“Wait. Wait. You two have beentexting?” Aidan gasps as if that’s the most shocking thing we’ve been discussing.
“Uh, yes? Why is that so surprising?”
“What do you two even talk about?”
“Oh, ya know, about whether we want burgundy-colored drapes in the master bedroom or cream…what the hell do you think we’re talking about?” My question is laced in sarcasm.
“Alright, I get it. You got jokes.” He rolls his eyes, plopping himself back on the couch.
I guess I can't fully blame him for being surprised. The text exchange I had with Zahra earlier also caught me off guard. The video of her at the gym resulted in me spending an embarrassingly long time taking care of myself, coming at the thought of her soft lips wrapped around me…
“Boss, Ms. Ahzhimi is here.” Connor’s voice snaps me back into the moment. He still hasn’t been able to look me in the eye since I talked to him after the whole Natalie debacle. I ripped into him a bit, but not as hard as I normally would, knowing he was still green in this position.
Aidan’s the first to speak. “Why? We agreed to start contract negotiationson Friday.”
“I invited her. We never got to talk about the banquet shooter after Natalie stormed in,” I remind him.
Aidan clicks his tongue. “Right, I forgot about that. Alright, Connor, you can send her in.”
“Actually, I was planning on meeting with her alone. Over dinner. You can stay here and keep reading though.” I toss him the remaining stack of documents to sift through.
“So, it’ll be just you two alone?
“Correct.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“It’s the one I’m going with so…”
“But I’m also hungry,” he protests.
“I’ll have Maura bring you something to eat.” I walk out of my office before he continues to list reasons why I shouldn’t have dinner with my soon-to-be fiancé.Soon to a fiancé who’s counting down the days until she can divorce you,I remind myself.
“She’s waiting in the wing.” Connor gestures to the hallway across from my office. “The delivery was made right before she arrived.”
I give him a nod before walking down the hallway. Zahra’s intoxicating scent hits me before the sight of her. And god, what a sight it is. Her long, wavy hair falls loose on her fully exposed shoulders and collar. Her long-sleeve cream shirt hugs every delicious curve of her breasts, and her long, loose pants barely hide the incredible ass I know is underneath. My hands twitch, desperate to touch her.
“I can take that for you.” I gesture to the coat draped over her hands.
“Thank you.” She smiles softly, extending her arm out. Our hands brush as I take her jacket, and a rush of electricity runs down my spine. Zahra must have felt the same, as she lets out a small gasp and her pupils dilate. Fuck, I need to get that reaction out of her again.
Placing her coat in the closet, I take a second to compose myself.You’re about to talk about the man who almost killed both of you, Declan.Definitely not the time to get a hard-on over barely touching a girl.Get a grip.
“The dining room’s this way.” I start walking toward the room where we had breakfast a few days ago.
“Take out? I’m surprised Maura allows that in her house.” Zahra raises an eyebrow, taking a seat and opening the first container in front of her. “Oh, Pad Thai, yum.”
“What Maura doesn’t know won’t kill her. I’ll just toss the empty containers in the garbage before she spots them.” I stand frozen for a second, debating how close I should sit to her. Zahra makes the decision for me, setting a plate down in the seat next to hers while digging through the other contents of the plastic bag.
“There’s also dumplings, Thai fried rice, and Pad Woon Sen.”
“Pad Woon Sen is my favorite…Although I do have a confession to make.” Her expression turns serious.
“Oh?”
She leans closer, and I do my best to keep my eyes locked on her face and not the slight hint of cleavage that’s practically screaming for my attention. Zahra lowers her voice so it’s barely a whisper, “I have no idea how to use chopsticks.”
A snort leaves my nose before I can stop it. “You’re so dramatic. Here I thought you were going to tell me something serious.”
