Chapter 4 : The Suit

*Rebecca*

Work went more smoothly the rest of the week. I’d grown accustomed to Alessandro checking in at least once a day, and I found myself missing him when he was busy. I spent most of the weekend looking forward to going back to work.

It wasn't just because I wanted to see Alessandro more, though that certainly helped. I really enjoyed my work. I was mildly frustrated by the two departments that were outside of a range I was used to seeing, but as long as they stayed within Alessandro's acceptable ranges, I told myself not to worry about it.

I got to know more of the accountants that worked in my department, and I started growing more attached to my team. It was a good group of dedicated employees. I felt like it said something about Alessandro that he’d attracted such an impressive group of people.

When I got to the office on Monday morning, I saw that Veronica had left me a donut on my desk with a note that read 'Happy Monday' with a little smiley face at the bottom next to her name. She was thoughtful and always on top of everything. Next to the donut, she’d left a folder with a stack of reports for me to start going over for the week.

I dove into the reports, trying to focus my mind on something that didn’t revolve around Alessandro. He was my boss. I really needed to stop thinking about him.

"How's it going in here?" Alessandro asked, suddenly showing up at my door.

I looked up and grinned at him. It was like my endless thoughts of him had summoned him. I gave the universe a silent thank you for granting my wish to see him. He looked fantastic today too. As any other day, to be honest. He was wearing an all black tailored suit and his hair was perfectly groomed. I feared I was staring, so I turned my attention back to the papers in front of me.

"So far, so good," I answered.

"Do you have a second to help me with some reports? No one can tell me which invoice is missing and I'm going to go cross-eyed if I stare at this for another minute," Alessandro admitted. "My secretary called in sick today, so it's been a bit of a mess."

"Of course. I'd love to help," I told him. It was true. Any excuse to work with him was worth the delay in my own tasks. I was starting to get quicker anyway.

"Thank goodness." He murmured, coming in and pulling up a chair. When he got closer to my desk, I felt momentarily inebriated by his cologne. God, he smelled so good.

He laid the reports on the desk. I pulled them toward me, starting to flip through them.

"I'm missing like two thousand dollars in invoices. I think it's just one or two big orders, but I need help tracking them down," he told me, leaning one elbow on the desk.

"I think I can find them," I assured him, scanning over the numbers. "Is it okay if I write on these?"

"Please do," he said, gesturing with his other hand.

I pulled out a highlighter and started marking invoice numbers. I was painfully aware of his gaze on me as I worked. I had to admit, I loved the feeling of his eyes on me. I wished I could bottle up the confidence it gave me so I could take it home on the weekends.

"Are you originally from the city? You don't really have an accent," he asked curiously.

"No, I moved from Kansas when I came for school. I like how busy it is here. I was from a little farming town, and since I never developed a passion for raising corn or livestock, I never felt like I fit in. You don't have to worry about fitting in here in New York. Nobody does, and everybody does." I shrugged. I marked through a couple more invoice numbers before I dared to look up.

He was studying me closely, those dark eyes a warm, molten fudge color. I drug my gaze back to the papers, not wanting to get caught staring at him for too long. He was like the earth and I was the moon, stuck in his gravitational pull.

"What? You don’t seem like a cowgirl," he teased with a wry grin.

I barked out a laugh that instantly embarrassed me. I was reminded of the time I’d tried to show a calf with the FFA in middle school. It had stood on my foot until it left a big blue bruise. I wasn't sorry to see it go when we sold them at the end of the show season.

"Sorry," I muttered, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Don't be sorry. Why's it so funny?" he prodded.

"I tried showing cattle in middle school. It didn't really stick," I explained, a half smile at the memory of it.

"Showing cattle? I'm not really familiar with the process," he mused.

"Oh, come on, City Slicker? You never had to halter break a calf? It builds character." I knocked my fist on my chest as I chuckled.

"I don't think we had a great spot to keep calves in my parents' apartment. It probably would’ve pooped on the carpet. My mom would’ve turned it into hamburger in no time." He chuckled.

"I can't say that I blame her. Although, I'm not allowed to even have a cat in my apartment here, and I kind of miss having a pet. I don't think I’d ever want another cow, but a dog might be nice," I confessed.

I flipped through the pages, using a different colored highlighter to mark a discrepancy, trying not to stare at him.

"I'd like to get a dog," Alessandro agreed. "I'm just not home enough to take it for walks and stuff. Wouldn't be fair to the dog."

I clicked my tongue. "You should prioritize the boundaries between your work life and personal life better. You should always make time for yourself," I scolded in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the boss. I have to pick up the slack when my employees need to prioritize their personal lives," he retorted.

"Oh, damn, do we have a caring boss on our hands? Better keep your voice down, or the others will hear you," I carried on.

It was funny to see how easy going he was about me teasing him so openly. It just felt natural, and for a moment, I almost forgot he was actually my boss. Almost.

He laughed, leaning forward again.

I lifted my eyes to look up at him through long black lashes. I instantly regretted it. He was watching me with a thoughtful expression on his face, and the moment we made eye contact, my pulse began to race. I needed to focus on my work. His gaze was too enticing.

"Here. It looks like the missing invoice should be number seven three four A. If it's the correct one, the total should be for..." I tapped some numbers into my calculator. "Two thousand, forty-three dollars and seventeen cents."

Alessandro leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving me. "I'm impressed. I've been looking all morning." He looked over me, appraising me unabashedly.

"Give me a second and I can probably find it in the billing system," I told him. I swiveled my chair around to see my computer. I typed in the invoice number and the missing invoice popped right up. I hit print and grabbed it off the printer to hand to him with the rest of his papers.

"You must be a magician," he complimented with a smile.

"No magic here, just math." I shrugged.

Alessandro looked down at his watch. "Oh, shit, I didn't realize it was already lunch time. Sorry to keep you for so long."

"Don't worry about it. I'm getting something delivered today and it's not even here yet," I assured him.

I was sure I was going to put on about a hundred pounds since I found out that the chicken place Veronica had introduced me to delivered to our office. The food was too good. Plus, with the bump in my pay from taking this job, I could afford a little bit more luxury, like a chicken sandwich for lunch instead of bringing something from home.

"Take a little extra time, regardless. I didn't mean to take up your lunch break." Alessandro headed toward the door, carrying all of his papers with him.

"Thanks," I called as he slipped from my office.

It was only a second or two later that Veronica stepped inside the door.

"Your food is here," she said, setting the bag on my desk.

"Oh, thank goodness. I'm starving," I said, reaching into the bag to pull out the container.

"So, Alessandro stopped by...again," she started, her voice carrying what I knew now was her gossiping tone.

"Yeah, he needed help finding an invoice." I shrugged. I knew what she was phishing for. I wanted to talk to her about it. She knew Alessandro better than I did, she’d been here longer and was clearly aware of everything that happened inside these walls. I wondered if she actually thought Alessandro was seeing me through a different lens. Still, I couldn't bring myself to ask.

"Hmm," was all she said in response. She smiled at me with one eyebrow raised, but turned and went back to her desk.

I giggled to myself once she was gone. Maybe it was unusual for Alessandro to spend this much time one on one with an employee. Maybe he was treating me a little differently.

I secretly hoped so. I wanted him to want me the way I was growing to want him. Hot damn, he was the most attractive man I’d ever met. And so, so charming. I practically melted into a puddle every time he came near me.

I really was starving though, so I pushed those thoughts aside and started to eat my sandwich instead. I almost wished I'd never tried the food there, because I was hooked. I’d have to work out for an extra hour tonight to walk this off.

After lunch, I went back to working on the reports Veronica left on my desk. It went much smoother in the afternoon though, so it didn't take me nearly as long. I was even able to get started on some work for tomorrow.

I was flipping through the next report when Veronica stepped into my office.

"I'm headed home, see you tomorrow," she said, giving me a little wave and disappearing through the door again.

What time was it? I checked my phone and realized it was already after five. I couldn't believe I’d gotten so caught up in my work.

I started gathering my things to leave, organizing everything in my desk so I didn't arrive to a messy office in the morning.

"Glad I caught you. Will you give me your opinion about something? I don’t want to be a bother if you’re busy," Alessandro asked, appearing in the doorway. Even at the end of a working day, he still looked as hot and handsome as ever.

He was in a different suit than he had been this morning though. It was a navy blue suit with a tiny pattern on it. Even though his eyes were an earthy brown, it somehow made them look brighter. He looked incredible.

I wondered if he was going somewhere, looking so fit and elegant. I set my purse down on my desk and leaned back against the front of it, ignoring the twist my stomach made by thinking he could be heading to a date.

"You never bother me," I said with a smile.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Miss Johnson." Alessandro chuckled, stepping into my office fully. "I got this tailored today and I'm not sure if I'm happy with how it fits," he admitted, gesturing at his suit. "I thought a lady's opinion would be more reliable."

"Let me see," I said, motioning for him to do a little spin.

He did a turn. I studied him, letting my eyes roam all over him. No, it was definitely tailored to perfection.

"I think it's fine. You didn't have anyone else to ask about this?" I teased, regretting my question right away. I wasn't ready to hear about his personal life.

Alessandro stepped closer, his hand planted next to mine on the desk. He leaned over me, trapping me between my desk and his body, his face only inches from mine.

"Maybe I just wanted an excuse to see you one more time," he admitted, tone lowering to a sultry growl.

Good thing the air conditioner was on, otherwise I'd be melted on the floor by now.

"Maybe I'm glad you did," I admitted, lifting my chin a fraction of an inch, hoping he didn't notice my voice wavering. I had no idea what he was trying to do, but I was willing to encourage him to continue.

He raised an eyebrow and moved his face closer, his breath brushing across my face and his scent clouding my judgment.

I closed my eyes, expecting his lips to touch mine. A shrill ring brought me back to reality.

"Shit, I have to take this," he growled, pulling his phone out of his pocket and stepping away from me. I instantly missed his closeness. "Hello?" Alessandro answered.

He mouthed "sorry" to me, and I gave him a sheepish wave as he slipped out of my office, his absence was felt as soon as he vanished from my sight.