Flawed (The Clans #12) - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,5

look menacing and sexy all at once. But very much Ion’s.

It’s the woman she brings with her that catches more of my attention than I’d like to admit.

She’s a curvy, busty, blonde. Not the bottle kind either. Every bit of her is real, from what I can tell.

She’s dressed in blue that matches her eyes, a short dress that makes it clear she’s not that insecure about her a-typical body type, though, as far as I’m concerned, I prefer my women that way. With real curves.

The way her hair is pulled up reminds me of a 1950s pin-up girl.

“Mikel, just the man we were looking for.” Mariana smiles and sits on the edge of the chair that Ion occupies, crossing her legs and pointing to the curvy woman like a prize on a cheesy game show.

I can’t take my eyes off of her as Mariana continues. “This is Melody, and I have hired her to be your liaison to help with certain duties at Hopeful Futures.”

Ion reaches his hand out first to shake hers, and then I do the same. I try not to whistle at her as my eyes move up and down her body against my will.

This is the first time I’ve felt this way immediately after looking at a woman, and I instantly know this is going to make working together quite interesting.

Chapter Three

Melody

“Melody, this is Ion, my husband, and this is Mikel, the man behind Hopeful Futures that you will be heading to South Africa with.”

As I shake his hand, I can’t help but notice that this salt and pepper haired man is staring at me. His eyes undressing me even as I step away and he takes a drag from the cigar in his hand.

Not that some old man checking me out is going to keep me from doing my job - the best job opportunity I’ve had in my entire career. Not to mention the fact I doubt Mariana is the kind of woman to let anything untoward to go on. He’s probably not creepy, just buzzed and I guess thinks I’m attractive. I should be flattered by that, especially as the dust of the awful final encounter with Carson hasn’t settled yet.

The conversation falls into boring small talk and things only the three of them know about. I let my eyes and ears get lost in the sights and sounds around me instead, enjoying all the costumes I see and waiting to be brought into the conversation or be told what to do.

This is not what I expected from a party meant to announce a charity, but then again, this is a whole different crowd than what I am used to.

These people are dripping with money.

“Walk.” The word pulls my attention back to the man who I need to learn to work and get along with, and I notice his arm is held out toward me. He’s now standing, and I smile tightly, taking his arm.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, and I hope we can easily fall into the roles of colleagues. “So, I have all these ideas about how to help the kids and get this going. I’m sure you know I was brought on board because of my work with children and teens in the past. Before we get to that, I would love to know what your working style is. I can easily adapt to anything, but I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. This is a great opportunity for me, and I plan to go above and beyond.”

My voice is enthusiastic, and I feel more like myself than I have in days. Finally diving into what I know.

“Woah there, I know this party is about the charity and us meeting, but it’s still a party. Let’s enjoy it.”

I furrow my brows at him as he looks away, nodding to a few people as we keep moving through the crowd in this massive house, and I wonder, not for the first time, if this is a rental or if it’s actually someone’s home.

“Look, I can tell there’s an argument coming.” He stops moving, pulling me to the side for a moment. “But we are the lucky ones, and it would be doing those who can’t celebrate like this a disservice not to appreciate what we have.”

“I’ve never thought about it that way.” It’s puzzling, but he’s not wrong. I just don’t know how to let loose, how to live like these people do. I’m going to