Chapter 3
Lacy’s eyes were starting to cross from staring at the contract for so long. The bright white of the computer screen had bored its way into her brain, whittling away at her ability to focus on what she was looking at.
She blinked rapidly and pulled away from her computer. Gently, she touched a finger to her eyelid to see if any make-up had hung on this long through the day. There was some, but not a lot. Instead of doing what she so desperately wanted to do and just grind the heels of her palms into her aching eyes to relieve them, she instead focused on the wall across from her.
Continuing to blink to produce more tears, she focused on something far, then something near, then far, then somewhere in the middle. It was like eating a salad when she was starving. Her eyes didn’t fall out of her skull, but it wasn’t what she wanted.
The object she focused on far was her clock hanging on the wall. It said it was nearly 3 o’clock. Lacy startled and checked the time on her computer just to verify that was the accurate time. Lacy scrambled through her drawers for her small desk mirror and touch-up makeup.
One glance in the mirror and she wretched at her own face. He was going to be there at 3 o’clock, and she looked like hell! As quickly as she could manage, she did a quick reapplication of her blush and eye makeup.
As she reapplied her mascara, her assistant came in with a hot cup of coffee in her hand.
“Your afternoon pick-me-up,” Linda said as she set it on her desk. “Someone’s getting fancy for her 3 o’clock.”
Lacy flicked her eyes up to her smirking assistant. “Have you seen that man? You could fry an egg on that face.”
“Because he has the face of a frying pan?”
“What?” Lacy looked up to see her assistant fighting to keep a straight face. “No, because he’s hot. You know what?” Lacy picked up a paperclip and threw it at her assistant, who just laughed and ran from her office.
“Warn me before you—“ Lacy was calling out when he walked through the door.
Linda rushed in to stand ahead of him. “Your 3 o’clock has arrived,” she said sheepishly.
When she first saw him, Lacy’s first instinct was the shove all of her makeup stuff into her drawer. Of course, that would indicate she was in some way embarrassed. That, of course, was a sign of weakness. So, instead, Lacy put on a smile and stood.
“Thank you for being so prompt. Too many of my clients lack punctuality. They feel their money arrives before they do and holds their place.”
“A lack of punctuality shows a lack of respect,” Walid said, his voice deep and dripping with that accent. It made Lacy melt in all the right ways.
He came to the lounge chair in the middle of her office and sat himself. “I would hate to give that impression.”
“Of course,” she said, and gave a nod of acknowledgement to Walid’s colleagues, then a nod to Linda that she was excused.
“The eggs you ordered should arrive shortly,” Linda said before stepping back toward the door.
“Yes, Linda,” Lacy hissed. “Thank you.”
Linda bit on her upper lip to keep from laughing and rushed from the room.
“Well,” Lacy said and splayed her hands. “I was just freshening up. I’d hoped to be finished before you arrived, but of course that’s my fault for expecting tardiness.”
“Please,” Walid said with a small wave of his hand. “Do as you must. I am patient.”
“Thank you,” she said with a small bow of her head and sat. “I appreciate your patience.”
“You are worth the wait.”
She looked up from her makeup but he had fished his phone from his pocket and was scrolling through messages.
“Your partners are welcome to have a seat,” she said, eying the three men standing against the three far walls of her office.
“They prefer to stand,” Walid said. “It is their way.”
Lacy was mortified to be applying makeup in front of everyone, but she wasn’t about to stop, either. “I appreciate you meeting me,” she said as she finished up. “The documents you wanted me to look over…”
“Yes?” he asked and put away his phone.
There was something so fierce in every movement. The way his eyes surveyed everything around him, or how his fingers like the talons of a hawk gripped the arm of the chair. He was a predator, perched, ready to descend on anything hapless enough to be in his path.
Lacy gave a shake of her hair and put her makeup away. “Everything looks good with the documents,” she said, “but when we spoke before… This didn’t seem to be what you were looking for?”
“I understand,” he said and stood. Fastening the button on his suit, he approached her desk. “But you say all is in order?”
The way he moved as he drew closer made the breath leave her lungs in a slow exhale. She couldn’t take her eyes off how gracefully he took those few short steps to her desk. He rested his fingertips against her desk. Not leaning, not threatening, simply position.
Unconsciously she ran her tongue over her lower lip as she imagined where else he could rest those fingertips.
“Yes,” she said, and turned her eyes up to him. “All is in order. That is, if you’re certain this is what you want.”
“Your attention to detail is commendable,” Walid said. Then as slowly as a cat stalking its prey through tall grass, he lowered himself onto those fingertips and locked eyes with her. She felt herself frozen under that gaze, and wondered how many people he’d pinned under the power of his presence. “Rest assured, I know what I want. And I intend on having it.”
Lacy forced a steady breath into her lungs, refusing to let herself be under his power.
“Well,” she said, forcing the word out, hoping the sound of her own voice would break his spell. It was clear he was used to women falling for his charm, and she wasn’t going to just be another notch. “If you’re certain.”
She pushed the documents across her desk toward him and interlocked her fingers.
“It seems a solid deal. Please let me know if I can advise you further.”
Those dangerous eyes narrowed ever so slightly and he smiled. “I certainly will. Thank you for your time.”
She kept her face clear and straight as she nodded and stood as she showed him to the door.
When he was finally gone, Linda turned toward her boss, but Lacy was already pressed against the doorframe, her knees weak.
“You weren’t kidding,” Linda said. “I want to climb that man like a tree.”