“Why me?” she asks in a soft voice.
“You’re beautiful,” I tell her simply, this time not embellishing the truth. “A break from work might be wise after what happened yesterday. You need the money. And during that time, I’ll keep you safe. You won’t have to worry about police officers or any clients bothering you. After our deal, you’re free to stay or leave and pursue whatever it is you’d like to do next.”
She won’t leave.
A few seconds pass. She worries her lip and finishes her coffee. “I’m sorry, Fabien, I’m thinking.”
I turn toward the refrigerator.
“Of course. Breakfast while you think?”
I take out a carton of eggs and some American-style bacon.
“You eat eggs for breakfast? No one eats eggs for breakfast here.”
I shrug. “I told them to bring me some more American-style food, so here we go.”
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you,” she says softly.
I cook while she sits at the table. I tell her about my home in Paris, my mother, and my brothers. I tell her about my cousin, the most ostentatious of all, and how his wedding will be one for the record books.
“Will there be, like, paparazzi?” she asks hesitantly.
Paparazzi for a mob wedding? We’d kill them.
“They’re not allowed, no worries there.”
“I don’t know…”
I turn to face her and slide a plate of food in front of her. “What’s holding you up?”
“You’re my boss,” she says. “But my goodness, I can’t tell you how amazing it would be to earn that money. It would change everything.” I’m banking on the fact that I can win her over before she decides to leave.
“I may be your boss, but this is a pretty unconventional workplace. No one’s gonna rat you out to HR. This is nothing but a professional arrangement, I promise.”
“I hate to say no?—”
“Then don’t.”
Her thick eyelashes flutter when she blinks. “You have an answer for everything.”
I shake my head. “I want you to come with me.”
“What’s the catch?”
The catch is that once I have you, I’ll never let you go.
You’ll be my slave.
We’ll find my brother and so much more.
“No catch,” I lie. I lean against the counter and cross my arms on my chest. “You’d be surprised how important this is to my mother. Having a beautiful woman like you with me for the weekend is more than worth the money I’m willing to spend.”
“When would we leave?”
I glance at the clock on the kitchen wall. “In two hours.”
“Two hours! I don’t have what I need.”
