'His voice sounds exactly the same in daylight' Meaghan randomly thought, then quickly shook herself out of her reverie and attempted to address the striking man in front of her. She tentatively said, "What do you want?"
"You are the person I met at the resort last night, right?" At her small nod, he continued. "I wanted to apologise for scaring you then. If you have some time now, would you like to get some coffee?"
Meaghan looked up sharply. Coffee? With this man?
"I'm sorry, but I have to return to work." Meaghan turned away, only to feel a strong hand grip her wrist securely, but not painfully. She tugged her hand until he released it, and then looked up at him again.
In his left hand was a business card.
"I wanted to introduce myself. I am Rick Ahmad." He stretched out his hand, the small piece of cardstock held between his thumb and forefinger. There was a small gold band on his thumb, but no other rings. She took the business card and looked at it.
[R. T. Ahmad, Vice-Chairman, Ahmad Holdings and Distribution LLC], the card read, along with an address in the Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone in Kuching.
She thought for a moment. No doubt he was one of the elite families with inherited wealth passed down from generation to generation. She wondered what he wanted from her.
"How can I help you?" Her voice sounded defensive even to her own ears.
~ ~ ~
Rickie was, for the first time in his memory, at a loss for words. He wanted to spend some time with her to figure out this intense attraction, but she clearly didn't feel anything similar. He decided to try a different track, knowing that it sounded lame but desperate to make a connection with this person.
"Was that your sister playing the seruling last night? She plays it very well, and I'd like to take the both of you out to lunch or dinner, your choice, to thank both of you for relieving my boredom last night, Miss…?" He held his breath, wondering if she would respond.
"Torno. Meaghan Torno. What's wrong?" She asked, as his face blanched and he took a step back. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Y-yes I'm fine. I just remembered I was on my way to a lunch meeting. Why don't you call me at the number on my card, and we can meet later on this week?"
Without waiting, he turned and strode back to his Rexton RX270, still parked against the bushes that separated the sidewalk from the road. His neck prickled under her stare as he retreated.