Max rambled on as soon as he got into their hotel room. ‘My God, Clara, what is up with you and the CEO of these companies? Everyone we signed up with seems to be half in love with you before they even get to know you, and they’re very aggressive about it. Do they know how bad-tempered and impulsive you are? That you eat too much and you snore?’ ‘Oh shut up, like I have a choice about who we met at that convention.’ She throws him a pillow. ‘I don’t snore, doofus!’ He laughed out loud. ‘That’s what pissed you off?’ The door to the bathroom closed, then opened again. ‘By the way, we’re having dinner with Rowan tonight, and he expects you to be there. Maybe I should skip it and let you have a romantic candlelit dinner with him by yourself. After you walked out on me, he went back to a regular business executive. I say give him a chance. He was probably overwhel

Rowan was not ready to give up. He had found the perfect woman for him, and he was going to do everything in his power to make Clara his.  ‘Rowan, this is not a good idea. I really love Sebastian, and there is nothing you can do to sway me.’ She turns around and runs around her table to get away when she feels her ponytail getting pulled behind her. ‘Owww!’ she screams as Rowan pulls her against him. ‘You are mine! I found you first. That rat stole you from me,’ he said as he caged her arms, preventing her from escaping or using her elbows on him.  Clara struggles out of his hold. But because he was bigger and stronger, he subdues her for a few seconds. She then tries to stamp on his foot, but he expected what she wanted to do and used his foot to kick hers away. ‘Stop struggling. I will not hurt you,’

By the time the entire team arrived, everyone was too tired to work on anything. And Sebastian, being the gracious host, had ordered the group food for dinner. Pizza, chicken wings, and beer to take the edge off. And to Clara, that was a plus for being thoughtful and attentive to their needs.  Sebastian was ticking off a lot of boxes on the boyfriend list. Clara didn’t have one, but if she did, Sebastian would have all the standards for what a boyfriend should be. He even offered to fly everybody home on his private jet because he knew Clara would not ride with him and let her team suffer on the commercial flight. It was an excuse to spend more time together and maybe cuddle with her on the plane. During dinner, they talked about who was sharing rooms at the hotel. Clara had the hotel room to herself, and th

The lunch briefing had gone well. And everybody was there except for Max, who people started to notice was missing a lot during the day. She was getting suspicious. Her fingers were getting itchy to know who Max was dating in San Diego and why he was keeping it from his siblings. Sooner or later, they’d learn of the women he’s dating, but not this one. Why now? The team was able to finish two floors that day. Sebastian’s floor, and the rooftop area, where they had a lounge and lunch section. There was such nice weather up on the roof that everybody came back in a good mood.  Clara made Sebastian’s floor a priority just in case something happened. The fire that transpired weeks ago was still under investigation, and who knows if he might be the next target. The security team had installed additional temporary cameras in his office and added security patro

Clara stirred when Sebastian came to hug her and pull her closer. ‘Is dinner ready? I took a nap… so tired,’ she yawned.  ‘Not yet, I came to snuggle with you. You looked better than dinner,’ he said while kissing the top of her head. It was hard to keep her eyes open. ‘Don’t skip dinner because of me. I know you’re hungry,’ she said before closing her eyes once more. When they talked earlier, she had mentioned that she did not get enough sleep the night before. She had nightmares because of stressing out about the installation and their relationship. Then, when she wanted to take a nap earlier, he cornered her in his sleeping alcove. To avoid being discovered in his office making out, she opted to join her team and help them out instead, so they could finish the job earlier. And now she felt so exhausted, s