Бесплатный фрагмент - Sweet venom

Prologue

I was sitting in a damn white dress and swallowing tears. This is not how it was supposed to be, not at all. I have always dreamed of meeting my man, how we would fall in love, build strong relationships and create a family. I would have loved him to distraction, but now everything has gone to waste.

“Don’t cry” here, he’s my nightmare and part-time new husband “so it had to be done. We had no choice and marriage is not the worst option. I won’t hurt you.” He came up to me and knelt down, lifting my face.

“So nothing will happen, this marriage is just a formality? Will you let me go?”

“I said I won’t hurt you, but don’t think this marriage isn’t real.”

“But… You said it yourself…“I don’t understand anything. I haven’t been able to figure out where my life is going for the last few days. How did I let this happen? Why am I letting this man touch me now? Even if that person is my husband now. But I thought it would only be on paper.

“I can’t let you go,” Adam got up from his knees and took off his jacket, “my family doesn’t recognize divorces, and I don’t want that either. If we put aside all the problems now, is everything so bad? I was courting you for a long time before that evening, I thought you understood everything.” He asked me out a couple of times and sent me gifts, but then I thought it was a rich guy who decided to have fun. People like him don’t pay attention to people like me. And now I really wish he wouldn’t pay attention to me. “I let you into my world, made you my wife, gave you my last name. Today is our wedding night and nothing in the world will stop me from making you mine.”

Chapter 1

The weather is beautiful outside, summer is in full swing. The sun is shining brightly, a light breeze saves from the heat, like cool kisses it touches the skin. We are sitting under a tree, a blanket is spread out, there is a basket with food, and our little fidget is crawling on the bright green grass. My husband hugs me from behind and we just enjoy these moments of peace. Only this idyll is disturbed by the melody, the music is getting louder and louder.

Damn alarm clock.

With great difficulty, I open my eyes and reach for the device that ruined such a wonderful dream. It’s time to get ready for your favorite job, no, really your favorite one. I work as a pastry chef, I like it. Sweets make people happy, I like to see happy smiles. I’m like a little fairy who brings joy.

I’m really small. It’s only about six feet, it doesn’t seem to be a big deal, but when you go to the store you have to ask the consultants to help me get something from the top shelf. It doesn’t seem to be a shame anymore, but it’s still awkward.

It used to be different, I wore high heels. My life used to look very different.

I had a big family, mom, dad, and an obnoxious younger brother. All possible uncles and aunts. We weren’t rich, but we lived quite comfortably, an ordinary average family. We lived in a small town, my parents had a small cafe, but I spent almost all my time studying. I was so proud of myself when I entered a prestigious college, the Faculty of law. My parents were also proud of me, although they were a little saddened by my departure. I did not take money from them to pay for my studies and took out a student loan like everyone else. According to my calculations, I would have been able to pay it by the age of twenty-five and did not want the family to squeeze themselves because of me. Gritting his teeth, my father still allowed me to do as I wanted.

During my studies, I was probably the most boring student. I haven’t been out, I haven’t been to parties, I’ve never had a boyfriend. I devoted all my time to studying, even on holidays I did not come home, devoting this time to my notes and books. Then I foolishly thought that there would still be time for the family, I would only study and everything would get better, there would be more free time.

I graduated with honors, I did not celebrate this event, there was still an interview at the bar association and a referral to practice. After receiving the document on joining the lawyers Guild, I was over the moon with happiness, but the fall down was very painful.

I remember that day in every detail, there was a downpour outside, but it did not darken my mood. I was waiting for the family to arrive, we had to celebrate this event. I had a few weeks off before I was supposed to start going to interviews. My parents wanted to help me find an apartment, and then take me home so that I could enjoy my last moments of freedom, as my father joked. But my plans were not destined to come true.

I spent several hours in the rain, but my parents never came. It was only when I came to the hostel to pack the last things that the police contacted me. There was an accident on the road. I immediately started going to the hospital to find out what was wrong with my family, but the officer who called me stopped me and asked me to come to the station. It was only there that I found out that I had no one else to visit.

My whole world collapsed in an instant, and then hell began. First, lawsuits began with the second participant in the accident, he got off with simple abrasions. The son of rich parents, he was damn drunk at the time of the accident, but all the evidence about it was gone. His lawyer made it look like my parents were to blame for the accident. It was then that I realized that I couldn’t work in my specialty, I lost the case, and this stupid lawyer still had the audacity to offer me a job at his firm. At that moment, I wanted to step on his foot with all my might.

Then I had to fight against my own family, my uncle began to claim that the cafe that was supposed to be his property. They once opened it together with their father and now only he is the rightful owner. The court recognized his claims as legitimate and sided with him.

But my mother’s sister is aiming to take my house away from me. The bottom line was that he and his mother got it from their parents and she, out of the kindness of her heart, allowed her mother to live there with her family. However, here I was able to pull myself together and sue the floor of the house. It was disgusting to find out that all the people around you were rotten inside.

However, I gathered my willpower and sold my part of the house to the same aunt and went back to the city. I just couldn’t stand being in our cozy town anymore, where every corner reminded me of what I had lost.

I bought a small but cozy apartment, and then for a long time I couldn’t figure out what to do now and what to do with my life. I started by changing my look, all the formal suits, skirts, blouses and shoes found their place in the trash. Now I was wearing jeans, light dresses, sneakers or ballet flats on my feet. Then I accidentally came across a booklet where they offered to take courses in confectionery art. I took cooking classes at school and now I’ve decided to try it too, and why not.

It turned out that I have a talent that I didn’t know about. At the end of the course, there was a small competition. The students showed their work, and some pastry shop owners participated in the judging. Then I received several job offers, and I chose a nice pastry shop that was located near my house.

That’s how my life got better, I worked, and the work gave me great pleasure. I was slowly paying off my tuition debt, the proceeds for the house were not enough to fully pay off the loan. But I didn’t complain, I literally started life all over again.

The only thing that upset me was that I didn’t have a soul mate. I’m already twenty-four, my mother started her own family when she was twenty, and I haven’t even been on a single date. This, to put it mildly, was starting to strain. I used to have excuses, at school I thought I wasn’t ready for a relationship yet, in college I was exclusively studying, then I arranged my life. And now I have no excuses, but I couldn’t get close to someone, it was too awkward. Although I understand that the longer I delay it, it will only get worse. However, I couldn’t get through the embarrassment, I just started having a stupor when I was talking to the opposite sex.

I decided that I would stop being afraid and just have to start a relationship within this month.

I want romantic evenings, walks under the moon, kisses in the rain. I want to fall asleep and wake up not alone, I want to be in the warmth of someone’s hands. I want to feel cared for and take care in return. It seems to me that I have accumulated so much love over the year and there is no one to give it to. I want my family, which will be my private world.

I jumped out of bed and quickly ran to the shower. After taking water treatments, I applied light makeup and went to work. The weather was fine outside, it was the middle of May. Even in the city, you can feel all the plants starting to bloom. The mood is in full swing.

When I entered the bakery through the back door, I saw that Henry was already there. He was my partner. One of us was behind the counter, and the other was working inside, then we changed. Our establishment is not large, so there are few workers. Besides Henry and me, there are four other guys and the owner of the place. Only with a large order, we are all gathered together, and so I have three working days and a part-time job in the form of separate orders. But I can do them at home, which I do all the time.

“I got you a coffee.” Henry was a nice guy who brought me coffee all the time. I sometimes noticed his flirting and I should have answered, because he would have been such a wonderful guy, but, unfortunately, that was all. That’s why I try to pretend that I don’t notice anything.

“Oh, that’s what I need. You’re just a miracle.” I turned to my locker and started taking off my jacket. Henry tactfully went out to change my clothes.

There is still an hour before the opening, you need to quickly bake cupcakes and buns with jam, which customers like to take before work. It’s always nice to pick up a freshly cooked, warm cupcake. We did the job quickly, we are already doing everything on the machine. Just today, I wanted to change something, to make colored icing for cupcakes. John, the owner of the pastry shop allowed us to make adjustments to the cooking if we were in the mood. We have a list of what should be on display and if someone wants to change something and add it, John didn’t mind. Besides, regular customers also like this idea.

But while I was making the icing, Henry had already taken the cupcakes out to the window, it was only five minutes before the opening. I quickly put the icing in a special bag and prayed that it wouldn’t freeze until I got to these cupcakes. But as soon as I ran out the door, I flew into something solid. I raised my head and met the eyes of an amazing man.

“Careful,” he smiled at me, “I wish I could taste this. I hope it is at least washed or immediately sent to the trash.”

Only after these words did I look at my hand and gasped in shock. It turned out that I squeezed my hand so hard that half of the entire glaze was on this handsome man’s snow-white shirt. And judging by the quality of the clothes, they weren’t cheap. I immediately squeezed my eyes shut, imagining how much money I would have to decide, because I know for sure that this will not wash off, because the glaze froze right on the shirt.

“I’m sorry… me… I… didn’t want to… this… this…” I started to make excuses, but it was a pathetic sight. I was terribly ashamed that I had ruined this man’s thing.

“Calm down cupcake, it’s okay. I should have been careful coming here,” and in truth, I didn’t think about why this man was behind the counter.

“Mr. Miller” the boss appeared behind me, “are you all right?” John was very nervous and it made me look even more guilty.

“It’s okay, a little misunderstanding. I’m offering a deal.” He turned all his attention back to me. “Do for me what you were going to do with this colored thing and I’ll forget about my shirt. Do you agree, cupcake?”

“Um… Yeah… that is, yes… I mean of course…” the great gift of speech, did not want to come back to me.

“That’s nice,” the man pushed me over and walked past me, going after my boss, and he threw strange looks at me.

I stayed in a stupor for a couple more minutes, and then I ran to make a new glaze.

“Henry,” I shouted to my partner, realizing that this time I would not go to the window- bring me four cupcakes.

The guy immediately brought them to me, and as soon as the glaze was ready, I did what I originally wanted. It turned out to be a little crooked from the fact that my hands were shaking.

“So I guessed right,” came from right behind me, “you really are a cupcake.”

Wait, was that what he called me “cupcake”?

Chapter 2

It was only after this gentleman left that I was able to take a deep breath. It felt like I was in a stupor next to him. He was damn handsome, I rarely met people like that. I used to have to deal with them in the past, the children of rich parents who studied with me. They constantly looked at me like dirt. And this guy, he looked at me like a strange animal, he studied me, and this is his “cupcake”, it’s unsettling. There are probably hundreds of girls running after such a guy, people like him are not deprived of the attention of the opposite sex. It’s a little sad, but that’s life.

“Lana,” John called me, “we have an order. You have two days, I know it’s not much.” He hesitated.

“What needs to be done?” I’m not stupid, I understand who this order is for. And for some reason, everything in me screams that I will gladly stay up at night to make this order.

“We need to prepare a wedding cake. The celebration will be in two days. Only the best products and keep in mind that the bride is pregnant and you need to see if any products are prohibited. There’s a lot of work, if you want, I’ll send you help.”

“I’ll do it, it’s okay. The couple” I stumbled on this word “have any special wishes?”

“No, so use your imagination to the maximum. But I’m begging you, Lana, this is a very important order, everything has to be done perfectly, do you understand?” I nodded, “you don’t have much time, you can be free for today.”

I went back to the locker room and started changing.

“Are you leaving already?” Henry appeared in the doorway, and I almost screamed in surprise. I was standing only in my underwear, “I’m sorry if I scared you,” I thought he would turn away, but he stood still and looked at me.

“Could you turn away?” I tried to speak evenly, but my nervousness prevented me from doing so. No guy has ever seen me like this before. I could feel my cheeks starting to burn.

“Of course, I’m sorry.” He stood with his back, but did not come out. I immediately turned around and began to get dressed quickly.“John said that Judy would be coming now. Did something happen to you?”

“No, I just received an important order and it needs to be completed urgently.”

“For that type?” he said it somehow strangely, but I did not focus on it.

“Yes, a man has a wedding, he needs to make a birthday cake. You know, I love doing this kind of thing.” It’s true, the design of some snacks was not the limit of my dreams, but cakes are something special. Whatever designs I’ve created, it’s a complete flight of fancy. It may be strange, but I even keep photos of the desserts I’ve made.

“I see. You know, if you need help, I can come over tonight and help.” I looked carefully at his back. Henry looked good, I could see his muscles through his shirt, I know that the guy is looking after himself. I like talking to him and he has a pleasant appearance, but something in me does not allow me to trust him.

“Thanks, but I’ll try on my own. I didn’t want to offend him, but I didn’t need any help.

“I’m always in touch.” He turned around and winked at me.

I left work and went to my favorite cafe, the weather is beautiful outside so that you can combine business with pleasure. When I got to the cafe, I ordered a coffee and took out my phone and started looking for information about what is allowed and what is not allowed for pregnant women.

It was only when the coffee arrived, and I took the fragrant drink in my hands, that my thoughts flew to another steppe.

Of course, the handsome man turned out to be busy, he has a bride, and she is also pregnant. Just for a second, when this man was standing behind me, I allowed myself to enjoy the male scent. Just for a second, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to be in the arms of such a man. Only this man is busy, no, I immediately realized that I had zero chances, but you always believe in one percent. Now I clearly understand that there was no percentage at all.

I just don’t understand why he was flirting with me. Wasn’t he flirting? I’m not good at it, but it seemed to me that when a man calls a girl by some nickname, it’s flirting. Maybe he talks to everyone like that and this is a familiar way of communicating for this person. Either he is cheating on his fiancee, which in my opinion is disgusting.

I believe that if you have chosen a person with whom you are ready to spend your whole life, then you need to respect this choice and stick to it. Marriage is very important to me. I’ve seen how my parents treat each other and I dream about the same thing. About trust, about respect. I knew that they sometimes quarrel, well, who doesn’t. But they respected each other enough not to shout in vain. I’ve never heard my mother yell at my father or vice versa. At the time of the quarrel, they behaved politely to each other, but distantly. Then they sent me upstairs to my room or my brother and I when he showed up. They would sit in the living room, open a bottle of wine and talk. I think this is an example of an ideal relationship. My father often went to various exhibitions to improve his cafe, when I grew up I asked my mother if she was afraid to let him go. She was embarrassed by this question later, but her mother was not angry and calmly replied that she trusted him. And if one of them suddenly meets someone else, they will simply break up, because if you look at others, then feelings for your partner have already cooled down and it is not fair to maintain a relationship that no longer exists. Then she laughed and said that people would sooner be able to live on Mars than she and my father would separate.

I smiled, had to tear myself away from pleasant memories and plunge back into work. Basically, there were no special prohibitions on nutrition for pregnant women, or rather they were not in my case. There was a list of prohibited herbs, but I wasn’t going to use them, and an artificial sweetener was banned, but I don’t use it either. Dyes do not pose any danger, but it is still worth using them less. A picture of a two-tiered cake has already appeared in my head, and I only now realized that I did not specify the size of the cake.

I called John, and he said the cake shouldn’t be big. It will be a modest event, no frills. But he also suggested that I make small tasty snacks, perhaps they will also be needed. I liked the idea, and I was happy to add snacks to my order.

In general, I completely went into planning, the main thing is not to remember who it’s all for. God, I’m being a fool. I’ve only seen this man for five minutes, and already I’ve been fantasizing about living together. I was even so ashamed that my cheeks started to burn.

I made a list of the products I would need and headed to the store. There were two ways to purchase products, the first was to buy myself and leave a receipt, which I would then give to John, or call him right away and wait for him to buy everything himself. Of course, I chose the first option, because it is not known when John would be able to buy everything, and I do not have much time, and knowing myself it is very little. I can do all the work perfectly the first time, but then redo it ten more times in a way that I don’t like the result. The teachers said that this creative nature requires a perfect result.

Upon arrival home, I immediately occupied the kitchen, it was open and spacious. I turned on the music and got to work. By the end of the day, when my desk was littered with sketches and there were about seven filling options, I decided that was enough for today. Looking around the battlefield, I was surprised how I still don’t work in the negative. Sometimes it seems to me that John is giving me money out of his own pocket, but this is just a guess. There is no evidence of this.

I ordered food and sprawled on the couch. After the courier delivered everything, I put food into myself with the last of my strength and fell asleep right on the couch.

Tonight, for the first time in my life, I had an erotic dream. He was so real that I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t even seem surprised that my client was playing the main role in my dream.

He leaned me against the table, pressing my hips against his groin, where a large bulge was clearly visible. He kissed my neck, I moaned and begged… but not to stop, but rather to take me faster. She arched and rubbed like a cat.

“Please, sir, please hurry up… I want…”

“I know a cupcake, I know…”

The words sounded somehow distant, and I watched the whole picture as if from the sidelines. I just felt every touch...It‘s unrealistic.

The man abruptly bent me over the table and took off my pants along with my underwear. He unbuttoned his fly and pulled out a bloodshot organ. He started running it over my wet folds.

“I’m begging…” I roared.

“Now sweet, now…” he began to move his organ faster over my heated flesh, “say my name… Just say my name, Lana, and I’ll continue.”

I woke up in a cold sweat. My stomach was pulling, and it was so wet between my legs that my panties stuck to the center. God, I can’t believe I had a dream with a man whose name I don’t even know. It was too much for me, I had never experienced something like this. I’m not a prude and tried to bring myself up a couple of times, but failed every time. Now I’ve decided to try again.

I took off my pants and underwear, and slightly spreading my legs, I dipped my fingers into the most intimate place. I began to slowly circle the clitoris, I was already very excited, but I lacked the stimulus. Then I closed my eyes and started remembering my dream, replaying it over and over in my head. Starting to move my hand faster and faster after a few minutes, for the first time in my life I managed to cum.

It was not something special, as many people describe this process. But I have to admit that I have never experienced such relaxation. I really felt better and now, with a calm soul, I went to my crib to fall asleep, hoping that my sleep would not continue.

In the morning, despite the incident at night, I felt fine. I was full of energy and ideas. And I devoted the whole day to making the perfect cake. By the evening, I had the perfect cake on my hands. A light sponge cake with a creamy filling. It is decorated in white, and flowers are from the decoration. A lot of small flowers looked exquisite and not pretentious, minimal, but beautiful. And sometimes they ask me to do something that makes my hair stand on end. Now I have a light and beautiful cake in front of me, for a gentle girl. For some reason, this is exactly how I imagine the bride to be.

The next morning, I took a taxi and took the cake to work, where the customer would pick it up. I wanted to get there before he came. I didn’t want to cross paths with him, but who asked me. Already approaching the door, I saw an expensive car, near which there was a man who did not let me sleep for several nights.

Chapter 3

“Adaaaam” Kat’s loud voice reverberates throughout the living room.

Mike laughs, of course, he is not a favorite in the part of “I urgently need this thing’

“If they forgot to put some kind of hairpin on her again, she will get married without it” I mumble to myself and understand that whatever Kat asks me now, I will do it. Well, that’s who can refuse, this ball on legs.

I went to the kitchen where Kat was cooking. She finally got over the lingering toxicosis, and she started cooking again. I stood in the doorway and did not betray my presence, I watched her. Previously, you could say that this girl was fluttering, running all over the kitchen from one table to another. Now it is clear that it is difficult for her to move.

“I’ll tell you right away, I’m not going to get salt.” She shuddered and dropped the bowl from her hands. “I’m sorry...sorry… I didn’t want to scare you.”

“It’s okay, I was just thinking. So what were you saying?” she picked up the bowl again and began to stir something diligently.

“Kat, you called me,” he began to tease her.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. I have a job for you. Tomorrow morning I’ll leave with Mark and take Mike with me, you can go about your business.”

“I’m not going shopping, I’ve had enough” Kat just laughed loudly.

“I was talking about your direct responsibilities.”

“Are you sure?” you always expect a trick from this woman.

“Of course. Over there on the table,” she pointed towards the coffee maker, “the information you need.”

I went to the table and took the sheet.

There was information about a small pastry shop and its owner, who turned out to be an avid gambler. He owed us so much, he lost in one of our establishments. Judging by his income, he will be able to repay the debt only by selling all his property.

“I get you,” I folded the sheet in half and shoved it into my back pocket.

“And also… I was thinking…“and here’s the catch.

“What insidious plan originated in this glorious head?” She looked at me and turned up her nose.

“I just thought it would be nice to combine business with pleasure.” I don’t understand what she’s talking about at all. “We need a cake for the wedding...and the debtor is the owner of a pastry shop. I looked at their website, they make beautiful cakes. You’re going to give him time to raise funds anyway, and the wedding is in two days.”

“Do you want me to order a wedding cake? Tell me honestly, did you think about the cake in the first place, and not about the debt to the family?” she was so funny, she just shrugged her shoulders, but did not deny the obvious “and how does your husband put up with you?”

“With difficulty, with great difficulty” Alec appeared in the doorway.

He was looking at his wife with a special look. Softer than the others. He came up behind her and put his hands on her round belly. She pressed her back against him and turned her eyes full of love, I quickly retreated from the kitchen.

At such moments, it seems to me that I’m spying on something personal, intimate. But it seems to me that these guys don’t feel embarrassed at all, I often feel sorry for Dane. It is the younger brother who is responsible for the cameras in the house, and our lovebirds are often not very hiding. They are lovers of mastering many surfaces in the house and only a miracle did not allow anyone to see them. But Dane saw a lot, I don’t think it was on purpose, but we knew every time that he saw something. It’s always been funny, the big big guy that looks away and blushes. It always came to Alec at that moment, Kat mumbled that he had done it again and it would never happen again.

Sometimes I felt like I envied them. I’m jealous in a good way, they’re so happy. But I don’t see myself as a family man, I just knew it would happen sooner or later. It will most likely be an arranged marriage. And to meet love, or at least affection in such a marriage, is rare. Alec and Kat did it, but it was hard for them at the time, they went through a lot and supported each other to the last.

It’s all settled, if I’m going to get married, then only to a girl like Kat. The one that will accept you all, the one that will always support you, no matter what kind of monster you really were. I know I’m a monster, I’ve done a lot of bad, terrible and even disgusting things, that’s why I’m a thug. My whole life is blood, pain and screams. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.

I was born in this world, I survived in it and beat out a place for myself. Men have to be cruel, because we are already born with blood on our hands, and then it only gets worse.

“Let’s go,” I shouted to Mike, who was now my temporary neighbor.

It turned out to be easier that way, we mostly come here together. We used to live separately, but it was not convenient when one was waiting for the other. I have a large apartment and I offered him to move in with me, temporarily. It was about four months ago and so far everything has been fine with us. We hardly crossed paths in the apartment, and the only condition was not to carry girls. It is clear that he is a man and relaxes, but even I did not drag left-wing women into my house. Mike was satisfied with such rules, he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he was strange, I rarely saw him in the company of ladies, very rarely. One day, over a bottle of whiskey, he told me that he wasn’t interested. He needs a woman who turns him on half a turn, such that he would not want to let her go. She should be just like him, like a valkyrie. I don’t know if there is such a thing, it seems to me that he himself does not believe in the existence of such a thing. However, it’s none of my business.

“So what’s our bride up to? Tell me that your task will be more interesting than riding for a dress.” We got into the car.

“She already bought a dress.” I remember exactly how I went shopping for several days in a row until Kat came across the perfect dress.

“Her belly has grown and the dress no longer fits properly,” he tried to mimic Kat by waving his arms.

“It’s almost like,” I laughed, “I’m running out of debt.”

“It’s not fair, let’s swing?” I thought about it at first, but then dismissed the idea.

“There’s also an order for a wedding cake. Discussion of the filling, design, and color scheme. Do you still want to switch?” in fact, I was hoping that I wouldn’t do any of this. There are professionals there, let them think. I can only eat it all.

“You know, I’m quite happy with my assignment. Shop, so shop” I thought so. We drove the rest of the way in silence.

I went for a run in the morning, and on my return I ran into Mike, who was already leaving.

“You can have my coffee, Mark is on his way, and I don’t want to arrive later than this asshole.” I nodded and headed to the kitchen. In a good way, I should have taken a shower first, but then the coffee would get cold, and I hate drinking it cold.

Mike was always competing with Mark. Mark was Kat’s brother, the only one from her father’s side of the family who stayed by her side. Therefore, our family increased by one more person and of course a friend was attached to him. Sometimes I don’t understand how Kat doesn’t get stupid surrounded by testosterone. There are six men in the house and only one woman. Moreover, one of us is in an extremely shitty mood and, frankly, even we don’t know what to expect from him. And Kat is calm about it, as if she sees more than we do. Chris has been chasing his woman for several months, I think if it wasn’t for the wedding, he wouldn’t have returned. Previously, I would have bet my balls that Chris would never fall for anyone, but now it’s worth mentioning his girlfriend even casually, as he explodes. I’m betting that the dude just hasn’t had it for a long time. As for me, it’s stupid to be faithful to a woman you barely know. But again, it’s none of my business.

In general, I try not to meddle in the affairs of my brothers, then they don’t meddle in mine. Alec is my brother, of course, but he is also my boss and if he orders me to get married now, then I will have to obey. I respect my brother too much to disobey, and he wouldn’t do that without a good reason.

After the shower, I put on a suit and put my slightly damp hair back and went to the car. I know that many people prefer to come to debtors in a different form, more intimidating. But I don’t need it, I don’t need to wear a leather jacket or put a gun on display to be feared. I know exactly what impression I’m making, but running around the city like a biker is not for me. Maybe it’s family-related or just contagious, but each of us likes to look presentable. Many people around me joked that I was so used to the people I worked for that I tried to look like them.

Few people know that we are related, William Black took care of it. I could say that this bastard ruined my life, but it was done by another man, the one I called father.

I arrived at the pastry shop about ten minutes before the opening. The front door was open, which made my task easier. There was a kid hanging around the cash register.

“We haven’t opened yet.” He was standing with his back to me and didn’t see me. I didn’t say anything, just waited for him to turn to me. A minute later, when the guy realized that I was not going anywhere, he turned to me and turned pale — how can I help you.

“John Rose, is here?”

“The boss is at home or in the kitchen.”

“How to get through?”

“You can go here, so you go straight through the kitchen or down the corridor and right through the doors there is a passage to the office.”

“I’ll go through here” nodded towards the kitchen. There was also not enough time to spend searching.

I went to the door and almost went inside when something flew into me. It turned out that it was not something, but someone. A petite girl who barely reached my chin, she looked up at me with her big, gray eyes and I realized that I had hit it. Everything at a glance.

I just froze and stared at her. It’s amazing. She started to say something, and as soon as I heard her tiny voice, I swam. He broke into a smile, did not even immediately notice that the girl was very scared. It turned out that she had stained me with something and was very worried, but I didn’t care.

Hearing our voices, the owner of this establishment ran out. He knew exactly who I was and why I was here. He was all pale, started shaking and tried to push the girl away from me. Does an idiot really think I’m going to hurt a cupcake like that because of some shirt? Never.

The girl was so sweetly embarrassed and blushing that I wanted to continue the conversation again. However, I won’t do it now, maybe later. She was literally shaking, and I came up with a way to calm her down. He offered to cook what I was wearing right now. I said that then I would forget about the damaged thing, but I have another plan. If I like the treat, I’ll ask you out on a date. And while my cupcake is working, I’ll sort things out too.

Chapter 4

I entered the office of the owner of this establishment, the door had not yet closed behind me, and he had already poured himself a drink.

“I’ll get it back,” his eye twitched, “I just need a little time. Just a month and I will pay off the entire debt. “he simply cannot have such an amount in a month.”

“You remember the amount of your debt, do not forget that interest is charged for deferral. Are you sure you can pay it off?” I’m ninety percent sure I’m not.

“yeah… yes, of course,” he faltered, “I received an inheritance, but it takes time to settle all the documents and sell the property.”

“And you are sure that you will not lose everything all over again” addiction is a disease.

That’s just that every person is dependent and it doesn’t matter what. From drugs, alcohol, excitement, love, sex. I can go outside and poke at any person and they will have their own addiction. And this addiction doesn’t stop you from living until it starts to decide everything for you. Then you need to overcome yourself, break completely, but stop. In most cases, people are too weak to handle it. And here is a clear example of how addiction ruins your life.

I’m addicted too, just on adrenaline. And that’s not how I became, that’s how I was born.

“I will never go near the casino again. Never.”

“It’s in your best interests.” I already turned around to leave, thinking about how I would approach the girl. That’s just when I had an epiphany, “and also, does your pastry shop make cakes?” John looked surprised, but still nodded, “I need a wedding cake, a little ‘I thought about it’ the bride is pregnant, so everything should be at the highest level. Do you understand me?”

“Yes. I’m going to call some pastry chefs now, when should the cake be ready?”

“You have two days. And I don’t need a crowd of incomprehensible people. Let that girl cook,” I waved my head towards the kitchen. Pulling my business card out of my pocket, I threw it on the table, “and send me all the data on this girl.”

“Did you like it?” he looked at me with his eyes narrowed so that deep wrinkles were visible around.

Yes, damn it. I liked her, and I want to know everything about this girl. But John must be an idiot if he thinks I’m going to tell him the truth.

“no. It’s just that if something goes wrong with the cake, I’ll know where to look for the culprits.”

Without saying another word, I left the office and went straight to the kitchen. The girl that interested me was standing in the middle of the kitchen and fiddling with a box. I slowly came up behind him and bent down, looking at the table. There was a box inside which there were several cupcakes.

“So I guessed right,” came from right behind her, “you really are a cupcake.”

Her cheeks turned bright red. She’s so sweet in her embarrassment. It’s not hard to guess that she’s not used to attention. A lot of guys should be running after a girl like that. That thought alone made me angry. I want to take this modest woman and corrupt her, strongly, quickly… The devil went to the wrong steppe. It’s all the cinnamon smell that comes from the girl. I wonder if it tastes as tart? So you need to run away from here.

I picked up the box and went outside. Taking a deep breath, I headed for the car.

In the evening, information about the girl came to my email. I will need to check through my channels, otherwise I have more questions than answers from the information that I received.

A girl with a law degree, works as a pastry chef. It was weird. I didn’t go to college like my brothers, but I still understand that it’s difficult. Spend several years studying and getting a profession, and then radically change your life. Something made her leave the chosen path. And I have to find out what it is.

It was seven in the morning, and Kat was already all on edge, and Alec was also unbearable. I wanted to remind these people that they have been married for a long time, and this ceremony is just a beautiful gesture. But explaining all this to a woman with raging hormones and a man who is now ready to fulfill her every whim is a waste of time. So, under the guise, I decided to escape from this madhouse, I need to pick up the cake, the perfect cover.

I will fulfill your request, get out of here, and I will also see the beauty. Perfect.

I arrived before the opening and got out of the car to get some fresh air. What was my surprise when my girl got out of the approaching taxi. My girl? I looked again at the fragile figure of the girl in a modest dress. Her hair was tied up in a bun on her head, but a few strands had fallen out and were blowing in the wind. Her eyes widened a little when she saw me, but she was able to pull herself together and, approaching me, tried to look uninterested. Mine. Definitely mine.

I don’t know how long my interest will last, but for now I’m ready to pursue this beauty. I did not even doubt that such a woman should be sought after. She doesn’t look like the kind of girl who would do anything for money. I can see her romantic nature right now. That was a problem, I’m not a romantic guy at all. I always just took what was offered to me. Usually then you throw a couple of bills or some kind of jewelry and the girls themselves went off into the sunset. This trick won’t work with Lana. If my brother, who used to say only one phrase to women, “on your knees,” became a romantic, then I will cope.

“Can I help you?” she was holding a box in her hands, which was clearly not light.

She squared her shoulders and walked to the back entrance. But she stopped at the door, realizing that she would not be able to open the door alone. She hypnotized the door for a long time, making a decision, and I just watched her.

“Could you?” she nodded at the box.

“With pleasure, how can I refuse to help such a beautiful girl?” she did not react to my phrase in any way, but her body betrayed her. Her pretty cheeks turned pink.

I took a box that weighed several kilograms. How did she even carry it? The girl took out the keys and opened the door, she also entered the alarm code. I noted that the owner of the pastry shop trusted her if she could easily come to his establishment.

“Put it on the table, please” I don’t like the ‘you’ treatment. I would like her to address me by “you’ and better by my first name. Or better yet, she didn’t speak at all, but only screamed while I was… Fuck, I’m not thinking about that again. It feels like one has only to look at her and the whole mind flows down.

I put the box on the indicated table and stepped aside. Lana came up to the table and our hips touched for a second. I moved a little further away so as not to embarrass the girl. She opened the box and there was a small two-tiered cake. He was perfect, I really didn’t care what he looked like, but now he fits perfectly with the composition that Kat came up with.

“She’ll like it,” I smiled, imagining Kat’s reaction.

“I’m glad I was able to please your fiancee.”

“Come on, you can call me by my first name, Adam,” I held out my hand, but the girl just frowned.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

“Why is that?” I hope she doesn’t say she has a boyfriend now.

“I don’t see the point in that, and your fiancee wouldn’t like it either.” She pursed her lips.

“Which bride?” My fiancee? Did she think I was getting married? I laughed, sincerely and probably very loudly.

“I don’t see anything funny in this,” she picked up the lid and covered the cake again.

“Trust me, it’s very funny. You see, I’m just…“how should I put it, but “an employee. In general, a bodyguard, well, sometimes a messenger” her eyes widened in shock “my boss is having a wedding,” fortunately Alec did not hear what I called him. He would have laughed at me later.

“You…” I squinted, “that is, you don’t look like a guard. Rather, people should work for you.”

“And what makes you think that?” she squinted again and waved her hand at my clothes.

“Yes to you...to you, clothes are more expensive than my apartment.” I laughed again.

“You didn’t think that I just like this kind of work. And I don’t think you know how much private bodyguards get.” In fact, I didn’t know either. Let’s hope she has no idea either.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to offend you. I just made the wrong conclusions. She blushed again and shook her head, “God, you probably think I’m stupid. You’re just being polite, and I’ve already decided that it’s not a big deal that” we need to stop this, otherwise the girl looks more like a boiled lobster.

“Calm down. You thought right, I was flirting with you. I’ll tell you more, I plan to continue doing this, I like the way you blush” I wanted to touch her cheeks, but she just moved back “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done this” I looked at my watch and realized that I had to go “unfortunately I’m late now, I have to show up at the event. But what do you say to going out on the weekend? Maybe to a restaurant.” She looked away from me. So the restaurant is not suitable, “although you know, I really don’t like all these pompous places. Can we just go to the cinema?” A modest smile appeared on her face now.

“I don’t mind…” she thought a little, “unless, of course, you’re definitely getting married today.” “If you

want, I can show you a photo from the ceremony later, there will definitely be another groom there.” I winked at her.

“Oh, that’s not what I meant. No need, it’s not nice to take pictures of strangers, suddenly you will be fired.”

“It’s okay. I understand that it is difficult to trust strangers. A friend of mine once said that you can spend your whole life with a person without ever getting to know them. And here is a complete stranger, I understand. And I’m glad that you care about me.” She blushed even more. God, I totally embarrassed this girl. I took out a business card and handed it to her, “text me so I have your number.”

“Okay,” she lowered her eyes to the floor.

“Will you pack it for me?” I nodded at the cake.

“Of course,” she closed the box and sealed it, “drive carefully. Flowers are very delicate, they may not survive a blow.” Something in her voice made me wonder if she was talking about the cake or about herself. My thoughts were interrupted by a taxi driver who came to us. And what does this guy want.

“I’m sorry, I was just driving away when I noticed another box.”

“Oh, these are snacks. Thank you, I’ll pay for your time now.” She reached for her purse, but I stopped her.

“I’ll deal with it myself. Is that for me too?” I nodded at another box that the taxi driver was still holding in his hands.

“Yes”

“Fine, take it to my car” the man nodded and went out “and you’re a cupcake, don’t forget to write to me. We agreed,” she nodded sheepishly.

I went to the party, but all my thoughts were flying around the upcoming meeting. I wonder, according to the rules, after which date I get a prize? Again, I’m not thinking about that, but what is it.

Chapter 5

Did I just agree to a date? My cheeks are still burning. I made up so many stupid things for myself, made a man look like a scoundrel and a cheater, but he turned out to be just doing his job. God, at least I’m grateful that I didn’t call him some kind of murderer when he invited me to dinner.

It won’t get away from me, I would say anything stupid, just not to go to a restaurant. I can’t tell him that no one invited me to such places, and I don’t really like this kind of thing. More precisely, I don’t like it at all.

One day during my studies, I wandered into a cool place where my fellow students usually rested. Except they wouldn’t even let me in the door, my appearance didn’t match their establishment. Through the window, I saw the overdressed girls and realized that the staff was right. I don’t belong in that place. However, it was so humiliating for me then that the sediment has remained to this day. That’s why I was very happy when Adam suggested that we just go to the cinema. It was noticeable that he changed his mind because of me. Mom always said I couldn’t hide my emotions. He must have seen something on my face.

However, I am not upset by this fact, I really like movies. Besides, it’s dark in there and the man won’t see me blush if he tries to take my hand.

Now I realize exactly how wrongly I was closing myself off from male attention. No, I wouldn’t rush into someone’s bed anyway, but I could go on a date. And now I’m blushing from a simple flirtation, like a fourteen-year-old girl.

“Good morning, Lana” John came into the kitchen “you’re early today.”

“As it turned out, I’m on time” he raised one eyebrow “I gave the order. The client arrived earlier, I gave both the cake and the snacks. Give me a couple of minutes, and I’ll provide an expense report.”

“You can take your time with this.”

“But after all…” he has to issue an invoice. I was so carried away that I forgot about it. An unacceptable mistake, I just gave everything away for free and it looks like I’ll have to pay for everything myself.

“Everything has already been paid for. The difference will just suit you, don’t worry. Such people can afford it. Start working if you arrived earlier.” He was weird today. Probably a lot of work, so I didn’t take offense at his tone.

“Now I’m going to change my clothes and start cooking.” The boss didn’t answer anything, just went to his room.

I devoted the whole day to work. I tried not to be distracted by anything. The mood was high. I was about to leave when Henry stopped me.

“Lana,” he took my hand. He hadn’t allowed himself to do this before, “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me?” what?

“I’m sorry, Henry, I’ve taken some orders and I’m going to be busy. Invite the girls, I think they won’t mind taking a walk.” A favorite female trick, if you can’t get away from the question, pretend to be a fool.

"Lana...Lana…” he shook his head, “I didn’t mean a friendly meeting. I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

“This is unexpected” what kind of day is it today? “I’m sorry, but I’ve already been invited to spend time together today and I agreed.” I’ve never refused, it turns out it’s also awkward.

“Today? I haven’t seen you with anyone… wait. Don’t tell me it was the client you soiled a couple of days ago.” I lowered my head and gently pulled my hand out of the grip, which intensified.

“To be honest, this is my personal business.”

— “Do you even know who he is? Do you know who he works for?” I shook my head. What difference does it make who he works for? “He works for Alexander Black” I heard that name somewhere, but I couldn’t remember “This man owns the whole city. Oh, my God, Lana, they’re bandits. This is the mafia.”

“Why are you saying this?” I did not believe what I heard. “If these people were criminals, they would have been imprisoned long ago. It’s probably just a rumor.”

“Don’t be a fool,” there was an angry note in his voice.

“That’s enough. I’m not going to discuss my personal life with you. Sorry, I have to go.”

“Okay, but I warned you. A man like him will only need your body. Make sure he doesn’t leave you somewhere in the desert after he’s had enough.” I turned around and ran away.

As I walked home, I thought about how much anger and contempt there was in Henry’s words. I never would have thought that the smiling guy who buys me coffee in the morning would be capable of such a thing. I looked at my hand and saw that bruises were already blooming on it. A stupid disease.

She doesn’t seem to be serious, she doesn’t bother me in everyday life. You just need to adjust your diet correctly and you can do without special medications. However, there is still a side effect. It is only necessary to hit lightly and a bruise will appear immediately, and it is a little difficult with cuts, the blood does not stop well. One day I poured blood all over the kitchen when I noticed, not a fairy tale, that I cut my finger. But mostly, it doesn’t bother me to live.

When I got home, I collapsed on the couch and turned on the series. Usually, a measured, boring life. My phone was on the coffee table, and I had a business card in my hands. I’ve been thinking for a long time whether I should write or not.

It’s just that Henry’s words are imprinted in my head. So before I called Adam, I decided to find out information about his boss. Picking up my laptop, I quickly entered the name and my eyes widened in shock. Henry was right.

Not that they are supposedly bandits, but that this man owns the whole city. I found a bunch of articles, the opening of nightclubs, casinos, several restaurants. He also helps the city to settle down, not to a small town, but to our mother metropolis. But then I came across an article about Mr. Black’s marriage, which was concluded...can not be… a year ago.

Adam cheated on me, his boss had already been married for a year. So it’s definitely not him getting married. I wanted to throw the computer away from me, but something made me look further. Maybe he had a divorce and is now remarried. However, no matter how many articles I reread, the result is the same. Alexander Black, happily married. A month ago, his wife, Katarina Black, opened her own foundation, which helped to get girls an education if they could not pay for tuition themselves.

My gaze caught on the photo. Although the girl was wearing a voluminous dress, my gaze still caught a small tummy. Mrs. Black was pregnant, as was the bride I was making the cake for.

I sat down and tried to put two and two together. Everything seemed to work out perfectly. Adam didn’t lie to me and his boss is really getting married. But the fact that his boss was still married spoiled everything.

I still made a decision. Picking up the phone, I copied the number and dialed a message.

“Hi, this is Lana. You asked me to write to you’

It didn’t seem too formal. Or is it better to write

“I’m writing to you as we agreed’

No, it sounds like we’re discussing a deal. I gathered my will into a fist and pressed send.

I hypnotized the phone for about five minutes until I decided it was better to put it down and do something else. I found something to do right away. I killed fifteen minutes to open a bottle of wine, without a corkscrew. He just wasn’t in my house because I don’t usually drink. I can have a glass of wine or champagne at some event, but I didn’t keep alcohol at home. The bottle was given to me by customers, in gratitude. She stood on the shelf for a long time and today it seemed to me that her time had come. And as soon as I finally pushed the knife through, this stupid plug, my phone beeped a new message.

It seemed to me that my palms were sweating from just this “peel’. I put the bottle on the table and went to the phone. I was afraid it was a message from work or some kind of advertisement. But no, the message was from him.

“I’m already desperate. I thought you’d do it sooner. Was there a lot of work today?”

Was he waiting? Were you waiting for a message from me? I couldn’t help but smile. I quickly ran to the kitchen and took a bottle of wine with a glass, poured the red liquid into a glass and took a sip. The wine was delicious, sweet. Usually the wine that I tasted was very sour and I didn’t understand how to drink it. It turns out that the taste of the drink depends on its price.

I grabbed the phone again and answered the message.

“Yes, there was a lot of work today. I hope you enjoyed the cake.”

I took another sip of wine. Why did I even ask about the cake? Is there really nothing else to ask? The question is still rhetorical. Of course you can’t, because I don’t know anything about this person.

“I liked the cake. But more importantly, the bride and groom liked him.”

He caught me, I took another sip.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Wine is starting to make me more confident.

“You can find out anything that interests you.”

I drained my glass to gain courage.

“Did your boss really marry his own wife today? I just read that he’s been married for a year…”

God, why am I interfering in this. This is someone else’s personal life. Although it also hurts my life, in part. A small, tiny part.

“I see someone has prepared. Still don’t trust me? I promised I’d show you the photo. By the way, this photo will be secret, my boss would not want it to get online. It was more of a family event. Even overbearing men delight their pregnant wives. And to answer your question, YES, my boss married his own wife for the second time.”

I should have been embarrassed by this interrogation, but I just smiled. The wine did its job, and I relaxed. Actually doing a second ceremony, for your pregnant wife, is very sweet. I saw a photo of this couple. A handsome man, he looked like a stone, there was no emotion on his face. But as soon as he looked at his wife, his gaze became tender, rather intimate. I think he doesn’t smile in public, giving his smile only to his wife. Still, I’m too romantic in nature.

While I was thinking, a new message came.

“I was thinking that the weekend is too far away. I think Friday night is perfect for going to the cinema.”

“But it’s tomorrow.”

“I know, so would you like to keep me company tomorrow night?”

I was hoping that I would have a few days left to mentally prepare for this evening. I’m not ready. However, contrary to my reason, I am sending a short “Yes’.

“We need to discuss one more nuance. I want to book tickets in advance, just to be clear. Please tell me we’re not going to a melodrama. No, if you love them, I won’t mind…”

Except I don’t like them either. These are usually very tearful films, and I’m a sensitive person. And crying on the first date is not the best scenario.

“I love fiction, melodramas, it’s not my thing. I’m afraid I won’t look sexy with a red nose.”

Oh… my… God…

was I just flirting? Flirting with a guy? With a guy you’ve seen twice in your life?

It’s all wine, definitely wine.

“You will look sexy in any form. I’ll pick you up from work tonight. Good night, cupcake.”

And how could I even write something like that. Judging by the way my cheeks are burning, the modesty mode is back. And I don’t like it. I want to be normal, I want to flirt, because now I realized how pleasant it is. I decided to change my life, and I will do it.

“Sweet dreams…”

I put down my phone and headed to the room, I want to prepare my clothes for tomorrow. I want to be beautiful, I want a man to look only at me tomorrow. Even in the movies, where nothing is visible, he should notice me.

Chapter 6

The weekend is ahead, so there was a lot of work today. As the evening approached, I became more and more nervous. I started repeating to myself like a mantra. “It’s just a movie, it’s just a movie.”

Already changing, I picked up the phone, but there were no messages or calls. Maybe Adam changed his mind? I was already upset, but they were waiting for me at the exit.

Adam was standing next to his car, leaning on the hood. Classic trousers hugged his legs beautifully, not hiding the muscles. The shirt was also tight, allowing you to observe the inflated muscles of the chest and arms. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, allowing him to see the protruding veins. He was perfect. Any girl would have made a puddle in front of him, and I’m no exception.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” I heard a whisper near my ear-he’ll fuck you today, and throw you out tomorrow. Think again.

I didn’t answer anything. Henry has literally transformed over the last day. He started to annoy me a lot. Is that why he’s saying all this? Out of jealousy? But I hadn’t seen him show much zeal for me before. Just out of spite? Maybe envy? If I were a man, I would definitely start envying Adam. A rich guy, with a great appearance. Yes, I think it’s envy.

As soon as Adam noticed me, he had a smile on his face, so kind and sweet. No one has ever smiled at me like that, it’s nice. I am once again convinced that I should not have denied myself the pleasure of flirting for a long time. I stood in front of the man.

“You look great.” I looked at myself, I was wearing a modest lavender dress and ballet flats to match the dress. I’ve never been sexy, but I don’t feel like an inconspicuous mouse either.

“Thank you, you too…” I swallowed “you look good too.”

“I tried my best” he opened the front door for me and helped me get into the car. It turns out that when you are not very tall, it is difficult to get into such a large car.

“We’re a little late,” Adam began.

“Sorry,” I had to stay at work because of the large number of orders.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he took my hand and kissed the back of it, “I’m just warning you that I’m going to drive a little faster. I hope you’re not afraid of driving fast?” Was I afraid? I don’t think so. So I just shook my head and smiled.

Yes, my family died in a car accident. It is for this reason that I did not take the driver’s license. I wasn’t sure of my abilities. But I trust other drivers, they have more experience and no traumatic memories. And I trusted Adam.

However, I really did not think that he would gain such speed in the city. He deftly maneuvered at high speed between cars and managed to easily slip through traffic lights. As if they were always green for him. I was actually a little nervous, but I tried not to show it.

“I’m sorry,” he started to slow down, “I’m just used to driving fast,” I didn’t say anything, “it’s all written on your face,” he laughed, of course it’s all written on my face. I can’t hide my emotions,” and you clung to the door.”

Only now did I look at my hand and realized that he was right. And I didn’t even notice how it happened.

“Well, apparently I can’t play poker,” I tried to joke, “aren’t you afraid that you’ll be fined?” I thought that the police usually stopped violators, but this did not happen.

“Don’t worry. They won’t stop my car. They know who it belongs to.” Oh, that’s it.

“She belongs to your boss,” he froze for a second, and I saw that he wanted to grin, but after thinking about it, he did not do it.

“That’s right. Or maybe you only liked me because of the car.”

“No. Of course not,” how could he think of such a thing.

“So you don’t deny that you like me?” Caught him.

“Who knows…” this answer seemed to amuse him again.

We arrived at the cinema on time. Adam said we have fifteen minutes to choose a snack. Of course, I went to the popcorn stand. Well, what’s a movie without popcorn? We walked up to the counter.

“Welcome. What kind of popcorn would you like, sweet? Salty?”

“Caramel” Adam and I said it at the same time.

“Two large caramel popcorns, soda and licorice sticks…”

“Cherry” I finished, which earned a look of complete satisfaction from the man. He seemed proud of my choice. It was strange, but very pleasant. I’m always comfortable around Adam.

We went to the hall. Only it turned out to be not in the usual, but in the VIP room. I’ve never been in anything like this. It was very cozy inside, the rows were not made of ordinary chairs, but of larger and softer ones. It will obviously be much more comfortable here.

“I hope you don’t mind? It seemed to me that it would be more comfortable here.” Does it seem to me or did the man start to get embarrassed?

“I like it, I’ve always dreamed of coming here,” he exhaled with obvious relief.

We sat down exactly in the middle. The movie was supposed to start any minute now, but there were no other people in the audience. When the screen turned on, I started to get a little nervous.

“Did you buy up the whole hall?” a terrible guess pierced me.

“You can call me crazy, but I don’t like being in the company of strangers.”

“But you’re with me now, aren’t you?” and I am clearly considered an outsider in his environment.

“Exactly,” the man smiled mysteriously and turned his gaze to the screen where the movie began.

I do not know how I should react to his words. I think at this stage, I’m more scared of his words. I tried to distract myself from my thoughts and focused on the screen.

However, soon I was distracted from the film by touching. Adam covered my hand with his and I felt like an electric shock. He held my hand the whole movie, which made it impossible for me to focus on the plot. And when the bed scene started in the movie, I actually wanted to sink through the ground. That’s who puts it in a fantasy movie, damn, it’s not erotic. On the contrary, nothing seemed to bother the man. He was completely relaxed.

Later, tired of sitting, I took off my shoes and lifted my feet onto the chair, folding them almost under me. My knees were pointed towards the man, and due to this, the body turned around. Although I tried to look at the screen, more and more often I kept my gaze on the man. Adam sat closer to me and released my hand, shifting his onto my leg. I was petrified in the blink of an eye. Adam looked at me and winked in the dark. I remained tense for a long time and knew that the man felt it, but he did not remove his hand until the end of the session. Only when the credits rolled and the lights turned on did he remove it.

I was embarrassed, because it was only when his hand left my leg that I was able to relax. I do not know why I reacted to this movement in such a way. I was not very comfortable, I would say that I was not at all comfortable. However, I didn’t want our date to end right now.

“I’m an idiot,” Adam said, “I dragged you to the movies right after work, and you’re probably hungry. There is a small cafe upstairs, where they cook delicious food. Will you let me fix this mistake?” I smiled and nodded. I’ll have a better chance of getting to know a man in a cafe.

We went out and he took me to a cafe. It really didn’t look pompous, but rather such a cozy, homely institution. However, when we sat down at a table and the menu was brought to us, I realized that I was mistaken. The price tag was clearly biting here. I understood that money was not a problem for him, but I still felt uneasy.

I was about to say the name when Adam interrupted me.

“She’s going to have pasta with seafood. She’s magical here. You like seafood, don’t you?” I wanted to lie, but for some reason I just nodded, “fine. I’ll do the same and bring us snacks from the chef. And more wine for the lady, this one.” He pointed to a line on the menu, but I couldn’t see what was there.

I realized that he did it on purpose so that I wouldn’t find out the price. I think if a man doesn’t want me to know how much he’s going to spend on me, I shouldn’t think about it either. The waiter took the order and left us alone.

“Tell me about yourself, Lana.”

“My life is too boring to talk about. All I do is work.” I shrugged my shoulders. I really have nothing to talk about.

“And your family? Are the parents in this city?” I definitely didn’t want to discuss the topic of family.

“I don’t have a family...Not anymore. And to be honest, this is not a topic that I would like to discuss on a date. Is your family here?” I’m being tactless myself. I asked myself not to talk about my family and I’m asking this question.

“Yes, my family is here. More precisely, most of them, brothers. My father died when I was still a child, and my mother ‘he thought a little’ moved closer to the sea. The sea air is good for her health. However, now you have to survive without homemade cakes. To be honest, I have a terrible sweet tooth.”

“It turns out I’m your dream” well, that’s who pulled my tongue.

He looked serious now, but soon a smile appeared on his lips again.

Throughout the dinner, we didn’t touch on dangerous topics anymore. We had a light, casual conversation.

When we finished dinner, Adam offered to give me a ride. When we arrived at the house, I didn’t know how to behave. Should I kiss him before I leave or let him do it first. And whether he wants to kiss me at all, the evening was pleasant, but I do not know if he wants to see me again. I didn’t have to think about it, because as soon as I turned towards the man, he leaned forward and kissed me.

Even at school, I tried to kiss a boy, but it couldn’t even be called a kiss. Adam knew what he was doing. He attacked my lips like a starved beast.

“I’ve been dreaming about this all evening.” he leaned against me again, running his tongue over my lip. “Let me in.”

The request sounded like an order. My lips parted, more in shock. Adam took it as an invitation, and already a skillful tongue was working in my mouth. It was nice, and I tried to return the kiss, but it was clumsy.

However, I soon tensed up and opened my eyes when I felt one of the man’s hands grab my head, and the other was on my hip. I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t. An attempt to remove his hand, which had already crawled under my dress, was also unsuccessful. Now I’m really scared. I couldn’t handle this man.

“A man like him will only need your body. Make sure he doesn’t leave you somewhere in the desert after he’s had enough.

“He’ll fuck you today and throw you out tomorrow.”

I couldn’t get those words out of my head. They came up again and again. I tried to dodge, but Adam’s hand only tightened on my leg. He wouldn’t let me go.

“He’ll fuck you today and throw you out tomorrow.”

God, this can’t be happening to me. Adam finally pulled away from me, but only to utter a phrase that horrified me.

“Fuck, I want you so much.”

No. No. I can’t let that happen.

Chapter 7

I reached the desired body and couldn’t stop. Idiot. Asshole. You idiot. Bastard.

My head was blown off so much that I didn’t even feel that something was wrong. I didn’t feel her pushing me away. She was scared. A lot of people are scared of me, but her fear cut me to the heart.

It was a perfect evening. Lana, at least a little, but she opened up to me. I trusted him. And I fucked up everything.

When I remember her eyes full of horror, how glazed they are, I immediately shudder. I didn’t know what to say, I just unlocked the car and it ran away. She ran away from me, and I just sat there. For the first time in my life, I wanted a girl so badly. And now she won’t let me near her.

My phone rang. Mike.

“Yes,” I rubbed my eyes wearily.

“I know it’s your day off and all that…”

“Get to the point,” I barked.

“We caught some Spanish bastards. Are you with us?” torture, blood and pain. That’s what I need right now.

“Where to?”

“To the warehouse. Alec doesn’t want Kat involved in all this.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

When I drove up to the warehouse, Chris’s car was already there. He has his own vendetta against the Spaniards. Some attacked our house, and his girlfriend works for others. She is nicknamed the ghost, she expertly disappears from all radars. That’s just a man in love and without a tower doesn’t care about anything, he wants to find his woman.

Several people were standing at the entrance, I nodded to them and went inside. As usual, a familiar smell hit my nose. Blood, urine, shit. No matter how much you ventilate, this smell is ingrained in the walls. There were three chairs in the middle, two people were passed out, and one was screaming. Chris had a favorite knife in his hands. When he heard me, he turned around, nodded, and went back to his business.

I stepped aside. Mike was sitting on a chair against the wall.

“Are we out of work again?” I asked, sitting down next to him.

“Apparently yes,” he looked at Chris, who took courage, “I feel like we’re going to be out of work soon.”

“The Blacks still have a lot of debts, don’t be dramatic,” but part of me agreed with him.

“I wouldn’t want that.”

“What?” didn’t want to work anymore?

“Such love,” he lowered his voice, “he’s going crazy and can’t get what he wants. Even his brothers are beginning to fear him. We are monsters already, but against his background now, we are exemplary citizens.”

“Sometimes it just finds you. And you turn into an idiot, the inner beast breaks out, and you can’t control it.” I covered my eyes with my hand.

“What did you do?”

“What makes you think I did something?” the shrill scream rang out again.

“It’s written all over your face.”

“I did the worst thing a man can do. I went against her will.”

“Did you take her by force? Fuck, dude, tell me you didn’t do it?” he was shocked. And so am I.

“I didn’t do it. Calm down. I stopped, but...Not right away.”

“So it’s still possible to fix everything. You apologized, didn’t you?” I looked at him and he understood the answer, “you didn’t even apologize. I thought you wanted to try with her, but now your chances…”

“I know they’re small” of course, I know I’m an idiot.

“Dude, they’re at zero. Before it’s too late, better send flowers with a note. It will be better than doing nothing.”

“Hey, lovebirds,” Chris distracted us from the conversation- you can chat elsewhere. Get to work, guys, your girlfriends have already woken up for today. I need answers.

Mike and I exchanged glances and took off our outerwear. It’s gone.

Already when we were standing on the street and burning clothes, Chris came up to me and shoved a business card.

“What is it?”

“Flower delivery. They deliver around the clock and create a bouquet for any occasion.“I just wanted to ask where he got such knowledge, how he stopped me.“don’t ask.”

“Will you leave?” he lit a cigarette. I hadn’t noticed him smoking before.

“no. I’m done chasing a ghost. And Kat is going to give birth soon, Alec will need help.” He took a drag, looking at the fire. “You know, I’ll give you some advice. Don’t repeat my mistakes, if you find the ‘he looked at me’ one, don’t let her go. Not literally, of course...although, you can literally.”

He left, and I stared at the fire for a long time, trying to make sense of his words. I kind of found a girl like that, but if I take her away now, she’ll hate me. I already wish that she was not from my world, so I would go and tell her parents that I would get married and that’s it, no problem.

And here is an ordinary girl. Such a thing needs to be conquered. But I messed up at the very beginning and something tells me that I will not do with a simple bouquet. Okay, now I’ll order her a huge bouquet and give her a couple of days to calm down, and then I’ll apologize, apologize and apologize again.

As it turned out in practice, the baby needed more time than a couple of days.

For three weeks, I sent her flowers, plush toys, and sweets. He even sent a gold bracelet with diamonds, but he immediately returned to the store. I do not know how the girl achieved this, because she was instructed not to return it back in any case. However, it is difficult to deceive a qualified lawyer.

I came to the pastry shop, but each time I was not on her shift. I went to her house, but she wasn’t there either. I started to feel like a stalker. When I had a free minute, I just drove to her house and sat in the car.

One of those days I saw her. She was wearing a beautiful emerald dress, and she had a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. She was smiling. I was about to get out of the car to talk to her when I noticed a guy coming up behind her. Exactly the guy who told me every time that she wasn’t at work.

They were walking too close to each other. They were laughing at something. Lana looked really happy, I thought she was giving that smile only to me. Now it’s clear that it wasn’t all about me. It wasn’t the way I behaved, it was the fact that it was me. She didn’t want me. And judging by the fact that the couple entered the entrance together, Lana wanted him.

C*ck. Like a snotty teenager, I sent her gifts every day, hoping that she would forgive me. I understood that this was not a one-night stand. She needs a serious relationship. I was even ready to go to Alec so that he would allow me to have a relationship with an outsider. This is not usually done, we associate ourselves with girls only of our circle, but there are exceptions. I was hoping that Lana would be my exception. But apparently not fate. I should leave the girl alone.

Chris was right. I should have grabbed her right away and dragged her to my lair. But I still wanted her to remember me. I stopped by a jewelry store and chose an exquisite drop-shaped pendant. The last time we were together, she was crying. He reminded me of her tears. They’re just as clean. I ordered a delivery and sent her a message.

All. That’s the end of our story.

However, two weeks later, Alec called me in. I came to his house and the first thing I felt was the smell of baking. Kat was sitting on the couch in the living room eating cupcakes. Damn cupcakes with multicolored frosting.

I asked from behind her.

“Oh, Adam, you scared me.” She pushed me with her little fist into my hand. “Yes, it’s delicious, but for scaring me, I won’t share it with you.”

“And where did you get these?” I knew exactly where.

“Oh, you don’t know.” She rolled her eyes. And how did the little detector find out about everything — you yourself brought me a cake from that pastry shop. These delights are also being prepared there. And anyway, I’m offended by you.

“And what have I done so far?” She’s so sweet right now. Her belly is growing every day.

“You knew it was so delicious and didn’t tell me. Did you do this on purpose?” I laughed, “I knew it. If you offend me, I’ll call Carla.” I groaned.

After we found out that Kat was pregnant, I informed my mother about it and she asked me for her number. From now on, Kat and my mom are on the phone all the time. Once, Mom even asked Kat to find a bride for me, but I quickly stopped it.

“Well, don’t be offended. Would you rather say Alec is in his office?”

“Yes, he works in his office. But he promised me he’d be free in fifteen minutes. Don’t hold him back.” She threatened me with her finger. It is the finger around which she circles all the men in this house.

“I promise,” I bent down and took one of the cupcakes “for this mouthwatering cupcake.”

“Oh, you…”

I left faster than she could finish the sentence. I barged into Alec’s office without knocking.

“Where’s the respect?” he looked at me over the top of his papers, at the moment when I was sprawled in an armchair.

“I respectfully planted my ass,” and was already reaching for the whiskey when Alec stopped me.

“Not today. You have a job waiting for you.”

“I have the only day off.”

“You asked me to fill you up with work, and now you’re complaining?” he raised one eyebrow.

Yes, I made a mistake. After I saw Lana with that guy, my head was blown off a little bit. I was too angry and I needed to throw all my rage away somewhere. So I went to my brother and asked him to remove me from Kat’s guard for a while so that I could do exclusively direct duties. I knew he didn’t want to leave his wife with just one guard, but he agreed to my request. Apparently I looked so shitty that my brother made concessions.

“John Rose. If I understood correctly, you gave him a month?” What kind of day is this. First Kat, now Alec.

“Yeah, don’t tell me he went out today.”

“I won’t, you figured it out yourself. So I’m going to my wife, and you’re going to the debtor. In the morning, I should have either money or property papers on my desk.”

“Yes, boooos.”

“How annoying you all are.”

Every time Alec started bossing us around, we called him boss. We knew it infuriated him, but neither of us could miss this opportunity.

We left the office together, and I went into the living room to say goodbye to Kat.

“You’re late.”

“Just for a minute. Darling, don’t exaggerate.” I think if Kat really wanted Alec to take his mind off work, he would have done it. He would do anything for her.

“Bye, little one. I went.”

“Wait, wait,” she started rummaging through the table in search of something. “Here.”

“Seriously? A fortune cookie?”

“I just feel like it’s for you.”

I opened the cookie. A piece of paper fell into my hands.

“Your life will change today’

“Well, it’s unlikely,” I gave the prediction to Kat.

“Who knows Adam… who knows…”

Chapter 8

I ran into my apartment in tears. I can’t believe I was so captivated by a man that I almost was… I can’t even say it in my head. You’re a fool, Lana, what a fool you are. A man like Adam couldn’t be seriously attracted to me. All he wanted was my body. Damn it, he could have chosen any one, why did he turn his attention to me? I was flattered by his attention and spread out in front of him like a puddle instead of running without looking back. I just hope I never see him again.

Except Adam couldn’t get away from me. I was terribly embarrassed by this and, frankly, just scared. He kept calling and texting me, and I erased his messages without even reading them. I don’t care what he wants from me, I didn’t want anything to do with him.

He even came to my place of work several times. I noticed him before he went inside. Henry helped me then, he probably noticed how my face had changed. The only thing I managed to do before Adam entered the pastry shop was to whisper one word to Henry. “Please…”

I didn’t know if he understood me, running into the kitchen, I stopped at the door to hear the conversation.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” Although Henry spoke politely, his voice was cold.

“Is Lana here?”

“I can’t give you information about our employees.” There was a heavy sigh, and I heard the rustle of papers. Adam, who tried to bribe Henry, “well, if you care about her so much,” I can’t believe he’s ready to turn me in for a couple bucks- she took a lot of orders and probably works from home.

“Okay,” heavy footsteps and the slam of the front door were heard.

I went to the wall and closed my eyes wearily. The kitchen door opened.

“Are you okay?” Henry looked worried.

“Yes, everything is fine now.”

“I won’t get into what happened between you. Only if you don’t have to go to the police.” I shook my head negatively. I’m not going to go to the police just because I went on a date with the wrong guy. In any case, Adam did not have time to do anything. “I hope now you understand that I did not mean you harm when I warned you. I’m really worried about you. But I also have to apologize, I was too rude. Jealousy, she’s like,” I flinched at the last words. Jealousy?

“Thank you for covering for me,” I moved away from the wall” and thank you for the warning.”

“I’m here,” he looked at me carefully, “I’m always there.”

I do not know what it was connected with, but for the first time the man’s words did not confuse me. Despite the fact that the phrase was more intimate than friendly, I did not blush, my embarrassment did not increase. It didn’t bother me in any way. Maybe something broke in me that night. I just went back to work.

Adam kept calling me and sending me presents. If I could accept flowers or sweets, the decorations knocked me out of my rut. Did he really think I could be bought? I knew that he was rich and these ornaments were worthless to him. This made it even more insulting, he could order delivery without even knowing what he was giving me.

Once I came across a very persistent courier.

“Please. I have to deliver the order exactly in hand. I can’t go back with him.” I’m tired of this circus.

“So, I won’t accept the package anyway. And you’d better return it to the store, because if you don’t, it will be considered theft.” In fact, I didn’t care what happened to the parcel. However, I didn’t want Adam to think that I accepted his gift.

“But” I had no intention of listening to this any further.

“I will call the store and find out if this item has been returned. I hope you can get there in half an hour.”

Actually, I wasn’t going to call any store. But the guy who just ran away at the speed of light doesn’t need to know that. When will it all end?

My work distracted me from all my worries. We had a huge order for the wedding. Not only was the cake just huge, but there were also a lot of different snacks. We usually don’t have such orders, but we still have a small pastry shop. It took all the staff to complete this order. We had to turn down other clients at the time of this job, and this was the first time in my entire career.

It was only later that we found out that John’s friends got married. That’s why he told us to look decent, because we’re all invited too.

“I hope there will be a lot of unmarried people there. John has a lot of influential friends.”

“Oh, even if one of the men is married, will you back off?”

“It’s unlikely.”

The girls laughed. I was disgusted by such conversations, so I did not participate in their conversation. They were discussing which outfit to wear in order to attract more attention to themselves.

They have no respect, they were invited out of politeness, and they… I don’t even want to think about it.

I started to take out the bottom layer of the cake and overestimated my strength. Fortunately, strong hands appeared from nowhere.

“Careful,” it was Henry. He was wearing only a T-shirt, probably didn’t have time to change. It was the first time I saw him without a jacket or a sweatshirt. He had a toned body and visible muscles, it was clear that he did not disdain training. Of course, he was inferior to Adam in this… Damn, I shouldn’t think about him-why didn’t you ask anyone to help? It’s heavy.

“I didn’t want to bother them,” I said in a whisper.

“Well, it’s good that I was there” he put the cake on the table “I think I deserve a dance tonight?” he winked at me.

“Maybe you’re right,” I laughed when I saw his surprised face. I wasn’t going to have a relationship with Henry, but I also discovered the little charms of flirting and I wasn’t going to give it up.

“I’ll remember,” he smiled at me with his best smile, but I didn’t feel any butterflies in my stomach. He wasn’t Adam.

I didn’t understand why this man couldn’t get out of my head. He did everything he could to push me away, but I still think about him. Especially at night, I dream about him every night. Every damn night, I’m in his arms and I love it. And then the morning comes, and I blame myself for these dreams, I blame myself for liking them, I blame myself for continuing to dream about this person.

The wedding was perfect, the ceremony was also held outdoors, so I could spy on it. We were allowed to stay for the banquet, but the ceremony is something personal, special. During the event, we were preparing a table with sweets, local waiters came to our aid, so I left.

When the bride and groom pronounced their vows, I, as expected, burst into tears. Henry handed me the napkins.

We were allocated a small table in the far corner of the tent, to the displeasure of the female part of our team. Everything was fine with me. Actually, I didn’t want to stay here at all, but a taxi to the city would be too expensive. In any case, we would have to wait for the delivery.

“Would you like some wine?” Henry was sitting next to me.

Lately, there’s been a lot of him in my life. We worked together, he started writing to me all the time, sometimes he came to pick me up before work and saw me off. I never gave him any reason to think that there was anything between us. I never gave him any reason to think that we would be together. And as long as he didn’t cross my boundaries, I didn’t stop him. I should tell him that we won’t have anything, but I’ve been so lonely lately, so I’m being selfish.

“You promised me a dance,” Henry reminded me.

“Let me dance with you,” one of the girls said, sticking out her big breasts. I didn’t have such breasts, and since I’m a normal girl, I dreamed of one. Accordingly, “miss I have big boobs’ started to annoy me. So emotionally, I did something I didn’t really want to do.

“Of course I remember,” I put my hand on top of his “shall we go?”

“With great pleasure,” he stood up and pretended to bow to me, extending his hand.

Henry took me to the dance floor. Slow music was playing, and only couples were dancing. Damn, it wasn’t the best idea, but going back to the place was stupid. So I let the guy hug me and spin me around.

He wasn’t keeping his distance right now. His hands held my waist tightly, he held me tightly to him. Too close, too close, I was with this man, not my man.

“Have you thought about my offer?” his whisper singed my ear.

“What offer?”

“About a date? Before you left with that guy.”

I didn’t forget Adam for a minute. I didn’t forget that stupid evening for a minute. But I didn’t want anyone else to talk about it.

“I’m not ready yet,” I didn’t know how to refuse and decided to buy myself some time.

“I’ll wait,” his fingers began to slowly wander over my back. I didn’t like his touch.

The music ended, and I was relieved to return to our table. It was time to take out the cake, I held my breath as the waiters took it out. Every second I was afraid they would drop it. I usually see this moment only in photos, but the joy that the newlyweds experience is worth those few minutes of experience.

We started collecting girls, it’s time to catch a bouquet. I went without much zeal. There were a lot of ladies, so I stood in the back. At the most crucial moment, I noticed that my shoe strap was undone and bent down to fasten it, and then a bouquet flew to my feet. Following an unknown instinct, I grabbed the bouquet and hugged it to me.

We spent about half an hour there, and as soon as the young people left the banquet, we left. That’s just not in full force. John stayed there as he was the main guest, and the two girls didn’t leave either, I guess she found someone to spend the evening with.

We were dropped off at the pastry shop, it was a wonderful evening. Henry offered to accompany me, as it was already late. I did not refuse, because I agree with him on this issue. We walked and talked, Henry joked, and I laughed.

“Oh shit.”

“What happened?” I started turning my head around, trying to figure out the reason for the stop.

“Someone spilled wine on me,” he pointed to the red stain under his jacket, “do you mind if I come in and wash my shirt until I get to my house, it can already be thrown out.”

“Of course,” I didn’t even think before answering.

“You’re the best.”

We went to my house and Henry went straight to the bathroom. I went to the kitchen, deciding to make tea. Henry was gone for a long time, I managed to pour myself a cup.

I turned around and the cup of tea fell out of my hands.

Chapter 9

Henry was standing half-naked in my kitchen. The upper part of his body was completely naked, and his pants hung too low on his hips. I didn’t expect this.

“Could you get dressed?” I went downstairs to pick up the pieces.

“My shirt is wet, I can’t put it on.” He began to slowly approach me.

“And what about the clothes you were wearing before that?” I remember for sure that he came in the morning in different clothes.

“I left it in the pastry shop, why carry everything with me?” that’s for such cases. My clothes were in my bag.

“I’ll bring you a T-shirt, I have some big sizes.” I loved walking around the house in huge things. It turned out that the best things are large, men’s.

“Thank you,” however, it seemed to me that he didn’t look happy about it.

I threw the pieces in the trash and went to my room. Pulling a gray T-shirt out of the closet, I started to return to the kitchen when the doorbell caught me off guard. Adam again?

I handed the T-shirt to Henry and headed for the door.

“Don’t open it, Lana. Guests don’t come at this time.”

“So they must have got the wrong door,” at least that’s what I hoped.

I looked at the camera and recognized the caller. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

“You again?” the intimidated courier looked at me, “isn’t it too late for delivery?”

“I’m sorry, for some there is a round-the-clock delivery” of course, money decides everything” and this time, I definitely won’t be able to return with the order. And they asked me to give you a message.”

“What is it?” my heart skipped a beat.

“The person who sent you this,” he took out the case and opened it, “asked me to tell you that this is his last gift, he will no longer contact you.”

I looked at the most beautiful pendant I’ve ever seen. The product was in the shape of a drop, rich blue color. It looked like a tear. Great job. I reached out and took the case. The courier breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lana,” Henry’s voice was heard.

“It’s all right,” I shouted to him and looked at the courier, “I hope we don’t meet again. He nodded and left. I put the case in my jacket pocket before Henry showed up. “I told you everything was fine.”

“Who was that?” he spoke in a tone as if the husband had caught a lover. I didn’t like it.

“Just my neighbor. I think it’s time for you, it’s late and I’m tired.”

“You’re right, I guess tea will be postponed for next time.” I nodded, mechanically. Only then did she take his hint. Henry looked too pleased.

I could only exhale when the door closed behind him. I reached into my jacket and pulled out a hidden case. I don’t know why I didn’t tell Henry the truth. Although no, I know. He would have told me to throw the gift away, I think he would have been right, but some part of me didn’t want to part with the gift.

Adam did a terrible thing, but a small part of me wanted him anyway. I wanted to keep at least some good memory of him for myself. I still can’t understand how one evening can be the best and the worst in my life. Sometimes I catch myself thinking the most terrible thing, I want to repeat that day again. That’s why I don’t want to see him, I’m afraid I’ll succumb to his charm, I’m afraid to forgive.

When I heard that a woman in love has no pride. I believe that this is not true. Our pride is always with us.

And I’m definitely not in love with Adam. One date won’t make me fall in love with him. Isn’t that right?

After the shower, I decided to try on the pendant. He looked even more beautiful on my skin, I couldn’t understand how this was possible. I thought I was plain, although why did I think I still look plain. Maybe I should go back to the old style, then I was sophisticated, to some extent beautiful. I glanced towards the wardrobe, nope. I don’t want to change.

The last few weeks have been very busy. We had a lot of pending orders and new ones appeared. Everyone was in a rush, because in addition to orders, there is also a store. It seemed like our boss was trying to earn as much as possible.

Maybe he had problems, it became the main gossip in our team. I tried not to pay attention to it, but it affects me too. Now I fall asleep at two in the morning and get up at six in the morning. My hands are already starting to shake from constant lack of sleep, and this interferes with my work. I’m not talking about nutrition at all.

Right now, my illness is starting to remind me of itself. Constant dizziness, already got it. I had to run into a pharmacy and buy pills. Usually all I needed was a diet, but not now. Today I was in the mood for a serious conversation with the boss. I agreed to this job only because it was possible to work quietly here, not to rush anywhere and calmly give free rein to my imagination. Except now everything is going awry, it feels like I’m working on a conveyor belt. I haven’t had a rest for a long time, so I plucked up the courage and went to the boss’s office.

I knocked on the door.

“Yes,” I stuck my head in the doorway, “Lana, come in. I was going to call you myself, “why? God, not another job. “I’ll be honest with you,” John pointed to a chair, and I sat down, “I’ve been having some difficulties lately. And in this regard, I want to ask you a favor.”

“John, I can’t, I wanted to talk to you too. I just won’t be able to take on more work. I need to rest for at least a week,” I quickly blurted out everything to John, afraid to look at him.

“Lana, I’m really sorry that you’re all tired because of me, but right now I really need you. Just a couple of days and you will go on your well-deserved vacation.”

“What is required of me?” nevertheless, I was too responsive.

“I need to leave for a couple of days. I will be able to solve all my problems, and this fuss will end. But I need someone I can rely on. Who can look after all this.”

“Are you asking me to look after the pastry shop?” I did it sometimes, but only for half a day. I don’t know if I can last a few days.

“That’s right,” he got up and walked over to the safe.

“I do not know if I can handle it… it’s a big responsibility” to be honest, I just did not want to take on such responsibility, considering that I was not in the best shape right now.

“There’s nothing complicated about it, you’ve already replaced me and nothing terrible has happened.” I nodded. John put the papers in front of me, “look, the only difficulty may arise with the delivery of equipment. So I issued a power of attorney in your name” I turned pale” don’t be afraid, it’s just in case. If they demand to show the documents, there will be no problem. The equipment is very good, it will help to raise our profits without burdening the staff once again. I think you all dream about it.” he smiled, and so did I. “just put your signature, it’s already certified.”

“But it’s not done that way.” even if I wasn’t a lawyer, I understood that no lawyer would certify a document without the presence of the parties.

“I know, Lana. I had to pay extra for it, but don’t worry, everything is legal.”

“Let me read it and sign it” I reached for the paper and at the same moment Maya ran into the office, today I worked with her in pairs.

“Lana, your cakes are burning there.” Damn, I completely forgot about them.

“Don’t forget to leave me the paperwork for the equipment,” I quickly signed and ran to the kitchen.

Running up to the stove, I pulled out the cakes, they burned. I was madly angry at Maya, was she so stupid that she couldn’t get them out. I turned off the oven, noting that the temperature there was not the same. I was sure that I had set all the necessary parameters.

I had to redo all the work, because of this I was delayed. Looking out the window, I saw heavy clouds gathering in the sky. It was going to rain today, but there hasn’t been a drop all day, and I really hoped that I would be able to leave before it starts.

Maya had already gone home, the bakery was closed, and only John and I were left. I was very surprised when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw a man who definitely shouldn’t be here right now. A man I haven’t seen in a month. The man who’s making my heart stop right now.

“Well hello, Lana,” his voice was as deep as I remembered it.

“Hello, Adam,” I tried to speak evenly, but my voice still faltered.

“I see you liked my gift,” my hand darted to my neck, where the pendant hung, “it looks beautiful on your neck.”

“Thank you and answering your question. Yes, I liked him. What are you doing here…” I lowered my voice, “you promised you wouldn’t harass me anymore.”

“Harass me? Lana, I wasn’t stalking you, I just wanted to apologize.” He started to approach, and I instinctively took a step back. Adam froze, “I made a mistake and wanted to apologize, but I couldn’t connect with you in any way. I made a mistake, but I didn’t cross the line. I think I deserved one conversation.”

“Is that what you’re here for? To talk to me?” my heart was beating fast in my chest.

“No, Lana. I said I wouldn’t bother you anymore” he spat out the word with some disgust “I’m here for work, but you shouldn’t be here anymore” he wasn’t here for me, for some reason this fact hurt me “go home, Lana” I was going to leave anyway. I put the towel on the table and went out without even turning around.

“Goodbye, Lana.” His voice was cold.

“Goodbye, Adam.”

I’m sure this was our last meeting, so I let myself turn around and look at him one last time. Our eyes met and I thought I saw that he was looking at me with regret, but Adam quickly pulled himself together and his gaze became distant again. I turned around and went to the locker room.

I needed to leave this place urgently, I needed air urgently. I quickly changed my clothes and rushed outside.

I just stood near the entrance and tried to catch my breath. Why does he affect me so much? As soon as I see him, I feel feverish. Why is everything like this? Why couldn’t he stay that nice guy. We would be walking in the park or watching a movie right now. He would take my hand, and I would be thrilled at his touch.