Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

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She should not be doing this. Gen walked behind Matteo toward the stairwell door. The muscles of his back expanded as he pushed open the door and held it for her. She walked by him, ignoring the way his eyes dipped to her chest. She started to climb the stairs but was soon overtaken by Matteo who skirted around her to take the lead. She rolled her eyes. At the first landing he stopped and held that door open for her.

“The first floor?” she asked as she stepped into the hotel hallway. “Aren’t men like you supposed to have penthouse suites with trays of room service being delivered by half–dressed women?”

“Are you offering?” he asked.

Genevieve didn’t answer. She crossed her arms as he stepped up to a door and used the key card to open it. He walked inside, waiting for her to follow. She stayed in the open doorway though, terrified of entering the elegant room. With his back still toward her, he pulled his suit jacket off and flung it to the nearest armchair. She watched the muscles of his back bunch and release as he worked his tie free from his neck.

Matteo glanced over his shoulder and smiled before shaking his head and returning to his task. “Do you plan to leave the door open the entire time?”

“No,” she quipped. “Only for…” Gen pulled her phone out. “Twelve minutes and 32 seconds.”

“He’ll send it, Gen. Just come inside already,” Matteo demanded.

Geneveive reluctantly stepped inside and closed the door.

“What would you like to drink?” he asked as he walked to the mini fridge.

“Nothing,” she sighed..

“No vodka tonic tonight?”

“Mr. Accardi…”

“Matteo,” he corrected. “I still have eleven minutes before I’m your boss.”

“Mr. Accardi,” Genevieve repeated. “I am only here to sign the contract. That’s all.”

Just then the fax machine in the corner started whirring. Gen let out a long sigh of relief causing Matteo to chuckle.

“A woman that relieved to hear paper being printed is fooling herself,” Matteo surmised.

Genevieve didn’t respond as he strutted barefoot across the room to grab the papers from the machine. He stacked them together and tapped them against the desk to align them. He walked back over to her and held the papers up.

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“As requested,” he told her.

Genevieve grabbed the papers and yanked them out of his grasp. “I hope you don’t mind If I reread the new addendums?”

He put his hands in his pockets and leaned forward. “Go ahead. I’ll get myself freshened up while you do so.”

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“Thank you.”

Gen walked toward the bed and sat down on the edge. She placed the papers in her lap and started to read them. She heard his feet

shuffling again and looked up just in time to witness him pulling his shirt over his head. The muscles she’d been drooling over were in

perfect display as he threw his shirt to the side. He walked into the bathroom and turned to close the door. Gen snapped her mouth shut,

but it was too late, he’d seen her checking him out. He winked and closed the door.

“Dammit,” she whispered to herself. “Why does he have to be so…” She sighed. “Hot.”

Genevieve focused on the words in front of her, knowing she had to be careful with the creature who wanted her to work for him. Her nail

skimmed the sentences over and over, contemplating every subtle meaning or oddly placed comma. A few minutes later the bathroom door opened again but this time she resisted the urge to gawk. She trailed her finger over the last paragraph and as she got to the last line she felt a finger touch under her chin.

Gen swallowed before allowing the finger to lift her chin upward. Matteo was still shirtless. His family coat of arms stood out against his

otherwise unblemished torso.

“What are you so afraid of?” he asked, his eyes open and earnest.

“You’re not just… some guy,” she confessed.

His eyes widened slightly, the only tell she’d surprised him with her honesty. “No, I’m not.”

“You’re… a boss in the mafia… right?”

This earned her a short smirk. “Is that what your sister told you?”

“My sister, all of her friends, all of my friends, the internet…”

“Mhmm, then it must be true.”

“Mr. Accardi…”

“Matteo.”

“Mr. Accardi, we are about to go into business together and if there is something illicit about your dealings then I’m afraid I just can’t

take the risk,” she confessed.

Matteo sighed and finally released her chin. He crossed his arms and widened his stance. “My dealings outside of Accardi Industries are of

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no concern to my employees. You will not be involved in any way with anything illegal, nor will you be in any danger

Genevieve stood with shaky legs. “So, you are aren’t you? Matteo’s jaw ticked. “Is it drugs? Weapons? Genevive clutched her chest.

“Some kind of sex trafficking ring?”

Matteo scoffed. “I would never stoop so low.”

“So tell me what it is exactly so I can know…”

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“No. I just told you I wouldn’t involve you in anything outside of my company.”

“But, it has to be illegal. The amount of money you have and the way people fear your name and…”

Matteo fisted her blouse in his hand and yanked her against his hard body. She gasped as his heated skin warmed her through the cotton fabric. His nostrils flared and his hazel eyes darkened.

“You will not know that side of me, Genevieve.”

“I just…” She licked her lips and his eyes tracked the movement. “Do you hurt innocent people?”

Matteo’s eyes bounced back and forth between her own. His lips tightened into a thin line. “No. I never hurt the innocent. I would never

hurt you.”

As he spoke his grip tightened, pulling her closer while his other hand skimmed down her back. She found herself leaning in. She knew there was a big red line between them. She knew crossing said line again would lead to a passionate yet dangerous road in which the two of them would burn themselves alive in their attempt to consume each other. She could see that neon red line flashing, warning her to stop but while he looked down at her, she couldn’t reach the side of herself that cared.

An alarm sounded causing Genevieve to jump and Matteo to sigh. Gen grappled to get her phone out of her purse and turn the alarm off. She swallowed before looking back up at Matteo.

“Time’s up,” he whispered. “What’s it going to be?”

Genevieve licked her lips and turned so she could see the contract she’d set aside. She picked it up and read the paragraph about employee relations. She closed her eyes and nodded. She stooped over the bed and signed her name. With each flourish of the pen she felt her insides coil tighter. She picked up the contract and faced him. Matteo held a small, satisfied smile on his face.

“Don’t get too excited, Mr. Accardi. You’re my employer now and I expect you to treat me as you would any other employee on your payroll,” she said, her voice shaky giving away how much their interaction had unnerved her.

Matteo took the contract from her tight grip and scanned it with his eyes. He shrugged. “Six months is a short time when considering the longevity of our lives. Wouldn’t you agree?” He started to chuckle at her expression of disbelief. He smacked the papers against his open palm before flinging them across his bed. “I suggest you go home and get some rest, Miss Sinclair. You have some packing to start in the

morning.”

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Genevieve glared at his back as he turned and walked off. Why was he acting like he’d won? She stomped toward the door. She jerked it

upen, pinching the muscle in her shoulder with the way she did so. She was halfway out when his voice noated past her.

“Oh, Miss Sinclair?”

“What?” she asked, not bothering to turn around.

She felt his hand press against the small of her back and his breath fan her neck. “I look forward to working with you.”

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