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“When do I start?” She rises from her seat and runs a hand across the length of her dress.
I drag my eyes away from the curve of her waist toward her face. “Monday. Be here at 9 a.m. sharp.”
“Thank you for the opportunity. Really. I might have been shocked earlier when I said no, but I do really appreciate it. I don’t plan on letting you down.” A flush of color surges to the surface of her brown cheeks.
I find her reactions to the simplest things interesting. What else would make her blush? An image of her red-painted lips wrapped around something incredibly inappropriate flickers through my mind.
She’s on your payroll. Get a fucking grip on yourself.I frown at the uncontrollable reaction spreading through my body like a row of falling dominos. I’ve never been the type to be attracted to those who work under me.
What’s different about her and how can I stop it?
I release a tense breath. “See yourself out.” I grab her contract and add it to the stack of paperwork for Martha to handle.
Zahra grabs her backpack off the floor. She stands and turns on her heel, giving me a view of at least fifty different pins scattered across the pocket.
What’s the story with the pins, and why does she carry them with her wherever she goes?
I stop breathing as I zone in on one pin in particular. It catches my attention not because it’s bold but rather because it’s so different than all the other ones. No normal person would notice that pin out of the countless ones, but I’m all too familiar with the symbol and what it represents.
Maybe there’s more to Little Miss Bubbly than meets the eye, and something tells me it has to do with the understated black semicolon pin.
* * *
“How’s it going?” Declan leans into the camera.
“My schedule has been slammed with meetings from nine to nine but I finally think I have an idea of what I need to do.”All thanks to Zahra.
“At least I have one brother taking this seriously.” Declan takes a shot at Cal.
His jaw locks. “I’m waiting for a particular moment.”
“Sounds like an excuse.”I shrug.
He rubs his eyebrow with his middle finger.
Declan sighs. “Rowan, let’s concentrate on your plan first. I’ll get to Cal after.”
“I don’t need you trying to micromanage me. Have a little trust in my process and let me go about this my way. I’ve already proven myself.”
Declan rubs a hand across his stubble. “There’s a lot more banking on this one project. If any of us fails—”
My molars smash together. “Then we all fail. I got it the first five times you mentioned it. Give me space to figure this all out. You don’t see me chasing after you, checking in on whether or not you found a wife that meets your unreasonable standards.”
“There are no standards in this process because it’s a contractual obligation. All I care about is finding someone who’s practical, fertile, and has a face considered proportionate enough to be deemed attractive.”
Cal grins. “With that kind of charm, I bet you’ll be walking down the aisle in no time.”
Declan shoots a withering glare into the camera.
“Will I be your best man? Before you decide, think about it. Rowan wouldn’t know the first thing about planning a bachelor party. He considers puffing cigars at your house a good time.”
“That’s because it is a good time.”
“Think about it. I’m talking Vegas. Buffets. Strip clubs. Casinos.” Cal ticks off each of his fingers.
“If you’re trying to sell me on this, you lost me at Vegas.”
I laugh. “Declan’s happy place happens to be the four walls of his home.”
