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I nodded curtly as a polite round of applause broke out.
“That concludes the meeting,” Gayle announced. “There’s a delicious breakfast buffet in the cafeteria. Stop by and shake Mr. Matthews’ hand on your way out!”
My new co-workers promptly formed a line in front of me, and one by one, they came up and welcomed me to the team. I met John and Lillian from the human resources department. We’d communicated via email many times over the last few weeks, in order to get all the paperwork for my position completed. Then there was Edward, the Chief Financial Officer for ULC. He looked like a slightly younger Colonel Sanders—slightly.
A pretty Indian woman was next to step forward. I recognized her as one of the models I’d seen in the catalogue in Gayle’s office.
“Hi!” she gushed, practically shaking with energy. “I’m Adhira but everyone calls me Addy. I’m one of the models here at ULC and I’m so excited to work with someone who’s done an Angel campaign for VS!”
I smiled and indulged her in a few minutes of small talk before she left and the next person in line moved into view. Oh, but it wasn’t just any person, it was the person. The person I’d come all this way to finally meet.
Time slowed down as she extended her hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Matthews. I’m Kerenza Towers.”
Of their own accord, the words “I know” slipped out, earning me a smirk and a raised brow.
“You know? Have we met before?”
Only in my fantasies.
I licked my lips, using it as an excuse to stare at her for a moment longer and revel in her beauty. Her complexion, a smooth tawny brown, made it easy to see the smatter of freckles across the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks. She had eyes I was willing to bet were the exact same hue as honey, shrouded in thick, black upper and lower lashes. Her bottom lip was slightly fuller than her top, giving her mouth a sexy natural pout. Her hair looked to be freshly straightened and cut, coming to a stop just below her shoulders.
“Uh…no,” I replied belatedly. “I uh…I saw you in a recent Underthingz catalogue and remembered your face, is all. You were great in that campaign, the one with the white and pink theme.”
She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and ducked her head bashfully.
“Thank you, thank you,” she replied, smiling and showing off a set of deep dimples
Most men would have found her shyness to be adorable, but not me. I found it to be a turn on. To the extent that my dick began to stir.
I clenched my teeth and held my breath, willing myself to calm down. The tailored suit I wore would showcase everything if I got fully hard. I doubted Kerenza—or our co-workers—was ready to see so much of me so soon.
There was, of course, no question that I would have her, but this was a marathon, not a sprint.
Belatedly, I replied, “You’re most welcome, Kerenza.”
Our eyes met, and she gave me a curious look.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, ready to make whatever it was better at a second’s notice.
She chuckled lightly. “My hand…I was just wondering if you were going to let me have it back?”
I smiled, glancing down at her dainty hand still clasped in between both of mine. I’d have been content to stand here, holding her hand and talking all day. But I could feel the eyes of every person in the room on us, due to the fact that our exchange was lasting longer than the ones before it.
“Sorry about that.” I sighed with regret and released her hand.
Grinning, she walked away before tossing over her shoulder, “No biggie.”
I watched her exit the room, taking the time to admire her from the back. My dick flexed menacingly, warning me to get my mind out of the gutter.
“Ahem,” a girlish voice said.
Facing forward again, my eyes landed on a cute blonde.
“Isobel Winthrope,” she said, thrusting out her hand, but not in the way one held out their hand for a professional handshake. No, she held hers in a way that suggested I carefully accept it and raise it to my lips before planting a sweet, chivalrous kiss on the back of it.
Reluctantly, I took hold of her hand and gave it an awkward shake.
