LONELY HEARTS (COMPLETE)

Chapter 2: The Flowers

"Oh my God, my head", Gemma groaned as she clutched a fistful of hair.

The night before definitely caught up with her this morning. Aching from last night, she forces herself to roll off the bed and heads towards the kitchen. Gemma rummages through the cabinet, her hand begging to make contact with the ibuprofen. "Great, I work my ass off too graduate law school and I'm at the mercy of this bottle". Finally, she's relieved as she finds the pills and pops back.

She peers through the blinds of her window and grows suspicious of how sunny it is outside. Checking the time, Gemma panics and realizes she's incredibly late to work.

Steven Sage is the most powerful and influential lawyer in Manhattan. His clientele is heavily loaded with big time CEOs, famous surgeons, and of course, the mafia. Every year, Steven Sage hires one single paid intern to work for him. After the internship ends, he either offers you a position in his firm or tosses you aside. That spot has been sought after by hundreds of hungry law graduates, and Gemma was one of them.

Gemma rushes to her closet, picking out a fitted white dress and tosses it on the unmade bed. She stuffs several hair pins between her teeth as she wraps her tangled hair into a messy bun. Grabbing her shoes, Gemma runs out the door barefoot and screeches off.

She tiptoes into Sage's waiting area, scanning the room for anyone that might notice her lack of punctuality. Her eyes are met with Jane's, the stern receptionist.

"Oh my God, Gemma!", she harshly whispers.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry. I lost track of time".

"Well, consider it your lucky day. Sage didn't even notice. He's been in a meeting in his office all morning", Jane warns.

Gemma let out a sigh of relief and neared Sage's door. She knew she had to go over the day's court schedule with him, but she didn't dare interrupt his meeting. After what seemed like forever, the door finally opens and Gemma straightens herself up. She looks up to politely send them off only to lock eyes with a familiar face.

"Have a good da-", she trails off with her mouth agape.

There he was, Matteo Ciccone in the flesh. He was impeccably dressed in a sleek gray suit, his cuff links alone look like they cost more than a house. His hair was once again in the same slicked gentlemen's cut with just the smallest piece falling near his eye.

"We'll be in touch, Mr. Ciccone.", Sage says.

Matteo just nods and shakes his hand. They look large and worn, like he's done hard labor. He brushes past you without the even the slightest acknowledgment. His scent lingers, smelling of cigarettes and cologne. The mixture alone feels dangerous and Gemma is confused by how good it smells to her. Sage motions for Gemma to enter his office and she obliges, disappearing behind the large oak doors. Jane is typing away, her manicured nails hitting the keys with every stroke until she hears footsteps closing in on her desk.

"What's her name", Matteo demands.

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The next day is stressful. Gemma arrives to the office early, coffee in hand. The stack of papers on her desk have piled up and Sage is demanding of her time. She's working overtime today, she can just feel it.

"Gemma!", Jane waves, trying to get her attention,"you have a surprise waiting on your desk".

Gemma approaches her desk, confused, knowing all too well that there is no one on this planet that would bring her any surprises.

"What the hell?", she gasps.

There on the mahogany desk, laid a dozen roses. Shocked, she searches for a note but can't seem to find one. The idea of having a secret admirer starts to make Gemma's heart flutter. Noticing this, she talks herself out of it and throws the flowers in the trash. "Whoever this is, they're just trying to use you", she thought. Gemma was scared. She was scared of any emotion and trust. She couldn't bear the thought of being excited about something, only for it to all tear down". It was best to not care, to not pursue or expect anything.

The entire week Gemma is greeted with flowers on her desk. A different kind every day. Wednesday it was lilies, Thursday was orchids and each time they ended up in the trash.

"What kind of crazy person sends flowers daily?", Gemma wondered.

Finally after a long week, it was Friday. Gemma was exhausted and was looking forward to a weekend of relaxation. She turns the desk lamp off and packs up for the day.

"Do you mind closing up, Gemma?", Sage asks.

"Sure, no problem, have a good night", she smiles.

Sage gives her a curt nod and heads out the door, leaving Gemma to her duties. She grabs her purse and tucks the papers under her arm. She locks the front doors and rugs on them for good measure, her heels tapping the sidewalk as she pulls back. Gemma turns around only to blocked in by two guards.

"Ever heard of personal space?", she scoffs. "Can you move out of my way"?

One of the guards chuckles as the other one speaks. "Miss Hunter, we'd like for you to come with us". The talking guard motions towards a shiny black SUV as the other one opens the door.

"And why would I just jump into a car with two strange men?", Gemma quips, amused.

"Mr. Ciccone requests your presence, he'd like to speak with you".

"Mr. Ciccone, as in Matteo Ciccone?", she thought. "What could he possibly want with me"? and then it dawned on her. This was the man who was sending the flowers. Gemma thought hard about what she wanted to do next. She may be crazy or maybe she just wanted answers, but what she was about to do next would change the course of her life forever.