Chapter Two

LUNA

The weekend went by sooner than I would have liked, and all of a sudden, it was Tuesday. I groaned as I got out of bed, and then remembered that John wanted me in the office on time. I quickly got dressed, opting for a long-sleeved black dress, pairing it with a pair of red heels. I decided to let my hair down today and smiled at the lush waves that crashed down my back to my waist. Every time I stood in the mirror, I was thankful for the body that I was blessed with. Standing at 5’7”, with legs that seemed to go on forever and curves in all the places it mattered. Finally, I wore my diamond necklace. I could never forget my necklace.

When I got to the office, I noticed that people were in a frenzy. I didn’t need to be told that it was because of the important client that we were expecting. Whoever this man was had to be very important because in the years I had worked here, I had never seen my co-workers in this state. And that made me anxious just a bit. I painted a picture in my mind that he was the type of man to destroy your whole career for mispronouncing a word.

I took a deep breath and went up to my cubicle. Today promised to be a big day. I could feel it in my bones. Not long after I settled in, a call came in on the intercom asking me to come to John’s office. I immediately went up, playing with my fingers as I went. I met Amanda at the door. I didn’t bother to acknowledge her as I just opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind me.

Two pairs of eyes landed on me, and for a second, I forgot to breathe. The man was breathtaking.

“Ah, Luna, you’re here. Come in.” I walked slowly to the table, very aware of our client’s eyes roving the whole of my being. I felt like I was going to combust.

“Hey, John.”

“This is Giovanni Valente…” The man stood to his feet, and by God, was he tall. He extended his hand to me, and I took it. He massaged the back of my hand with his thumb, causing shivers and shockwaves to run through my body.

“Mr. Valente, this is Luna Romano.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I swallowed and bit my lip. He had a sexy mouth, and his voice sounded like it was dipped in honey and sugar. Our eyes met, and he smiled, displaying the dimples on his cheeks. I could feel my nipples begin to harden and heat began to pool between my legs.

“Same.”

“Come on, you both should seat, and let us get straight to business.” I cleared my throat and sat down. It didn’t escape my notice that he had stealthily moved his chair closer to me. His cologne was very distracting. All I wanted to do was bury my nose in his neck and breathe him in.

“So, let’s talk about business.” Giovanni’s mood immediately changed. He was in full-on business mode.

“If I heard you correctly over the phone, you need us to provide you with an interpreter.”

“Yes. I find that one is desperately needed if the merger is going to go seamlessly. Unfortunately, we find that language provides a little stumbling block.” His English was fine. Not exactly polished or Queen’s English quality, but he could hold his own. And his Italian accent was incredibly sexy.

“Well, we have just the right fit for you,” John said, nodding to me.

“I can see that.” He looked at me and smiled again. I gulped and smiled back.

“So, when would you be needing my assistance?” I asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment and answered.

“By Friday. That is when we begin the whole thing.”

“Okay. I will be here.”

“In that case, I will need you both to be present here by Thursday morning.”

We both nodded, and I stood to leave. I smiled at both men and walked out of the office as fast as I could. I managed to breathe fresh air when I was finally at my cubicle. I took deep, calming breaths. The last few minutes had been very chaotic for my senses.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, the only thing on my mind…or rather the only person on my mind was the handsome Italian I had just met in John’s office.

Time flew by, and soon it was closing time. I shut down my computer and rode the elevator down to the parking lot. My mind was still stuck on Giovanni while my body was operating on autopilot. Just as I opened my car door, I heard my name. I turned around and groaned when I saw Amanda marching toward me.

What did she want now? I was mentally drained already.

“Luna!”

“Yes. How can I be of service to you?” I said, smiling at her. Maybe if I was nice enough, she’d go away.

“You can be of service by leaving my man alone.” I looked at her confused.

“Your man?”

“Yes. John!”

“Oh…you mean your boss?” I said slowly. She growled and moved closer to me.

“Listen here, you little fat bitch…”

I gasped. First off, I wasn’t fat. I was thick.

“John is mine. Has always been mine. Will always be mine. If you stand in my way…”

“Is anything the problem?” Amanda immediately jumped back and plastered a sickly smile on her face. And we were face to face with Giovanni.

“Nothing at all, Mr. Valente. We were just talking about work.”

“Is that so?” She nodded. “She doesn’t look like she was enjoying the conversation.” She looked at me, and her eyes widened in panic.

“Well, work is not always pleasurable, sir.”

“Hm…”

“Excuse me.” She marched away from us before any more words could be exchanged. Coward.

“Thank you.”

He nodded.

“Are your co-workers usually this mean?”

I laughed.

“Just very specific ones, unfortunately.”

“You have a beautiful laugh.”

I blushed and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“So…John?” My eyes widened in surprise.

“You heard that?”

He tapped his ears.

“Werewolf hearing.”

“Oh.”

“Well…”

“Oh, there’s nothing there.”

He smiled. He had a really beautiful smile.

“In that case, you wouldn’t mind me taking you to dinner?”

I was speechless.

“Um…no.”

“Why?”

“That would be very unprofessional.”

“But we haven’t signed anything yet.”

“Still unprofessional.”

His eyes dropped to my chest, and my breath hitched.

“Beautiful necklace.”

My hand reflexively went to my neck, and I fingered the pink diamond.

“Thank you. It was a gift.” The question immediately dampened my mood, reminding me of my father.

“I should get going.”

“Oh…”

“Goodnight, Mr. Valente,” I said, getting into my car. He held my car door, stopping me from closing it.

“Giovanni. Call me Giovanni.” I smiled tightly at him and nodded

“Goodnight, Giovanni,” I said, yanking the door closed.

“Goodnight, Luna.” He moved away from my vehicle and waved as I drove off.