Page 119 of Mine

I went to my desk and gathered up my papers and laptop, stacking them neatly. Unstacking them because the order bothered me. Stacking them again as perfectly as I could. Then, I forced myself to back away, going to one of my windows and staring out at the Nashville skyline. It was sunny, with beautiful blue skies and not a single cloud in sight.

My palms were clammy.

They were going to know.

How could they not know?

A rap on the doorframe made me look over my shoulder. Tommy smiled expectantly. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” I said, plastering on a smile.

“It’ll be great,” he said.

“It will be. We will need to recommend a lawyer for him before anything is signed, though.”

Tommy’s smile faltered. “A lawyer? Why? We don’t usually do that.”

“It’s business,” I said. “He doesn’t even have an agent.”

“Hasn’t stopped us before. It’s not like we’re preying on him.”

But we were. It was a business, at the end of the day.

And here I was once again, going into business with someone I cared about.

A sticky feeling rose up inside me. Was I doing the right thing? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have time to think about it though, so I bottled all of my emotions and put a cap on them. A familiar level of peace came over me.

I gave Tommy a nod. “Let’s go.”

The walk to the meeting room gave me enough time to truly steel myself. Everyone else was already inside, I could hear their voices. Kendra’s chuckles as she talked to Salt, Lee and Scott chatting away. I could see Jeff’s head through the doorway. Ellen was already seated next to my chair.

Tommy went in first.

When I walked in, everyone stood up.

And I felthim.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” I said, keeping my tone pleasant.

I looked up at Salt, finally meeting his irresistible gaze. He was wearing a black button down with the first two popped open, showing off his tattoos, the sleeves pushed up his muscled forearms. Black pants and boots. His scent made my mouth water—a masculine woodsy scent with floral undertones.

He was stunning.

It felt impossible to see him as anything else.

He was beauty, and in this room, I was the beast.

I always shook hands with clients, so I approached him and held out my hand. He took it, his calloused palm sliding against mine. Without fail, I always felt the electric shock of him.

Talk. Fuck. Say something.

“Hi Pepper,” he said, pulling his hand away. “It’s good to see you again.”

Like he hadn’t woken me up by eating me out this morning.

I felt like I was bathing in fire. “Good to see you again.” I moved around to my chair at the head of the table and took a seat. Everyone was watching me. “I’ve met Salt, and so has Jeff and Tommy. But I suppose we can go around and introduce ourselves.”

There was a moment of silence. Ellen cleared her throat, looking at Scott.

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