Page 14 of Dream Chaser

“I’m proud of you for choosing what’s best for you,” Scarlett said. “Even if now the future seems scary.” She nursed her drink, scanning the club. The song’s fast beats pulsed around us. Four years ago, I would’ve been the one to drag her to the dance floor, but too much weighed on me now.

“Besides,” Scarlett continued, her glossy lips curving into a smirk, “if you’re thinking about moving on, that guy at the bar is hot as sin.”

She fanned herself with a napkin, and I swallowed a snort. “Really?”

Even if he was, I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin I’d scare him off before we even talked. Not that I was considering chatting with him or looking at him for that matter. Men were the last thing on the list of my priorities, way below landing a job and hiring a divorce attorney.

Scarlett leaned in. “Look. Just a peek. He looks like someone who’d show you what you’ve been missing. Come on.” She nudged me with her pink nail, and I gave up.

I ran my hand through my hair and turned, pretending to need something from my purse hanging on the back of the chair. Then I glanced up at the subject of Scarlett’s gushing.

My breath turned shaky, and my skin crackled with heat. Green eyes found mine across the room. A manicured brow arched. Alejandro Guerrero lifted his tumbler to his mouth, holding my gaze with the same confidence he’d displayed in his office.

The office I’d left on wobbly legs, praying I wouldn’t burst into tears before getting to the safety of my car.

“See?” Scarlett whisper-yelled. “He’s scorching hot. And now he’s looking at you.”

“He’s looking because he’s the guy I lied to,” I said. “Today’s interview. He’s the one who called me out.”

For God’s sake, this day was getting worse by the second. I wasn’t above crawling under the table and waiting until he left.

Scarlett let out a surprised oh, then straightened in her chair. “Well, now he’s coming here.”

He what? Her words ramped my pulse into a panic. I gripped the stem of my cocktail glass so tightly I thought I heard a faint crack. What could he possibly want from me now?

“Nova.”

My name rolled off Alejandro Guerrero’s tongue as if he’d said it a hundred times, not a handful. Despite taking calming breaths, nerves held me in a vise grip. I couldn’t meet his gaze. My attention snagged on his stubbled jaw, then moved to the sensual curve of his mouth.

The fresh, citrusy smell of his cologne tickled my nostrils as he inched closer.

“Could we have a word?”

I nodded, trying to hide how rattled I was. Scarlett was right—he was hot. In the dim, intimate lighting of the club, his features were even more striking, and he carried himself with the confidence of a man who was used to getting what he wanted.

I just had no clue what he could possibly want from me.

For a second, my eyes reluctantly met his. He pointed to the bar, and I glanced back at the smirking Scarlett, then followed him there.

“I won’t take lots of your time,” he said, leaning his elbow on the gleaming marble of the bar. “I went through your portfolio again.”

“And?” My voice came out unsteady. My pictures were good, but they hardly made up for my lack of experience.

“I decided to give you a chance,” he said. “We’ll start with a thirty-day trial period. If everything goes well, we’ll move forward with a permanent position.”

The club’s shiny floor seemed to shift beneath me. My knees grew weak.

Only Alejandro’s gaze kept me rooted in place.

“I need you to start tomorrow. Does that work?” he asked, concern filling his gaze. “I realize it’s short notice.”

I lowered my eyes to my skirt. The shame of that disastrous interview still lingered, but he’d offered me a job.

A job. I’d earn money and rent a place. Now I actually had a shot at a better future for myself. I could face Preston and not feel like a failure while he laughed in my face.

“Nova?” Alejandro’s voice was softer now, smooth as the whiskey the bartender poured over ice across the room. He never had to yell to be heard. Unlike Preston.

“Yes.” My tongue felt like sandpaper. “Thank you.”