His approach was so different from Rhett who always just made decisions for me. It was obvious he didn’t have the same confidence as Rhett, but not many men did.
“Yes, how about at eight? That will give me time to get home from work.”
“Alright. I’ll see you at eight on Wednesday.” I heard the smile in his voice.
“See you then. Bye, Owen.”
“Bye, Ava.”
I hung up the phone with a mixture of emotions. A little excitement and a little nervousness followed by guilt. I ignored the guilt. I finished watching my shows before heading off to bed.
CHAPTER 4
Miraculously, I made it into work early Monday morning. Tom was already at the office. I am sure he was anxious to get started on the contract for Rhett.
“Good Morning, Tom,” I popped my head into his office.
“Ah, Ava! Good morning. I didn’t expect to see you here, this early.” He looked up at me from his desk. I smiled sheepishly. “How was your weekend? Did the meeting with Mr. Blackwood go well?”
“Yep,” I said, thinking about my time with Rhett Saturday. Technically, it had gone well up until the kiss on the beach. “I was just about to upload the photos and type up my notes.”
“Great. I’m wrapping up the proposal and contract to send over to him, and then I plan to start reviewing the field information you gathered.”
“Sounds good. I’ll do that now,” I dismissed myself.
I went back to my desk and got to work on transferring the files over. I was checking my emails when my phone chimed with a new text.
L: Change in plans. I’m coming in this Friday. Hope that’s okay?
A: Of course! Send me your flight information.
L: Will do. See you soon!
I put my phone back down excited that Lizzie would be here at the end of the week. By the time I wrapped up responding to a few emails, Drew and Joce had arrived at the office. Joce was in an extremely chipper mood as she walked through the door to her desk. I assumed it had a lot to do with Riley. I looked over at her expectantly as she put her things away and took a seat at her desk.
“I take it Friday night went well?” I inquired with a smirk. She looked at me ruefully. Her pink cheeks brightened.
“Yes…and Saturday and Sunday morning,” she said dreamily lost in her reverie. “Well, that was at least after Rhett left on Friday. He had Riley’s attention temporarily distracted.” She turned, studying me. “I think our new, sexy client was hoping you would stick around. He spent most of the night brooding after you left with that other guy. Although he looked dangerously hot, it still kind of killed the mood,” she teased.
I immediately started to panic that Riley or Rhett might have said something to Joce, revealing our past history. I needed to make sure she had no clue.
“Don’t be silly, Joce. He’s a client and that would be completely unprofessional,” I replied, giving nothing away. She shrugged her shoulders, giving me a nonchalant smirk.
“That’s too bad. He really is gorgeous. I don’t know how you’re going to work with him. I wouldn’t be able to control myself,” she smiled wickedly as she teased me.
Annoyance and jealousy suddenly started to churn in my stomach. I didn’t know how I was going to manage to work with him either, but I was suddenly glad I didn’t turn the project over to Joce after all. I needed to move the conversation away from Rhett and me.
“Will you be seeing Riley again?” I asked. My question having an alternative motive. Rhett never told me exactly when he would be back, and I did not want to be caught off guard again. I figured if Riley had made plans with Joce, that would give me somewhat of an idea.
“I hope so. It figures when I finally find a guy I really like he would live on the other side of the country,” she huffed, frustrated. “He promised to call me when he got settled back in New York. He said he would try to make it back out here soon. But didn’t really say when.”
Damn it. “Well, I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon,” I gave an encouraging smile.
I really did hope she would, not only for my benefit. I knew Riley was a good guy and Joce deserved someone good. I just hoped he wouldn’t break her heart. The long distance would be a major hurdle for them to pursue anything further.
Our conversation was interrupted by someone coming through the door. Both of us turned our heads to see who had arrived at the office. There was a delivery guy with a huge bouquet of white roses in a shiny crystal vase. There had to be at least two dozen stems. They were extravagant and beautiful. My heart sank, knowing who they were from immediately. I looked over at Joce whose eyes lit up. I knew she was hoping they were from Riley. I kind of hoped so too, for both of our sakes.
“Looking for a Ms. Ava Conner,” the delivery man said, looking around the ungodly large bouquet.
Joce sat back in her chair deflated as I hesitantly got up to take the flowers from the delivery guy. “That’s me,” I waved my hand, timidly as I walked towards him.
“Here you go,” he smiled as he passed the roses to me. I took them back to my desk as he left our office.
“Wow! Who are they from?!” Joce asked nosily before I could even read the card. I took the card out of the bouquet and nervously pulled it from the envelope to read it.
Ms. Conner,
Thank you for joining me Saturday.
I am looking forward to our next “business”
meeting.
-RB
“Well?” Joce asked impatiently, “Are they from the guy at the bar?”
“What?” I asked distracted from my thoughts. “Oh, yes,” I lied. “We have a date this Wednesday,” I told her. “I guess this is his attempt at courting me,” I added, not sure why I felt the need to expand on my deception. I felt terrible about lying to Joce, but I couldn’t very well tell her they were from Rhett.
“Lucky girl. He must be smitten already. It looks like we both found our perfect guys Friday night!” she said excited for me.
She had no idea. I just gave her a half-hearted smile in response. I quickly hid the card, so she wouldn’t see it. Then focused on my computer, attempting to bury myself in some work. I tried concentrating on the task at hand as I was drafting up some final drawings for Tom’s review. I mindlessly worked, glancing back and forth between the flowers on my desk and my monitor.
The more I looked at them, the more frustrated and aggravated I was that he sent them to me. I had a hard enough time putting him out of my mind. Now, I had a constant reminder of him sitting on my desk. I am sure that was exactly what he wanted. I contemplated sending him a warning text when my thoughts were interrupted by Tom.
“Ava, I just got done going through everything on the Blackwood residence and didn’t see any mention of deed restrictions or property lines. Do you happen to have this information?”
I immediately felt terrible and embarrassed. I had been so distracted by Rhett that I had forgotten to ask for both.
“I’m sorry, Tom. It completely slipped my mind,” I apologized for forgetting something so fundamental. “I will contact him now to get the information.”
“Thank you, Ava. Let me know, when you have received it. I would like to get started on some design sketches right away,” Tom said before walking away.
I turned back to my computer frustrated. Rhett was already affecting my work. I needed to focus, and I needed to draw the line. I couldn’t allow him to be sending me flowers and trying to kiss me during business meetings. I started to write an email to tell him just that before deciding against it. I would text him later. For now, I would keep the email professional.
Mr. Blackwood,
I apologize. I forgot to request the deed restrictions and survey of the property. Please forward to me at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Ava Conner
I hit send and then went back to working, but was immediately distracted by his response arriving in my inbox.
Ms. Conner,
No apologies req
uired. I should have provided you the information. I apologize. I was distracted by the beauty around me. Please see attached.
Did you get the flowers?
Sincerely yours,
Rhett
He was maddening. He insisted on making this impossible on me.
Mr. Blackwood,
Yes and that was completely inappropriate. Especially sending them to my office.
Thank you for the files.
Regards,
Ms. Conner
There. Hopefully, he got the hint with that email. Doubtful. After sending the files to Tom, I tried refocusing on the project I had been working on. But not even two minutes after sending my email, Rhett responded.
Ava,
I will send you flowers when and where I damn well please.
And you’re welcome…for both.
Still yours,
Rhett
Bastard. Screw professionalism.
You’re impossible! You arrogant ass!
Ava
What is wrong with me? I needed to focus and stop arguing via my work email.
You’re unreasonable. Watch that mouth, beautiful.
Always yours,
Rhett
Seriously? I sat back in my seat with a huff frustrated with the man. I was just trying to decide how to respond when my thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. I ignored it, hoping Joce or Drew would pick-up. I was too infuriated to sound cheerful in greeting the person on the other end. I decided not to respond at all. It was a rock and a hard place. I was letting him win by not responding, but I was also letting him win by responding.
I attempted to work as I seethed. A few minutes later Tom stopped at my desk, again.
“Ava, that was Mr. Blackwood.”
Oh. Shit. Did he say something to Tom? Surely not. He wouldn’t want to get me fired.
“He would like to see some preliminary concepts Thursday morning. I should have some sketches to you tomorrow afternoon.” Even worse. He had found a way to ruin my work life and my dating life. “We’ll need to draft up the floor plans and add color to the elevations, creating some presentation boards for the meeting.” Tom looked at me apologetically.
We both knew that was a lot of work to turn around in a short time frame. I was going to be working late Wednesday night. I would either have to cancel my date with Owen or reschedule. If I didn’t know better, I would think Rhett somehow found out about my date with Owen. That was impossible, though. Right? I glanced suspiciously over at Joce, who was the only person I had told.
“No problem,” I forced a smile.
“Thank you, Ava. I knew I could count on you,” Tom flashed his smile as he walked away.
I put my forehead down on my desk, lightly banging it.
“Everything okay?” Drew asked, approaching me with an amused and quizzical expression. I looked up at him, shaking my head.
“Not really. But it’ll be fine,” I said, not wanting to discuss it.
“Joce and I were about to head to lunch. Did you want to join us?” he asked not bothering to question me any further. I liked that about Drew. He always avoided mine and Joce’s “girl drama” as he referred to it. I looked over at Joce, gathering up her purse and then back to Drew.
“Thanks, but it looks like I’m going to have to work through lunch,” I answered him, hating that I had to skip. Lunches with Joce and Drew were always comical, and I could really use some humor to get my mind off things.
“Next time, then.”
“You’re not coming?” Joce asked, coming up behind Drew.
“Nope, you guys have fun.”
“Okay, see you in a little bit,” she said as she and Drew walked out of the office.
I went back to work, trying to get as much done as possible on my other projects. I was glad I went to work yesterday, or I would have been even worse off. I needed to text or call Owen to see if we could reschedule.
I decided on a text. I didn’t want to hear his disappointment, and I also didn’t want Tom to overhear me calling him.
A: Have an unexpected work deadline. Can we reschedule for later in the week?
He responded a few minutes later.
O: Last minute business trip came up. I leave Thursday evening and won’t be back until the following Thursday. Can you do lunch Thursday?
That worked perfect. I would be done with my deadline by then. I typed out my response.
A: Lunch Thursday works. See you then!
The last couple of days went by quickly. Rhett continued to respond inappropriately to any business emails I sent. At least, in my opinion they were not appropriate. Anything that could make me suddenly flush just by reading it was not appropriate.
I gave up on arguing with him about what was appropriate and what wasn’t. It seemed anytime I argued, it only encouraged him more. I kept picturing his devilish smirk every time I read one of his emails. Instead, I only responded when I had to and kept it completely professional ….mostly. I couldn’t help it. The man knew how to get under my skin.
I had worked late last night to make sure the presentation boards were perfect for today’s meeting. I didn’t know why, but I was somewhat nervous about Rhett seeing them. I got in early this morning to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I was still trying to make up for my rookie error from our previous meeting. I knew Tom wasn’t holding it against me, but I still felt ashamed.
“Good Morning, Ava,” Tom passed my desk as he arrived at the office.
“Morning, Tom! I was just adding final touches to the boards, and then I’ll print them for your meeting. What time are you leaving to meet Mr. Blackwood?”
“Actually, we’ll be meeting here. He should be here around ten.”
“Oh.” I tried hiding my distress. I did not want to see Rhett. I had hoped they would be meeting where we met last time. This day was not starting off good. Owen would be picking me up for lunch at my office. I just hoped Rhett was gone by then.
“I figured you should sit in the meeting with us. That way you have all his comments first hand,” Tom smiled proudly. I knew he thought this was a way to reward me for all my hard work, having no idea it was doing the opposite.
“Great!” I tried sounding enthusiastic. Instead, my voice came out high pitched and cracked at the end.
I spent the rest of the morning nervously watching the clock. Joce asked me more than once if everything was okay. Knowing I would be seeing Rhett, had my stomach in knots from anxiety. I kept an eye on the door the closer it got to ten. I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.
At a quarter till ten, I couldn’t sit at my desk any longer. As I stood to set up for the meeting, I heard the front door open. Rhett walked in wearing a sexy grin and a dark navy suit that enhanced his eyes. He stopped just inside the door, casually putting his hands in his pockets as he stared at me.
My heart rate increased and my eyes instinctively started to scan his body, taking in every inch of masculine perfectionism. By the time I reached his face, his sly grin had turned into a knowing smile, his eyes hooding over. He knew I had been admiring him as we stood across the room from each other. And from the look in his eyes, he had been doing the same to me.
My hands were clammy from nervousness and my body started to respond to his presence. I wiped my damp hands down the sides of my fitted gray Ralph Lauren dress I was wearing. From the look on his face, the motion of my hands descending my body was more seductive than I intended. I stood frozen, until Tom’s voice thawed me.
“Mr. Blackwood, I’m glad you found the place,” Tom said, walking past me to greet Rhett.
“Mr. Willis,” Rhett shook hands with Tom, barely taking his eyes off of me.
“Ava, will you grab the presentation boards and join us in the meeting room,” Tom directed.
“Sure,” I agreed as I tried to convince my body to move.
“Ms. Conner, it’s a pleasure seeing you, again,” Rhett winked as he walked past me, following Tom. I rolled
my eyes, glad Tom’s back was to us.
When I walked into the room, Rhett’s eyes instantly went to me, making me conscious of the hunger growing inside. I fought the craving of my body. I took a seat next to Tom, putting him between myself and Rhett, who sat at the head of the table. Tom started going over each design as Rhett studied them. Tom had come up with two concepts, both of which I thought were fabulous. Tom was really talented, and I hoped Rhett could see that.
After about an hour of Tom going over each one and his thoughts behind them, the two men went back and forth between the concepts discussing their preferences and dislikes of each. I sat silent, watching them as they talked, occasionally glancing at the clock, hoping the meeting would be done by eleven.
Owen was picking me up a little before noon. I anxiously glanced at the clock, again. It was already half past eleven. A slight panic rose inside me. I needed time to pull myself together from the wake of emotions Rhett’s presence was flooding me with before my lunch date.
“Ava,” I heard Rhett’s addictive voice. “What do you think?” His voice was warm and inquisitive. I looked between him and Tom. I did not want to answer. I wanted this meeting to end.
“I think they’re both great designs,” I gave my non-committal response. I was not going to critique my boss’s work. Plus, it was the truth. I did like both of Tom’s designs. He had done a brilliant job taking the notes from Saturday and coming up with two good designs that met the specifications.
“I agree. Which one speaks to you more, though?” Rhett leaned forward to draw me into the conversation, watching me intently.
He was not going to let me out of this meeting until I gave him an answer. I looked at both of the concept boards. There was one I instantly fell in love with when I was drafting the floor plans and putting the presentation together. It had a very Cape Cod feel that reminded me of my home back east and my time in the Hamptons. The other was a very modern, minimalistic design with a little more edge.
“I, personally, prefer this one,” I pointed at the Cape Cod style home. “But as I said, they’re both great designs.”
“Well Tom, I think we will go with the one Ms. Conner has selected. I couldn’t agree more with her,” he said definitively.
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