Chapter 3
IT’S NOT LIKE THAT… OR IS IT?
HENSON
As soon as we step into the elevator, Amira slips away from my arm, moving to the opposite corner. She presses her back against the cold steel wall, putting as much space between us as she can manage in this confined area.
It’s like she’s bracing for something, and I can’t help but want to break through the armor she’s thrown up.
I don’t know her; however, one thing is obvious: her ex deserves a solid punch to the face. From what I can tell, he really messed her up, and she doesn’t even have to say a word for it to show.
“Hey,” I say softly, glancing at her reflection in the mirrored walls. “If this is too much… If you want to go, just say the word. I’ll get you a ride wherever you need to go. No pressure, no expectations.”
Amira’s eyes flick up to meet mine. For a second, she says nothing.
Then, she exhales and offers me a soft smile. “No. It’s okay. I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful. I’m just a little tired. It’s been… a lot. Wasn’t expecting to make a new friend today.”
I smile back. “Yeah? Well, lucky for you, I’m an excellent friend. Ten out of ten, would recommend.”
A timid laugh escapes her, small but real, and that’s enough confirmation for me.
My goal remains the same: make her forget—just for a little while.
Not that she’ll make it easy.
Her stubbornness is palpable, though that only makes me more determined.
Usually, women throw themselves at me, enticed by my name, my money, the life I can offer. It’s a part of me I wish I could turn off sometimes.
Amira looks at me like Henson the man, not Henson the billionaire, and that’s refreshing as fuck.
But that might change once she finds out who I really am. When I’m in public, I always ask for discretion—that’s why the hotel receptionist never used my name. And I’m never on any of the tabloids or news—Worth is the face of the company and I want to keep it that way.
Money kept my only serious relationship alive far longer than it deserved, and that’s a lesson I won’t forget. After that, I swore off anything serious. Attachments only bring complications, and I’ve worked hard to keep life straightforward.
Amira is a temptress wrapped in soft skin and sharp edges, and every time she looks at me, like she’s not fully aware of her effect, it gets harder to keep my distance. I can’t let myself get carried away.
When the elevator doors slide open to the penthouse floor, I gesture for Amira to step out ahead of me.
She hesitates for a moment, then walks out of the elevator, her closed-off expression transforming into wide-eyed awe as she takes in the sweeping grandeur of the space, her gaze moving from the marble floors to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
I know the feeling all too well: even I still get surprised when I walk into rooms like this.
It’s easy to forget that my life wasn’t always like this—far from it.
My family worked hard, just like everyone else.
We were comfortable, but ours was a middle-class life with modest expectations, the kind where you save for vacations and treat yourself on birthdays, so these glimpses of luxury never fail to remind me of how different my life turned out.
“Do you want something to drink?” I ask, walking toward the bar. This room alone is the size of a large condo, and the bar area is huge, filled with any type of liquor you can imagine.
Amira ignores my question. “Where are the bedrooms?”
Okay, I guess we’re not in a fraternizing mood.
“Down that way. I’ll show you—”
“No need. I can find my way, thanks!” Her voice is chipper, though I can hear the underlying nervousness.
Amira begins to walk away from the living area, her steps quick, and I follow. When she gets to the entrance to one of the rooms, I block her from opening the door by grabbing onto the handle.
“Why are you running away from me, Mira?”
“I—I’m not.” Her voice falters. “I just want to take a shower. I’ve been at the airport all day.”
The delicious scent of coconut and sea salt reaches me again, and I inhale deeply, leaning forward. This time, I don’t hide the fact that I’m smelling her.
The memory hits me like a wave. Those rare, perfect summers when my parents would take my brother and me to Cannon Beach in Oregon after saving all year. I remember the salt in the air, the sand between my toes.
And now here is Amira, wearing that same scent like a secret she doesn’t even know she’s telling.
“You smell fine to me.”
Her body tenses, though she stays quiet.
I inhale again, this time bending lower, bringing my face near the crook of her neck, and she shivers. I’ve never come on this strong, but the way Amira’s body responds to me is intoxicating.
“It’s nostalgic.”
She looks at me, eyes narrowing.
“I’ll let you have your privacy. Meet me in the living area when you’re done.”
With a huff, Amira steps into her room, leaving me chuckling as I head back toward the kitchen. Halfway down the hall, my phone buzzes, and Worth’s name flashes on the screen.
“I know, I know. I should’ve come home sooner.” I anticipate his first jab.
“That’s not why I’m calling, but hey, good to see your guilty conscience is alive and well,” he says in a mocking tone. “Listen, did you hear Mom’s organizing a New Year’s Eve party?”
I stop dead in my tracks. New Year’s Eve party? I can already feel my social battery draining, and I’m not even there yet. “Are you serious? No, she didn’t mention anything.”
“Yeah. It’s apparently going to be huge—hundreds of people. She’s even talking to caterers and hired an event planner.”
Confusion sets in. This isn’t like her. Mom’s party-planning days have been over for a long time. “Why? We never do anything big for New Year’s. We’re usually in pajamas, asleep before the ball drops.”
“Mom said she wanted to do something different this year. She was being pretty vague. It might be some big surprise.”
In the kitchen, I start rifling through drawers, looking for the room service menu, thinking about how Amira’s stomach growled loud enough to file a noise complaint over an hour ago.
Bingo.
Unsure what she likes, I text the concierge to order a bit of everything. She can pick what she wants when the food arrives.
“Are you still there?” Worth’s voice breaks through the speakerphone, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry. Just ordering food for—” I catch myself mid-sentence with a grimace, realizing I might’ve said too much.
“For who?” Worth’s tone sharpens with interest.
I roll my eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”
He lets out a laugh. “Unbelievable. You’ve managed to pick up some chick at the airport and bring her back to a hotel already?”
“Shut up. It’s not like that.”
Though, usually, it is like that. I did technically bring Amira here because I wanted her in my bed, but this time, things feel different. There’s something about her that makes me want to get to know her. And not just for one night.
“Are you going soft, brother?” I can practically see Worth’s smirk through the phone.
“Get a grip,” I mutter, but there’s no bite to it. He knows me too well, and his teasing has a way of digging under my skin. I lean against the kitchen counter, feeling a smile tug at my own lips despite myself.
“She was stuck at the airport on her way to Nantucket, too. I offered to help her book a new flight.”
There’s a pause on the other end, and I seize the opportunity.
“And you’re one to talk. I’ve seen the way you’ve been acting ever since you hired that new junior designer at the firm. Yeah. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
Worth grunts something unintelligible, and I grin, knowing I’ve hit a nerve.
“Anyway, it’s not that serious,” I say, though I’m not convinced. Truth is, I’m more thrown off by Amira than I care to admit. “She doesn’t seem to know who I am. Or, if she does, she doesn’t care. It’s refreshing, you know?”
“Sounds serious to me,” Worth retorts with a chuckle.
“It’s not. I just met her.” And yet, I can’t ignore the way her presence lingers in my mind like a familiar melody.
“Right. Well, let me know how that works out,” he says, clearly enjoying himself.
“Duly noted.”
But even as I hang up and tuck my phone away, I can’t shake the feeling that Worth might be onto something. Two hours with Amira shouldn’t mean anything.
So why am I feeling all tangled up?