Page 2 of Roses are Royal

The small smirk on his face and slight raise of his eyebrow sends a tingle down my spine. My eyes continue to gawk at his beautiful face with its five o’clock shadow. I would guess he is somewhere in his late thirties or early forties, and I detect a slight accent of some kind that I can’t quite place. My eyes trace the path of a single bead of sweat slowly making its way down his neck, over his sexy collarbones (can collarbones even be sexy?), coasting over his chest, lightly dusted with dark brown hair, to his rock-hard abs—is that an 8-pack?—to the perfectly sculpted V of his hip muscles and down into his…

“You must be Rose. I thought you were supposed to arrive an hour ago.” I sense some impatience.

“Huh?” Another masterpiece of linguistic intelligence, Ro. Keep it up.

“Are you from Franklin & Sons?” the contractor continues.

“Yeah, sorry, I was. I mean, yes, I am. Wait, sorry, no, I’m not.” Get it together, Ro! “I’m Rose Lusso, the owner of Lusso Designs, but you can call me Ro. Apologies for being late, but the property was difficult to find. Do you know if the owner is here? I’d love to get started with the walkthrough since I’m already running behind and have to make it back into town for the evening. There is no way I’ll be able to find my way out of here in the dark.”

That smirk again. Does he know the effect that small gesture has on a woman? A single adult woman like myself? A single adult woman who hasn’t been on a date in… three, no, four years? Yikes. Who am I kidding? Of course he knows…I mean, look at him.

“Actually, I’m Dante, the owner. I got your information from the owner of Precision Builders. You come highly recommended. Although I thought you were with Franklin & Sons? I wasn’t aware you moved firms when I inquired about hiring you. I heard Franklin & Sons was the best design firm in the city and specializes in the type of style and aesthetic I’m looking for in my home.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Stay cool, you can handle this. Just calmly explain you left Franklin & Sons amicably, and you have nothing but nice things to say about the company and fellow designers. You just felt it was best for your career to pursue a new path. Explain your experience and convey confidence in your ability to accomplish this project above his expectations and under budget.

“I left the pricks at Franklin & Sons because they refused to make a female designer partner, and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Perfect, Ro. Way to make a memorable first impression. You really nailed the part about your experience and professionalism. Now say your goodbyes, climb back in your muddy car, and drive away before you word vomit anything else unprofessional at the only client inquiry you’ve had in three months.

“You know what? I'd better just leave. I appreciate your time and apologize again for arriving late. I can recommend a few other designers who might fit your needs more appropriately,” I ramble in an effort to end this moment of complete embarrassment.

“And what exactly do you think my needs are, Rose?” Dante drags my name out to sound like it has more than just one syllable. And did his voice just get deeper? And there’s that eyebrow again, rising the slightest bit to convey his displeasure, or is that a hint of challenge in his expression?

“It’s just Ro, actually. And if you are looking for the type of bland, cookie-cutter work Franklin & Sons delivers, then I will have to decline this project.” Okay, maybe I need to dial back the sass a bit if I want to land this job. Or I don’t know…stop saying I’m going to leave? It’s just so hard when he seems to push all my buttons in a matter of a few minutes in his presence. It’s unnerving.

A low rumble emanates from Dante’s throat as he is clearly struggling to keep his composure. Wait, did he just growl at me? Like, actually growl? Who does that? And can a voice sound dark? Is that a thing? I could swear his eyes are almost black with how dilated his pupils have become. I can barely see the dark forest green of his irises.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” I quickly say to cover up my trepidation. “I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. How about we start over from the beginning?” Clearing my throat, I start my introduction fresh and with as little sass as I can manage. “Hi, I’m Rose Lusso from Lusso Designs. You must be the lucky owner of this gorgeous home and definitely not the contractor. Apologies for my late arrival. I had not factored in the remote nature of this location. I’d love to do a walkthrough of the property with you to get a sense of the space and layout. I’d also love to chat about your taste and style so we can determine if this will be a good working relationship to pursue. For both of us.” And only a working relationship, Ro. I have never mixed business with pleasure before, and I’m not about to start now. No matter how deliciously hot the client is.

Silence. He’s just staring at me with those brooding dark eyes and a tilt of his head as if I’m a puzzle he can’t solve.

“Shall we get started inside?” I sputter and hurry to fill the silence, “Or would you prefer to start with the exterior and landscaping?” I look around, trying to determine the best course of action to get this doomed walkthrough moving. I swear I can see his jaw clench from here as if he is willing patience into his entire body.

“Nice to meet you, Rose,” he grits out, still saying my name with a caress that almost makes me not want to correct him again about calling me Ro. “My name is Dante, and I had hoped to finish the walkthrough prior to my contractor arriving. However, since you arrived late and I know he will be here any minute, it will be easier if we wait for him and do it together. There are still a few specific details of my home I need to bring to his attention. Would you like to come in for a drink while we wait?”

Well, this is progress, I guess. “Yes, I’d love to come in for a drink.” Wait, should I be drinking on the job? I guess he could mean lemonade or iced tea or something. He doesn’t really look like a lemonade kind of guy, though. More like an “I drink protein shakes every day to feed my huge muscles” vibe. It’s not like we’re going to be taking shots of whiskey while we wait. Maybe I should take a shot of whiskey. It might help calm my nerves and slow my brain down a bit so I can think before speaking. Who am I kidding? Whiskey is my kryptonite. It makes my insides feel all warm, and my body goes soft and pliable, and my brain becomes detached from any logical decision-making. That is the last thing I should be drinking because that typically only leads to one thing, and I can’t be doing that with my client. Unless…no, Ro, we said this is only business and not pleasure—do not accept alcohol from this man.

“Rose?” Dante says my name like he’s asked me a question that I clearly didn’t hear. “Right this way.” He gestures toward the front door.

Just as we are turning toward the door to head inside, I hear the crunch of tires on gravel as a vehicle pulls up behind us. I’m assuming this is the actual contractor who recommended me for the job. Boy, do I have some choice words for him when we finally meet. I mean, I’m thankful for the recommendation, but Dante might not be the client I want to take on, considering his overall surly disposition. Not to mention, we are in the middle of nowhere, and this is going to drive my delivery costs way over the price I originally quoted. Plus, we clearly aren’t hitting it off personality-wise. I guess I will just have to figure it out if I get the contract and go from there.

“Good,” Dante says, looking relieved he didn’t have to have a drink with me while we waited. “Rose, come say hello to the contractor you’ll be working with. I believe you have worked with his company in the past.” He gestures me forward and says, “Rose, this is Lu⁠—”

“LUC!” I scream with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Is that really you? What are you doing here?” Without a second thought for our audience, I run and jump into Luc’s arms. I haven’t seen him since high school, and I barely even recognize him. But I could never forget those piercing hazel eyes with flecks of amber and the scar that runs through his right eyebrow that he got after taking a punch from a guy at school who wouldn’t leave me alone. His dirty-blonde hair is shorter now, buzzed close to his scalp. I remember I used to love running my hands through his thick wavy hair when we were younger, but this look definitely suits him and makes him look more mature, which I guess he is.

“How have you been? Where have you been? What have you been up to? How are you here right now? What are you even doing here? I reached out to you after graduation, but it’s like you disappeared. I was worried something had happened, but here you are, standing in front of me. I can’t believe this!” I’m definitely babbling at this point. I also can’t believe how tall and strong he looks. I remember him as a lanky kid from Long Island who was obsessed with drawing. Now, he’s easily 6’3” or 6’4” and built like a gladiator from what I can tell from the stretch of the white T-shirt across his chest and arms and the tight fit of his blue jeans. I guess that’s what happens when you do manual labor for a career, since he must be in construction now. But he still has that smile that could brighten up my day no matter what I was going through, and it’s the sunshine I needed to pull me out of this spiral with Dante. I almost feel grounded now that Luc is here. It’s the strangest thing. I never thought I’d see him again, and I honestly don’t know how I feel about seeing him now. And wait, did Dante say we’ve worked together and that Luc is the contractor? That doesn’t make any sense.

“Hey, Ro!” Luc doesn’t hesitate to wrap his strong arms around me, and I melt into his embrace. “I’m so glad I didn’t miss you. I figured you’d be done with your walkthrough by now, and I wouldn’t see you until tomorrow. I honestly didn’t think you’d even remember me. It’s been so long, and after I left after graduation, I wasn’t sure you’d even want to talk to me.”

Dante clears his throat behind us with a sense of annoyance and aggravation. He doesn’t have a subtle bone in his body from what I can tell. Can’t a girl catch up with an old friend?

“As I was going to say, Rose…” There he goes again with that sultry way my name rolls off his tongue. “This is Luca, my contractor, from Precision Builders,” Dante continues, oblivious to my fascination with how he says my name, “but it seems as though an introduction would be redundant since you and…” Dante pauses like he is struggling for words. “Luc are already acquainted.”

I don’t miss the bite in his tone when he says Luc’s name in the shortened version I used. And do I detect a hint of jealousy? I couldn’t help but notice Dante tracking me as I hugged Luc and the intensity of his stare when Luc’s hand didn’t leave the small of my back as we turned toward Dante.

Maybe I shouldn’t act so friendly with Luc and only call him Luca while we are working. I wouldn’t want things to get more awkward than they already are with Dante. I just have so many questions for Luc and would love a chance to catch up and find out where he disappeared to after high school, and why he cut off communication with me after graduation night. Not only did he cut off communication but he literally turned into a ghost. I haven’t been able to let go of that in the past fifteen years, so this might be my only chance to get answers and finally move on—since we will be working closely together on this project if…no, when I secure the contract.

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