Next Stop: Love (14 page)

I loosened myself from his arms and took a step back, and this time he let me. I just needed room to breathe, to think. Could I really trust him? Was this all just a huge misunderstanding? I wanted to believe him, wanted nothing more desperately than to fall into his arms, but then that old familiar distrust came knocking again.

“Sophia, that’s the truth, and I don’t want anyone but you,” he said in response to my hesitation.

I bit my lip. “Why me, anyway? What do you want from me?” I remembered asking that question once already, but this time I didn’t want some flattering response. I wanted the truth, something that I could believe he meant.

“Because you’re so fascinating to me. My whole life, I’ve had perfect women picked out for me, successful women from good families . . .”

“And I’m not any of those things,” I mumbled.

He nodded. “Right, and that’s why you’re so much more. You have personality, a more than independent mind, and a sense of humor—all things those others will never have. They’re perfect, but in a cold, stiff way. But you—you have your faults, and that’s exactly what fascinates me about you so much. When you look at me and blush, when you smile at my feeble attempts to get to know you, you’re doing it because of
me
. Not because I’m successful, or because I’m well known, but because of me. Do you know how long I’ve been searching for a woman like you? And then there are our parents, who have been telling us what to do all our lives, trying to put us into boxes.
You
understand me, Sophia. You know what it’s like not to be able to get free of your family, because you’ve gone through the same thing. Doesn’t any of that mean anything?

“Look at me,” he pleaded, raising my chin. “I love you, goddammit, and I’m not going to let my father destroy that. I’d rather live with you at my side than with a multimillion-euro company behind me. Marcs Entertainment doesn’t mean anything to me. You, on the other hand”—he pulled me closer—“are everything.”

I buried my face in his chest and felt the tears spilling out. Why was I crying? For joy? Out of remorse?

Hearing my sobs, he held me at arm’s length so he could see me. “Are those tears of happiness or . . . ?” he asked, half-worried, half-amused.

“Sorry,” I said, wiping them away. “I just don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he told me and pulled me back into his embrace. And there was nothing else to say, anyway, because in his arms, pressed tightly against him, I gave him what he needed. And as much as I’d tried to convince myself otherwise over the past few days, I needed him, too. Honestly, I’d stopped believing he was guilty the moment he punched Toby, and he really hadn’t been faking his reaction when I’d flung the necklace onto his desk. Nobody could fake that.

“Oh God, the necklace!” I cried, looking up at him. “It really did belong to your mother, and I threw it on your desk, and the stone . . . God, I’m so sorry, Luca,” I stammered, feeling fresh tears welling up in my eyes. Goddammit, why couldn’t I stop bawling?

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I had it repaired the same day, and I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to get you to wear it again.” He released me and pulled the necklace out of the inside pocket of his jacket. “They weren’t able to fix it completely,” he explained, gesturing to the chipped side of the stone. “But it’s wearable.”

“I can never make that up to you,” I mumbled remorsefully, sniffling.

“Sure you can, by wearing it every day,” he replied, putting it around my neck.

I tried to stop myself, but even more tears began rolling down my cheeks. This was ridiculous! “One other question,” I said, wiping my eyes. “How did you know I’d be here tonight?”

“You told me, remember? Well, you said you were going out with Lisa, and you’ve mentioned you come here a lot with her, so I was hoping I’d find you here.” He drew me into his arms again, nestled my face against his chest, and rested his chin on my head. It felt so good to have him hold me. As though he could protect me from anyone and anything—and I knew that was how it would be, that he was the one for me.

I’d spent the past five years sealing myself off from men, denying myself dates and suspecting evil intentions behind every friendly glance because I’d been deeply hurt and couldn’t imagine ever giving my heart away again. But I’d done exactly that—perhaps even during the fateful train ride—because I’d met Luca, a man who I’d thought embodied everything I detested, but he was different. We’d argued ourselves blue in the face, insulted each other, and wound each other up. We’d said cruel things, which had made the mere notion of a relationship seem utterly ridiculous.

I’d taken my frustration out on Luca, but that very animosity had developed into love. He’d allowed me to see behind his facade and discover what a wonderful person he was, and he’d also managed to break down my walls and bring out the vulnerable woman buried deep inside who was still searching for true love. I’d found her, but also so much more.

Because he was right: we were connected by the kind of parents we had, whom we’d each have to deal with for the rest of our lives. For the first time in my life, though, that didn’t frighten me, because I knew that he was in the same situation. I’d boarded that train to flee from something, but now I understood that I’d really been looking for myself, and that Luca and I needed each other to free ourselves from our chains.

EPILOGUE

Luca’s father apologized to me and admitted he had been dishonest; he didn’t seem particularly remorseful, but I didn’t care. The main thing was that our misunderstanding was cleared up once and for all, and anyway, I knew that kind of stubbornness all too well from my mother. I wondered if we ought to introduce the two of them, because Mr. Marcs was selfish, successful, and ambitious—qualities my mom had always wanted in a man. He was definitely less than pleased to hear that Luca didn’t want to take over Marcs Entertainment, but I had to hand it to Luca for not just leaving his father high and dry—he offered to stay until he’d found a suitable replacement.

We decided to take a long vacation to celebrate our togetherness and our independence, but first there was one more thing to take care of.

“I must say, your concept has completely won us over, and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with you on this,” Mike said as he handed Toby the contract. “This two-year deal is worth more than the million euros we’ve agreed on. Working with us will open doors for you at every level. With Mr. Marcs’s recommendation, you’ll be able to climb straight to the top,” he purred convincingly.

I couldn’t see Toby’s face because I was standing in the hallway, hiding behind the open door, but I could practically see the euro signs glittering in his eyes. That money-grubbing jerk! Nothing else had ever interested him.

“Please sign here,” Mike requested, and I heard a pen scratching on paper. “Okay, we’re almost done. Before we finish up, though, I want to get our associate manager’s blessing. She’ll be countersigning the contract.”

That was my cue. I smoothed my skirt, stepped into the room, and regarded Toby’s disbelieving face with immense satisfaction. “Hi, Toby. You were wrong: I actually have heard of Marcs Entertainment. How’s your nose?” I asked, sitting down at the desk.

Toby touched his nose mechanically; it had only been a week since Luca had broken it, so it was still swollen and red. When Luca walked into the room, Toby leapt up from his chair. “You!” he growled.

“Oh, perhaps I didn’t introduce you two,” I said with a saccharine smile. “This is Luca Marcs, senior manager at Marcs Entertainment and my boyfriend. And I do believe that this”—I picked up the contract—“isn’t something you’ll be needing anymore.” I tore the contract in two, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the trash.

“In fact,” Luca chimed in, “you probably ought to start thinking about finding a new career—you can forget about any other companies in Berlin taking you on. My father can recommend you, but he can also blacklist you. So I suggest you try your luck in a different city.”

Toby looked like he was about to cry. God, what a wimp. Long ago, I’d thought of him as a real man and had looked up to him, but now he struck me as totally pathetic. “You’ll never get away with this. I want this contract, or I’ll sue.” He was sputtering with rage, but I could hear his voice trembling a little, too. He wasn’t going to do a damn thing. He didn’t have a chance against Marcs Entertainment.

“Go ahead, try your luck.” I stood up as well. “When you left me, Toby, you called me a nobody, and for a long time I actually believed you. But now you’re the one who’s a nobody, a nothing. And you know why? Because in the end, everybody gets what they deserve.”

He snarled something under his breath as he stalked out and slammed the door behind him. Mike clapped me on the shoulder, then left the office as well.

“Should I make his life a living hell?” Luca asked, coming toward me, but I shook my head.

“No, I don’t need any further revenge, and your dad doesn’t need to blacklist him. I got my satisfaction, and he really wouldn’t be worth the trouble, anyway. I think he’s got enough to chew on as it is.”

“God, where have you been all my life?” he murmured against my lips, drawing me closer. His arms were wrapped around me so tightly that I could hardly breathe, but at that moment there was no such thing as too close. I felt so secure in his arms, I never wanted to leave the comforting warmth of his protective embrace.

Grinning, I leaned back just enough so that I could see his face. “I was just wondering the same thing myself,” I said, already losing myself in his smoky-green eyes. “Apparently, we were only a train ride apart.” And where was this journey going to take us? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t wait to share it with him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2015 Miranda J. Fox

Miranda J. Fox lives in Berlin, Germany. She has written short stories and novels since she was a child and finally realized her dream of becoming a professional writer in 2013. She is the author of the erotic romance
Love and Fire
and writes thrillers and fantasies under a different pen name.

For more information, visit
www.mirandajfox.com
.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

Photo © 2012 Melissa Steckbauer

Jaime McGill was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and has been living and freelancing in Berlin since 2005. Language, music, and travel are her three great passions, so she is happiest when translating novels while on the road with one of her bands. Previous literary projects include several works by Van Deus (
Operation Solstice Ten
,
The Steps of Evil
,
The Ampullae of Lorenzini
) and one by Katrin Bongard (
Loving
).