Billionaire Rivals

Part 4

Throughout the entirety of the meeting her aqua blue eyes never made eye contact with me once. She glanced in my direction a few times but not once did she look into my eyes. After the meeting ended, she greeted everyone farewell. I told Carter my CFO and my personal assistant that I would be staying back. When everyone had left, Anastasia turned around with her hands crossed and the look of utter contempt on her face.

" Mr. Kingston, is there anything I can do for you?" She asked me.  I know she was calling me by my last name to get on my nerves and not just to be professional.

"Nicolas", I bit back.

"What?"

" You out of all people should know I go by Nicolas not Mr. Kingston. That's my father." She rolled her eyes. "Don't fucking roll your eyes at me."

"Fuck you, I can do what I want" she snapped back. This was already getting exhausting.

" I see you haven't changed in the past decade, I really thought we could be friends Anastasia." I said slowly, hoping she would regret being rude. If I wanted her company, I would have to get close to her. It's like what they say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. She gave me a sweet smile before responding, I know I was in for the kill at this point.

"Nicolas" She almost said so softly, I almost didn't hear it. She took a dangerously close step towards me, I could feel her breath on me. She smelled like vanilla and christmas cookies and I was tempted to take a whiff of her perfume, but I knew she would slap me if that happened. She leaned in whispering in my ear. " I'm not fucking delusional, if you're going to have the audacity to come to my company, asking me to power your hotels with my product, and then start telling me to play nice after we both know how high school went, then we know you want more than a business deal."

How did she know I was after her company? There was no way she could have already figured it out. I looked at her and she has a knowing smirk on her face. My mind was spinning, not from what she just said but because she was so close to me. I was about to ask her what she was talking about when the door opened and her assistant walked in. Anastasia quickly took a step back.

"I... I can come back" the assistant stumbled. Clearly not expecting anyone to be in the boardroom. It was clear people respected their CEO at the company.

"Mr. Kingston was just leaving" she said curtly.

"Have dinner with me" I stated

"No."

"It's not a question, it's a statement."

"What the fuck, no."

I cant with this women.

" Im picking you up from here at 8, if you're not ready then i'll carry you to the restaurant myself"

"Im not having dinner with you Kingston"

"Yes you are Forbes at 8pm tonight, consider it a business dinner." I hoped that would convince her.

I didn't wait to listen to her rambling or wait to see the assistants shocked look on her face. I left the company expecting to come back in a matter of hours, and if that meant carrying her over my shoulder to the restaurant than so be it. The first step to getting her company was getting her to like me, and that meant the constant retaliation between us had to stop. I went back to Kingston Corporation hoping that dinner tonight would go more smoothly than meeting with her. Knowing how Anastasia was, I knew it was going to be the diametrical opposite of smooth.

***
Anastasia

I don't know why I was getting anxious about dinner. Eight years later and we were still bickering like we're 16 again. I decided to go home early and change into a stylish black dress, curl my hair and slip my red Louboutin's on. I don't dress to impress, and certainly not for that lunatic, I dress for myself. After I looked presentable, I put on a black blazer and headed back to Quinnley Sterling where he said he would come pick me up. It was already 7:45 PM by the time I arrived back to my office and each passing minute I grew more anxious. There was simply nothing to say to him. I've known him almost my entire life. I was four years old when I first met him in my grandparents house in the Hamptons. His grandparents had just moved next door to mine, and we would see each other every summer. Back then he was just another kid in my grade, I was be too caught up in my own world with my siblings and cousins, and he would be occupied with his two other brothers and large Greek family. We never really acknowledged each other or really crossed paths. That all changed junior year. We kept trying to one up each other in our classes, on the soccer field, and basically anywhere else we stumbled across each other. The last time I saw him was on graduation day when I was called to be Valedictorian, first in the class, and he was Salutatorian, second.   A well deserved victory by the way. Nostalgia. That's the emotion I felt when I looked at him. And now he was back, eight years later trying to take my sweet company from me. Suddenly there was a light tap on my door jolting me from my thoughts.

" Long time no see, Anastasia."

Time for dinner with the devil.