apter 14
“T–three thousand?” I ask, my eyes wide. “W–why? What…”
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Axel walked to me and ced his arm around my shoulder. “You’re part of the family, sweetheart. You shouldn’t work at a fucking cafe.”
I turned and looked at him, having to crane my neck since he was so close. “Just like that? You’ll give me a card with that much limit just like that? There’s no strings? Nothing? I don’t have to work for it.”
Axel nodded. “Absolutely nothing.”
I shrugged his arm off me, suddenly sweating. “I don’t believe you. Any of you.” I bent and picked up my bag from where it had dropped at some point, swallowing to wet my dry throat.
A card with a three–thousand–dor limit just like that? Yeah, that was a load of bullshit. I was a realist, not an idealist. You just didn’t give people money like that, something was always involved.
“I’m off,” I said, not looking at anybody as I turned.
I heard someone sigh, but I didn’t look back. Then Kross’s cool voice called, “Rosette.” I stopped walking and turned to look at him. “There really are no strings attached. The card will be yours, with no conditions attached.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Why will you give me a card like that in the first ce<i>?</i>”
Kross sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. Before he could answer, Kade did that for him. “Because believe it or not, you’re part of the family. And Father will lose his shit if he heard you were working in a cafe.”
Well, that…That made sense. People still don’t know that my mom married into such a powerful family, but words spread fast, and soon they’ll know. And then they’ll look in my direction and start talking. I’m sure the Varkas didn’t want anything <i>to </i>ruin their perfect reputation.
I dropped my bag and walked to one of the chairs by the counter, muttering slowly, “Right…” The men were still silently staring at me–when were they never
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staring?-but I just kept silent and nodded. “But I’ll need to go to the cafe and tell them I’ll be quitting. That’s all.”
“I’ll drive you!” Axel offered before I was even done speaking, with arge smile on his face, bouncing slightly on his feet.
I raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so excited to drive me?”
“Because I can spend time with you.”
I rolled my eyes and stood up, picking my bag up again. I turned back to Kross, nodding. “Uhm… Thank you.”
He just nodded and turned away. He doesn’t seem so cold.
I followed Axel into the elevator and down to the garage. This time it was a different car he walked to.
“Rich bastard,” I mumbled.
He looked at me over his shoulder, smirking. “You can say that again.”
He held the car door open for me and I got in.
***
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I said as I stepped out of the car.
As soon as I stepped into the cafe, I immediately spotted Joy, my co–worker. She waved at me as I approached, smiling. She looked at the car parked outside and looked back at me with her eyebrows raised. “You’re being dropped in shy cars?! You’ve got a rich boyfriend?!”
Iughed, the sound awkward and just waved off her question without answering. Joy and I were close, but not that close. After work, we didn’t know what went on
in each other’s lives.
“I need to see the boss,” I said.
“Oh. He left not long ago, saying he had somewhere to be.”
Then I was quitting without him. I had hoped he would pay me thest sry.
“Well, I’m quitting.”
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Joy didn’t look so shocked. She looked back at the car and looked back at me with a smile. “Of course you are.” Then she shocked me by walking around the counter and hugged me. “Good for you.”
I went stiff, shocked. And when she didn’t let go, I patted her back awkwardly. “Thanks.”
She pulled away, going back to stand behind the counter. “Off you go, then. I’m about to get busy.”
I nodded, already turning. “Bye, Joy.”
“Bye!”
I walked to the car and before I got there, Axel was already there, holding the door for me.
I gave him a look. “You’re persistent, ain’t you?”
He just grinned. “I’m a gentleman.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”
I got into the car and he shut the door, walking with his hands in his pockets to the driver’s seat. I looked back at the cafe to see Joy staring at the car with her eyes wide. It seems Axel got a new fan.
He got into the car, turning to me. “So where to?”
“What do you mean ‘Where to?‘ It’s home.”
Home.
That felt weird. That wasn’t my home.
Axel tsked, shaking his head like. “Don’t be boring, Rose. We’re already out, ain’t we? And the day just started. What are you going to do when you get back home?”
“Don’t you have to be at work?<b>” </b>
He shrugged. “They won’t die if I don’t show up for one day.”
“What work do you even do? The three of you. Your father.”
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He pointed his finger at my face, shaking it. “Don’t change the subject, sweetheart. Tell me, what do you want to do?”
“Don’t know. I don’t have anything in mind.”
Axel’s smile turned mischievous. “Well, I know. I’m rich, so why not use me? Or if you don’t want to do that, I know other things we can do without leaving the car.” He leaned in close, so close I could smell his aftershave. “Aren’t you curious to know?”
With the glint in his eyes and that smile? No. No, I didn’t want to know. “No.”
That only urged him on. “Well, I’m curious to tell you.” He leaned in closer, his breath warm on my lips, his eyes not leaving mine. “We could stay in the car, sweetheart, and we could do lots of interesting things.” His eyes dropped to my lips, lingering before he looked back at my eyes. “You could go to the back seat and spread your legs wide open for me so I can feast on you.” His lips moved closer so that as he spoke, his lips touched mine. “Or you could suck me until I see the gates of heaven.”
He kissed me, his mouth devouring mine, hard, hungry, needy. His tongue entered my mouth, sweeping over it and curling over mine. He broke the kiss, his breathing hard, his eyes dark.
“Or you could let me fuck you.”