Page 10 of Thiago (Family Ties #6)

Chapter Ten

I ndia walked into the break room and placed two boxes of macaroons on the counter. About once a month, she stopped at a French bakery on the way to work and picked up the treats, leaving them in the break room for staff to enjoy.

As she was walking out, one of the admins walked in and spotted the pink boxes. “It’s gonna be a great day,” she sang, dancing over to the counter.

“Don’t eat them all, LaNelle. Save some for the rest of the staff.”

LaNelle shot her a look. “I’m not making any promises.”

Laughing and shaking her head, India continued to her office. She had a lot of work to do, so she dove in right away. At nine-twenty-eight, her phone rang, and she saw Thiago’s executive assistant was calling.

“Good morning, Ms. Monroe. Mr. Santana would like to see you in his office at eleven to review the cost-per-click reports for the retail stores campaign,” he said.

India stifled a sigh. It wasn’t his fault Thiago didn’t understand the need for advanced notice.

“Sure, Amir. I’ll be there at eleven,” she said, which meant she had an hour and a half to prepare.

“Thank you. I’ll let him know.”

India placed her desk phone in its cradle and rolled her shoulders.

She wasn’t feeling particularly well. Her joints were rather stiff and achy today.

Thiago’s request for those numbers, in addition to everything else she had to do, was the last thing she wanted to deal with, but she didn’t have a choice.

“That’s why I get paid the big bucks,” she muttered. It was her own fault for suggesting they touch base on Monday.

She tapped two tablets of painkillers in her palm and swallowed them down with a few sips of Fiji water.

Then she called Beth Ann and asked her to print the data along with colored graphs and a short summary for her review.

When she finished the conversation, she made a video call to her counterpart in Asia, and they spent an hour bouncing ideas off each other.

The commercials they were showing weren’t resonating in Japan, so they discussed alternatives and sketched out ideas for future marketing promotions.

By the time she finished the conversation, it was almost time to meet with Thiago. She pushed away from her desk and stepped into the hall, almost bumping into Beth Ann as she did so.

“You have those figures?” India extended her hand.

“I do.” Beth Ann handed them over. “They look great.”

India bent her head over the documents and retreated into her office.

“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Beth Ann asked.

India lifted her head. “No, this is all I need. You’re right, the ROI is impressive. The cost-per-click price is low, and the conversion rate is higher than expected. Thank you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sitting on the edge of her desk, she flipped through the material, familiarizing herself with the figures before she went into Thiago’s office. She knew he’d start drilling her with questions and expect an answer.

When she felt prepared, she checked the time.

“Shoot,” she muttered. The last ten minutes flew by. She was running late.

She rushed from her office to the other end of the building where he was located. In the center of the floor were support staff in cubicles. Some nodded and smiled as she passed by, and she returned the greeting, though she didn’t have time to stop and socialize.

She breezed past his assistant, Amir, who barely acknowledged her as she went by. At the door, she knocked and then pushed her way in.

Thiago was standing at the window, staring out at the view. He turned around when she entered, and she walked across to him, very aware of his commanding presence. Despite her annoyance at him, she couldn’t help but notice how amazing he looked today in a charcoal three-piece suit.

She especially liked him in three-piece suits.

Something about the fit turned her on. His tie was perfectly knotted, and the cut was razor-sharp, tailored to his broad shoulders and muscular frame with almost unfair precision.

The vest hugged his torso like it had been stitched onto him, emphasizing the flatness of his stomach, while the jacket added timeless elegance.

India’s throat went dry. He always radiated power, but in this suit—basically lethal corporate armor—he exuded authority.

She wanted to stay annoyed at him but hadn’t had her usual Friday night fix, so her body was already betraying her, her nipples tightening at the sight of his sensual lips and big hands.

She physically ached, with a hunger that couldn’t be satisfied until the next Friday night they met up. Dammit, but she’d already committed to seeing Simon.

“I have the numbers from the CPC campaign,” she said, keeping her voice cool though her body was heating up.

“Thank you.” Thiago took the blue folder and then sat behind his desk.

India awaited his response. He didn’t have any guest chairs, so she stood quietly in front of his desk while he flipped through the pages.

After a few minutes, he asked, “This is everything?”

“Yes.”

He continued flipping through the sheets, a fine line creasing his brow. “How was your weekend?”

The question took her by surprise. She had expected him to ask about the campaign, so she didn’t respond, which prompted him to lift his gaze and look at her in a questioning way.

“Oh, um, I had a good weekend. Thank you. How was yours?”

“Fine.” He returned his attention to the pages.

“Monica’s engagement party went well?”

“Yes. A lot of people were there, of course—friends and family. Plenty of food, and my father made a very nice toast for her and her fiancé.”

She hadn’t seen Mr. Santana much since Thiago took over. He had taken on a consulting role with the company, so he rarely came to the office. She missed his presence.

“Afterward, the party continued at the club Andre, my future brother-in-law, owns.”

“You like to dance, so I’m guessing you went?”

“No. I went home after the toast.”

“You had an early night?” India asked.

“Not exactly, but I didn’t go out partying with the rest of them.”

The office fell silent again as he continued to review the papers.

“What did you do on Friday night?”

“I went out to dinner,” India answered, suddenly uncomfortable, as if she had done something wrong by going out with Simon.

“So I understand from your text. Alone?”

They didn’t have an exclusive relationship, but she wasn’t exactly sure how in the world to answer his question. Would he have a problem with her seeing another man?

“No.”

Thiago continued to look at the pages, but she had the distinct impression he was paying very close attention to her answers. He lifted his gaze, his dark eyes boring into her, almost demanding she divulge everything from this weekend.

“Who did you go out with?” he asked.

The conversation had officially become intrusive. Never before had they drilled each other on what they had done when they were apart.

“A friend,” she replied.

She didn’t lower her gaze, boldly looking at him in an unflinching way.

He gave her a long, thoughtful look. “A friend. Was it Kiara?”

“No.”

Thiago lifted his right eyebrow in an inquisitive way. “Does your friend have a name, India?”

“Why are you asking about my plans from Friday night?” she countered.

He gave an elegant shrug. “I’m curious.”

“I went out with a friend. No one you know. Do you have questions about those numbers? We chose to compute five-year projections, but we could look further into the future if you prefer.”

He stared at her, and it took all her willpower not to look away. She clenched the fingers of one hand into a fist behind her back to combat the urge.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were avoiding answering the question,” Thiago said. He sounded pleasant enough, but she knew him well and saw tension in the way he held his body perfectly still.

“Why would I avoid answering the question?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Thiago, you went to an engagement party, and I went out to dinner with a friend. I’m not asking you specifically what you did on Friday night. I’m sure you had a great time with your family, and I had a great time at dinner. Was there anything else you needed?”

“No.”

“Good,” India said with immense relief. “I have work to do. If you have additional questions, you know where to find me.” She turned on her heel and headed to the door.

“I’ll see you on Friday?”

India paused and took a deep breath. Why did she feel as if she was doing something wrong? She wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Slowly she turned to face Thiago. “Actually, I need to cancel this Friday night.”

“Do you have plans again… with your friend?” he drawled.

He had probably guessed she had been with another man, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it. If he wanted to know, he’d have to ask her outright.

“Yes, I do. So, maybe next week?”

“Maybe,” he said in a tight voice, an inscrutable expression on his face. “If I don’t have plans.”

His response set her teeth on edge, and she fake-smiled at him. “I guess we’ll see when the time comes.”

India marched out the door, feeling his dark gaze on her the entire time.

In the hallway, she was able to breathe easier but was unsure of what had just occurred.

Their relationship was changing. She supposed the change was partly her fault.

Since the last time they slept together, her view on life had gone through a monumental shift, and perhaps Thiago was picking up on the difference in her.

Nonetheless, she was certain she had made the right decision. Though they had sizzling chemistry, she and Thiago were not in a committed relationship. They weren’t in a relationship at all, and she needed to keep her options open.