27

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

chapter twenty seven
florence thompson
song: best part of me - ed sheeran ft. YEBBA

It was a whole week later when I got a phone call that would change my mundane, comfortable style of living. After a whole other week of consistent dinners with Vincent and working my shifts at Glenn's, I was hit with the sudden reminder of what I'd forgotten.

Spoiler alert: it wasn't the kiss, since I couldn't get that fleeting moment off my mind to save my life.

I was in the middle of a shift at Glenn's when my phone buzzed in my pocket, earning a harsh glare from Ben since I'd forgotten to silence it. I apologized quickly before stepping out back and pressing the green answer button.

"Hello?" I whispered into the phone, tucking a loose stand of hair behind my ear.

"Hello, this is Margot Andrews, I'm head of HR here at Vanderbilt Inc. We got a referral from a Mr. De Bellis to look into you as a candidate for the PA position that we have open. Upon his referral, we've decided you could be a good fit for this position and would love if you'd come in for an interview," the woman's voice on the other end of the line was polite and even as she recited her reason for calling me.

My eyes bulged in my head. If I'm going to be entirely honest, I'd completely forgotten about Vincent's offer to put in a good word for me.

There was a silence on the line for a few moments too long before I realized she was waiting for me to speak.

"Oh! Um, yeah," I scrambled, stumbling embarrassingly over my own words as I tried to form a coherent sentence. "I'd love to come in for an interview."

My biggest fault as a human is the fact that I can't bare to face confrontation. I am the most passive person I know, and the thought of denying this opportunity to this poor woman was excruciatingly painful for me, so instead I would bite my tongue and show up with a smile on my face. Maybe something good could come from this.

"Awesome!" She chirped, sounding quite pleasant and not unbearable to work with, honestly. "How about Thursday at two in the afternoon?" She asked, the sound of the clicking of a mouse could be vaguely heard in the background of the call.

Thinking over my work schedule, I nodded even though she couldn't see me.

"That works perfectly," I agreed, glancing down to my chipped nail polish and making a mental note to put a fresh coat on Thursday before I showed up to this interview.

"Great! We look forward to seeing you then, Miss Thompson," Margo exclaimed, making my nerves both eased and sky rocketed.

"See you then," I replied before we said our goodbyes and each hung up the phone.

I released a sigh, closing my eyes as I leaned back again the wall I was closest to.

Don't get me wrong, I would be crazy to not take this opportunity and have a more comfortable income with less taxing hours, especially all while trying to finish up my college courses online. It's a hassle to constantly be working between Glenn's and college and then on top of that try to squeeze time in for friends and Vincent.

The thought of Vincent made something inside me spark, memories of the last time I'd seen him dance through my mind. I'd been over a few nights ago for dinner, it was great, nothing different from our usual dates. We talked about everything from how school was going to my friends, still not having talked about the kids.

I always found myself scratching to ask him questions but between all of his inquiries about myself, it was a little difficult. It's weird, being around someone every week and yet not knowing much about them. The most I know about Vincent was that he has two siblings, is from Italy, owns his own company and lived ridiculously comfortably. He told me he has a few houses in different states, but enjoys Chicago most so he stays here.

While I was sitting here knowing next to nothing about this God of a man, he knew pretty much everything about me from my favorite color to my favorite book.

It was obnoxious how he enjoyed to saunter around the rules I'd placed between the two of us. He loves to brush against the boundary, not far enough to break the rules completely but also far enough to make me squirm.

Well, our kiss not considered.

Vincent De Bellis is the most infuriating man I've met in my whole life. Even though I'd been working to build these ten foot walls between the two of us, he's able to just knock them down with one breath. And I let him, that may be the most infuriating part, honestly.

I'm one big, walking, contradiction. In the beginning I was all about putting my foot down between the two of us, and now I'm one gentle kiss away from pulling him in closer.

Something about him makes me so much more vulnerable than anyone else, which is a complete recipe for disaster in our situation. He's my sugar daddy, as much as I hate to slap that label on him. He's so much different than what I pictured to be the average sugar daddy. But nonetheless he is, and there isn't a time in this universe where we become more than just that.

It just isn't possible.

"Why so glum, girl?" A familiar voice pulled me out of my inner turmoil, my gaze snapping over to the employee entrance where Rico was currently tugging his jacket off. He'd gone on break, and was just getting back, signaling it was Ben's turn to go on his break.

I released a sigh, shaking my head as if I could shake myself out of this odd funk I was in.

"Just tired," I quickly covered my less than excitable demeanor, straightening my spine and pushing myself away from the wall I was rested again. I raised my phone in my right hand. "I just got off the phone with a company who wants me to come in on Thursday for an interview, though."

Rico's brows furrowed in confusion as he started walking towards the door that led to the lockers, leaning an open palm on it all while still looking at me on the other side of the room.

"I didn't know you were searching for another job," he spoke flatly, his expression now to match.

I felt my heart ache in my chest at this. The last thing I want to do is leave Glenn's and my two best friends, but unfortunately the paycheck just isn't cutting it for a twenty year old woman who had more student debt than she can comprehend.

To be fair, my inner voice reasoned, the letter you received this morning about your tuition being paid off says otherwise.

"Yeah, I'm just not making enough here to sustain myself," I answered, my voice tight as I glanced down to my rollerblades on the tile. "It's not a huge deal, I'll still work here if I get the position, but I just need to expand my horizons and get out there. You know?"

Rico nodded, his expression tense as if he was holding back unspoken words and part of me was thankful he wasn't telling me whats on his mind in this exact moment because I'm not exactly sure I could handle it.

"Would you mind telling Ben I'm back?"

My brows shot up slightly.

"Of course not," I quickly replied, straightening my expression before he turned fully and went into the locker room.

I released a sigh, glancing to the stained ceiling of our kitchen before finally mustering up the nerves to make my way back out and let Ben know of Rico's arrival.

• • •

q: favorite musician growing up?

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net