FIVE

C H A P T E R - - - F I V E - - - - S E L E N A

Selena stood in front of a posh building in Hoboken, feeling her breath shorten as she glanced up to the top floor, where Reidan would probably be waiting for her if she had obtained the correct address from the Bianco compound's staff.

"What am I doing, shit, shit, shit?"

As she turned to face the skyline in her rear, she said something beneath her breath. Although she was far from her apartment and wasn't even sure if her mobile phone had service out here in this somewhat remote place, she thought she could call a cab to help her out of this predicament.

Furthermore, she absolutely needed this work. Despite the fact that she would never publicly admit it, she couldn't afford to let it slide since she was afraid of her new boss. He appeared to have thought so far that she was a stern, professional individual who shouldn't be trifled with. She was able to maintain the appropriate level of distance for any professional relationship to work as long as she kept up her walls and didn't let him get too close to her during their dinner.

"Phew, okay," she replied after giving herself a mental pat on the back. She squared her shoulders and straightened her back as she went inside the building, taking the elevator to the top floor with all the confidence she could manage.

She approached Reidan's penthouse apartment's front door, wringing her hands for a second as one more jolt of terror rippled through her body, and then she pressed as hard as she could against the doorbell. Nuf said. There was currently no going back.

A short while later, Reidan opened the door, emerging from the shadows with a huge smile on his face and looking impeccable in a spotless suit. Hello, Selena. I'm very happy you arrived safely," he added as he widened the door to let Selena enter.

Selena said, "Thanks," as she silently thanked God that she had chosen to wear a classy black dress as opposed to her drab work attire from earlier. Although she didn't really care how she appeared, being underdressed would have been uncomfortable, especially in such a fine apartment.

Reidan held out his hand to Selena, who was wearing a light coat over her dress, saying, "Here, I'll take your jacket." He signaled for Selena to follow him deeper inside after hanging the jacket up in the closet near the entrance to the apartment.

The setting was, in a word, absurd—in the finest sense. The den and kitchen area were bathed in an ethereal golden light from a massive crystal chandelier that was suspended from the ceiling. Selena could see her own reflection because every surface was immaculate and brilliantly lit.

Every room she could see was furnished with traditional black furnishings, and every window had deep red curtains that could be drawn back to expose the night sky. Reidan's demeanor seemed to complement the opulent yet almost gaudy appearance of the flat. He was the kind of person who seemed to be brimming with activity even when he was just sitting still, but there was also something relaxing about him.

He was like a vast, dazzling ocean; one moment he was a burst of energy that made her anxious, and the next he calmed her down like the tide sweeping away sand grains. She had only recently met him that day, yet she already felt at ease around him. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps there was more of Giovanni in him than she first believed as she watched him open a bottle of wine in the kitchen.

"Are you a fan of red wine?"

As he poured a drink of it, Reidan questioned.

Selena answered, "Sure, as much as anybody does.

Reidan gave a gentle giggle and poured another glass before giving Selena one.

"I think there's loving it and then there's just liking it. I, for one, am unable to conduct business without it. Just the way I was brought up."

Reidan offered Selena his glass of wine, and they exchanged a light tap. What are you toasting, exactly? Selena enquired. Reidan immediately grinned, his teeth gleaming in the lights hanging above them, as if that inquiry had somehow amused him.

“What? "A wave of heat surged up her back and lower neck as she asked again, her nerves getting the better of her.

Reidan chuckled a little more and retorted, "Oh, nothing, it's nothing." But there was something in his eyes that shone, some hidden wisdom that Selena was now eager to learn.

“Come on, just toast with me.”

Selena responded, "Not until you tell me what we're toasting to," as the sensation of anticipation and agony began to prickle her skin. She required an explanation for the humor. She had the terrible impression that he was making fun of her in some way, that she had done something incredibly "poor person" that revealed her humble upbringing.

Reidan said, "I'll tell you after supper. But first, let's eat. After you've had a few glasses of wine, it'll be hilarious. Toast with me, please."

Although Selena was tempted to chew on her upper lip to help relieve some of the anxiousness that was brewing beneath her skin, she decided against it since she didn't want to ruin her lipstick. Instead, she nodded and pushed her glass against Reidan's. She said a little sarcastically, "To... anything."

Reidan tipped his glass back, "To anything, certainly." Selena believed she saw a glimmer of hunger, something ferocious, primitive, and desperate, in Reidan's eyes as he dropped his glass once again. She shook her head, though, and continued to sip her wine while convincing herself that it was only an optical illusion. He's merely an ordinary man. Okay, a regular guy with an absurdly luxurious abode, but still just a man.

She couldn't quite persuade herself that that was true for some reason, but she didn't feel afraid. She felt something in her spine burn, but it wasn't dread, anxiety, or even plain old anxiousness anymore. It was curiosity, a burning want to learn more about the man in front of her.

She made every effort to maintain her composure, appearing as unconcerned as she could while she sipped the wine, taking care not to become inebriated too quickly. So, explain to me why your father chose you as his successor rather than Matteo. ”

Reidan drained the last of his glass and asked her a question before grabbing the bottle to refill it. "I don't believe I can respond to it,"

"Why not? ”

Reidan grinned wryly and said, "Because I don't know the answer.  My last phone call with my father lasted only two minutes, and that was six months ago. In the history of the Bianco family, I'm perhaps the biggest let down."

Selena urged him to continue as she leaned back against the counter.

Reidan grinned once more, but it was a more subdued, guarded smile this time.

"You know, I suppose. You witnessed it today. I'm unable to concentrate on anything. My thoughts are erratic and divergent."

Selena felt a small shudder travel up her spine as he took another sip of his wine while maintaining his focus on her. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but flinch under the impact of his intense gaze; yet, judging by the smirk on his face, she had failed in her goal.

"Like other places, like what? What goes through your mind?" When Selena inquired, she could practically taste the flutter of her heartbeat on the back of her tongue. She felt her heart start to softly pound in her throat.

Uncovering Reidan Bianco's innermost thoughts was vital for some reason, but she wasn't sure why she felt so giddy and on edge about doing so.

"Why is it important?"  Reidan shrugged a little and stated bluntly, "They are arranged inappropriately. That is the main idea. "

Selena gave him a long look before crafting a justification for why she wanted to know where his thoughts were going. She stroked her chin in thinking, "I suppose maybe I approached you the wrong way.   should have started by learning the business-related things you were interested in, and then moved on from there. Actually, it's my fault and not yours."

While taking another drink of his wine, Reidan gave her a dubious glance and slightly rolled his eyes.

"Women do that always."

"Do what?"  Selena inquired.

"Make allowances for men.  They are to blame. Make it appear as if they did not do the proper thing. Come on, you know that's nonsense. I hadn't been paying much attention. It was insulting to you to devote your time on trying to assist me."

Selena laughed a bit, surprised by the loud noise that came from her own throat. She soon recovered, clearing her throat and concentrating her attention on her wine glass.

"That's OK," she responded. "However, I'd want to know what interests you the most about the business. Unless you don't find anything intriguing about it, in which case you may as well hand everything up to Matteo."

After a brief period of facial tension, Reidan relaxed his expression and shrugged as if he didn't give a damn about the family company. Reidan actually trembled a bit at that. Maybe," he said, but before they both had a chance to continue, the door rang once more. Ah, Yuri will be serving supper.

“Uly? "  Selena questioned.

"My chef," Reidan said as he strode back toward the entrance, bringing his chef inside with a platter of food. "Uly, please feel free to set up on the dining room table. "

The dining area, which was located just outside the kitchen and lounge, was being set up while Selena watched. A little circular table, hardly big enough for two people, was present instead of the long, narrow dining room table she had anticipated. Selena pondered whether Reidan ever entertained anyone besides dates while experiencing a small rush of apprehension and eagerness.

A tingle of apprehension and eagerness ran up Selena's spine as she pondered whether Reidan ever entertained anybody except dates.

As he gave his cook a bunch of dollars, Reidan remarked, "Thank you , Uly."

The chef walked out of the room without saying a word to Selena and Reidan shut the door after him, causing a knot to form in her throat.

"I'll see you later," was the only thing the chef said. In actuality, she wasn't afraid. She sensed, almost instinctively, that Reidan wouldn't harm her. But she was still unable to foresee his future actions or words. In contrast to his mother and brother, who were both quite simple to read, he was such a mystery.

"What's for dinner?"  Selena inquired as she drew nearer to the delicious-smelling meal. Although she felt a small grumble in her stomach, Reidan was too polite to comment on it.

"The works" , Reidan added with yet another sly smirk. Asparagus, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and dessert with filet mignon.” He stumbled as he made his way past Selena to the dining room table and pulled one chair out. "Sit down here. I'll bring the wine bottle over."

Selena folded her hands neatly in her lap as she was directed, despite the fact that her stomach was already gnawing at its own insides in an attempt to get at something robust and satisfying.

After a little pause, Reidan came back with the bottle of wine and refilled Selena's glass, which was still only halfway full. Before opening the boiling hot food packets, he placed a dish in front of her. Before serving himself and ultimately taking a seat across from Selena, he put healthy servings of each choice on her plate.

Selena spent a considerable amount of time looking down at the food in order to mentally capture it before her lips completely destroyed it. She was so pleased that she began to kick her feet forward like a young girl, but she quickly pulled her feet back after accidently kicking Reidan's foot when she was oblivious of how close they were to one another at the little table.

Selena quietly apologized, feeling embarrassed as she muttered, "Fuck, sorry."

Reidan assured him, "No worries. No one has ever died from a little amount of discomfort."

Although Selena wasn't quite sure what he meant by saying, she felt herself grinning anyhow. Just something about his warm grin was so endearing and comforting. She almost smiled at him when she finally started eating since she couldn't help but return the favor.

Both of them were obviously hungry enough to concentrate on the food for a while rather than each other as they ate in relative silence for a while. However, as time passed and Selena's grip on reality loosened due to the wine, an earlier question that had been bothering her slowly crept back into her mind and forced her to ask it aloud.

"Earlier, when I suggested that Matteo could be a better fit for your dad's position, you seemed to feel offended. Why?"  Selena enquired.

Between his plate and lips, Reidan's fork became immobile and stuck in midair. Before responding, he gave her a lengthy look of attention. He eventually answered, clearing his throat before taking another bite, "Because it's not true."

Selena said, "Explain," even though she had a sneaking suspicion she already knew the response.

She had, after all, spent the previous year with Matteo on the prowl and spouting repulsive remarks anytime she wore anything more exposing than a burlap bag. She would never allow him to fuck her as long as she lived, but he definitely wanted to.

At the same time, he was a boorish, nasty bully who enjoyed torturing the Bianco compound's slaves and forcing them perform worthless duties only for his own delight. She still desired Reidan's insight despite the fact that any one of these arguments should have been sufficient to support excluding Matteo from consideration for the Don role.

"Because he's an idiot," Reidan said, taking his time to eat between sentences. His mentality is basic.

She hadn't quite anticipated that response.

Reidan was pushed by Selena to "go on," her intrigue having reached an impasse. Now, all she needed to do was understand what he meant.

Reidan took another large drink of wine to help him swallow his remarks, "You know what I mean." He quickly snatches what he wants after spotting it. Long-term, that is a poor business practice.

"You don't do that, then?"

Since Reidan had a reputation in New York for being a playboy, Selena was, to be honest, a little dubious. He certainly had the appearance of a man who wouldn't think twice about fucking a female the moment he met her.

However, Reidan shook his head and took a deep breath before resuming his speech.

"Not when I have an option. Imagine having a terribly inexpensive, subpar lunch. To get it over with and satisfy your stomach, you could eat it straight immediately. Following that, you stop thinking about it. But with a dinner like this..." He paused and pointed to the food in front of them, which was still making Selena's mouth wet.

"With anything like that, it takes time to prepare and time to enjoy. You take your time doing it. You can then take in as much of it as you can. Me? I prefer to take my time. Make the proper decisions. You understand what I mean? ”

Except for the fact that she was having trouble breathing, Selena wasn't sure if she understood what he meant. Her ears were now being pounded by the sound of her heart beating against her temples. She wasn't sure if her body was urging her to flee, to go as far away from this man as she could, or whether it was asking her to approach. All she could see was that, despite how firmly she was holding the knife, her fingers were suddenly trembling so strongly that Reidan most likely saw it.

Reidan broke the quiet once more after a protracted period during which none of them talked. "How do you feel? Do you prefer moving quickly or slowly? ”

Selena stifled a giggle and allowed herself a small respite by taking a long drink of wine, giving her mind sufficient time to formulate a somewhat decent response. "With meals? According to how hungry I am.

"How hungry are you right now?"

Reidan questioned while grinning at her and displaying the same intense want and hunger that made him appear as though his entire face were made of flawless, unbreakable glass.

Selena responded, saying one word out of the blue without consulting her brain:

"Starving." Her entire body felt like it was getting heated with terror and astonishment as soon as she said the word. It was as if a demon had taken possession of her, commanding her what to say and do in response to an equally cunning monster within Reidan.

But she knew it wasn't true. If there was anything inside her controlling her like a puppet, it was simply her soul.

Reidan stopped smiled at her, his face stern, all of his features stone.

"Are you? " he said quietly, stretching his hand across the table toward Selena.

She looked down at it for a long minute, wondering what he was asking of her. "I—I don't know," she mumbled in answer, feeling tiny beads of perspiration at the base of her neck, directly under her hairline.

"I believe you do," Reidan murmured as he gently drew his hand back and rose to his feet.

"Come on, come on. "I'd want to show you something."

Selena felt as if she were standing on the verge of a cliff. With one wrong move, she may clamber down into the abyss, losing complete control of herself. She had no idea what he intended to accomplish, but she was certain it had nothing to do with the business. If she was clever, if she cared about her work, if she was the decent career-focused, family-centered girl she seemed to be, she would have already taken her napkin from her lap, thanked him for dinner, and gone out. She, however, did not.

She stood up slowly, feeling her whole body tremble more violently with each second that passed. She forced the dryness from her mouth by swallowing, then turned to face Reidan and looked him in the eyes. That worked in some way. Her body appeared to be sucked of all its anxiety by his eyes, leaving her tingling with eagerness. In order to make direct eye contact with him the entire time, she moved around the table to get closer to him. Then she spoke those two words, which had the ability to end her entire universe.

"Show me."