10. Orion

10

ORION

T he art gallery was alive with soft jazz and the delicate clinking of champagne flutes. The building used to be a Catholic church, and the stained glass windows along with the brick architecture made for a unique atmosphere.

All around, guests circulated the room and murmured their thoughts or appreciation of the art on display. My sister flitted from guest to guest, weaving her charm through the entire building like invisible threads that held everything together.

That was Remmy. She had a way of putting people at ease—of making them feel comfortable and welcome.

I didn’t have the luxury of doing the same for my employees, unfortunately. Employees who were at ease slacked off. Employees who thought their boss would go easy on them didn’t push themselves to their full potential. A company made up of people like that was rotten from the inside and doomed to fail.

I ruminated on my thoughts while I watched Remmy make her way around the dimly lit space, touching arms, paying compliments to artists, and occasionally stopping to give her thoughts on a particular piece.

I, on the other hand, was doing my usual thing: lingering at the edges and watching for business opportunities. I wasn’t here to enjoy myself. My role was to support Remmy and, if the opportunity presented itself, look for opportunities to help Foster Real Estate.

After all, several of our clients were present. There was a pair of sisters we helped build a bakery, an elderly man who used us to repair a historical building at great expense, and even Huxley Cane, who was openly accepting suitors for his project to build a 73-story apartment building in the next year or two.

Huxley was notoriously hard to please, and I was doing my best to let Foster Real Estate’s reputation speak for itself, rather than risk irritating the man by making too direct of an advance. God knew that idiot, Cole Northman with Northman Group was doing his best to charm Huxley. From what I could hear, the only progress he had made so far was in annoying the man.

“I see you’re having fun,” Remmy said, sidling up to me with her signature glass of champagne in hand. “Your brooding really elevates the ambiance. Keep it up, and somebody might mistake you for a sculpture.”

“I’m happy to be here for you,” I said.

“Mm-hmm,” she said, her gaze slipping past me toward the entrance. Her smile widened in a way that set me on edge.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Nothing,” she said, too casually. “Just wondering if you’ll recognize her in that dress…”

I turned instinctively, and there she was. Ember.

It wasn’t the version of her I was used to seeing outside my building every morning. The mis-matched mittens, obnoxiously bright red uniform and silly hat were all gone. Her usually hidden hair spilled over one shoulder in a black, glistening sheet of gloss. Her dress was emerald green, hugging her wide hips and showing a deep line of inviting cleavage. Worse of all was the effortless confidence she carried as she strode into the room.

Ember wore a faint smile and stood straight as she scooped a glass from a waiter’s tray, sipped, and scanned the room like a lioness surveying the field.

I had to make an effort to keep my expression neutral. Oddly enough, I was overcome by the alien desire to smile.

“Oh my God,” Remmy said. “You like her.”

“This isn’t high school, Remmy. I like when my employees follow proper protocol in their reporting formats. I like when I get emails that are short, concise, and to the point. I don’t like women.”

Remmy choked with laughter. “You want to bone her,” she singsonged. “Gross. But I think you should go talk to her. Maybe a real girlfriend instead of a fake one would be good for you. And if things go well, you two could even give mom that grandbaby she wants so badly.”

“Ember shouldn’t even be here,” I gritted through my teeth.

“She was invited,” Remmy said with an innocent shrug. “By me.”

“This is precisely why I let you believe I had a fake girlfriend. You’re always pulling shit like this. Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Remmy rolled her eyes. “You’re my brother, Orion. I love you. And I want to see you happy. Besides, mom is right. You can’t make babies with your company. I think you’d be a great dad.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “Where the hell is this coming from? In what world do you believe I would want a child?”

She shrugged. “I know you think this whole grouchy boss thing you do completely hides the real you. But I’m your sister. I still remember how you used to love dump trucks and how good you were at the hula hoop. You could keep that thing going for hours, Orion.”

“We agreed you would never speak of that again,” I said.

She sipped her drink, smiling.

I let out a sharp breath through my nose, trying to focus on anything else. A nearby painting, the way the jazz band was slightly off tempo, the champagne bubbles rising in my glass—literally anything other than Ember. But I couldn’t stop noticing her.

She moved through the room like she belonged there, laughing softly as she joined one group and then another. It reminded me of watching my sister circulate through a crowd, but there were subtle differences.

Remmy was like calm background music or a pleasant ambiance. She put people at ease in a way that almost kept her invisible. People felt happier and more themselves, but they usually didn’t even register it was because of my sister.

Ember, on the other hand, drew attention. She derailed conversations to spill into stories of her own, drawing laughter and smiles. She laughed loudly and talked louder, attracting curious glances from separate conversations.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found it hard to ignore Ember Hartwell.

Soon, I noticed she was working her way toward the center of the room where several big players in the real estate world were gathered.

“If you stare any harder, you might burn a hole in her dress,” Remmy said.

“I’m not staring,” I said, pulling my eyes away from the curvy woman in green. “I’m just wondering what the hell she thinks she’s doing.”

“Hmm,” Remmy said. “From the looks of it, she’s enjoying the evening, like a normal human being would. Believe it or not, standing in the corner and glaring at people isn’t most people’s idea of a fun night.”

“Most people are idiots,” I said. “She’s not—” I started, but my words died as I looked back over the crowd to find her and saw who she was talking to.

Huxley Cane.

Irritation and something completely foreign to me bubbled up as I watched the two of them laughing easily—the way he put a hand on her bare arm and let his fingers linger there.

The man was pushing fifty years old. Maybe he would be considered handsome by some, but he was far too old for her. And why did she seem to be laughing so much more easily with him than she had with anyone else?

Another wave of annoyance flooded me for caring. I didn’t get jealous, even when I genuinely felt interested in a woman. Jealousy was a useless emotion. It was something people who were powerless to change their circumstances felt. It was a form of defeat—an admission of helplessness.

Remmy tilted her head at me as a slow smile formed on her mouth. “Oh my, my, my. What is that red blotchiness in your cheeks, Ry? Your cheeks only flush when you’re really pissed. And the only thing I see is Ember flirting with that handsome old silver fox over there. Jealous, much?”

I didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, I started across the room, weaving through the crowd.

By the time I reached Ember and Huxley, Ember was mid-laugh, a hand brushing against his arm.

“So, what do you do?” Cane asked her.

“Oh, I’m just... between opportunities at the moment,” Ember said breezily.

“I need to speak with you. Now ,” I said, eyes fixed on Ember.

Cane turned to me with a grin. “Orion. I wondered when you would join the others to lap at my feet and beg for a contract.” His grin was smug and obnoxious. “Well, let’s hear it then. Why should I choose Foster Real Estate to build my building?”

“That’s not why I’m here,” I said curtly. “Our reputation speaks for itself. If you want the project completed on time and up to your standards, you’ll choose us. Simple as that. Now, if you don’t mind—” I jerked my head for Ember to follow.

Huxley stepped closer, touching Ember’s arm in a possessive way I didn’t like one bit. “Let’s say I do mind. I was enjoying this young woman’s company. Why should I let you steal her away, Foster?”

I clenched my jaw. I wanted this man’s business, and I had to be careful not to burn any bridges.

Huxley pulled a business card from his pocket, turned it over, and wrote a phone number on the back of it. “This is my personal cell,” he winked, handed her the card, and gave me an icy look before disappearing into the crowd.

“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded once he was gone.

“Enjoying the party,” she said innocently.

“That man was an extremely important potential client. We worked with him in the past, and he has been dangling a project in front of the big real estate firms in the city for months now.”

“And?” Ember asked.

I felt my temper threatening to boil over. “And I needed to make sure you weren’t…” I struggled for the words, clenching my jaw in annoyance.

“You thought I was over here telling him dirty secrets about you? Was that it? Or maybe you’re thinking about hiring me now that you’ve seen how well I get along with your clients?”

I licked my lips. In truth, I stormed over because I didn’t like watching him flirt with her. And that was a truth I would never utter so long as I lived. “You shouldn’t be here,” I said instead.

She gave a half smile at that. “Your sister invited me. Remember?”

“Just… stay away from my clients and potential clients. That’s all I ask.”

“Oh, is that all?” Ember asked sweetly. “Are you going to provide me with a list of your clients? Because I have no idea who any of these people are, except you, Remmy, and, uh—” she pulled the card Huxley gave her from her cleavage, turned it, and narrowed her eyes as she read. “Huxley Cane. Sheesh. That sounds like an evil villain’s name, doesn’t it?”

I snatched the card from her fingertips and tore it in half, then stuffed it in my pocket.

Ember stared in disbelief, then laughed. “What the hell was that?”

“You don’t want to call him. The man is a snake.”

She put a hand on her hip, emphasizing her distracting curves as she slowly licked her lips, eyes scanning me up and down. “I can’t decide if that was an act of immature jealousy, a statement on what a control freak you are, or just the cold, calculating action of a work robot who only thinks about his company.”

I moved behind her, pointing to a pair of women across the room. I also carefully ignored each of her accusations, all of which touched on at least a fraction of truth. “Kira and Aubrey Dublin. Clients ,” I said. I pointed again to a tall, lanky older man. “Wilfred Manchester. Client. ” I pointed at Huxley Cane, who was already talking to a group of two pretty young women. “Huxley Cane. Client and snake. Feel free to talk to anybody else here.”

Ember turned, but she didn’t step away, which meant her breasts were nearly pressing against my stomach as she craned her neck to look up at me. Her smile was pure mischief. “What about Orion Foster? Am I allowed to talk to him?”

“I would advise against it,” I said, nostrils full of her floral scent and body painfully aware of her proximity.

“That’s the thing about me…” she said, voice low and seductive. “When people tell me not to do something, it makes me really, really want to do it.”

My jaw clenched. I leaned closer, my voice dropping further. “You should walk away and keep your distance from me, Ember.”

Her head titled and a frustratingly attractive smile touched her lips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you just asked me to keep you company, Orion Foster.”

“I told you to keep your distance.”

“Mhm,” she said, smiling wider and stepping closer.

I turned my back to her with great difficulty and walked to a balcony where the crowd was thinnest and the music was little more than a distant hum. I didn’t look to confirm she was following, but I could feel Ember’s presence drifting behind me.

To my great annoyance, the not-so-subtle flirtation filled me with something like electricity.

I couldn’t say why she had such an effect on me, but it was beginning to seem ridiculous to deny something was there. Maybe it was her defiant nature. Maybe it was the grudging respect I gave her for being willing to stand up to me time and time again when everybody else fled at the slightest hint of my anger.

Or maybe it was just that goddamn dress.

Ember slid in beside me at the elaborately carved stone balcony overlooking the city two stories below. The city’s light highlighted every tantalizing curve and the swell of her form. My eyes lingered on the shape of her breasts and the white half-moons of light on her exposed cleavage.

When I met her eyes, they twinkled with knowing amusement.

“I’m not used to people ignoring my requests,” I said.

“Yeah?” Ember said. “Well, your mouth is saying one thing, but your eyes are saying something entirely different.”

“I apologize for my eyes,” I said.

Ember laughed suddenly. The change in her expression was mesmerizing. She had an infectious smile and ease to her that was a contrast to everything I knew and felt. My days were defined by gritting my teeth, clinging to self-control, and willing myself to push past every discomfort and selfish need until I achieved my goals.

Ember was… free. It was in every gesture and word that came out of her mouth.

“You apologize for your eyes, huh?” she said, stepping closer to me. “And what if I don’t mind them?”

I swallowed. God dammit. What the hell was she trying to do?

“Do you take anything seriously?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, her small hands idly coming up to straighten my already-straight tie and lapels. “And I don’t really hide my feelings, so I’m going to come out and say this.”

“Don’t,” I said.

“I find you frustrating but incredibly interesting,” she said, ignoring my request for her to stop. “You act like you’re mad at the world, but you obviously care. About your company, your sister, maybe even your employees. You could probably just hire a bodyguard to keep the hate notes employees from harrassing you each morning, but you suffer through the notes every single day. And why? It makes me curious about you. The real you. The one you hide under all the grumpy gruffness.”

“This is the real me,” I said, taking a step back. “And I deal with the notes because I enjoy bleeding Patricia Rosh dry. Bribing her employees so she constantly has to fire and hire new ones is incredibly expensive for a small, upstart company like hers. It’s a business move. Nothing more.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “You’re really good at being angry, you know that? It’s kind of impressive.”

“I’m not angry.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve been glaring at me all night. Admit it—you’re annoyed that I’m here, talking to your clients, wearing this dress...” She gestured vaguely at herself, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

My eyes flicked over her before I could stop myself. The dress wasn’t the problem. It was the woman beneath it I was having trouble with. “I’m annoyed because you showed up here and threatened everything I’ve worked so hard for.”

“Really?” she said, laughing slightly. “By talking to a client of yours who had no idea we’re connected at all? Or do you mean by… tempting you .”

The last two words came from her full lips in such a sultry purr that I felt a deep, not entirely unpleasant stir between my legs. Fucking hell…

“I have a reputation to protect,” I said, holding my ground as she seemed to continue drifting closer to me.

“And you think I’m a threat to that?”

“I think you’re a distraction,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Her eyes widened slightly, and for once, she seemed at a loss for words.

The tension between us grew, thick and heavy. I could feel the heat of her body, the faint scent of something floral lingering in the air. I could almost imagine how it would feel to run my hands down her body, drinking in every last curve as I pulled her against myself.

“Orion,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned closer.

“I should fire you,” I murmured, my voice low and rough.

“Fire me?” she breathed. “You never hired me. Remember?” Her lips curved into a faint smile.

Her words hit me like a spark, igniting something I’d been trying to suppress all night. I closed the distance between us.

My lips pressed against hers in something that was tender and hungry. The first kiss lingered for several seconds, then her tongue slipped into my mouth and my hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

For a moment, everything else fell away.

Her lips were full, soft, and perfectly warm against mine. Her tongue timidly lapped out again, touching my lower lip in a soft, exploratory swipe as her hand curved inside my suit jacket and around my back.

I felt her chest pressing into me and the bulge of pressure between my legs hard against her body as she breathed out, the tension in her body melting against my touch.

Then, with a sharp breath, I pulled back, reality crashing down like a tidal wave.

“We can’t,” I said, my voice firm.

Her brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because I’m your boss now,” I said, stepping back. “And I don’t kiss employees.”

“Who says I accept your job offer?” She asked. The way she was already breathless after only a few moments of kissing made me want to cup her face and kiss her again. It made me want more. I wanted all of her, and I knew I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole if I wanted to keep focused on what was most important.

“I’m offering you a great position, and you would be a fool to refuse it. You’ll work under Moira in client relations. You can use the skills you demonstrated tonight to help us secure contracts. In fact, we have the perfect opportunity for you—one that could land Foster Real Estate the biggest contract in our eight-year history. One that could firmly put us at the head of the real estate companies in all of Manhattan.”

There was a spark of something in her eyes. Desire? Opportunity? Fear? I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she swallowed her words, stepping back and extending her hand toward me.

“I accept,” she said.

For the briefest moment, I felt a pang of regret. A man with less control might have let things play out tonight and then offered her the job. A wiser man wouldn’t have offered her the job at all, considering the way her mere presence seemed to wake all my long suppressed emotions.

I took her hand, mine swallowing hers up like a child’s as I gripped it and shook. “Welcome to Foster Real Estate, Ember. And… this never happened. It can never happen again, either.”

“What can never happen again?” she asked. If it wasn’t for the flush in her cheeks and the sheen of moisture still on her lips, I could’ve almost believed the kiss never happened.

I nodded. “ Good girl. ” I caught myself as she smiled wickedly.

“Ohh.. Good girl, huh?” she asked, taking one corner of her lower lip under her front teeth. “I could get used to hearing you call me that.”

I cleared my throat and adjusted my jacket. “We should get back inside. Separately,” I added.

Ember wiggled her eyes. “Okay. Do you prefer if I say ‘yes, sir’ when you give me a direct order? Or… would you prefer ‘yes, daddy’ to go with the whole ‘good girl’ thing?”

I opened my mouth to speak, closed it, and then gestured inside. “The less you speak to me, the better.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

I raised a hand to stop her. “Yes, Sir,” I corrected.

Ember shrugged. “Okay. By the way, you have a little…” she reached up and ran her thumb down the corner of my mouth. “I think I may have accidentally licked your cheek a bit when we didn’t kiss. Sorry.”

What the hell had I gotten myself into with this woman?