Her heart thumped with excitement. “Robert, Mr. Simmons called right before you did. He said he’s sending in a new client, and we’re to go to his office together.”
Robert sucked in his breath. “This might be it, then. You can do it, babe.”
“What should I expect?” Sarina’s palms grew moist as her anxiety escalated.
“If your test is anything like mine, this ‘client’ will tell you a totally wild story. Simmons will be observing your responses, so act professionally. Go along with it and pretend like you believe every word. He wants to see how you’d handle a difficult situation.”
“But I’m supposed to take the client up to Mr. Simmons’s office. Won’t he admit the ruse then?”
“Only after he’s satisfied you’ve passed the test.” Robert chuckled. “You might not exactly end up in his office either. I was led to a special suite of rooms he uses just for this purpose. It was decorated like a boudoir. The so-called client told me that if I handled his case satisfactorily, I could have my choice of any of the lovely ladies present. Of course, it was clearly a setup, but the women acted their parts convincingly.”
“You never told me about this. So I can expect a really crazy scenario?”
“That’s right. Just act cool and play along, but don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
Sarina couldn’t imagine what might be planned for her, nor could she picture her staid boss getting his kicks out of games like these, but apparently there was a side to him she hadn’t known existed.
“Good luck,” Robert told her. “Call me later and let me know what happened.”
“Wait.” She wanted to ask him how he’d solved his own test situation, but he hung up before she got the chance. Damn the man! Now she’d have to struggle through on her own.
They’d been engaged ever since she graduated from law school and took the position at the firm. Robert’s recommendation had helped her land the spot, and his influence was important in getting her promotion approved. She should be grateful to him, but gratitude wasn’t what she felt. He kept postponing their wedding, saying she should concentrate on getting ahead. His attitude made her wonder which was more important to him—her job status or herself?
Their wedding was set for December, five months from now, and if Robert put it off one more time, she’d need to reevaluate their relationship. During the past few weeks, she’d felt increasingly dissatisfied. It was difficult to pinpoint the cause. Robert irritated her, but that could be because she felt pressured. She’d applied for Associate after he’d urged her to do so, and yet this job wasn’t fulfilling her expectations.
She couldn’t admit her doubts to Robert without starting an argument. Besides, she felt this problem wasn’t the real issue bothering her. Something else tugged at her from beneath the surface of her mind, but she hadn’t a clue what it meant.
Realizing the new client might walk in at any moment, she patted her French braid at the back of her head. It was still smooth and sleek, so she reached into her handbag to reapply her lipstick before he arrived.
Just as she was putting her mirror away, a loud rapping sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Sarina called, her heartbeat accelerating.
The door opened and in strolled the most gorgeous hunk she had ever seen in all her twenty-six years. The man was tall and powerfully built, but the dominant feature that drew her was the strange color of his eyes. Never had she seen a blue shade so deep, so celestial. It was as though the sky was mirrored in his gaze. His eyes locked on hers as he approached.
“You are Sarina Bretton?” His masculine tone reverberated throughout the room and seemed to touch a chord within her very soul.
“Yes,” Sarina stated as the man strode forward. She lifted her chin, intending to present a professional image.
He stopped directly in front of her and bent his head to examine the identification badge pinned to her crimson dress. Her I.D. picture showed her in a relaxed pose, her wavy blond hair hanging down her back, her gray eyes wide in an oval face. She knew her pink lips parted in a silly grin, but the photographer had been a friend who knew how to make her laugh.
She surveyed the stranger’s thick black hair that grew long in the back, curling at his nape. His features were angular, firm and strong. Her gaze wandered down to the strange metallic silver jumpsuit that he wore. It molded to his powerful body like an animal skin.
“Excuse me—I had to make certain,” the man said.
Sarina glanced at him, startled. He watched her with a flat expression. She searched his eyes for contact lenses but saw no telltale outlines. The intense color fascinated her.
“Certain of what?” she asked, wondering if his weird responses were part of the game set up by her boss.
“Of your identity.” He grasped her right hand and turned it palm up. He touched the round area of pigmentation on her soft flesh. “You see? You have the mark as prophesied.”
A shiver of delight ran through her at his touch. “That’s just a birthmark,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “Look, Mister, uh—”
“You can call me Teir.”
Teir? She looked down at her desk where she’d scrawled the name Pierce Mitchells on her message pad.
“You are needed. I am to escort you,” Teir explained, a hint of irritation in his tone.
“Escort me? Where?” But then she answered her own question. “Oh, you mean to Mr. Simmons’s office.” Obviously, this guy was the test case Robert had mentioned. Remembering her fiancé had advised her to play along, she stuffed a notebook into her handbag.
“You won’t need that where we’re going,” Teir said with a bemused curve of his mouth.
“I may have to take notes. Shall we go?” She stood and smoothed her dress.
A look of astonishment dawned on the man’s face, as though he hadn’t expected her to be so cooperative. Hmm, this test might turn out to be fun, Sarina thought.
Grinning at the idea, she strode from her office and out into the carpeted corridor. Teir followed, his booted footsteps thudding behind her.
She waited until he caught up. “Has the initial data on your case been filed?” she asked as they walked down the hallway. The main bank of elevators was situated at the opposite end.
Teir didn’t respond. Halfway down the hall, he came to an abrupt halt and pointed to a closed door. “This way. You can go first.”
Sarina shot him a sharp glance. “That’s a storage closet.”
Wordlessly, Teir opened the door, and Sarina gasped. Facing them was an elevator car.
“A private lift? I never knew this existed. Where does it go?”
“Up,” Teir said, without a trace of a smile.
It must lead to Mr. Simmons’s penthouse suite. She’d better be on the alert in case her boss was watching them via hidden cameras. This had to be part of the test.
Chapter Two
At Teir’s urging, Sarina stepped inside the padded interior. He entered the elevator after her, his tall muscular form seeming to take up most of the small space. Sarina’s breath quickened at his nearness. She edged away until she bumped into a wall. Her apprehension rose when she noticed there was no control panel.