I was losing my ever-lovin’ marbles.
And then, his gaze lifted and found me. Those lips quirked upwards, and he nodded toward the office area. There were two offices in the back, Ian’s old office and a cash office with a safe. I’d traveled halfway to him before I even realized I’d taken a step. But I couldn’t talk to him. I didn’t feel prepared.
Even though I didn’t want my brother to be right, what if he was? What if despite what I’d witnessed out of him, Marco Varasso didn’t end up being a decent guy? What if he was a threat? A wolf in sheep’s clothing?
I attempted to analyze him as I approached. What did a mobster actually look like? Were there signs I should be on the lookout for? If this man had done the atrocious crimes David had listed off, shouldn’t something about him seem off-putting or abnormal?
Shouldn’t I be able to tell one way or the other?
“I have a proposition for you,” he said as soon as we entered his office, not bothering with any sort of preamble. “I’d like to enlist your services as my office manager.”
“Office manager?” I parroted back at him. I don’t know what I’d expected him to say, but it wasn’t that.
“Yes. It’d be more of a clerical position. You’d work one-on-one with me doing various and sundry. It’ll largely consist of accounting duties as well as some paperwork and filing. Do you think you’d be up for the task?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. I’d never gone to college and never been anything but a server. I’d stayed with this position because I was good at it, but also because I knew how to do all the ins and outs of the job. I wasn’t sure how I’d fare doing something else and didn’t want to fail.
“The salary would be ten times what you’re receiving now.”
Ten times? Had he really just said ten as in one zero? “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
He smiled slowly, a glint in his dark eyes. “You heard me correctly. Your salary would be ten times what you’re being paid currently.”
“I…” But I trailed off, having no idea what to say. This came from so far out of left field. I felt I needed to be honest, though. He might be under the impression that I had more going for me than I actually did. “I don’t know if I’m qualified for such a position.”
“Qualifications are less necessary in this situation. I would train you. But I do have a caveat: This is a high-priority position. There’s a certain level of… confidentiality that would need to be applied. We wouldn’t want to announce the fact that we have more than a certain amount in our safe, for example.”
“I understand,” I said, thinking of all those fast food joints that put a sticker on the drive-thru window saying the attendant had no more than fifty dollars in change at any given time.
He cleared his face of all emotion. “So, what do you think?”
The idea of this promotion or whatever he wanted to call it was enticing. I couldn’t deny that. I’d never been given a raise while working here, and the possibility of receiving extra money made exciting visions dance in my head.
I wouldn’t have to struggle so much from paycheck to paycheck. I could make sure my parents were taken care of without having to take on the double and triple shifts I worked now. I might even have some free time on my hands.
Yet, I’d told him I wasn’t qualified.
Was this because of that kiss I’d given him? Would he expect more from me in the future? Sexual favors, perhaps? If so, I’d be incredibly stupid to put myself in that position. Still, I’m the one who kissed him, not the other way around. He hadn’t made a single inappropriate move or harassed me in any way.
Then my brother’s voice echoed in my head, “The Varassos are nothing but trouble.” I still didn’t know how I felt about that. Finally, I answered my boss, putting myself out of my misery by dodging the question altogether.
“Can I think about it?” Coward.
“Yes.” As if he could hear the internal tug-of-war I was engaging in, his features softened into something less neutral and more friendly. “Tell you what. We can do this on a trial basis, if you like. I’ll train you and then give you some time to see how you do. If you decide it isn’t for you, you can go back to being a server. No harm. No foul.”
“I wouldn’t lose my job?” I questioned him.
He crinkled his brows. “No. It would be foolhardy of me to let you go considering what I’ve seen out of you.” His eyes, already dark, seemed to darken further as they focused on my lips. Did he mean that as a double entendre? But then his gaze flicked back up to mine.
Something about seeing his eyes get all intense like that did peculiar things to me. I felt heat swirl low in my belly and had this crazy impulse to kiss him again. And this time, it would be more than a quick peck. But then, someone knocked on the closed office door.
Marco called out without opening it, “Yes?”
“I was looking for the restroom?” An unfamiliar voice came through. Must be a customer.
“Down the hallway. Second door to your left,” I spoke up, then heard footsteps fading away.
I returned my attention to Marco, but the interruption had caused whatever might’ve burgeoned between us to pass. He twisted in his office chair to the computer monitor, powering it on. “Will you give me an answer by this Friday?” he asked, his back to me.