His Naughty Lessons

** Eli **

The expectant curiosity on Harper’s face was dazzling. For a moment, Eli simply stared, forgetting to answer her question.

She was gorgeous today. Breathtakingly so. He had been transfixed ever since she stepped through those glass doors to the terrace, just as the evening sunlight fell at an angle onto her delicate frame. It was enchanting, the way her eyes gleamed when she took in the scenery in front of her, the way her lips parted ever so slightly in a silent gasp of awe. Not to mention how beautifully that new dress fit her, the soft ivory lending her skin a silky, flawless glow. Eli had to try hard not to keep his gaze locked on her for too long, as if he was ogling ... like he probably appeared to be doing right now.

But it was so difficult to look away, especially when she had that waiting smile on her face.

Eli had seen a fair share of attractive women in his life. Probably more than a fair share. But after all these years, Harper still struck him as completely different from everyone else. It probably had something to do with that genuine air of hers, the way that whenever she smiled or laughed or simply looked at him curiously, she meant it. She was always so unpretentious, so ... real.

Unlike him. Unlike most people who were a part of the life that he was used to.

"Eli?" Harper’s voice snapped him back from the meandering thoughts. He realized belatedly — embarrassingly — that he was still staring.

"Um, right." They were talking about the venture project. "It will take a couple of weeks for the contract to finalize, of course. We’re currently going through all the legal side of things. Once that’s done, it will be time to discuss the project scopes and schedules. Since this is the first partnership between our companies, the discussions will likely take quite a while and involve extended meetings between members of both teams ..."

He was speaking a bit fast and borderline rambling about irrelevant details. Ugh. What was this about acting out of his own character every time Harper was around? "Anyway. What I’m trying to say, is that we’ll need to get everyone together more easily than having to travel back and forth between offices, or doing the whole thing over zoom."

Harper nodded in agreement. "A satellite office could do," she suggested with a half-joking grin. "Or you can just make yourself at home in one of our spare conference rooms. Can you imagine that — I’ll actually see you every day at work!"

Hmm. Eli knew she was only kidding, but he filed away that thought for later consideration anyway. Seeing her every day at work did sound like a tempting perk. Though— "It gets better than that," he chuckled. "The current plan is something that’s both utilitarian and entertaining."

Harper tilted her head, clearly intrigued.