Forbidden Deception (Deception)

18

H ours pass with me giving Rafael glares all through his viewing of the land the next day. Lunch rolls around soon enough, and my stomach agrees. I can’t be angry at him forever, and I will need to be his friend. My plan to be his friend is going south when he clearly wants to fuck me.

He doesn’t want friendship. But I will need to force it on him.

That is all I can provide. I don’t even remotely want to explore any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with Rafael. Be it friends with benefits or an actual relationship. Only platonic friendship is allowed.

My curiosity should only be platonic, but it isn’t, and I need to keep my emotions in check. I have my brother counting on me. I have to betray the man next to me, and I cannot allow myself to fall for or even feel for a man who will not want to look me in the face once this is over.

I can’t do that to myself.

Silently walking next to Rafael has me questioning what kind of man he is outside of the office. And for the past day or so, I have been seeing this patient man take on new heights with how organised and passionate he is about his work. His working schedule is tight, yet he doesn’t dismiss me when I have a question regarding work, no matter what call or deadline he may have.

Not only is he putting trust in me; he is also gaining my trust too.

A weird trust at that.

“Should we grab a quick lunch?” I say. My stomach grumbles at that exact moment, making my cheeks heat. I look away in case Rafael heard it.

“Yeah, someone seems quite hungry.”

My head snaps towards him, and the knowing glint in his eyes makes me narrow mine.

“Are you trying to make fun of me, mister?”

He shakes his head, lips tilting up. He leads us into a small diner on the street. A hand touches my lower back, and I stiffen, the touch a burning sensation that sends my heart into a spiral.

Why is he touching like this? So intimately?

It may be crowded, but Rafael has never taken an approach like this before. Okay, he did last night, but that didn’t seem to be on his focus when we had been viewing the landscapes not long ago.

We breeze through the crowd and the waiter shows us to our seats. Thankfully, we get seated by the clear window facing the open ocean in front of us. I’m glad Rafael doesn’t want to dine privately, because I love people around me. I love the buzz of it, the livelihood, the atmosphere, and the vibes.

My phone buzzes.

Danyi: I want to be in your place so bad. I hope Greece is good and Mr Gustav doesn’t bother you.

I smile.

Venezia : Just a whole thunderstorm of a man. Can’t really escape his mood swings :(

Danyi: Yeah, no. Maybe not so jealous anymore. Good luck with him.

A laugh bursts out of me, catching Rafael’s attention. His eyes flicker to my phone, to my face, then back to his menu.

“I’m so excited. First up, a Greek salad because that is one thing I will not pass up,” I comment while my eyes scan the English menu. “Take your pick, Rafael. It looks pretty busy, so we should order as soon as we can.”

No one in London knows me as Remo’s sister, so I have been able to enjoy many places around the city. Being here in Greece gives me the exact same feeling. While the workload is quite high, I still want to try everything while I am here.

A waiter shows up, pulls out his pad, and smiles at us both. “Are you guys ready to order?” I’m surprised to hear him speak English but then again, with the high tourist rates in Santorini, an English speaking waiter would make sense.

“Yes, I would love a Greek salad and an octopus, and pair that with Greek fries,” I say, placing my menu down and glancing at Rafael to see him amused.

“I’ll have the same main dish as her and an extra Greek salad.”

“Of course. Anything else?”

We give him our drink orders, and then he is gone, leaving us to ourselves.

I look back at Rafael to find him lounging back in the wooden chairs. The tablecloths are white, and there are blue plates and cutlery. Rafael looks so handsome compared to everyone else.

My heart softens with longing.

I place my chin on my hand.

“Rafael,” I murmur.

He raises his brows, his sole attention on me.

“Truth or dare?” I bite my lip, hoping he doesn’t dismiss it.

He leans forward as if whispering a secret, his eyes set on me. Something about the way he is looking at me makes my heart beat faster. There is something else brimming in his eyes, and I’m scared to explore that.

“Truth,”

“Tell me a deep secret of yours that you haven’t told anyone ever”. I raise my brows, waiting, knowing he won’t do it. He will give me a white lie, if anything.

“Do you really want to know?”

I nod. “I mean, I know it will come in the form of a lie, because you want to get me off your back—”

“You are the only assistant so far who has impressed me.”

My face lights up like a damn Christmas tree. I lean forward, absolutely ecstatic that I have impressed Rafael,

“Really? No. You’re lying. I don’t believe it.” I shake my head, laughing it off.

Rafael grabs my hand leisurely, like we have been doing this forever, and I choke on my laughter. Him touching me with such softness when he is a ruthless, tainted businessman, is not normal.

“I’m not. I’m not a man who lies often, Venezia.”

My face might be showing my distrust because he sighs, running a hand through his luscious hair, and looks out at the ocean.

He’s still holding my hand, running a finger over the back of it.

“It’s true, I may not have voiced it, but you have not once lashed out at me, nor have you lost your patience with me when I threw so much at you. I initially hoped you would resign, but you didn’t seem like the type to give up so easily. I saw your determination from the first time we met.” His words don’t feel right.

They just don’t. But the look on his face, the clear honesty, says the thousands of words he hasn’t uttered yet. How could I counter that?

“Your turn. Truth or dare?”

I blink, my eyes falling to my hand on the table that is still in his hold, and my chest expands, warmth filling every crevice.

“Truth,” I croak, my voice failing on me.

Rafael smirks, glancing down at our joined hands, and then he starts running his thumb over the back of my hand. And my heart bursts inside of me.

“What’s one private thought you’ve had about me that you never want me to know?”

Now, it’s my turn to smirk while I lean forward, my heart still thundering from his thumb rhythmically brushing over my hand.

“Would you truly want to know? It may hurt your feelings, Rafael.” I grin, knowing he won’t care.

He shrugs. “When have I ever been hurt by what you’ve said, Venezia?”

His words put a halt to my thoughts, but I internally shake my head to snap out of it.

How do I tell him that wanting him has become my biggest desire?

How do I ever voice that aloud? He has been honest with me, and I don’t want him to think I’m not being honest either. Yet, the atmosphere around us has put some kind of spell on me because the next words tumble out of me without a second thought.

“You’re exactly my type.” I force myself to keep a mask on, to not show the regret that is so desperately eating at me from the inside.

I shouldn’t have said that.

Rafael reels back, shock taking over his body.

“I didn’t mean I would cross our boundaries. I promise I didn’t mean it like that,” I rush out, my hand in his tightening so he doesn’t turn away from me nor treat me any differently.

“Ah, fuck. I bet you get this from your female colleagues all the time. Let’s forget I said that. Rewind and ask me another question,” I continue, my heart racing for a completely different reason.

If Rafael fires me, Remo would be so mad. I clearly remember Rafael wanting me out of his office because he didn’t find me good enough.

“Please, Rafael, let’s forget about this.” Desperation takes over my voice.

Rafael clears his throat, his eyes on his hand that is now in my hold this time. He looks up at me, and funnily enough, I don’t think I find anger in his expression at all. If anything, he seems interested, fascinated, or even curious.

“What exactly is your type?” His question throws me off.

“Rafael, I—”

“What is your type, Venezia?” He pushes, his eyes dark.

The waiter arrives, saving me from answering the question and giving me enough time to think.

I promised myself I won’t cross the line; yet here I am, blurring it.

“Enjoy!” The waiter walks away, but Rafael doesn’t look away from me, waiting for my answer.

“Older, handsome, dominant, and very much protective. I’ve watched my brother with his wife for years. I’ve seen the love they have, and the extreme lengths he’s willing to go to to protect her. I see a bit of a glimpse of it in you. I see what I want in you,” I confess, my eyes cast down.

“I see. Look at me, Venezia.”

I shake my head.

His voice quietens to a soft whisper that I barely hear above the crowd in the restaurant. “Look at me.”

I look up to find him watching me intensely.

And then, I see it.

His mask slips, and the almost emotionless face I’ve been looking at for the past couple of months melts away. There is clear emotion on Rafael’s face. It’s like he was hiding himself from me, fearing I may use something against him.

“Well then… I guess confessions are out of the way now.” He picks up his fork and nods at me to do so, too. “Your turn.”

“Truth or dare?” I ask without a second thought.

What is going on?

“Truth.”

Confidence rises in me, and I smirk. My next question will definitely surprise him. He doesn’t seem to be affected by my confession. So surely, I can tease him about it now.

“Tell me, Rafael, with your experience in your current position, acquiring new lands, building proposals, and working with such a high number of team members, you’ve surely had many assistants, right?”

He frowns but nods.

“Have you ever fucked an assistant before, Mr Gustav?”

A ghost of a smile touches Rafael’s lips. He pushes his tongue against a cheek and looks to the side, his sharp jaw ticks and perfectly done hair takes hold of my attention.

Rafael doesn’t look fazed, though. He reaches for me and grabs a strand of hair. He tugs at it hard, then tucks it behind my ear.

“Would you like to be the first assistant I fuck?”

I narrow my eyes at him, ignoring the jump in my heart.

“You can’t answer a question with a question.”

His hand moves down my neck, his fingers fluttering over my pulse, which is throbbing. My heart is racing at his crude words, and my desire is more prominent than ever.

Yes, I do desire Rafael, but I can’t cross this path. It cannot be.

He doesn’t answer, but his hand retreats, a stupid smile on his face while he takes a bite of the salad.

“Do you make it a habit to flirt with women half your age?”

A laugh spills out of Rafael, and he throws his head back while his lips stretch into a wide smile. He looks so sexy with a smile on his face, and I am having a hard time believing that he is the same man who was once so dismissive, cold, and outright rude to me.

“Only with brats like you.” He winks, and my mouth drops open.

I am supposed to throw him off, to make him tell me to shut up, but he is engaging in this, and is asking me questions that suggest that he is imagining this. Us. Fucking.

A deep blush starts from my chest and creeps up my neck and all the way to my face.

Rafael smirks.

“Brats like me? How many are there?” I grit out, something very much akin to molten lava boiling inside of me. Fury takes over me like never before, imagining him on a trip like this with another assistant who flirted with him.

I said it as a joke, but it doesn’t feel that way now.

“You’re the first one I want to punish for acting like one.”