The Beauty and the CEO

Inside her room, Zoe debated whether or not to shower and erred on the side of caution. Being sweaty and standing near the lake water was a good way to get bitten by a mosquito. She slipped out of her sundress, padded barefoot into the bathroom and locked the door to Will’s side of the room, just in case Will decided to do the same. Once in the shower, scrubbing her body with a loofah, Zoe thought more about what Rebecca and Will were talking about. She was in a sudsy lather and her mild rage grew as her mind wandered. What if Rebecca wanted the CDD position? What if Rebecca was willing to compromise her integrity? There was no what-if, Zoe thought bitterly.

Zoe got out of the shower, dressed in a pair of denim shorts and red crop top, and stomped down the stairs in her red flip-flops, already in a tizzy. Will stood by the grill, nursing a bottled beer, talking and watching Ramon maneuver a grilled chicken leg over to its other side. When he finished, Stephen stepped in with a basting brush and brushed a thick, deep-red sauce over the meat. Will nodded his head in approval.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Will cheered the barbecuers.

“Oh, brother,” Zoe groaned, walking over to them.

Kenzie came out of nowhere and linked her arm with Zoe’s. “Men will bond over anything, from a sports show to meat.”

“Not just meat, woman,” Ramon said, puffing his chest and lifting his hands out to the sides. “We made fire.” To celebrate Ramon’s feat, Will and Stephen gave him high fives.

Zoe liked this side of Will. He wasn’t as stuffy as he was with his brothers at Ravens Cosmetics, where he had to be the boss. He was himself…or, at least, she thought so. “What’s on the grill?”

“I have some chicken now,” said Ramon, “and there are burgers and hot dogs keeping warm in the oven.”

“So, we’re ready to eat?” asked Kenzie.

Ramon looked at the grill and nodded. “Yeah, let’s start calling the guests down.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” Zoe asked. “I learned from my grandmother that if I didn’t bring anything to the party, the least I can do is help out.”

“Yours, too, huh?” Will chuckled. “We may end up washing dishes together tonight.”

Great, Zoe groaned inwardly, a night of getting wet with Will.

CHAPTER 5

The following morning, a wave of nerves washed over Zoe when she brushed her knuckles against the door to Will’s room. She’d dressed in a pair of comfortable red workout shorts, a plain white T-shirt and some running shoes, and stepped out of her room into the hall to go right next door. She heard no movement but in a second Will opened the door.

Before leaving her room, Zoe had prepared a speech to coerce him into going off Lexi’s daily schedule. Then he answered the door in a pair of black basketball shorts with the waistband hanging low on his hips, exposing those V-shaped muscles. Zoe’s mouth went dry. She’d figured he was fine, but damn.

And the last thing she’d expected to find on his defined chest were the initials TOP over his heart. A woman? Zoe stamped down the surge of jealousy coursing through her veins.

“Hey,” Will said, cocking his head to the side to catch her attention.

Zoe hadn’t realized she was staring until her neck ached as she straightened it to meet his gaze. “Oh,” Zoe began, “I, uh, I wanted to see if you wanted to go off course again today.”

“You have something in mind?” Will asked and reached up for the top of the door frame. A natural bulge formed in his biceps. A natural moan threatened in the back of Zoe’s throat.

“I thought you’d like to visit the Four Points Park today for a workout.”

“A park?” A spark of excitement was in his voice.

“Well, yesterday you almost killed us while driving because you seemed so distracted by the view,” Zoe teased.

Will began to rock back and forth, his arms still holding the top of the door frame. Now all Zoe could see was the way the muscles in his legs flexed. She gulped once more. Was he doing this on purpose?

“What was I doing yesterday?” Will asked.

Zoe blinked back up to make eye contact with her potential boss. If she kept saying that in her head, she’d eventually believe it. “I should have asked how your forehead was doing, considering how many times you hit your head against the window every time you saw a green pasture.”