“Do you like your room?” Lee asked.
Brooke pushed her salad around on her plate.
“It will be fine.”
Tyler’s eyes bore into hers. “Would you like to look at another suite? You could move. You can take your pick.”
“It won’t make a difference.”
“If you don’t like it, you can move, Brooke.”
“Can I? Really? How generous of you both.” She glared at them. “Is sleeping in my own bed an option?”
“While you are staying here, this is your home. You can choose any room you like. There are several that might make you feel more comfortable.” Lee didn’t take her bait. He was calm. His voice almost too cool.
She dropped her fork on the plate with a clatter. “Nothing you can do other than letting me go with my full freedom is going to make me feel comfortable.”
Tyler pressed his lips together. “We can’t let you go, Brooke.”
She reached for the wine, eager to feel the numbness take over her thoughts. “I figured. Why would you?”
“Exactly. Why would we?” Tyler seemed satisfied with his rhetorical response. There was something about him that exuded masculinity. He was broad chested. His shoulders expansive. The suit seemed to stretch at the seams to accommodate him.
“I think if you give t
his situation time, you’ll enjoy living here. You can have anything you want.” Lee tried to make the situation better. His eyes were softer than Tyler’s. He had long lashes that were hard to ignore.
“The only thing I want is my freedom, but that’s not an option.”
“No. It’s not.” Tyler refilled her glass. “You might as well drink up and enjoy the night.”
“But not too much,” Lee warned. “If you want to take on the assignment for us, you’ll want a clear head.”
Work. Again, he tried to make something surreal sound normal.
“I’m not sure I completely understand what you expect me to do for StarCon Global. Maybe you could fill me in.” Brooke sat in her chair and waited for a response. “You have to realize it’s strange since you’re both hours from the city and your offices.”
Tyler leaned forward on his elbows. “I’d much rather get to know you. We can talk work tomorrow.”
“I think it’s a fair question.” Lee lifted a beer pilsner from the table. “She has a right to know what we’re considering.”
“All right. Go ahead, break the rules.” He looked at Lee.
“I don’t think we should talk about breaking rules,” he growled.”
“Fine.”
Brooke wanted to pry. There was tension between them.
Lee continued, “We could use a talented artist. I’m hoping that’s you. We have a huge project planned in two months. We need the perfect artist to pull it off for us.”
Brooke twisted her lips together. “I’d like to propose a deal of my own.”
Tyler’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Like what?”
“If you like my designs for StarCon Global, you’ll let me go early.”
The men looked at each other.