“Samantha!”
“What? Is it bad to do client research? His parents died with he was a child, leaving him and a brother, Malcolm. That’s all I’ve got so far.”
Carmine shook his head. “Why don’t you find me a list of prefabricated house companies instead? I’m not about to sleep with a client.”
He opened his laptop. Samantha stayed stock-still.
“And please don’t look at me like that.”
FIVE
NOAH
Two weeks had passed since Noah had met Carmine. To say he’d struggled to get this man out of his head was an understatement. Not only was Carmine gorgeous, he was also talented. In no time he’d opened Noah’s mind to ideas he hadn’t considered.
“What are you doing this afternoon?”
Tito sat at Noah’s kitchen island, eating grapes. They’d just come in from training.
“I’m meeting that architect guy.”
Noah prayed that had come off as nonchalant but not too nonchalant.
“Oooh,” Tito said, throwing a grape into his mouth. “Excited?”
Noah frowned. “I’m keen to see his designs.”
This made Tito throw his head back and cackle.
“Sure,” he said, wiping his eyes. “I believe you. I saw the way a little bit of dribble came out of your mouth when you saw that photo of him.”
“You are such a child,” Noah replied. “What are you up to?”
Noah was keen to move the conversation on. He’d been careful not to bang on about Carmine too much. Perhaps he’d failed in that mission.
“Nothing much. Might watch a movie.”
“No you won’t.”
Marge, their cleaner, appeared from Noah’s bedroom where she’d been vacuuming. Tito snapped to attention.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
Noah and Jonas found it hilarious how this short, slight woman put the fear of God into the usually cocky Tito Lopes. Of course, Noah was her pet. He had always been a clean freak.
“I’m shampooing the carpet in there because you dropped cranberry juice. Again.”
She gave a harried look to Noah. She certainly wasn’t giving up her life’s work, which appeared to be housetraining Tito.
“So I’m being kicked out of my own home?”
Marge nodded. “Got a problem with that?”
Tito turned to Noah seemingly for support. Noah threw his hands up.
“Don’t drag me into it. Who’s the golden child, Marge?”
She came over and pinched his cheek.
