Except for Chris.
The image of him popped into her mind, making her sweat even harder. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. How could she look him in the eye after what she’d imagined him doing with her? In fact, she’d had another too-vivid dream about him again last night—Chris lying beneath her, those cerulean eyes locked on her face, the dark skin of her hands roaming over the colors of his chest as she slid up and down his—
“Phantom Studios, how can I help you?” A voice crackled through the speaker just above the buzzer, and Minh nearly dropped her violin case. That could have been an expensive disaster.
Stop thinking about him!
She craned her neck forward to reach the speaker. “Yes, h-hi. I’m Minh Jackson. I’m supposed to see Chris?”
Ugh. She’d been so turned around, thinking about him, that she’d come across as less than confident. She could hear her father’s voice in her mind, reprimanding her. Say it like you mean it. That was one of his favorite things to say to her and Kieu when they were growing up. That, and Stand tall. Show up on time. Be respectable.
“Oh, right. I’ll come down and let you in,” the voice replied, and then the speaker went silent.
Well. That was that. She couldn’t back out now, even though she still couldn’t believe she’d actually come here today.
She almost hadn’t, after she’d spoken to her parents again yesterday—at the expected time. Mom had gone on about how important it was to find a position with a solid, established company, and Dad had told her how smart she was for working at the dentist’s office part-time, since it was better to be able to pay the bills and have her music career develop a little more slowly than to be a starving artist.
But then Gali had bounded in, right after she’d hung up with them, and insisted that This is your chance to have the career you want. When Minh had tried to protest that Phantom Studios was an infant company without a single completed film to its name, so it wasn’t what she truly wanted, Gali had scoffed. And playing Mendelssohn’s Wedding March a billion times a year for bridezillas is?
Minh had admitted that Gali had a point.
But there was something else that had made her get up this morning and put on her nicest outfit—her symphony outfit—to go to Phantom Studios. White button down shirt, black skirt, stockings, heels…armor against Chris and the way he made her feel.
Damn it, she was just too attracted to him.
The door swung open with a loud screech. A tall, model-beautiful, muscled Asian guy with hair dyed bright green stood on the other side of the threshold.
“Minh?”
She nodded, trying not to stare at his hair. Like Chris’s tattoos and wardrobe, this guy’s hair was definitely unconventional. But despite his good looks, she didn’t find him unnervingly sexy, like she found Chris.
“Cool. I’m Shen. Chris isn’t here yet, but he said to get you settled. This way.” He moved back and gestured for her to come inside. As soon as she stepped into the building, she gasped in surprise.
Based on what Chris had said, about not being able to afford to pay her much, she hadn’t been expecting Phantom Studios to have such an elaborate setup. Along one wall of the big, open space, there was an enormous screen. Below that were set up a few big desks with several computers on each one, and a wraparound counter on the far wall with a gleaming, state-of-the-art—
“Is that an espresso machine?” Minh blinked. It had to be the size of a small car.
“Yep. You’ll meet Luis in a bit. He’s one of the best technical directors in the business. Chris had to lure him away from his old company with that machine.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” Shen shut the door behind them and pointed toward a metal staircase just to the left of the entrance. “If you want, I’m happy to make you one while we wait for the rest of the crew. Vinnie is here but Luis and Chris are always late.”
Show up on time!
Why was she not surprised that Chris hadn’t seemed to have learned that rule? He was so brash, so rude. How could he own his own business and actually be surviving?
“I’m good, but thanks. I’d actually love to hear about the project, if you don’t mind.”
For a second, Shen looked like he was going to say no, but then he nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can give you some background. You’ll need to sign an NDA first, though.”
She was surprised that Chris had bothered to put one together. He didn’t seem like the type for process. Maybe Shen was the one in charge of keeping things in order. Either way, she had no intention of sharing any secrets. It would go against all the convictions she’d been raised with. “Yes, of course.”