“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 popcorn 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.
“Why do I have a feeling I’m going to have to quiz you on cosmetics?” Zoe asked.
“What do I get when I get one hundred percent?”
With a roll of her eyes, Zoe laughed and shook her head. “Do we need to revisit our conversation in the car?”
“No, ma’am,” Will said, holding his hands up in surrender.
Zoe moved over to the oversize swing. She patted the spot beside her. “Come sit. You can see my work in motion.”
For the next half hour Zoe kept her tablet rested on Will’s firm thigh while they watched the movie. Their breathing became synchronized and they laughed at all the right parts. A few “that’s awesome work”s and “great job”s slipped out from the CEO. Zoe beamed. And then the part came where Zoe appeared on camera. She was just an extra painted in blue. The camera zoomed in on her and Will swiped his finger against the pause button.
“That’s you.”
“How did you know?” Zoe asked. In the film she wore a pair of yellow cat eyes.
Will’s fingers pressed against her image on the screen. “I’d recognize those cheekbones anywhere.”
“Nice eye,” said Zoe, lips pressed together as she fought a smile.
“So, you’re an actress, too?”
“Oh, no,” Zoe said scooting away. “In truth, I knew this film was low-budget. It was a job for a friend, and in return I got to live out my dream to be a superhero.” She covered her mouth, not believing she’d divulged her big secret.
Will turned in the bench to get a better look at her. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, I’m not.” Zoe stood up and covered her heart with her right hand and raised her left hand in the air. “I confess I am a superhero geek.”
In surprise, Will stood up and took her left hand in his. He bowed his head and brought the back of her hand to his lips. Zoe’s right hand moved from her heart to the back of her neck where she was beginning to sweat in this sweltering heat. “You’re not going to laugh at me?”
“Laugh?” Will shook his head. “Hell, I might just ask you to marry me right here and now.”
Chapter 4
The credits at the end of the film raced as fast as Will’s heart had during the movie. Arms folded across his chest, Will spent the entire time trying not to make physical contact with Zoe in fear of her taking his failed attempt of a joke of a proposal too seriously. Zoe’s stare, intent on her monitor, gave no indication. Will had battled himself internally. A marriage never survived on a mutual love for superheroes. His doubts of Zoe’s ability to work at the company subsided, knowing about her penchant for good and evil—the epic battle in most comics. Spotting the evilness of his anti-cousins was a necessity. Will never played around with marriage. He’d managed to never lead on any soccer groupie with words implying a future with him. He planned to marry one day, just not today. Will’s mild panic attack subsided with the arrival of the rest of the guests.
Lexi had made sure there were enough judges for her pageant. Will, the head of a major cosmetic company. There were two beauty queens, one former and one current. The guest celebrity judge was none other than infamous model Sasha Foxx, once a child actress, now a woman who’d grown up in front of the camera—and was someone all the men at Magnolia Palace seemed to have had a crush on at one time or another. Will was glad he wasn’t the only male at this event. Kahlil Kane, heir to the Kane Diamonds empire, was serving as a judge, as well. Kahlil’s family owned several high-end jewelry stores in Miami, New York City and LA.
The men bonded quickly with the new owner of Magnolia Palace, Ramon Torres, a cousin of Stephen’s, over a few bottles of Torres Rum. It was nice to hang out with cousins who got along rather than fighting all the time and weren’t in competition with each other. Will spent the evening in the study with the cousins instead of in the room right next door to Zoe. She was too much of a distraction and she’d made her intentions for their relationship—or lack of one—known.
Respecting what Zoe wanted was hard as hell, especially knowing she was perfect for him. How many other women who loved superheroes
and knew more about the cosmetic business than him was Will going to come across who were as beautiful as Zoe? None.
So the price he had to pay for avoiding Zoe all evening long was a splitting hangover.
According to Lexi’s itinerary, the judges were scheduled for a tour of the historic downtown area. With the pageant being held at the theater on the property of Magnolia Palace, the contestants needed to rehearse without the judges around or spotting them on their way to the theater next door. Since the contestants were all local ladies from Southwood, housing was not an issue. Lexi insisted her staff enjoy the Magnolia Palace. The tour got the officials out of the place so they couldn’t be accessed by the contestants or develop a bias toward anyone in particular.
As he got ready for the day, Will tried to talk himself into being excited over the tour, but he could feel the skepticism as he showered. Dressed in a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a red-and-blue-striped polo, Will thought of his family and headed out of his room.
Call him biased, but Will was partial to Overtown. His great-great-grandparents had moved down south to work on the railroads with industrialist Henry Flagler. Back then, African Americans lived separately from their white coworkers. Fanny Ravens, Will’s great-grandmother, had had the great insight to bottle her mother-in-law’s products and travel to Miami to sell them.
Where his grandparents were raised was a historic city. Before the big highway boom, their successful business had stood on West Second Avenue. Back in its heyday, Will’s great-grandparents opened their homes to the women and men in their neighborhood. They offered a shave or beard trim for husbands and pin-curled hairstyles paired with the perfect shade of red lipstick for wives when they needed to get ready for picnics, outings or even for events held at the Lyric Theater. After World War II ended, many celebrities stayed at the Mary Elizabeth Hotel. Knowing guests at the hotel were going to need beauty supplies, Joe Ravens made a deal to have their products in every room. A round of applause brought Will out of his stroll down memory lane.
The Beauty and the CEO Page 5