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“I wouldn’t say this in front of the rest of them, but Kira is our star. Keep her happy and she keeps Wynters in business,” Trevor shakes my shoulder.
I flush. “You’re just being nice.”
“Have you seen our quarterly projections since we released your latest content strategy app? I’m not being nice. I’m giving credit where credit is due.”
I am confident in my work, but it still feels nice to be valued so much. I don’t know if I’d be as bashful about it if not for Orlie Wynters’ intense gaze on me.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. I’m going to make my rounds.”
Before I can protest (although I’m not sure what I would say that wouldn’t sound rude), Trevor lopes off in the direction of the CFO.
Leaving Orlie and me in an awkward silence.
“He’s not lying, you know,” Orlie is still staring at me . “He speaks very highly of you and your work.”
I feel dwarfed by his height, like he could crush me. Although I can’t say I’d mind being wrapped up in his arms. Beneath his jacket, I can only imagine there’s a very well-chiseled chest.
Kira, this is your future boss. Stop it.
“I’m h-happy to hear that.”
Orlie’s jaw tenses. He’s expecting me to say the next thing, but I’m at a complete loss for words. I can smell him from here. An expensive, strong cologne wafting off his body. Dark tobacco and amber.
I’m lightheaded.
“I think we’ve passed one another in the halls before. Forgive me if I’ve seemed standoffish, but I’ve been trying to prepare things for this…eventuality.”
“It’s no problem.”
The corner of his mouth creeps up. “Besides, we all probably look the same to you.”
I frown. “Huh?”
“In our suits and things. All of you in the tech department look like a circus compared to us with how freely you can dress.”
My mouth drops. Acircus?
I look down at my shirt.
What? Just because I wear stripes, he thinks he can stand there and call me a clown?
“It doesn’t matter what you all wear, though. All we really need your brains. The rest of us are just…” He pulls on the front of his jacket and looks around. “Posturing.”
I shake my head. I don’t tend to care what people think of my appearance.
I’ve always been the smart girl. I’ve had glasses since I was three. I wasn’t concerned with my beauty.
But hearing him dismissing me, reducing me to a brain, when I’m feeling all these strange sensations in my body is mortifying.
As if I haven’t been stereotyped before because I’m quiet and prefer to be behind the scenes. I don’t crave all eyes on me, don’t need to be the loudest one in the room.
Sometimes I worry that may be the reason I’ve struggled to find the right man. It wasn’t my priority when I was younger. But now that I’m the last single Solace sister, the clock is getting louder. I want to find that commitment. Someone to settle down with and start a family with when the time is right.
A companion. A peer. Someone to be there for me.
I straighten out my stripedcircustop.That’s one way to stand out.
What does Orlie Wynters know about me anyway?
