Quickies

mistaken - 3

She tried hard not to show how in awe she was with how huge his office was. The moment they stepped out of the elevator, the sight already took her breath away. The entire 24th floor was his actual office. The whole space had glass windows, giving an amazing view of the city at night. They weren't at the top-most floor, she was sure of that, but they were already pretty high up and the angle at which his office was facing had no higher buildings obstructing the view.

She looked around and saw an office table at the far end, clear of any clutter save for a folder, a pen holder, a lamp, and a closed laptop. There was a longer conference table that could seat maybe six people on the right, near the widest glass window. A couch, a coffee table, and a shelf with a few books completed the minimalist look.

"I do hope by the way you are sizing up my office it means that you are considering our business seriously. My space may be sparse of design, I've always preferred keeping things simple and straightforward, but I am very particular with details. From what I've heard about what you've done with past clients, you're rather, shall we say, meticulous?"

She knew he was standing just a few feet away from her. His presence is so strong, and she couldn't shake away the feeling that there is some unmistakable connection already between them. She needed to calm herself, for she was already feeling anxious at what's going to happen next that she might just lose all classiness that she's been known to exude with any of her previous clients.

He waited for her to respond, to turn around and face him. He was getting nervous, and he scolded himself for feeling so. He never gets like this with a client, with people he does business with, with possible long-term deals. He's known to be gifted with not just the looks and charm, but with the smarts to talk his way into any negotiation, however difficult and impossible it may seem to be. He prides himself in being very professional every time.

But with her, each time she looks at him, each time she tucks her hair behind her ear, each time she sways her hips as she walks ahead of him, each time she bites her lower lip as she seems to ponder before she answers him back...suffice to say he feels like his intelligence has met its match with her.

If she thinks the same way, he cannot tell. With other clients he finds it easy to break the toughest wall, but he is now finding it hard to even chip away a layer of this mysterious specimen in front of him.

He wonders if this will be his first failure. And if that becomes the case, will she allow him to try again?

"Would you like to lay down some rules?"

He heard her say. She walked towards the couch, opting to sit on the coffee table. He would have preferred to do the deal over at the conference table, where he usually closed his deals. But even with the softness of her voice, he finds it firm and determined. She's tough, quite obviously, but he is liking it. Very much.

He sat on the couch opposite her, their knees almost touching. She adjusted her seat, sensed a slight vibration from nowhere though she's pretty sure where it came from. She saw him flinch a bit, for he felt it, too. They held a stare for a few seconds, their breathing getting shallow as they felt it getting stronger, until they couldn't contain it any longer...

"I'm sorry, but can you point me to your restroom so I can take this call?"

He smiled and stood up.

"Over there, you'll see a door behind the shelf."

"Thank you."

She moved graciously as she fished out the phone from her purse and walked towards the direction he pointed. He looked on as she closed the door behind her, before taking out his own mobile device, which has been vibrating like crazy since they arrived at his office. He tried his best to ignore it, for he really hates getting disturbed especially with his after-dark business deals.

Five missed calls, ten messages. He read each one with furrowed brows, and proceeded to delete each one. He doesn't need this distraction right now.

He stood up and walked to his table. He took out a chilled bottle of wine and two glasses from a small ref underneath. As he poured the wine onto the glasses, he heard the restroom door open. He smiled as he watched her approach him.

This was going to be easy for him now.