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“Yes, absolutely. We have to be. Well, we’re kind of stuck with each other, you know? Our parents died when I was very young. Kane and my oldest sister basically raised me.”
“I am sorry. I should not have asked.”
“You wouldn’t know.” She nodded at his phone. “Unless your research went back about twenty years.”
He shook his head. “I am sorry I asked something so personal. Will you still help with the Studio? I promise you will not have to deal with me too much.”
Megan laughed out loud. “If your team likes what I suggest, you’re going to be the one person I see most often. I’ll just have to suffer through.”
He smiled and bowed to her. “I will be at your command.”
Okay, of course she liked the sound of that. The man didn’t even do it on purpose. He just said “at your command,” and a nation swooned.
“Would you like to visit the Studio?” he asked. “Get to know the directors?”
“I’d love to! In fact, I should. Before I start changing anything. Why don’t I go after work today?” She nodded at his phone, the lackluster Facebook page now hidden. “Better not to waste any time.”
“Are you sure? That is very short notice,” he said slowly. “You just came home.”
“I’m not that busy. Since I’m moving to manufacturing in a couple weeks, they’re not putting me on any big projects.”
The thrill was replaced by a lump of rock in her stomach. Why did the wordmanufacturinghave to toll with such a heavy sound?
Pressing down the impending doom in her gut, she smiled big at Alessandro. “I can be finished by five thirty tonight. If you send me the address, I can meet you there.”
He shook his head. “The neighborhood is not great. I’d rather pick you up from work.”
“Oh, okay.” Then she remembered who she was talking to. “Wait. Aren’t you here incognito?”
“Well, yes. My manager wants me to keep a low profile until the arrest becomes last week’s news. But this is different. It is more important than an unflattering photo and some rumors about my love life.”
She nodded, though rumors about her brother’s love life had led to physical attacks on his wife. “Okay then,” she said. “So I’ll see you tonight? Are you coming in a car?”
“Yes.”
“Then stay in the car. I’ll come out to you. What’s your cell phone number?”
For a second she’d forgotten who he was. But Alessandro gave it to her as easily as if he gave it out every day. Now mindful of his privacy, she put his number in her phone under the letterA. Just in case.
She texted him a briefIt’s meand checked that he received it and her number.
“Thank you,” he said again. “I will see you tonight.”
Megan stood. Unfortunately, he did, too, so they were very, very close in that tiny space. With her heels on, Megan could look Alessandro right in the eyes. And if she didn’t know better, she’d say his pupils in those gorgeous Ian Somerhalder grays were dilated.
“I’m sorry,” he said and extricated himself first, moving into the hallway. Megan told all the parts of her that had touched him—honestly, just her clothes… and her knees and almost her forehead—to calm down, then allowed him to back up so she could leave.
“All good?” Sophia asked breezily when Megan came back through. A half dozen people were in line already. Megan hadn’t realized how much time had passed in Roman’s office. She had to dodge around Grace, who was making four drinks at once.
“All good!” she sang in a voice that sounded loud and strident. “See you tomorrow!”
And this time she left without her coffee cup.
♦
Chapter 4
Megan was updating the department handbook with all the events she’d worked on in her tenure when her cell phone rang with the Darth Vader march.
