Pink Walls

Saffron [Part III]✓

“I'm not going to do anything that goes against my conscience while I do what I have to to survive.”

"If there's nothing you need me to do," I took in a deep breath and offered Saffron my most charming smile, "I need to borrow your laptop."

On hearing my voice, Ron focused her gaze on me, her attention back on the present. Talking was the only way to get her out off the nostalgic reminiscence she always found herself stuck in after her usual rants.

Truth was, the only person who could make her happy was herself. We both knew that.

It was just that Ron rarely put her personal interests over running the Cisco family. She was filial to a fault, even now when she barely had any family left. It was a habit she was too used to, to change. If she wanted to be happy, all she needed to do was leave the city behind but she couldn't bear to do that. The best she could do was complain about it to me and get it off her chest.

The empire her family created would crumble if she ever left and if that happened all hell was going to break loose in the city. Saffron hated making messes, especially when they involved innocent lives—another reason we got along so well.

She raised an eyebrow in response to my smile, the sadness she had felt moments ago erased from her steely gaze. A dangerous smirk graced her lips when she leaned her head into her palm, and I suddenly felt like a mouse being stalked by a wild cat. "You know I don't make house calls for no reason."

Chatty Saffron was gone and the boss was back. That didn't bode well for me. If Saffron wasn't interested in talking, that meant I had to do something else to prove that I was useful. It meant that it was time for me to work.

I had expected this to happen—it always did—but I was hoping it wouldn't. I had told Olly that I would only be free on Wednesday to account for this very eventuality but really, if I could, I wanted to deliver his friendship bracelet as soon as possible. I wanted to know what the look on his face would be when he saw the colors I chose. I knew he wouldn't expect it but even if he did, that wouldn't stop him from being surprised.

His honest expressions were the only sight I looked forward to nowadays. Just a minute with him could be filled with a dozen awkward glances that could be captured perfectly on film. He was the highlight of my bitter winter, but now with this job suddenly springing up it would be a miracle if I managed to make it in time.

Wednesday. It seemed so far away and too close at the same time.

"So," I shifted uncomfortably in my chair at the thought of what could be the reason behind Ron's evil smile, "other than being worried that the Carmosinos had put a hit on my head, you wanted me for something else?"

She got up and walked to me, placing her hand on my shoulder and bending over until her lips brushed my ear.

"A job," she whispered, like it was a massive secret, then hopped back to sit on the part of the desk directly in front of me.

When I attempted to avert my gaze from the curves emphasized by her skintight jumpsuit, Ron chuckled like I knew she would.

"Don't worry, Kay. You're the only man in this building I'm sure won't think of me as a sex object," she grinned. "Though, sometimes I do wish I could use my body to buy you over to my side."

I scooted back until I hit the backrest of my chair in a sure-to-fail attempt at putting more distance between us. If Saffron wanted to shove her sexuality in my face, there was little I could do to stop her. "What job?"

I kept my eyes on her face when she crossed her legs deliberately and leaned so far forward that I knew that if my gaze dropped it would meet cleavage. After a while, she spoke again, "I found out who was trying to add fire to the feud between the Ciscos and Carmosinos."