Kianna Alexander - This Tender Melody

She tried to stop herself, but before she knew it, her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip. Damn, this man was fine. So fine she could barely think. Looking at him was like looking at the sun—awfully pretty, but it sure did make your eyes hurt. Rather than put her foot in her mouth, she simply smiled and nodded.

No one said anything for the few moments they shared the elevator car. She was perfectly fine with pressing her back into the corner, gripping the handrail and staring at his back. The dark suit fit him so well it must have been custom-made. Despite her father’s efforts to hire on as many people of color as possible, there just weren’t that many brothers working at FTI. That was why a well-dressed brother like him stood out, or at least that was what she told herself.

As the automated voice announced their arrival at the seventh floor, she extricated herself from the corner and prepared to get off. The doors opened, and she attempted to ease by him without making eye contact.

She succeeded in doing that, but didn’t manage to evade him entirely. As he stuck his arm out to make sure the doors didn’t shut on her, his hand brushed against her arm. She glanced back, and found his smiling eyes on her.

“Have a great day, beautiful.” He gave her a wink.

She stepped back, out into the hallway, and the elevator doors closed. Just like that, Mr. Sexy Mystery Man was gone. That disappointed her a bit, but at least she could think straight now that he’d taken his sexiness and delicious scent elsewhere.

Swiveling to her right, she strode down the hall toward her corner office. By now, her secretary should have some coffee made—maybe a kick of caffeine would help her concentrate on her work and put the fine, nameless brother out of her mind.

Stepping into her custom-designed office put a smile on her face, as it did most days. Her parents had given her free reign to decorate the office in any manner she liked. She’d chosen a calming color palette of cream and periwinkle. The brocade-textured wallpaper, shelving units and furniture all reflected her tastes. She’d had light oak hardwood floors put in, and covered them with soft throw rugs in muted shades of blue. The theme started in the reception area, and carried through her personal office and washroom.

In the reception area, she found Mimi Chin, her secretary, stationed at her desk. After they’d exchanged greetings, Eve made a beeline for the coffeepot. The smell of the brew met her before she was fully in the room, and she noticed it was stronger than what she usually drank. Picking up the pot, she turned toward Mimi. “What’s this?”

“French roast. I try to make something with a little more gusto on board-meeting days.” Mimi was typing furiously on her keyboard, and didn’t look up.

“Thanks.” Even though the board meeting had been delayed, she could still use the kick to get her going.

As she headed toward the door to her private office, her phone buzzed. Removing it from the outer pocket of her leather hobo, she looked at the screen.

It was a text from Lina. Opening it, she found a picture attached of Lina and two of their girlfriends in bathing suits, standing on the beach. The message read, Girl, you missed it!

She smiled, shaking her head. Lina was about as straitlaced as could be when it came to her work as an attorney specializing in employment law. But when Lina cut loose, she did it like she was doing it for TV. She spent another moment looking at the picture, and was about to close it and tuck her phone away when she noticed something in the background.

Or rather, someone.

Standing behind her friends, mere feet away, was a handsome man, wearing nothing but a pair of bright blue swim trunks and a silver chain. The photo had been taken with him in midair, smacking a volleyball over the net. His muscled arms and chest glistened in the sunlight as he hovered a couple of inches off the ground. Dark shades obscured his eyes, but the distinctive facial hair was a dead giveaway.

The man in the picture was the same man who’d stolen her breath when he stepped into her elevator car.

* * *

Fingers laced together, Darius tucked his hands behind his head. He’d been told to make himself comfortable in the swanky eighth-floor office he’d been directed to, and was taking those instructions to heart. The burgundy chair he sat in was so comfortable he never wanted to get up. He could feel his butt sinking into the fabric, and sighed with pleasure. There was nothing like a comfortable chair to put him in a good mood. As a bonus, the chair faced a wall made entirely of glass, giving him an impressive view of the Queen City’s lush skyline beneath a sun-filled sky.

It had been years since he’d been in this building, let alone this office. Back then, he’d been fresh out of school and eager to learn everything he could about software development. His passion for innovation had been at its zenith. There was no way he could have guessed that his enthusiasm for designing programs would be extinguished by the rigors of the business side of things. The day he’d graduated, he thought he’d spend his life in the field. But in reality, he’d spent less than ten years in the industry before he became burned out.

His thoughts drifted to the lovely lady he’d been on the elevator with earlier. She was taller than most of the women he ran into, though still nowhere near his six-foot-three-inch frame. Aside from that, she had a figure that could only be described as voluptuous—full breasts, a tapered waist and round hips, all encased in a little brown pantsuit. While the suit was very professional and not at all revealing, it did nothing to hide her shape and he was glad of it. He clearly recalled the way her glossy, straight brown hair was tucked into a demure looking bun. It looked so soft, he’d had to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from touching it. But the thing about her that really got his blood flowing was her lips—plump, pouty, perfect. She’d painted them with some kind of shimmery raspberry-colored gloss that made them look incredibly tempting. If his boys had been in the elevator with him, they’d probably have come to blows over who would get to ask her out.

Behind him, the double doors of the office opened, then closed again, but he didn’t turn around. He was too busy enjoying the view.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Darius.” Joseph Franklin marched across the room to engulf Darius in a paternal embrace. Then he took a seat behind the big desk between Darius’s comfy chair and the wall of windows. “What has it been, three or four years since I’ve seen you? How have you been?”

“Yeah, it’s been about that long. I’ve been great. Retirement suits me quite nicely.” Taking in the sight of his mentor, he could see the older man had changed a lot since he’d last seen him. His shoulders slumped just a bit, his kind face had many new lines and his once dark hair had gone gray. In a word, Franklin looked tired. “How about you?”

“Busy, but good.” Franklin leaned back in the leather executive chair, running his fingertips through his graying beard.

Never one for small talk, Darius thought it prudent to proceed with the matter at hand. “I was surprised to hear from Mrs. Franklin the other night. I talked to her for a little while, but just so I’m clear, what is it you need me to do?”

Joseph hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “I know you’re enjoying your leisure, but I could really use your expertise here at FTI.”

“Okay. So you want me on a freelance basis? Some consulting?” He would do what he could to help the older man out. After all, he’d gotten his start in the tech world under Franklin’s watchful tutelage.

“The role would be a little more involved than consulting, Darius.”