Aside from Tommy, he was the nicest person I’d encountered all day.
“You didn’t know you were in their building?” His dark eyes twinkled.
I lifted a shoulder. “Long story.”
“I saw you running out of Montgomery’s.”
Shit. Hoisting my pack, I answered, “A misunderstanding.”
He laughed quietly, and I joined in as we entered the elevator. Tall, dark, and handsome pressed Level 44.
My ears popped as the lift shot up.
“I’m Rhys, by the way,” he said, sticking out his hand.
He was totally getting his flirt on. In an awkward, adorable way. “Basi.” I shook his hand, making sure to linger a few seconds too long.
“Doing the résumé rounds today as well?”
I nodded, exhaling. “Sure am. It isn’t going so great.”
His eyes roamed my body and my brows crept upward until I realised he was staring at the ex-coffee stain covering my stomach.
Fuck. I had a massive wet patch on my shirt. I was meant to wait until it dried.
Ding!
The buzz of a bustling workspace reached into the elevator.
“Shall we?” he asked, tilting his head.
I swallowed, thinking of my last encounter. “Let’s do it.”
His dark eyes gleamed, and it wasn’t hard to guess where his mind had taken my comment. Which I might not be completely averse to after knowing him better.
Unlike the pet store, I wasn’t assaulted by the smell of roadkill when I stepped into the reception area. A small plaque on the front bench desk read Live Right Realty. Behind the desk stood several admin staff.
Several beautiful admin.
What the hell did they eat for breakfast? Their skin was flawless, their hair gleaming. Each of them rivalled my height except their willowy frames belonged on the catwalk or in an exquisite painting.
“Can I help you?” the closest admin said when we stopped in front of the desk.
A quick peek at Rhys told me he’d noticed the beauty of the reception staff and was robbed of speech.
I took the reins, smiling for all I was worth. “Hi, yes. Thank you. I’m Basi. I saw your job advert in the paper and wanted to drop my résumé off for consideration.”
The words slid out of my mouth just fine, but after last time, I didn’t dare celebrate.
The ethereal woman held out her hand.
“Oops, hold on a second,” I blurted. “It’s in my pack.”
Rhys recovered and handed his over silently.
The woman scanned the front page. “Thank you, Rhys. We’ll be in touch.”
When he turned away, she slipped the résumé beneath the desk. A second later, a whirring sounded.
Hold the front door.
Did she just shred his résumé?
She turned her smile on me at full wattage. She totally did!
I slid my résumé free—the one that cost ten cents per page to print. “How many people are you looking to hire?” I asked, not handing it over.
The woman dropped her gaze to my bag and up again. “Elegance. I love that brand.”
I frowned. What? “My pack? Thanks.”
Her eyes travelled my frame, lingering on the massive wet patch on my stomach. I breathed thinly and stilled as she studied me. The woman’s eyes were bright blue. The kind of bright that was impossible to look away from—not a thought I could ever recall having. As she perused my manicured nails, silky hair, and ensemble, I could almost see the twin beams of her gaze on each body part.
“Is that Alastair body wash I smell?” she asked.
This was officially becoming weirder than my run-in with Jenny at Purrfect Pets. But weird in a scary way.
I blinked. “You can smell that?” I suppose I washed three times yesterday, and once more this morning.
The receptionist hummed. “Lemon myrtle is my favourite scent. What did you say your name is?”
“Basi,” I answered, leaving off my last name. I’d left it off my résumé too. Though Tommy said that slip might cost me professionalism points.
The name Le Spyre was well-known in this city. I refused to use my name to secure a job. If a realty firm knew who I really was, they’d use my connections, and I’d be right back where I started—playing the fucking rich game.
“Basi…?” she prompted.
Not happening, lady. I widened my smile and passed her my résumé. She immediately flicked through, pausing on my details on the front page as she had with Rhys.
“Orange,” the woman said so quietly that I was positive she didn’t intend for me to hear.
This was getting stranger by the second. The other two admins had now stopped what they were doing to watch us.
I’d had my fill of unusual shit today. “I’ll leave it with you,” I said, the curve of my lips brittle. “My email is on there if you wish to get in touch with any questions.”
The woman slowly lifted her head.
She shot a glance at the other two and turned back. “Actually, Basi. Your résumé looks perfect for what we’re looking for. Could you interview on the spot?”
They wanted me to interview? Now?
“You realise I have no job experience, right?” Stupid thing to say when I wanted a job, but the oddness of her behaviour raised the hairs on my arms. Something about the keenness of her eyes made me want to sprint for the lift. My heart pounded from close proximity to her which couldn’t be possible. Could it?
Had she guessed who I was? Surely not. She probably just thought I was rich and had connections—the reason for forgoing my last name in the first place.
I hesitated.
Where was Rhys? A quick glance told me he was long gone.
Shit.
“Selling a house is much less about job experience than people experience. The right kind of people experience. Your social and extra-curricular portfolios are impressive.”
I’d made sure to only include those I’d participated in during high school. Normal people didn’t help to organise charities and high teas for the wealthiest families in the Southern Hemisphere—even if I refused to attend them.
Her comment went some way in alleviating my concerns that she was just after my network. Maybe I’d read her wrong.
I really needed this.
“Thank you,” I said demurely. “An interview would be great.”
She peered at my pack again. “Are you free now? It would save you a trip back from Orange.”
Her eyes were so hard to look away from. Such a bright blue. Enthralling. Looking at them nearly drove lucid thought from my mind. I didn’t like the vibes she was putting out, but the woman was offering me the first scrap of hope I’d had all day.
“That would be great,” I lied, tearing my gaze away to fix on the diamond necklace at her throat.
I darted a look up again.
Her lips curled, revealing a row of straight, perfectly white teeth. “Perfect.”
4
I stumbled out of Kyros Sky, fingers pressed to my temple. The main receptionist—apparently in charge of hiring and firing as well—hadn’t asked anything other than what I assumed were normal interview questions, but I felt wrung out, my brain full of clouds.