Harlequin Kimani Romance June 2017 Box Set

by Arthur, A. C.

  “And now?”

  Zoe shook her head from left to right. “Now, no way. You’re going to be my boss.”

  “You don’t have the job yet,” Will said, raising his brows. He was turned on by her confidence.

  “I will.” Zoe sighed. “It was meant for me to work at Ravens Cosmetics.”

  “Oh, really now?” Will drawled and shook his head. “Did you see us together in your crystal ball?”

  “The comedian again,” Zoe retorted with a bored yawn. “I may tell you about it one day. Until I decide to share with you, you need to get used to the idea of us being nothing more than employer and employee.”

  That idea didn’t appeal to Will. The hour and a half they’d been together already hadn’t been enough. Maybe he should have flown into Atlanta to give them more time to get to know each other on the way down to Southwood. On the other hand, if by any miracle Will changed his mind about Zoe’s work, they would end up working together. The last thing he needed was future tension between the two of them over a fling. With half the cousins tired of the business, and Donovan’s trysts, Will didn’t need the hassle. “Think you can at least settle on us being professional friends?”

  There had been many times over the last month when Will resented having this CEO position. Now was one. But if Zoe only wanted to remain friends, he’d respect that. Hopefully there’d be plenty of cold water in this Magnolia Palace.

  The Magnolia Palace sat on ten acres of lush green land, embraced by thick weeping willows in the back and strong magnolia trees that lined the paved circular driveway, which ended in front of the steps of the white plantation-style home. Four white columns reached from the wraparound porch to the second floor and up to where there seemed to be a balcony at the top of the roof. Someone stood at either of the long slit glass panes on both sides of the massive black double front doors.

  It amazed Will how quickly the business mentality switched on in his mind. As a businessman realizing that the majority of his cosmetics were used in magazine editorial pieces, Will immediately thought this place would be the perfect background for a print layout. He scolded himself for thinking of work. Finally he understood what his parents meant by not letting it consume him. After seeing what the business did to his siblings, his father had tried to dissuade his children out of participating in the company. But it was in their blood. And when Will’s brothers and sisters learned of their stake in the company, wild horses couldn’t have kept them away. His parents might have sent him away to special soccer camps and facilities, but eventually, Will ended up at Ravens Cosmetics. And, yes, it was consuming his life. At least there was a bit of a break right now—sort of. He liked loud noise and the busy life. But he guessed for one week he’d be able to tough it out.

  From the way his cousins described what his time in Southwood would be like, he’d assumed he would be stuck in a room watching pageants on television to get caught up. One look at the sprawling grounds and Will longed to stretch out in one of the hammocks and read a book. Although Will hated to admit it, he was looking forward to spending a week here and discovering all about the South. Even though Miami was in the south of Florida, it was not the South.

  Relaxation called his name. As he thought about sleeping in, his attention turned toward the passenger beside him who was wiggling in her seat with anticipation. How was he supposed to relax with her near him? Hopefully she’d hang out with her friends and stay out of his hair, although he fully expected her to wear him down about his decision. Zoe was out of the car before he placed the car in Park.

  The massive doors of the B and B opened. Will expected a tuxedo-wearing butler to step out of the doors, but instead, a tall African American woman with long blond hair stepped onto the wraparound porch carrying two mason jars of a brown iced beverage.

  The moment the woman and Zoe locked eyes, Zoe squealed and, out of the corner of his eye, he was sure she pawed the ground like a bull and ran toward the other woman. The woman turned to give the man standing behind her the glasses and met Zoe at the bottom step. The two embraced in a screaming hug. Clearly they knew each other, Will thought to himself. He’d grown up with sisters and knew how overly excited they were to see their friends. Will also knew it was best to stand back and wait until the lovefest ended. He clasped his hands behind his back and waited. The man now holding the glasses stepped off the porch with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

  “I never get this kind of greeting when I come home,” he said, pushing one of the glasses into Will’s left hand.

  The frosted glass cooled Will’s palm. He stepped forward and for a shake. “Will Ravens,” he said.

  “Hey, Will,” said the man with the firm grip. “Stephen Reyes, husband of this squealing ball.”

  The squealing ceasing, the blonde woman stepped to the side, and that’s when Will noticed a very round belly. Given the fact his sister had kids, Will guessed the woman was seven months along. She stood with her hand on her hip and glared at her husband. “Did you just call me a ball?”

  “No, dear.” Stephen winked before giving his wife his undivided attention. “Why would I say something like that?”

  Zoe linked her arm with her friend’s and dragged her over to where the two men stood. Stephen handed Zoe the other glass. “Will, this is one of my oldest friends, Lexi Pendergrass.”

  “Lexi Pendergrass Reyes,” interjected Stephen with a dramatic roll of his R. “And why does she get to call you her oldest friend but I can’t?”

  “Because I know things.” Zoe laughed. Will liked her laugh. It was light, bubbly and friendly. Zoe reached over and gave Stephen a hug. “As I was saying, this is Will Ravens.”

  Stephen leaned forward and whispered, loudly enough for Will to hear, “We’ll have to have a real drink later, Zoe, so you can tell me what you know.”

  “Will Ravens?” Playfully, Lexi stepped between the pair and, instead of a handshake, gave Will a hug. “How on Earth did the two of you manage to arrive together?”

  “I would have been here much later had Mr. Ravens not offered me a seat on his plane.”

  “The company’s plane,” Will clarified. “I spotted Miss Baldwin at the airport seconds before she was harassed by a…” He turned his attention to Zoe for a moment. “What would you call a wannabe LL Cool J?”

  Zoe’s eyes widened. A set of dimples popped up on her cheeks. “Exactly.”

  “Aren’t you the superhero?” Stephen inquired with a humorous chuckle.

  Lexi elbowed her husband in the ribs and kept talking to Will. “I cannot thank you enough for everything Ravens Cosmetics has done for the pageant. And for taking the time out of your schedule. I can’t imagine coming into your position, you wanted to leave so quickly.”

  “Well, I’m sure you know how it is when Naomi and Joyce ask a favor,” Will began with a chuckle. He took a sip of his beverage. The thick syrup coated his throat and he realized it was sweetened tea.

  “Asked, or more or less forced you?” Lexi joked, hitting the nail on the head. “I know how they can be, so I have to apologize. I’m sure you’re out of your element.”

  Beside him, Zoe snickered.

  “I want to learn every nook and cranny of Ravens Cosmetics. If coming to your lovely city is one of the tasks, well, it’s worth it.” Will cleared his throat. “Besides, I’m always up for a challenge.”

  Lexi offered one last hug and pulled away. “Good. Let me show you guys to your rooms. Stephen’s cousin just bought and renovated the place. I’ve got everyone working on the pageant sequestered here for the week, so I’m playing hostess today.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if that was necessary, but any words were lost as they followed Stephen and Lexi into the foyer of the Magnolia Palace. The black hardwood floors absorbed their footsteps. Adorning the walls were old pictures of a family—perhaps the people who
originally owned the home. There were two large rooms, one on either side of the hallway. One appeared to be a sitting room, the other a library filled with shelves of leather-bound books. They traveled farther toward the wide-set staircase, which curled and broke off in two different directions. Light spilled in from the upstairs balcony over the crystal chandelier, creating a prism effect against the white walls.

  Will’s room was upstairs near the back of the house. The ceilings were high and the walls painted a pale blue. More portraits hung from the walls in gold frames. He went inside to decompress, but got caught up in the view from the balcony. The lush green backyard was neatly trimmed. A wooden path led to the docks, which jutted into the deep blue water of a round lake surrounded by more trees. Off to the side, on land, Will spotted a hammock and visualized himself in it with his shoes off and curled up with Zoe.

  Will scolded himself for his obsession with Zoe. She’d made it clear she did not want to get involved with him. And she was right. Will needed to focus on the future of the company. He willed himself not to fall for the pretty smiles. Pretty faces were a dime a dozen and usually accompanied by a motive. Zoe was no different. Still, though, the confidence she’d exuded in the car was impressive as well as a turn-on.

  This was not Will at all. He expected this lustful behavior from Marcus and Donovan. Will prided himself on being in control, but with Zoe, common sense went out the window. Did he dare hurt her feelings and let her know he did not see her in the future of Raven Cosmetics? Would it make her feel better to know he at least saw her in his future?

  Thinking of her made him stiffen all over. He needed to splash some water over his face. Will moved over to the door he assumed would lead to the bathroom and yanked it open; a scream came from the other side. Upon further inspection he groaned. There stood Zoe with a fluffy blue-flowered towel wrapped around her silky dark brown skin. The sun filtering through the white-lace curtains highlighted the gold undertones of every curve.

  “I guess Lexi forgot to mention the shared bathroom.” Zoe recovered with an airy laugh.

  Damn, this was going to be the longest week ever.

  * * *

  No amount of hot water could wash off the humiliation of her potential boss walking in on her almost naked body. How was she going to look him in the eyes now in a potential board meeting? After a disastrous moment before her after-travel shower, Zoe changed into black leggings and a black-and-white-checkered T-shirt long enough to cover her behind. She headed downstairs to the patio with her tablet in hand, hoping to take some amazing photographs of the setting sun. Because she and Will had gotten there early, the other guests hadn’t arrived yet. Dinner was in an hour and a half, giving Zoe much-needed time to get reacquainted with the pier. She trotted barefoot across the grass to the dock, where the afternoon sun warmed the wooden planks.

  Bright shades of orange, red and yellow smeared the horizon. With her breath caught in her throat, Zoe stood at the curve of the railing, in the same spot her father had knelt to propose to her mother. With the Magnolia Palace reopened, this would be the perfect spot for her father to re-propose to her mother. Zoe smiled at the horizon with excitement. She snapped a few pictures before deciding to return to the back porch.

  The oversize white swings—and the fact that a producer friend had just sent her an advance copy of a superhero movie she’d worked on—helped put pep in her step. There was nothing better than the good people winning.

  Zoe turned to head back to the porch, but she careened into a hard body. As she bounced backward with a prolific apology, the wooden rails creaked. The last thing she needed to do was fall into the water with her tablet. She hadn’t even sent any of the files to her Cloud. She welcomed the strong arm around her waist and reached for the impeccably muscled arms.

  “Whoa,” a deep and now-familiar voice said into her ear.

  “Mr. Ravens,” Zoe gasped. Once her eyes began to focus, she narrowed in on his lopsided smirk.

  “Let’s see, we’ve shared a plane, shared a seat on a plane and I’ve walked in on you taking a shower.”

  Heat burned her cheeks. Zoe held her index finger up to stop and correct him. “Almost in the shower.”

  Will inclined his head. “Okay, almost. However, I do believe we are beyond the formalities. Please call me Will.”

  Zoe bit the right corner of her bottom lip. “Alright, Will. You have to call me Zoe.”

  “It’s a pleasure, Zoe.”

  He had no idea what a pleasure it was to still be in his arms. Zoe cleared her throat. No matter what, she was going to be the Creative Design Director for Ravens Cosmetics. She needed to stop these romantic fantasies about her future boss. Taking a step away, Zoe waved her right arm at the water.

  “What do you think of the view, Will?” Zoe asked with a shaky voice. “Beautiful, right?”

  “You’re absolutely right,” Will said.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he hadn’t stopped looking at her. She bit her bottom lip again to keep from further blushing. The tactic didn’t work and the heat from the sun was nothing compared to the flush on her face.

  Will’s brows rose, his left eye half winking. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Zoe recovered quickly. “Were you just on an evening walk?”

  “Sort of. I came to tell you your bags arrived.”

  “Thank you.” Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. “Dare I ask how you managed that?” Zoe had been concerned about leaving her bags on the scheduled flight. But Will had said he’d take care of it and clearly he had. She’d expected to have her bags by tomorrow. This was better news. Zoe didn’t like to be away from her makeup for too long.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes and playfully pushed his biceps, hesitating for a moment at the way the muscle flexed. She wanted to keep her hand there, maybe let her fingers trail against his pecs, but that would be weird, especially since she’d made it clear they were not going to act on any impulse they may have. “Don’t tell me you’re going to have to take a pretty flight attendant out on a date all because of lil’ ole me.”

  Why did she say that last line in her Southern belle accent? And, as her spine straightened, Zoe questioned her sanity. Did she seriously just curtsy? Judging from the strangled laugh escaping Will’s throat, she guessed she did. “Sorry,” Zoe coughed. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”

  “You’re back home.” Will provided an answer.

  It wasn’t the answer Zoe wanted to hear but she’d go with it. Better go with his than the naughty thoughts circling around in her mind.

  “Well, thanks again for getting my bags to me.”

  “Not a problem,” he answered.

  They both started walking back toward the house. Zoe was well aware of how close they were to each other. Their forearms touched. Her fingers itched to link with his but she managed to control herself.

  The only car parked off the circular driveway was the one they had driven down in. Lexi had left, as expected. She had her own home to tend to. From what Zoe gathered, Stephen’s cousin had purchased the land and the Magnolia Palace and recently finished the remodeling—a job well done, Zoe thought to herself. But she had not seen the hotelier.

  “Any sign of the rest of the guests?” Zoe asked.

  “Stephen left to pick up someone just before I came outside. Are you starving? I’m sure I saw a basket of fruit on the kitchen table.”

  Zoe scrunched up her face. “I think I may have a bag of microwavable popcorn in one of my bags.”

  Now it was Will’s turn to scrunch up his face. “Microwavable popcorn is not good for you.”

  “Are you telling me you happen to have popcorn kernels and an air machine in your bags?” Zoe teased, pushing his arm once more. Will’s large frame didn’t budge. “Leave me and my p
opcorn alone. I’m going to watch a movie.”

  “Yes,” he said seriously. When her eyes shot up in surprise, Will flashed a killer, million-watt smile. “Of course I’m kidding. What movie are you planning on watching?”

  Zoe glanced down at her tablet. She preferred to keep her love of superheroes a secret. After getting teased in junior high school, Zoe learned to keep it to herself. On some websites, she’d never found anyone who shared her love but rather more or less mocked it. So she’d learned to stifle her love and watch in secret. “Oh, I did a makeup job a few years ago in college for a buddy of mine who ended up going off to the military. He finally finished putting this low-budget CGI film together and well, he sent me a copy.”

  They reached the back porch. Will pressed his hand against Zoe’s lower back and guided her up the wide steps. Their strides matched. All too aware of the heat from his touch, Zoe prayed he didn’t feel the sweat drizzling down her back.

  “So, you’re a movie makeup artist, as well?”

  “I am extremely talented, Mr. Ravens. I can beat anyone’s face,” she said. Will stopped walking, clamping his hand on her shoulder. To most people, Zoe had to explain that beating a face meant putting on makeup. As CEO of a cosmetics company, he surely knew this information, which only meant his frown was for not using his given name. “Sorry, Will.” Zoe shook her head and laughed.

  “What do you mean, ‘beat’?”

  Zoe stood still on the top step. “You’re not serious, are you?”

  Will pointed his finger at her and let out a laugh. “Gotcha there.”

  A slow and unsure chuckle escaped Zoe’s mouth. For some reason, she didn’t believe him. Was it possible for a CEO of a cosmetics company to not know what beat meant? In keeping up with the trends, someone should have taught Will the lingo. Maybe believing he didn’t would ease her irritation at not landing the job right off the bat. Given he was going to be her boss one day, Zoe decided to take his word for it—for now.