Текст книги "Perfectly Imperfect"
Автор книги: Harper Sloan
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 23 страниц)
Not able to stand the silence any longer, I speak, trying to ease her pain the only way I can right now. With my words. “Are you okay?”
“Uh …” she stutters. Fuck, she’s adorable. Even her pain can’t mask her appeal.
“Right,” I reply with a small smile, reminding me of her stumbled words at our first meeting. Moving my gaze from hers, I lock eyes with her bastard father. Or stepfather, according to my investigation into their backgrounds. Any chance he had of getting me to help his company crawl from their looming home in the forgotten bowels of the industry is long forgotten. Willow makes a startled noise, and I move my angry focus from her father and back to her. Willing myself to calm so she feels safe with me.
I hold her eyes just a beat before allowing myself a quick glance at the body haunting my dreams since I first saw her. Fuck, those tits still make my mouth water, but the rest of her causes my body to harden with desire, despite the hostile environment we’re standing in.
Her black dress isn’t tight by any means, but it also doesn’t hide the stunning, luscious body underneath it. A body I would love to get my hands on and my body over. My cock tightens at the thought of my fingers digging into the soft skin around her hips.
She shifts uncomfortably under my scrutiny, and her hands come up to pull the fabric away from her frame. What the hell? I can feel my eyes narrow, and her hands start to pull more of her dress. No way? No fucking way. What reasons could she possibly have to make a self-conscious move like that? Does she have no clue how beautiful she is?
“Stop it,” I demand, and I’m instantly rewarded when her hands drop.
Before I can return my eyes to hers, Dominic’s voice interrupts. “Kane, you’ll have to forgive me. I thought our appointment was later today. Willow was just leaving.”
My heated, anger-filled gaze flits to his, and once again, I can feel my anger burning like an out of control wildfire. I’m vaguely aware of Kirby moving toward Willow. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her stand at her side and take Willow’s hand, but I don’t move my focus from the man before me. He’s around my parents’ age, but where they have a presence that is open, accepting, and loving, this man holds none of that. I can hear the two women whispering to each other, but I don’t move. Fuck, I’m not even sure I’m breathing as I refuse to back down from Dominic’s cold stare. He won’t dominate me.
“Is this how you treat your own family, Dominic? I would hate to see how you treat someone outside of that bond.”
He narrows his eyes, but at the risk of pissing me off, I can tell he’s measuring his response. God forbid he show his true colors, that we had the displeasure of already witnessing, to someone like me. Someone with the power I wield.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that, Kane. It’s unfortunate, but it seems like my stepdaughter needed a firm hand. You’ll understand one day when you have kids of your own. It’s necessary to be hard. Please sit, I’ll have Ivy set up the conference room.” His cold, calculating eyes leave mine and focus on the woman of the hour. “Willow?”
Apparently, he thinks the fact she isn’t his own flesh and blood gives him the right to talk to her as if she’s nothing. I know damn well he has been the only father she’s known. I look over at Willow quickly enough to catch her gaze on its way up from my chest before she looks back over at Dominic.
“Sir?” she asks weakly.
“A word?” he questions, and before giving her a second to respond, he starts to move around his desk.
I lose her eyes, but her shoulders drop in what looks like relief for just a second before she catches her slip and straightens her posture, showing her strength in an impossible situation.
When I look back at Dominic, he’s standing in front of me, obviously hoping I’ll move. Fat chance of that, asshole. Standing to my full height, I look down into his eyes and don’t hold back the fact I find this whole scene disgusting. I give him a few beats before looking back at Willow, giving her the lead, the power Dominic is doing his best to wipe from her bones.
I can see the wheels moving behind her shocked eyes. Her mouth moves, but before she can speak, a new voice interrupts.
“Oh, Kane, sweetheart! It’s been ages,” the voice speaks.
What the fuck? I remember her instantly as the woman from the law firm’s offices. While I’m trying to figure out what the hell she’s doing here, I hear Willow’s whispers before she’s pulling Kirby behind toward the door. My shock holds me still as she moves past me, but my body fires to life when her body brushes against mine. Those tits I’ve imagined bouncing in my face as she rides my cock rub against my chest, and I exhale a breath to try to feel more of her.
“I brought you a trash bag, Wills.” I hear the other woman speak, but I don’t move my eyes from Willow. I watch helplessly as the shame and embarrassment are back.
“For what, Ivy?” she snaps, the sarcasm dousing the heat of her embarrassment and making way for anger to take its place.
Ivy. Now, I can put a face to the name I know belongs to her sister.
“For all your shit, sister dear.” Her laugh makes me cringe.
“You bitch,” Kirby sneers.
“You have ten minutes, Willow,” her sister continues. “Make sure and turn in your keycard to the offices as well as any other property of Logan Agency that you might think you have rights to. Ten minutes, Willow, to remove all your shit and don’t let me see you back here again.”
I open my mouth to interject, not really sure what I’m going to say, but the animalistic snarl that comes from deep in Willow’s throat stops me dead. I’m not even sure she was aware she made a noise, but in seconds, she’s like a bull in a china shop. I’m positive nothing could stop her at this point.
“I hate you!” she screams shrilly. “For years, I’ve been your punching bag. For YEARS, I’ve put up with everything you’ve thrown at me verbally. I’ve been nothing but a glorified human pile of crap for the two of you to step in whenever you need to feel better about yourself. You want me gone? Every piece of me? Fine!”
She moves with clipped movements. Her shoes are pulled from her feet and thrust into Kirby’s arms. Then in what I could only explain as a woman who has reached her breaking point, she snatches the bag and starts to pile in anything and everything she can.
I stand immobile and let her have this. Clearly, this is a moment she needs, and after everything I’ve witnessed, I’m sure my interference would do more harm than good. I lean with my back against the glass wall to the right of Dominic’s open office door and cross my arms over my chest. Waiting. Ready to catch her if she needs me. That is until she picks up the computer off her desk, and with a scream, Ivy jumps into my arms, forcing me to catch her.
“There, Dominic,” she pants angrily. “There is the rest of your stupid property. Thank you for reminding me that I luckily share none of your blood. If I never see you again, it will be a day too soon.”
Before I can push Ivy off me, Willow’s eyes turn to where I’m standing. She takes in her sister in my arms with her limbs wrapped around me, and even with her ire, that wounded look is back deep in her scrutiny. “Be careful with that one. Her bite is deadly.”
I try to tell her to stop. Working my mind to think of anything that would abate this feeling of helplessness, but my words fail me. And the next thing I know, she’s gone.
“Oh, my God, Kane? Are you okay? She’s certifiable. I swear, Daddy should have put her ass out a long time ago.”
I look down at Ivy and push her away. Judging by the fact she had to struggle to stay upright in her pencil thin heels, I didn’t quite hold back the rage in my forcefulness.
Movement behind Ivy catches my attention and I flash my eyes to see Dominic pinching the bridge of his nose. His face is red, and I have no doubt it’s with anger and not embarrassment. Something tells me it takes a lot to embarrass a man like him—if anything. A man with no morals and absolutely no issues stepping on whoever he needs to.
Including a woman who appears to carry a world of pain on her shoulders.
“You disgust me,” I seethe, earning his calculated stare. “How a man—any man—could treat a woman that way is beyond me. How a father—regardless of the step in front of that title—could treat his daughter in a way so despicable only shows your true character, Dominic. Anyone who has no qualms in spewing the malevolence that you just did deserves all the hell karma could bring you. I’m sure that will happen sooner than expected considering you had planned on me being your savior—the financial life raft to your drowning company.”
I take a few measured steps forward, stopping when my body is crowding his personal space. Even though he’s in good shape for an older man, he has nothing on me. My body, shaped and honed by years of strict dietary limitations and physical training, is solid muscle. Add to the fact I’m a solid six or so inches taller, and my intimidation factor isn’t just with my words.
I could crush him. Physically, easy, but the hellfire I could rain upon him within the industry would be more damaging than any verbal cockfight I could ever have with this asshole. And he knows it.
“You,” I emphasize with a sharp check to his shoulder, “could have reaped the just deserts of me walking in your doors today. You could have picked up the pieces of shit you’ve managed to let this company of yours become just by signing a contract with me after our meeting. I had come here to discuss the use of a good number of your clients and employees. Do you understand that, Dominic?”
“What’s he talking about, Daddy?” Ivy whines behind me, but neither of us is willing to break from the heated battle of domination we’re warring.
His eyes narrow and his brow furrows. “Now, wait just a goddamn second here, son,” he fumes.
“One thing you should get straight, old man—do not ever call me son. It would be an embarrassment to me to even imply that we had the kind of relationship that calls upon that sort of familiarity.”
I can tell he wants to say more, but he doesn’t. His chest is puffing up in defiance of my words, betraying the power he’s desperately trying to hold on to. He’s used to being in control of everything and everyone around him. I can only imagine what it’s costing him to shut the fuck up to avoid pissing someone as powerful as I am off.
I hold all the cards here.
And fuck if I understand it, but I’m willing to go to bat for a woman who I know nothing about just based on a feeling.
All because with one look into those wounded doe eyes, I was willing to give her anything at just a chance to explore the connection between us.
I’ve lost my mind, but even if it weren’t for Willow, hearing a man talk to a woman like that would have been enough for me to step in.
“Word on the street is you’re so far in the red you’re fucking bleeding out.” I step a little closer and look down my nose at him; the arrogance he held earlier vanishes with the panic. I know more about him than he bargained. “How’s it feel to know that with your actions today, you kissed any chance of aligning yourself with my name away. Lucky for me, I believe you just threw the best part of Logan Agency out the door like trash. I’m going to enjoy picking her up. My guess, she knows more about your own remaining clients than you do.”
He sucks in a deep breath, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. Willow might just have been a secretary in his eyes, but you don’t work that close to someone like Dominic Logan without soaking up everything you can.
“Good luck ending out this quarter with the Logan Agency’s doors still open, Dominic.”
My smile is nothing short of satanic when I turn and assess Ivy. “You were wrong, Ivy. The only certifiable people I see here are the two of you.”
Stomping my way toward the hallway that will lead me out of here, I turn, addressing the two Logans with cold calculations. “I think what Willow forgot earlier was a good fuck you to the both of you pathetic idiots. I’ll see myself out.”
By the time I walk past a nervous-looking Mary at the front reception, my adrenaline is spiking so high I know I need to find a way to burn off my aggression. Unfortunately, how I would like to do that isn’t an available option. Sure, I could pick any one of my old New York ‘friends’ and spend a day fucking this out, but fuck me—until I have a taste of the one who tempts me, no other pussy will do.
With no other options, I have Cam take me back to the penthouse, and I spend the next four hours working my body to the point of exhaustion in my home gym. It’s time for a new plan, but fuck if I know how to get what I want now. Willow is clearly more fragile than I had counted on and challenging doesn’t even come close to scraping the top layer.
A woman like her isn’t going to give a shit about the public Kane. If anything, that might be the biggest hurdle I have to overcome.
Fuck.
The way Willow, a complete stranger, can completely unman me makes me feel like the biggest fucking pussy. I’m protective to the point of madness over someone who has mumbled a handful of words to me. That’s it. I know nothing about her besides what I’ve learned the two times I’ve been stuck watching her fight and struggle through impossible situations.
Pussy or not, I would be a fool to give up on what I feel shooting straight down my spine when my eyes locked with hers. Stupid man, I’m not.
Willow will be mine. I just have to make sure I don’t harm her further just by being me and everything that comes with being by my side. It takes a strong woman to be able to handle being in the public eye. Most of the fiercest women I know couldn’t even hack it when the media started to have a field day picking apart every single fiber of their life. I don’t even have to know Willow to see that she is as far from fierce in nature as it gets.
I sigh deeply with the direction of my thoughts. Fuck. Fuck! For the first time since I decided she would be mine, I’m unsure if capturing my scared little doe would be the best thing for her or the most selfish thing I could ever do.
I’M JUST IN DENIAL … RIGHT? Surely, that’s why I haven’t broken down after everything that happened yesterday. I’m not losing my shit further than I did in the office yesterday. I mean¸ it’s not the end of the world that I’ve lost my job and what was left of my dysfunctional family. I’m better off. I know that. I shouldn’t be embarrassed at all that a mega movie star watched me go insane and toss a computer through a glass wall. Okay, well … maybe I should be slightly embarrassed with that.
Crap.
I squeeze my eyes shut and try to block out the memories of yesterday that have been assaulting my mind. Everything keeps playing over and over in one heck of a humiliating display of my madness.
The clamoring of my phone vibrations on my nightstand pulls me from the mortification replay. Reaching a blind hand out, I keep my belly on the mattress and my head buried in my pillow. Knocking a few things to the ground in my refusal to just roll over and grab my cell phone only adds to my frustrations.
“Hello,” I mumble into the receiver after successfully tagging the annoying device off my nightstand and looking at the screen long enough to see Eddie’s name on the display.
“Well, aren’t you Sally Sunshine this afternoon,” he quips.
“I love you, Eddie, but right now, I’m really not in the mood for your ridiculously happy disposition.”
He huffs out a breath. “Sweetheart, everyone needs a little of Eddie’s happy disposition.”
“Not me,” I declare.
“Pfft.”
He’s silent for a moment. Long enough for me to wonder if he’s been disconnected. Quiet and Eddie just aren’t two things that go together.
“Why didn’t you call me last night, Will?”
Ah. Looks as though Kirby’s been busy today.
“Willow,” he warns.
“Look, it wasn’t a big deal. Kirby brought me home and supervised while I polished off the rest of that bottle of Jack Daniel’s you left here last month. I just needed to forget. I forgot, and now, I’m over it.”
“You aren’t over it, honey,” he softly says.
He’s right. I’m not. I had to call on all my therapeutic tricks not to revert to the old Willow, who would have plopped her butt on the floor of my pantry closet and ate everything within reach. Getting drunk isn’t any healthier in terms of a coping mechanism, but considering my past of binge eating, it was a better choice for me. Another sign that despite the crushing disappointment around me, I’m stronger. It also helped that Kirby stayed by my side until she helped me stumble to bed.
She must have left afterward because she wasn’t here when I woke up at eight this morning puking.
“Willow? You there?”
“I’m here,” I respond quietly. Holding the phone to my ear, I roll over to my back and look up at my ceiling. “I’ll be okay. You can’t lose anyone who you never had, and Eddie, I never had him or her. Before Mom died, Dominic Logan wasn’t the type of ‘father’ who showed me much love. I was okay with that, taking what I could, but I realize now that I’m better off. And even though Ivy is … well, Ivy, I gave up the hopes of having a normal sister relationship with her long before she slept with Brad. I guess in a way they did me a favor. I wouldn’t have left Logan without being pushed out. Being there reminded me of when I would go to work and spend the day under my mom’s desk, my old desk. It was an unhealthy way of keeping her alive.”
Eddie hums in agreement. “You’re loved, Will. Just because that bastard and his evil spawn aren’t capable of being decent humans isn’t a reflection on you. You do know that, right?”
Smiling, I respond. “Yeah, I do. I would be miserable without you and Kirb.”
“Yeah, you would.” He laughs, the somber mood lifting slightly.
“Did Kirby tell you everything about yesterday?” I question, wondering just how much Eddie heard.
“I think she hit all the highlights. I got a playback of what she heard and then an even better playback of your imitation of those little ‘mine’ seagulls from Finding Nemo while you grabbed everything that wasn’t nailed down. I’ve always loved those little seagulls. Let’s see, then we went over your impression of its raining men with your computer against the glass wall.” He pauses and just when I think maybe Kirby left out the fact that Kane Masters had yet again been witness to my misfortune, he continues. “And she ended her play-by-play with Kane sexy-as-hell Masters.”
I sigh. “Yeah … that about sums it up.”
“So, Willow, the good friend in me would wait for Kirby to fill you in on what you’ve missed while you slept off your hangover, but you do know how I love a good juicy story full of dramatic flair.”
Sitting up, I swing my legs out from under the covers and shiver with the chill in my bedroom. “What are you going on about, Eddie? I swear you have the worst ADD.”
“No, no. It’s all related and flows with the topic at hand. And that hand is pointing straight toward Kane Masters.”
“There is no way I’m awake enough to deal with this. Let me shower off this hangover and you can come over and gossip until your head falls off.”
I don’t give him a chance to continue. I quickly pull the phone from my ear and press the red circle to disconnect the call while his deep voice rumbles through the earpiece. I smile, despite the unease settling in my gut, and make my way to shower and wake up. Knowing Eddie, he’ll be walking through my door before I’ve had a chance to rinse out my shampoo.
Shockingly, I was able to rinse my shampoo and conditioner before I heard my bathroom door open and Eddie’s muffled greeting over the shower spray.
“Do you even care that I’m in here naked right now?” I ask, bringing my body wash-lathered loofah up my left arm and around my shoulder. “I mean most friends would give someone the privacy they deserve when they’re bathing.”
I hear a grunted laugh and the sounds of him rummaging around in my cabinets.
“What are you looking for?”
The curtain jerks and I squeal when his head pokes into the steamy confines of my solitude. His eyes light with mirth when I hastily cover my breasts with one arm and my crotch with the loofah.
“Relax, Will! It’s not as if you’re working with the right stuff to stir little Eddie from his nap. Where’s that hemorrhoid cream you had from that one time you—” I cut him off by picking up the closest thing I could find—my shampoo bottle—and throw it at his head. He squeals, like a girl, and jumps back. “What the hell was that for?”
“You know damn well I’ve never had hemorrhoids, Edward!”
He laughs and sticks his head back into the stall.
“Nice tits, Will.” He smirks. “If I didn’t love a good dick so much, you might be able to convince me to give a woman a run.”
“Get. Out!” I scream.
“Right, well, since you asked nicely, I will. But only because I don’t want it to go to your head that I’m so impressed by your girls. First, where’s that cream?”
“You’re such a jerk. It’s in the bottom of the facial mask basket in the right side of the cabinet directly under the sink. Now, go!”
I make quick work of rinsing off and wrapping a towel around my body. Eddie isn’t one for personal boundaries so it wouldn’t surprise me if he barged back in.
Throwing on some sweatpants and an old college sweater, I grab my brush and pull it through my long tresses as I make my way into my living room slash kitchen slash dining room.
Stopping dead in my tracks, I openly gape at Eddie. “What in the world are you doing?”
He doesn’t look at me, his focus directed at my toaster pulled to the edge of the bar that separates my kitchen area from the rest of the room, while he coats the skin under his eyes with none other than hemorrhoid cream.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m fixing the luggage I’ve been carrying around under my eyes. It’s not easy being this hot, Willow.”
I laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure it isn’t. Care to explain why you’re using up all my cream? I’m going to take it out on you when my period acne hits and all of that powerful stuff is gone.”
“Pfft.” He grunts and continues to dab more and more cream under his eyes.
“I bet you would go blind if you slipped and got that in your eye.”
“Everyone does it, Willow. You act like I’m the only person who uses a little ass cream on my face.” He stops what he’s doing when he realized what he said, a slight frown between his brows. “Don’t—”
“Don’t what? Point out the fact you’re probably used to butt cream in other places?”
“Don’t be disgusting, Willow,” he complains with a slight blush, which only causes me to laugh harder. “Fine. I was going to wait until I finished.” He pauses to recap the cream then wipes his finger on the towel next to his makeshift mirror and turns from the toaster to focus on me. “Let’s finish talking about Kane Masters.”
Well, that’s sobering.
“Word has it that things got heated after you lost your marbles yesterday, marbles I will stress you were justified in spilling, but that wasn’t even the good part. I heard from Mary who heard it from Amanda who heard it from Stephanie that Kane gave both Dominic and Ivy one hell of a verbal slap before storming out of the office. Not only that, but Kirby had to stuff her resignation under his door this morning seeing as he refused to open it once. She said there was a big, ugly piece of plywood blocking that hole you so gracefully created too. I bet he loves that.”
“What?” I gasp.
“Yup. And it gets better.”
“I’m not sure it ever started getting better, Eddie. God, how humiliating.”
“Whatever, Will! You had the hottest man alive—aside from yours truly, obviously—taking your back yesterday. How is that not a good thing?”
“Eddie …”
“Don’t Eddie me. I let it go when you got all red faced the first time you crossed paths with him. After you finally told me the whole story, that is. I didn’t point out the fact he was clearly trying to flirt, but you were too blind to see it. I kept my mouth shut. But I won’t let this go. He stuck up for you to a man who most wouldn’t dream of crossing. You know what that means?”
I shake my head. Not in affirmation of his comments, but because I’m not sure I want him to continue talking. The fear of knowing where he’s going with this is overtaking my false calm.
“Kane Masters was staking a claim. On you. Willow, you might have been able to brush off the first meeting with him, but he obviously wasn’t. You don’t act like a big bad white knight over someone you know nothing about unless you plan to make it a point to learn more.”
I continue to shake my head, this time in denial. “Don’t be ridiculous, Eddie. He was just being a gentleman in the unfortunate situation in which he found himself.”
“You’re wrong, again. What do you think the tabloids would do with the story of him all but throwing a punch at Dominic Logan? No way he would risk that, not to be a gentleman about one fucked-up situation. No, if that is the case, he would have made his gentlemanly move silently to keep that risk down.”
“You’re being absurd. He knows nothing about me. There isn’t some grand serendipitous force in place here, Eddie. End of story.”
His eyes light up, highlighted by the white cream under his tawny eyes. “That, sweetheart, is where you’re dead wrong. But the rest can wait for Kirby to get here. She’s on the way.”
“What? Why isn’t she at work?”
He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Did you miss the whole ‘Kirby pushed her resignation under Dominic’s door’ part of my story?”
“What?”
“Good Lord, did you lose your brain in that bottle of Jack last night?”
“Why would she quit?” I implore.
He opens his mouth, but closes it when my front door opens and Kirby walks in. She’s left her blond hair pulled back into a sloppy bun, and her face is free of makeup. She enters the living room area and pulls her sweater over her head, leaving her in form-fitting yoga pants and a tank top.
“I swear, it’s getting cooler than normal out there for October.” She plops down on the couch and looks over at Eddie. “Hemorrhoid cream bag treatment?” she questions him.
“What? Seriously! How am I the only one who didn’t know about this?”
She laughs. “It’s my job to know all the tricks I can about improving the face. Half the models I get stuck with need all the help they can get when makeup isn’t applied and Photoshop isn’t working wonders.”
Who would have thought? Making a mental note to remember that tip, I look from Eddie’s face to Kirby. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the middle of a workday?”
“You suck at playing dumb, Will. I’m sure Chatty Cathy here filled you in. I quit. No way would I stay working at Logan Agency after yesterday. Rob was one hundred percent behind me when I told him what happened.”
“You can’t just quit, Kirb! You loved working there.”
She leans forward on the couch and gives me a soft look. “No, I loved working with my two best friends while I did something I enjoyed. With Eddie gone and after the way you were treated and fired, there was no way I could have stayed another day. Plus, we already have a new job.”
“Get ready for it,” Eddie whispers loudly.
“Ready for what? We? What do you mean we have a new job? You two are exhausting.”
“Did you tell her everything?” Kirby questions Eddie with a devious smirk.
“Nope. I saved the best part for you.”
“I got a call late last night from none other than Kane Masters’ personal assistant. He was very nice and forthcoming about the current conditions on set for the film Kane is directing. Apparently, a few unfortunate situations have him reevaluating his current crew. One of them being the lead makeup artist for the whole cast. Something about her sexually harassing Kane, which, by the way, I find hilarious.”
Kirby’s pause gives my mind a second to process all of this and a big smile to form. This is huge for Kirby. I know she never planned to leave the Logan Agency, but something like this falling into her lap is a large stepping-stone for her career.
“That’s great, Kirb! Holy crap! You’re going to do makeup for a major motion picture?”
“It’s a huge deal, but because of the magnitude of this project, Kane has requested I bring an assistant who can help me keep up the pace of such a demanding role.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be hard. You know a ton of people in the industry, Kirby. Anyone would be ecstatic to have that chance. I’m so proud of you.”
“That’s nice that you think so since you’re coming with me and all.”
“Uh, what?”
“Kane requested that you be my assistant.”
“Very funny.” I laugh, pulling my wet hair back and tying it in a bun to prevent a frizzy mess. I walk away from Kirby and into the kitchen for a glass of water, pulling my sweatpants up as they start to sag. When did these get so loose? “You had me going for a second there.”
“I’m not joking, Willow.”
“You expect me to believe that Kane Masters asked for me to come?”
“I do, but I knew you would have issues believing me, so I told the PA, Sam, to call back and leave me a message with the offer. That was after I told him we would be on a plane to Georgia first thing next Monday.”
“What?!” I scream and drop my full cup of water, shattering the fragile glass. “Crap.”
Eddie, laughing under his breath, moves from his perch on my barstool and walks past me to get the broom and dustpan. Shock holds me immobile while I lock eyes with Kirby. She smirks and brings her phone out. After fiddling with it for a few moments, a voice I would recognize anywhere fills the room.
“Kirby, this is Kane. Sam told me that you requested a little verification to further aid in your assistant hopefully joining our team. First, let me express my gratitude that you have decided to accept the job offer. I’m sure you will fit in with the cast of Impenetrable and find this new career venture to your liking. Secondly, Sam expressed your need to be home as much as the filming schedule would allow, and you have my assurance that we will do everything we can so you’re not away from your home and family more than necessary.”
The deep rumble of his disembodied voice pauses, and I imagine him taking a long sip from the glass you can hear ice clinking in before his sexy, gravelly tones are making love to my senses again. I bet he would even sound unbelievable with that smoky voice gruffly speaking the alphabet.
