I hated to admit he was my type. I liked men with dark eyes and hair, and this guy could have easily been an actor—he was that striking and beautiful. He was wearing an expensive, black business suit and even more expensive shoes. Seriously, his dark leather shoes were so polished that they shone even more than my lip gloss.
It was too bad that he proved that being beautiful on the outside didn’t mean person was beautiful on the inside. He was a jerk.
All of that actually annoyed me—his rudeness, his attractiveness, and my reaction to him.
When we collided and he grabbed my arm to steady me, I felt like I was burned—some unusual hotness spreading from the place of our contact through my whole body. I raised my eyes to look at him and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, which was outrageous and it never happened to me before, but I couldn’t prevent it. My eyes immediately went over his body, greedily drinking in as my heart sped up in excitement.
I didn’t remember when the last time I saw someone as gorgeous as him was, and when I felt his scent—some really expensive cologne, I was almost ready to drool over him, and it irritated me even more. So I clenched my jaw and pursed my lips together before I looked into his eyes again. Then he opened his mouth and insulted me in the worst way possible.
He called me a liar and said my mouth was good only for... Only for...
Oh God. He was the worst!
I was one of those girls who became prettier as they grew older, and I was well aware I attracted men’s attention everywhere I went, which was something I despised. All of them thought that just because I was beautiful I had no brains, and they treated me just like this guy today—like I was some slut.
I hated when men treated me that way.
That was one of the reasons why I was so motivated to make something of myself. I wanted to show to all of them that just because a woman was pretty, it didn’t mean she was good-for-nothing in this business. So I had made it my life’s goal to be good at my job. Men had come and gone but no one stuck around. No one had gone the whole way.
“Try not to get lost,” he’d said, and I wanted to slap him right then, but he’d already gotten out of the building. Now I regretted not making a better comeback during our short “conversation”. I’d been so shocked that I couldn’t even come up with a good insult.
I didn’t know why, but for some reason, he annoyed me more than anyone. It was too bad that he had to be so good looking.
Who was he?
What was he doing here? Was he also a designer? No, he didn’t look like a designer. He looked more like an entrepreneur. He probably owned a company or something. Was he involved anyhow in the sale of this building?
I shook my head. Ironically, I didn’t even know his name.
It didn’t matter. Whoever that man was, I wouldn’t see him ever again. I should focus on this project and not on some asshole without any manners.
I looked at my wrist watch and noticed it was time for me to go. I got outside, determined more than ever to prove the future owner that I was the right designer for them.
Three
Alexandra
Two days later I was sitting at my desk and preparing my schemes and sketches of that old hotel’s interior. I was already in contact with several material suppliers, checking if everything I wanted to include in that interior was available. If I could show to the new owner that I was already prepared and knowledgeable of my job, I would increase my chances of getting the job.
I had expensive taste, but it was refined, and so far all my previous employers had only been praising me. My positive experiences motivated me even more. This project didn’t only have a sentimental value, but it would also propel my career in the right direction.
After I finished with my work, I visited the website that posted the information about the auctions and latest purchases of buildings and lots. I kept my fingers crossed that they had already published the news I was waiting for.
I clicked on the page with the name of this building and looked if there was anything new...
Bingo!
I saw that someone named Oliver Talon from the development firm LQT had won the bid for this place. So the sale had already been made and he was its new owner.
I exhaled the breath that I’d been holding in and tapped my pen nervously on the desk. Okay. So now I needed to learn more about LQT.
I wanted to pitch to Oliver Talon and get the bid to decorate the interior of the hotel. I had to figure out what his company was all about and tailor my presentation and portfolio so I could convince him to hire me.
I went onto the website of LQT, hoping to learn more about them so I would see what the best approach in this situation was.
After half an hour, I gathered all the information that I needed. Strangely enough, there was no photo of Oliver Talon, and I found myself wondering what he looked like. From what I could gather in their bio, LQT had three owners and all of them were young. It was impressive that they started LQT right after leaving the military, and the business was apparently booming these days.
If they were expanding and getting more influential, working for them on this project would mean even more for my career.