Chapter 16: Chapter 16

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Dario all day. I even agreed to meet him for a quick cup of coffee a couple of blocks away from the ballet company, which means I haven’t had time to eat dinner.

I have the burger I got from the diner in the secondhand bag, which I bought at a thrift store earlier. I’ll eat it during my shift at work.

I walk to Half & Half, the coffee shop where I’m meeting Dario, and as soon as I enter the establishment, I spot him sitting at a corner table with his back to the wall.

He instantly notices me and stands up. When I’m close enough, he pulls me into a tight-as-hell hug, which I love.

Holding each other for a moment, I soak in the warmth coming from his body and the feel of his arms around me.

Yep, I’ve got it bad for this man.

He pulls back and presses a kiss to my mouth before he smiles at me, his eyes roaming over my face.

“I missed you.”

“You saw me yesterday,” I chuckle as we let go of each other and take our seats.

“Yeah, but that was hours ago,” he complains. “I wish you didn’t have to go to work. I need more than ten minutes of your time.”

My stomach grumbles loudly, which has Dario’s eyes snapping to my waist. “Are you hungry?”

I wave a hand in the air. “I’ll eat when I get to work.”

There’s a rough edge to his tone when he asks, “What have you eaten today?”

Something tells me I’ll be late for work if I admit I haven’t had time to eat all day. This morning, I was busy with Winston, who fixed the heating in my apartment, and the shift at the diner was so crazy I didn’t even get to drink something.

Lying, I say, “I had a big lunch. Stop worrying.”

“What can I get you?” Dario asks as he stands up again.

“A hot chocolate, please.”

“Be right back.”

I watch him walk to the counter and take in the light blue suit he’s wearing today. The color suits him, and he looks way too attractive.

I glance at the other tables and notice how women take notice of him, and it makes jealousy bleed into my chest.

When Dario’s done placing our order, he glances at me, and the corner of his mouth lifts in a sexy grin.

He keeps staring at me until the barista tells him the order is ready, and as he brings our beverages to the table, it starts to sink in that Dario is really interested in me.

He sets the steaming mug down in front of me, and moving his chair closer to mine, he sits down.

“Hi,” I whisper.

He lifts his hand and brushes the back of his knuckles over my cheek before wrapping his hand around the side of my neck and leaning in for another kiss.

Against my lips, he murmurs, “Hi.”

When he pulls back, and our eyes meet, I fall a little more for him. If we weren’t in public, I’d be on his lap in a flash.

Dario tilts his head, and with a tender expression on his face, he asks, “What’s that look for?”

“I’m trying not to fall head over heels for you,” I admit.

A mischievous grin spreads over his face. “I’ll have to up my game to make sure that happens.”

“You up your game anymore, and I might just propose to you,” I joke.

“Yeah.” Leaning in, he steals another kiss. “As much as I want to beg you to take off from work, I know you have to go, so drink your hot chocolate. I’ll drop you off at the diner so we can spend a couple of minutes longer together.”

Shit.

My mind races to come up with a valid excuse as to why Dario can’t take me to work.

“Ah…it’s not far. I’ll walk.”

“Then I’ll walk with you,” Dario offers.

The only diner in our near vicinity is in the opposite direction of the ballet company, and it would be too risky. What if Dario decides to surprise me at the diner only to find out I don’t work there?

Shit.

What do I do?

His eyes narrow on my face. “Or not? Do you have a problem with me taking you to work?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to spill the truth to him, but I’m too scared. What if it’s something he can’t get past? What if he has a policy that he doesn’t date employees?

What if he fires me for fucking him while I was supposed to be working?

And then there’s all the hours I’ve stolen to dance in the studio to also keep in mind.

I chicken out at the last second and say, “You need to get to the ballet company. I know you’re very busy with the upcoming show. Besides, I’m going to call a friend and catch up with her on the way to work.”

I can see Dario’s not happy with the poor excuse, but luckily, he doesn’t push the subject.

I take a couple of sips of my beverage before I press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Getting up, I say, “Good luck at work.”

As I turn around to leave, Dario grabs hold of my hand and rises to his full height.

“Are you upset because I offered to take you to work?”

I quickly shake my head. “Of course not.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

I move closer to him, and smiling, I press a decent kiss to his mouth before saying, “Nothing’s wrong. Call me when you’re done with rehearsals?”

He nods, and when I pull my hand free, he lets me go.

When I’m out of the coffee shop, I rush to the corner and glance over my shoulder. Not seeing Dario, I quickly break out into a run toward the ballet company.

My heart is a thundering mess in my chest and my lungs are on fire as I dart past Quincy’s desk, barely able to call out, “Hi.”

“What’s the hurry?” he shouts after me, but I don’t waste time to stop and answer him.

Dario can be here any second.

Only when I reach the safety of the locker room, do I drop my bag on the floor and suck in desperate breaths of air.

Jesus.

Using the back of my hand, I wipe the sweat from my forehead before drinking some water straight from the faucet. I put on my apron and cap and hurry to where the supplies are kept.

Knowing everyone will be in the auditorium, I retrieve my cleaning cart and push it toward the offices.

When I’m done with Mrs. Stafford’s office, I move to the next one. It’s only then that I realize it must be the one Dario uses.

As I polish the wooden desk, I glance around, but I don’t see anything to confirm it’s Dario’s.

I’ve just finished mopping the floor, and when I push the cart toward the door, it suddenly opens.

Dario walks in with his phone pressed to his ear. “Give me a week, and I’ll find out everything about the group.”

My heart almost jumps out of my chest. I duck my head low and push the cart so damn fast out of the office, praying Dario doesn’t recognize my clothes under the apron.

I need to bring an extra set of clothes to wear at work.

Before the door shuts, I hear him say, “It will cost a hundred thousand. The regular price.”

My eyebrows fly up as I move down the hallway in the direction of the studios.

Jesus, that’s a lot of money. It will last me a lifetime and then some.

Wondering what could cost so much, I continue working while being extra careful not to cross paths with Dario again for the rest of the night.