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Why is she still here? Why is she still looking at me with that soft, sweet expression?
“Okay, Mr. Bowman,” the woman finally says, her voice like honey.
“Good,” I grunt. I didn’t mean to say that out loud, but this woman is throwing me off. “Now that we have that settled, you can go,” I repeat.
Clementine nods, turns on her heel, and steps out of my office. She looks at me over her shoulder one last time, a spark of curiosity and mischief swimming in those bright green depths.
Who the hell was that, and how long do I have to work with her?
2
CLEMENTINE
Iclose the heavy oak door behind me and lean against the cool wood, my head still spinning from my first interaction with Kingsley Bowman.
My boss told me the wealthy real estate mogul was rude, cold, and had a bit of a temper. I was prepared for his clipped responses and dismissive attitude. I was even prepared for his intense, dark gaze, sexy stubble, and muscled, drool-worthy chest and arms. Yeah, I’ve seen the Forbes articles and GQ photo spreads with Mr. Bowman. Who hasn’t? A girl has to be aware of all the eye candy in the city, however unattainable they may be.
What I wasn’t prepared for is that among the hot CEO vibes and cold, detached personality, Kingsley is kind of… adorably grumpy. What was it he said when I asked what was his favorite part of the holidays?
Everything from October to March is highly overrated.
I can’t wait to prove him wrong.
“Did that go as well as it sounded?” someone asks me from off to the right.
I peel myself off the door and take a few steps in that direction. A well-dressed, middle-aged man sits behind a desk, giving me a friendly smirk. His thick orange glasses pop against his dark brown skin and match his pink and orange silk pocket square.He smiles at me, instantly putting me at ease.
I release a sigh and roll my eyes. “Even better,” I joke.
The man laughs, the genuine, hearty sound shaking his shoulders. It’s contagious. I join him, laughing along with the ridiculousness of Kingsley Bowman and this jolly man's sense of humor.
“I’m Ben,” he says, holding out his hand. “I’m Mr. Bowman’s executive assistant and the only one who can sympathize with you trying to get him into the holiday spirit.”
I laugh again and shake his hand. “I’m Clem–”
The office door swings open and bangs against the wall, causing me to drop my hand and gasp in surprise. I whip my head around and see Mr. Bowman standing in the doorway, his shoulders nearly taking up the entire frame.
Kingsley stares at Ben and growls, actuallygrowls, the sound rumbling up from deep in his chest. He looks… possessed yet confused. I’m certainly confused.
Darting my eyes to the nice man behind the desk, I see he’s completely unfazed. In fact, he has a twinkle in his eye.
Looking back at Kingsley, he now has his gaze trained directly on me. Confusion still clouds his dark brown irises, and he opens his mouth a few times as if trying to find the right words.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave?” he finally spits out.
I blink a few times, then watch the insane CEO storm back into his office and slam the door behind him.
“Uh, does he do that often?” I ask Ben.
“Mark his territory?”
“What?”
“Nothing!” he sing-songs. I raise an eyebrow at him, but Ben simply smiles charmingly. “I’m just saying, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think Kingsley was jealous of someone else making you laugh.”
I jerk my head back in shock, my eyes wide at the idea ofKingsley-freaking-Bowmanjealous of any part of me or my life.
“Ha. Yeah. That’s… that’s definitely not what just happened,” I stutter out. Clearing my throat, I try again. This is my first big project with Emery Event Planning Co., and I’ll need someone on my side if I want it to be a success. “You’re probably in a romantic mood because of the season,” I add with a smile, hoping to flip the script.
