Page 7 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Five

Baylyn.

The next morning, I woke up determined to put Emir out of my head.

I was going to have a normal day. Go to work, handle clients, and not think about the man who had invited himself into my life like it was his right.

He has the right because your crazy ass keeps entertaining him…

By the time I stepped out of the shower, I was already mentally going through my schedule for the day. The warmth of the water had loosened the tension in my shoulders, but deep down, I knew the feeling wouldn’t last.

He was still there, lingering in my thoughts, in the way my body reacted to the memory of his presence. He was too sexy for his own good and mine.

I pushed it away and headed to my closet. I pulled on a fitted sweater that hugged my chest, paired with boyfriend jeans and heels. Simple but polished. I twisted my hair loosely behind my head and secured it with a clip.

My makeup was minimal, natural, just enough to enhance without drawing too much attention and I added gold hoops, small and classy, before I grabbed my bag, feeling ready for the day.

When I made it to the parking lot, I grinned at my baby.

I worked hard for my success which was why I didn’t mind indulging in one luxury, my car, a brand new Lexus, fully loaded.

It was an expensive investment, but one I earned.

A silent reminder to myself every time I slid into the driver’s seat that I was good at what I did.

I worked for this. I deserved it but when I reached my car that smile was wiped off my face at what was waiting for me.

A bouquet of black roses sat on my windshield, a huge contrast against the silver paint of my car.

My eyes rolled hard as hell because I didn’t have to guess how they got here.

Emir.

I blushed at how beautiful they were. There was no way I should feel at ease knowing a man like him was watching me and my pulse damn sure shouldn’t have quickened with attraction.

But I did.

I approached cautiously, with eyes darting around the parking lot, looking for him, but I already knew he wasn’t here.

I picked up the bouquet, letting my fingers brush against the silky petals before I inhaled deeply.

They smelled fragrant and sweet which made sense because I recognized the red wax seal on the craft paper.

Perfect Pick. He spent a lot on these. A small white card was tucked between the stems which I removed and flipped open.

Have an amazing day, beautiful.

I smiled big as hell before I caught myself. I shook my head because again, what the fuck was I doing? I slid into the driver’s seat, carefully placing the roses on the passenger side.

I had no business entertaining this insanity but I also wasn’t throwing them away. By the time I made it to work, I had pushed Emir and his damn flowers to the back of my mind and stepped into the office ready to tackle my day. The first person I noticed was Cami.

“Morning,” she stating from across the room, balancing a clipboard in one hand and a coffee in the other. “You’re cute today. What’s the occasion?”

She followed me into my office waiting while I dropped my bag onto my desk to get situated.

“It’s called having my life together. You should try it sometime,” I teased

“Now why the hell would I do that. I thrive by waking up everyday and choosing violence.” She grinned and pointed to my desk. “And roses. Pretty. You shouldn’t have.”

“I didn’t, you’re not my type, boo.”

“You’re cute for the denial but I’m definitely your type. I’m everyone’s type.” She smiled arrogantly. “Tae wants you to follow up with the Collins event. The client keeps changing her mind about the floral arrangements.”

I sighed. “Of course she does. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, I have to go. Doing supply inventory. Oh the joy of counting tablecloths and glass vases,” she sang and walked off.

I pulled up my schedule, finding the note Tae left me. The Collins event was a high-profile engagement party. The bride-to-be had expensive taste and zero decisiveness.

I dialed her number and waited.

"Baylyn! I’m so glad you called." Madeline Collins greeted me in her typical overly dramatic way.

I settled into my chair. “Morning, Madeline. I saw your latest request about the floral changes. You want to swap out the white orchids for roses?”

I released a sigh.

“Yes… but I’m second guessing it. I want something elegant, but also dramatic. Something that makes a statement.”

I resisted the urge to curse and rubbed my temples. “Well, we can always mix the two, incorporating the orchids for height and the roses for fullness.”

She squealed. “Oh, Baylyn, you’re brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Because I’m the professional and you’re not.

“Glad you like it,” I said smoothly. “I’ll confirm with the florist and send you a finalized vision board and price change by the end of the day.”

That meant I would have to spend my afternoon at Perfect Pick because there was no way to get them flown in without blowing her budget.

“You’re a lifesaver! I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I damn sure know what I would do without you…

She would change her mind again by tomorrow, but for now, it was handled. After finishing my call, I pulled up my camera app and snapped a quick photo of the roses to place on my page and story.

I decided to keep the caption simple and allusive.

Unexpected, but beautiful.

I posted it before I could overthink the decision, then set my phone down and got to work. It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that I checked my notifications because I needed to know if he had seen the post and my stomach flipped and tensed. A smile spread across my face.

A like and a comment from the same mystery follower.

@BLKVOID: Always expect the unexpected.

I clicked onto his profile and went to his page.

Nothing new but this time something caught my eye about one of them.

On the tattooed hand resting against a steering wheel one stood out.

A black rose that I noticed when he was sitting across from me holding his beer at Rockin Ramen.

My stomach tensed. I didn’t need confirmation by way of that cocky smile or his handsome face. The tattoos were a dead giveaway.

I knew it.

Emir.

I locked my phone because he was already too deep in my head and I wasn’t sure I wanted him out.

A rich, floral scent filled the air with hints of rose and lavender from the fresh blooms stacked in neat, color-coordinated arrangements while I walked through Perfect Pick.

It was the most exclusive flower shop in the city where the wealthy Crescent Falls elite sent their assistants to spend shit loads of money on bouquets for the people they loved.

I had been here enough times to know my way around, but today, I was distracted, scrolling through my phone, checking a list of floral options while balancing a call with Rachelle.

There was also the memory of the black roses tugging at my brain which came from this very shop and were currently on my desk.

That had me grinning more than necessary.

“So you’re saying she wants flowers imported from Japan so that she has something ‘not too common’?” Rachelle’s voice was laced with amusement. “The people you work with are exhausting.”

I sighed, trailing my fingers over a cluster of soft petals. “Pretty much and they are. The florist says they can get them in, but they’ll have to be expressed shipped. They’re also coming from California and not Japan but I’m not telling her that.”

I smirked. If the client wanted to think the flowers were more exclusive as an import, that was fine but they were the same damn thing that I could get stateside, just at a better price.

“It’s not like she would know?”

“She damn sure wouldn’t.” I adjusted my AirPod while weaving through the displays with my eyes still on my screen. “I swear, I love my job, but some of these requests make me want to chop these damn people in the?—”

I turned a corner, not watching where I was going, and walked straight into a solid, warm chest. Large tattooed hands gripped my waist, steadying me, and a clean spicy scent and something unmistakably familiar wrapped around me before I could process the collision.

I knew that scent. I knew those hands and I damn sure knew that presence. I lifted my head and everything settled.

His grip lingered for a second longer than necessary with his fingers flexing lightly against my waist before he released me. A smirk was already in place, arrogant and entirely too sexy.

“Careful, beautiful. Running into me might become a dangerous habit for you.”

My brain was still playing catch-up, cataloging the way he looked this close to me in a confined space.

Jeans, a fitted black T-shirt that stretched over his broad shoulders, and that ever-present Cuban link chain sitting against the smooth, rich, brown of his skin.

His cut was fresh and beard was moisturized.

This man was too fucking handsome for his own good and what made things worse was he knew it. I groaned internally for being temporarily stuck on stupid and brought the focus back to my phone, only half-aware that Rachelle was still talking.

“Baylyn? You good?”

I narrowed my eyes which were still locked on the man who had invaded my space like he belonged there and frowned.

“I’ll call you back,” I muttered before hanging up.

“You’re officially stalking me,” I said, slipping my phone into my purse.

He laughed lightly. “You’re the one who walked into me, Baylyn. Should I be worried?”

“Please. You shouldn’t even be here and I’m pretty sure you purposely got in my way.”

He locked his arms over his chest, as if completely unbothered, and it brought my attention to how nicely defined they were. “Can’t help it if fate keeps bringing me to your pretty ass.”

I arched a brow. “Fate or you ?”

His grin deepened. “So I can’t just be here buying flowers. I gotta be stalking you?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, narrowing my eyes. “Yes.”