Zephyra's POVI cringed. “Yes. I didn’t know at the time, though.”“Holy shit,” she breathed. “I can’t believe it.” Then she laughed, her big brown eyes tearing up. “Oh my god, Zee. When you finally decided to let your hair down, you went full throttle and hooked up with one of the richest, most eligible bachelors in the country.”"Stop laughing," she said. "It was going to be so awkward, particularly during our one-on-one meeting."She wiggled her eyebrows. "Maybe it would have turned into a literal one-on-one meeting."The sip of coffee I had just taken almost choked me. "Jovan and I were back together. Plus, I worked for him, so that would have been completely inappropriate," I thought back to Lirael’s icy expression during our last meeting. "Not to mention, I was pretty sure he had no interest in a repeat performance.""From the minimal juicy details you gave of that night
Zephyra's POVIt was Monday, and I sat on the beautiful yet uncomfortable leather couch outside Lirael’s office, trying not to fidget. My heart hammered against my ribcage, and nervous sweat dampened my skin. Lirael’s PA, a young man who introduced himself as Samson, eyed me from across the space, and I wondered if he could tell how nervous I was.He picked up his phone, glanced at me, said something, and hung up. “You can go in, Miss Zane.”I smiled my thanks at him, then stood, smoothing down my gray pencil skirt. With Freya’s help, I had paired it with a cream sleeveless blouse with delicate little buttons running down the front of it. Black strappy heels finished off the look. As Freya put it, the outfit was classy, while still doing a fantastic job of highlighting my curves.Professional with a hint of sexy. Perfect to give me the confidence I needed to face this uncomfortable situation.Samson gave me a slightly concerned look, and I realized I had ground to a halt, standing fro
Zephyra's POVAnger whipped through me. What sort of cold, empty life would allow him to see a simple coincidence as some subterfuge to manipulate him? “Are you insinuating that I used my body to get this job for my firm? Because if you are, it sounds very much like you’re suggesting I prostituted myself.”He stalked closer and my breath caught. I hated that even though I was furious with him, my body reacted to his proximity. He was the only man who had given me such intense pleasure, and apparently my body didn’t care that he was insulting my integrity. It just wanted to relive the feeling of his head between my legs and the way he filled me so thoroughly.My gaze snapped back to his as I realized it had drifted down to his lips.My nipples tightened even more, and I was sure by now they must be visible. I crossed my arms as if I was bored with this conversation.Only the smirk curling his lips let me know I hadn’t succeeded.He was standing so close that I needed to angle my chin s
Lirael's POV“Are you listening?” Nathan’s voice brought my attention back to the discussion as my brothers and I sat around a table in his office, analyzing the Wright Group’s financials for the last quarter, as well as the projections for the next six months. 'Of course,' I said, despite the memory of my meeting with Zephyra that morning occupying most of my attention.She had surprised me. I was mostly convinced that our original encounter and what happened between us were a coincidence. The shock and horror on her face when I suggested otherwise had been believable enough that a part of me—a tiny part—actually felt bad about accusing her. But there were women out there who would do exactly that. Outside the bedroom, there had been plenty of people over the years who orchestrated meetings with me and my brothers to try to get something from us.In our position, trust had been scarce. I wasn’t sure there was anyone in my life I trusted completely. I knew my brothers wouldn’t screw m
Zephyra's POVI tapped my pen on my notepad as I studied the concept design I had drawn for the roof of the Chicago hotel. After doing some calculations, I turned to my other computer screen and scrolled through the U.S. Green Building Council website, checking over the information on their certification requirements. I took a few notes, then put my pen down and stretched.It had been Friday, and I had made it through my first week with the Wright Group. Aside from the confrontation with Lirael on Monday, it had been great. I scanned my surroundings and smiled. They had given us an impressive office, filled with sleek, modern workbenches, ergonomic chairs, and several drafting tables. Large windows lined two walls, allowing natural light to flood in and giving the space an airy, open feel. A small kitchen area with a fridge, microwave, and coffee machine was located at the far end.My desk sat in the corner, facing the rest of the room. The double computer screens blocked most of my v
Lirael's POV"Yes?" I glanced up from the email I had been reading. "Miss Zane and Mr. Specter were here for the meeting," I informed. I wondered what Jovan was up to with her."Keep them there," I barked before pushing back my chair and striding to the door. I jerked it open and stepped out.Zephyra and Jovan were waiting to come in. Zephyra held rolls of paper in her hands, and her green eyes locked on mine, a hint of pink tinting her cheeks. I shouldn't have liked making her nervous, but I did. My attention shifted to Jovan hovering close to her. I wondered if he sensed something, if he somehow picked up on the memories that rippled between Zephyra and me whenever we were in the same room together. The idea almost made me smile, but I refrained."Jovan, I'm sorry you wasted a trip here, but I asked to meet with only Miss Zane," I stated firmly. Jovan's eyes darted between Zephyra and me. Oh yeah, he sensed something alright, but I doubted he knew what. Would she have told him she s
Lirael's POVZephyra blinked, her lips parting. The next moment, her expression shuttered. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is a high-profile project. It's Jovan's job to make sure everything runs smoothly."I supposed it wasn't a surprise she didn't want to discuss her boyfriend with me."Jovan and Rachel seem to have a good working relationship," I said. I didn't know why I said it. It could be because I sensed some undercurrent between Jovan and the beautiful blonde. Or maybe it was because I was an asshole and recognized a kindred spirit when I saw one. And there was no doubt in my mind that Jovan was an asshole. After all, he had broken up with her once already—which I should probably thank him for—then come crawling back.Zephyra stared down at the plans in her hands. When she raised her gaze again, there was a spark of anger in the deep green of her eyes. The sight sent a flare of heat through me."I'm not sure what you're trying to insinuate," she said, "but my pe
Lirael's POV"How's the project going?" Raphael asked."It's moving along. We're almost ready to sign off on several preliminary designs." It was late at night, and Raphael, Nathan, and I were probably the last people in the building. While Nathan remained in his office, Raphael and I encountered each other on the way to the elevator, so we decided to head down to our cars together."How's marketing?" I asked.He shrugged his shoulders and scowled. "We're doing our best to offset any new press about Dad's arrest by replacing it with everything positive we're doing, but it's an uphill battle.""Why is that?""The press is more interested in our private lives than what the company is doing. At yesterday's interview, the woman spent more time asking me about my reputation than our current projects and the effort we're putting into making our developments more sustainable.""What did you do?""Took her into the bathroom and fucked her."I shook my head. "That's not helpful, Raphael." I di