Page 8 of Temptation
“Unfortunately, this is not an option at the moment. .”
“Why?” My voice is laced with a mixture of fear and defiance. “Why am I here?” A desperate quiver breaks my voice, undoing all my efforts to appear unfazed by the man looming over me.
For a long, tense moment, he studies my face, his eyes burning into my skin. I can practically feel his gaze tracing the lines of my features as if searching for some hidden truth. And for the briefest of instants, his expression falters, a shadow of concern flickering across his handsome face, just like back in my classroom. It’s a momentary crack in his hard exterior, but his stoic mask slips back into place in the blink of an eye.
“Because,” he begins, “you either saved my kids from a kidnapping attempt, exposing the would-be abductor and putting your own life in danger…”
“Or?” I prompt, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Or you were an accomplice in the attack, which means you can lead me to the person responsible,” he finishes, his voice devoid of any emotion.
“I-I’m their teacher,” I protest. “Why on earth would I ever try to hurt them?” I intentionally leave out the fact that crossing his family would be suicidal. I’m pretty sure he knows that already.
“I don’t know. You tell me.” To my surprise, Fabrizio lets go of me and climbs off the bed, but his icy eyes remain locked on me. He looks like a predator sizing up his prey, clearly assessing if I’m stupid enough to try and make a run for it again.
I sit up slowly and pull my legs underneath me. “I had nothing to do with this… You can just let me go.”
He shakes his head, his face hardening, his expression unreadable.
“The guy in the classroom… what did he look like?” The question catches me off guard.
“I don’t know. I-I didn’t really see anything.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath, my mind racing as I try to remember any detail, no matter how small. “He was white. And young. But I couldn’t see much. It—everything happened so fast.”
It’s the truth, but probably not the answer he is looking for. I get off the bed and face him, trying my best to stand my ground. “Now let me go. Please.”
Fabrizio doesn’t respond; instead, he grabs my arms and pulls me toward him. His touch is like a brand, hot and unyielding. His warm breath grazes my cheek as he leans down, his lips inches from mine.
Jolts of electricity run through me, heat prickling every inch of my face.What the hell is wrong with me?“I assume you know who I am and who my family is,” he says, his voice low and menacing, each word a reminder of who holds the power here.
“Y-Yes,” I whisper.
“Then you should be aware of what I’m capable of.” I swallow hard and nod, my nose brushing against his. Even though the intimate position makes my skin crawl and my heart race, I keep my eyes on him.
“That doesn’t change the fact that I know nothing about what happened.”
Suddenly, he backs away from me, taking a deep breath. The sudden distance between us is both a relief and a strangeness. I manage not to back away from his intense gaze.
“I’ve taken the children out of school temporarily. It’s too dangerous for them to return right now,” he explains matter-of-factly. “And the same goes for you.”
An ice-cold chill runs down my spine at the implication. “What? No, I have to return—”
“You are on a leave of absence. But, of course, you will be compensated for your time.”
What the fuck?
“And what about my life? My plans? How dare you—”
“Coincidentally, I require a new nanny for the time being,” he cuts me off.
“What are you talking about?” My voice is shaking, my mind reeling. The pounding in my head increases by the second as I try to follow his words and implications.
“You’ll stay here, taking care of the kids and homeschooling them.” The words drop between us like a bomb.
“No.”
Fabrizio steps closer, towering over me. “I wasn’t asking, Ms. Walsh.”
“Y-You can’t just keep m-me here,” I stammer, barely audible.
