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training works. I’ll get dressed and I’ll join you as soon as I can. I’ll call the king and demand a meeting.”
    “Hey. It’s fine, baby.” It was nice to be the calm one for once. Marcus sounded almost desperate. I was the one now getting the fine edge of his anxiety. Maybe it was reasonable that they didn’t know. Marcus had explained everything to me, that our closeness was almost inevitable. I suppose Donovan and the rest of the crew might think Marcus and I were an odd couple. “I wasn’t worried about them keeping us apart. I’ve been with you for months. I don’t think you could influence me more if you tried. I was worried…”
    “You were worried I was leaving?” Marcus sounded a bit incredulous. “That’s ridiculous, cara mia . I have no desire to leave you. As I said before, only this morning I was dreaming of you. I adore you, bella . Ti penso sempre. ”
    I am always thinking of you. I’d learned some Italian. It mostly concerned dirty words and love phrases. I could also order a gelato.
    “I’m crazy about you, too,” I said with a smile in my voice, thinking about how he’d adored me last night. There was a reason he was still in bed. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. I’ll fill out their dumb paperwork. It’s a stupid formality. I’ll see you tonight.”
    “All right, if you’re sure.” I heard the yawn he tried to politely suppress. I could see him stretching his magnificently masculine body. The sheets would tangle around him and show off his lean strength. “I have many things to do before I head out to Dallas. Cara , if you do not mind…”
    I laughed into the phone. This had become a daily ritual for us in Italy. I shouldn’t have been surprised he would ask here. The man liked the flavor of coffee. “I’ll see what I can do, but it won’t be the same. You’ll have to get used to the American version.”
    I disconnected the call, and Zack was looking at me, pen in hand.
    “So Marcus Vorenus then,” my uncle said as he filled in the name. “I’ve always liked Marcus, myself, but Dev is going to be upset. He thought he’d gotten rid of him. Maybe I’ll just shuffle this paperwork through. Dev can find out all on his own.”
    That faery was going to have to get with the program or he would be dealing with me. Donovan’s partner had issues with my lover, and I wasn’t sure exactly what the problem was. Initially I’d thought it was because Marcus had an affair with the wife Dev Quinn shared with the king, but I’d come to believe Marcus had never actually touched Zoey Donovan-Quinn. Whatever his problem was, I wouldn’t let it affect the only healthy relationship I’d ever had with a man. “He’ll get used to it. We need to find a Starbucks. Marcus is a grump until he’s had an espresso.”
    Zack’s eyebrows arched curiously, but he gave the driver the instruction anyway. I knew he was waiting for an explanation, but none was forthcoming. I liked to maintain a little mystery.
    Zack set aside the paperwork and leaned back in his seat, casually crossing his legs. “You have a long list of people requesting meetings. I have your training schedule, and we need to decide who’s getting your consult time. Dev was serious about you being the Council’s in-house investigator. You have potential clients piling up.”
    I sat up straighter. I was anxious to get back to work. I’d been worried that the king would force me to “train” ten hours a day and leave me with no way to make a living. I was the mistress of a billionaire, but I wanted to earn my way. I wasn’t stupid. My relationship with Marcus wouldn’t last forever. I needed something to fall back on. Besides I liked my work. “Anything interesting?”
    “I think you’ll be very interested in some of them.” He pulled out a sheet of paper and passed it to me.
    I studied my schedule, which seemed super extensive. Pretty much every minute of my day for the next three weeks was scheduled.