The Garden of Eden

Lies Come to Light

Eden King

The menu sat in front of me untouched while Carmine riddled off what we want. Every word had me biting back a smile. I knew Italian. Fluently, well I shouldn't say fluently. The slang away gets me and I tend to stutter through some of it, but I'll attribute that it my lack of using the language. I just can't seem to give up the small pleasure of Carmine ordering for me. It's such a little thing but I love it. I also wouldn't want him to hide the conversations he has when I'm around. As irritating as he is sometimes, the information he has is usually quite beneficial to my work, I just don't want to hear it in fragments. He tends to be a little unforgiving when it comes to details and I know I'd never hear them if he were to tell me stuff in English.

"Alright garden fairy, lay it on me and let's get it out of the way so we can have a lovely lunch together." His hands clasped together and rested on the table. His eyes crinkled with a smile and his teeth on display. I don't think this is how anyone but this man takes a scolding. And god, does that nickname get me going. Maybe I'll dress up for the Halloween party as a fairy, just for him.

"Alright Carmine." I settled into the seat, my hands clasping on the table and not in the same boyish way as his are. "You know I need to have my books finished by Friday to keep the schedule. Whatever you are taking care of should have been caught by the accountant weeks ago and been dealt with before the beginning of this week. So, this means the accountant hasn't even started the reports or seen the book. Tell me what you are dealing with."

"You are too smart."
"Flattery gets you no where with me."
"It surely doesn't." Whatever happy attitude he had turned dull and dare I say irritated as his comment came out. "How about we have a lovely lunch where I flatter you endlessly and then we discuss the books at my office." Sometimes I forget Carmine is quite literally thee Italian Mafia Don. He is also my employer and I should be a little more careful with my speech.

I was always told by my professors that I would never make it in the corporate world with a mouth like I have.

Tactless
Rude
Cold
Bitchy

If they could see me now I'd spit on their shoes and make them beg for forgiveness. My grades got in me, my interview was rough but academically I was a star. All 3 years of school they berated me, talked down to me, told me I can graduate but with my attitude I'd be lucky to find anything more than a job cleaning floors.

Clearly I was not good with people. I would love to tell them what I do now, who I represent. I found my place.

"Of course, I'm sorry."
"As if you could ever do something that would warrant a sorry. Take it back."
"What?"
"Take it back. Don't say sorry." The man is crazy, without a doubt. I over step, push and push and the first time I say sorry he's telling me not to. Crazy must be a consequence of the job or, he was crazy already and a perfect candidate for the job.

"I'm not sorry?"
"That's right my little garden fairy. You are never sorry because everything you do is perfect." He wasn't lying about the flattery. Carmine has always been charming but I feel like today he's going to lay it on a little extra heavy. Is it bad that I'm not perturbed by this? Dare I say I even enjoy his flirty comments and flattery. As far as I know he remains unmarried and single, he's also outstandingly good looking. The dark hair and nicely trimmed beard he keeps are just starting to have greys poke through. The thing that really gets me is the teddy bear brown eyes, they are soft and light but rich and calming all in one. I have definitely spent too much time looking and thinking about Carmine.