“This is a good move,” Marian insisted. “And they need someone stat. Please, Layla. Do it for me. We can hang out all the time and go to shitty movies and drink wine every weekend.”
“Ugh. Those are all of my favorite things.” She gulped back the last of her coffee. The position intrigued her, despite the fact that it put her right back into the working world. “Fine. But only if you stop begging.”
Marian squealed, and then clamped her hand over her mouth. “Yay! I knew you’d come around.”
Layla sighed, melting into her seat. “God. This means I have to go shopping for work clothes. I just got rid of all that shit.”
Marian squeezed her hand. “I’ll take you out tonight after work. I know exactly where to find the cutest stuff. And trust me, the fact that you, me, and Annabelle will be work colleagues is going to take corporate life to a whole new level. These Parsian men won’t know what hit them.”
A grin flickered over her face. Okay, so the idea wasn’t all bad. She just hadn’t expected to settle down so soon. Like 48-hours-after-take-off soon.
“The brothers want to meet with you tomorrow,” Marian said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. “I’ll give them the good news today, then I can bring you in with me tomorrow morning. Sound good?”
Layla’s brows shot up. There went her relaxing first few days in Parsabad. “Dang. On the job so soon?”
“It’s best to get the process started. You’ll just go have the interview, get all the details, and then you can negotiate from there.” Marian gathered her purse and the check, which she’d offered to pay. “I gotta go, though. I’ll come pick you up after work.”
Marian blew an air kiss and hurried toward the front of the outdoor café, where she paid the bill before scurrying off. Layla sat in a contemplative silence once she’d left, observing the other patrons, trying to get a feel for what an extended stay in Parsabad might feel like.
She couldn’t deny it. There were tingles of excitement, despite the contractual obligation that came with it. And though it made no sense, she hoped Mr. One-And-Done from the night before might make another appearance in her life now.
Later that evening, after an admittedly rushed afternoon of sightseeing, Layla returned to her hotel to meet Marian for their agreed-upon shopping spree. The receptionist called her over when she passed by the front desk.
“There’s a message for you.” She slid a piece of paper across the counter, and Layla received it with a furrowed brow. In sloppy writing, someone had transcribed, “I can’t stop thinking about you. I need to see you again. Yours, Z.” Then a phone number.
Her breath hitched, and she rooted around in her purse for her phone. Hell yes! Mr. Mysterious was still enamored. Or at least lusting after her. She hadn’t thought of anything but his luscious kisses all day.
Once she got her phone flipped around right, she fired off a quick message to the number on the note. “Why hello, Mr. Z. Long time no see. It’s been nearly 12 hours since you left my room.”
His response was swift. “12 hours too long. When can I see you again?”
A grin consumed her face and she clutched the phone to her chest. A love affair wasn’t such a bad way to open up her extended stay. She drifted toward the lounge area, typing out a response. “Maybe tomorrow. I’m booked up tonight.” Didn’t want to seem too eager, even though her nerve endings had fired up when she saw his words.
“I’ll be waiting.”
When she looked up, Marian was heading her way, a brow arched severely. “Why do you have that look on your face in the middle of the hotel lounge?”
“Lover Boy wrote back,” Layla gushed. “Or I should say Lover Man.”
“Mmm. You found a Parsian man so quickly.” The two headed out the main doors toward a taxi. Marian once told her that she insisted on doing things the regular-person way when she wasn’t with Omar, to stay connected with her non-celebrity-business-family roots. “Is it wrong to want to meet him? You don’t introduce your friends to one-night stands.”
“Two-night stand,” Layla corrected, excitement blooming inside of her. “There’s definitely going to be a second occurrence. And I cannot freaking wait.”
4
Layla zipped and bounced around the hotel breakfast area like she’d mainlined caffeine. Really, she hadn’t even had a sip of coffee yet, but her nerves for the approaching day had her rattled in a big way.
Well, it was that and Zahir. They’d stayed up a little bit too long the night before with sexting and then outright sex talk over the phone, which ended with Layla fingering herself at Zahir’s request until she came. The orgasm had been almost as powerful as the ones from the other night, which was worrisome. The man held some sort of sexual power that she was slowly and steadily succumbing to.
Not that she minded. At eight a.m., she fought to not text him. Even though every cell in her body was dying to start their messaging off bright and early.
Marian strutted into the hotel lobby, waving at Layla while she talked to someone on her cell phone. Layla grabbed a lavash flatbread and to-go coffee—more of a ritual from back home than anything, though she usually ate a muffin or bagel—and hurried after Marian. Her friend’s conversation was short and professional.
“Right. Right. Well, we’re on our way, so be prepared. See you in about fifteen.” She swiped her phone closed, then hugged Layla.
“Who was that?”
Marian slid into the backseat of a taxi, and Layla followed suit. “Oh, it was Imaad. They’re just getting ready for your interview.”