“A Parsian dude?” Marian didn’t seem shocked, but she sure sounded intrigued.
“Oh yeah. Like, the hottest Parsian dude.” Layla sighed, sitting up in her seat. Her body still ached from the marathon sex-a-thon the night before. Her pussy might take a week to recover. But if given the chance, she’d do it all over again that very night if she had the chance. Except he left me with no way to find him ever again. That was the rule of the hook-up. One and done. Exactly what she thought she’d wanted.
Except she wanted to see Zahir again immediately.
“Damn. That was fast.” Marian took a bite of her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. “Is that why you didn’t mind a late lunch?”
“Yeah. I had to get some sleep last night.” Layla sipped at her latte. She’d ordered some biscuit-y looking things and some sort of soup, but she wasn’t quite hungry yet. Her body only wanted Zahir. “I need to be fresh for my day of sightseeing.”
Marian’s face fell when Layla had expected the opposite. She creased a brow. “I thought you’d be a little more excited about that.”
Marian paused, nervous gaze skating over her face. “I am excited for you. I just…I have to tell you something.”
“Oh god.” Layla’s stomach shrank to a nut. “If this is about the wedding—”
“No,” Marian blurted. “Nothing of the sort.”
“Good. Because if you and Omar split up I’ll kill both of you.” Layla pointed her finger at Marian as threateningly as she could muster.
Marian relaxed, a full grin blossoming on her face. “It has nothing to do with that. I just…Omar brought up an idea today that he wanted me to pass along to you.”
“Okay.” Layla sipped at her latte again. It tasted distinctly different, but she couldn’t pinpoint how. “Lay it on me. Omar is an idea man; I like what he comes up with.”
“Well…he wants to hire you.”
Layla furrowed a brow as the word struggled to fit together in her head. “He what?”
“This is why I was hesitant to tell you. I know you’re launching this big trip, and you’ve been so excited for it…but Almasi-Thomas established a new position, and you’d seriously be perfect for it.”
Layla blinked, pushing her glasses up onto her head. “What?”
Marian grimaced. “I know the timing is bad. But maybe it’s actually perfect. You wouldn’t have to do it for long. But they need someone now, and you were practically born for this job.”
Layla narrowed her eyes. It smelled and sounded like a trap. “You want me to rejoin the corporate world.”
Marian sighed. “God, you make it sound like a prison sentence.”
“I just quit the corporate world!” Layla took a heated bite of her biscuit.
“I know. I know. But seriously consider this. The money would be great, and you’d be set up to travel even longer afterward. Turn your one-year trip into two or maybe even three years.”
Layla stared at the table as she chewed, mulling over her friend’s words.
“Once you get everything up and running, you can slip away and keep moving on. This will just be a temporary layover in Parsabad.”
Layla swallowed, the idea percolating in her mind. It was sounding less and less awful. But maybe Marian was sugarcoating it.
“You’ve been trying to get me to work for this company for years,” Layla said. “And the second I get to Parsabad a position opens? This is probably part of your sinister plan.” She scoffed, taking another bite of the biscuit.
Marian grinned wryly. “This is no sinister plan. But it would be amazing, Layla. Come live with me for a little bit in Parsabad. It doesn’t tak
e you that far away from your goal, which was to get out of the States and travel. Now you can get to know Parsabad really well, and then continue on from here. Exactly the way you planned.”
Layla narrowed her eyes. “How much money?”
“A lot.” Marian cleared her throat. “Omar and his brothers will discuss that with you when you go in for the formal interview. And just think—everything you earn here goes to travel.”
God, Marian knew all the right things to say. Extra money didn’t hurt. And she wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea of padding her bank account via a sweet gig abroad. Really, there was a spark of excitement in her. Starting a corporate job in a foreign country was still exotic and new. Just slightly different than she’d imagined it.