Because Of Love

Talia had hummed throughout the entire meeting. Sitting so close to DeLuca had her mind going back to that dream about him and his mouth between her legs. It didn’t help that he kept on side eye spying on her. She’d wondered from time to time if they were meant to be reproaching glances because her knees just wouldn’t stop bouncing! But he would have said something; he wasn’t exactly the type to spare someone’s feelings and avoid public humiliation. Poor Harry had been sweating from the moment DeLuca had entered the boardroom. How she had even found herself sitting next to him was a mystery to her.

Usually, there was just one seat at the head of the boardroom table, but the place had been so packed with executives, she’d been forced to shift to sitting behind DeLuca. When she saw all the suits file in, she’d forced herself to smother a laugh. She was willing to bet her left kidney they were beyond curious about what DeLuca was up to and how it would affect them. It was finance, the money report after all that was being exposed-audited.

If DeLuca was trying to bait them, this was it. Mission accomplished. She hadn’t had any plans of joining, but Perez had forced her to attend the meeting. She was pissed at first but the thought of watching a public frying of a suit or two held some appeal. After the hard time they were giving her in gaining approval for her project, she was going to enjoy the show. She’d been quite content with sitting behind DeLuca to his left, just like Enzo had sat to his right, but, to her shock, and everyone else who had had their eyes trained on him, he grabbed the cushion of the seat, right by her right thigh, and pulled the chair forward with one yank. Hands out with a startled gasp, she caught the edge of the table, stopping the chair before her belly rammed into it.

This was the worst possible position for someone trying to run away from sexual temptation. The man sat in a single chair, and yet it felt like he occupied the entire room with his presence. Everyone was aware of him. Sadly, her lady parts were ten times acutely aware of him. She was screwed, big time. One time, she thought to herself. She should just sleep with him one time and maybe just maybe she could exorcise herself of him. She just couldn’t afford any more dreams of him like the one she had that morning. She felt the heat rise inside her again and immediately began humming a Beyoncé song in her head. Screw the presentation, she didn’t have a horse in this race. This was a tug of war between DeLuca and the big bosses.

When Harry was done talking, Talia breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she could leave and go find her sanity back at her desk. Everyone turned in her direction and for a moment she was confused before she reminded herself it wasn’t her they were looking at, it was DeLuca. She turned to him as well. Her heart skipped a little at the sharp, and yet so attractive, profile of his face. Just once, she thought to herself again. She could allow herself one self-indulging, mind blowing experience.

When the silence drew too long, Talia cautiously touched her elbow to his. DeLuca didn’t move, he didn’t speak and he didn’t even blink. He just stared at Harry with that intimidating blank look on his face. Talia turned to the front. Poor Harry, bouncing from one foot to the other, wide eyed and pale faced, looked like he would faint if the silence drew any longer.

Hand over her mouth, she leaned close to him and whispered, “Hey, don’t just sit there like some deity deciding whether or not he gets to go to heaven or hell.” Moving closer, she added, “Say something. Or blink for crying out loud!”

To her utter shock, he chuckled. It was low and soft but still enough to draw everyone’s attention. They looked at him weirdly, some with contempt. She could guess what they were thinking, that he was ridiculing Harry. She was sure that wasn’t it. There was something in that soft sound that told her that wasn’t it at all. Just listening to him chuckle made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. It felt so naked and real. Completely unguarded. So much so, it made her heart ache. It was completely different from the persona he played.

Was this the real him? Who was this man behind the famed Rafael DeLuca mask?

Just as suddenly, he cleared his throat and sat up straighter. The hard blank expression fitting in place over his face. “Shall we begin?” he said, his voice hard and cold.

Her heart mourned the honestly that had passed just a moment ago. She found herself wishing she’d recorded that chuckle. She wanted to hear more of it. She wanted to know more about him, and as she realized, her curiosity had nothing to do with the huge sexual tension between them.

She spent the rest of the half hour meeting listening to the back and forth between DeLuca and Harry. At some point the top bosses intervened on Harry’s behalf when he was stumped for an answer a few times. Things weren’t looking good. For everyone else at least, DeLuca looked like he was on the hunt. Calm and collected with every arrow he shot at his targets. A shark, yes. A shark in rough waters getting ready to swallow the unsuspecting surfer whole. Or take a big chunk out of his leg.

When DeLuca finally stood, effectively and wordlessly ending the meeting and the first audit, they all looked battered and pissed off, which told her one thing: he’d found what he’d been looking for, or he was certainly very close to doing so. So what did that mean for the rest of them? If there was a problem with finance, how would it impact the rest of the company? Her project was sure to be affected by this. With an annoyed groan, she pushed out of the chair and made her way out of the boardroom and began her walk to her desk. She would just have to wait and see where all the cards fell after the DeLuca storm had passed.

“McKenna!”

Talia came to an abrupt stop with a groan on her lips, her eyes closing in exasperation. Not now, she thought, wishing she’d just pretended not to have heard him.

“McKenna!” Mr. Perez called out to her again and she reluctantly turned around to face him with a hard pressed smile on her face.

“How may I help you Mr. Perez?”

The man came to a huffing stop right in front of her with a scowl on his face. Looking harried, he reached for his tie and pulled it loose with two side to side yanks, puffed out a breath that spoke of the numerous cups of coffee he had that morning and looked around them before his glare settled on her.

Oh boy! she thought, instinctively knowing that whatever he was going to say was not going to be good.

“Thanks for the heads-up McKenna!” he whispered harshly, his hands at his round waist.

He was being sarcastic, she knew that, and the teenager inside her wanted to return in kind, but she rolled her lips into her mouth and quietly watched as his neck grew a shade redder with each passing second.