“On my way in. I just wanted to make sure you were there.”
“Where else would I be?”
“The weather looks like shit, so I thought you might decide to cancel the shoot.”
Sid eyed the pile of shapewear on the table across from her. “No, Derek says the weather will clear, so we’re postponing a couple of hours. I could use your help deciding what to wear.”
“Sure,” she replied lightly. “Sounds cool.”
Sidney could almost picture the wide smile and laughing eyes. She frowned. “You sound like you just inhaled sunshine or something.” She sat straighter. “You’ve got a new man.”
“You think I need a man to be in a good mood? Geez, did I miss the memo that said we’ve transported back to medieval times? Can’t I just be happy?”
“No. You can’t. You’re only happy when you’re meddling in my business or when you’ve met someone. Since I have no business to meddle with, I say you’ve met a new guy. Who is he?”
“Okay, you’ve got me. You know how we’ve been searching for a new carpenter guy for the new segment? Well, I found him. He’s tall and dark and hot in that quiet, deep kind of way. You know, like he’s broken and needs to be fixed? I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“I’m not interested in fixing anyone.”
“Trust me, you’re going to want to meet this guy.”
Sid sighed because there was no point in arguing with Kylie. She always got her way. “Put him in my calendar. I might have time next week. We’ll talk about it when you get in.”
“Yeah. We will.” Her sister laughed, and then swore at about the same time Sid heard a horn honk. Kylie was a notoriously bad driver.
Sid hung up before Kylie could get another word in and wandered over to the table, her fingers smoothing out the various pieces of shapewear. The material
was light, the texture silky, and the elasticity and compression impressive. They came in several different shades, from off-white and cream to taupe, brown, and black. She had a feeling the pieces would sell out quickly, and Sid’s eye was never wrong.
Now, which ones to wear?
As Sid got busy deciding on the pieces she’d wear for the shoot, a few things were happening she wasn’t aware of. With her back turned to the windows, she didn’t notice the single beam of light that cut through the rain-heavy sky. It shone down like a beacon and settled on an empty parking spot that was soon filled by none other than her sister in her little red Volkswagen.
She didn’t see Kylie drive into the lot as if the hounds of hell were on her heels and pull up with a screech, cutting the engine before the car came to a full stop. And she definitely didn’t see the man beside her. He shed his seat belt and got out of the car, eyes on the doors that led inside. He didn’t hesitate. He strode forward, a determined look in his eyes, his long legs eating up the distance in no time, and her sister running to catch up.
As Sid put in her wireless earbuds and listened to Tyler Childers, a new favorite, she held up one of the pieces and tried to concentrate on the task at hand, unaware that the same tall, dark, and determined man who’d arrived with her sister stepped off the elevator at the other end of the floor and paused. He wore faded the jeans, a plain white T-shirt underneath a worn black leather jacket. His dark hair was longer than before, and stubble shadowed his jaw, giving him an air of danger he wore well. He focused on the office at the other end of the large, open room, his dark eyes intense in his handsome face.
He was a compelling male specimen, a handsome stranger with an air of mystery, the kind of man who wore his masculinity without thought. Outnumbered in a room full of women, he barely gave them a cursory look before returning his gaze to the large office.
The receptionist, Mattie, nearly dropped a double vanilla latte in her lap when he glanced over and gave a quick nod as if to say you can’t stop me. As it was, his appearance was so unexpected, his maleness so overwhelming, that she uttered a weird squeaky noise and sank back into her chair as he moved by with purpose.
Jess, who was busy testing a new quinoa recipe in the kitchen, nearly dropped a ceramic bowl when she caught sight of him. He was literally her fantasy come to life. And Bernadette sank into one of the chairs in the living room, where’d she’d been busy arranging an array of throws for a photo shoot planned for a fall launch as he strode past her. She watched him until she had to crank her neck to see where he was headed.
The dark-haired stranger walked with purpose, never wavering from the path that led from the elevator to the glass-walled office. He walked past several assistants, all frozen and curious and more than a little excited, as if they sensed some kind of significant event was about to take place.
They could have asked Kylie, but she would have told them to keep watching. She followed in his footsteps a few paces behind, and, after a few seconds, so did the others. When he reached the office, they paused, silent and anxious. As Sidney pulled on the edge of the shapewear, trying to see how far it would stretch, he reached for the door. And when Tyler sang about his broken heart and the need to shake the frost from his bones, she paused, a whisper of electricity touching her skin as a shiver rolled over her.
She looked out the window and noticed the beam of light, and thought that maybe, after all this rain and gloom, there was hope for her photo shoot after all.
And then she froze as that whisper of electricity solidified into something very real. It crept over her like a secret until she trembled from the weight of it. Her insides liquefied at about the same time the air in her lungs expanded.
What the…
Heat flushed her whole. A mouth on her nape, warm hands on her hips; a mouth and a touch she’d know anywhere.
Heart nearly beating out of her chest and mouth suddenly dry, she set down the shapewear and pulled her earbuds out. She took a moment because her knees were like jelly and she was afraid she’d melt into a puddle of want and need and despair.
Sidney slowly turned around, breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes on the man who’d haunted her dreams for weeks. She inhaled that woodsy fresh scent that was all him and bit her lip because tears stung the corners of her eyes, and she didn’t want to cry. Not now. She’d shed too many tears.