The Secrets of Their Souls by Brooke Sivendra

emotions out of it because he’d witnessed her do it at MIRROR. Something happened in the elevator on the way up, something very strange. When she’d looked up at him, she gasped like she’d seen a ghost. Her skin went pale and clammy and she kept looking around like she expected to see something, or someone. For a moment he thought he would have to take her home, but she recovered quickly. Yes, Zahra was extremely good at hiding her emotions. He still didn’t know what to make of that freak-out and despite turning it over in his mind all night, no reasonable explanation came to him.
    There was also one other major issue to consider when it came to Zahra, and that was his father. Mr. Tohmatsu Senior was going to be very displeased with this new development in Jayce’s life and it would cause him to doubt Jayce’s commitment to Mason Corp. Jayce knew this and the consequences of it but even still, for some unexplainable reason, Jayce couldn’t leave Zahra alone. He had hoped that their date might give him some clues as to why she had the effect on him that she did, but he had once again come up empty handed.
    One thing that their date did reveal, though, was that she drove him wild. Not touching her at MIRROR disclosed a level of self-control he didn’t even realize he possessed, and he was thankful for the wine glass that kept his hands occupied and in his lap. She wasn’t unaffected by him either, which pleased him immensely. Her body reacted every time he touched her and he knew that sex with her would be electric. He was hard just thinking about her, but when he looked at his alarm clock, he knew he couldn’t lie in bed and fantasize about her any longer—he had a business to run.
    Jayce stepped into the shower. Water gullied from the ceiling and he angled his head up, letting the warm droplets smash into his face. The thundering noise deprived his senses, proving a short escape from his mind. I could stay here all day , he thought, but only a minute later turned off the shower and stepped onto the warm bathroom tiles. He wrapped the dark gray towel around his waist and patted the shaving cream onto his skin. The cold, hard blade ran over his skin, his hands well practiced—not a single nick.
    *
    His breakfast, purchased from the Mason café, had all the qualities of a future cholesterol-induced heart attack. He had always eaten a clean Japanese diet, even when living in London, but since being in New York, he had become slack and rationalized his daily espresso paired with a bacon-and-egg muffin for breakfast with the excuse of convenience. Jayce vowed in that moment that it would be his last one, and tomorrow he would clean up his diet. If he was going to accomplish all of his goals, he would need a healthy, nutrient fueled body. He thanked the woman behind the counter and then, juggling his coffee, the brown bag and his briefcase, he headed for the elevators.
    Six paces ahead of him, and also headed for the elevators, was Joshua Anderson, head of finance, and just the man he wanted to see.
    “Josh,” Jayce called out.
    The man turned on his heels when he heard his voice. “We’re almost done,” he said, preempting the conversation.
    Jayce smiled. It was a good start to his day. A full, detailed audit was a time consuming and therefore expensive task but one Jayce deemed necessary if he was going to restructure the company. “That makes me very happy to hear. How are we looking?”
    Josh spoke slowly, seeming to choose his words carefully. “I think there are some areas in particular that you will want to review more closely.” He tucked his hands into his jeans, as if that might end the conversation. Saturdays were casual days at the Mason office, but Jayce couldn’t bring himself to wear anything but a suit to work; it just didn’t feel right otherwise.
    She walked into his peripheral vision and his eyes flickered to her. Zahra must have seen him standing in the center of the lobby and he wished he