“Yes, who’s this?” He stared at the phone’s screen.
A few moments passed in silence, as if the woman were hesitant to reveal her identity. Finally, she took a deep breath. “This is Louise Franklin.”
Eve secured the crystal-beaded elastic around her low bun, then gave her reflection a final glance in the mirror. Satisfied with the look of her chocolate-brown pantsuit, gold jewelry and muted makeup, she flicked off the light on her vanity and rose to her feet. She was due at the monthly board meeting in less than an hour, and she knew she needed to get on the road in order to avoid the usual traffic in downtown Charlotte.
Within a few minutes, she’d made herself a cup of coffee and a bagel, grabbed her purse and briefcase, and flown out the door.
She strolled into the boardroom ten minutes before the meeting was set to begin. Glancing around the room, she could see that the seats around the long polished table were empty. Confused, she paused a moment, then backtracked to the open conference room door. There, a simple typed sign had been affixed to the glass. She read it—the board meeting had been postponed until 10 a.m. the next day. No explanation had been given.
She shrugged and returned to the corridor to get back on the elevator. The conference room was on the building’s third floor, along with the employee lounge and the security offices. Her office was on the seventh floor, where the entire finance department was housed. She slipped into the car, jabbed the appropriate button on the elevator’s panel and waited for the doors to close.
A half a second before the doors could meet, a hand wedged between them, making them part again. Her gaze followed the rather large hand up an arm clothed in a raven-black suit, the cuff of a cherry-red shirt visible at the wrist.
The doors opened fully, and in stepped the finest brother she’d ever had the pleasure of laying her eyes on. He wore a gray, red and black striped tie, a bold complement to the well-cut suit and crisp shirt. His hair was close cut, a neat fade. His chiseled, bronze-toned face was framed by a carefully trimmed beard and mustache. Two dark, mesmerizing eyes fixed on her, and two full lips turned up into a sinfully sexy smile. “Good morning.”
For a moment, she just stood there, staring. The second he’d stepped into the space, he’d brought with him an intoxicating, masculine aroma. She picked up notes of sandalwood, eucalyptus and something else she couldn’t quite identify.
Exhaling, she tried to form a verbal response, though her brain was a bit slow to cooperate. When she found her voice, she returned his greeting.
If he noticed how dumbfounded she looked, he didn’t mention it. He gripped the strap of the attaché case slung over his shoulder with one hand, and used his free hand to press the button for the eighth floor. “Good, you’re already going up. Wouldn’t want to keep a lovely lady like yourself from any important appointments.”
She tried to stop herself, but before she knew it, her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip. Damn, this man was fine. So fine she could barely think. Looking at him was like looking at the sun—awfully pretty, but it sure did make your eyes hurt. Rather than put her foot in her mouth, she simply smiled and nodded.
No one said anything for the few moments they shared the elevator car. She was perfectly fine with pressing her back into the corner, gripping the handrail and staring at his back. The dark suit fit him so well it must have been custom-made. Despite her father’s efforts to hire on as many people of color as possible, there just weren’t that many brothers working at FTI. That was why a well-dressed brother like him stood out, or at least that was what she told herself.
As the automated voice announced their arrival at the seventh floor, she extricated herself from the corner and prepared to get off. The doors opened, and she attempted to ease by him without making eye contact.
She succeeded in doing that, but didn’t manage to evade him entirely. As he stuck his arm out to make sure the doors didn’t shut on her, his hand brushed against her arm. She glanced back, and found his smiling eyes on her.
“Have a great day, beautiful.” He gave her a wink.
She stepped back, out into the hallway, and the elevator doors closed. Just like that, Mr. Sexy Mystery Man was gone. That disappointed her a bit, but at least she could think straight now that he’d taken his sexiness and delicious scent elsewhere.
Swiveling to her right, she strode down the hall toward her corner office. By now, her secretary should have some coffee made—maybe a kick of caffeine would help her concentrate on her work and put the fine, nameless brother out of her mind.
Stepping into her custom-designed office put a smile on her face, as it did most days. Her parents had given her free reign to decorate the office in any manner she liked. She’d chosen a calming color palette of cream and periwinkle. The brocade-textured wallpaper, shelving units and furniture all reflected her tastes. She’d had light oak hardwood floors put in, and covered them with soft throw rugs in muted shades of blue. The theme started in the reception area, and carried through her personal office and washroom.
In the reception area, she found Mimi Chin, her secretary, stationed at her desk. After they’d exchanged greetings, Eve made a beeline for the coffeepot. The smell of the brew met her before she was fully in the room, and she noticed it was stronger than what she usually drank. Picking up the pot, she turned toward Mimi. “What’s this?”
“French roast. I try to make something with a little more gusto on board-meeting days.” Mimi was typing furiously on her keyboard, and didn’t look up.
“Thanks.” Even though the board meeting had been delayed, she could still use the kick to get her going.
As she headed toward the door to her private office, her phone buzzed. Removing it from the outer pocket of her leather hobo, she looked at the screen.
It was a text from Lina. Opening it, she found a picture attached of Lina and two of their girlfriends in bathing suits, standing on the beach. The message read, Girl, you missed it!
She smiled, shaking her head. Lina was about as straitlaced as could be when it came to her work as an attorney specializing in employment law. But when Lina cut loose, she did it like she was doing it for TV. She spent another moment looking at the picture, and was about to close it and tuck her phone away when she noticed something in the background.
Or rather, someone.
Standing behind her friends, mere feet away, was a handsome man, wearing nothing but a pair of bright blue swim trunks and a silver chain. The photo had been taken with him in midair, smacking a volleyball over the net. His muscled arms and chest glistened in the sunlight as he hovered a couple of inches off the ground. Dark shades obscured his eyes, but the distinctive facial hair was a dead giveaway.
The man in the picture was the same man who’d stolen her breath when he stepped into her elevator car.
* * *
Fingers laced together, Darius tucked his hands behind his head. He’d been told to make himself comfortable in the swanky eighth-floor office he’d been directed to, and was taking those instructions to heart. The burgundy chair he sat in was so comfortable he never wanted to get up. He could feel his butt sinking into the fabric, and sighed with pleasure. There was nothing like a comfortable chair to put him in a good mood. As a bonus, the chair faced a wall made entirely of glass, giving him an impressive view of the Queen City’s lush skyline beneath a sun-filled sky.
It had been years since he’d been in this building, let alone this office. Back then, he’d been fresh out of school and eager to learn everything he could about software development. His passion for innovation had been at its zenith. There was no way he could have guessed that his enthusiasm