She disappeared into the private bathroom attached to my office.
I took three seconds to breathe. Tucked my shirt back in. Ran my hands through my hair. Tried to get my body under control.
This was going to be obvious. There was no hiding what we'd been doing.
I opened the door anyway.
Mrs. Rossi stood there. One look at my face—at my swollen lips, my mussed hair, the way my chest was still heaving—and she knew.
Her eyes flicked past me to my desk. Papers scattered on the floor. Laptop lying sideways. The lamp knocked over.
Back to my face.
"Luca is looking for you." Her voice was quiet. Urgent. "He's on his way here right now. I saw him in the east hallway. You have maybe two minutes."
Understanding crashed over me. She wasn't here about household accounts. She was warning me.Covering for me.
"Thank you, Elena."
"The accounts can wait." Her expression was serious. "But Kai—you and Miss Romano need to be more careful. People notice things. Luca especially. He's already suspicious."
Aria emerged from the bathroom. Fully dressed. Hair smoothed. Face composed.
Except for the guilty flush staining her cheeks.
Mrs. Rossi's gaze softened when she saw her. "I understand. I was young once. I remember what it feels like. But this is dangerous. Don Salvatore returns in less than two weeks. You need to be smart. Both of you."
"We will be—" I started.
Footsteps in the hallway and I could see the frame of the man I have come to despise walking towards us. Luca.
Mrs. Rossi smoothly transitioned, raising her voice. "—so I was thinking we could do a traditional seven-course menu for Don Salvatore's return dinner. What do you think, Kai?"
"Sounds perfect. We'll need to coordinate with the wine cellar—" I fell into the role easily. "Aria, you should weigh in. This will be good practice for you."
"The seven courses sound wonderful, Mrs. Rossi. Thank you for thinking to include me."
Her voice was remarkably steady. No one would guess that two minutes ago she'd been half-naked on my desk.
Luca appeared at the end of the hallway. His sharp eyes swept over the three of us. Lingered on Aria's flushed face. The slightly disheveled state of my office visible through the open door.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"Just discussing the menu for Don Salvatore's return." Mrs. Rossi's voice was perfectly pleasant. "I was just leaving. Kai, Aria, we'll finalize the details tomorrow."
She left, taking Aria with her. I watched them go, my jaw tight.
Luca stepped into my office. Looked around. At the papers still on the floor. The knocked-over lamp I hadn't bothered to right.
"Quite a mess in here."
"I was frustrated with the northern shipment reports. Knocked some things over." The lie came easily. "What did you need?"
"To discuss those northern shipments, actually. Can we speak privately?"
"We're alone."
"Good." He closed the door. Turned to face me fully. "I've noticed something, Kai. You and the Romano girl. You seem... close. Very close. Some might say inappropriately close."
