Chapter 11
Eleven
DARIA
I half expect Vic to show up at my apartment, but by Wednesday morning, disappointment settles in my gut. It’s been days since we saw each other, and while I’ve been busy mocking up various campaign ideas for Good Vibes, my mind has been on him the whole time.
Staring at my tablet while I finish my coffee, I study the various designs I came up with and count all the ways Vic shows up in them. The first ad is a pretty woman, lips slightly parted as she gazes up at whoever is clutching her jaw. A collar, much like the one Vic put around me, sits prominently around her throat. It’s a little aggressive, which is why I have more than one option.
The second is of a woman in back-seamed tights as she walks toward her lover on the bed, a knot ring dangling from her finger. The third is of two men, one with his eyes shut and mouth gagged as the other wraps his arms around him from behind, gaze boring into the camera, almost like Vic’s gaze met mine in the mirror at the club. There are a couple more ideas with various toys and accessories, but the design messaging is consistent.
Sensual, safe, exploration.
I place my coffee cup in the sink to wash later and grab my things, checking myself in the mirror by the door. A cute skirt and a dark green blouse with a high neck. The marks on my skin are slowly fading. Good Vibes is all about sexual exploration, but I don’t want the executives focused on my hickeys.
I avoid the landlord and make it to work with a few minutes to spare. My heels click over the tile as I head to the elevator. Pressing the button, I take deep breaths and run through my pitch again, even though I have it memorized.
“Worried you’ll choke?” Arnold asks, bumping into me.
I wobble slightly and glare at him. “What the fuck, asshole?”
“Relax, sweetheart. It was an accident.”
The doors to the elevator sweep open, and he swaggers inside, stepping in front of me. I glare at his back but get on because I’m not about to be late or walk up numerous flights of stairs because of him.
In the tight space, the overbearing patchouli of his scent nearly gags me. “Have you ever considered descenting lotion?”
He scoffs. “Have you?”
I scowl at him. “What’s your problem?”
“My problem is that Mandy is giving you the chances I deserve, and she knows it. I don’t know what kind of girl power get-togethers you all have on the weekends, but her favoritism isn’t going to help you win this client.”
“Are you serious? I’ve worked my ass off to get here.”
“Or maybe you’ve been on your ass. I heard Mandy swings all ways.”
My jaw drops open. This fucking guy. How has he made it this far in life without getting his shit kicked? “You’re a douchebag.”
As the elevator jolts to a stop, he shoves past me to get out first. “A douchebag who’s going to win.”
Huffing, I head to my desk, eyebrows drawn down as I think of all the fun ways I could stab him. A dull knife might be the best option, but maybe a fork would be better. Four puncture wounds instead of one.
Jane intercepts me before I step into my cubicle. “You look pissed.” Like me, she’s dressed to impress. One thing we all take seriously at Moon & Rock is client relations. Clients are the only reason we make money.
“Arnold,” I growl.
She nods. “Ah, yeah. Total dickhead. Should I put some laxative in his coffee?”
“Yes.”
“Consider it done.” The evil smile on her lips gives me pause.
I draw back and glance at her. “Are you serious?”
She shrugs. “Guess you’ll have to find out.” And with that, she slips away.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said yes, but then again, if Jane is really that unhinged, I can’t wait to see the look on Arnold’s face when he realizes he’s about to shit his pants.
Chuckling to myself, I put away my personal things and pull up my designs, checking to make sure everything is perfect.
“Ready to go?” Mandy asks.
I spin my chair around and grin at her. “Yup.”
True to her word, she never asked about what happened at After Dark. “Good. I’m going to have some of the others go first this time, just to make sure everyone gets that first opportunity to pitch, but I know you’ll blow them away.” She glances at my screen with a pleased smile.
“Thanks, Mandy.”
“The meeting starts at nine.” She taps the side of my cubicle and heads off.
I blow out a breath and dispel the negative energy Arnold hit me with. An asshole like him isn’t going to trip me up.
At five minutes to nine, I head to the conference room and find the farthest seat away from Arnold as physically possible, which puts me at the back of the room. Jane takes the spot beside me and nods at me before studying her tablet and ideas.
I don’t take it personally. Right now, everyone in this room is competing for one thing: the client’s approval.
Glancing out of the glass windows, I spot Mandy escorting two men toward the conference room, and I have to hold in a gasp. Both are tall and broad. Handsome in their own ways. The first has fair skin and is clean-shaven, with longer brown hair that’s pulled back in a man bun I’d usually laugh at, but along with his bulk, it’s so fitting. Even in the three-piece suit, he looks more fit for chopping wood than he does in the corporate world. And yet, there’s a keen intelligence in his gaze. He glances at the other man, and I look at him too.
He’s almost the complete opposite. A dark and rich umber complexion, a fade with waves I could swim, and a neatly manicured beard covering his strong jaw. He’s also in a three-piece suit, but his is a lighter shade of blue, and he looks like he belongs in a boardroom where he can make decisions and rule his corner of the world. He smiles at the other guy and, even from this far away, it’s breathtaking.
“Oh, crap. They’re hot,” Jane whispers.
I blow out a breath. “Yeah, they are.”
The only thing more nerve-racking than presenting in front of a client is presenting in front of attractive clients.
All eyes are on them and Mandy as they come into the room, like they’re a magnetic field we’re all drawn to. Mandy introduces them as Malakai and Lincoln, and I smile, genuinely excited to present, but stiffen when their scents slam into me.
Cinnamon and bergamot. A touch of spice and sweetness. A delectable citrus with faint touches of floral notes. Both blend perfectly with the smoky floral of my lavender scent.
They smell amazing.
Mouthwatering.
Delicious.
A tremble runs through me, and I breathe in again, nearly moaning at how good they smell. Those scents are so tantalizing, I’m instantly wet, slick coating my panties. Jane shoots me a look. She may be a beta, but there’s no mistaking the sudden burst of lavender emanating from my nether regions.
I squeeze my thighs together and try to get my reaction under control, but my skin is flushed, and I greedily inhale again.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Even though the thought is a soft whisper, I flinch, as though someone screamed in my ear. Mine? There’s no way. They can’t be...but as my core clenches and I drag in another addicting lungful of that cinnamon and bergamot, my body suddenly achy and needy, it’s clear. These two are meant to be mine.
This is more than simply loving their scents. This is...nature. Destiny.
The owners of Good Vibes, two sexy older men, are my scent matches.
Or am I being silly?
Trying not to panic, I glance around the room. Maybe this is one of their products? Maybe they created sanity-stealing love juice. That has to be it, right? My gaze strays in their direction, waiting to see if they react the same way to my scent.
The one in the lighter blue suit steps forward to introduce himself. “Thank you for that, Mandy. Like she said, I’m Malakai, the CEO of—” He pauses and frowns, nostrils flaring as he inhales.
My heart jumps.
Lincoln does the same thing, forehead furrowing. The two of them exchange quick looks. Oh my god. My pulse thunders so hard, I wonder if I’m about to have a heart attack. They breathe in again, slow and deep, as though they’re savoring the taste of my scent. There’s no sanity-stealing love juice. A thousand words pass between them. I’m dying to know what they’re thinking, to know how desperate my scent has made them.
But Malakai shakes his head, as if dismissing whatever he’s thinking, and chuckles. “Sorry about that, I didn’t finish my coffee this morning. Like I said, I’m the CEO of Good Vibes, and Lincoln is the COO. We’re excited to hear your pitches.”
My chest cracks open with an all too familiar feeling.
They don’t like it.
That, or they don’t want it.
Maybe they’re already mated.
Maybe this is like every other time I thought I’d found something good. A big disappointment.
Chewing on my cheek, I blink back tears pricking at the edges of my eyes and stare at a spot on the wall as the pitches kick off. Mandy has me slotted to go last, which means I have exactly thirty minutes to figure out how to stand in front of them and pretend like they don’t exist.
Because I’ll be damned if I let another pack break my heart.