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Minka dug out her car keys and snapped the tote bag shut. She turned and smiled, genuinely happy to see Qasim and Vectra approaching.
“Quite the cast of characters.” Minka turned an assessing gaze toward the mingling crowd. “It’ll be great to see it all come together.”
“Yeah, it’ll be almost a shame to miss it.” Qasim Wilder looked to the woman at his side. He appraised Vectra with one meaningful sweep of his ebony gaze along her body. “Almost,” he added.
Minka smiled curiously while looking between the two. “Am I missing something?”
“No,” Qasim sighed the word and gave Vectra another look. “But we might. We’re thinking about getting lost for a while. So I want you to put together a team for this Miami trip.” Qasim eased a hand into one black trouser pocket and studied the room.
“Austin’s not looking to get things started down there for another week or so...” He looked back to Minka with an encouraging smile. “I’ll support whomever you tap to send.”
“Sim.” Minka rolled her eyes. “You know me well enough to know I can’t pick a team for something that important unless one of us goes along too.”
Qasim’s very dark, very gorgeous face was a study in disapproval. “You deserve to get away more than anybody. We’ve got a good group, so give ’em some credit.”
“If you don’t mind me saying, Minka,” Vectra chimed in, “from what I’ve heard, your boss is a real slave driver. You should take the time while he’s offering.”
Minka laughed. “Well, it is Miami. I promise you guys I’ll take time to enjoy it.”
“Well, if you change your mind—”
“I won’t.” Minka shook her head to Qasim’s worry. “And Gram Z. already ordered me to take some time too.”
Qasim’s curiosity was piqued. “How’s she doin’?” he asked.
“Good.” Minka nodded with a quick smile. “She’s ready to give up her crown.”
Qasim’s curiosity melted into understanding. “Do we need to talk?”
“Yeah.” Minka’s nod was a bit more somber then. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” She smiled when he reciprocated her nod and then looked to Vectra and pulled her into a hug. “Have a good night.”
“You too, hon.” Vectra’s light eyes followed Minka as she made her way out of the room, shaking hands and holding quick chats with colleagues. “What was that about?” she asked, turning back to Qasim.
“Ever heard of Bryant Gerald?”
Vectra frowned. “Gerald Industries? Bryant Gerald, the billionaire?” she blurted. “He...?” Her expression cleared. “Minka?”
Qasim inclined his head a fraction. “He was her grandfather.”
Vectra’s confusion mounted. “But why’s she working for you?”
“Thanks.”
Vectra responded with a playful eye roll and shoved Qasim’s arm.
He flashed her a killer smile. “The Geralds are clients,” he explained. “Minka wanted to make it on her own—she wanted a position that would keep her under the radar, but still into everything. Her grandmother approved when I offered, but Minka would’ve accepted anyway.”
“Hmph, sounds like her.” Vectra smiled. “What’d she mean about her grandmother being ready to give up her crown?”
Qasim rubbed his jaw, some of the easiness of his expression receding to a more distressed look. “Sounds like Zena Gerald wants her granddaughter back.”
* * *
“Had enough already?”
Minka stopped in the restaurant vestibule when his voice reached her ears. “It’s been a long day.” She found Oliver Bauer closing the distance between them. “And it’s going to be an even longer night,” she said.
Oliver made a face. “Surely you get to take one day off? Sim won’t object to that, will he?”
“No.” She smiled. “But I would.”
“Ah.” He appeared satisfied. “It’s good to know Qasim at least tries to get you to take a break.”
“He tries. Rarely succeeds.”
“Interesting.” He leaned against a wall in the vestibule. “You always get what you want?” He seemed very interested in the possibility.
Minka sighed, scanning the restaurant entrance as though she were taking time to seriously consider his query. “I think that only happens when it’s something I want bad enough. No sense fighting for it if it’s something you’re just going to lose interest in, don’t you think?”
“Hold on.” He brought two fingers to his brow and tapped them there. “I need time to think about that. Seems I’ve fought for a lot of things I’ve lost interest in.” He lowered his fingers, shrugged. “Sort of a blow to realize I’ve wasted a lot of time.”
“Consider it proof that you’re maturing.”
Oliver winced. “My sister’ll be happy to hear that.”
Minka felt herself staring, adoring... With effort she tugged her gaze from his exceptional face. “I really need to get home—”
“Are you going out to Miami?”
Her movements settled. “I’m sure I will be.”
“More work.”
“It’s Miami,” she rebutted with a smile.
He grinned. “Right. So I’ll see you there.”
“You’re going?”
“It’s Miami.”
She laughed softly. “Good night, Mr. Bauer.”
“My dad’s the only one who enjoys that Mr. Bauer stuff. My friends call me Oliver.” He gave a quick tilt of his head.
“Friends?” Her frown was teasing. “Have I reached that status already?”
“You think you’re unworthy?”
“I don’t know you. You don’t know me.”
“Right.” He nodded, bumping his fist to his jaw. “I see your point. Guess that means we’re going to have to change that.” He held the door for her. “Good night, Ms. Gerald.”
Chapter 3 (#ulink_601394f7-fb3f-5ebc-ac21-bc1e3cd5ffe4)
Minka tuned in to her phone’s ringing and reached for it, hoping to catch the call before it went to voice mail.
“This is Minka.” She was preoccupied with folders on her desk and didn’t notice the lack of response on the other end of the line until a few seconds had passed. “Hello?” She shook her head and hung up, figuring she’d missed the call through her daydreaming.
Smirking, she silently noted that it wasn’t even midmorning—way too early for daydreaming. How could she resist, though? If Oliver Bauer wasn’t prime daydream material, she didn’t know what was.
The night before, she’d chatted with her female colleagues at the meeting, and it was clear they all knew Oliver. It went without saying that he had a successful personal life, but there was still the question of how successful. She hadn’t seen a ring, but knew that meant nothing. Men often went without their bands.
But she couldn’t allow musings of Oliver Bauer to disrupt her workday. Things were going to be hectic enough without her being preoccupied by the sensuality that lurked in the man’s exquisite eyes. She looked at the phone still in her hand, and with a tired smile, she tossed it back across her desk.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing here so early?!”
Minka saw Qasim and blurted a surprised laugh. “Where’d you come from?”
“The...elevator?” Qasim looked ready to laugh, as well. “Didn’t you hear the bell?”
Grimacing, Minka made a play at shuffling through the folders littering her desk. “It’s been a long morning.”
“Long morning, huh?” Sim slowed his steps the closer he drew to the desk. “My offer for time off still stands, you know? You could’ve at least slept in today.”
“No...I arranged a few early meetings to follow up from the Sharpe thing last night.”
“Oh, yeah...” Sim began to pat his trouser pockets.
Minka watched curiously as her boss fished out his key ring. He pulled off a long silver key and handed it to her. Accepting it, she frowned expectantly.
“It’s from Vectra.” He smiled. “She has a place in Miami near the gallery. She wants you to stay and enjoy it while you’re there.”
“That’s sweet. Very sweet, but I—I can’t let her do that—it’s too much.”
“Ah, take it.” Qasim waved off her attempt to return the key. “Vectra doesn’t think it’s much at all. She thinks you’ve probably got some palace on the beach.”
“What?” Minka frowned. “Why would she think that?”
Qasim shrugged, returning the key ring to his pocket. “The heiresses to billion-dollar fortunes usually have such things, don’t they?”
“Oh, no.” Minka closed her eyes as if pained. “You told her?”
“I’m surprised she didn’t figure it out sooner. It surprises me that a lot of people haven’t figured it out already. Guess that’s about to change, huh?”
“Sim...”
“Don’t worry. I told her how you feel about folks knowing. She promised to keep it quiet. At least until you claim the big chair.”
Minka folded her arms over her short-waist walnut brown blazer. “I haven’t accepted yet.”
“But you will.” Straightening to his full height, Qasim waved a hand toward the corridor leading to his office. “Shall we talk now or later?”
* * *
Needing to work off a sudden case of nervous energy, Minka headed to Qasim’s bar the moment she entered his office.
“She says she’s got things she wants to do before she kicks the bucket, so it’s time for me to do my duty, blah, blah, blah...”
Qasim grinned while getting settled at his desk. “I always said Miss Zena is a woman who knows how to live. Wish the same could be said for her granddaughter.”
“Sim.” Minka’s head fell forward as she shook it. “Don’t start. Gram wouldn’t let up about me doing that very thing. She wants me to take time off and think about the job first before I accept.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am about the business.” Minka set coffee to brew. “It’s about more than that, though. Gram doesn’t want me focusing so much on the business that I don’t give any time to what she considers the most important things in life, namely having a husband and family.”
“Ah...” Qasim’s dark eyes narrowed as though he’d decided no further clarification was needed.
Minka shrugged and began looking for mugs. “That’s why I want to go to Miami. Of course there’s business to handle, but it is Miami. Hopefully Gram’ll appreciate the effort I’m making to have fun.”
“And also to keep her from worrying?” Sim guessed.
“Bit of both.” Minka set silverware next to the mugs filled with steaming French roast. “I just don’t think the marriage game is for me.” She laughed at Qasim’s look of playful outrage.
“This from the woman who gave me continuous grief over not going after Vectra in a way she approved.”
“It’s not the same, Sim.”
“Oh?”
“I’m from a family of billionaires, Sim. A heiress. That’s a whole different set of assumptions, Sim. A whole different kind of drama than a man would have.”
“You’re worried about not being able to find a man to love you for who you are.” Qasim added an understanding nod. “You’ve thought a lot about this.”
She gave a wan smile. “Sometimes it’s hard not to. But, trips to Miami definitely make it easier.”
“Good outlook.” Sim’s expression remained sober. “Talk to me if you need to, okay? And not just to give me your two weeks’ notice either, all right?”
“I’d never leave you in a lurch!” Minka laughed.
“Mmm...the way I’m leaving you. Holding the bag on this Miami thing to run off for love.”
Minka threw her head back to laugh robustly. “Love is the best reason to leave someone holding the bag.”
“Try asking the person left holding the bag.”
Minka spread her hands over the desk as though she were presenting it in a showcase. “You just did.”
