Alia swallowed, her lips slightly parted. They were so close, just re inches apart. If she leaned forward even just the slightest, their lips would touch.
Her eyes fell upon Matteo’s pink lips, and she wondered for a brief second how soft they would be.
Snapping out of it, she quickly turned her head away. A blush of red crept up the sides of her neck and onto the apples of her cheeks. Alia felt as though her entire body was burning alive.
"I..." she stamred, unable to keep a coherent thought, "I... It doesn’t really concern ..."
Suddenly, the shadow that lood over her disappeared. Alia could feel the temperature in the room cool down significantly, and she quickly turned her head to see that Matteo had already pulled back. The look in his eyes was cold and distant, and the expression on his face was equally unreadable.
"Oh?" he mused, although he didn’t flinch even the slightest. There was even a hint of disappointnt lacing his voice, though Alia quickly shook her head and shot the idea down.
She must be imagining it. Why would he be disappointed?
Matteo turned, quickly walking over to the bed before laying down on one side, making himself comfortable. He picked up the laptop that had been placed on the bedside table and switched it on, the light quickly shining on his face in the dim lighting of the room.
Alia shifted where she stood. Then, it finally hit her.
"Mr. Montgory," she asked, "is this your room?"
Matteo, who had treated her as though she was nothing more than a fly sitting in a corner of his room, finally looked up. His fingers hovered over the keyboard as he raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," he said. "Where else do you think this was?"
Instantly, it was as though a bucket of cold water had been thrown over Alia’s head, drenching her through to the bone. She quickly took a look around― minimalistic decor, a spacious room, a connecting bathroom and wardrobe area...
She wanted to kick herself. She should’ve known.
"The guestroom isn’t available tonight, unfortunately," Matteo calmly said before he returned to his work.
"Are there no other bedrooms available?" Alia timidly asked. This was a huge penthouse. There surely had to be other bedrooms other than just one.
He began to type again as he spoke. "They were refurbished for other anities," Matteo said. "If you don’t mind, you can sleep here. It’s big enough for two. If you’re still uncomfortable, I’ll move to the couch―"
"No!" Alia all but exclaid. She couldn’t let her boss sleep on the couch in his own house while she took his bed! If that happened, she might as well tender her resignation then and there.
Then, she rembered why exactly the only guestroom in the penthouse was occupied. There was a girl staying over, and as far as Alia knew from the tabloids, Matteo Montgory had no sisters. Matteo hadn’t rebutted her earlier statent as well.
"Why not invite your girlfriend to sleep with you?" Alia suggested.
In an instant, Matteo’s expression crashed and fell, darkening into the color of soot. As if to relay his emotions, lightning and thunder crackled outside, the bright light shining in through the sheer curtains.
The sound of the sudden torrential downpour quickly filled the room, and Alia bit her bottom lip.
But it made sense! They had already done more than just sleeping on the sa bed― Matteo was practically naked in the mysterious woman’s bedroom just now, with nothing on other than a towel, fresh out of the shower! Maybe they even showered together, for all Alia knew― not that she wanted to know.
It made perfect sense. Unfortunately, judging by Matteo’s expression, it was not a great suggestion, and the more Alia blabbered, the higher the chances she was going to get herself fired.
"Alia," Matteo slowly said. He made a curling motion with his index finger. "Co here."
She gulped, her heart racing as cold sweat began to bead across her forehead. Her hands were starting to grow clammy, and she could even feel a thin layer of sweat coating her back, causing her fresh new clothes to stick uncomfortably to her skin.
However, her legs began to move robotically towards Matteo as per his command. As she made her way over and got closer to the bed, Matteo calmly placed the laptop down on the bedside table, closing the screen. Before she completely ca around to his side, he reached out.
A yelp of surprise flew past Alia’s lips when Matteo’s fingers curled around her wrist, tugging her. He didn’t pull hard, but as she was caught off guard, Alia fell right onto the bed and into his awaiting arms.
Matteo’s hands wrapped around her waist, holding her steady, but half of her body was sprawled over him while her hands were pressed against his broad shoulders to hold herself up, preventing herself from completely lying on top of him.
Close up, Alia looked up just in ti to see the corner of Matteo’s lips curled into a slight smirk. But before she could look again to double confirm, it had faded, and Matteo regained his standard stoic expression.
His fingers curled around her hair, toying with the damp strands before pursing his lips into a fine line.
"Did you not dry your hair?" he asked, and Alia’s mouth fell open.
"Huh?"
He ignored the flabbergasted expression on her face before he gently slid out of bed, quickly disappearing into the bathroom, and leaving Alia shell-shocked on the bed alone. Before she could even wonder what he was up to, Matteo erged with a hairdryer, plugging it in before beckoning Alia to sit closer to the edge.
She did as told, moving along like a puppet under the puppeteer’s command. Her back now faced Matteo. His long fingers began to dig into her hair, allowing the gentle warmth of the hairdryer to run through each damp strand.
With the way his fingers massaged her scalp, Alia was close to falling asleep. It had been a long tiring day, and the gentle hum of the hairdryer and the fresh mint scent that was wafting off of Matteo’s body was an oddly soothing combination.
Right before she dozed off, she heard a series of words that caused her eyes to shoot open once more.
"Matteo, you there? I’m coming in!"
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