“Yes. The only language I regret not learning is Italian, but I will at some point.” I’m amazed by how much I sound like my old self.
“Maybe I can teach you.”
A genuine smile lifts the corners of my lips. “You speak Italian?”
“I do. It’s one of the five languages I speak.”
“What are the others?”
“Well, like you I speak Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and English.”
“That’s impressive, too.”
“I’m glad we’re both impressed by each other. At my home you’ll hear a mixture of English and Spanish. No one really speaks Portuguese. Except me when I want to make a point. We’re all originally from Argentina.”
“Wow,” I muse. That wasn’t in the file I got, and I’m genuinely fascinated. The same way I am with learning languages. “I would love to go to Argentina.” I can hardly believe I’m in Brazil, and I wish the circumstances of being here were different.
“It’s a beautiful place.”
“I can imagine. Do you mostly speak English?” He sounds like he does.
“Yes, when I’m not working. My mother was English, literally from England.”
I knew that part. I practically had to study the man before coming here like I was cramming for a test. I was given a library of information on him and told to read and take in as much as I could because once I got to Brazil, I couldn’t take anything with me. It would be risky to even keep it at the hotel.
“That’s really cool.” Cool? I sound so juvenile, but it’s because I’m stuck, and I’ve said everything I could say that can be deemed safe. From the look in his eyes, we’re going to talk about the job a little more and he’s not just going to settle for believing my love for languages is what attracted me to the role.
“I noticed you haven’t been working at New York Elementary for very long, and you spoke quite highly of your time there. Aren’t you going to miss working at the school?”
“Yes, definitely.” I’ll miss working there the way I miss my old self. “The kids were amazing, and I worked with a lot of bilingual children. This job, however, was one I couldn’t miss out on.”
The excuse for my resignation that bastard El Diablo gave me was my father was sick and I needed to look after him. At least my one year of hard work at the school didn’t go unnoticed and the principal offered to make room for me whenever I decided to return. That offer of appreciation is the only good thing I’m holding on to.
“Is Brazil not too far from New York for you?
Here it is. Time to dance around the truth or lie by omission.
“I had a great time there, but when I saw this job, I had to apply. Besides, who wouldn’t want to work in Brazil?”
I’m sure it’s not just the quiver in my voice that makes me sound unbelievable.
“And the money held no enticement for you?” He quirks a hard brow, and I get the feeling all this time we’ve been talking, he’s been evaluating me and trying to figure me out from my words.
Great.What does he think?
What do I say besides the truth? I knew before I stepped on the plane to get here that I wasn’t going to be able to bullshit this man.
“Of course,” I stutter. “The pay was extremely enticing. It’s a rather large sum.”
Setting down my resume, he rolls the sleeves of his shirt up his thick rock-hard forearms, revealing tattoos of inky black scorpions snaking up his skin. The shirt already showed off how built he is; now I have a better idea.
Bringing his hands together, he rests his elbows on the table and gives me a pensive stare.
“Do you know why the pay is so much, Lucia?”
I steady my breathing. “Yes, I do.”
His eyes drop to my lips again, and I wonder what he’s thinking. I have a nude color gloss on them. From the lascivious glint in his eyes, I’m sure it’s not the color that’s fascinating him.