won’t be for long,” Tyrese stated. “That is if you’re willing to use it for your office.”
She swallowed hard. “Are you saying that you accept my proposal?”
He nodded. “I’m having the contracts drawn up as we speak. We have all of this space, so I figured you might as well work here.”
Zaire felt like hugging Tyrese, but she had to exercise restraint. “Thank you for this opportunity. You won’t regret it.”
“I look forward to a long relationship together.”
She grinned. “Same here.”
“You are free to decorate your office any way you like.”
“Do you mind if I just hang out in here for a moment?” Zaire asked.
He smiled. “I have to leave for an off-site meeting. Stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Moore...Tyrese. I really appreciate your willingness to give me a chance.”
“Pilar has a lot of faith in you. I have always trusted her instincts. I see no point in changing that now.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Tyrese eyed her for a moment before breaking into a smile. “Tomorrow.”
Zaire watched him walk away; his footsteps thundered down the hall. He was an extremely handsome man, but Zaire was determined to deliver everything she had promised. She vowed to prove herself a valuable asset to the Moore Group.
* * *
True to her word, Zaire was back in her new office bright and early. She noted that it had been thoroughly cleaned. A faint lemon scent still lingered in the air, and the hardwood floors gleamed.
Dressed in a pair of black jeans, a crisp white shirt and a pair of red sandals, Zaire took measurements of the windows, jotting down notes in between. She liked the platinum-colored side walls and had no plans to paint them another color. The back wall was painted a matte deep charcoal.
Zaire glanced down at her shoes and smiled. Red was the perfect accent color. She would use black-and-silver curtains in keeping with the theme, but her artwork and accessories would be red. She wanted a white desk to match the built-in bookshelves.
She turned around at the sound of a knock on the door.
“I didn’t expect you to be here this early,” Tyrese said.
“I’m an early riser, so I saw no point in waiting,” Zaire responded. “I’m ready to get started.”
“I’ll have the contract for you to review by end of day.”
She smiled. “Thanks!”
Zaire felt ripples of excitement at this new venture. She had originally planned to join her siblings in the family business, but then this opportunity had come around and Zaire just couldn’t pass it up. It was the chance of a lifetime.
She had to admit that it wasn’t just the business that excited her. Zaire was eager to get to know Tyrese. She was impressed with what she’d learned about him and totally entranced by his compelling personage.
She left the office to run some errands around noon. While she was out, Zaire decided to have lunch with Ari and Natasha.
Zaire pulled up to the Alexander-DePaul Hotel and Spa Resort in Beverly Hills. She handed the keys to the valet and entered through the revolving door.
Natasha was in the lobby when she arrived.
“Hey, you,” Zaire greeted.
“How are things going?” Natasha inquired.
“Pretty good,” Zaire answered. “I took a break from the unpacking. I can’t wait to get settled. I’m so ready to get to work.”
“Don’t rush it,” Natasha advised. “Enjoy the lag time for now.”
They navigated to the hotel restaurant, where Ari sat waiting for their arrival. He greeted his wife with a kiss and then embraced Zaire.
It was obvious that Ari only had eyes for Natasha. He had been married before to his childhood sweetheart. When April died, Zaire and the rest of the family worried that Ari would never recover from his grief. But then he’d met Natasha. She and her son, Joshua, had given him a reason to live again.
“Seeing you two making goo-goo eyes at one another like this makes me believe in love,” Zaire said as she picked up her menu. “But if you don’t quit, I’m going to start feeling like a third wheel.”
Ari laughed. “That’s because you are.”
Natasha sent him a sharp glare. “Your brother is only teasing, Zaire.”
“He’s not, but I’m okay with it.” She chuckled. “I’m hungry, and it’s a good thing because he’s picking up the tab.”
* * *
When Zaire returned a couple of hours later, she found that her artwork had been placed on the walls and someone had unpacked a box of her books and placed them on her bookshelves.
Zaire glanced over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps. A young man dressed in a pair of navy slacks and white polo shirt said, “Hi, I’m Max. Tyrese asked that I help you with whatever you may need.”
She noted that he didn’t look much older than she. “Did you do this?” Zaire asked, gesturing toward the bookshelf.
He nodded. “Guilty.”
She smiled warmly. “Thanks so much for your help.”
“If you like, I can help you finish unpacking.”
“Sure.”
“So, what do you do here, Max?” Zaire inquired as they put away the rest of her books.
“I’m an administrative assistant.”
“Do you enjoy your work?”
Max smiled and nodded. “This is the best company I’ve ever worked for. I was an event planner at my last job, but they had a lot of financial issues. A year later, the company closed.”
Later that afternoon, Tyrese emailed the contract to Zaire, in addition to having his assistant hand deliver the hard copy.
Zaire went over the document, absorbing all of the information. She sat down in a chair she had borrowed from the conference room and opened her laptop.
She forwarded a copy of the contract to Natasha and her father’s attorney. Zaire had already made up her mind to sign, but she wanted to have another set of eyes review the document, as well.
Zaire unpacked another box of books before leaving for the day. She walked to Tyrese’s office to say goodbye, but he was not there.
She shrugged and then strolled down the hall to the elevator.
Tyrese was in the conference room. He saw her and gestured for her to join them.
Zaire stepped inside and quickly found a seat.
He introduced her to everyone and then moved forward with his presentation.
She noted that Tyrese seemed a different person when he was talking about his company.
“Someone asked earlier why we call ourselves a boutique marketing firm,” he said. “We are a company that offers media outreach, media planning and marketing for all types of businesses. This includes corporations who have their own public relations teams. The Moore Group specializes in raising the overall awareness of a brand, product or image of a company or person. We determine a strategy that will best publicize the product that will drive traffic and boost sales...”
Zaire bit back a smile at how animated he was. His passion and love for his profession drove him tirelessly. She understood that feeling well. It was something they had in