Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I rake my fingers through my hair as I pace the linoleum floors outside of Daphni’s dressing room. The hallway is abuzz with everyone scrambling to finish the last-minute details for the show, but as I walk aimlessly back and forth, the crowd breaks apart to avoid colliding with my lumbering frame.

Though she’s just slammed the door quite literally in my face, I feel my body tugging to follow her inside and finish whatever it is we've started. Not just this verbal sparring that has been completely enthralling, but there’s something else. Something electric and purely physical.

She had felt it, too. That I am sure of. When our eyes locked for that split second, I know she had sensed whatever it was that had happened—that nanosecond when our hearts had stopped beating, as if they were communicating in some entirely different language all their own. But that is fucking impossible, I remind myself. Especially with the little sister of my bloody boss.

When I caught her in Daphni’s dressing room, hiding behind that clothing rack, I could feel the blood rush through my body. With that red dress in her hands, she had looked like the perfect, intoxicating combination of a guilty minx and innocent angel. Though my first instinct should have been to calmly question her, I had instead scared the shit out of her, grabbed her like she was a piece of luggage, and thrown her over my shoulder.

She had called me a caveman. And rightly so, I have to admit. I had never carried a woman like that. And then to do it to the little sister of my employer? What the fuck had I been thinking?

That was the problem right there. I hadn’t been thinking. At least not with my head. Thinking with my dick? Yeah, that was likely the case. That would definitely explain why my first thought when I caught her hiding was to devise a way to get my hands on her. She was fucking gorgeous. Long, brown hair, smooth golden skin, and fucking striking emerald eyes. When my eyes locked on her beautiful green ones, it had forced all the air out of my lungs. They had stared up at me, a mix of confusion and fear swirling in them. But there had been something else there, too. Had it been desire? I couldn’t have been the only one who felt that, right?

Fuck. I force myself to stop pacing and lean against the wall. Melissa had briefed me last night that Daphni’s younger sister would be joining us on the tour. We were expecting her to arrive later this afternoon, but I still should have realized that the girl in the dressing room was her sister. I had been picturing a blonde replica of Daphni, not this gorgeous brunette. How the hell were these two even related?

Great. One week on the job and I already manhandled my client’s little sister. Fanfuckingtastic.

A commotion erupts down the hall and I catch a crowd of people coming down the hallway. The unmistakable blue hair lets me know Daphni is on her way. I force myself to stand upright and push open the door to the dressing room. I walk inside and my eyes instantly find Gabby. She is sitting on the couch, her feet tucked underneath her, with a book the size of a small toddler perched on her lap. Her head is bowed down and a pair of thick, black frames sit on the bridge of her nose. She looks lost in the book and when she sees me enter the room, her face contorts into this adorable scowl. I bite my tongue to force myself to not smile.

Daphni ignores me as she breezes into the room. Her idiot boyfriend is by her side, and it sounds like they’re arguing about something. Not that that’s news. Even though I have only been working with Daphni for a month, it’s obvious that Daphni and Drizzle’s dysfunctional relationship is a shrink’s wet dream. They will go from throwing flower vases at each other to sticking their tongues down each other’s throats in ten minutes flat. It’s as terrifying as it is fascinating to watch.

Daphni flings herself down into the chair in front of the vanity. Only then does she catch Gabby’s reflection in the mirror. A genuine smile instantly crosses her face, and she whips her head around to face her sister sitting on the couch.

“Gabby!” She shrieks, her voice obliterating my ear drum.

She jumps out of her seat and tackles her sister on the couch. I watch, amused, as the two sisters greet each other. Daphni is undeniably the more outgoing of the two. She peppers her sister in kisses, smearing her purple lipstick all over Gabby’s face.

“You have to tell me everything! Don’t leave anything out!” Daphni commands as she sits on the couch next to her sister.

Gabby shifts uncomfortably as her eyes dart around the room. Between Daphni’s entourage, her makeup team, her hairdressers, and Drizzle, a small audience has amassed. I can feel the panic and discomfort radiating off Gabby, and I look around the room to see if anyone else is noticing it. It seems as if they are all either ignoring it, or they just don’t care.

Taking a quick breath, Gabby gestures to the book on her lap. “Well, you know, I’m studying for the LSATs. I’m hoping to be ready by the end of…”

“Oh, God, Gabby. Do you think of anything else besides school?” Daphni asks, cutting her sister off.

I catch how Gabby’s shoulders tense. “Well, school’s important to me.”

Daphni laughs as she picks at her nails. “Gabby, you’ve been going to school forever. Don’t you want to take some time off?”

“Well, considering I just graduated, I’m expecting to take some time off before I start law school.”

A wave of guilt washes over Daphni’s face. “Congrats, babe. Sorry I missed it. You know I would have gone if I could have. Did Mom and Dad go?”

I’m surprised to see Gabby shake her head. “Just Lawrence and Isabel. Dad had to be in Tokyo and Mom wasn’t feeling up to traveling.”

I try not to, but I can’t help but judge. What kind of parents don’t make it to their daughter’s graduation?

Daphni’s face brightens. “Well, then you can’t be mad at me if they didn’t go either!”

From my spot in the room, I can easily see how tense Gabby is sitting with her sister. It’s like she is holding something in and is using every muscle in her body to prevent it from escaping. Not that her sister would give her even five minutes to talk. With Gabby playing with her fingers in her lap, Daphni continues babbling on about some new song she wrote with Drizzle about falling in love in a dance club. I’ve already heard the song more times than I would like to admit. It’s fucking ridiculous and every time I hear it, I imagine that the only thing worse than listening to it again would be getting my dick torn off by sharks.

At the mention of the song, Daphni’s shit-eating boyfriend sidles up to her on the couch and drapes his arm possessively over Daphni’s shoulder. The guy is an absolute idiot, and it’s hard for me to mask my annoyance with him. Stealing another glance at Gabby, I can see it is equally difficult for her.

“Hi Drizzle,” Gabby says, with a strained smile on her face. It’s the same one she gave Melissa earlier, and I can tell it’s a practiced one.

“Damn, girl. You looking good!” Drizzle exclaims as his greedy eyes roam up and down her body.

I almost catch a flicker of disgust cross Gabby’s face, but as quickly as I see it, it’s disappeared, that same, tight-lipped, practiced smile in its place.

“Thanks,” she responds curtly.

Melissa chooses that moment to walk into the room. She glances around, able to sense the awkward tension in the air. “Daphni, we need to get you prepped for hair and makeup.”

Daphni nods and shrugs out of Drizzle’s embrace before sauntering over to fall into the seat in front of the large porcelain vanity. As soon as she is seated, two women swoop in behind her, one tackling her hair and the other spackling on the ten layers of makeup she has to wear.

Daphni turns in her seat and her hairstylist narrowly misses burning her with a curling iron. “Oh, Gabs, I almost forgot to tell you! We are going to the sickest club tonight after the show. Super exclusive, and we have the whole VIP section to ourselves.”

She turns her attention over to Melissa, who is furiously texting on her phone. “Mel! You need to get Gabby something to wear tonight.”

I watch with mild amusement as the color drains from Gabby’s face. As Gabby opens her mouth to object, Daphni shoots her a warning glare, prompting Gabby to snap her mouth closed, sealing her lips tightly.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Gabby relents. “But I can dress myself.”

Daphni lets out an audible sigh. “Oh God, Gabby. We are going to Tangiers.” She over-pronounces the name of the club, dragging out each letter. “You cannot go wearing that.”

Gabby’s shoulders slump down, defeated. I bite back a smirk as I watch her looking dejectedly at the book on her lap. I can sense her disappointment, and find it fucking adorable how sad she looks that she can’t spend her Friday night with her massive fucking book.

“So, we’re good, Liam?”

At the mention of my name, I tear my eyes away from Gabby and see Melissa looking over at me, a questioning look on her face.

“Eh?”

She sighs. “The club, Liam. Are we all set for the club tonight?”

I shake myself out of the trance and nod my head. “All set. We arrive at midnight. Front entrance will have the red carpet. We have VIP lounge secured and we will be bringing extra security just in case.”

Melissa nods. “Great. I need to run. Do me a favor and make sure Gabby gets a bite to eat before the show?”

Before I can object, she is darting out the door, catching one of the crew to issue a last-minute request. My eyes search the room for Gabby, but I can’t find her. I mutter a curse under my breath as I stride to the door of the dressing room and thrust it open. The crush of people around me is overwhelming, and even though I tower over most of them, somehow that beautiful, disappointed, and fucking beguiling brunette has disappeared.