Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“I never mind waiting for a pretty woman,” I assure her with an easy smile. “I’m sure you’re very busy here. It seems that way, at least.”
“You have no idea. I’m sure you’re probably wondering why you’re meeting with me and not your assigned advisor. Due to the nature of your case, your file has been escalated to me as the Senior Advisor for the university.” She extends a hand across her desk. “I’m Catherine.”
“Enzo De Luca. It’s a pleasure. I promise we won’t take up too much of your time.” When I take her hand, I make a point of holding on a beat longer than necessary.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t have much to spare, anyway, Mr. De Luca.” She offers a breathless little laugh as she takes a seat.
“Then I’m even more grateful you’ve taken the time to sit down with us. We both are.” I turn to Alicia, grinning, and she forces a tight smile in response. She’s hating this, which naturally means I love it. This in no way evens the score—she’s never going to be able to make up for what she did to me, my family—but it goes at least part way toward it.
Catherine clears her throat before typing something into her laptop. “I understand you’ve missed quite a bit of coursework this semester, Miss—”
“Actually,” I correct with another smile, “it’s Mrs. De Luca now. And that’s why I’ve come in to see you, to apologize in person for having swept this incredibly lovely creature off her feet. I know I should have taken her schoolwork into consideration, but I couldn’t wait until the end of the semester to make her mine, officially. It was all sort of a whirlwind.”
I close a hand over Alicia’s, threading my fingers between hers. “And once I set my sights on what I want, you can’t convince me otherwise. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for my impulsiveness. But I think this time around, I’ll only end up being grateful for it.”
I smile at my wife, leaning in a bit as if feeling affectionate. “At least, I hope so.”
“So that’s it? You two got married?” She looks at Alicia, raising her brows. “Without giving a word to your professors? Or even bothering to reach out? Not that I’m not pleased for you. Congratulations,” she adds as an afterthought.
I squeeze Alicia’s hand, signaling for her to fall in line. “Thank you,” she murmurs with a little shrug. “And I know I should have made arrangements. But like he said—”
“I wasn’t about to be refused. I mean, the whole thing was like a fairy tale. I couldn’t help but be swept up in the moment.” I shrug, chuckling. “Call me impulsive, but if there’s one thing we Italians know about besides pasta, it’s romance.”
“That’s lovely, and like I said, I’m glad for you. But we do have policies for a reason. If everyone left town to get married at the drop of a hat, how would anyone earn enough credits to graduate? And if we look the other way, we’d have to look the other way for everyone. It just isn’t fair.” At least she manages to sound sympathetic, even if she isn’t telling me what I want to hear.
“And I am sorry about that, really, I am.” All right, so there’s no point in trying to appeal to her romantic side. It seems she doesn’t have much of one—I notice the absence of family pictures on her desk, not to mention her bare ring finger.
I lean forward a little, looking only at her. She’s the only person in the world right now. “There must be something we can arrange. What if I promise to make sure Mrs. De Luca makes up the work? I’ll chain her to her desk if need be. I’ll withhold meals if that’s what it takes.”
A giggle bubbles up and out of her before she can stop it. “All right, that won’t be necessary.”
“Whatever you say. I just want to make sure you know how serious I am about this. We wouldn’t be having this problem if it wasn’t for me. So I am willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.” I lower my brow, grinning. “Whatever it takes, Catherine.”
That did it. Her cheeks flush, and she averts her gaze, but not soon enough. She’s interested. I have her on the hook.
The key here is not to lose sight of the big picture and try to reel her in too quickly. This takes control, discipline. “So what can I do? Could this perhaps be settled via a donation to the school? I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but my family is quite prosperous. Back in Italy, we’re well-known and respected. With that comes money—or is it the other way around? Does the respect come because of the money?” I screw up my face like I’m thinking, and she giggles again.