“I don’t think there’s time.”
“Edi, clear my afternoon,” Konni said.
An afternoon of shopping with Konni sounded like a dream, even as I shook my head.We already had people watching us, and I didn’t want to give them more opportunities for public pictures.
“What I’m wearing is fine.What about the proposal?”
He smiled, sighed, and crossed his arms.
“It’s perfect.You have an eye for detail and an understanding of how to sell a concept through visuals and solid description.Even though I can’t find anything not to like, I’m still giving the marketing department a chance to come up with something better.”
“Good.Steele has a reputation for excellence.Settling for anything less would tarnish it.”
He chuckled softly.“Lianna said something similar about your work.Why do you think she doesn’t like you?”
“You’re not that blind, are you?She’s never said a nice thing to or about me and has treated me as less than human several times.”
He lost his humor.“If it happens again, tell me.”
“Why?”I leaned toward him and added quietly, “So you can growl at her?Human men don’t usually do that, you know.You might want to tone it down unless you want her and them to know.”I nodded toward the open door.
The man had the audacity to grin.
“They already know.And Lianna’s a dragon too.We grew up together.Our moms are best friends.That’s the only reason I’ve put up with her crap for so long.”
“Oh.”
I wasn’t sure what part of that surprised me more.That the fab trio out there knew he was a dragon.That Lianna, the woman who hated me with what seemed to be every fiber of her being, was a dragon.Or that Konni had been forced to “put up with her crap” because of family friendships.
“And that’s why she’s been harder on you,” he continued.“It’s in her nature to be more prickly.”
I opened my mouth to ask why he wasn’t prickly and remembered what he’d said about female dragons being more violent.
Maybe it would be in my best interest to stop provoking Lianna.
Konni’s gaze darted to my parted lips.“Are you testing me again?”
I snapped my mouth closed and shook my head.
A soft knock on the open door interrupted us.
“Your afternoon is almost clear,” Edi said from behind me.“Only one person is insisting on keeping their meeting.”
“Lianna,” I mouthed.
Konni smirked at me and looked up at Edi.
“Who is it?”
“Ms.Stonestock.It’s the department meeting to go over the weekly project status.She’s concerned that their shift in focus might delay some of the other project deadlines and wants to keep you in the loop.”
“Okay.Have Bomir attend in my place and summarize what’ll be affected.I’ll personally reach out to all the clients with significant delays we can’t make up.”
“Understood,” Edi said.
“I don’t need anything,” I repeated quietly, once he left.
“But I do.Shopping is an excuse for you to walk me through what you saw Saturday to inspire your plan, and I can fill you in on the Riverfront project so you can start thinking of ways we can sell that.”
