by Leslie North
Growing up destitute and desperate, after his dad had skipped town leaving his mother, him and his younger siblings struggling for survival, his ten-year-old self promised his tearful mother that he would always take care of her and he had.
Brian straightened his back, trying not to let his irritation seep out and stain the whole deal. He gestured toward a nearby hallway, which led to the development area. The two walked down the neatly carpeted hall, decorated in beige and brown tones. Brian’s favorite. It was calming. Neutral. Distantly woodsy. He pushed open the glass door at the end of the hallway. The open-plan work space of the development team greeted them, lined with wall-to-wall windows overlooking downtown San Diego.
At first glance, it was a pristine image of industriousness and productivity. A snapshot of the modern American workplace. Brian smiled. Yes, let Prince Yariz take it all in.
The distinctive sound of feminine laughter sent a ripple of interest through him. From across the room, Constance Bonner sat at her desk surrounded by several of the male developers as they watched something on her computer. The laughter from the other developers dried up as one by one, they noticed our arrival and quickly slunk back to their desks. All except for Connie who had yet to notice us. Realizing that she was now alone, she looked up, her thick, black ponytail swishing over her shoulder. Pushing her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose, she leapt up, tugging at her black button-down shirt and too short plaid skirt. He could just make out the print on her socks, which stuck out above her black boots. Unicorns? Of course, it would be unicorns.
Brian pressed his thumbs against his temples as Prince Yariz began moving toward her like a moth to a flame. Connie was one of the top developers at the company. She was gorgeous, too, not that it mattered. But she was chronically, relentlessly, friendly.
It was a nice trait for an employee to have.
Except for right now.
Connie’s eyes seemed to grow bigger as she saw us walking toward her. Audio from her computer caught her attention and she quickly tried to close out of whatever had everyone engaged prior to them coming in the room. Her mutterings of, “Oh, no, no, no” almost had him feeling sorry for her but he also knew that everyone had been apprised of today’s VIP visit.
“Ms. Bonner,” Brian began, but Connie was too busy unsuccessfully trying to close out of whatever she had running. Realizing it wasn’t going to happen, she quickly turned off the monitor before fumbling for the audio on the speakers. In her rush, she ended up tipping over the speaker, which continued to torment her. With a loud sigh of defeat, Connie flashed one of those show-stopping smiles. Privately, he considered her a model who didn’t realize her potential. While his office didn’t adhere to a particular dress code, most of his employees chose to wear standard office attire while Connie’s wardrobe tended to fluctuate somewhere between gothic punk and computer nerd. At least she wasn’t wearing one of her more questionable graphic tees today. Brian said a silent thanks for small favors even as the noise from her speakers continued to draw attention.
“Brian. Hi. I, uh, wasn’t expecting the VIP to visit us.” Connie’s eyes darted back and forth between Brian and the prince, as she bit her lower lip. She seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with her hands and flailed them at her side before setting her hands on her desk and holding them there. Brian could sense Prince Yariz stiffening at his side.
“The Prince wanted to see all of our offices.”
“Oh, I see. Well, welcome.” Connie went to sit back down, not realizing that her office chair had moved. With a stumble and an almost fall, she awkwardly landed back in her chair, her skirt flying up, giving the both of them a clear view of her Captain Marvel underwear. Letting out a loud breath of air, Connie blew on her bangs before she straightened out her skirt again, in what Brian was realizing was a nervous gesture. “Okay, so I should get back to work.”
Reaching to right her speaker, Brian could now make out the audio, which sounded very much like a woman in the throes of an orgasm.
The prince’s complexion paled. Eyes mere slits, his gaze swept toward Brian.
“We need to go,” Brian said tersely, stepping toward the door. He gestured for the prince to follow him. “Prince Yariz, we can continue our tour now.”
Connie watched with wide eyes and a clamped-shut mouth as Brian ushered the prince out of the development office. The only sound as they walked down the hall was the muffled fall of their steps. Yet confusion rang shrill between Brian’s ears. Wondering how to cover this gaffe. How to play it off. How to send Connie an email that told her exactly how he felt without having her report him for excessive use of exclamation points.
“Is that how employees behave here?” Prince Yariz finally asked.
“No,” Brian rushed to say. “Not at all. It’s not—”
“What a rude, inconsiderate woman,” the prince went on.
“I agree,” he said. “Completely.”
“And you allow her to work here?”
Brian gritted his teeth. Connie was one of the best developers he’d hired. But she’d barely made it through the initial interviews without raising plenty of eyebrows in HR. Not because she was unqualified or inappropriate, but simply because she was too damn friendly. Almost nobody in the jaded tech bubble here could find it within their parched souls to actually enjoy interpersonal communication.
It was one of the reasons Brian had opted for the open floor plan in the developers’ area. To force a modicum of human interaction.
“She’s very good at what she does,” Brian began.
“That’s not worth your reputation,” the prince sniffed. The air between them tightened. Brian could sense the direction this was going, and his stomach pitched to his feet. “Your employees are like family. And your family must be honorable. Immaculate. Well controlled.”
Still, Brian thought he should continue as though he hadn’t just boarded a high-speed train heading for a brick wall. “Prince Yariz, your words are well-received and absolutely understood. Now, if you’ll follow me to the office, we can get the papers signed.”
The prince slowed, his face grave. Not an ounce of amusement anywhere. His words coming like slow motion daggers. “Mr. O’Leary, I’ve changed my mind.”
Grab your copy of The Billionaire’s Accidental Baby (Billionaires and Babies Book One) from
www.LeslieNorthBooks.com
