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Yes, Vectra thought, she did like the idea of Qasim Wilder being her man.
Only to herself would she dare admit to how much she’d liked the idea of him being more than her man. She could feel a swoon on the way, her body riddled with throbbing arousal. This, despite the fact that she’d just had the pleasure of the man less than twenty-four hours earlier.
Eyes off the candy, Vec.
She shook her head and turned, smiling at the sight of Minka Gerald. The woman made her way up the curving glass staircase to the second floor.
“Minka?” Vectra greeted with a smile and quick hug when they met just off the landing. “Now, what’s wrong with this picture?” She pretended to ponder and then snapped her fingers. She took a glass of wine from another passing tray and presented it to Minka with a flourish.
Minka sipped, but didn’t appear pleased.
“Please try to enjoy yourself,” Vectra urged.
“Have you made up your mind about talking to Qasim?” Minka countered.
“Minka—”
“You have to, Vectra. It’s above my head to do anything about it now.”
Vectra stilled. “What do you mean?”
“Will’s here.” Minka’s dark gaze skirted the room. “He’s been waiting on paperwork that’ll give him the power to sign off on virtually anything having to do with the charity that requires Sim’s signature. I’ve been stalling, and he’s suspicious. Somehow, he’s figured out what I’ve been up to—says he’ll go to Sim and have me fired if I say anything.”
“He can’t do that, Minka.” Vectra squeezed the woman’s arm reassuringly. “Qasim trusts you.”
Minka was shaking her head. “I can’t take that chance...” Her gaze fell when Vectra moved closer.
“What’d he say to you? Exactly? Minka, did he threaten you?” Vectra asked when the woman offered no response to her two prior questions.
“He...”
“Minka?”
“He’s too smart for that.” Minka smirked. “He was one I seriously underestimated.”
“Talk to Sim,” Vectra urged.
“And what if he doesn’t believe me?” Minka’s gaze hardened in tandem with her voice. “I’ll have to deal with Will and the fact that I ruined a friendship that means a lot to Qasim.”
“I don’t think you believe that.” Vectra could see, though, that Minka had strong reason to believe the worst of his old army buddy. She liked Minka too much to let her think she had nowhere to turn.
* * *
“I give it a month.”
Qasim grinned when he heard Robb’s prediction. “Until?” he asked.
“You ask that girl to marry you.”
“You’re forgetting my possessiveness issues.”
“I don’t buy it.” Robb waved off the reminder. “Looks like you’re makin’ progress to me. Four guys have touched her since we’ve been standing here.”
“They shook her hand,” Qasim clarified.
“What about the one who kissed her cheek?”
“Ah, yeah.” Qasim rubbed his jaw. “I forgot about him. We’ll chat later,” he said, joining in when the other man laughed.
“Proud of you, man.” Robb clapped Qasim’s shoulder.
“And you haven’t even heard my news.” Qasim let the suspense hang for a few quiet seconds. “I apologized to Lew for threatening him when he was going to ask Vectra out.”
Robb’s brows lifted in a clear sign of how impressed he was. “What brought that on?”
Qasim shrugged, watching Vectra as she moved around the room, charming her guests with little more than a brilliant smile or wink from her smoky-brown eyes.
He loved her.
“I don’t want to be that kind of man,” he told Robb. “She deserves better than that.’
Robb patted his old friend’s back. “Like I said, I’m proud of you, man.”
Qasim pushed Robb off and grinned. His eyes returned to Vectra talking with the featured artist near one of the gigantic canvases that decorated the gallery.
He loved her.
Robb patted his back, and Qasim realized he’d forgotten the man had even been there.
Robb groaned. “Like I said, a month.”
* * *
“Can you come home with me?”
Vectra smiled, melting instantly into Qasim when he eased his arms about her waist later that evening.
She wanted nothing more.
Unfortunately, her conversations with Minka throughout the evening were all but crushing her romantic desires.
This was so not her business and yet Minka was practically begging her to intervene on her behalf. She’d do it. Of course she would, whether it was her business or not. She could see the other woman’s fear. Minka never told her the specifics of Will Lloyd’s comments to her about his possible impropriety with foundation funds, but her fear was all too easy to read.
