Chapter 5 - The Sweet Taste of Forever
Six months later, Thursday mornings at Castellani Industries smelled slightly different.
The polished marble floors still gleamed under the morning sun, the executive elevator still chimed precisely on time, and the tulips on my desk were still fresh and bright. But my title on the employee directory had changed from Receptionist to Executive Director of Strategic Operations, my office was now located on the forty-third floor right next to Luca's, and the cream cardigan had been permanently retired in favor of sharp, elegant blazers.
Yet, some things never changed.
At precisely eight-thirty, the executive elevator chimed, and Luca Castellani emerged in custom charcoal Italian wool, looking every bit the ruthless corporate titan who commanded an empire. Employees lowered their voices as he passed, and junior executives scattered like leaves in the wind.
Except when he reached my desk.
Luca stopped dead in his tracks, his dark eyes dropping immediately to the small porcelain plate sitting beside my computer terminal.
On the plate sat half a dozen warm, golden-brown lemon cookies, dusted lightly with powdered sugar, filling the entire executive floor with their bright, sweet citrus aroma.
Luca looked at the cookies, then slowly raised his dark gaze to meet mine. A slow, knowing smile broke across his handsome face—a smile reserved exclusively for me, stripped of all menace and cold control.
"Good morning, Mrs. Castellani," he said, his Italian accent wrapping around the title with a thick, intimate warmth that sent a familiar shiver down my spine.
"Good morning, Mr. Castellani," I replied, leaning back in my leather ergonomic chair and crossing my arms with a playful grin. "I made lemon today. Your absolute favorite."
Luca leaned over my desk, placing both hands flat on the polished mahogany, bringing his face dangerously close to mine until I could feel the heat radiating off his chest.
"I thought I told you," he murmured, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly register that made my pulse race, "that I don't have favorites."
"Oh, really?" I raised an eyebrow, lifting one of the warm cookies off the plate and holding it just inches from his lips. "Because according to my confidential corporate reports, the entire batch disappears from my desk by noon every single Thursday without fail."
Luca’s dark eyes darkened with affectionate amusement. He didn't hesitate this time; instead of retreating behind ten feet of controlled silence, he leaned forward, gently taking a bite of the cookie right from my fingers while his warm thumb stroked softly against my wrist.
"Your reports," Luca whispered, his breath warm against my skin, "are entirely accurate. You are my only favorite thing in this entire world."
May you like
"Good answer," I smiled, letting him take the rest of the cookie as I stood up from my desk and looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down into a long, sweet kiss that made the entire corporate tower fade away.
Downstairs, the city of Chicago roared on with its busy, chaotic life, but up here on the forty-third floor, in the heart of the empire we had built together, our story had finally found its perfect, happily-ever-after ending.
