Layla smirked over top of her latte. Marian couldn’t see through her sunglasses just how smug she was, but her friend would know something was up.

“Spill it. You’re hiding something from me.” Marian sounded wry as she sipped at a glass of water. This was almost like back in NYC at their favorite spot, if only she looked past the fact that everyone around them spoke Farsi.

“I hooked up with a stranger last night.” Layla giggled despite herself. It wasn’t the most scandalous thing for a twenty-nine-year old woman. But it sure was fun.

“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 take 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.

“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.”