive, jealous.
But I had to be professional. It wasn’t my business who he slept with.
He didn’t even like me.
“Alana, over here!” Brent called from the opposite side of the room.
“Well, have a good day,” Iris said, offering me a smile. “You’ll do great.”
I glanced toward the closed office door that I assumed was Luciano’s since Ella was eyeing it and sucked in a breath. “I sure hope so.”
CHAPTER
TEN
LUCIANO
Three minutes before five in the afternoon, I stepped out of my office for the first time since my encounter with Yeosin in the elevator. Something I had said aroused her because her scent was so strong in that small lift that I didn’t think I’d be able to control myself.
From across the office, I could feel Yeosin’s gaze on me.
