Page 8 of A Discovery: Love and Other Things

Dr. Campbell was the exception. None of his body parts twitched, nor did the rise and fall of his broad chest falter. Instead, he moved onto Felipe, completely unamused.

“I will be on-site every day. You will have Fridays and Saturdays off, but all other days, you belong to me.”

Felipe’s throat worked as he swallowed nervously under the weight of Dr. Campbell’s glare.

“Following my rules should be simple, especially since I have been so nice as to outline each of them to you.”

God, help me—I was next.

My breath quickened and my fingers and toes tingled as I waited for my turn in this makeshift soldier lineup.

Dr. Campbell centered himself in front of me and continued speaking. “And I don’t take too kindly to being disobeyed.” His severe gaze held mine. “So don’t tempt me,” he added, enunciating the word “tempt” excruciatingly slowly, the severity of his Ts nicking my ears. Heat rushed to my already overheated cheeks.Could he see them reddening?

His chiseled jaw coupled with his full lips made him a difficult sight to avoid. I must have been violating all sorts of internship policies by paying too much attention to his facial anatomy.

Yet his eyes...they were hypnotizing, like staring into the sun for too long.

I was the first to break eye contact, unable to bear their intensity any longer. But he remained in place. I could feel the heat of his glare on my chest, as he studied my obnoxiously pink shirt.

After what seemed like years, he moved onto Sean. “Are there any questions?”

Isabella raised her hand.Of course, she couldn’t stay quiet.

Dr. Campbell stepped in front of her. “Introduce yourself,” he ordered.

“Isabella Bianchi from The University ofRoma,” she answered, matching his military-like tone. While the rest of us seemed to be scared shitless byDr. Devil,Isabella seemed to appreciate his attitude.

“What is your question, Isabella?”

“Will we have the opportunity to complete research projects of our own in addition to the research performed during the excavation?”

This bitch was just asking to be popped in the face. Day one and she’s asking for more work?!Unbelievable.I rolled my eyes with an exaggerated attitude, hoping she’d see.

“Did you want to add anything to her question?” Dr. Campbell barked at me, catching the tail end of my exasperation.

“Me?” I pointed at my own chest, startled. His expression remained hard. “Um, I...um. No.” I shook my head profusely.

His eyes stayed glued to me as he addressed Isabella and her question. “That will not be necessary. I anticipate that you’ll find yourselves to be too occupied with the work that we have to do here to conduct your own assignments.

“And you,” he directed at me. “What is your name?”

Again, everything came out as a stutter. “I...um...me? I’m...um...Kitty Taha.”

Mo produced a wad of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. His thick, white eyebrows pinched as he examined the contents. “There is no Kitty Taha on the list!” he exclaimed, shaking the paper at me.

“Oh, maybe it’s under my real first name, Sanura?” I had used my legal name for my application.

Mo nodded in acceptance. “You’re Egyptian?” His voice hitched with excitement.

Dr. Campbell’s eyes had never strayed from me, so I wasn’t sure who to address. My focus bounced between the two men. “Yes, on my father’s side,” I said, opting for the short-and-sweet answer. I didn’t want to divulge my entire diary’s worth of history about my father’s death and my quest to connect with my heritage when I was already making such a stellar first impression.

“Why do you go by Kitty?” Dr. Campbell’s voice hung heavy in the air between us.

“It’s, um...a pet name,” I squeaked.

“A pet name for the kitten?” he asked.

I stared at him in confusion, heart hammering.Surely, he didn’t mean—

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