The Unexpected Heiress [ON HOLD]

Nine

Chapter Nine (picture of Leila)

Good morning, cara. Carpool with me to the office? Be there in thirty. 

Gemma reread the text message several times, and each time her heart started to beat faster and faster. She was currently sitting at her round kitchen table when Monday rolled around, mindlessly eating cereal when her phone lit up. No one usually sent her texts or calls this early in the morning. If ever, it would usually be her dad, Leila, or Sam letting her know he was on his way. Now that Marcelo and her exchanged numbers, finally, she’d been getting personal texts from him.

Now Gemma was the one who called Sam and told him his services weren’t needed this morning. She definitely was not passing up the precious time she would be able to spend with Marcelo before the workday started. She meant it when she told him they couldn’t mix their work and their relationship…or lack thereof. The situation she and Marcelo were in wasn’t technically a relationship.

Gemma took a deep breath and sighed. No, she wouldn’t worry over this. She’d do what Leila advised: to go with the flow. Everything was only going to be complicated if she made it complicated.

She was already dressed in something different than her usual office attire. Instead of the skirts or pantsuits she wore, Gemma put on a conservative black dress. The only tasks she needed to complete that morning before leaving was brushing her teeth, twice, and spraying on perfume. She would be lying to herself if she said the extra effort wasn’t for Marcelo.

She got ready in just the nick of time; she was already getting out of the elevator to the lobby when she received another text from Marcelo.

 Whenever you’re ready…

Gemma closed her eyes and took a deep breath before stepping out of the main doors to her apartment building. She looked around for the car she was familiar with but it was not in sight. For a second she had the thought that Marcelo was playing with her, but she dismissed it as soon as it entered her mind.

She glanced down at her phone when it chimed once more.

To your left, cara.

She scanned the few cars to her left, and found one in particular with a driver outside seeking her eyes. He beckoned for her to come, and she did so hesitantly. It was a very nice car but different from the sports car she was used to.

“Miss Braxton?” The driver with a tough physique, which made her feel even smaller, asked her. Gemma nodded. “Mr. Valacari is waiting for you.”

He opened the backdoor, and Gemma peeped inside curiously. Sure enough, once she was in, Marcelo was seated on the other side with an enchanting smile focused at her, and her only. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He looked even more handsome, if that was possible, in his suit and freshly shaved face. He was toying with his phone in his hands, the same phone that sent texts to her.

“Buongiorno,” Gemma broke the thick silence between the two after the car started moving. She won a smile from Marcelo after greeting him in his native language. “I thought you would be driving.” She didn’t meet his eyes and looked around in the commodious space inside the car. There was a divider between the backseat and the driver which she thought only was in limos.

“I didn’t feel like it today,” he explained grabbing a hold of her hand. He fingered the ring on her hand before intertwining his fingers with hers. “I wanted to keep my attention on you before we have to hide our relationship for twelve hours.”

Oh Lord. “Marcelo, we are not hiding this…thing between us. We’re just simply separating work and this thing.”

He chuckled, leaning over to her. “This thing? I love what you call our relationship.” He kissed her lips right then silencing any protests that might come out of her mouth.