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“Thank you but I wasn’t fidgeting.”
A low rumble of a laugh washed over me as we entered the theater. It was dimly lit and already pretty much to capacity. He escorted me to the balcony where we were greeted by attendants who opened the doors then by another strikingly handsome man who resembled Ezekiel, his brother Elias.
They were dressed similarly, although Elias’s suit was gray. Like his brother, he wore it incredibly well. The expensive fabric hugged both of their lean, muscular frames, encasing their broad shoulders, thick arms, and long legs. Elias was more solid than his brother, giving Ezekiel more of a tapered build. I could see them both being fighters and easily envisioned them both shirtless in the ring and…
No, that’s not a good idea.
“You must be Jhorie.,” Elias said with a bit of amusement in his voice. They had discussed me and that made me blush.
“I am.”
“The emphasis conqueror who has my brother cowering...” His smile was alluring and sexy but his eyes were on his brother, not me. They were sharing some sort of inside joke at my expense and I tensed. Ezekiel noticed and pressed a hand to the small of my back.
“Don’t show up to dinner with your wife later sporting a black eye, Lias.”
Elias laughed lightly and shifted his eyes to me.
“My brother said you’re working with him on some of his revitalization projects.”
“I am.” I peeked at Ezekiel and found him staring at me. I felt strangely overwhelmed to be the focus of these two men. Both radiated an overwhelming confidence.
“Philanthropy is his love child so that means you must be good at what you do if he’s allowing you shared custody.”
I smirked at the amusement in his voice. “I’m very good at what I do but so is he.”
I glanced toward the burning gaze I felt coming beside me and the intensity in Ezekiel’s eyes pushed a rush of heat through my veins.
“She’s better than good. Her passion makes her the perfect fit. Her intelligence makes her qualified. It’s a win-win.”
“Appears that way. I’m glad you joined us tonight. Cress is looking forward to meeting you.”
“Oh, we’re meeting?” I kept my eyes on Ezekiel who nodded slowly.
“Briefly before our flight.”
Elias chuckled. “Cress would murder him if she didn’t get to see you. We should find our seats.”
Elias sat to Ezekiel’s right, I sat to his left. I was even more anxious now, knowing I would meet his sister-in-law. That was essentially the family. Being with Elias wasn’t simply watching the performance together. This now felt very different, more intimate. While Elias scrolled his phone, I leaned into Ezekiel and quietly asked, “We’re meeting Cress?”
“Yes, is that a problem?”
“Well no but…”
“You can relax. She won’t interrogate you. She knows you’re joining me for a business trip so it made sense for you to be here.” His eyes were on me, studying my face. I sensed he was gauging me but I simply nodded, grateful the lights dimmed around us, the crowd silenced, and the stage illuminated. I could focus on the performance and not whatever this weird tension was between us. Because what the fuck was happening?
***
The evening was so exceptional. I was mesmerized the entire time Cress was on stage. Watching her dance was enchanting. Everything about the experience was delightful and I wanted to see her dance again.
I had never made it beyond rec classes so my interest in the fine arts was surface level at best. After being here tonight, I understood why the seats were filled and performances were sold out.
After the show I moved alongside Ezekiel to a hallway behind the stage, where people flowed in, greeting the dancers. I was excited about meeting Cress, mostly because I wanted to tell her how amazing she was and also because I was curious about what she would say after meeting me. This was planned, they’d all known I would be here, but as what…
Friend.
Colleague.
Woman of interest.
