At Finn Corporation.
"Anna, have the marketing team analyze the viability of the proposal submitted this morning. Give the finance department a first and final notice for the weekly report that was due yesterday. Set up a meeting with the companies publicity team for brand reforming. Have human resources fire the sales department's head manager and send a promotion notification to Mr. Johnson for the position. Don't forget to organize next weeks on site visit for the Madison project and-"
"Boss!" Anna didn't let her continue.
"What?" Claire asked without looking up at Anna that was standing in front of her desk.
"BREATH!" She told her. As soon as she walked in she was bombarded with orders. Of course it was her job to do all the things her boss was instructing her and normally she would, but she knew that wasn't what was going on.
Having heard her head secretary raise her voice she looked up. Anna was the same height as Claire but two years older than her. Her shinny jet black hair was styled with a nice bob cut. Although her hair was fairly straight, it framed her face nicely. Her eyes were dark brown and her facial features were sharp like that of a models. She was on the thinner side, but anybody could still appreciate her feminine curves. She was a very attractive woman.
Claire noticed the concern in her eyes and let go of the pen and papers in her hands. She sighed as she leaned back into the chair slumping a bit. Taking her hand to her forehead she started to massage it.
"I'm stress ranting aren't I?" She asked Anna.
"Yes you are. Why are you so worried about a simple dinner?" Anna answered her as she sat in one of the chairs facing the desk that were meant for visitors. Not that she ever had any.
"I just feel anxious. We still have a lot to do to set our plans into motion yet Mr. Whatever his name is has stirred things up again. George's idiocy was enough of a pain in the ass to last me a life time. I don't have the time or the patience to deal with another lust and power driven man. Especially not right now." Claire had been pushing tonight's plans with Aiden to the back of her head all day long while she worked. But now that it was almost time to head to the villa and get ready, her head was starting to throb.
"His name is Aiden Villan. I know you're not good with names but try not to forget it this time because I won't be there to remind you or help you. And you know better than anyone that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Just go, finish whatever you guys left undone and come back. I already made sure they knew of your conditions for tonight's meeting to happen so stop it with the unnecessary stressing." Anna told her as she offered her a reassuring smile.
"Damn. You and Colton are like two sides of the same coin." Claire grinned as she felt her mood uplift a bit.
"I am so much cooler than him. I mean 'Its one of my many talents.' Didn't you know?" They both laughed as Anna imitated Colton's most used catchphrase.
After laughing for a bit, Claire was feeling much better. If both of her most trusted people thought she was overthinking the situation then they must be right. After finishing up a few more work related things they both left the company.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the Villa.
"Where are all of my clothes Colton?!" Claire yelled from the top of the stair case with a pink towel wrapped around her freshly washed hair and another one around her body.
Colton was at the bottom of the stair case with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well I don't have a clue Cece. Maybe Ben sent them out to be dry cleaned?" He told her in the most sarcastic voice he could muster.
"I'm serious Colton. Any minute now I'm gonna be picked up. I don't have time for your pranks right now!" Claire yelled as she started to make her way down to smack her older brother. But before she could, a little tug on her fingers stopped her.
Looking down she noticed Lily with her stuffed bunny and a messy bead head. She had woken up.
'Hi baby. Did you have a nightmare?' Claire signed to her after noticing she didn't have her hearing aid on. She bent down and picked her up after asking her.
Although Lily was about to turn four years old she was somewhat smaller than the rest of the kids her age, which only made her seem all the more adorable.
As she groggily nodded she nuzzled her face into Claire's neck. Taking a deep breath she started to fall asleep again in her arms. Claire ran her hand up and down her back as Colton made his way up the stairs.
"Give her here. I'll handle this while you go get ready. Mr. Billionaire should be here any minute and I seriously doubt this is the kind of attire you should be receiving him in." He told her as he took Lily in his arms, who immediately snuggled into his embrace.
"Then where the hell are my clothes? The only reason I'm late is because you decided today would be the day to mess with my wardrobe." She answered him as she was being pushed towards her room.
"Well since you said you hadn't picked out what to wear I took it upon myself to make the selection for you. It's on your bed as we speak. So hurry along now and get ready." He finished telling her as they reached her bedroom door.
"That still doesn't tell me where my clothes are and why you hid them away. "
"God Cece, just shut up and get dressed. For such a 'Mysterious She Devil' you sure suck the fun out of surprises. Now go before you wake up Lily again with all your party pooping energy." He shut the door behind her after he pushed her inside.
Once inside she decided to ignore her brother's remarks and looked for the clothes he chose. She walked towards the bed and as she got close her eyes widened.
On her bed was a beautiful satin slip on floor length dress in a stunning emerald green. It had an exposed back and a slit on one of the sides to reveal some leg. It was paired with long tear drop earrings, a thin diamond bracelet and a matching anklet. Sitting beside the bed on the floor were a pair of skin colored stiletto heels with small vines decorating the outer sides. They matched the dress perfectly.
"God. He knows me too damn well." As soon as she saw the outfit she knew he took the rest of her clothes because she would have definitely worn something else. The dress he chose would make her the center of attention as it was sexy and daring. It screamed date night.
'But it's not a date you jerk!' She thought to herself. After a few second of admiring the dress she sighed in defeat.
"To hell with it." She mumbled as she started getting ready.