Page 70 of Shades of Grey & Gold

Everywhere we go—which, admittedly, hasn’t been very many places outside of his mother’s house and the café—there’s anentourage. Not the fun party kind, the kind with holstered metal under their jackets.

A throat clears and I startle again, this time spilling the tea all over my lap.

“Fuck,” I screech and stand, drops of black tea landing on the cold, white tile and drenching the front of my tank top, and the leg of my soft blue sweatpants.

“Sorry.” Speak of the devil, Gio, one of Cal’s shadows that he has apparently assigned to watch over me, walks towards me in black slacks and a black suit jacket.

He carefully lifts the mug from my hand, calmly walking over to the kitchen as I audibly sigh.

Probably thinking the sigh is about him, he cringes as he hands me a small towel. I bend down pushing it into the carpet beside the chair and wiping the tea from the tile.

“I’m sorry, Max.”

Relief washes over me at hearing Gio use my real name. I have known they were aware of my name, but apparently Cal had banned them from using it, which clearly has been overturned.

It’s not that I don’t understand the rules. I do. I understand he wants to keep me safe. But there has been absolutely zero indication of anything less than total safety since I have been here. And if he can’t trust his own men then who can he trust?

My argument obviously worked if Gio is using my name out loud. Court dismissed.

“Mr. Renzetti just asked if you would meet him in the study.”

“He’s home?” I shoot up straight. “But I didn’t hear the elevator.”

“He took the back entrance. I think, uh…” Gio scratches his head and bends down, twisting the towel out of my hands, without waiting for me to protest, to finish wiping up the mess. “I’ll be headed back out with Rudi so you guys will have the place to yourselves.”

“Ooh, babysitter has the night off?” I joke with Gio as I take quick steps backwards towards the hallway.

He chuckles and I catch him nodding as I glance back, wrapping my blue cardigan around my frame as I shiver slightly.

“Yes, but I am happy to be your babysitter, you know,” he counters, looking up at me as he stands, and I pause before I go around the corner. “He didn’t give us many nights off before you came. Rudi has seen his kids more in the last couple weeks than he did in all of September. And that’s saying a lot because the boss wasn’t even here in September.”

I frown. That just won’t do for me. These men need time to see their families. Surely Nico and Cal can rotate their guards, especially for the ones with families.

“Thanks for sharing that with me. Please, please, enjoy your night. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow!” I give him a small smile and he nods.

I practically skip down the tiled hallway passing doors to my right and left until I come to the small staircase that goes down to the study. The fact that a penthouse apartment can have multiple levels still confuses me, but I’ve decided I like it. It feels like a tunnel system.

As I leave the stark white of the upstairs, the first thing that changes is the walls. They become darker, moodier. The railing of the stairs is dark wood, and the floors are no longer tile. The herringbone pattern creaks slightly under my feet as I walk down the hallway tothe study door. I prefer it down here, but Cal has had people in and out of here for the past week. They blocked off the stairs and everything, so him inviting me down must mean I amalloweddownstairs again.

His office has a big wooden door with an ornate gold handle. I knock twice before pushing down on the handle.

“Wait!” I hear Cal shout from inside and I stop.

“Why?”

“Max,” he warns.

I roll my eyes, take my hand back, the door is cracked and I see his shadow on the other side. “We aren’t in public—I’m allowed to question what you tell me!” I say it with snark and hope it comes across through the door.

“Close your eyes,” he orders.

“State your case.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Maxine.” I hear the eye roll in his voice. “I have a present.”

I smile with a giggle. “Oh! Yes! I love those. I’ll allow it.”

I close my eyes, hear the door open, and feel his hands take both of mine, pulling me gently into the room.