by Ford, Mia
Berta smiled. She leaned forward a little bit more. She was staring right into my eyes now, trying to get to me. I wanted her so badly, but I knew that this would never work. Mixing business and pleasure—that was something that I’d agreed to never do. It was just asking for trouble and it wasn’t worth it. There were far too many other women out there that I could find attractive, but who did not work with me, or more importantly—for me.
“I need to get back to work,” I said. “Thanks for the message.”
But Berta didn’t move.
“Are you sure?” She said. Her voice was purring softly, almost whispering in my ear.
I cleared my throat. I looked at her a bit more sternly, trying to snap out of her spell. “Yes. This isn’t going to happen.”
Berta shrugged and walked away from my desk towards the door. She stopped at the door, turned and said, “That’s a shame…”
Then she went back to her own desk shutting the door to my office behind her.
I sighed heavily and quickly downed my drink to steady my nerves. Wow, that was not easy. If only the circumstances had been a little different…
I went back to work trying to put the image of the alluring Berta out of my mind. And for the most part I succeeded and by the time seven o’clock rolled around, I was actually ready to leave the office.
“Landon?” Berta called as she came into my office.
“Yeah?”
“Mr. Dooley just called. He wants to know if you can have dinner with him tonight at eight? He has reservations as La Sesena. He says it’s very urgent.”
I groaned. I really thought my work day was over. But it was never really over. That’s what I’d learned in over a month of doing that job.
“Sure,” I said. “I’m on my way.”
I quickly grabbed my briefcase and headed out the door.
* * *
I stepped out into the warm night feeling as though a heavy burden had just been lifted off my shoulders. I’d just finished the dinner with Lance Dooley. He was one of our biggest investors and he had some legitimate concerns about investing in the new restaurant business we were trying to expand, but he was very interested. Lance had always been the type of guy who worried constantly about whether or not he was making the right choices in his career and with his money.
We had a great dinner and I went over some of the numbers with him and the projections for the millionth time. By the end of dessert, he was starting to get the big picture. After that he loosened up a lot and really started to understand everything more clearly. We had a few drinks and we shot the breeze for a while. He at one point felt it necessary to tell me every single joke he’d ever heard in his life.
Luckily I was able to stop him at the appropriate time. We said our goodbyes and now at almost ten in the evening, I was done with my day. I was beaten down, tired. I longed for the sweet release of a day off, but I didn’t see any scheduled any time soon. This was the life of a successful business owner.
“Landon!”
The voice came from my right. It sounded female. And it was familiar.
My head shot around towards the sound of the voice instinctively. I couldn’t believe that I was staring into the face of Joanie Rice. Joanie was an old friend of mine from college. I’d heard she was moving down to the area, despite being from Cleveland, but I hadn’t really spoken to her for a few years.
“Joanie!” I exclaimed as I wrapped her up in my arms. I was just walking past the front door and the reception area when I first heard her calling out to me.
“How have you been?” Joanie asked.
“I’m good. I’ve been a bit busy, but I’ve wondered about you.”
“No, you did not.”
I laughed. “Yes, I really have. I heard you got a job down here?”
“Yes,” Joanie said. “I did. I couldn’t believe it, but I got something offered to me right out of college. I’m an electrical engineer for Typhon Inc.”
“Great news,” I said. “I’m sure you heard that I’m working for my dad.”
“Yes! I did hear that. How’s that treating you?”
I wanted to complain, but I’ve always felt that was pretty juvenile and a bit of a waste, so I just shrugged and said, “It’s working for now.”
It was then that I noticed the two ladies with Joanie. I recognized the one girl instantly. Her name was Miley, if memory served.
But the other one. The beautiful one that I’d found myself daydreaming about off and on for a few weeks after I’d met her—Cora—she was there, too. And she looked amazing.
Her eyes caught mine. I could see her take a small gasp, and then return to normal as if nothing was happening. That was fine; if that was the little game she wanted to play, then I would be glad to play.
“Do you know my friends?” Joanie asked.
“Actually, we have met,” I said. I held my hand out to Miley. She shook it and blushed slightly, giving a little giggle. She was cute, sweet. But I didn’t feel a fire of connection between us like I felt with Cora. There was something real there, something I’d not felt in years with anyone. And maybe nothing I’d ever felt. It was like my body was suddenly being flooded with adrenaline. I could barely think straight. We were in our own little world, the two of us.
“Miley,” I said. “A pleasure, once again.”
Then I moved over to Cora. “Hello, Cora. Very nice to see you again.”
To my surprise, Cora leaned back against the wall and held her hand out to me with a seductive smile. My body was instantly ready. My skin was getting warm, beads of sweat began to roll down the back of my neck, and I could feel my body getting tense and stiff below the waist.
“Likewise,” Cora said. “How are you, Landon?”
“I’ve got no complaints at the moment,” I said.
“Good,” Cora said. “Been jumping out of any planes lately?”
“Not recently,” I said with a smile. “But I’m sure I could set something up this weekend. If only I had someone to go with.”
“That’s a pity,” Cora replied. “You have to go out and play all by your lonesome.”
“Well, I’ve done it before; I can do it again. I have no problem being lonely.”
“Good. Self-reliance is a virtue.”
“Wow, I see you two do know each other,” Joanie said.
She looked over at Miley and I thought I saw a wink exchanged between the two of them. Did they have something to do with me just happening to run into Cora? Joanie was Miley’s first cousin. Britney was out of town with Doug at the moment on vacation. She must have reached out to Joanie to have some kind of an “accidental meeting” between Cora and I again. Those women were so crafty. It was adorable.
And I wanted to thank them.
But what did this mean? Did it mean that Cora was interested in me, but then why was she playing so hard to get? Or was she just shy and unsure how to react to me? Sometimes I can come on a bit strong when I see something I want. I’ve got too much of my father in me. I can’t help it. So, looking back I could see how Cora might have been a bit insecure or frightened by the way I portrayed myself.
But then again, she didn’t strike me as some meek little lass. No, she had a fire in her eyes. I could see it. That might have been the thing that had drawn me to her the most.
I was now very intrigued. What type of a little dance had the lovely, seductive Cora drawn me into?
I couldn’t wait to find out.
“In a manner of speaking,” I said. “We met in passing at the carnival a month or so ago.”
“Ah, that’s lovely,” Joanie said.
“Yes, isn’t it?” I asked Joanie, placing just the right emphasis on it.
She smiled wryly and looked over towards Miley.
“So, how’s the last summer of freedom?” I asked Cora.
She smiled. “It bothers you, doesn’t it?”
I was a bit confused. “What?”
“The fact that I’m just eighteen,” Co
ra replied.
“No. Age doesn’t mean much to me. You are a beautiful, fully grown woman. What else would matter about it?”
Cora ran her tongue over the corner of her mouth slowly, and then looked down a second, before bringing those eyes back up to mine. She was so damn fine. I just wanted to wrap my arms around her, pull her in closely, and plant my lips on hers.
I took a deep breath in through my nose and smiled slightly, keeping that strong eye contact that she was maintaining with me.
“I know that some men might be put off by it, then again others might be turned on just because of it.”
“What makes you think I’m either?” I asked, playing off the semantics.
Cora shrugged. “It’s just a feeling I have.”
“Have your feelings ever been known to be wrong?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Never.”
I laughed. Cora had a nice way with words. She was so confident beyond her years. I found it enticing in a way I’d never known before. I somehow felt that I was talking to an experienced older woman in her mid-forties who knew exactly how to bring a man to his knees, and all of it was wrapped up in the body of an eighteen-year-old bombshell.
“So, what are we going to do about this?” I asked.
“About what?”
“Well, I think I’d love to take you out on a proper evening. I mean, these little sudden meetings that appear so accidental are cute, but I think we can do a bit better than that.”
Cora didn’t even blink. She just smiled and glanced at Joanie and Miley who were giggling quietly to themselves. They’d given us a bit of privacy and were standing about ten feet from us.
It almost felt awkward with them there, but I didn’t let it affect me. I was on too good of a roll.
Cora shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t really know you that well. Do you think some sweet words can entice me enough to let you take me out for the evening?”
I smiled. “Ok. I’ll bite. What will it take?”
Cora laughed. “Lucky for you, Joanie and Miley have vouched for you and they both strongly feel that I should give this a chance.”
“And what do they think about me? Should I also give this a chance?” I asked.
“No, not at all,” Cora replied. “But you’ve already asked the question. You aren’t going to take it back now, are you?”
“I won’t take it back, if you tell me the truth about skydiving. You are afraid, aren’t you?”
Cora nodded slowly. “It scares the hell out of me,” she said. “But that’s exactly why I’d love to try it sometime.”
“You like being scared?”
“Absolutely. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie.”
“I guess that is another thing we have in common?”
“What’s the first?”
“That we are both certifiably crazy.”
Cora ran her hand through her beautiful hair. “Yeah. That is kind of a given. I’m an artist and you are a businessman; so neither one of us has to be in their right mind.”
“I’m not sure I necessarily agree,” I said. “I’ve seen plenty of evidence to refute those myths.”
“Oh, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you; I haven’t done all the research.”
“We can talk more about it tomorrow night,” I said. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“No. Tomorrow doesn’t work for me. Let’s do Thursday, or maybe Friday... Just call me. I’ll need to check my schedule.”
She held out her hand and I gave her my phone. Cora carelessly typed in her information and then gave it back to me.
I shook my head. Wow, this woman was a trip. “Ok. That sounds doable.”
Cora walked over and rejoined Miley and Joanie. The three of them were about to be escorted to their table.
I didn’t say a word to her and she didn’t even look back at me. What a waste.
As I left the restaurant, I felt like jumping up in the air like some crazy kid, but I didn’t. I kept replaying the exchange over and over again in my mind. I almost felt like I was in some kind of a spy novel. It was exciting and a bit unpredictable, which was fun. My mind told me that this was not going to be any type of a cookie cutter date.
That was just fine. As I drove home, I cranked my rock music loudly in my car. I was feeling better than I had in ages. All of the tension and the butterflies that had been gripping my stomach miraculously disappeared. I felt like I was going out in a few days with some kind of super, famous celebrity. It was exciting and new. It had been so long since I’d met anyone who made me feel like a new man.
And Cora was that woman. She was the total package. She had everything that I’d ever looked for in a woman.
And I hoped she enjoyed me as well.
Chapter 7
Cora
“I can’t believe you did that? Where did this awesome attitude come from?”
Miley was practically dancing off the walls when I rejoined her and Joanie. The scene had been pretty crazy and as I stood there listening to the words coming out of my mouth and wondering where in the world this character had come from, I somehow did nothing to try to alter it or stop it. I felt like it was something natural, something dormant inside of me that had waited until just this moment to come out. And once it had been awakened, there was no turning it off. I felt like some kind of sexy, wealthy socialite. Maybe it was just because of who I was speaking with. Did flirting with a billionaire automatically change how I presented myself?
My head was still spinning around my shoulders as I walked with Miley and Joanie towards our table. I wanted to turn back and look to see if Landon was still there watching me, but I didn’t dare try it. I had a feeling that would have ruined the entire effect.
“I don’t know,” I said once I was seated safely at our table. “It just came over me. Did I sound arrogant and stupid?”
Joanie shook her head. “No. I’ve known Landon for a while and you played that perfectly. I honestly think you blew his mind and that isn’t easy to do. He’s been kind of a privileged guy in his life and he’s had a huge assortment of women throwing themselves at him ever since he was old enough to drive. So, few women can have him looking as dazed as you did. I think you’ve got him on the hook.”
“This is so exciting!” Miley said. “Thank you so much Joanie—you and Britney both—for putting this all together. It worked brilliantly.”
“I can’t believe you did this,” I said. “But as soon as I saw Landon and then saw how chummy Joanie was with him—I knew I’d been set up. I should be furious at the two of you, but instead I can’t stop smiling. God, I’ve got tingles all over.”
“I think you gave Landon a fair amount of tingles,” Joanie said. “He will call you soon.”
“Yeah, well now I feel scared to death, like I might puke the next time I talk to him. That wasn’t me back there. I don’t see how I can keep up that character for an entire evening.”
Joanie laughed and shook her head. “You don’t have to keep up a character. You can just drop it and be yourself. You’ve already got Landon interested. I imagine he was interested from the moment he saw you. Stop worrying so much.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” I said. It had been several minutes since my encounter with Landon and I was still feeling jittery. I sipped some of the mineral water at the table and tried to calm myself down. It was all such a wild head rush.
“When do you think he will call?” Miley asked Joanie.
“I don’t have any idea,” Joanie responded.
“Too bad,” I said. “I almost feel like I need to be prepared and rehearsed the next time I speak to him. Over the phone it might be easier.”
“You act like this is the first boy who has ever taken your number to call you for a date,” Joanie said. “I know you are young; but you are a beautiful young woman and I imagine you’ve made a few heads turn in your time.”
I blushed a little. “Thanks. I guess…”
But truthfully I wasn�
��t that aware of it. I’d always been told that I was pretty and some of the boys at school had even claimed I was sexy, but I’d never thought myself overly special. At least I never wanted to base anything I obtained by something as arbitrary as my looks. But I could look into the mirror and see that I might be considered attractive in the right eyes.
I still wasn’t sure what to make of Landon. I figured he was attracted to me and he might actually be interested in my work, but I didn’t know if I had to keep emphasizing this point when we got together again. I wanted him to know that there would be no strings attached between us just for him showing interest in what I did (or rather what I wanted to do).
Everything would have to happen organically between us.
We finished our dinner together and had a wonderful evening. Miley spent half of the meal telling Joanie all about how much she wanted to be a veterinarian and how much she loved her summer internship working at the veterinarian clinic. I was almost bored by it (mostly because I’d heard it so many times before) but I tried to stay interested and invested.
My mind kept wandering back to Landon. I wondered if I was the type of woman who should have been with a man like him. Was I the type of woman he was used to? Did he think I was going to be some summer fling, or did he feel really challenged by me? I didn’t care if he thought either one, and I was committed to not letting myself get too wrapped up in things. After all, I was working on my career path and I was not going to be deterred from it.
When I got home I took a hot shower and then headed for bed. I was tired, but also still a bit exhilarated from the evening. It felt surreal. I’d just been in a fancy restaurant (which had cost me a good bit of my recent savings) and now there I was in my bedroom that I’d had since I was a little girl in my parents’ house and I was wearing pajamas that would be considered anything but mature or sexy.
I closed my eyes and drifted off. I had no dreams about Landon or anything else heavy in my life, but when I opened my eyes the next morning, he was the first thought on my mind.
As I went about my morning routine, I realized just how much the boredom of summer was driving me nuts. I had nothing to do all day but think about school and now about Landon. I really had to find a job, or something to keep me occupied. There were only so many Danielle Steele novels I could reread.
