The Prelude (A Musical Interlude Novel) - By Kasonndra Leigh Page 0,5
mouth turns up. Do I see a smile forming on those lips? “This is exquisite work, Mrs. Angelo.” I make a happy move without him seeing me.
“Thank you. It’s Ms. Angelo. I’m not married,” I correct. He shrugs a bit and continues looking over all of my designs and not just the ones I intended for him to see.
“Have you thought of a name for the line?” he asks as he continues shuffling through my book.
“I have. I think I’m going to call it—” At once, the coughing fit from hell attacks me.
As though it isn’t enough for my client to catch my weak moment, I suffer a full-blown asthmatic attack. And it’s the kind where you wheeze and suck in your breath until your chest feels as though it might explode.
“Ms. Angelo, are you all right?” the assistant asks, his voice laced with concern.
“My pump,” I manage to gasp out as I use my desk for support. “It’s a little coppery-colored thing that’s shaped like an L.”
“Where? Tell me where it is,” he urges. I point at the cabinet across from the room. He clears the area in a couple of strides. I turn my back against the wall, using it for support and then sink to the floor.
Across the room, the assistant removes my pump and hurries back over to where I’m sitting on the floor. He pops the cap, cradles my head, and places his hand over mine as I position it inside my mouth. He uses his other hand to move my bangs out of my eyes when all I’d like to do is keep them there so I can hide my beet red face.
“Breathe. There you go,” he says in his strange deep accent. I continue to inhale the Flovent. The tingle dies down along with the pressure inside my chest. I remove the pump and let out a long sigh. “Feel better now?” I nod and hold his gaze. He’s very easy on the eyes so this isn’t hard to do.
Stupid, stupid girl to have forgotten to take your medicine. Stress will bring on one of these attacks faster than strong perfume and things. Luca will lose this contract now because of me.
“Panic attacks are absolutely no fun. I know this.” Holding my gaze, he strokes my cheek with the pad of his thumb. I choose not to tell him my panic attack is actually an asthmatic relapse.
“Please don’t say anything to your boss. I don’t want him to think I can’t handle this account,” I plead.
“No worries. I’ll carry your secret to the grave.” He gives me a small, but wickedly handsome smile.
Glancing into those strange eyes of his, I feel a stir in my belly, and a tingle rushes through my numb body. I attempt to sit up and pull myself together.
“Easy, now.” The assistant holds on to me at first. And he’s staring at my face in such a strange way that I begin to wonder if I have something hanging out of my nose. His unique, clear brown eyes have the smallest speckles of blue inside them. The irises are truly unlike any I’ve ever seen.
“Your eyes are intriguing,” I say and reach out to brush his wispy bangs away from his face. Heat fires through my cheeks. “I‘m sorry. That was inappropriate.” I close my eyes and release a long sigh. When I open them, he’s still staring at my face, a slight smile on his lips.
“No need to apologize, Ms. Angelo,” he mutters without breaking our gaze. Oh God, he has an accent to die for. But this guy’s voice sounds totally different from anything I’ve ever heard, and that god like tone is turning me on, stirring something I haven’t felt in ages.
I can go from zero to horny in no time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m nothing like Luca, and I won’t date my bosses, but I do enjoy sex. Deep down inside, I somehow think this guy can take me on with no problem. It’s the emotion stuff I don’t handle so well. In fact, I choose not to deal with it at all, thank you.
It’s time to get my rear end up off of this floor and cool it down. I need to control the heat flowing through my chest before it reaches my other sweet spot. I don’t want to earn the reputation of being the female version of my boss.
I pull out of his arms, breaking our heated moment. We stand together,