01: OCEAN WATER
Mayaโs POV
"Hey, pretty girl. Put that down before you hurt yourself. This is a men's site.โ
The voice is a growl, dripping with the kind of overconfidence men get when they think having a dick between their legs makes them special.
I turn slowly. Eyes on him.
"Make me put it down, grandpa."
His face goes purple. He opens his mouth, but then Matt walks over to our site, face pinched under the blazing sun.
"What's going on here?"
"Matt! Are you seeing this? There's a girl on my site. I put you in charge to keep the men in line, and this is what walks in?"
"I brought her here, Jerry," Matt says.
"But that's against the rules." Jerry growls, walking over, as if to hit me. I smirk. The asshole can't even look me in the eye. That's just how short he is. He notices me looking down at him and takes two steps back.
Good choice, motherfucker.
"Look Jerry," Matt says, "Hear me out. This is Danny's girl. Danny, who poured foundations with me for ten years. She's got nothing in her fridge but cup noodles. Give her a week. She really needs this jobโ"
"Not my problem man. There's a strip club two blocks down. Girls like her make good money there."
I stop listening entirely, forcing my attention on the bulldozer a couple yards away and the uniformed men shoveling cement. Sweat trickles down my temple, and dust clings to my forearms beneath the rolled-up sleeves of my shirt.
Matthew Jacob is someone I genuinely respect. Not just because he was a friend of my father, but because he's a decent man. The only man who's bothered to help me for what I can do instead of trying to shove a hand into my bra to weigh my tits. His only flaw is his big mouth.
Like right now. All he has to do is tell this old geezer I used to wrestle. That's all. I'm good on my feet and quick with my hands. Anyone with working eyes can see my biceps through this damn vest. And I'm sure as shit more packed than fifty percent of the guys here.
But, of course, because I'm a woman, he has to tell him my sob story to keep me in a job that barely pays twenty bucks an hour.
Twenty-five years old and I still get treated like shit.
I drop the brick and flop down, rolling my eyes. It hits the concrete with a dull clatter, leaving a fine layer of dust on my palms.
Might as well rest for a bit while Matt sorts things out with the oldโ
Screech!
The sound of tires on crushed concrete snaps my attention toward the main building, still under construction.
A black limousine pulls to a stop in front of it.
Everyone stops what they're doing, including Matt and the old geezer. They stand behind me, wearing expressions that almost look like awe.
"That's him. The owner of the building," Jerry says, leaning against me as if he wasn't being a misogynistic asshole just a couple of minutes ago.
"I thought you said he wasn't coming until after the building was complete," Matt replies.
"I don't know. I'm confused too."
The limousine doors open, and a buff man in a black suit steps out. The buff man's hair is slicked back, and he opens a black umbrella.
Huh. Dramatic much?
He hurries to the other side of the car and opens the door. From this distance, I catch sight of a shiny shoe, followed by another.
Then the other man steps out fully, his back turned to us. The umbrella tilts over him.
"Quick, zip your vest," Matt whispers.
"Why?" I ask, my eyes still fixed on Mr. Mobster.
"What do you mean, why?" Jerry hisses. "We can't have the boss seeing a woman on the construction site. What if he docks our pay or, worse, retracts our contract? I've got eleven men depending on this job."
"Jeez, you're taking this thing too far." I sigh. "Who is that man anyway? The one holding the umbrellla.โ
"That man is Luca, our boss. The one beside himโฆ well no one knows his real name around here but heโs the owner of this building. Though some of the younglings say he's a celebrity or something."
"Huh. For a second there, I thought he was Angel Gabriel orโ"
I don't finish the sentence because Matt smacks me on the head.
"Just shut up and zip up," he says.
I roll my eyes and zip up.
"Some say he's turning the place into an art gallery," Jerry mutters.
Art. Out of everything you could build.
This place was a mall once. It burned down, and my mother died inside.
Now they're turning it into a gallery.
The mysterious man is still standing under the umbrella, deep in conversation with the buff guy, when he suddenly turns.
I can't see his face yet, but he's wearing a black tailored suit. He's also packed with muscle, judging by the breadth of his shoulders. Six foot three, maybe.
I know I should look away, but for some odd reason, I can't.
He walks toward us. Slow. The umbrella tilts with him. Twenty yards. Fifteen. Ten.
The world narrows around me. Every sound becomes a buzz, and then, as if he can feel my eyes on him, the umbrella lifts just a fraction.
Our eyes meet.
The sound that leaves me doesn't sound like mine. My heart slams once, hard. Heat crawls up my neck.
Ocean water.
That's the first thing I think of. Yes, it has to be. That's the colour of his eyes. A very light blue, almost unreal.
Black hair falls across his forehead. Long lashes. Angular jaw. Pretty, almost girl-pretty, on a man built like that. A silver ring glints through his lower lip.
And his skin. His face is so pale that I can make out a blue vein along his jaw.
Then he frowns, like I'm the last person he expected to see.
I frown back. What the hell?
The frown slips. One corner of his mouth lifts. A smirk, slow and knowing.
Just when I think I can't get any more confused, the smirk curves into a smile. And it's all teeth.
My skin prickles. My stomach turns over.
"Get back to work, kiddo. These bricks won't lift themselves."
Thankfully, Matt's voice drags my attention away, forcing me back to work.
"I'm only letting this slide because Matt vouched for you.โ Jerry hisses beside me. โCome next week and youโre done."
But even with my head bent, I can feel that chilling gaze burning into my back.
Who the fuck is that guy?
And what the hell was that look all about?
