CHAPTER NINE

Coraline

It was officially confirmed. My boss was mental.

He looked ready to strangle someone as he burst into the kitchen, features stony and expression livid.

It made me wonder what someone could be so mad about this early in the morning.

“Jeez Louise, Ale. Have mercy on my poor fucking eardrums.” The other man in the room moaned dramatically.

I had been working on Mr. Castelli’s breakfast when he had stumbled into the kitchen, looking like he had been dragged through hell and back.

I knew a hungover person when I saw one so after he told me he was Mr. Castelli’s close friend and was just crashing over at his place while nursing a terrible hangover, I decided to make him a bowl of oatmeal with bananas and berries so he could feel a little better.

He was telling me how he had made a fool of himself at his birthday party last night when my boss barged in, his foul mood ruining the entire atmosphere.

“What are you doing?” His jaw was clenched as he directed the stupid question my way.

I glanced down meaningfully at the bowl of pancake batter I was mixing. “Making your breakfast.”

“I heard voices before I walked in.”

My brows scrunched together in confusion. “Yeah, that’s because I was talking with Elias here. He said he’s your friend. I didn’t let him in or anything if that’s what you want to know. Met him here by himself.”

“I don’t pay you to talk to my friends,” he suddenly snapped. “During work hours, the only thing you’re supposed to do is cook. That’s what I pay you for.”

My mouth dropped open in shock. Was this man for fucking real right now?

“Dude. That was so harsh for no reason.” Elias butted in, wearing the same look of disbelief I was sure was on my face too. “Why are you in such a prickly mood when you’re not even the one with the killer headache?”

Mr. Castelli’s gaze snapped to his friend’s direction. “You. Go put on a fucking shirt. You shouldn’t be walking around bare chested in someone else’s house.”

“Wha—”

His eyes must have conveyed some sort of message I was too slow to decode because Elias was pushing back his chair in the next second and reluctantly shuffling out of the kitchen with his oatmeal bowl, grumbling his annoyance the whole way.

Mr. Castelli turned back to face me when we were alone and I just snapped.

“What is your problem? Why does everything I do piss you off?” Was there even anything I ever did right in this man’s eyes?

“When you cook for my friends when you are employed to cook for only me, of course I would be fucking pissed.”

“I didn’t ‘cook’ for him. I just put together a bowl of oatmeal with fruits to lessen his hangover symptoms.”

“You are in my kitchen. Those were my dishes you used. My oatmeal and fruits. If you want to make him a fucking bowl of fucking hangover food then go over to his house and make it there for him.”

I blinked, rendered speechless for a second. “Wow. I can’t believe how unreasonable you’re actually being right now, it’s so unreal.” I muttered in exasperation.

“What did you say?”

“I said you’re acting like a colossal jerk!” I snapped out loud, not even stopping to think the words through before they burst out of my mouth.

He was in front of me in a flash, pinning me to the counter with his large body.

“Say that again, let me hear it.” His voice was low and dangerous, his body hard and unyielding against mine. But I didn’t let those things deter me.

“With all due respect Mr. Castelli, fuck you.” I seethed in his face. “I won’t just stand mute while you treat me like fucking garbage. I’m not your doormat, or the tissue you use to wipe your ass with. So give me a fucking break!”

I didn’t know what had come over me or where the false courage that was propelling me came from. I just knew I didn’t deserve being treated the way he did me and couldn’t take it any longer.

His eyes blazed into mine, the heat in them engulfing me whole. His lashes were long and curly, and I noticed how his blue orbs had darkened considerably.

“For someone who’s most likely to lose her job today, you have some serious lady balls I’d give you that.”

Even though my heart pounded at his words, I still gritted out, “It’s called dignity, sir.”

We were so close we were literally breathing the same air at this point. I stubbornly maintained eye contact with him, faltering a little when his gaze dropped to my lips for a split second before bouncing back up to my eyes.

I must have imagined that for sure. Right?

“Call me Alessio from now on.” He finally backed away from me, putting a stop to the delicious sensations that had assaulted my body when every inch of him had been pressed right up against mine.

“Why?” I asked, trying to focus on what he had said. “You’re going to fire me anyways.”

“I don’t like my money going to waste.”

“Huh?”

He slipped one long-fingered hand into the inner pocket of his suit and brought out a sleek looking black phone. “Got this for you yesterday. Everything is set up in there. Just transfer your personal data into it and it’d be good to go.”

I took the phone from him, seeing it was Apple’s latest model. “I can’t accept this. I have a phone, remember?”

“I don’t trust that medieval-age device you call a phone. I want to be sure I can reach you at all times. Take it as your work phone, if you must. I don’t care. As long as it’s useful to you when I need it to be.”

His reasoning made sense, I guess. Even though my phone was reliable enough for whatever work calls he might have for me, I was too wrung out to argue with him. “Thank you, sir.”

“Alessio.” He intoned firmly.

“Um, yes. Alessio.” I cautiously pronounced the syllables, my gaze tracking his movements as he rounded the island and lowered himself into one of the stools.

“I’m hungry. Make me breakfast.” He commanded.

“I’m not fired?”

He gave me a look that I interpreted as ‘how slow can you be?’ But instead he said, “I gave you your work phone, didn’t I?”

“Right.” I pocketed the phone and resumed mixing the pancake batter I had abandoned, having no idea how I kept getting away with not losing my job.

I wasn’t complaining though. The universe must finally be on my side during this period of my life.

Just as I served him a tall stack of golden brown cottage cheese pancakes with a side of hash browns and maple syrup, Elias walked back in with a shirt on and his bowl now empty, grinning at the both of us.

I returned the expression with a friendly smile, ignoring the glare I could feel at the side of my face.

“I see the situation has been resolved,” he said, propping himself on the edge of the island facing Alessio. “Now, tell me my friend, why you never once mentioned having this beautiful woman as your personal cook. You must have wanted to keep her all to yourself. Lucky bastard.”

Red creeped up my cheeks and my stomach fluttered in pleasure. I couldn’t deny how gratifying it felt to have someone as good-looking as Elias refer to me as beautiful.

The guy literally looked like a Greek God. With his chiseled features, tall frame and sexy smile, I was sure women scrambled for his attention all the time.

“Seeing as you are able to properly flirt with my employee, I’d make the conclusion you must be feeling better from your hangover.” Alessio said dryly, not looking up from his plate as he shoveled bites of pancake into his mouth. “I’ve hosted you long enough. You can take your leave now.”

“Aw, don’t be like that Ale. I’m sure Cora doesn’t want me to go. Do you, sweetheart?”

I was going to shake my head when Alessio sharply interrupted, probably predicting my response.

“Don’t you have places to be? Like the country club with your mum for your mandatory post-birthday breakfast for instance?”

“Shit!” Elias exclaimed as he sprang up from the island, passing me an apologetic look. “I’ve got to go Cora. Will definitely come back to see you again.”

“Okay, bye.” I responded with a twinge of sadness. I didn’t want to be left alone with my bipolar boss, always blowing hot and cold in my presence.

Sighing when I heard the front door beep close, I turned to begin dinner so I wouldn’t have to be involved in any kind of conversation with him, only to stop in my tracks at his evenly spoken words,

“You’ll be cooking for two tonight. I have a female guest.”