Max was quiet. He looked at me long and hard while drumming his fingers against the conference room table. He was silent as he glared at me. “I want dinner,” he said finally with a smile. He gathered his paperwork and walked to my side of the table.
Smiling back at him, I responded, “Pick the restaurant and I will take you wherever. Anytime!” I attempted to open the door to the conference room, but he quickly grabbed the door handle and opened it wide so I could walk out.
“Okay, cool,” he smiled as we made our way to our offices down the hall. “So how was your date?”
I shook my head as I walked through the door to my office.
“That bad, huh?”
“It wasn’t that bad. He just wasn’t for me. But it was good for me to step out of the box though.” I took a seat behind my desk. I noticed I had a number of missed calls and messages and I sighed, “Mrs. Reed.”
“Yeah, duty calls,” Max grumbled as he turned to walk out the door. “I’ll see you later.”
Checking my messages, I rolled my eyes when I got to the third message from Mrs. Reed, my supervisor. She had left me three messages regarding a project that was completed last week. She was only gone for two days for outpatient surgery so she decided to micromanage from afar. Making a list of everything I was tasked to do over the next two days, I immersed myself in my work. I was in the zone until I got a text message an hour later.
Summer Wilson: I gave your number to a man. He wasn’t an easy sell on our idea but once I showed him your picture and told him a little about you, he was sold.
Autumn Jones: I don’t want to talk to someone who you had to convince to go out with me. That’s awkward.
Summer Wilson: I didn’t have to convince him to go out with you. I had to convince him to go out period. But once he saw you, he was in. You were the reason he said he would go.
Autumn Jones: I don’t know…
Summer Wilson: Listen, when you see him, you will know. We are going to call him Boris Kodjoe since you used to be obsessed with him in that show, Soul Food.
Autumn Jones: Does he look like Boris Kodjoe?
Summer: A little. But he’s hotter. Swear to God, Auty, he looks photoshopped. He was nice and sweet too…but I wish I could show you a picture! Unfortunately for you, you’ll just have to take my word for it. You will thank me when you see him! He’s seriously so hot I fanned myself in his presence.
Autumn Jones: So I take it he’s decent looking.
Summer Wilson: There is nothing decent about it! I mean damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!
Autumn Jones: Haha okay…so am I to call him Boris Kodjoe for real?
Summer Wilson: Absolutely.
Autumn Jones: Well, what made you think he was for me and not for you?
Summer Wilson: Because when I walked into his office, he had a book out…that he was reading…for pleasure. And when I asked him about it, he said he was READING ON HIS LUNCH BREAK!
Autumn Jones: Oh wow! My heart may have just skipped a beat.
Summer Wilson: So Boris being hot got no reaction out of you, but Boris reading a book for pleasure got your panties wet? You, my dear best friend, need to get your priorities straight! Call me on your way home so we can discuss your priorities and other concerns.
Autumn Jones: HA! I’m going to call you so we can chat about your old man Ford fetish.
Summer Wilson: I’m going to kill you. Goodbye!
I put my phone on silent and zipped it back in my handbag with a laugh. I need to get focused because I have to get this work done. Tomorrow, I need to be solely focused on the big project I’m working on with Max. I don’t have time to think about some model type who reads for pleasure in the middle of the day and who may or may not call me at any time, I thought as my stomach turned.
I shook my head in amusement as I quickly ate an apple and a banana for lunch. After the quick bite to eat, I dove back into the pile of work that had accumulated due to my workload and the work Mrs. Reed just assigned. Time flew by and I was only reminded of how late it had gotten when my stomach growled.
“Almost six o’clock already,” I muttered to myself as I packed everything up. Well at least I finished everything I needed to do, I thought as I shut down my computer and grabbed my belongings. Why didn’t I take a break to eat? I am starving. Maybe I should grab something quick instead of cooking. Or I could order a pizza. I should see if Summer has eaten and if she wants to order a pizza. I’ll call her once I get outside.
Turning off the light as I exited my office, I pulled my phone out of my bag. Within seconds of holding the phone in my hand, it rang. I didn’t recognize the unfamiliar number and I instantly felt nervous. This could be Boris! I considered with nervous excitement. Oh no, why did Summer have to build him up so much? Now I’m freaking out.
I slowed my pace as I approached the main exit of the building. As I pushed open the heavy door, I took a deep breath.
“Hello?” I answered, my voice sounding calmer than I actually felt.
“Hello, may I speak with Autumn please?” the deep voice on the other then crooned.
The rich texture of his voice caused me to stop in my tracks. I could listen to this voice on a loop, I thought dreamily. It’s like he’s singing his words.
“Hello?” he repeated.
“Hi, this is Autumn,” I answered quickly, gently banging my hand against my forehead. He’s going to think you’re creepy. Get it together, I commanded.
“Hi, Autumn. This is…Boris,” he finished with a short laugh. “I’m sorry, your friend Summer told me to call myself Boris.”
His laugh was as rich and silky as his speaking voice and it put me at ease. “Yeah, she told me,” I giggled. “So how are you Boris?”
“I have no complaints. How about yourself? How are you today?”
“I’m very well, thank you.” I walked slowly down the sidewalk in the direction of my home, hunger pains forgotten.
“That’s good to hear. It’s also good to hear that you are somewhat of a bookworm.”
I laughed. “Yeah, something like that. I don’t read on my lunch or anything like that but…” I trailed off lightheartedly.
“She told you about that, huh?”
“Absolutely. And I think that’s cool.”
“I don’t get much free time. So when I do, I like to listen to music or enjoy a good book.”
“What’s your favorite book?”
“Fiction or Non-Fiction?”
“Hmmm,” I considered. “Fiction.”
“Easy. The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald.”
“That’s a good one,” I agreed, grinning. I looked around when I got to the end of the block and then I entered the crosswalk.
“And what’s yours?”
“This is an impossible question! I have so many. But since you went classic, I’ll have to say Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.”
“Ah…Jane Austen. Your favorite books tell me a lot about you.” His voice was playful and sexy.
“Really? And what do they say about me?” I asked, catching a glimpse of myself in the glass of a boutique as I walked by.
“Well first let me ask, how do you read most of your books?”
“Depends. Newer books I read on my e-reader. Older books, I need to feel the book in my hand and paper between my fingers.”
“Okay,” he paused for affect. “You are classic: romantic, feminine, beautiful. But you’re also strong and deep.”
My heart drummed in my chest. “Hmm.”
“Does that noise mean I’m right?” He joked with a laugh.
The sound of his laugh made me happy. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. “I suppose you’re right,” I retorted nonchalantly.
“I knew it!” He sounded satisfied. “Well, if I’m being honest, I knew you were beautiful because I saw the picture of you from Summer. But for everything else, I took a Women’s Literature class in undergrad and I remembered some things.”
I giggled a
bit, “Oh you’re good!”
“And resourceful. Don’t you forget it.”
“Okay, well your book says a lot about you too! You are goal-oriented and a dreamer,” I speculated. “With a shady past or an unrequited love. One or the other.”
His only response was a deep chuckle that made my heart flutter.
“So I’m right?” I questioned over his laughter.
“Something like that,” he quipped. He paused for a second. “I think I understand what you and Summer are doing. The details were murky but I understand that you two are setting each other up on dates. She wanted me to tell her a time and date and then she would tell you and then you and I would just meet there. But that’s not my style.”
I stopped on the sidewalk abruptly, causing a woman to glare as she sidestepped me. “Oh,” I breathed, my mind going blank. Is he not interested? I wondered, disappointment causing a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“I need to get back to work, but I called because I wanted to touch bases with you and formally ask you out.”
Biting my lip, I waited for him to continue.
“So Autumn, would you like to go out on a date with me?”
Grinning from ear to ear, I answered, “Absolutely.”
After we said our goodbyes, I clutched my phone to my chest and sighed. I didn’t want to romanticize the conversation, but everything from his voice to his words affected me, and I felt a real connection between us. I was so high off of the brief conversation with Boris, I ended up walking all the way home.
**********
Chapter 9: Summer
Exhausted, I returned to my desk from the Thursday morning meeting and plopped down in my chair. Today’s meeting went a lot more smoothly than last week’s, I thought as I reached for the ringing phone.
“Hello?” I answered absentmindedly as I fired up my laptop to review the photos I’d taken earlier in the week.
“What time do you want to do lunch so you can tell me about your date and Lucas Hardy?” Meghan squealed.
I laughed, “You sound way too excited. Give me an hour. Does that work for you?”
“Of course! See you in an hour!”
After hanging up the phone, I clicked through the photos from the shoots. The pictures I took on Monday and Tuesday were perfect and I quickly selected awesome shots of those men for the magazine. I even scored Autumn a date with the gorgeous book worm. But Wednesday’s photo shoot with Lucas Hardy was a little more difficult. And immediately following the shoot, I had a date with Logan.
Logan, I groaned internally as I shook my head. Last night was…interesting. I don’t even know how I feel about that date. Was he cute? Yes. Was he fun? Yes. But it just didn’t—
I stopped as I landed on a photograph of Lucas. Wednesday’s shoot was difficult because Lucas was difficult. I struggled to see why he would be named one of the most eligible bachelors in the area. He was cocky, egotistical and unbelievably rude. He spent the day telling everyone how they could do their jobs better. He criticized everything and he sneered in almost every picture. But in a rare moment, when he wasn’t paying attention, I captured the essence of the Lucas Hardy everyone seemed to think he was. Instead of the Lucas Hardy I found out he truly is, I thought analyzing the picture.
“Knock, knock,” Meghan said as she walked into my office. “You ready?”
Clicking buttons on my laptop, I answered, “Yes. I just need to move the raw images here so I can print when we get back and… done!” I closed my laptop with a flourish. Putting my camera in the camera bag and hoisting it on my shoulder, I slid my oversized sunglasses onto my face and said, “Let’s go!”
On the way to the elevator, Meghan and I decided on the French bistro a couple of blocks away for lunch. Leaning against the wall, I halfheartedly listened to Meghan as she detailed her conversation with the nail tech from the night before. My mind, as it had been doing all week, flooded with thoughts of Xavier as soon as we approached the elevator. The dinging sound of the elevator interrupted my thoughts and Meghan’s monologue. My heart pounded in my chest as the doors slid open. It was empty.
I let out a little breath, but I wasn’t sure if it was in relief or disappointment.
“What’s going on with you?” Meghan asked, breaking me out of my fog. “All week, you’ve been acting scared of the elevator!”
I don’t know why I haven’t told Meghan about Xavier, I considered pensively as I shrugged. I guess there’s nothing really to tell. We’ve had a few run-ins. I felt something on my end but he’s taken. So there’s nothing really to talk about. I know she knows who he is though, so I could get some insider information. But what does it matter? He’s unavailable. And truth be told, so am I. My focus is on my next date.
“Summer…” Meghan dragged my name out.
“Oh, sorry. I completely zoned out. Yesterday was long and drawn out.”
“Tell me everything! You can tell me about your date when we get to lunch but can you please tell me about Lucas Hardy now? Please!” Meghan begged with her hands clasped together. She batted her eyelashes behind oversized, red-framed glasses.
We walked out of the elevator and I quickly scanned the lobby. Meghan did the same and then grabbed my arm, whispering, “Okay, the coast is clear. No one from Style is around. Tell me everything!”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Okay, what do you want to know about the great Lucas Hardy?”
“Is he as good-looking in person as he is in the movies?”
“Ugh,” I sighed noisily. “Yeah, he’s good looking. If you’re only looking at his outer appearance.” I frowned my face up in disgust.
“What’s that look for?” Meghan asked as we walked through the doors out into the warm weather.
“He’s a good-looking jackass. Sorry to shatter the dream, Meghan.”
“So he’s not like the total romantic dreamboats he plays in the movies?”
“Hell no! He’s a nightmare. Between me and you, I’m not sure how he got on anyone’s list of eligible bachelors.”
“Seriously?!” Meghan screeched in astonishment. We crossed the busy intersection and approached our destination.
“Seriously,” I affirmed. “And I would’ve kicked his ass if he had told me how to hold my camera one more time!”
Giggling, Meghan shook her head. “Well, that sucks. That’s the movie star equivalent of the carpet not matching the drapes.”
“Don’t ever say anything like that again. That was almost too lame for me to forgive,” I laughed, opening the door to the French bistro and readjusting my camera bag. Taking my glasses off, I put them on the top of my head and quickly glanced around for the first available table.
“Smells good in here,” Meghan commented from behind me.
“It does,” I agreed, making my way to an empty table.
“And it looks like we missed the bulk of the crowd! Let’s sit on the patio. It’s such a nice day.” Meghan tugged on my arm to get me to walk in the other direction.
I turned to follow her and that’s when I saw him. Xavier, I gulped silently. Hoping no one noticed the slight pause in my walking and breathing, I continued to walk behind Meghan, who seemed to be none the wiser. Xavier was sitting at a table that was between where I stood and the door leading to the patio area. I trained my eyes on the door and tried not to look his way.
“Hey, Mr. Ford!” Meghan chirped as we approached him.
Xavier turned his head leisurely. “Good afternoon, ladies.” He glanced at Meghan before he held my gaze. His eyes seemed to say a lot, yet I couldn’t decipher one syllable.
The fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach revved up and caused me to push my hands deep into the pockets of my black jumper. “Hello,” I replied coolly before looking back at Meghan.
Meghan’s eyebrows came together briefly in confusion before her cheery personality took over and she smiled at him. “Good seeing you sir. Hope you have a good lunch!” Turning, she walked to the patio door.
I glanced back at him, trying not to notice the way the blue of his shirt complimented his eyes beautifully. “Take care, Xavier,” I murmured quietly.
“You too, Summer.”
I held his gaze for a beat too long before hurriedly following Meghan. Hearing my name roll off of his tongue made my breath catch. What is he doing to me? I thought irrationally.
Finding a spot in the corner, I sat down across from Meghan at the outdoor table. The waiter wasted no time approaching us and we placed our orders.
“The waiter is pretty cute,” Meghan noted as soon as he walked away.
“Yeah, he’s okay.” He’s no Xavier Ford, but he’s okay, I thought before mentally punching myself in the face. Stop it!
“So what was that about back there?” Meghan questioned.
“What was what?” I rebutted, scanning the menu.
“That weird exchange with Mr. Ford. I’ve never seen anyone be rude to him before.”
“Oh was I?”
“Yes. People are usually intimidated by him or flirtatious with him, but I’ve never seen anyone be outright rude to him. You wouldn’t know it because he keeps to himself, but he’s a really nice guy. And he’s all about giving back to the community or something. I don’t know. I heard some people talking about it, but it’s kept very hush hush.”
“Oh really?” I commented, swallowing thickly.
“Yeah. Everyone thinks he’s a hard ass because of his family, but he’s actually the reason I still have my job. He stuck up for me when Gabriella fired me for no reason. I got a call from his secretary and I had my job back and a formal apology from Mega Bitch.”
“I didn’t realize I was being rude. You know I’m tired. I guess I’m just distracted,” I lied.
I avoided eye contact just in case she could see the dopey look I always felt myself getting when I talked or thought about Xavier. Taking my jittery hands, I repositioned my glasses on top of my head before I removed them completely. “But let me tell you about my date.”
“Oh yes! Tell me everything!”
And just like that, crisis averted, I thought as Meghan was quickly and easily distracted. Phew! I wasn’t sure that was going to work because Autumn would’ve called me on my shit.
Autumn and Summer Page 9
