Page 8 of Saving The Nanny

“What are you doing down here?” Matteo growls with his face only inches from mine. “Tell me. What did you hear?”

“I didn’t hear anything! I swear, I was just—”

Something cold in his eyes makes my mouth snap shut. How could I forget who he really is? How could I let myself think he was anything less than a vicious killer?

“We never did have a talk about your honesty, did we?” Before I can make any sense of that, he looks up at Bruno. “Take her to my room. Lock the door. I’ll deal with this later.”

I know better than to fight. There’s nothing I can do but let Bruno drag me away since I now understand I gave up my free will the minute I took this job. There’s no choice but to live by his rules.

6

MATTEO

“Who the fuck was she?”

I’m still trying to compose myself when Giacomo barks out the question. I have my back to him, breathing hard, knowing she heard what we were talking about even if she tried to lie about it. She’s a terrible liar. Fear and recognition were written on every inch of her face, especially in her eyes, which were wide and terror-filled.

She knew who I was when she came here. She had to.

But knowing something and hearing it out loud are two very different things. I have no doubt she is now regretting ever stepping foot over the threshold.

And I doubt Ophilia would be enough to keep her here. I have to find a way to convince her myself.

“Hello?” Giacomo demands. “Who the fuck was that?”

“Nobody you need to worry about.” I close the door and lock it this time. My hand is trembling. I need to regain control of myself. Bad things happen when I lose control.

“Don’t give me that shit. Do you want to be in business together? Fine. We are in business together.”

That’s when he makes his biggest mistake yet. He steps up behind me and claps a hand on my shoulder, spinning me in place so we’re face-to-face. “So, start talking.”

I’ve never liked him. That’s one thing that doesn’t strictly matter when you’re in business. There are no extra points for liking a business partner. He’s good at what he does, he’s honest enough, and he’s discreet. That’s all I really need.

Now, all of that is stripped away until I only see the man. He’s crude and crass, not to mention more than a little full of himself.

And he’s got some pretty fucked-up ideas about who’s calling the shots here—and how far I’m willing to let him go.

“For one thing.” I fling his hand away, sneering in disgust as I look him up and down. “Don’t ever put your fucking hands on me again. Understood?”

“Come again?”

“You heard me. Number two, it’s not your place to ask questions about any aspect of my personal life. What happened here has nothing to do with you.”

“That’s a pile of bullshit, and we both know it.” With his arms folded, he tosses his head back and stares at me over the end of his nose, the way he always has. He thinks having a few years on me makes him hot shit. “The little whore you have running around your house walked in here in the middle of an important discussion.”

That single word has the power to take the entire world and dwindle it down to a single point. I see nothing around me but his snide, asshole face. Everything else is dark and fuzzy. He is in a very dangerous position right now and has no idea. If he did, he would no longer be in the room.

“I am going to let that pass just this once,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “But don’t count on me being generous again.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means if you don’t watch your mouth, I’ll have to break it. It’s up to you.”

His brows draw together in confusion and probably doubt before he cracks a smile. “Oh, so that’s how it is. She’s what? The whore with a heart of gold? How long have you been fucking her?”

He did this to himself.

My fist pistons out and connects with his mouth before he knows what’s coming. One second, he’s laughing, mocking Sarah—and me by extension.

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