Chapter Nineteen: Her Boss from Hell
"But why should you be angry? A dinner reservation for twenty doesn't come along every day. You're the one who really comes out ahead on this deal!" After work, Mary approached Marco with her most alluring smile, praying she could get her way.
"I don't like it." Marco could smell Mary's expensive perfume, a fresh and flowery scent that totally suited her sunny personality. But his bright-eyed new waitress hadn't dolled herself up just to work the late shift at a busy Italian restaurant. Mary turned up for her shift on time, but only after meeting with her cousin Elizabeth, the most powerful and dangerous woman in town. Marco didn't like it, and he flashed Mary a warning look even as she rubbed up against him in her prim waitress uniform.
"You gave me a job when no one else would," Mary reminded him. Her slender white arms were twined around his muscular neck and she was standing up on tiptoe, her pert breasts grazing his massive chest, gazing deep into his eyes with a trusting smile. "Why shouldn't I do something nice for you for a change?"
"Elizabeth is up to something," Marco growled, fighting the fierce desire stirred in him by Mary's trusting eyes and playful kisses. "She's not dining here to help us out, she wants to get her hooks into us and destroy our business!" Marco seemed to weaken as he cursed and crushed Mary against him. He kissed her hard, a brutal, punishing kiss that left her feeling dizzy with desire. But just when she was ready to melt against him he pushed her away. "You're not on top anymore, baby. You work for me and you do what I say. That woman is not welcome in Maselli's. End of story."
"That's not fair!" Mary wanted to scream and yell and stamp her foot. But she knew Marco would have no problem putting her over his knee like a child. And after that she'd end up wanting the other things, the secret humiliations that only Marco knew how to inflict. Mary didn't like the way she caved in to him. Pain and pleasure got so mixed up when they made love. In spite of herself she always ended up begging for what hurt her and weeping when she got tenderness instead. And after that came total surrender.
But she couldn't surrender now.
"Have we got a problem?" Marco was waiting for her to speak.
"I'm sorry, Marco. It was great catching up with Elizabeth this morning, but this is your place. And you are the boss." Mary pasted a sweet smile on her face, hiding her tiger-like fury. "Maybe I'm just not ready for this whole working-girl routine."
"You need a day off," Marco grunted, shrugging his massive shoulders. He picked up a can of scouring powder, a signal that he was done talking and wanted to get back to work. "I'll clean up the oven. You get yourself upstairs to bed. Forget about coming in tomorrow. I'll get Gina to take your shift. Relax. Take one of your girlfriends to the spa."
"Sure, that sounds great. A girl like me can really use a day off!"
Mary didn't dare disobey her sexy boss from hell. So the next day she really did go to the spa. But instead of inviting a girlfriend along she arranged to meet with her old friend David Rizzio.