When Love Takes Over You
by Norah C. Peters
Copyright 2013 by Norah C. Peters
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Contents
Story
About the Author
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When Love Takes Over You
Susan took a deep breath and followed the P.A. into Mike Forest’s power office. Mike was standing behind his desk, shouting into the phone when he looked up and noticed Susan, his jaw dropped and with a few well chosen expletives he slammed the phone down.
"I’m Mike, pleased to meet you," he held out his hand and firmly shook Susan’s hand.
"Good to meet you Mike, I’m Susan," she squeaked as she felt the strength of his hand and finally got to see him close up. He was taller and more manly than she’d expected after seeing him on so many TV interviews over the years. At only 37, Mike was the biggest property developer in London with an ego to match and the well toned body of a man who still found time to hit the gym. Susan felt weak at the knees as she slid into her seat. She tried not to stare but she couldn’t. She took in his tanned face, his strong jaw line and those deep blue eyes that danced in the light. His jet black hair was cut short and with his tailored dark suit he looked like he had just stepped out of a photo shoot.
"Are you feeling ok, Susan? You look a little pale. Let me pour you some water."
Susan sipped the water and trembled. "Oh thank you, that’s very kind of you. I don’t know what’s come over me today. Anyway, I’m ready to get started if you are. I read over your email but I could do with some more details before I can come up with some initial interior design ideas for you to look at."
"Of course. Let me give you a quick run down of what I’m working on. I’ve just been awarded planning permission to build a luxury development in Battersea, right on the river bank. It’s going to be my biggest project to date and I need to make sure I’m working with the very best people because this is going to be the most exclusive apartment building in London. I’m talking a parking spot the price of a small flat in the commuter belt. Think five star luxury for only the most exclusive international clientele." Mike adjusted his red silk tie and scratched his chin before tapping his fingers on the desk. "And one other thing, I don’t suffer fools gladly, I expect 100% from anyone who works on our projects. We’re all in this together and I want to ensure this development is a huge success. And clearly, that’s where you come in because I need a wow factor but it’s got to be different to anything that’s every been done in Europe.”
"Sounds exciting!" Susan did her best to ignore her attraction to Mike and frowned in an effort to focus on the business at hand. "I’m sure you’ve already had a good look at my portfolio and you know what you can expect from me. I have a well earned reputation for excellence and originality. Still, I do need to know a little more about what you want to create. I’d like to know who you want to appeal to, what they expect, that sort of thing. So, when it comes to the interior design, what would you like me to factor in?"
Mike hopped out of his chair and looked out the window at the city. "Susan, I need you to create an experience so impressive, so jaw dropping that people can’t stop talking about it. I want River Heights to be the number one choice for new money. Think the opulence of The Dorchester and the style of The Ritz rolled into one but even more exclusive. When I look out over this city I see a desperate need for extreme exclusivity and privacy for the ultra rich but they have nowhere to go. I aim to solve that problem. With your help I can make this happen. One last thing, I have a reputation for being an obsessive and compulsive maniac when it comes to business. I’m sure you’ve heard about me already. “So, let me be very clear. All the horror stories you’ve heard, they’re all true. If you do great work you’ll make a lot of money and cement your reputation as one of London’s top interior designers. On the other hand, if you mess this up and make me look bad I’ll destroy you. Got it?" Mike snarled and turned back from the window to look Susan in the eye.
Susan gulped, her hand shaking, she reached for her glass and sipped on the water before taking a deep breath. "Mike, there’s no need to be so blunt. As I already mentioned, I have a well earned reputation for excellence and if that’s not good enough for you we can end this meeting right now. I can deliver on what you need but I have no intention of working with a client that talks down to me or threatens me. Do I make myself clear?"
Mike sat back down at the table and laughed, "Good for you, Susan. I love working with people who can give as good as they get. You’ve got fire in your belly, I like that. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. One question though, do I make you nervous? You look a little tense."
Susan felt her cheeks flush. "Of course not! I’m just over caffeinated this morning. Don’t worry about it, I’m fine, just fine. Anyway, I’ll go away and come up with some initial ideas and talk to you again in a week’s time if that’s ok with you."
"Sounds good, Susan. Hey maybe we could meet over coffee in Battersea. That way I can show you how I want the development to fit in with the local environment."
"Perfect. I shall look forward to it. Thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting you next week." Susan held out her hand and felt the warm strength of Mike’s hand wrapped around her now relatively tiny hand. She felt her heart leap as she looked into his blue eyes and wondered why he had such a big smile on his face.
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Susan sat, with her best friend Becky, by the fire in her living room with glasses of Merlot in hand to wind down after another hectic day at the office.
Becky’s eyes twinkled in the light from the blazing fire. "So, tell me, is Mike Forest as hot as he looks on TV?"
Susan beamed from ear to ear, "Actually, he’s even hotter. It doesn’t sound very professional but I felt weak at the knees when I walked into his office. He’s gorgeous, I mean, drop dead gorgeous. I hope he didn’t notice but I barely heard a word he said I was so distracted. We had a quick meeting and I had to get out of there as soon as possible before I made a fool of myself and said something silly."
"That doesn’t sound like you at all, Susan. It sounds like he made quite an impression on you. Hey, maybe you just met your future husband. What do you think?"
"I wouldn’t go quite that far, Becky. I know nothing about him other than he has a body to die for and he’s absurdly wealthy at a young age. I do have standards, you know?" Susan giggled and poured some more wine.
"Hmm, he sounds terrible. No, he wouldn’t suit
you at all. Plus, you’d have to tame him first before he’ll ever be husband material. Susan, I take it you know about his reputation as a player?"
Susan nodded. "I know. I did some quick research on him at the gossip sites and it looks like he’s out with a different model or movie starlet every weekend. He’s quite the man around town as they say. Maybe I’ll have to settle for a short lived romance with him after the project is over. The next few months will be tough though. I mean, have you ever worked with a guy that makes you weak at the knees so much so that you can’t even think straight? I’ve never felt like this before."
"Yeah, it happened to me once and I married the guy," Becky raised her glass and smiled as she clinked Susan’s glass.
"That was different though, Becky. I don’t feel in control of myself with Mike, I’m afraid I’m going to say the wrong thing or giggle like a school girl if he cracks a joke. If this was happening outside of work it wouldn’t be such a problem but every time my phone goes or I get an email I’m all jumpy in case it’s him. I’ve only met him once and I can’t stop thinking about him."
"Sounds like love at first sight if you ask me." Becky beamed as she looked at Susan’s dreamy expression in the firelight.
Susan put her hand through her long blonde hair. "I’m meeting him next week for coffee in Battersea. I can’t stop thinking about it, I don’t know what to wear and I’m just hoping I can manage to be professional and keep it together. Of course, I need to remind myself that this is a huge opportunity for my business so I better not mess it up. In fact, he warned me not to mess it up or he’d destroy my reputation."
"He did? He sounds like quite a handful, Susan. Don’t go all head over heels like this if he’s one of those high powered maniacs that walks all over people. It’s just not worth it, that’s way more trouble than it’s worth."
Susan looked into the fire and sighed. "Maniac, that’s the word he used to describe himself, actually. But you’re right, I’ll need to tread carefully with this one. I’ve been burned enough times in the past with his type. Being realistic I know what I should do, I need to keep him at arm’s length but the problem is following though and doing that. It’s never quite as easy as it sounds."
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Mike sat in the cafe at Battersea Park and looked over as Susan walked in. She looked stunning, he guessed she was about 32 and young for someone so successful in her field, her long blonde hair tumbled down to her shoulders and her smart navy business suit made the most of her slim figure. He liked what he saw and made a mental note to ask her out at some point in the future after the project had been completed.
"Hello, Susan! Good to meet you again, I hope you found this place without too much trouble."
Susan felt her knees go weak as soon as she spotted Mike. He looked like a movie star who had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the park. She felt her pulse quicken. "Hello, Mike! How are you today? Oh, no problem at all, I grew up just down the street from the park."
Mike sat up. "Oh really? Now there’s a coincidence. I live only 5 minutes walk from here. I love this part of town, it’s just such a good spot."
After a waiter took their order and brought over the drinks, Mike moved the conversation onto business. "Now, I looked over your initial sketches and I really like what you’ve come up with. Actually, I’m very impressed."
Susan blushed and looked away, avoiding his blue eyes. She reminded herself that Mike was a notorious player and that this was a business meeting not a date. She smiled. "Thank you! I’m pleased you like it. I have some more ideas but I just wanted to check first that we’re on the same wavelength before I go any further."
Mike smiled back, amused by the way Susan wrinkled her nose when she smiled. "Excellent! Hey, I was thinking when I was on my way over here. There’s a great new French restaurant just outside the park, overlooking the river. We could take an early lunch and get a feel for the ambience of the area, it’s right next to where the building is going up. I thought that would be more fun than just walking over and standing on the street like we originally planned. What do you think?"
Susan felt giddy but did her best to sound professional. "Sure, why not? Let’s go." Mike led the way and they strolled out of the park and along the bank of the Thames until they were standing in front of the restaurant and a huge building site.
Mike pointed to the boarded up disused car park. "So, that’s where the building will be. Clearing the site starts later this month which means I need to get a move on and prepare an artist’s impression of the interior. With your help we should be able to make that happen fairly quickly."
Susan looked up and down the street and then down the river. "I see what you mean now, what a great location! You must be excited, this has the potential to be a real landmark building."
"I am excited, very excited but also a little apprehensive, any cock ups and it’ll cost me a lot of money. I can’t afford any mistakes." Mike furrowed his brow and turned back to face the restaurant. "Anyway, let’s go and eat, I don’t know about you but I’m starving."
Over lunch Susan learned more about the project as well as all about Mike’s rise from obscurity to where he was today, known and respected as a true innovator in London’s property development world. The more she got to know him the more impressed she was with this good looking, intelligent, self-made man before her.
"I like you, Susan. I meet a lot of people and it’s rare I meet someone I can really talk to. You don’t know this but I had you fully checked out before I asked you to bid on the project. And you’ll be pleased to know you come highly recommended and not one person had a bad thing to say about you. And that’s rare, very rare in this cut throat business."
Susan felt her heart flutter and struggled to focus. "Oh, thank you. That’s very kind of you. I have a great team working with me and we always aim to please our clients. Even the unreasonable ones!" Susan smiled and noticed that Mike seemed much more relaxed than the first time they met.
"Forgive me if this is too personal but are you seeing someone?" Mike smiled.
Susan looked at the glint in his eye and didn’t know how to respond. "Not at the moment. I’m all about work these days, I just don’t get the chance to meet new people. As for dating, well, that’s just a pipe dream with the long hours I put in."
"You know what? I’d really like to meet you another day to get to know you better. Just to talk but business will be strictly off limits. What do you think?" Mike waited and watched Susan avoid eye contact.
"You mean like a date?" Susan stuttered and hoped he couldn’t hear the pounding of her heart .
Mike smiled from ear to ear. "Well, I wasn’t going to say it, but, yes, like a date. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not in the habit of dating people I work with and as soon as the project gets off the ground you’ll be dealing with my design team not me, so don’t worry about any potential confusion in how we work together. It’s just that there’s something about you, and I’d really like to get to know you better."
"Mike, I don’t usually, in fact, I never date clients, so I don’t know if this is such a good idea. I just don’t think it’s very professional that’s all. I hope you understand."
Mike pursed his lips and grimaced. "Don’t worry, Susan. I completely understand where you’re coming from and you’re probably right. Please forget I even mentioned it. I shouldn’t have, sorry."
"Don’t worry about it. Let’s just keep it professional, I really enjoy talking to you and I’m very excited about the project so let’s just focus on work for now. After a few more weeks of me you might be glad, very glad, we kept it all strictly professional." Susan laughed even as she wondered why she was walking away from a date with the guy that made her unable to think straight.
"I doubt that very much, Susan. But anyway, I better be getting back to the office and now that we’ve agreed there’ll be no funny business I won’t have to sit here and admit to my dark secret." Mike looked Susan in the eye and wondered how sh
e would react.
Susan stared back at him and wondered what on earth he was talking about but decided it was best to say nothing and to just let it go. What did she know about Mike as a person, really? He’s a womanizer and he has a dark secret, he’s highly successful and very good looking, he’s open about his business life but his personal life is a mystery, a complete mystery.
Susan knew this was the walk away moment, the time to walk away from a possible romantic future with Mike and never look back. He was a wild card and she had no desire to get burned yet again by a guy with a past he never talks about. The warning signs were there and for the first she was going to heed them and ignore that flutter in her stomach that never went away when she was with Mike.
She looked over at Mike as he paid the bill and wondered if she’d even be attracted to him if he wasn’t a dark horse. Without that danger element would she feel so deliciously confused in his company? Without his bad reputation would she feel compelled to catch him and keep him? She didn’t know, she couldn’t think straight. And her heart was still pounding even though she had tried to calm down.
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Becky took her usual spot on the living room carpet in front of the roaring fire. "Oh my God, Susan. I haven’t seen you in months. How have you been?"
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