Page 52 of Breaking Hollywood

“Dead.”

He picks the bottle up and refills his glass to the top.

“God. I’m sorry, Gabe. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine.” He starts drinking again. His glass is half-empty. Then, it’s gone.

I pick my own wine up and drink it. I feel terrible. I’ve made him uncomfortable, bringing up his parents. And we were having such a nice time.

He pours more wine into his glass, but the bottle empties, only partially filling it.

He starts to move.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“To get another bottle.”

“I’ll go.” I move Gucci’s head off my leg, and I’m on my feet, heading for the kitchen.

I get another bottle of the same wine and open it up before taking it back through with me. I pour some more into his glass and then refill my own. I put the bottle on the table before sitting back down.

The tension in the air is awful. It’s like a rain cloud on a perfectly nice evening.

“Gabe, I’m sorry. I—”

“Forget it. You didn’t know.”

I tuck my hair behind my ear. Then, I take a bite of my food. We eat in silence, the sound of the TV giving background noise, but the quiet between us is killing me.

“So…I was thinking—”

“Did it hurt?”

And he’s back.

I almost laugh with relief. “Jackass.”

“Wench.”

I look over at him, and the corners of his lips are curled up.

“Anyway,” I continue on, “I feel like I’m not really earning the money that you’re paying me for taking care of you. All I do is feed you and help you out of the bath.”

“And having you do that is worth every penny.”

“Perv. And, now that I’m your employee, you do realize, with comments like that, I can sue you for sexual harassment.” I lick some sauce off my finger. I don’t miss the way his eyes follow the movement or the way they flare.

And I can’t deny that I like having that effect on him.

“I was talking about you feeding me, Speedy. Not getting me out of the bath. But good to know where your mind is.” He smirks.

My cheeks flame. I quickly pick up my wine and take a big drink to cover it.

“So, I was just wondering if there’s anything else I can do around here to help.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. I could clean.”