My Girlfriend, My Pet.

Chapter 25

"You alright? This is actually the first time I've seen you nervous and frankly, it's affecting me, as well," said Mike as Elizabeth thumbed the button to shut the elevator doors. Today, she was to meet the board of directors of Raiden's company and to an extent, Mike's as well. If first impressions truly counted, she had already failed in front of one boss. 

"No, I mean, yes. I'm fine. Fine." 

Mike smiled to himself as the numbers on the screen climbed, stopping only at the highest floor. Doors sliding open, he ushered Elizabeth into the meeting room where most of the chairs were already occupied by stern-looking men, some as old as her father (or so she figured) while some were more or less her age. All very proper and strict-looking, nonetheless. 

As Mike greeted to all of them and took his place, Elizabeth sat down next to him. Only one chair remained empty - Raiden's. Within minutes, a bespectacled young woman walked in, hunched over and whispered something to one of the men before he nodded in return and thanked her. 

"Raiden will be here in another ten minutes. He apologises for the delay, Miss Stark." 

"Oh, no, it's fine, really. You can call me Elizabeth, please." 

"Elizabeth?" A voice belonging to another one in the room caught her attention as she strained across to see who it was. 

"While you wait, can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?" 

Her gaze locked with the owner of the voice, seated three chairs away to her left. It was no middle-aged man - no. This one was gorgeous. Undercut hairstyle, slicked back with just the right amount of product, a few days' worth of stubble and cheekbones coupled to a jawline that made her feel very inappropriate things. 

"Something bothering you?" He called out to her, this time a few of the board members were swivelled to see what Elizabeth was up to. Shaking herself quickly, she responded. "Uhm, it's okay. I'm fine. Thank you, really." 

Just as she thought she was going to screw up in front of another high-ranking exec, Raiden walks in to her metaphorical rescue. Nodding at her before taking his seat, Raiden appeared different. Sure, she had always known him to be a strict one when it came to work but this time, it felt as if there was a more relaxed nature that he brought with him. 

It certainly affected the whole room as everyone visibly relaxed back in their seats. So much for the pressure, Elizabeth thought to herself. 

"Good morning everyone, as you all know, we're here today to discuss the introduction of Miss Stark as a possible candidate for the position of chief financial manager." 

As the meeting continued on, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that the nice, young chap was constantly in her field of vision, locking gazes on more than one occasion. Partially her fault, since he caught her a few times looking in his direction as well. 

~~~

"See you guys tomorrow!" Maggie waved as the last of the volunteers packed up and left. As soon as they were out of sight, a border collie strolled into the open compound and began to lead the remaining dogs inside their respective enclosures. 

"What a day, huh?" 

The dog wagged its tail before appearing to nod its head in agreement with Maggie. 

"C'mon, since Raiden is busy today, I have you until tonight. Wanna' go for coffee?" 

The dog nodded its head once again before running inside the office as Maggie held the door open for Iona. Once inside, Maggie went behind to bring Iona's clothes to her as the border collie stretched itself on the mat before shifting back into human form.