“I am Derek, I am the CFO of the company, I do all of the hiring and processing, and handle the money matters. Although to be honest, there are only a handful of us, I like to keep people close to me.”
She would have sworn there was some hidden meaning to his words, and she swallowed hard once more.
He went on. “My brother is Blake, but he is out of town until this weekend. He is the CEO, and knows far more about running the business side of things. So tell me about you lovely Lila.”
She felt his eyes on her, boring into her skin and she was suddenly hot all over. “I have many years’ experience, though not in fine jewels like you have here.”
“Do you like pretty things Lila?” He was staring at her once more.
“Of course, I am a girl after all.” She smiled slightly.
“You are not a girl, Lila; you are a woman. Never forget the difference.”
It was almost a command, and she agreed quickly, not wanting to upset him in anything. It was amazing how much she felt around him, a heightened sense of awareness or something. He stood and waved her to follow him, which she did. He gestured to the diamonds in the case below them.
“See that one there?” He pointed to the largest one in the case. She nodded.
“There is a smoothness to it, something that sets it apart from the others. Like skin, under a person’s fingertips.”
Once more she felt herself blush at his words, this was very unfamiliar territory for her after all.
He turned once more to walk towards the front door. “When can you start? I will need you to meet my brother on Saturday if you can.”
She smiled. “I can come anytime Saturday.” She watched as he chuckled at her words.
“There is so many things I want to say to you right now lovely Lila.” He smiled. “Come… come at 10 that should be about right.”
She smiled up at him once more, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. She watched his face harden immediately.
“Be careful now Lila, he touched her chin with his thumb and turned to go back inside, locking the door as she left.
Chapter Two
The entire interaction struck her as odd, though she had never been more excited in her life. With the horrible week she’d had, just flirting with a handsome stranger was a nice treat. Something about him, made her feel like he was really up for more than just flirting, but she also knew there was no possible way a man like that would be interested in her. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had wasted far too many years, holding on to her virginity for mister right.
Saturday came and she found herself back in front of the store, this time during business hours she it was easier to go inside where she met a nice older woman running the store, showing and selling items out of the massive cases. She only took a moment when she saw him standing in the corner of the room.
He smiled as he waved her over to him, and she did as he asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Smiling down on her, she felt his hand on the small of her back as she was led to a staircase leading to the apartments upstairs.
“Blake is upstairs making a mess in the kitchen, as usual. He is eager to meet you.” He let his gaze linger on her for a long moment.
He pushed open the main doors and she came face to face with a mountain of a man who was doing exactly as he predicted, making a mess. He turned to face her and she felt her stomach drop once more. He was sculpted perfectly, and just as gorgeous as his brother, though his hair was lighter, and longer. He also had a full goatee on his face, making him appear rougher around the edges.
He gave her a once over and then glanced over at his brother who arched an eyebrow in return. He smiled widely at her.
“You must be Lila? My brother did not tell me what a beautiful woman you were, if you don’t mind me saying?” He smiled widely at her, his dimpled cheeks making him even more attractive.
“You are both very sweet to have such kind words to say.” She felt her body react to him, just as strongly as she had his brother the day before.
“We have similar tastes in women.” He said it simply and the two of them smiled at each other before he gestured for her to take a seat.
The interview was a simple one, no real questions came out of it aside from what she liked to do in her spare time and her favorite foods. He pushed a stack of paperwork over to her to sign and she did so, glancing at each one before doing so. They ordered dinner and champagne, much to her surprise.
“What exactly would my duties be?”
As they went over the administrative part of the job, she felt her body relax. She knew it was the champagne. It was not something she usually enjoyed, so even a slight amount could impair her for hours.