Page 23 of Ruthless Mr. Ricco
Flames lick through my body.My lungs constrict as the oxygen disappears from the room, and I regret not eating breakfast as my head spins.
“You’re wrong, Mr.—”
My voice seizes as he surges to his feet.He steps around the coffee table, leans over me, and braces his hand on the couch, caging me in and making me feel tiny and helpless.
“Call me Matteo, little rabbit.”
His low murmur vibrates straight to my core.I can’t breathe.Lust erases every self-defense move I’ve learned over the years.
“No.This is the office.I—”
“I’ll put up with yourprofessionalism—” he spits the word like it’s a curse, “—when your coworkers are around, but when we’re alone, you’ll call me by my name.”
My insides clench as he runs the tip of his finger down the side of my face.I sit frozen in the center of the storm, unable to move as a wildfire blazes in his hazel eyes.
“M-Mr.Ricco, this is sexual har—”
“We both know you want this, little rabbit.It’s only a matter of time before you beg me to take you,” he rumbles.
I curl my hands into fists and pull my defenses around me by sheer force of will.
“I said no.Any further action constitutes as—”
He rises to his full height and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Don’t pull that bullshit with me.I’ve never forced a woman in my life, and I never will.What’s between us isn’t a mere employer-employee relationship.To pretend otherwise is lying,” he growls.
I stiffen my spine and stand.He still towers over me, but at least I feel less defenseless.
“We signed a contract, Mr.Ricco,” I say.
He lifts a hand and ghosts his fingertips over his collar.My heart leaps as I realize he’s tracing the scratches and bruises I left on him.
“Any legal action you take will be against my team of lawyers.”
When his words finally register through the pounding in my ears, all the blood drains from my face.
I forgot he’s from the same cloth as my father.He sees nothing wrong with using his influence to destroy someone else’s life.Bitterness rises up in me so fast my entire body shakes.Over a decade’s worth of hatred barrels through me.
I need out of this room before I lash out.
With terse movements, I yank the pen from my suitcase, slap it down on the papers, and close my briefcase before swinging my glare up to his.
“Either sign or don’t.Employment or termination.Your choice, sir.”
I stomp out of the room and continue across the building until I find the restrooms.Too furious to focus on anything except finding solitude, I lock myself into a stall, press my forehead against my briefcase, and breathe.As the seconds tick by, the boiling in my blood slows to a simmer and my senses expand beyond my anger.
Disappointment turns my limbs to lead.Even though I told myself not to trust Matteo Ricco, the hopeful teenage girl trapped inside of me did.
High heels click against the tiles.I drop my arms to my sides and roll my eyes to the ceiling.
This must be the morning from hell.
After rolling my shoulders and shaking out my arms, I take a deep breath and open the door.
At least I entered the women’s restroom and not the men’s.
The polished marble sinks and fancy light fixtures make this the most ostentatious and expensive restroom I’ve ever set foot in.
