Spinning scandal is what Sahr Youssef does best. When Zain Hashemi's father hires her to fix his playboy son's image, that's all he's supposed to be: another troubled client. That is, until the friction between them shifts - into chemistry.
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Zain Hashemi had good taste.
As much as it pained Sahr to admit it, it was true.
As she stood in the middle of the living room in his large Fifth Avenue apartment, all she could do was stare in awe at the collection of books he'd amassed.
Floor to ceiling bookshelves covered the entirety of one wall, the shelves packed with volume after volume, reaching so high that there was a ladder to access some of them.
Is that a first edition Great Gatsby?
She couldn't believe it.
She knew from her research that he was a literature major, but she'd figured it was just something he'd picked and gone with so he could show his father he had a degree. She never would've guessed it was something he was actually passionate about.
I misjudged him.
The realization hit Sahr square in the chest, and she felt the guilt creep in. Perhaps she'd been too quick to paint a bad picture of him in her head.
What else don't I know?
She walked over to the nearest shelf, her fingers skimming over the spines as she read the various titles.
1984, A Brave New World, Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities, The Count of Monte Crisco.
He's got a thing for the classics. That's kinda cute.
Her hand froze when her eyes landed upon one particular title.
No way. NO FREAKING WAY.
"Found something you like?"
Sahr spun around to see Zain standing a few feet behind her, freshly showered and dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, a grin on his face.
"This," she said, brandishing the book "is a first edition Pride and Prejudice. I've been trying to get a copy of this for ages. Where'd you get it?"
Zain chuckled. "A rare book auction in London a few years ago. Take a look at the inside cover."
Sahr flipped the book open.
"Oh my god!" she squealed. "Oh. My. God. No. No way. No way, no way, no way. This can't be real. How? How???"
Zain laughed. "Oh it's real alright, and I've got the paperwork to prove it."
"This is a signed copy!" Sahr exclaimed. "Jane freaking Austen herself signed this!"
"Yes," Zain said, coming over and gently taking the book out of her hands "and its very fragile too, so we have to be careful about how we handle it."
"Oh, sorry." Sahr said sheepishly. "I guess I uh, got a little excited there."
"It's ok." Zain said softly. "It's just that these books......mean a lot to me. That's all"
