Miguel Astacio slid on his tailored suit jacket for the third time in twenty minutes, found the material irritating and flung it onto his seat. He hadn’t been this nervous since... Well, never.
He went into his office’s private bathroom to splash cold water on his face. Maybe that would take away some of the heat making him so unbalanced. Was he coming down with something? Maybe a case of food poisoning from the lobster thermidor he’d had for lunch? It would be a more comforting explanation than being panicked about seeing his best friend’s sister.
Josh had called him a couple of days ago asking for a favor. His friend from college never asked for anything. The request hadn’t even been for him. His sister was on the cusp of losing her nightclub and Josh claimed she needed his help. Miguel had no idea what he could do, but he’d at least listen to her story.
Tanya Carrington was the one woman he’d fallen irrevocably in love with back in college. He’d refused to acknowledge his feelings and had denied them to anyone who’d attempted to guess how much she meant to him. He’d already lost a couple of good friends in the past because he’d stupidly decided to date and inevitably dump their sisters. Lesson learned. When he’d been attracted to Josh’s older sister after they’d first met, he’d stayed the hell away from her, or had tried to. When she’d insisted on hanging out with her brother, Miguel had had no choice but to get to know her better. The more he learned, the more he’d wanted her.
She’d been unlike any other woman he’d dated. Unimpressed by his wealth and status as an Astacio, she’d treated him as she did everyone else. Her genuine personality had placed her in a category above all others. He’d loved her chubby cheeks and on the rare times they’d hugged, her full curves had felt perfect against his body. He’d appreciated everything about her. Big mistake, because whatever had zipped between them every time they were together had threatened his much-needed friendship with Josh.
He and his soul brother had met in their sophomore year. Josh hadn’t initially known Miguel was one of three heirs to the Astacio empire, and when he’d found out, it hadn’t made a difference. At first, Miguel had been wary because everyone wanted something from him; after all, he wasn’t just an Astacio but a Gill on his mother’s side, which meant double the prestige, money and power. His parents owned a conglomeration of companies all over the world and kept creating more just because they could.
He recalled Josh’s words on the day he connected his last name to that of the famous Astacio family: “I don’t understand why you’d want to hang out with a geek like me, but if you don’t mind catching some of my uncoolness, I don’t mind sharing. Just don’t expect me to be a groupie. I don’t have time for that.” His words had cemented their friendship. Miguel could never give up having such a supportive and loyal person in his life. The man’s innate integrity and comedic nature had made him indispensable.
The splash of cold water against his face didn’t help settle his nerves. Miguel wiped away the liquid and frowned at his reflection. Where had those sweat rings under his arms come from? Dammit. He stripped out of the shirt and stormed to the closet where he kept extra clothes.
He had to calm down. This wasn’t the suave man he’d branded himself into since stepping out in front of the cameras with enviable confidence at the age of twelve. This nervous, sweaty man had to go.
Ten years had passed since he’d last seen Tanya. He’d been with more women than he could count during that time. Why the hell was he jittery about seeing her again? Sure, she’d been on his mind over the years and he couldn’t help comparing every woman he’d been with to her, but he’d gotten over his best friend’s sister. Right?
Momentarily distracted from his plight, Miguel smiled as he glanced at his watch and thought about how he’d used his marketing savvy to put the newly launched Astacio watch line in competition with established timepiece designers such as Movado and Breguet. Now people of prestige were wearing their Asombra watches.
Only ten minutes before her arrival. Pulling out a lavender shirt with a matching tie, he ignored the fact that it used to be Tanya’s favorite color. What did he expect from her? To be the same sweet, intelligent, loyal-as-her-brother woman he’d spent all night talking to back in school? He scoffed as he slid the gold-and-onyx cuff links into the sleeves. She owned a nightclub. How sweet could she possibly be anymore?
The thought calmed his agitation. He’d changed over the years so it stood to reason she must’ve, too. Of course he’d become more handsome,