“Gotta go, bye,” I said, hanging up while my manager was still in mid-sentence.
I know I should have explained to the designer that I wasn’t a client and was just there to meet Camilla. Though that was not what happened. Moved by spirits unknown, I pointed to one of the posters showing the different kinds of brochures they did.
“Come with me,” the sexy stranger said, retreating back toward his cubicle.
Dropping my phone in my bag, I quickly followed. A strange but exhilarating tingle ran through my entire body.
“I really should wait my turn,” I started.
“It was your turn,” was all he said.
I was right about the cubicles, though this man’s looked pretty plain like he didn’t want anything to distract him from the task a hand—a man after my own heart. I still had no idea what I was doing or why I was going through with the lie, but when he sat down in the chair near his computer, I knew I had to come up with something.
“I’m a lawyer,” I said, deciding to start with the truth, “and I need some new advertising.”
“What kind of lawyer?” he asked, grabbing a pen and scrap of paper.
“Legal aid, actually.”
“Legal aid needs advertising?” he asked, raising a dark eyebrow.
“Can’t hurt,” I mumbled with a shrug.
Without a word, my crush started sketching, his long, nimble fingers moving quickly and efficiently. The fact that the knuckles of his right hand were bandaged only added to his allure, making me want to kiss this sad man’s boo-boos all better. I wondered what it would be like to be touched by those fingers. I imagined them running down my body. Starting at my neck and then caressing me all the way down before resting gently between my… I blushed furiously but tried not to show it. My thoughts were wildly inappropriate, particularly for a man I had just met. Though I also noticed that I wasn’t getting up and leaving.
As though glued to my seat, I sat and watched him work, the designs forming themselves out of his pen. He really was talented. I wondered if he had any formal art training or did any paintings. I guessed graphic design really was the best of both worlds. Mixing the skill of art with the stability of office work. It also looked like they had a really good time not only because of the fact that he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt at work.
Our eyes met a couple of times as he sketched, the sparks nearly crackling between us. It could have been my imagination, but I had the feeling he could sense it as much as I could. Something was going on that neither of us could really define but felt terrific just the same.
“So, this is where you went!”
Recovering from nearly jumping out of my skin, I turned to see Camilla at the door of the cubical, a most amused expression on her pretty face.
“Excuse us a moment,” she said, pulling me outside.
“Sure,” he said, still sketching.
“I am shocked,” Camilla explained, when we were in the hallway.
“What? Why?”
“That’s what I want to know. Why exactly are you hitting my brother, Cooper? Sarah, as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always been to busy to date. Now here you are fluttering your eye-lashes and flashing your legs at my flesh and blood!”
I looked down at my unusually short skirt. I didn’t know the hot stranger was Camilla’s brother. I liked to think that if I did, I would have behaved differently though I honestly didn’t know for sure. He was so sexy. I was already doing things I never usually did like hanging up on my supervisor and going into a stranger’s cubicle under false pretenses
“I just thought I would try something different,” I mumbled, as casually as I could muster.
Camilla widened her eyes at me. “With the skirt or my brother?”
“Both.” I shrugged.
She giggled and shook her head. “I’ll see you when you’re done,” Camilla said, heading back to the reception desk with a wave.
When I walked back into the cubical, I actually could see the similarities. They weren’t twins or anything. However, there were particular tells such as their shared high cheekbones and dark hair that should have been an indication, if not a warning.
“You really want to try something different?” Cooper asked, not looking up from the sketch, which was nearly done.
I flinched. He had heard us talking. “Yes,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
“Meet me here at five tonight.”
“O-okay.”
“Good?” he asked, holing up the rough sketch of a logo.
“Great,” I admitted, honestly meaning it.
He gave me a sharp nod, his face so blank I had no idea what he was feeling. “Good, take a seat, and I’ll forward an invoice so you can pay on your way out.”