‘No, she needed a job, she proved to have the skill and I gave her one.’
‘Did you run it past Sakis, because I’m pretty sure he’ll blow a gasket once he crawls out of his love cocoon and returns to the real world.’
Ari’s jaw tightened. ‘I’ll deal with Sakis. In the meantime, have your assistant check schedules with mine about our next rowing session. I want to get together sooner rather than later, and get to the bottom of exactly what you’re doing in Rio.’
‘Dammit, anyone would think I was still twelve instead of a grown man.’
‘You’ll always be a twelve-year-old to me, brother, simply because you can’t help but act like one.’ He noticed the gruffness in his voice but couldn’t help it.
He hung up to Theo’s pithy curse and realised he was smiling. Pocketing his phone, he looked up and found Perla’s gaze on him. Wide green eyes held shock and wonder, which she quickly tried to bank. When he realised it was in reaction to his smile, he cursed under his breath.
Was it really so strange that he would smile? Was he such an ogre that he’d given the impression that smiling was beyond him?
Yes...
A lance of pain speared his heart. Smiling and laughter had become a thing of the past for him, ever since he’d lost the most precious thing in his life through hubris and carelessness. He’d believed he’d paid enough, sacrificed enough for his family and deserved happiness of his own. He’d believed he’d bled enough to owe fate nothing else.
He’d been careless with Sofia’s health, given in to her penchant to always look on the bright side, when deep down he’d known the bright side rarely existed. Guilt rose to mingle with the pain, wiping away every last trace of mirth from his soul. He had no right to smile or laugh. Not when he had blood on his hands...
Realising Perla was still staring at him, he turned away abruptly. But the unsettled feeling wouldn’t go away.
Perhaps Theo had been right. Had he lost his marbles by employing her, despite her obvious talent? He knew had he looked harder, he’d have found someone equally talented to employ who didn’t rock the boat or make his male clients salivate just by the sight of her. He pursed his lips. Hell, she herself knew she was distracting enough to have made some of his employees talk, made her own life uncomfortable—
Frowning, he removed his phone from his pocket and dialled his assistant. ‘Contact my head of HR—I want a conference call first thing tomorrow. Tell him I want to discuss Perla Lowell.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘WHY DID YOUR HR director just call to check up on me? And please don’t tell me he does that with everyone else because I asked David and Cynthia and he didn’t call them so I know I’m the only one he’s called.’
Ari continued to admire the stunning penthouse view from his latest hotel set in the heart of Washington DC and forced himself not to react to the huskily voiced accusation or the unwanted intrusion. But it was difficult not to turn around; not to tense against the electricity that zapped through him at her presence.
It’d been three weeks since Miami, and the last time he’d seen Perla. He’d left the day after Fashion Week and busied himself with his other casinos and hotels on the West Coast. But he’d needed to return because Pantelides WDC was by far his most successful hotel yet and he needed to throw his every last waking moment into making it the jewel in the Pantelides Luxe crown.
That he’d spent far too much time thinking about Perla Lowell was something he preferred to view as simply making sure she wasn’t causing any more ruffles in his company. Of course, he’d have preferred if word hadn’t got out that he was doing so but...
He sighed. ‘Discretion really seems to be thin on the ground these days.’
Her gasp sounded just behind his left shoulder. He tensed further, bracing himself for the impact of the sight and scent of her.
‘So you’re not denying it? You do realise how you’ve made me look by doing that, don’t you?’
‘What exactly did my director say to you?’ he asked.
‘He asked me how I was getting on with work and with my colleagues.’
‘And you immediately jumped to the conclusion that I was trying to undermine you somehow?’
‘Did you or did you not ask him to call to check up on me?’
‘Perla, you brought a potential workplace problem to my attention. And I took steps to rectify it. I think my director may have taken his directive a little too seriously given who you are. If you think it was an unnecessary step—’