Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 117408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
He nodded, smile still on his face. His hair had been trimmed, cleaned up on the sides, and styled with some matte paste on the top. He was wearing an eye-catching light-blue and yellow shirt, open at the collar, with a pair of white pants that screamed Miami Beach. I’d come to learn quickly that Andrew had a flair for fashion, and I could only hope it would rub off on me over time.
“It should be a good party. All the detectives have RSVPed already, so it’ll be a great bonding exercise. And wait until you see what me and Holly are doing with the courtyard—you’re gonna love it.” He quirked his head to the side and brought his forefinger over his mouth. “What do you think of mini-magnifying glasses as party favors?”
A snort escaped me. “Seriously?”
“Okay, okay. Fine, no magnifying glasses… but do you think I have to return the long trench coats and dark sunglasses I bought everyone?”
That had me cracking up. “Imagine wearing that getup down South Beach.”
“You’d end up with a detective tailing your sketchy ass,” Andrew quipped, and soon the room filled with the sound of us chatting and joking. It was so easy to spend time with Andrew and have it disappear in an instant because of how much fun you were having.
That’s how it felt when fifteen minutes later, Holly buzzed into Andrew’s office, her voice cutting through a conversation we were having about the brand-new Cuban bodega that opened up a few blocks down. I was mid-orgasm over the memory of the guayaba pastelito when Holly said, “Mr. Fox, your interview is here.”
I buzzed over to her and thanked her, letting her know that I’d be right there. I got up and told Andrew we needed to stop by La Cocina for lunch now.
Leaving his office, I closed the door and glanced over at the mirror on the wall and gave myself a quick once-over, making sure I had nothing in my teeth or on my face.
Normally I didn’t dress up all that much. I was good with a pair of board shorts and a tank top, which was what I tried to get away with most of the time. For my office days, I found a pair of khakis and a light polo shirt usually did the trick. Today, though, I made sure to put in the extra effort, just like I had for all the last interviews I had done.
Seeing that my face was clear and my teeth clean, I started down the hall. I had looked over Jonah Brightly’s resume the night before. It was an interesting one, to say the least. He had a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida and had worked three years on the police force, rising up to a senior patrol position in impressive time. He also listed his insanely accurate shooting record when it came to the gun range, apparently beating out the previous record holder for hitting the most bullseyes in the entire state of Florida. He stopped working for the Miami PD a year ago, then one month ago he started working as security for a nearby mall. It was a far cry from senior patrol officer for the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Something had happened to cause that, and I was interested to find out.
Turning the corner, I entered into the reception space, my eyes going to Holly first, her smile wide but her gaze locked onto something across the room from her. Holly’s jaw was slightly droopy, her thin brows raised and her eyes a little glossed over, as though she’d made eye contact with Brad Pitt himself.
I followed her glossy gaze, landing on the object of her much-focused attention.
And rightly so.
Holy sh—
“Hi, Mr. Morrison?”
I reached a hand out. “Jonah?”
“Hi,” he said with a smile that hit me like a thousand-watt generator blowing up. He rose from the couch and put out his hand. I took it and shook.
I was shook. This guy was… wow. He was really fucking attractive.
But I had to click into work mode. This was an interview for Christ’s sake, not a Grindr hookup. I couldn’t focus on Jonah’s steely blue eyes, or his lickable jawline, or that obviously left-leaning package of his.
Couldn’t focus on any of that—this was about the job and that was it.
Fuck. If only he had a picture with his emails, at least then I’d have been prepared for this.
“You can call me Fox. Come with me.” I turned and led him past Holly’s desk, who was considerately building an indoor pool for us to use with the amount of drool she was collecting in front of her.
Come with me… hah. More like come on m—
No. No. This is a potential colleague. I have to stop thinking like that.
And then I got a whiff of Jonah’s cologne: cedar and orange and a boner-inducing musk.