The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1)(22)

Motherfucker. I grind my teeth to the point of pain. “Of course I can present on my budget. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see?”

He shakes his head. “I’m sure everyone is equally interested in learning more about the creative design process behind an operation this large. There hasn’t been a renovation on this scale since the twenty-five-year mark.”

Bullshit. I assess his eyes, searching for some kind of tell, only to find they lack their usual redness. That’s bizarre. To think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my father look this sober. He’s the worst kind of functioning alcoholic, with his only tell being his red eyes the next day.

I brush it off as a weird coincidence. Maybe he ran out of alcohol last night and was too lazy to hit the store. “I’d be more than happy to share everything I’ve been working on thus far.”

My father lit an inferno under my ass today. It’s about time I start pushing everyone to their breaking point because their best simply isn’t good enough for me. Not with my father breathing down my neck, waiting for me to fail.

I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the Creators have everything they need to be successful, especially Zahra. She’s my best chance at achieving my goal and getting the hell out of Dreamland.





11





Zahra





“Any word from Rowan since he kissed you?” Claire takes a sip of her wine.

I’m grateful Ani had to skip out on our weekly girls’ night because she had a date with her boyfriend. I couldn’t bear having this conversation in front of her.

I lean back into the couch cushions. “No. And you promised not to bother me any more about it.” After I spilled the news about kissmageddon, Claire swore not to bring it up.

So much for that.

“I know. I know. But there’s a question that’s been bothering me.”

“What?”

She grins. “Was it better than Lance?”

I scoff. “It’s like comparing a hurricane to a drizzle.”

Claire whistles. “Damn. What else do you think his mouth is good at?”

Heat crawls up my neck. “Nothing.”

She grins. “Ohh, you’re turning red! Admit it. You’ve totally been thinking about him.”

“No.” The redness spreads from my neck to my hairline.

“We need to work on your ability to lie. The blush is a dead giveaway.”

It’s been a curse ever since I was a child.

I raise my chin. “I actually haven’t thought about him at all. In fact, I’m grateful he left for the week.” His trip gave me time to solidify my spot with the other Creators while strengthening my mental barriers against him.

While his absence was welcomed, I’m worried he disappeared because he thinks I might do something crazy like report him to HR. I considered it for all of two seconds before I decided it was unfair. He might have started the kiss but I was a willing participant. Very willing to be honest.

“What’s your plan on managing your attraction to him?”

I sigh. “There is no plan.”

“Just like there was no kiss?” She grins.

I wink. “Exactly.”

Claire rolls her eyes. “If you had to guess, how big was his dick again?”

I slowly separate my two hands to gauge the size. A pillow smacks me in the face, stopping me.

“Hate to break it to you, but if you still remember his dick size, you’re totally still thinking about him.”

All I do is groan.





“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me.”

Rowan is seated on the corner of my desk like he has every right to the space. After a week of him leaving me alone, I grew too comfortable in his absence. I thought I had everything under control. But the moment he looks at me, my legs shake and my body temperature spikes.

The memory of our kiss floods my brain. The way his tongue dominated. The feel of his chest, tight and strong beneath my palms. The rush of warmth blazing its way through my body toward my lower half.

Yup. I’m screwed. “What are you doing here?” I take a seat to hide the way my knees knock together.

“I’m checking in on everyone.”

I make a show of pressing a hand to my ear. Not a single noise bounces off the high ceilings since everyone already left the warehouse for lunch. My intention was to catch up on work since I’m already behind compared to the other Creators, but it looks like Rowan wants to ruin that plan.

“And you decided my office is a good place to start?”

“I’m starting with the person who gives me the most amount of trouble and working my way from here.”

“I’m flattered to have earned such a reputation.”

He unleashes a smile so small, I need to squint to see it. My chest tightens, and I can’t help the panic rushing through me at the flood of attraction.

He’s the Devil, Zahra.

Well, that explains why Eve fell for his tricks. If the Devil looked half as good as Rowan, I’d eat the damn apple, too. Screw the consequences.

His heavy gaze smacks into me, knocking the air from my lungs. Heat shoots through my veins and sends a new kind of warmth straight to my lower abdomen.