Page 195 of Embriagado

“Oh.” He hit the Shift button on the keyboard. “Well, there was an unfortunate plumbing problem on the lower floors, so we moved all guests to the higher ones.” He then glanced at me, a half smirk pulled on his lips. “If you were actually doing your job as the assistant manager, you would have known.”

My cheeks heated at his comment, and I ran my fingers through my hair. “You’re the one who told me to do nothing.”

He pretended to roll his eyes. “You can still do a little bit.”

“Fine. Give me a task. I’ll do it right fucking now.”

He pursed his lips, and I knew it was because I’d just sworn.

“Ignoring your foul language, I do have a task for you.”

Excited, I sat up in my seat. “Yeah? What is it?”

“Rest.”

“Huh?”

He shook his head, amusement in his eyes.

“You have a big fight Saturday night, Mr. Rivas, and it seems to me you’ve forgotten all about it.” He got up and circled his desk until he stood before me.

“I didn’t forget.”

Placing his hands on each of my arms, he leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear.

“If that’s the case, then stop wasting your time worrying about things that shouldn’t at all concern you and instead—” He dragged his hand from my arms to my chest, softly caressing me over my shirt. “—focus on your win and what follows.”

Warmth flushed through my body, and I let out a short groan, loving the way he moved his hands over me.

“I will.”

He bit the shell of my ear, and I could feel the smile on his lips.

“Good. So take the rest of the week off.”

I love his voice.

“Y-you don’t need me here?” I asked, eyes closed.

“Of course I do.” He kissed my neck. “But I need you focused.”

I love his lips.

“We’ll talk again on Saturday, Mr. Rivas.”

I love his smell.

“Until then, don’t worry about a thing.”

I love him.

48

SANTIAGO

Besides the occasional text here and there, Ariyan hadn’t talked to me since that day at his office. He told me to take the week off and prepare for my fight, and that was exactly what I did. Knowing he had a lot on his plate, I decided not to bother him, but three days in, and I was already dying to see him.

That was why, after I finished my jog by the shore, I decided to call him. Using my shirt to wipe the sweat from my face, I sat down on a bench overlooking the ocean and took out my phone. The weather was really nice, and as I waited for him to pick up, I thought about how almost a year had passed since we first met. It really was wild how time flew by, almost as wild as me falling for that psycho.