“It seems like you’ve got it pretty well made, and at such a relatively young age, too,” Richard said.
Travis nodded, for he certainly agreed with that. Nice house. Nice job. Nice…
Not woman. Not yet. But…
“I wish I had half the skills and charisma at your age that you do now, Mr. Dunn.”
“I’ve still got a long way to go,” he replied.
“Don’t we all,” Richard said as the elevator halted and the doors opened to Travis’ luxurious office space. “But I’ll tell you what. You don’t have much further up to go. In fact, I daresay you’ve reached the pinnacle of our city!”
“That is true only in the literal sense,” Travis said, trying to temper the praises of Richard.
He looked over and saw his photographer waiting on a chair nervously. He motioned for his assistant to rise and she did so quickly, hurrying over in front of Travis’ desk.
“You’ve got the final contract, I take it,” Richard said.
“I wouldn’t waste a single moment of ours and not have it ready,” Travis said, pulling it out of one of his filing cabinets. “Let’s get this baby signed and let’s get some handshake photos.”
Both Richard and Travis sat down, taking turns signing their respective lines on the contract. As they did so, the photographer shot constantly. It reminded Travis of his nights out as the cameramen and women followed him wherever he went. He sometimes swore not so jokingly that the shutter sound of a camera would burn at his psyche far longer than machine gun fire or grenade explosions.
When they finished signing their respective portions of the contract, they stood and shook hands, posing for the camera. When they finished, Richard let out a long sigh.
“This has been a long time coming, Travis,” Richard said. “I’d like to invite you to a dinner with my wife and I, you and your…”
He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
“I’m actually…”
Now Travis found himself being the one unable to say anything. He knew the answer, and it wasn’t hard to think it through. He was single.
But it hurt for him to have to actually admit it, especially with everything that he and Ivy had been through.
“I am not quite seeing anyone at the moment,” Travis said. “But I can find someone well enough.”
“You?” Richard said in disbelief, a momentary lapse in professionalism that hit Travis hard. “You’re a handsome man. You don’t have anyone? Well, it’s not my place to inquire on such matters, I apologize. In any case then, I would like to invite you out to dinner. On me. Getting Logic Designs with your company has long been an ambition of mine, and to finally make it happen deserves a celebration with my loved one.”
Travis smiled as softly as he could and nodded, saying he would love that.
But Richard’s words had reminded Travis of what he’d lost in Ivy. He may have sworn her off, in theory, but in practice, he had not yet gotten rid of her in his mind. He still thought of her, and he still compared her to… to…
The last woman he loved.
Mia.
When he admitted it like that, and what implications it carried, it suddenly left him feeling very free. He could admit Ivy reminded her of Mia. When he’d lost Mia, it had hurt like nothing in his life. Not even the death of his brothers in combat had hurt quite like the loss of Mia.
But that he could finally admit it made him feel free.
And in doing so, it prompted him to ask a question that Travis knew would set him back up with Ivy.
“By the way, Richard,” Travis said, surprised to find himself suddenly nervous. “Do you keep track of who your company interviews and such?”
Richard laughed.
“I wish!” he said. “I’d keep a better tab on our culture! No, sadly, we have too many candidates these days. Why do you ask?”
Travis smiled.
“There’s an old friend of mine interviewing for your marketing department,” he said. He winked as he then added, “I’m not going to say put in a good word for her, Ivy Zimmerman, but maybe you can tell me what time she is interviewing.”
A few days later, Ivy sat with her ankles crossed on the bench in front of the reception desk. She had been waiting for close to an hour for her turn, and five people had already gone in for their interviews. This one was the latest in a long line of job interviews she had attended in the past week and she had her ankles and her fingers crossed that they would go well. She’d finally broken at the coffee shop, and she couldn’t imagine staying there any longer.
Travis, simply, had been a presence there, perhaps not as literally as Ivy imagined sometimes but enough so that she couldn’t go to work without thinking about him. She just had to find someplace new. And on top of that, she needed to really get her career started—which no one ever achieved as a barista.
Logic Designs was a big name in the industry, and their expertise ranged from architectural designs to basic graphic designs. Ivy was hoping that there would be a place for her. It had the benefits and the pay that would allow her to live a better life, if not a luxurious one like Travis. Nothing could get me that, though.
She tapped the top of her head to make sure that her hair was in place, and practiced her polite smiles on the receptionist in front of her. A door at the end of the short corridor opened and a woman in a tight pencil skirt stepped out.
Then she saw something that flooded her with nervousness.
Of all people whom she expected to see, she did not expect to see Travis walking out after the woman. A sudden electric shock ran down Ivy’s spine when their gazes locked. How could this have happened? How could he have been in this exact place at this exact moment? And what in the hell was he doing in this building at this time?
Feeling a rush of panic overtake her body, Ivy stood up from her seat. She fumbled with the files she had on her lap. She cleared her throat and tried not to look too closely at Travis—the last thing she needed seconds before her interview was an encounter with Travis.
“Miss, you’re next,” the receptionist said to her.
“Hi there, Ivy,” Travis said as he stood by the interviewer.
It was too much. For how he’d treated her, she couldn’t take it. Panic set in. She suddenly had to have a professional interview with Travis? After everything they’d been through? No, not a chance, no way.
Everything Ivy knew she shouldn’t do, she did. Ivy started to walk in the opposite direction.
“Miss Zimmerman?” the receptionist called after her, but Ivy was panicking.
She had no intention of staying and actually facing Travis. All those feelings of anger and embarrassment, mixed oddly with an urge of sympathy for him, came hurling back. She had managed to keep it all in check for a good length of time, at least relative to how long she’d done so before. She had somehow managed to go about her daily tasks in the past few days, and now in a matter of seconds, she had lost all control. I’m a failure. I’m a failure. I can’t do this.
Ivy half-ran to the revolving doors of the building, nearly slipping and sliding over the floor. Ballerina flats were a bad idea, she thought as she stuffed herself into one of the swinging doors. It was like the building had chewed and spat her out, as she came stumbling out into the bright light of day. I guess I’m not meant to work here. I’m not meant to be a digital artist. This is what I deserve.
I’ll just try somewhere Travis doesn’t have his paws in. Maybe I’ll even leave this place. God knows I need a fresh start.
Let’s just figure it out when I get home.
She had just about managed to gather herself and keep all the pages in the file in when she heard Travis’ voice behind her.
“Where are you going, Ivy?” he said, his voice suggesting his enjoyment of the scene.
She pretended to not have heard him and kept walking.
“I have your resume in my hand!” he said.
She couldn’t ignore him any longer. She whipped around to find him wa
ving the sheets of paper in his hands. They must have fallen out of her files. Travis walked leisurely towards her, his face a mixture of seriousness and amusement.
She reached for the resume, but he snapped it out of her reach so that she nearly tumbled forward into him.
“Please give it back to me,” she said, trying to make her voice sound as harsh as possible. She was not here to engage in conversation with Travis.
“Aren’t you missing your interview?” Travis asked.
Ivy clenched her jaw and stuck her chin up in the air. Fine. Keep it curt.
“That is none of your concern,” she said.
Travis grinned, one of his devious grins. It only infuriated her more.
“I was here for a meeting. I just signed a deal with them for some architectural designs. They’ll be a good place to work,” he continued. Ivy snapped her face away from him, with her nostrils flaring. Lies. Or even if not, a rather fortunate coincidence for you. But no. “Are we incapable of having a polite conversation with each other anymore?”
“I don’t see the need to have any conversation at all,” she said and still smiling, he handed her resume back to her. “Goodbye, Travis.”
Ivy snatched it away from him and stuffed it back into the file. Despite all the rage she was feeling towards him, she hadn’t failed to notice his suit, the width of his shoulders and how strong his cologne was that day. She was trying hard not to get swept up in him again.
“Ivy, you should go in for that interview,” he said in a calmer, more controlled voice. “You don’t have to like me to do what’s best for your career.”
He was searching her eyes like he was instructing her. He’s just patronizing. Ignore him.
“It’s fine. I’m not interested in the position,” she said.
Travis placed his hands on the curves of her shoulders. She nearly gasped from the touch. His hands were like molten lava, seeping into her skin. Just that touch was enough to melt her. She allowed him to hold her gaze, and she could feel the rage slowly dissipating.
“Don’t give up an opportunity like this on account of me,” he said, in a voice that was kind and commanding at the same time.
It was like he was trying to hypnotize her! And, dammit, it seemed to be working.
“I don’t think they’re waiting for me. I’m pretty sure I’ve messed it up now,” she said. “Thanks, but no one would take an employee like me.”
“I asked them to wait for you,” Travis said as he removed his hands and took a step back. “They’re going to wait. Now go back in there and give it your best shot. Seriously.”
Ivy blinked as she stared at him, trying to register what he had just said.
“Go on,” he urged her, tipping his head sideways in encouragement.
Ivy smoothened the top of her head and tucked in some stray strands of hair back behind her ears. She gulped as she gave Travis a last look. I don’t know what you’re pulling, Travis. But so help me God if I go in there and they aren’t waiting for me.
She brushed past him, hurrying back into the building.
Even as she found just enough vigor to head inside, though, this day was turning out to be a disaster, Ivy thought. Now that she had seen him again; there was no way that she would do well at this interview. She put on a smile and tried to develop a confident gait as she walked back to the reception desk.
“I’m sorry, I had an emergency call to take,” she said to the woman who was glaring at her confusedly.
“They’re waiting for you inside, Miss Zimmerman,” she said and giving her a flourished nod, Ivy found her way to the meeting room.
He was serious. They are giving me a shot.
OK, Mr. Dunn. You get one small point in your favor.
I suppose it’s a start.
Ivy left the building an hour later, stifling a smile as she walked onto the pavement. Somehow, as the interview had continued, she’d found her spirit and her guile and had done well in the interview. More than once, she got the interviewers to smile and laugh with her.
She knew that she had no guarantees, and she couldn’t be sure that she had the background to get the job. But for once, she had a real hope grounded in actual reality, not in misunderstandings.
As she walked out and began heading back to the coffee shop for the second part of her shift, a car approached with dark, tinted glass. Its window rolled down, and Ivy gasped in shock.
“How’d it go?”
You.
“What are you still doing here?” she asked, staring at Travis’ grinning face.
He had his glasses on, and a newspaper open in front of him. He looked the part of too cool for school, as relaxed as a man in a private vehicle could be.
“How was the interview?” he insisted. “I’m simply curious to know.”
Ivy stood with a hand on her hip. I don’t believe you’re just simply curious.
“Don’t you have something more useful to do with your time than wait for me here?” she said, trying to sound annoyed, but the truth was that she could feel her knees buckling.
He had waited for her there for nearly an hour! As much as she didn’t want to admit it, this was another point in his favor.
“Yes, I most definitely do,” he said. She watched as he unlocked his door and threw it open. “Get in.”
Even though Ivy’s mind kept telling her not to, she did as she was told. Something about this guy, I swear…
Travis slid down the seat of the car and Ivy settled in beside him, pasting herself to the corner so that she could keep as much distance between them as she could. Even still, she had her body positioned toward him.
“So, how was it?” he asked.
She noticed that he seemed to be in a better mood than their last encounter, and he seemed more willing to engage.
“It went well, they said they’ve shortlisted me and will get back with a decision in four days. I don’t want to jinx it though,” Ivy said, trying to not sound too enthusiastic.
Travis was grinning as he slid his glasses off his nose and held them up in the air.
“That’s great news, Ivy, well done,” he said.
She felt a chill run down her spine, not sure why she was happy to have impressed him. It’s because he’s a successful businessman and you just had a successful business moment.
I swear that’s what this is.
But if he was there…
“Did you have something to do with this?” she asked him, crossing her brows.
Travis shrugged his shoulders and laughed, not exactly the most encouraging response for the answer she sought.
“Absolutely not. How would I? They have no clue that we’re even acquainted,” he said.
She noticed that he was studying her again. Ivy felt her cheeks flush, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how embarrassed she had felt that night in his house. Or in the office. Or in the coffee shop.
“Besides, what reason would I have to help you?” he added.
Ivy clasped her hands together on her lap, knotting her fingers together. He had a point, especially given their previous encounters.
“That’s true. It’s just that I want to do this on my own, be hired on my merit and not because I once went on a half-date with you.”
“I didn’t pull any strings, Ivy, trust me on that,” he said in a voice that commanded authority.
She didn’t know if she believed him on that—maybe his definition of pulling strings differed than hers—but he sounded sincere enough. She remained sitting silently for a few moments, staring at her lap because she didn’t know what she was still doing there in his car. There was a darkly tinted glass partition between them and the chauffeur, making it felt private. Like they were alone in a room together again. Why was she there?
Well, she knew, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“And about the half-date,” he said after a few moments of silence.
“Can we please not talk about that? I’d rather just leave,” Ivy said.
/>
She made a move to open the door but Travis stopped her by placing a hand on her knee. Her skirt reached mid-thigh, and his warm hand on her bare skin stopped her with a jolt. She snapped her head around to look at his face and Travis’ eyes looked heavy and drooping.
“Ivy, I hope you understand why I couldn’t give you what you wanted that night,” he said.
She gulped. She hadn’t expected this conversation. She wasn’t ready. But she had no choice.
“No, I don’t understand. I know what your reputation is,” she said.
He slid his hand away from her knee.
“My reputation?” he said, arching an eyebrow.
“How many women you date or sleep with or whatever it is you do!” she said.
A dry menacing grin appeared on his face and then faded away, seemingly as he thought better of making a smart remark.
“I didn’t peg you as someone who read the tabloids,” he said.
“You don’t know anything about me. How would you know what my reading habits are?” she said sourly and Travis clenched his jaw and remained silent. “So, no, I don’t understand why you rejected me.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve insulted you, Ivy, that was not my intention,” he said in a deep voice.
Ivy hated how attracted she was to her. It was too much. Just a few more minutes and she knew she would melt. She wouldn’t be able to hold herself back.
“What was your intention then? Why me? What’s wrong with me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you!”
Travis lunged at her, grabbing her jaw with one strong grip and she could feel the roughness of his skin on her cheeks. Ivy’s breath caught in her throat, her breasts were heaving.
“There has to be,” she said through gritted teeth and Travis brought his face close to hers.
She could see the storm brewing in his eyes, the tightness of his clenched jaw, the way he was peering into her eyes like he was searching her soul.
His Royal Majesty : A Royal Wedding Romance Page 37
