Complicated

Two weeks later

"Now, I have Giovanni's schedule organised and kept here. The items that can't be moved around or changed are written in red. He has a meeting first thing tomorrow morning, the paperwork for that is over here." I signalled to a pile of documents sitting on the printer. "There are enough copies for each board member, which you will have to place on the table in front of each seat before the members arrive. Giovanni likes a hot cup of coffee on his desk when he arrives-"

"Delia, Delia, slow down." The redhead chuckled. "It's not like I haven't done this sort of thing before. Remember, I was his secretary before I got my promotion and you arrived on the scene."

My head fell into a nod. "Right, yes, sorry Ariana." I smiled, "I guess I just want to make sure-"

"Team Rocket isn't going crumble and fall because you're gone, Delia. Now if I recall, you've got a flight to catch." The Jr. Executive made a point of pushing me out from behind my desk.

I felt so flustered. I hated being rushed like this.

"Alright, alright." I stopped to take a breath, wracking my brain to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. My eyes fell on a note in my planner written in red ink and I cursed. "Oh dear, I forgot my medical!"

Regular medical checkups were compulsory for everyone who worked for Giovanni, regardless of rank. Ideally, they were supposed to happen every six months or so, but as I was seldom in one place, I was well overdue for my latest one.

"Oh forget it, its not like you're going to get fired over it," Ariana scoffed, sitting back in my chair and adjusting its height to accommodate her long legs.

"You're right." I closed my planner and carefully placed it in my carry-on luggage. "I should get going soon."

Footsteps made their way up the stairs and a head of teal hair appeared in my line of sight. Archer stopped in the doorway to the reception area and placed a gentle hand on his hip. "It's been a while since I've seen you in that seat, Ariana." He smiled.

Ariana swiveled in her chair. "And it's been a while since I've seen you. Where have you been?" She pulled herself to her feet and met him halfway across the room, placing a gentle kiss on her husband's lips. He had an official look on his face and didn't seem to care much for her affections while in my presence.

Noticing Archer's hesitation Ariana chuckled. "Oh you're all work and no play. Now where do you want to go for dinner? I was thinking maybe that Italian place on Main Street." She grabbed her purse and the two made their exit.

It was only when I no longer heard their voices down the corridor that I became aware of his presence behind me. I turned my head in Giovanni's direction and smirked, he always had a knack for creeping up on people.

"Did you pack your underwear this time?" Being the end of the workday, his 'boss' front had fallen and made way for his lesser known softer side. He had a grin on his face which gave him the look of a guilty, little boy.

"Yes," I replied curtly, responding to his cheek with a playful glare.

Making my way behind my desk, I performed a system backup on the computer as was my regular routine, and stood, chewing my thumbnail, waiting for the silly thing to finish doing its job. I felt the light touch of his hand on the back of my neck as he found my pressure points and massaged them gently.

I breathed a sigh, appreciating the gesture. It had been a busy day for the both of us, and Giovanni knew when I had too much on my mind I tended to get frazzled.

"Do you have time for dinner?" Giovanni asked.

"Possibly. Where did you have in mind?"

Before he could answer however, my phone blared to life. I heaved a groan at the sight of the number on the display. It was coming from the doctor's office.

"Giovanni's office," I answered.

The head doctor's voice sounded less than impressed. "Delia! This is the third appointment you've missed!"

"I'm sorry," I whined in kind. "It's been one of those days,"

"Well I've got a spot open right now. So you get yourself down stairs this instant. It won't take long." He hung up.

I cast an apologetic glance at my lover. I was actually hoping he would exercise his authority and allow me to skip this appointment but he simply made his way back into his office. "I'll see you in a week, Delia."

I begrudgingly paid the medical bay a visit only to find that, as was to be expected, I was still in good shape and fit enough to work.

"And how are you in the contraceptive department? Do you need another batch of pills?" The man perhaps in his mid forties watched me over tiny spectacles sitting on the end of his nose.

I went an instant shade of red.

"No," I said quickly. "I'm fine in that… department."

Unfazed by my visible discomfort, he merely wrote something on his clipboard and handed me a plastic cup to pee in.

"Just a drug test and then you're free to go."

In celebration of my homecoming, my parents invited my sister and her husband along to stay for the week too. So needless to say, the reunion was an emotional one. It had been a whole year since I'd seen them and in that time so much had changed! My father looked older now and was no longer the bright and bubbly dreamer he had been once. Instead, he was solemn and bitter, still angry at himself for having allowed me to go along with Giovanni in his place. And even in spite of how much I tried to convince him that things were good for me, I knew he would never forgive himself.

My mother hadn't changed, fortunately, and the house was still exactly how I'd left it… even my old bedroom was still in tact.

My sister had a beautiful little girl named Daisy and we were all surprised and delighted with her announcement at the dinner table that she was pregnant again! She and her husband looked so happy with their little family.

The week went by quickly, though by the time it drew to a close, I found myself itching to get back into my old routine that I'd become so accustomed to. I wasn't used to being idle for so long.

On the evening before my departure, my sister and I decided to lounge on lawn chairs in the paddock and stargaze. We shared a bottle of grape juice and pretended it was wine.

"So, what's it like working for Giovanni?" My sister watched me under the limited light of the stars. There was no moon tonight, making them ever brighter still.

"It's good," I replied. "The perks are great."

"I noticed." She smiled. "Your outfits are all top of the range. Gone are the days of mud covered boots, checked shirts and pigtails."

We both laughed at the thought before it soon faded and my sister's face turned serious. "What is it really like working for a criminal organisation, Delia? Does he ask you to do… things?"

"No!" I said defensively. "It's not like that at all."

She shrugged and focused her gaze back on the sky. "You are different, I can see it. It's not just in your dress but it's even in the way you carry yourself. You're not the crazy dreamer like dad… was. I never actually thought I'd be saying this of you but you're focused… balanced."

I forced a throaty chortle. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I know you're seeing someone."

My mouth snapped shut and I suddenly found myself breathless. "What… makes you say that, May?"

"Well for one, you haven't once made a passing comparison about my husband or men in general with you're ideal 'perfect man'."

I frowned. "Perhaps I've just grown up a bit. You know, moving away from home and into the real world does tend to do that to a girl."

"Why are you arguing the point?" My sister copied my frown. "I know you're hiding something. Now if you're not seeing someone then what are you hiding, Delia?"

There was no working my way around matters. When my sister felt she was onto something, she was relentless. She would not stop until she uncovered the truth.

"Alright." I heaved a sigh. "There may be… someone…"

"Really?!" Her suspicious scowl was quickly replaced with a squeal as she jumped upright, giving me her undivided attention, "Who? What's he like? Spare no details!"

"Well…" I hesitated. "He is… a… good… lover."

My sister burst into laughter. "That's all? Delia, do you honestly not want to tell me - your own sister - about your man?"

I really didn't want to answer that question because the truth was, I didn't want her to know anything at all. Unfortunately, the flat expression on my face wasn't helping me and it didn't take long for her to connect the dots.

May's hand went to her mouth and she gasped. "Oh my… you're not…."

Now it was my turn to jump upright. "Please don't tell Mum and Dad! It would kill Dad if he ever knew."

"Giovanni?!"

"Shhh! They'll hear you in the house."

But May was irreconcilable. She sat up straight as a pole in her chair. "Delia! Please tell me you two are in a relationship and you're not just sleeping with the bastard."

"May!"

The look she gave me was furious.

I sucked in an uneasy breath and focused my eyes on the grass between my toes. "It's… complicated."

"Complicated?! So you are just doing the dirty. Delia, have you no dignity? I'll bet the man is even married and everything."

"No! It's not like that at all," I argued. "One: he is a widower and has been for some time. And two: he told me he loves me."

"Psssh," she scoffed.

"He does," I pushed. "I mean, yes… it did start out… that way but then we got closer and…"

"And do you love him too?"

I had to stop and think on that for a moment, immediately unsure of my own feelings. Did I love him? Could I honestly say that after all this time?

"Yes," I said with more conviction than I felt.

She didn't seem convinced but chose not push the matter. I knew what she was thinking though. She wondered what sort of interest a high society business man would have in a silly little farm girl like me. Because no matter how much Giovanni decked me with expensive clothing and jewellery, or how many extravagant gifts he gave me, I was still utterly and totally out of his league. I swallowed as the thought impacted me for the first time. For now, things were great, but how long would it be before he found himself another high society wife? That was how business men worked: a wife for the show and then a mistress on the side. Was that really my destiny? To be nothing more than Giovanni's mistress?

"Please tell me you're at least being careful." May's voice broke me from my thoughts.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm not that stupid." For some reason I found doubt in the statement.

"Good, because the last thing you need is an accident. Business men like Giovanni have a tendency to suddenly lose interest in their lovers when they realise things have gotten complicated."

Her statement, while meriting truth, left me feeling gutted inside. I didn't want to admit it to her but in the past few days I'd become aware that I was late. And now a thought that had niggled in the back of my mind snowballed to the front. Suddenly, I felt sick to the core.

"I'm sorry May." I pulled myself to my feet. "I need to get to bed. I've got a flight to catch tomorrow and I haven't even started packing."