Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
The craft powered down, and I noticed members of my detail positioned outside the building. I usually had four, including Antheme, Fannon, Diablo and Geleena.
Fannon was coming toward my door, when Antheme spoke.
“You’re doing great.”
I turned to her. “You think?”
“Aleksei’s a male I could get a serious hard-on for,” she stated bluntly.
I couldn’t stop my surprised chirp of laughter.
“But I’d never do it,” she continued. “Even before he found you, because getting involved with my charge screws with my ability to do my job. Also, he isn’t into females like me, so I’d never have the shot. But mostly, his life is a nightmare. You either gotta get off on the attention, like the princess did, or you’re in for a world of hassle. You didn’t have a choice. You had to accept the hassle. Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you. But you do. And you make him happy on top of that. So a double score.”
It meant a lot more to me than I would have expected, having Antheme’s approval.
I didn’t say that because she wouldn’t care.
Instead, I said, “You really don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
“Nope.” She said that hilariously popping the P.
I laughed again as she jutted her chin toward my side window and my door opened.
I caused quite a stir, not only on the pavement, but in the busy lobby of the Spire, and it wasn’t the first time I noted how uncomfortable it was to simply walk through a space and be the object of everyone’s attention.
I totally got what Antheme was saying.
And I couldn’t imagine how Anna would like this kind of thing all the time.
Of course, we didn’t bother with any of the public areas.
Instead, I was directed around a corner to a private lift.
“The hand thing again,” Antheme said once we were in it.
I put my hand on the palm plate, felt the prick, smiled to myself that Aleksei had programmed me in to get to his office, and the lift zoomed upward.
The doors opened to Muriel, who smiled, came out from behind her console desk and took charge of me. After giving me a warm cheek brush, she guided me to a set of stairs, and up them, to the next floor.
From the view, I assumed it was the one-hundred-and-fiftieth one, just below the pinnacle of the spear.
The entire floor being Aleksei’s office.
Plush, charcoal-gray carpet.
Another console desk, this one lacquered black and massive.
Interesting art on plinths situated in the perfect spots.
A holo conference table that was twice as big as the one in his office at home.
Three-hundred-sixty degrees of the view of the city.
Aleksei rose from his desk, smiling at me.
I didn’t go to him.
Feeling a little shy and a lot like a bad mate, I went to a window, tucked my clutch under my arm and crossed both of them, staring at Nocturn, the off-coast islands, the Sceptred Isle and the white caps waxing and waning on the blue of the Dolphin Sea.
This wasn’t Prince Aleksei’s office.
This was Aleksei Knightstar’s office.
He earned this.
I turned to him to see he was resting a thigh against his desk, and his arms were crossed too, but his eyes weren’t to the view. They were on me.
That tall, broad, handsome man casually leaning on his expensive desk belonged here.
Because he worked to put himself here.
“So, you don’t have an office in the Spire Building, you have the office,” I remarked.
“That’s what happens when you own the building.”
Of course he owned it.
“So, I’m not meeting you at your office because your day is busy and it helps you out. I’ve met you here because you’re a big showoff,” I quipped.
His grin was cocky (and panty melting). “I’m always busy, darling. But I’m also showing off.”
I turned back to the view.
He had a lot to show off.
“I know about the dock project on Thoth, but what do you do that gets you an office like this?” I asked.
He didn’t hesitate to reply. “I have three arms of interest. Commercial real estate, development and lettings. Other construction projects. And tech with a focus on communications. For instance, one of my labs developed that tablet I gave you.”
Of course it did.
I looked back at him and asked quietly, “I can’t believe I didn’t know this. Has it been always all about me?”
His expression grew soft. “Darling, for me, everything is always all about you.”
So sweet.
“You know what I mean,” I replied.
“I’d say you have a fair bit more to get used to in a life with me than I do having you in my life.”
This was true.
Even so.
“But on the whole, no. It hasn’t always been about you,” he finished.
That was being kind.
I mean, I didn’t even know he owned the Spire and had his office there.
“You’re pretty fascinating, Aleksei.” I indicated the room with a sweep of my arm. “I’ve been missing out.”