Bro-mance 101 by Chanta Rand Read Free Book Online

interrupt,” Marji announced, “but you have a visitor.”
    “ Damn, ” Zhané stood and cursed under her breath .  “ Is the client here already? He’s early.”
    “ Nope. ”  Marji shook her head, causing her long, blonde ponytail to sway in response .  “ This visitor doesn’t lo ok like any client we ever had.”
    Marji left the room , and Zhané look ed up to see a handsome, Hispanic man stroll into her office.  Within the few seconds it took for Zhané to scan the man’s deeply tanned skin, jet-black hair, and tailored gray suit, he’d crossed the short distance from the door to her desk and extended his hand.
    “ Ramon Aiello,” he smiled, flashing what had to be thirty-two pearly white teeth.  “It’s a p leasure to finally meet you.   I heard you got sidetracked looking for me a few weeks ago .”
    Zhané ’s h eart ping ponged as she locked eyes with the man .  No doubt, he was here to tell her to keep her nose out of KLUV’s business.  She steeled herself for a fight as she accepted his firm handshake .  “To what do I owe this honor, Mr. Aiello?  And how on earth did you know where to find me?”
    “ Zhané Williams is quite a unique name.  Go to any search engine and you’ll find that name attached to one of the n ew rising female stars in the oi l and g as industry.  I decided that a ny woman who is tough enough to melt Devlin’s cold exterior is a woman I ha d to meet.”
    Immediately, she realized Ramon knew what had transpired in the elevator with Devlin.  She smirked.  “I guess Devlin Hart never heard of don’ t kiss and tell ?”
    “ Well, you did more than kiss! ”  Ramon kept his alta r - boy smile in place, which helped soften the blow of his words.  “ Of course, a ny man would brag about that.  And as beautiful as you are,” he added , “I can’t say I blame Devlin one bit .”
    She shot him what she hoped would be a look of reproach.  “ My business with KLUV studios is concluded , Mr. Aiello.”
    “Or so you thought ,” he answered slyly .
    Zhané pulled her blazer over the sleeveless designer wrap dress she wore .  “ I have a meeting to attend , so if you don’t mind…”
    Instead of retreating, Ramon i nvited himself to sit down , easing his long limbs into a chocolate colored leather chair near her desk .  He crossed one slender ankle over the opposite knee.  “It see ms you made quite an impression on Dev. ”
    She folded her arms across her chest.  “ H e must not be easily impressed.”
    Ramon’s deep chuckle echoed throughout the room.  “I c an see w hy he’s so enthralled with you.”
    “ Yea h, meaningless sex will do that.”
    Ramon’s smile faded .  “Dev doesn’t think your encou nter was so meaningless. In fact, he’s taken a lot of what you said to heart.”
    “Good.”
    “ Bad ,” Ramon corrected.  “ You’ve got his thinking off-kilter.  After one conversation with you, he’s losing his edge.”   His green eyes quietly studied her.  “ That edge is what makes our show successful.”
    Zhané picked up the visual aids for her presentation from her desk, and a dded her iPad to the top of the s tack.  “ As I said earlier, I’m t r y ing to prepare for a meeting.  Give my regards to Dev. And tell him to keep his mouth shut about us . ”
    She prepared to make a dramatic sweep past him, but Ramon stood and blocked her path.  “ Why do n’t you tell him yourself? ”
    “Aren’t you his boss?”
    “ Devlin is his own boss.  And y ou’re one of the few people he’s listened to.  From what I heard, you didn’t back down.  You gave as good as you got and you d id n’ t take his crap .  I think he called you an independent woman who had her shit to gether . ”  
    Zhané bit back a smile at that remark. 
    “ I tend to agree with him ,” Ramon offered.  “ I have a proposal I think you’ll appreciate. ”
    “ The only proposal I wanted didn’t happen –thanks to Dev. ”   She