The Beauty and the CEO

He saw a piece of jewelry Zoe wore every day. Using his index finger, he traced the hoop earring a few times, then pinched it to pick it up. Returning it to her would give him an excuse to see her—touch her, even.

Downstairs, he found Zoe seated at the head of the breakfast table draining a glass of orange juice. Though the glass covered her face, Will still caught her eyes watching him as he crossed the room. He bit the inside of his cheek trying to keep from flashing a smile at her. It seemed every time he did she would blush, and with a table filled with other guests working the pageant this Sunday, Will figured he needed to curb his flirting. What Dana had said resonated with him. He needed to keep to himself for the rest of the time here.

Kenzie carried on a light conversation with the group at the table. She kept directing the topic toward Zoe. Will snagged a biscuit and sat at the opposite end of the table from her. A silver bowl of honey butter sat in front of him. While he slathered the butter on his bread, he could only think about doing the same thing to Zoe. Her slender neck was exposed in her low-cut V-neck T-shirt with a witty picture of sparkling red lips on the front.

“Are you ready for today?”

Will turned to his left to find Rebecca sliding into the empty seat. She reached out with her right hand to stroke his forearm. Nodding, Will sat back in his chair and pulled the napkin from under his plate to wipe his hands.

“Of course,” Will said. “I look forward to discovering more of Southwood’s hidden charms.”

“I can’t wait to look at the old building,” said Luke. He was the photographer for the pageant, but Will had also seen several freelance jobs he’d done for RC’s digital spreads.

Will nodded his head in agreement. In one bite he consumed half of his biscuit. From across the table, Zoe stared and pressed her lips together. They’d almost shared a kiss yesterday afternoon.

Zoe had left with the girl named Kimber to check on Lexi last evening. She hadn’t returned to her room until late. Will had been tempted to “accidentally” walk in on her when she was taking a shower, but he’d decided against it. Will wanted to talk about their episode yesterday.

They had been about to kiss.

He hated not being honest with Dana. In truth, he wasn’t sure where he stood with Zoe. Zoe had more aspirations in life than being the wife of an athlete. Will liked the way Zoe took time to talk to the girls at the park. There were times he’d witnessed a grown woman push a child out of the way in order to get his autograph. Will could try to keep things professional like he promised his sister. The words he’d said to Dana weren’t true. There was something going on between him and Zoe. It was only a matter of time. Because of his dedication and traveling with soccer, Will had never thought twice about getting involved in a serious relationship, yet when it came to Zoe, he wrestled with everything. Once the decision about the job was made, Will could concentrate on pursuing Zoe. Since she was from the islands, he knew the perfect place to take her on their first date when they returned to Miami.

“Alright, is everyone here who wants to go on the road trip?” Kenzie asked in her typically cheerful voice.

A chorus of yeses came from the Magnolia Palace occupants. Will looked forward to the van being overcrowded again. It would give him a chance to drive in the Maserati with Zoe. Alone.

“Okay,” Kenzie went on, “Zoe, how about you sit up front with me and I’ll drive.”

Wait, what? Will thought quickly. This was his chance to have her alone. For a brief moment he contemplated banging his fist on the table or kicking the chair’s leg in protest. But he was the CEO of a major cosmetics company. He was here on business to represent said company, but he was fighting the urge to act like a spoiled child for not getting his way. Will started to get up, but a set of hands clamped down on his shoulders. Ramon was standing behind him.

“I kind of need a favor from you, bruh,” his new friend said. He slid into the seat Rebecca had left. “Kenzie is a bit upset with me and has kicked me off the tour. I figured since you have an empty seat in that car of yours, I could catch a ride.”

“Sure, not a problem.”