Deal & Desire

[3] Lucifer

Time flies as we indulge ourselves in the work and discuss our opinions.

I hear my phone ring and John's name displayed on it. I answer the call.

"Ms. Blakely, they are here." I hear him say and hum as I end the call.

"It's time. Let's go." I say, Aaron nods and makes his way towards the door.

"After you, milady." He mimics in a fake British accent as he holds the door open for me and I roll my eyes at his behavior.

We make our way to the elevator and reach the second floor in no time.

I halt in my steps and look for John but I watch him come my way from the meeting room.

"Everyone has arrived, Ms. Blakely. They are waiting for you and Mr. Kingsley." I nod as we walk towards the meeting room.

I look towards Aaron and nod at him before I open the door and enter.

"Good morning, everyone." I smile and look at all the people in the room. I hear them mutter the replies but find no enthusiasm. I survey the room and walk towards Mr. Anderson. He gets up from the chair and smiles at me. His face displays wrinkles when he smiles at me and his blue eyes crinkle. He is sure aged like a fine wine.

"Good morning, Lana. How are you?" I hear him ask when I reach forward to shake my hand with him. This man right here has a firm grip and is one of the many qualities that I admire.

"I'm fine, Mr. Anderson. Thank you for asking. How are you?" I revert.

"Same old, same old." He waves me off.

"And how many times do I have to tell you to call me David. I'm not that old." He narrows his eyes at me playfully and I chuckle and shake my head.

"Of course, David. Let's begin, shall we?" I seek his permission.

"Oh yeah. Let's just wait for a couple of minutes. Mr. Santiago hasn't arrived yet. He told me he is stuck in the traffic." He responds.

"Stuck? He should have started early if he wanted to reach on time. Time is money, David, and I don't think we should wait and waste ours." I retort.

"Of course, it is Ms. Blakely." I hear a deep voice echoing and the door shut behind him. My breathing quickens and I know it is him.

I slowly turn and notice the man entering the room. His chin held high and no remorse of reaching late to the venue. His brown hair neatly slicked back, his eyes dark like a night sky held all the secrets that no one knew but him and they did a phenomenal job in concealing them away from the world. His nose was a little crooked, displays all the notorious things that he might have been a part of. His full lips set firm. He wore a navy suit that accentuated his muscles and a white shirt underneath that fit on his broad shoulders and narrows as it reaches his waist. I look down to assess his long legs as he makes his way forward.

I feel his eyes take a glance towards me just for a moment and notice his smirk. I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply.

Fuck.

I got caught checking him out.

Way to go Lana.

"I didn't intend to keep you'll waiting, David." I hear his deep velvety voice explain.

"Come on, my boy. We were just getting started. Isn't it, Lana?" I feel David's eyes on me and I take a look at my watch.

"Yes, David. We would have started 5 minutes early if certain somebody didn't arrive late." I hear him chuckle when I squint my eyes at him.

"Hello, Lana. It's nice to see you." He extends his hand towards me which I ignore.

"Let's keep formalities for later and begin. And one more thing, It's Ms. Blakely for you." I bump my shoulder into his and move towards my chair. As I walked, I caught a whiff of his cologne-like wood.

Damn.

"Of course, Ms. Blakely." I hear him taunt but I ignore him.

Shortly, John welcomes everybody and we get started as K7 Enterprises comes up and gives their presentation. I feel the tension in the air since it's not just a deal of a couple of dollars. It is a 200-million-dollar deal.

David Anderson, a famous hotelier, worked his entire life to achieve what he has today, now wants to retire and build his wife a resort where they can spend their time away from the hassle. He owns 500 acres of land away from the city and wants to have a peaceful environment where they can relax and have family time. He wants the resort to be ready by his 60th anniversary which is in 6 months.

I honestly zone out of the conversation when I hear the employee of K7 say that they would cut down all the trees to build the resort. Boy, what part of a peaceful environment did you not understand? Nature is peaceful and Mrs. Anderson is a nemophilist. She would be horrified to even hear that. Do your research before you begin, Kid. Good luck with the deal.

I rotate my pen in my hand and pretend to listen. I somehow feel eyes on me and look in that direction. I notice dark eyes watching me with so much intensity that it makes me want to shudder but as soon our eyes meet, he winks and averts his eyes.

The audacity.

I look forward and notice the presentation has ended and it is time for the Santiago group of companies to present. I straighten myself in the chair as the devil himself makes his way forward.

All the worst to you, my friend.

Defeat is yours.