11. Victoria

11

VICTORIA

I watched closely as Sarah tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She grabbed a thick binder from her desk drawer that thudded when she set it on the worktable at the studio's center.

Taking a seat at the high table, she gestured toward the stool next to her.

It would be easy to take directions from such a beautiful woman.

I sauntered toward her. But instead of sitting, I rested my palms against the wood countertop and leaned forward, feeling a light stretch in the muscles of my forearms. I watched Sarah swallow hard, trying to let her nerves go.

She opened the binder. "I made a physical copy so you have it while moving through the house, but I've already emailed you a digital version."

"Thank you." I tried to stop the corners of my lips from rising as I watched her fiddle with the page's edge.

Flipping to the first section, Sarah pointed to a paint swatch at the top of the laminated sheet. "I've picked some bold colors. The last thing we want is to renovate this gorgeous house and end up with a thousand white walls. The foyer opens up to a deep blue that immediately calms."

I nodded as I looked at the color. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but she was right: it was inviting and brought a sense of calm to a chaotic space. "I like it."

"Great." Sarah chuckled. Warming at my encouragement, she moved through her plan room by room with a bit more confidence in her voice. In a matter of moments, she'd painted a beautiful picture of my future home, taking inspiration from my taste to create professional designs that were entirely her own. Each room had its own distinct identity, but all of them tied back into the overall style of the house.

Most surprisingly of all, it was somewhere I was truly excited to live. Since I created Pop , everything moved so quickly. Suddenly, I was making millions a year. It was easy to get carried away with the expensive purchases and fast lifestyle. But all of this felt… easy.

Licking my lips, I looked down at her. "You've done a great job incorporating the building's history. It's modern without removing what makes the house special."

I flipped through each page for a minute before swallowing my nerves. "Any movement on Shaw?"

Sarah sighed. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that idea entirely."

"That bad, huh?" I chuckled, pulling away from her a little bit.

Shrugging, Sarah looked around the studio. "Not bad. She said she'd think about it."

It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but it wasn't a no.

"And you showed her the number?" It was hard to imagine anyone turning down half a million. Not unheard of, but unusual.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, she was impressed by it. I think between that and my connection to her, she'll do it. But I can't know for sure."

I let a wave of air out of my lungs. "Got it. Any idea when you'll hear?"

Checking the date on her smart watch, Sarah sucked her teeth. "I'm hoping over the weekend she'll make her choice. Maybe by Monday?"

That would have to do. With a nod, I went back to the binder. I turned each page slowly, taking the time to truly envision each piece in the space. Robin had made great progress on the house since the sale had gone through a week ago, but I knew Sarah's designs would make Robin's work shine. I felt like I'd stumbled upon a design dream team and I could hardly wait to see how they worked together.

Sarah smiled, gazing up at me with those blue eyes. "What do you think about the kitchen?"

"My chef will love it." I winked. Of course, it was only half a joke.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Sarah rested her chin in her hand while the other rested on the table. "I'm jealous. I'd give anything to have someone cook a meal for me."

My hand went gently toward hers, lightly squeezing her soft hand. Guided by my grip, Sarah's eyes came back to mine. "Then you'll have to come over and let my chef cook for you."

Sarah giggled, shaking her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" I clenched my jaw. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't look away from her.

Turning in her stool, Sarah turned to face me. "Because, you don't have a kitchen yet." She grinned up at me and licked her teeth.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "Very funny, Ms. Greenwood."

For a moment, silence fell over the studio as we looked at each other.

Is she flirting with me? It felt silly to even consider. She had far bigger priorities than me. A thriving business, her kids, a house to manage, family to see. As far as I was concerned, I was a small fry in Sarah's bucket. A rich fry, maybe, but a small one nonetheless.

I lowered myself onto my elbows. My ass stuck out as I leaned on the counter and tried to recenter myself. But my eyes were drawn back to Sarah, who hadn't looked away.

Her gaze drifted down to my lips, quickly flicking back up to my eyes. I searched her face for a signal, something to tell me that I should move closer. Our faces drifted closer. From a few inches away, I could see her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Just as I was about to make my move, a loud ringing came from Sarah's pocket. The sharp noise shattered the charged silence.

"Sorry." Sarah gulped as she pulled the phone from her pocket.

The screen read: "Jason". Not that I was trying to look.

Sarah swiped on the call and put the phone to her ear. "Hey." Before I could hear much, she stood from the counter and looked panicked. "Oh fuck. I'll be right there."

Hanging up the phone, Sarah moved back to her desk and grabbed her purse. "I'm so sorry, I have to run out."

"Is everything alright?" I stood up straight, ready to move.

Sarah nodded her head and waved me toward the front door. "I just need to lock up. Can we pick this up later?"

With the binder in hand, I nodded and followed her out of the studio. "Of course."

Over her shoulder, Sarah looked at me. "Sorry to rush out, I just forgot I was on school pickup duty today."

"That's okay, family first."

Once the door was locked, Sarah sped toward the parking lot. Even in the panic, she looked incredible. I couldn't stop myself from looking at her plump ass as she jogged toward her minivan.

She stopped as she unlocked her car and turned to me. "Maybe we can set up a time to meet soon?"

Hesitating, I tried to visualize my schedule in my head. "I'll be in Italy over the weekend and into early next week. But after that, I'd love to."

Sarah smirked. "Perfect."

Before I could say anything else, she disappeared into the van and was speeding off toward the school.

Left in the dust, I tried to settle my breathing. It was hard to tell what was the rush of being hustled out of the studio and what was just Sarah's presence. Either way, I had to find a way to keep my cool. Even if she was one of the most stunning women I'd seen. I had hired her to do a job and I wasn't sure that a boundary she wanted crossed.