HIS POSSESSION

Matteo, Again

Emma's office.

Emma drummed her pen against her desk quietly while checking the entrance to her department's office every now and then. She had been waiting for her boss to return from the meeting with the lawyers from Mortelli empire and while she'd normally not be worried after a client assured them they'd work with them, she couldn't help worry with how Lisa had been smiling all morning like she knew something again.

Like how she knew they were supposed to be pitching to Mr Mortelli and her(Emma) didn't.

Her boss walked in and she rushed over to his desk. "Sir," She greeted. "How'd the meeting go?"

Her boss looked up and sighed. "The lawyers haven't come in. That meeting was with HR."

"Oh," Emma smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Emma. You're one of the people I'll miss working with down here."

"Well, hopefully, I'll soon join you and the others on the upper floor." She chuckled but couldn't help but notice the look of pity on his face. She became uneased. Something was definitely wrong now, she was sure.

On her way back to her desk, Lisa stood in her way. "Did he tell you yet?" She probed.

"Tell me what?" Emma asked.

Lisa sighed dramatically. "If he hasn't told you, who am I to tell you..." She paused with a fist beneath her chin like she was thinking."...Oh, I know. I'm your boss. I'm replacing him as the head of this department."

"That's not true," Emma swallowed. "I sold the project, not you."

"Yeah, you did. Who knew you could. But unfortunately, HR thinks I'm better to lead this department than you are." Lisa bragged and went back to her desk.

Emma turned back to where her boss was. He was clearing his desk. "Sorry, Emma. It wasn't in my hands." She heard him say and just left the office because tears had started to well up in her eyes.

*****

Later.

Emma stopped at the door to her apartment and took out her keys with a tired sigh, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

She paused in her steps.

Matteo was sitting on her couch. Matteo Mortelli. For a moment, Emma genuinely thought her mind had finally given up on her from thinking of him too much, but she wasn't imagining things.

His head was thrown back against the cushion, his face tilted toward the ceiling, his eyes closed as though he had been sitting there for hours and his prominent Adam's apple sitting on his neck proudly. His black shirt was slightly rumpled, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his forearms and the veins running beneath his skin.

The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his watch sat neatly around his left wrist while his gold rings caught the light on his fingers.

He looked comfortable, way too comfortable like he lived there. Like she was the one who had walked into his apartment.

Emma stood frozen in the doorway, her heart beating so hard she could feel it in her throat. Shock came first, followed almost immediately by excitement, and that second feeling was so unexpected that it frightened her more than the first.

‘What the hell was wrong with me?’ She thought to herself because there was a strange man sitting inside her apartment. A man who had somehow gotten past a locked door. And yet, instead of screaming, instead of running, instead of doing any of the reasonable things her brain was begging her to do, she was standing there staring at the strong lines of his arms and wondering why the sight of his rolled-up sleeves looked so good on him.

She slowly reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. Matteo's eyes opened and Emma froze again. It was almost like he could feel what she was just about to do. He turned his head toward her, and a slow smile touched his lips.

"Hello, pretty." She heard him say in that coaxing voice of his.

"Don't," she said, her thumb hovering over the screen.

Matteo's brows lifted slightly. "Don't what?"

"Don't move from there."

"I wasn't planning to. At least, not yet." His smile turned into a teasing smirk, just like in the conference room.

"Don't joke with me."

"I'm not." His deep voice was seductively rough, almost like he was reeling her in.

She stared at him, still holding her phone tightly in her hand. Matteo looked from her face to the phone, and something almost amused passed through his eyes.

"Are you calling the police?"

Emma swallowed. "Yes."

"It looks like you are contemplating if not to." He teased again, knowing for sure she wasn't planning to.

"Stop," She muttered, trying not to lean into the comfort his playful presence was providing.

His smile deepened. "I'm just saying. You haven't called them yet."

"I will. If you move from there." She swallowed, wondering if she was playing too riskily with the situation.

"You won't."

Emma frowned. "You're very confident for a man sitting illegally in someone's apartment. How'd you even get in?" She looked briefly at the window near her room. It was still shut tight how she left it.

Matteo finally sat up properly and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm not sitting here illegally."

"What?"

"I have a key."

Emma stared at him. He stared back. Then, despite herself, she laughed. "What?" She asked again.

"I have a key," he repeated. "So It's not illegal. Don't you think? I mean logically, I didn't break in. I came in through the door." Emma stared at him still without an answer. "You asked me how I got in." He shrugged playfully.

"Yes, through my locked door." She scoffed. She had never seen a man so confident.

"Exactly. With a key." He said calmly.

Emma shook her head, almost laughing again because none of this made sense. She still couldn't quite believe he was here. She reached up and pinched the inside of her arm.

Matteo watched her, a teasing smile came up on his lips again. "Did that help?"

She looked at him. "No."

His smile got wider.

God, she hated how much she liked that smile. She couldn't believe everyone in her department freaked out when they heard his name. Everyone including her.

Emma looked back at her phone, and before she could decide whether to actually call the police, Matteo got to his feet. He moved toward her slowly, not rushing, not reaching for her, giving her enough time to step back if she wanted to.

She didn't.

He stopped in front of her. "These are for you," He pulled out a bouquet of black roses from behind him.

Emma's eyes popped. She wasn't really a fan of flowers but the black roses caught her interest.

"Congratulations on your sale yesterday," He pinched her cheek playfully, bringing her back from her thoughts.