by Mia Sosa
“What was Harvard like?”
“I experienced culture shock. In my neighborhood, I’d met very few white people, so when I went to Harvard, I had to adjust to a new world that was different from what I was used to. I couldn’t speak as much Spanish as I had at home, the foods were unfamiliar, even the music I heard in the dorms sounded strange to me.”
“Was it a good experience?”
“It was, mostly. That is, once I got the chip off my shoulder and realized I deserved to be there just like everybody else. Talking to my sister helped. She was at Georgetown then.”
“When did you discover that you wanted to be an architect?”
“I don’t know that I had that one ‘aha’ moment. I think in college I was content to just get through it. I felt like graduating from college would be enough of an accomplishment. But I had a political science professor who took it upon herself to push me.”
Mimi stopped taking notes and sat back in her chair. “She changed you.”
“I’d say she guided me. She said she saw my potential but worried that I wasn’t prepared to do the work. I took that to heart and started studying all the time. Anyplace I could find. The library. The student center. The lawn. And that’s when I started to notice the buildings on campus. How they were designed. What made them interesting. How they fit into the environment. I took out a few books on architecture. A year later, I decided to apply to the grad school. Had no idea what I was doing, but I was interested enough to take on the challenge.”
“And that worked out very well for you, I take it.”
“It did. And I met Jason, Amar, and Spencer there. We took the same class our first year. Architecture and the Environment. By the second year, we’d found an off-campus apartment together.”
She grinned, a twinkle in her eye suggesting that she was remembering a funny moment. He wished that expression were meant for him.
“What?” he asked.
“Jason told me about one of your epic pranks.”
“Which one?”
“The Oreos.”
He relaxed in his chair, enjoying their conversation. “That was Spencer’s idea. To be fair, Jason’s obsession with those cookies was out of control. Can you imagine two grown men in their boxers switching out the cream for toothpaste in an entire package of Oreos? But Jason’s face when he bit into one was worth the effort.”
Her throaty laugh filled the room. “I can picture it, too.”
They smiled at each other while she absently toyed with her necklace. His gaze, initially drawn to the movement, moved to her neck, a place he’d volunteer to nibble on all day. He could easily imagine her meeting him in his office after a rough day at work and falling into his lap. Without a word between them, he’d nuzzle her neck and swoop in for a soft kiss. The thought made him smile even wider. But when he glanced at her face, she’d set her mouth in a firm line.
He straightened. “Sorry. Where were we?”
Mimi turned the page in her pad and positioned her pen to continue her note taking. “How’d you start the firm?”
“We went off to internships and first jobs elsewhere. Jason and I found ourselves in D.C., Spencer was in California, and Amar was living it up in New York. But we never lost touch, and when we saw each other at a reunion a few years later, I planted a seed in their heads about working together. Two years after that, the Cambridge Group was born.”
“So fast-forward to now. Is there anything you’d like to change about the firm?”
“A couple of things. We need focus, just like you said. I’d like a client to come to us because we’re the best at doing something no one else does or very few other firms do. And I’d like to increase our gender diversity. Right now we look a bit like an old boys’ network. It’s time for a change. We’ve even gotten flack from a women’s group at Harvard, and to be frank, I can’t really say they’re wrong.”
Mimi cocked her head and regarded him with a bemused expression.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re throwing me off here.”
“I’m not as arrogant as you’d assumed, huh?”
“No, you’re still arrogant. But you’ve got other layers, too.”
She tapped her pen on her mouth and stared at a point behind him. His gaze zeroed in on the movement, and he forgot what he was about to say. Her lips—whether painted or not—were like the neutralizer in Men in Black: capable of wiping his memories clean in seconds.
Abruptly, she threw the pen in her purse, shoved the legal pad under her arm, and stood with an outstretched hand. She didn’t look him in the eyes, though. “Thanks for sharing. This has been super helpful.” She cringed as though she regretted her phrasing.
If she’d avoided his gaze like this weeks ago, he would have been offended. But slowly he was learning that Mimi’s lack of engagement meant he’d rattled her composure—and that was a great development in his opinion. After rounding his desk, he grinned and took her small hand in his. “I’m super glad it was super helpful.”
Her gaze whipped to his face, and she blushed. Christ. Rosy cheeks had never turned him on, but this was Mimi. How the hell could they work together without him getting his hands on her body again?
She cleared her throat. “So I’ve talked to the guys, and I have all the info on your projects in my drop box. I should have a proposal ready sometime next week. Would that work?”
“Yes. That would be fine. Send me a few dates and times. I’ll coordinate on this end and ask Felicia to confirm with you.”
“Great. Okay.”
She strode to the door.
“Mimi.”
She spun to face him. “Yes?”
He motioned to the floor. “Don’t forget your purse.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right.” Then she grabbed the bag and scrambled out of his office.
I know what you’re feeling, Ms. Pennington. Believe me, I know.
* * *
A week later, Daniel approached Mimi’s pitch meeting with an impending sense of doom. On the one hand, he believed she would help the firm boost its public image. On the other hand, he worried that if the firm hired her, she would forever be out of his reach.
Tough shit, he told himself.
But you’re attracted to her, the devil on his shoulder taunted.
Maybe she’d made the rule for this precise reason. For men like him—men who couldn’t see the forest for their dicks. With a resigned sigh, he plodded down the hall, preparing himself to play the role of the professional executive attending an ordinary business meeting when all he really wanted to do was spend an entire weekend convincing Mimi to let him into her life. Preferably in her bed.
Listen to what she has to say. Ask a few questions. Let the guys do the rest. The only problem? The woman running the meeting consumed his thoughts, the memory of their interlude in Puerto Rico replaying in his head and tempting him to imagine its logical conclusion. And really, if he could forget about it as she was apparently trying to do, he’d welcome the amnesia. But he knew it wasn’t going to happen. No, he and Mimi had unfinished business to attend to. Whether or not she wanted to admit it.
But first, he needed coffee.
Minutes later, he entered the conference room and found Mimi placing folders on the table. He stopped short when she gave him a big smile. It unsettled him, frankly. The guys could have her smiles. He wanted her to shiver at the sight of him. Hell, even a sneer would be better than this sanitized greeting. “Good morning, Mimi.”
“Good morning, Daniel.” She set the last folder down and stood at the front of the room.
He relaxed his shoulders and widened his stance, trying to look casual as he took a sip of his coffee. “Where would you like us to sit?”
“Wherever’s comfortable for you. I didn’t think a PowerPoint was necessary. I’ve got screenshots of my ideas for the website in the folders.”
He nodded and walked to the back of the room, pulling out the chair directly across from the
head of the table. From here, he could watch her without the guys being aware of it.
Jason, Amar, and Spencer filed into the room, and a chorus of “good mornings” followed. After everyone settled into their chairs, Mimi opened her own folder.
“So after talking with all of you and looking over your past projects, I’ve come up with a common thread I think you could use to brand yourselves effectively. Environmentally-friendly design. Take a look at the projects in your folder. Every single one of them incorporates ideas about sustainability, renewable resources, and reducing the negative impact of the design on the environment. And it’s no surprise this is the case, given how all of you met in a class on this very subject.”
The others shook their heads. Now that she’d pointed out this commonality, he guessed they were connecting the dots.
“Your personal and professional stories are intertwined, and I think you could really sell that aspect of your relationship. You learned together, you work together, and you produce excellent results together. I’m aware of your concern about this being a closed boys’ network, so we’d have to make clear that how you came to work together is just the beginning of the story and that there’s room for expansion. I’ve included some mockups of the website redesign. And you’ll see a list of suggested action items.”
Spencer furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s this about new headshots?”
Mimi pursed her lips in an “I hate to be the messenger of obvious news here” look that made Daniel grin.
“To put it bluntly, your photos on the website look like driver’s licenses,” Mimi said. “So new headshots for all. I wouldn’t need all day. In fact, I’ll bring the photographer’s studio to you. Just give me an hour of your time. I’ll work with Felicia to set that up.” A blush crept along her collarbone, ascended to her neck, and spread to her cheeks. “If you hire me, of course. I don’t mean to be presumptuous.”
Amar waved away her apology. “Don’t worry about it. What else do you have in mind?”
“Spencer and Daniel, we need to get some buzz for your work on the Whitmore. I’d like to get Architectural Digest to cover the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Ideally, we’d get some press that discusses how you met the museum’s vision. And for all of you, we’ll definitely want coverage of the panel you’re doing at Harvard next month. It shows that even the graduate school recognizes your contribution to innovative design.”
She’d shared several solid ideas, no question. And if they didn’t have this unfinished history, he’d jump at the chance to hire her. But damn if he didn’t worry about what that would mean for them. Could he choose to work with someone he desperately wanted when he didn’t have to?
He glanced at her, noticing her hand gestures as she talked. The way her eyes lit up when she was excited about a topic. The way she flicked the tip of her tongue to the corner of her mouth after she’d made a point. Fuck. The tiny movement conjured images of her doing the same thing in his bed. She’d be under him, her lithe body pressed against the mattress as he moved over her. He’d look into her eyes, and when he filled her, she’d flick her tongue at the corner of her mouth and close her eyes.
When Daniel refocused on the meeting, Amar was waving his hand in front of Daniel’s face.
“You with us?” he asked.
Mimi laughed. “I think he’s worried about his headshot.”
All this talk about her plans for the firm might as well have been a dozen doors slamming in his face. And he wasn’t ready to let her go. Daniel stood on shaky legs. “Gentlemen, I need to speak with Mimi for a minute. Excuse us.”
Mimi nodded, her eyes round from the interruption.
She walked behind him, her shoes clacking against the floors, but he didn’t turn around, because he didn’t know if he could acknowledge her without pushing her against the nearest wall and kissing the ever-loving shit out of her.
When they reached his office, he ushered her in and closed the door behind them. He strode to his desk and hit the remote that controlled the blinds, darkening the room into shades of brown and gold.
He faced her and tried to gather his thoughts, unsure why he’d brought her here in the first place.
Standing by the door, she shook her head in confusion. “What’s going on, Daniel? Is something wrong?”
He closed the distance between them and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I’ve been thinking about your rules.”
She gave him a blank look. “What?”
“No, not your rules. Given where we are, just one rule in particular. The one about not mixing business with pleasure.”
Her eyes widened. “Is this the Twilight Zone? Why are you thinking about that now? I’m presenting my brand strategy to you and your partners. And I can’t…” Her head dropped. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh. How important is it to you that you get our business? Because I’ve just decided to abstain from the vote, but I know they’re going to hire you. And if they do, that means…”
She brought her fingers to her temples. “No, no, no. You’re not doing this to me now. Absolutely not.” Then she jerked her thumb behind her. “I’m going back in there. And we’ll just pretend this conversation never happened. Okay?”
“Okay.”
She turned and placed her hand on the doorknob, and he dropped his shoulders in defeat. Before his common sense could kick in, though, he reached above her head and placed his hand on the door, stopping her from swinging it open. “Wait.”
She didn’t turn around.
Is she composing herself?
Slowly, she faced him, half of her body hidden by the fabric of his open jacket. “What, Daniel?” she said with a tremor in her voice.
He lowered his head and inched his mouth closer to hers, so close that he felt her soft breath skate over his chin. With his eyes, he tried to will her to meet his lips. Unless she initiated it, the kiss wouldn’t happen.
“I want you to be sure about this,” he prompted.
Her eyelids fluttered closed. Then she pushed him away. Hard. So hard that he stumbled. When he righted himself, he met her cold gaze.
“You’re unbelievable, you know that? I think I’m smart enough to know what I want, and It’s. Not. You.”
“Okay, I could respect that if I thought it was true, but—”
She balled her hands into fists. “Daniel, listen to me.”
He stepped in front of her. “I’m listening.”
“I need you to take me seriously as a professional colleague. If we’re going to work together, you’ll have to put aside your attraction to me and treat me like your PR person. Nothing more. Can you do that?”
Fuck. When she said it like that, how could he deny her? “Sorry. I’m trying.”
“Try harder.”
“I will. But—”
“But what?”
Her voice rose, no doubt in frustration.
Well, he was frustrated, too. “Listen, you’ve got to cut me some slack here. I can’t forget that night, okay? And the idea that we’re just going to pretend it never happened seems wrong somehow.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten, Daniel. Something’s corrupted your memory, though. You walked away from me, so I’m not inclined to feel sorry for you.” She dropped her head in frustration and raised it again. “Look, I realize I’m asking a lot of you, but let’s just be content to be colleagues.”
“Friends.”
“Acquaintances.”
“Maybe we could become acquaintances who flirt with each other.”
She pushed him away from her. “God, will you cut it out? This is important to me. And I’m not your plaything. Go rut elsewhere.”
She was right. He was acting like a dick. But he’d never considered her his plaything.
Contrary to Mimi’s belief, he knew how to be in a relationship, preferring to focus on one woman at a time. Being an attentive boyfriend had never been a problem for him. But as several of his ex-girlfriends had pointed out, he didn’t share muc
h about himself. One woman had said dating him was like being on a perpetual first date. Ouch.
He had his reasons, though. Some parents handed down secret recipes. His parents, on the other hand, had passed on their ability to avoid any discussion of their feelings whatsoever. At his sister’s funeral, a single tear had rolled down his father’s face, and the grumpy old man had clawed the tear away as though its appearance had disgusted him. Knowing his father, Daniel was sure it had.
He wanted to be different with Mimi. He could tell her that he’d lain in bed the past few days thinking up excuses to call her. Could confess that even the memory of the jokes she’d made at his expense brightened his day. But what would be the point? Clearly they had different views about the situation: He wanted to be with her, and she wanted his firm’s account. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Acquaintances it is, then.”
For a brief moment, he swore her eyes dimmed. But that wouldn’t make sense, so he dismissed the possibility that maintaining a professional wall between them was as hard for her as it was for him.
He opened the door for her.
Before slipping out of his office, she gave him a weak smile. “Thank you.”
He nodded.
As he followed her back to the conference room, he resisted the urge to notice the way her slacks revealed just a hint of the fine ass underneath. Okay, not really.
Try harder, she’d said. Of course he’d pretend he didn’t care. That part came easy to him. The hard part? Working with a woman who was off-limits to him, one he suspected was his perfect match.
CHAPTER NINE
Mimi picked at her nails as she returned to the conference room. Before opening the glass door, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath, well aware that Daniel wasn’t far behind her. She pasted on a confident smile and waltzed into the conference room as though Daniel hadn’t just interrupted her pitch and damn near kissed her in his office. “Sorry about that, gentlemen. Now where were we?”
As Daniel took his seat, Amar saved her, continuing the meeting seamlessly. “We have potential clients coming in a few weeks. What’s your time frame for getting the website revamped?”