When I Dream of You: A Valentine's Day Romance

by Marcella Swann

  They were the same words she had said over and over again. She didn’t need to look up to know that the guy standing in front of the camera would be the same type of guy she was used to finding. He cleared his throat. “The name is Devon Prescott and I’m just here to meet the sexy woman behind the camera.”

  “All right, Devon. You may ...” Her words fell off and she quickly looked up. Her eyes grew wide when she spotted Devon. She stood up from her table.

  “What are you doing here?” She went around the table and greeted him in front of the camera. She had no idea what could have brought Devon to her door, especially her workplace, but she didn’t want to push him away too hard.

  He was grinning and damn, he looked sexy. “Well, I wanted to see you,” he said. Any woman would have swooned at those words, but it wouldn’t be long before her next potential actor walked into the room.

  “That’s sweet, babe, but I’m at work,” she said.

  He laughed. “You’re sexy as hell when you try to push me away. We know you don’t want to.” He moved in closer to her and wrapped his arms around her lower back. He brushed a kiss on her lips and she nearly melted in his arms. Why did he have to be so appealing when she was trying to be so strong?

  She slipped her hand up the nape of his neck to draw him further into the kiss. He was right, though. She did not want to push him away. There was a knock on the door and it abruptly stopped the kissing. She turned and looked towards the door and then turned back to him.

  “You’re not leaving, are you?”

  He laughed. “You won’t even know I’m here. I just want to see you in action. Can you blame me for that?” he asked, winking at her. She was weak in the knees and another sound came from the door. She didn’t have time to push him away anymore. She had to give him what he wanted.

  “Fine. Sit down at the table.” She knew that a few minutes of him being there wouldn’t be the end of the world. “Come in,” she called out as she went around the table and took her seat.

  When she sat down, she felt him reach for her hand under the table. Aria was a little taken aback because she didn’t know how to react to him there. When the door opened, in walked Mark. He looked exactly how she had pictured him to look. He walked up to the camera as if he had done the same walk a million times, and he probably had.

  “For the record, please look at the camera and state your name and the reason you think you would be good for this role.”

  “My name is Mark Brown and I’m auditioning for the role of Grayson Neely. I have experience working on projects of this magnitude. I have appeared on HBO and Starz and look forward to continuing work on other shows. My latest gig was working as a billionaire card shark. I was the lead of the show for the two years that it ran.” He hesitated before continuing. “Is there anything else you would like to know, Ms. Nolan?”

  He had a look that implied that he could have a shot with a woman like Aria. Devon had to smile as there was no way Aria would go for a pipsqueak like that. He sat up straighter.

  “No, that should be all. You can start reading from the top of page three.”

  He flipped open the manuscript and started to read. Devon looked him over, surveying the man in front of them and shot a look in Aria’s direction. She was smiling, even though he questioned what it would be about Mark that would make Aria smile.

  As Mark read through several pages of type, Devon pondered the question. When Aria stopped him, she thanked him for coming in. “I’ll be sure to review your credentials and look over your audition tape. Should you fit our needs, we’ll give you a call back. Thank you for coming in.” She stood up and walked around to greet him, dropping Devon’s hand from her own. She shook hands with him and sent him on his way. When the door closed again, he found himself chuckling.

  She turned around and arched an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  He shrugged and pointed to the door. “That guy honestly thinks that he would make it as a billionaire. I’m sure he didn’t pull that one off.”

  Aria shook her head and chuckled. “None of that now. I thought you were going to be so quiet I wouldn’t even know you were here.” She walked over to the table and leaned in to claim a kiss. She was interrupted by another knock on the door.

  She pulled back and gave him a stern look before calling out. “Come in,” she called out. She took her seat and waited for the next man to enter. She had to admit that she was nervous with Devon sitting there, watching and surveying her every move. This was her territory and she didn’t feel comfortable in it.

  She looked up and a guy, who looked no different to Mark, walked in and took his place in front of the camera. “State your name and why you would be good for the part.” She poised her pen and waited for him to start speaking as Devon’s hand snuck back into hers. She smiled and heaved a sigh. If this was going to be how things were with surprise visits and someone that cared enough to see what she did for a living, then she might just have to put up with it. It could have been a whole lot worse.

  DEVON LOOKED DOWN AT his watch. He had been watching her in action for over an hour and wished she would just take a break. She got up and walked a woman that was auditioning for one of the female roles to the door. She thanked her, then closed the door behind her. She sighed and looked back at him.

  “That’s the last one ... for now,” she said.

  He was elated to hear that. He stood up from the chair and walked over to her as she went to the camera. She reached up to turn the camera off, but he grabbed her from behind and brought her to him. She giggled. “What are you doing, naughty boy?” She turned back around and wrapped her arms around him. They started to kiss before she got the camera turned off.

  “I want you so bad, Aria. How about right here...right now?”

  She laughed, playfully pushing him back. “And give everyone a show?” she asked. “I’ll have to remember to edit the first part out.” She laughed as she turned the camera off. She would have given anything if she could for a second forget who she was and just throw caution to the wind and have sex with him right there, but she still had a job to do. “I have a meeting I have to get to,” she said. He looked disappointed and she grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. “You can walk me to my office. Does that make you feel better?” She chuckled as they made their way out of the audition room. She let his hand drop from hers because she wanted to keep things simple and showing everyone her new man would certainly complicate them.

  They walked side by side down the hallway and then turned down another hallway. They had just reached an office that she pointed out to be hers, when he spotted a man heading down the hallway towards them. “Hey, Ms. Nolan? Do you have a second?”

  She turned to face him and nodded. “Just a second ... what’s up?” she asked. She was standing in front of Brandon, the guy who got the Dexter role in the last show they put together.

  “I wanted to thank you for the opportunity you have given me.”

  She smiled. “It takes a team, Brandon, but I’m sure you’ll make everyone proud.”

  His cheeks turned a bright red and Devon watched the encounter from her office. “Maybe so, but they tell me that you had a big hand in it. I can never thank you enough. You really believed in me and it feels good, so thank you.”

  “Anytime, Brandon. Enjoy the rest of your day.” She stepped into her office and Brandon took off back down the hallway. Devon turned to her.

  “Does that happen often?” he asked.

  “Does what?”

  “Do men throw themselves at you like that?”

  She laughed. “He wasn’t throwing himself at me. He was just thanking me for the opportunity. To answer your question, yes, it happens often.” She put down her papers on her desk and went back around to her computer. She typed some information into her computer as he watched her. When she was done pulling up her emails, she looked at him. “You seem to have more questions.”

  He shrugged. “Nothing really. I su
ppose. Do you enjoy those guys throwing themselves at you?”

  She rolled her eyes and then turned to him. “Devon Prescott, are you jealous?” she asked. He stared at her. There was a haunted look behind his eyes. She watched him as he closed the door behind him and moved closer to the desk.

  “Jealousy is a dangerous game and I don’t get jealous. Besides, why would I be jealous of guys like that?” He cupped the side of her neck and lifted her up, so that she was staring right at him. Their eyes were locked, and their lips were inches from one another. “I don’t think I have anything to be jealous about because I’ve got you.” He touched her lips with his and swept his tongue between her lips to elicit a moan. He was right. He had nothing to be jealous of because she was already certain he was the one she wanted and needed. “You know what?” he whispered between heated kisses.

  “What?” she moaned.

  “It’s always been a fantasy of mine to have sex on a woman’s desk, in her office.” He continued the kiss, moving closer to her as his hand slipped up the back of her shirt. He pressed her back up against her desk and she sat down on the edge. Without even questioning anything, she did want to have sex with him right there, but then it hit her like a ton of bricks and she slowly slipped down from the desk and pushed him back. She straightened her blouse and skirt and looked up at him. Aria shook her finger at him and he snickered.

  “Shame, shame on you, Devon. I told you I have a meeting to get to.”

  He mentally groaned and knew that it was only a matter of time before she would succumb to his demands. He’d allowed her to pull back but only for a minute. He was going to take things up a notch and he wasn’t about to give her the option of pulling back.

  A WEEK WENT BY AND Aria found it more and more difficult to stop thinking about Devon. It didn’t help that she hadn’t been able to see him over the past five days, outside of when he stopped at her office, because by the time she got home she was too exhausted to do much of anything else. There was one thing that the week had proven, though: Absence did make the heart grow fonder.

  She would be glad when the show was cast and her responsibilities would once again slow down. On the seventh day, just after lunch, when she got a call from him. They had been chatting on the phone when they weren’t together, but that didn’t solve the fact that she was aching to be with him again.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  She laughed and looked over her pile of work on her desk. “Working. And you?” she asked.

  “Same,” he responded. That got her to laugh. It went to figure that he would say that. “What are you doing after work?” he asked.

  “Well...” she thought about it, before chuckling. “I am free tonight, but I do have a late afternoon meeting. I might not be out of here until six or so.”

  “That will be fine,” he said. “I made a reservation for seven-thirty tonight. I will pick you up at six-thirty and we’ll go out and then go back to my place for dessert. How does that sound?”

  She could hear the teasing in his voice and she let out a slight sigh. That sounded amazing. “I’m in,” she said. “Sure you don’t want me to meet you there? That way I have my car.”

  “Who wants you to have your car? We can leave your car at your work until tomorrow. Unless you think that someone will vandalize it.”

  “Not at all,” she said, laughing. “Sounds good.” She hesitated and looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a dress but she wasn’t confident that it was presentable for the type of restaurant that he would be taking her to. “Um ... do I have to be formal?”

  “Nah ... what you’re wearing will work just fine, I’m sure,” he said. “I’ll see you at six-thirty.”

  When she hung up, she looked at her computer and got back to her emails. She was looking forward to seeing him and even more excited to get back to his place.

  Devon looked down at his phone before he put it back in the cradle. He smiled to himself as he had a little surprise for Aria and he couldn’t wait to give it to her. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. He sat in that position for a minute before he decided he needed to get back to work before he had to leave the office to pick her up.

  He called his secretary into the office and composed a memo to Tim to discuss the final plans of their merger. As he dictated the memo, he thought about Tim and Regina. They were key members in his relationship with Aria. It was a time that he couldn’t have enjoyed any more. He hoped that one day soon they would wind up back in Fiji but that also brought about an anger inside of him. Remembering back to their last night there, Brice could’ve messed everything up if he’d brought up the past, and he didn’t want to subject Aria to his past.

  He shook his head to get the thought out of his mind. “Are you all right, Mr. Prescott?” Jessica asked.

  He looked up, not realizing that his thoughts had taken a path of their own. “Oh yes. Where was I?”

  He quickly went back to the memo and tried not to think about what could have when it didn’t. Brice didn’t scare Aria away and that was the important thing.

  He went about the rest of his day and at five o’clock, he decided he needed to get out of there to prepare Aria’s surprise. He walked past Jessica’s desk. “I’m heading out. Have a good weekend.

  “You too.” She didn’t bother looking up as he hurried out of the office. He got in his car and tore out of the parking lot. If there was a cop around, he might’ve had something to worry about, but to his relief, he didn’t have to worry about getting stopped by any police officer.

  When he pulled into the parking lot of her office, he spotted her car parked in the same spot it was parked earlier in the week. He took a parking space further from the door, got out of his car and walked up to the door. He stepped inside and found the same woman that had directed him to her the other day. She was sitting behind a desk and her grin widened across her face when she looked up.

  “Hello, Mr. Prescott,” she said. He leaned against the desk using his charm to find out where Aria was that time, but now he just needed to make sure that she wasn’t in her office.

  “Hello, blue eyes,” he said. She immediately blushed.

  “Here to see Ms. Nolan again?” she asked.

  “I am. Do you know if she’s in a meeting or in her office?” he asked.

  She smiled. “I can see for you,” she said. He nodded, and she looked down at her computer. “It appears she has a meeting in ten minutes. She might already be there. I will check for you.” She picked up the phone and dialed up a number. After a moment of calling her, her eyes widened. “Hello, Ms. Nolan. This is Beka,” she started. “There’s ...”

  He quickly shook his head and hands to convey the message that he didn’t want her to know he was there. She clamped her mouth shut and understood the meaning. “Yes?” Aria asked. She glanced at her watch. She didn’t have much time to get to her meeting and she didn’t know why Beka needed her.

  “Sorry, Ma’am. I was just wondering if you had a moment to come to the desk up front. I needed to show you something.”

  “Can it wait? I have to be at a meeting in a few minutes.”

  “Oh ... of course. So, you’re planning on leaving your office, when?” she asked.

  Aria frowned. That was a strange question to ask. “About thirty seconds. I have to drop some papers off in the mail room before the meeting.”

  “Oh. Of course. I won’t keep you. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

  That seemed strange all together. “Uh yeah...you too. Thanks.” She hung up the phone. She didn’t have time to decide why Beka was acting so strange. She had to be going.

  When Beka hung up the phone she looked up at Devon. Beka seemed thrilled with her job but Devon felt that she was a little too uncomfortable in the situation. “She’s getting ready to leave her office now,” she said. She then scooted closer to him. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  He smirked and stood up. “Nothing. Thanks for your
help.” He moved past the desk and felt her eyes on him. He smiled to himself, confident that he had worked his way into her office. When he reached the hallway that she had taken him down earlier in the week, he looked around to make sure he wouldn’t run into her. He had just reached her office when around the corner was the same guy that he had seen on Monday. The one that she called Brandon. The man’s eyes met Devon’s and he nodded.

  Devon smiled and opened the door to her office. He slipped inside and closed the blinds, so that no one would see him in there. He went behind her desk and sat down. He propped his legs up on her desk and sat waiting for her to arrive. He would finally get his fantasy. There wasn’t a chance she would turn him down now.

  Chapter 15

  “I’m heading out of here in a couple of minutes, Jenny. Have a good weekend,” Aria yelled as she reached her office door.

  “You too. See you Monday,” Jenny hollered as she left.

  Aria grabbed onto the handle of her door which was when she noticed the blinds. They were closed. She looked around, unsure what had happened because she was fairly confident that she had not closed them. She opened the door, despite all thoughts in her head that told her that she should run. There could be a mass murderer on the other side of the door and she didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

  She pushed the door open and stepped into the dark room where she saw him. She laughed slightly. “Wow! You startled the hell out of me,” she said, shaking her head and entering the dark room. She went to turn the lights on, but his voice stopped her.

  “Don’t do that,” he said. “Lock the door behind you and come here.”

  She raised an eyebrow and looked in his direction. “Really? You want to do this now? I thought we had to get to a reservation?”

  “We have plenty of time. Lock the door behind you and come here,” he said.