“It won’t. I’m not that pressed for a date, so I wouldn’t take it as a diss if you didn’t want to go out with me. I get it.”
“Okay, good.”
Karina pulled her portfolio from her bag and handed it to me. I grabbed it only so she wouldn’t be stuck holding it out to me. I didn’t really need to look at it. Karina had always been brilliant, and I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t mess up something so important to my brand and the growth of my business.
“I can give you a minute to look over that if you want. You can take a moment to sit with it, and I’ll grab lunch. We can discuss your vision when I come back.”
“I’d rather grab lunch with you.”
She smiled nervously as I watched her emotions play out on her face. She was weighing the idea of turning me down again. I could tell she didn’t want to say no, but she most definitely didn’t want to say yes.
“You can say no if you want, but I don’t really need to look at that. I know you will do a good job. I’m not tripping on that.”
“Kareem, please look at the portfolio. I want you to treat me like anyone else. I’m not trying to have people saying I got this job because you’re attracted to me.”
“Who said I was attracted to you? I just wanted to grab lunch. A man’s got to eat, right?”
“Well,a mancan eat alone. Besides, I can already tell by the look your assistant has been giving me thatthismay be a thing. Icannot have rumors spread about me. My career depends on me making a name for myself based on merit alone.”
“You don’t have to be so uptight around me.”
“I’m not uptight. I’m just trying to be professional.”
“Too damn professional.”
“I’m going to leave that with you and go get lunch alone.”
Karina wasted no time getting up from her seat and heading out the door. I watched as she walked out. I didn’t want my eyes to be so fixed on her, but at this point, I didn’t have a choice. I was completely under her spell, and there wasn’t shit I could do about it.
I hated to see Karina leave my office, but watching her walk out the door in that sexy ass pencil skirt was a gift I wouldn’t refuse.
Once she was on the other side of the door, I felt like I could finally let out the breath I hadn’t noticed I’d been holding. Karina was like art, and looking away was always impossible.
Sitting back in my chair, I opened the portfolio. I heard Karina when she said she wanted to be judged solely on merit, and although I didn’t agree, I understood. Karina was more than just her skill set to me. She was the girl who had my heart since I was sixteen years old.
Her being the one to tell my story made sense to me based on that alone, but I couldn’t say it out loud, not if I wanted to respect her wishes. Still, the more I flipped through the pages, the more what I already knew was confirmed. Karina Stevens was the brilliant, beautiful woman she had always been, and there was no way I was letting her get away from me this time.
“It’s dope,but I knew it would be.”
I dropped Karina’s portfolio on the table in front of her. Even looking down at her from the angle I was standing was mesmerizing.How could one person be such a magnetic force while doing everything she could to avoid me?
“How did you find me?”
Karina looked up at me with those big brown eyes, and a smile formed. I was sure it was against her will because she dropped her head as soon as she did it. Still, I would take the smile.
I slid into the chair that sat across from Karina without answering her question. How I had found her was irrelevant. I was already here and not leaving until we were at least able to have lunch together.
“What’d you order?”
“I didn’t have a chance to even look over the menu, which is how I know you couldn’t have looked over that portfolio.”
“I did, and obviously, I like what I see.”
My eyes remained trained on Karina even when the server approached the table to take our orders. I barely acknowledged her, and Karina didn’t know if she wanted to answer the woman’s question or look at me. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear out of nervousness was cute.
“Can we have a moment to look over the menu?”
“Sure. Take your time.”
