Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty–Six

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Genevieve was exhausted. It had been a long first day. It was nearing seven and the only people still in the office were herself, Kaitlin, Alexander, and the men and women currently meeting with Matteo in the conference room. After the long, in–depth tour given by Kaitlin she had successfully gone to HR and gotten an ID and keycard along with a garage pass. She didn’t bother explaining that the CEO had already taken care of that. Throughout the day she met several of her hall mates, all except the PR woman who attended each of the meetings in the conference room.

A strange stirring of jealousy gripped her gut throughout the day as she watched groups of people filter out but never Matteo or the PR woman. She shook her head and told herself it didn’t matter. She had a job to do and she needed to focus. She sighed to herself, tired of repeating the same mantra in her head the entire day.

Gen placed a picture frame of her and her roommates beside one from the wedding and a third of her mother and father. She continued to dig in the box until she heard a knock on the door behind her. Gen shot up and turned. Her heart rate slowed when it was not Matteo but Kaitlin. Her cheeks were red and she had a shy smile on her face as she stepped inside. Gen figured out why when a man she’d never met

came in behind her.

Over the last few weeks, Gen had unknowingly met many men in the mafia. She had quickly learned certain defining traits these men all seemed to possess: tattoos, black clothes, a stern expression, the constant flick of their eyes as if expecting a deranged man with a machine gun to pop out of the sewer drain. This man, however, was a different kind of monster. He was tall, probably around six feet with reddish blond hair, and dark brown eyes that bore through her. He wore an impeccable navy suit which brought out the copper in his hair. He was clean shaven, had a $500,000 watch on his wrist and a diamond earring in his ear that she guessed was worth nearly as much as

the watch.

“This man wanted to speak with you,” Kaitlin said with a certain breathy quality to her voice.

“Hello, my name is Genevieve, and you are?” Gen asked, holding her hand out.

He smiled and the sun broke through the office. She almost gasped at how his smile transformed his entire appearance. Rather than a dark mafia warrior, he now appeared like an angel descended from heaven.

“Raphael, such a pleasure,” he whispered in a heavy Italian accent. He took her hand but rather than shake it he dipped his head. While maintaining eye contact he kissed the back of it.

Gen quickly wrenched her hand out of his grasp. “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to welcome you to the company,” he assured her, his voice dripping in the accent which many women would swoon over. He stepped around her to sit in her office chair.

Gen took Kaitlin’s arm and guided her to the door. “It’s okay, I got it. Thank you, Kaitlin,” she said before closing the door. Every alarm bell in her mind was going off but she knew this man couldn’t hurt here. Not with so much visibility between the offices. Gen returned to her desk and stood beside her chair. “This is my chair, if you don’t mind.”

Raphael held his hands up in surrender.

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Chapter Twenty–Six

“My apologies. In most cases the desk’s owner sits facing the door” He stood up, trying to brush himself against her. “Easier to see

danger coming

She took a sharp step back and narrowed her eyes, trying to not let it phase her. She had been a woman working in a man’s field for way

too long to fall for his tricks. She sat roughly in her chair and pulled it up to the desk.

“Exactly what is your position in Accardi Industries?” Gen asked.

“Human Relations,” he told her, glancing around her office.

“Bullshit,” she said.

He smirked and shrugged. “So astute. Okay, so I don’t work for Accardi directly. I’m what you might consider… a consultant. I’ve been

asked to come in and meet you to gauge your…” His eyes ventured over her body. “Value… or danger. Either one I feel is most prominent.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And you can tell that by having a single conversation with someone.”

“I do better when they’re lying naked beneath me, but yes. I have a talent for smelling rats.”

“Then perhaps you should look in the kitchen down the hall. I heard some scuffling in the cupboards. Then again that may have been you

weaseling around looking for trash.”

He flashed her a smile that two weeks ago would have had her dripping wet. “I’ve been called many things, but never a weasel. I think I

like it,” he said with a wink.

“Is there anything you wish to actually discuss or are you just here to try to make me uncomfortable?”

He shrugged. “I am visiting from out of the country. I’m thinking of investing in the new track in Austin. I thought you might be able to

answer a few questions for me.”

“I only just started and have nothing more than a rudimentary understanding of the company.”

“They’re easy questions, I promise.”

Gen sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. “Fine, what are they?”

“How many tracks does the company have?”

“Six. The one in Austin will be the seventh.”

Raphael nodded. “How much money does Accardi Industries bring in every year.”

“You’re more than welcome to check the public tax records.”

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Chapter Twenty–Six

Ho Yorked “How many horses does Accardi personally own?”

“How the bullam 1 supposed to know that?

thought you might have been close enough with him to know.”

Shir sat forward. “Excuse m.….………”.

F:

“There’s reports of a club here, the kind a man or woman can go to find some relief. Any idea where I can find it?”

Gen stood up. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” she said.

He looked mildly offended. “What did I say?”

Gen sighed and knocked her fist on the desk twice. “How stupid do you think I am?”

He raised a brow in answer.

“You’re here to gauge my danger? What kind of danger do you present, Sir? You are well aware that I have no business other than with Accard Industries. If you have unfounded suspicions. Present some God–damned evidence and then take it to Mr. Accardi. Ask him your questions… Unless, like I assume, you’re here to test me like you say, in which case I will gladly take it up with Mr. Accardi myself. I have enough to deal with without some guy coming in here and peppering me with twenty questions specifically designed to make me say something I’m not supposed to or am unaware has a second meaning all so you can give your biased opinion to your boss,” Gen rattled off As she spoke, Raphael continued to stare at her with a glow to his eyes. “Now,” she continued, stacking some of her files together and placing them to the side. She put her palms against her desk. “Get the fuck out.”

Raphael shook his head and stood. He braced himself across the desk, invading her space. Gen didn’t back down this time. His eyes perused her face with envy. He pursed his lips to the side and shook his head before dropping it. When he looked back up he held an expression of pure amusement.

“Accardi’s a lucky man. It was nice to meet you, Genevieve.

Raphael pushed back from the desk. Gen watched him like a hawk as he walked around her desk toward the door. She wouldn’t put it past this man to swipe something or throw a ninja star in her direction. He didn’t look back as he walked out her office door. He merely held his hand up in farewell. Kaitlin rushed in once the man was at a safe distance. She clutched her files closer to her chest as she looked between Gen and the fleeting figure headed toward the conference room.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Gen assured her.

“He was…”

“Dangerous.”

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dreamy.” Kaitlin finished.

Gen’s brow furrowed impossibly further. That’s when she remembered how young Kaitlin was. She hadn’t been burned by predators yet.

She didn’t know to listen to her gut rather than her eyes when looking at a man.

“Do you know who that man is?” Gen asked.

“He shows up from time to time. Never stays long. He’s from Italy. That’s all I know.” Kaitlin glanced around and lowered her voice.

“Some of us think he’s part of the family.”

Gen raised a brow. “The family?”

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“Yeah like one of the original three?”

“Hm,” Gen said with a nod though she had no idea what she was talking about. “Tell me if you see him again. I don’t trust him.”

Gen watched as he sauntered down the hall and turned right. As he passed the conference room she noticed him hold his hand up in what he must have thought was a discreet gesture. Her eyes widened at the thumbs up he raised. Her eyes swiveled to the man the gesture was

directed at: Matteo. Oh, hell no.

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