My phone rings before the alarm goes off,waking me. I stretch,yawn and glance at the bedside clock:half past four in the morning. Rubbing sleep from my eyes,I reach for the phone and it's Ivy calling, again.
I punch the call button and put the phone to my ear,"yes?"
"Letty,how are you today? Did I wake you?"
"Nah," I lie,thinking she sounds a little odd. Usually, for the three months that I've known her,Ivy doesn't bother with the pleasantries, preferring to go straight to the heart of the conversation instead. "I was already awake,"I add.
"Oh,great," she says,plrased. "I really don't want you to be late, that'd really set a bad precedent. I don't want that. Why don't you start packing up your stuff?Someone will be coming to pick you up."
"Pick me?I've got my car,"I say,not quite able to keep surprise from my voice.
Ivy slides past the question," Well,you know. What can I tell you?I'm just following orders, Letty. Pack up,you are leaving with the CEO first thing when you get here,"she states and ends the call.
I place the cellphone back at the bedside table,scowling with confusion. I have my old but reliable mini car, but someone apparently got ordered to come and pick me up. why would anyone order that I get picked?Maybe they are afraid I'm gonna get late and delay Liam as a result? Probably. Liam likes punctual, he doesn't condone time wastage. He's always in his office working late into the evenings,even way later on weekends. Sort of a workaholic. Suddenly, I start to worry that I might not manage to keep up with him,especially since I would be juggling the personal assistant and chauffeur duties. Strange, I think as I listen quietly for Bella fumbling in her bedroom. She's not up. Not that I expected her to be- Bella is a heavy sleeper,and a night owl,fumbling around the apartment until too late at night,but sleeping in most of her morning.
I push my worries aside and clamber out of bed,padding in my bare feet to the bathroom. She must have come in late last night and must be tired. She can sleep in however much she wants,in any case, she's rich. She comes from a really well off family, added life on a silver platter. She inherited quite a number of properties from his fairly rich father,no wonder she never bothered to find a well paying job after college, like most of us. Choosing to work in a flower shop owned by a close family friend instead for a typical wage. Because Bella really doesn't care about money,and for the most part,because Bella loves flowers more than anything I know.
I brush my teeth in a hurry and strip off my grey sweat suit. Climbing into the shower, I carefully and thoroughly wash myself.
I grab my favourite red, bath towel from the towel rack and wrap it around myself,walk into the kitchen,where I grab a scone and a cup of tea.
Bella saunters into the kitchen just as I'm heading back to my bedroom to pack,yawning and apologizing profusely for coming in late with the dinner she'd promised. She's woken unexpectedly early today; she's heading into the shower,promising to help me carry my luggage down to the street when i tell her about my trip with the boss,eager to make up for her last night's unfulfilled promises.
By the time I'm done packing, I have a small suitcase and an even smaller overnight, canvas bag. I skip make-up,like most other mornings-i just don't usually have time for make-up, or the draw to flutter men. I dress quickly in a red blouse,black slacks and an orange blazer. Bella sticks her head in the door just as I'm slipping into her three inch,pink heels,thinking how they must go in tune with the blazer,and my hair.
"Charles from downstairs says you've got a guy waiting for you," she says.
"Um...I'm almost done here..."
She steps inside,her brown orbs going wide in mock surprise as she gives me a quick once over.
"Whoa!"She exclaims," you look absolutely stunning. How do you do it,Letty?"
I flatter a hand at her dismissively,"Oh, Bella,don't even start," I mouth distractedly.
She pouts,crossing her arms and standing there in her pajama bottoms and my black ink splattered T-shirt. Which reminds me of the unfinished oil painting I've got lying in the tiny studio,an image of the Mississippi river at the bridge that separates Minneapolis and St. Paul cities,just before sunset,three mostly red sailboats sailing on the background. Bella says the painting's totally breathtaking, but recommended I chose another colour for the boats-not the first time she's accused me of favouring red color in my art.
When i realize she isn't about to relent on the fashion recommendations that I know she's about to start offering me, i sigh. "Tell me. I'm really jammed up,though."
"I'm serious Letty," she insists, "that funcking CEO will have a hard time keeping his eyes off you,now if you could just..."
And we start the routine. She makes me wear makeup, going a little heavy with my eye make up,targeting a smokey eye. Quickly, my lip stain follows and a soft,red gloss is next.
With the little time we've got,there's not much we can do with my hair,she says helpfully. She pokes around the bedroom for a hair tie,and we wind up tying it back in a ponytail. When I glance at my reflection in the mirror hanging behind my bedroom door,I have to admit that her recommendations work perfectly. My eyes stand out,so blue that for a moment,I think I might fall in and drown in them.
She grabs my suitcase as I gather my overnight bag and my phone, and we are out the door a few moments later. We scurry through the narrow hallway to the elevator,and down to the lobby.
Charles is at his usual spot behind the desk. Bella nods at him as she goes by,probably not wanting to encourage any conversation with the middle-aged man who apparently has been eager to get into her money as much as into her pants. Poor Charles.
I smile at him politely as I pass,"hi,Charles, how's it going with you? I greet.
"Hey Letty. How's Zoe?"He inquires in a friendly manner.
" Not good,"I return and hurry after Bella,not wanting this conversation to head that way. "Someone waiting for me,huh?" I throw over my shoulder.
"Yeah," he offers. I'm now so used to hearing people sympathising with me that I've gotten more than used to it.
"Say,does the ride belong to your boyfriend?" He calls after me.
Now I turn,brows furrowed in confusion,"what?"
"The Limo," he responds.
"What?" I'm still confused. Then,I hear Bella mutter under her breath as she goes through the apartment's front door: "Holy fuckin' hell!"
Clutching my canvas bag more firmly,bewildered, I scuttle toward the door and,holy shit,a swanky,black limousine is packed directly in front of the apartment lobby. "Jesus Christ!" I mutter under my breath,looking expectantly around for another vehicle parked anywhere near. I'm positive that the smartly dressed man standing beside the passenger side door of the long car,talking on his cellphone, isn't here to pick up a mere personal assistant, or a part-time chauffeur for that matter. Greyson Mills doesn't own a limo as far as I can tell.
When I don't spot any more promising vehicles around,I swallow and turn my gaze toward Bella,who apparently is as bewildered as I am,if not more. Her mouth is slack in disbelieve. The all confident, nothing-i have-never-seen Bella is muddled. A rare sight to see,and one that is definitely worth rubbernecking over.
The man is dressed in a nicely fitting ,black suit, with short blonde hair that looks so undoubtedly military. A bump is showing at his hip. A gun? Is he armed?Holy Shit!
He glances at us with that curious,firm stare associated with law enforcement officers and nods,"I'll get back to you later,"he says into the phone, then steps around the front of the car to where we are rooted to the spot.
"Letty?" He asks,looking quizzically from me to Bella.
"That'd be me," I say,clutching my bag in one hand and slapping my other hand at my chest.
"Oh," he says in mock surprise,sticking his strong hand toward me,his biceps visibly bulging with the effort under the fairly tight suit.
"Tony Blake," he offers politely. "I'm instructed to pick you and drop you at Greyson Mills in time." I take his hand in a firm shake,blinking rapidly at him. His hand is surprisingly soft.
"And I'm Sophie Bella," Bella mutters beside me,sticking out her hand as well,making him smile at her. "I'm her friend,helping with the bags."
"I thought you might be," he responds mildly, taking her eager hand. She gives him her best grin.
"Well,shall we get them in the car,then?" He asks,and Bella is already nodding, heaving up the fairly heavy suitcase. He motions for me to pass him my canvas bag. When I do,he directs me around the car and opens the passenger side door. He carefully sets the bags on the heavily cushioned seat,eases the door shut and opens another,then nods to me to hop inside.
I hug Bella goodbye and sink into the opulent comfort of the limousine.
He turns to Bella:"See you again?"
"I hope," Bella says playfully, giving him that glinting smile of hers that I know makes men go weak on their knees. "Take good care of her,will you?She adds.
He nods curtly. "You can bet on it. It's what I'm paid to do." He steps around the car,opens the drivers door and gets in,easing the door shut. I sit nervously in relative silence the whole drive to Greyson Mills.
I stare out the window at Greyson Mills headquarters when Blake pulls up. The colossal building,with its blue,reflective glass windows lining the entire twenty-five storey building, still intimidates me to date, despite the fact that I've worked here for quite sometime now.
Blake is out and popping my door. "Here you go," he says,pulling me back to the present.
I ease out of the car, reeling from my more than elegant arrival here. Blake escorts me through the sumptuous lobby straight to the well guarded bank of elevators. We get into an elevator that whisks us up to the CEO's office.
There's nobody sitting at the outer office where Sofia should be,but the door to Liam's office is partly open and I can hear voices chattering away inside. Blake raps on the door with a key,and we step back,standing in an awkward silence for a while.
"I was sixty two the last time I checked," a pleasant female voice comes from inside the office.
"Bullshit,a male voice counters. "With the way he throws you over his shoulder and carries you around?You couldn't be more than fifty on your fattest day,maybe forty."
They giggle playfully, and the male voice rambles on:"...so,anyway,I walk into this doctor's office and says,give me a diet that I can stay on to get back to one-eighty,and he says:go out to lunch everyday and have a Big Mac and however much popcorn you want."
"Jesus Christ,Bruce,you are gonna starve." Another male voice,Liam's,I'm sure.
"Not really," Bruce answers. "The doctor says I'm gonna lose a lot of weight, probably take one and half years to get back to one-eighty."
"Jesus Christ!" Liam says again.
I hear footsteps. The door opens and they pile out. Bruce Thompson preceding, Gianna,Liam's girlfriend a step behind him,Liam is following.
Gianna jumps all over a sudden and giggles, her hands flying back to her ass where Liam must have swatted her playfully.
She is really good looking in a rich-bitch kind of way,with the tiniest,black miniskirt I have ever seen. Her waist looks impossibly slim,especially in comparison to the huge breasts threatening to spill out of her revealing top. She turns at the door to face him and crosses her arms,pushing her ample breasts even higher. She exudes sex,and I suddenly start to dislike her for her trashy demeanor.
"Whoa," Thompson says to nobody in particular,"now they want to start playing in public? Just can't keep their hands off each other,huh?"
"He's a pervert. It's one of the reasons why I like him." Gianna throws over her shoulder at Thompson, who halts and turns,noticing us. He nods at us and to Liam,he says:"Take good care of yourself out there, son,there's approximately thousands of people out there who's carriers are at risk due to this merger. They won't be so happy with you poking around, threatening their jobs."
"Gotcha." Liam says.
Gianna rocks on her feet and pecks Liam at his cheek,"I'll see you soon,honey,"she says as goodbye, and turns to follow Thompson down the hall to the elevator,taking just a surprised second to acknowledge our presence.
"Sure," Liam calls after her as he steps from behind the office door.
He's wearing a sharp,blue suit,black loafers,a white dress shirt and a black and White stripped tie. His brown hair looks tousled, as usual. He looks totally breathtaking,and my heart rate quickens as his impeccable face turns in our direction.
He smiles pleasantly, taking two confident steps toward us. "You made it in time," he declares,his grey eyes glinting with amusement.
"Of course,Mr. Greyson," Blake responds casually. Then:"She's all yours now."
All his? What does that mean?I wonder idly as Blake and Liam shake hands, Liam thanking him, and then extending his hand to me as Blake turns to leave.
"Letty Summer," he says as I shake his hand,astonished that the electrical current between us is still there. I gasp. "How nice to see you again?Please come in". He steps back to make space and ushers me into his office. At least he remembers my name from yesterday, I think surreptitiously as I move into his office.
The office is too spacious for just one man,situated in the topmost floor of the building, in a corner. Floor to ceiling windows dominate the two walls overlooking downtown Minneapolis. The other two eggshell-white walls are hung with so many flamed photographs,most in color and some in black and white.
The floor is ancient hardwood. A huge antique desk and two antique,swivel,brown, leather chairs are positioned in front of one of the huge glass windows.
An L-shaped antique,quilted,leather couch sits against another wall,below the flamed photographs, with a matching, antique, coffee table. Three overflowing file cabinets sit beside the couch.
Liam steps in after me,his sweet voice pulls my attention from the walls back to him,"I have to say you look totally fantastic," he comments, and I flush crimson. Crap. "Thankyou,sir." I manage.
"Have a seat," he directs mildly as he pulls out the visitors chair for me,ever the gentleman.
As I sit,he ambles over to the wall of photographs, turning his impressive back to me as he inspects the pictures closely. I take that opportunity to drink him in from the back. His shoulders are wide,his back tapering down to a small waist and what looks like a really tight,firm butt beneath his carefully ironed suit.
My cheeks heat again when he turns abruptly and catches me watching his ass, and he steps around his desk,sinking in his chair with a knowing smile playing at his well sculpted lips.
"Say,did ivy tell you what you are here for,Letty?"he inquires, suddenly serious, his grey gaze boring into me. Suddenly, I feel naked,emotionally exposed,like he can see straight through me when he stares at me like he's doing now.
"Er...yeah,I... think." Shit. He's so,so distracting sitting there gazing at me with all that intensity in his eyes. Jeez,what was the question again?Oh,yeah,Ivy. "I mean,yeah,she t-told me," I stutter.
He says nothing for a beat,only cocking one of his perfect eyebrow up. Damn,he's one of those rare people with that gene that allows them to raise one singl eyebrow at a time. When he says nothing, waiting patiently for me,one of his brow still up,I blink at him and clear my throat. "Well,she said you needed a PA and driver?" My own eyebrows go up,and I cross and recross my feet,staring back at him. I think he looks amused now,trying desperately without success to stifle a hint of a smile that is dancing at his full lips.
"Mm...that's about it," he replies, sounding pleased.
Does he find me interesting? or his he laughing at me? I sit up,crossing my arms at my chest,determined to act more professional.
"Ivy seems to think you can manage to do both. Can you?" He stares at me,his grey gaze assessing.
"Of course, sir." I reply.
"Well,then,Ivy will brief you on this merger. I'll meet you at the underground garage in say,two hours?"
"Sure,sir." I say,"is there anything I should do before then?you know?Find accommodation in Wisconsin or something?"
He's already shaking his head. "No,no. I've got somewhere comfortable we can stay. For as long as we want."
Oh,I had forgotten he's rich,he owns properties practically everywhere.
There's a rapping at the door. Ivy sticks her head inside:"excuse me sir,your meeting is in the next five minutes."
"Yeah,yeah,thank you Ivy." He rises from his seat,smiles that delicious smile of his at me. "I've got a meeting to get to,Letty. I'll see you in two hours."
"Sure,sir." I take that as my cue and get up to leave with Ivy.