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She has no clue where she’s going, and it takes me fifteen minutes to track her down. I finally find
her wandering through the accounting department. When I stop in front of her, my words come out
harsher than I planned. “I’ve been looking for you. Where the hell did you think you were going?”
She looks at me innocently, her face serene. “The marketing department.”
“You’re on the wrong floor.”
“Yes, I figured that out. I would have found it, eventually.”
My eye is twitching. I resist the urge to slap my hand over it to get it to stop. “Waiting for me to
escort you would have been a better use of our time, don’t you think?”
Her head tilts, and a slight flush creeps over her cheeks. “Right. I thought I’d get a head start on
meeting everyone. I just got turned around.”
I bite back any more frustrated words and take her elbow, spinning her in the right direction.
We’re silent on the ride up to marketing, and I spend the whole time mentally berating myself for my
decisions. I did the same thing last night. Why the fuck did I chase this woman so hard? Yeah, she’s
supposedly brilliant, but so far, she’s not living up to the hype. I didn’t expect her to be like this. So…
scattered. Maybe this probation thing is a blessing in disguise. I can get rid of her and move the fuck
on.
My brothers will never let me live it down if I do, though. I made such a big deal about getting her
here, I can’t bail right away. But maybe, once everyone sees how unsuitable she is for this role, I can
send her off quietly. Dick move, maybe, but I won’t let anyone fuck with this company. We’ve worked
too hard to build it. I will protect it, and my brother’s future, with everything I have.
Satisfied with my plan, I step off the elevator, holding the doors for her. The marketing department
is my baby. It’s a wide-open space with a few glass offices on the edges. The whole space is filled
with light and activity. I’m conscious of Maya’s deep inhale as she studies the people clustered
around large desks spread with sample ad layouts and graphics.
Here we go.
SHE’S BARELY ACKNOWLEDGED MY EXISTENCE IN HOURS. AFTER INTRODUCTIONS, I CLAIMED ONE OF
the communal desks in the corner and sat back to watch as Maya worked the room. I didn’t expect to
see her smile at everyone or laugh with them. I didn’t expect the way her eyes sharpened and the way
the people around her responded. The more she talked with them, the taller they stood. Within twenty
minutes, she had every one of them wrapped around her little finger.
