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“I might have an idea,” Natalia decided after a beat.

“Good. Tell me about it over dinner tonight?” Sam sounded like she’d moved out of her office and into a noisy corridor. “I picked up some exceptional stone crab claws this morning.”

Natalia wanted to decline. Two nights in a row at Sam’s place was too much. It was absolutely the wrong message. She had to decline. For herself. For Sam. But she was responding before she knew it. “I have a nice bottle of Albariño. I’ll bring it.”

She hung up before she could say anything else humiliating and picked up her office phone. Moments later, Adriana and Lola were sitting across from her desk.

Natalia folded her hands on the desk. “I’m bringing you in on a new client together. A high priority case.” She slid a file across to them. “This is Dr. Samantha Reyes. She just signed a major film deal, but the contract negotiations are ongoing. I need you to make sure she gets everything she demanded upfront — primarily full creative control.”

Adriana flipped through the file, surprise flickering across her face. Lola remained impassive.

“Full creative control on a big studio film?” Adriana shook her head. “That’s nearly impossible.”

“Nearly,” Natalia allowed. “Dr. Reyes is... formidable in negotiating for what she wants. But she needs sharp legal counsel monitoring the process.” Her gaze landed on Lola. “That’s where you both come in. I’m bringing in Louise Silver — she’s as tenacious as they come. You’ll work closely with her.”

Lola nodded, ever eager to be entrusted with an assignment. “We’ll make sure Dr. Reyes’ vision is protected.”

Natalia exhaled. Louise’s reputation was sterling; with Lola’s intensity and Adriana’s caution, she was sure they could safeguard Sam’s interests.

“This is a test of sorts,” Natalia continued, steepling her fingers. “Prove you can secure the client’s demands, and further opportunities will follow.” She met each of their gazes in turn. “I trust you won’t disappoint me.”

Adriana sat straighter. Lola’s eyes flashed. They wouldn’t let her down.

“My involvement ends here.” Natalia kept her tone neutral despite the anxiety twisting her gut. “You report only to the client. I don’t want updates, I don’t want questions. You handle this yourselves. Understood?”

They both nodded. Natalia could see the curiosity in their expressions, but they knew better than to pry.

She handed Lola the client contact info. “Get Ms. Silver onboard and get to work. Dr. Reyes is eager to move forward.”

After they left, Natalia sagged back in her chair. She had done what she could to protect Sam’s interests from a distance. Her work here was frustratingly finished.

CHAPTER 43

Music blaring, Sam danced around her kitchen while she prepared dinner. The stone crabs were on ice and her lemon infused butter was melting on the stove.

Wiping her hands on a towel, she smiled to herself. She was excited for Natalia to arrive, nervous flutters stirring in her stomach. Things had grown deeper between them so quickly it was hard to keep her heels firmly under her head.

She understood how hard Natalia was trying, in her own guarded way, to open up and let Sam in. Sam could see the discomfort in her eyes when she shared something vulnerable about her past or allowed a tender gesture. But Natalia did it anyway, pushing past her limits for Sam.

Every sliver of herself that Natalia showed only made Sam want to know more. See more. The wanting felt dangerous, but risk was no deterrent. She wanted to stare right up at the sun to understand how it worked. Fried retinas be damned.

Just thinking about Natalia made her heart skip, leap, and trip over itself. She was in high school again, but this time, her unbearable crush was reciprocated. Maybe reciprocated. No, no, definitely reciprocated. Probably.

She jumped when a knock sounded at the front door right on time. Smoothing her button-down shirt, Sam strode over and swung open the door.

Natalia stood on the front step, wine bottle in one hand, and a burnt orange Birkin bag in the other. In tailored black pants and a sleeveless blouse, Natalia was effortlessly elegant. Her dark hair tumbled over one shoulder in gentle waves.

“Hey,” Sam said, lips curving into an automatic smile. Her chest fluttered at the sight of Natalia’s soft expression. Her luminous brown eyes were open and nearly unguarded.

“As promised, I come bearing gifts.” Natalia replied, lifting the chilled wine bottle.

Sam stepped back so she could enter. As Natalia brushed by, Sam caught a hint of her perfume — warm, spicy, utterly intoxicating. She had it bad and couldn’t find the will to care.

Floating into the kitchen, Natalia regarded the metal bucket filled with tiny ice cubes serving as the traditional bed for stone crab claws. She made a gesture Sam chose to interpret as approval, before setting the bottle on the poured cement counter.

“Where’s your opener?” Natalia asked.

Sam pulled the simple corkscrew out of a drawer and reached for the bottle. “I don’t want you to have to do manual labor. I’m sure a choir of cherubs descends from the heavens to open your bottles.”