Chapter 9
Lia
The cheery sunlight of a cloudless Fall day spilled into my room through the gaps in my drapes. My alarm would blare in a few minutes. Even though I was meeting Raph for a tour of the building, I still had a meeting with Derrick to suffer through before I could enjoy the alternative torture.
Memories of last night flooded my mind while I wiggled into the ass-hugging jeans Shell recommended. The dinner, the ride home, the kiss. If he had followed me upstairs, how would our night have ended? I wasn’t the kind of girl who slept with someone on the first date, but this was far from my first date with Mystery Guy.
He was real now, not a blurry image with piercing eyes of differing tones. And I would have been more than willing to let him get to know me better.
I paired my dark skinny jeans with a slouchy, berry-colored shirt that bared one shoulder, accentuating my collarbones. Casual. Toned way down compared to the little black dress hanging on the hook behind my closet door.
I checked the clock after sliding my feet into some comfy brown booties with a flirty wedge heel. 9:45. Shell would be settled in at the office right about now. Being home alone during the workday was eerie. But my meeting with Derrick was coming up, and I needed to call a car to take me into the office.
I unplugged my cell and ordered the car, then checked through my missed notifications from the night before. A few emails and a text from Shell.
Shell: Good luck today, babe. Knock his socks off, and yours too, while you’re at it. Fill me in this afternoon. xx
I sent a quick wink back to her, letting her know I appreciated the encouragement.
Moving on to me email, I had an ‘open immediately’ from Derrick, sent about an hour ago. Before I went to bed last night, I sent him an email letting him know I accepted the job and signed the contract. He should have received a copy this morning from Raphael’s office.
I have received the signed contract and expect regular updates. This contract, however, doesn’t make you any less Design Everything’s employee, and I expect you in the office when you aren’t working directly with the client. Design Everything’s reputation is not to be marred by your lack of experience, nor are the attendance policies yours to disregard. If I catch wind of Mr. Teresse being displeased with your performance, you can rest assured this will be the last opportunity of its kind extended to you.
Mr. Kane
So he expected me to fail. That was cute. He had me getting the coffee and working working on projects impossible to mess up for my entire career with the company. I’d prove I was worth more than the kick line no matter what it took. Design meant more than my annoyance with my lousy boss. I would not give up on my dream. Design was proof I was my own person.
Growing up, home was more like living on the street. Edible food was scarce, and my mother’s fragile mental state took its final blow when Henry was killed. Mother was a hoarder, and our family home went from cluttered, to messy. To uninhabitable, to finally dangerous before I escaped college bound.
My phone notified me my ride was waiting, so I made my way out into the chilly Fall air without breakfast. I didn’t want to be sick with nerves. On my way out, my phone vibrated again. I fished it out while I ran down the stairs.
Raph: Thinking brunch? I can pick something up.
Lia: Sounds great. I’m headed to the office now, so give me 45 minutes.
Raph: See you soon.
The car dropped me off at my building, and I scurried inside, knowing I didn’t have as much time as I thought.
The challenge in front of me was exhilarating, but there was a lot of balancing involved to keep everyone happy. I could and would adjust and make it happen.
I hope I’m ready for this.
Before I could even boot up my computer, I read a yellow sticky note on my monitor telling me to head straight for Mr. Kane’s office. Where the note was likely meant to intimidate, it made things easier since my timeline had been shortened. Take that, Derrick.
I strode down the bland hallway from my work station to the management offices and knocked on Derrick’s door. After a moment, he called me in.
I stepped into my boss’s office and stood across the large desk, waiting for his attention. He was glaring at the computer, making himself look important, no doubt. I sat while I continued my wait. When he finally looked up, a sneer curled his lip.
“No coffee?”
“The note said to come as soon as I got in,” I said.
“Jeans? Do you think this is Casual Friday, Amelia?”
“No, sir, I don’t. But I’m meeting with Mr. Teresse for a tour of the project site. I mentioned that in my email last night.”
“That’s no excuse.”
I bit my tongue and waited for him to get to whatever he needed to get off his chest.
“I want to make sure we’re on the same page, Amelia. The client may work with you, but the contract is still for Design Everything. I will need to approve your design plans before they go to Mr. Teresse.”
I nodded, looking at my lap, using every scrap of poise in my body to withhold my annoyance.
“The work you’ve done for us so far this year has been fine, but it’s hardly qualified you for a project of this magnitude. I’ll be frank. I’m not comfortable with it.”
“I understand, Mr. Kane.”
My level of irritation rose. Derrick hadn’t seen what I was capable of because he never challenged me, or never bothered asking. Since they hired me, I have done mock ups for almost every major client. I’d spoken up about it some time ago, but was told I wasn’t ready. I needed to pay my dues.
The meeting yesterday had been a golden opportunity to show what I could do. I would show Derrick what I was made of, whether he liked it or not.
“Good. Please send me an updated copy of your plans for review. After I look them over and approve them, you can have them sent over to Mr. Teresse.”
I nodded again and moved to stand.
“I’ll take a coffee with cream.”
Of course you will.
When I made it into the break room, my phone buzzed with an incoming call.
“Hi, Raph.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“I’m just finishing up in here. I’ll be right out,” I said as I filled Derrick’s mug.
“Okay. See you soon.”
I hurried back to my boss’s office with his coffee and let myself into the room instead of knocking. He was on the phone and glared as I set the coffee on his desk. Before he could stop me with a lecture about my complete lack of professionalism, I rushed back to my desk. Arbitrary errands took time I didn’t have.
I grabbed my coat and purse from my desk and headed out the door to meet Raph. Butterflies sprang up in my belly and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey, I’m not rushing you, am I?” Raphael asked, leaning over to look at me when I opened the car door.
“Not at all. My meeting just ended. Looking forward to getting some inspiration from the site, though!”
My excitement wasn’t forced. Derrick’s lack of faith lit a different kind of fire in me. This was a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity. Derrick had to know I could take on real clients. My degree qualified me for more than coffee runs, and it was time to prove it.
Tension hung heavy in the air between Raph and me. A buzzing awareness that wouldn’t leave me in peace. My stomach growled, interrupting the silent contest.
“In that bag by your feet, there are a few breakfast sandwiches. Take your pick. Cheese, sausage, and bacon.”
“Do you want one, too?”
We rounded a corner, and the sun shone in our faces. Before Raph shielded his eyes with his sunglasses, I saw their accentuation. His hazel eye glowed like molten honey over the lushest greenery. He looked over, facing me for a bit too long, then nodded.
What was he agreeing to?
“Give me whichever one you don’t want. Also, there are spare sunglasses in the glove box if you want them.”
I nodded and unwrapped a sandwich for each of us, handing him his. I didn’t know if it was my company or the lack of breakfast, but the gooey cheese, salty, smoky bacon, and warm soft egg on croissant hit the spot.
“Um, oh wow.”
Raph chuckled as he took a bite of his breakfast, too.
He looked deliciously dressed down in a sport coat and button-down shirt, no tie. I could get used to this more relaxed version of him. He was at ease while having some greasy breakfast while we drove. It reminded me of the boy I met so long ago.
I wonder if he could still climb a tree…
“I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with today. Based on yesterday, though, you are everything I’m looking for.”
I startled and looked over at him, watching the road. My mind darted to our kiss, but I knew that wasn’t what he was talking about.
This was about design. Business.
“I’m looking forward to it, too. I spent a little time last night going over my visuals, and I’ll do more after we finish the walk-through. I’ve got a good feeling about today. Do you feel it, too?”
I eyed Raph, searching for the answer to the question I wished I was asking. Are you struggling to keep last night from your mind? Did you sleep like a baby, or were you tossing and turning all night?
The puffiness around his eyes hinted at a sleepless night, which was its own solace.
“This project has been in the works for quite some time. The progress gets me going, yes. I’m so close to seeing this thing through, and I couldn’t be more ready. It’s my first solo venture since inheriting Experience, and success is imperative.” Raph stopped short, holding something back. “But I don’t want to bore you. Did you like the sandwich? The place had good reviews. Dave’s Diner.”
My eyes lit up. “Yeah, I love Dave’s. I thought they smelled familiar.”
Raph looked sheepish, and I grinned in response. I hadn’t expected uncertainty from Mr. I’m Confident All The Time. He was full of surprises.
“My roommate Shell and I like their muffins a lot. We keep them at home for busy morning. Fully recommend the carrot muffin, if that’s your thing.”
Rambling about muffins didn’t change the subject on my mind, and my heartbeat tapped out an electrified rhythm. Even Raph glanced away. The quiescence of the confined space in the car only built the tension further.
Raph’s warmth and draw filled the small cabin, which didn’t seem possible since I’d been on high alert from the moment he was near. I couldn’t afford to analyze it. It had to be his excitement for the project, not for me. Even if I dared to dream otherwise here and there.
Raphael pulled up to the side of the building at last. We walked up the steps to the front doors, pretty dark wood, albeit nondescript. No generic metal and glass, a good sign.
The front windows were blacked out like a two-way mirror, lending the interior a calm seclusion and dimness. It would also give passersby the silhouettes of the patrons within, having fun, eating, socializing. Appreciating the experience. It would be a temptation as well as a note of exclusiveness, beckoning them in. Very cool.
I jotted a note about the feeling the windows evoked; selectiveness and upscale class separation. I wanted to replicate that feeling in the interior choices I went with. The bar was set high. I intended to deliver on every single point.
The inside was bare bones. No walls, only supports. No updated flooring cluttering up the sub-floor, the stairs were only temp stairs, scratched and tan. This was a designer’s dream. I would be able to implement whatever I wanted to, whatever fit theme, feeling, and space.
“I love the first impression. The doors and the front windows lend the space elegance and mystery. And the unique industrial facade works well with your concept. How perfect that they had added the storefront windows,” I said, taking in my surroundings with genuine awe.
“I’m glad you’re impressed. We worked hard to find a location like this.”
“What are my limitations? What’s the work budget and contingency? Do you have it broken down into categories? Is the kitchen back there?” I motioned to the back left corner of the wide, dim work-light lit room.
“Yeah, that’s the kitchen. The appliances are scheduled to arrive two in two days. I have a crew who will be here to do the labor. I know it’s a tight timeline for your design, but you have most of it done, yes?”
Raph wandered away from me, living in the vision he had for the blank space around him.
“Er, right? Sort of. I have what you saw and what we talked about.”
“Did you send a copy?”
“You’ll have it as soon as Derrick gives the green light.”
Raph scowled, but said nothing. Had I upset him?
I wanted to unlock what was in his mind and throw it all over this room. Give him everything he wanted. Working face-to-face with clients was something I hadn’t done since my college internship at a sign-making shop. I was pretty sure that watching a sexy man’s muscles bunch and flex under his shirt wasn’t part of design… but was it ever distracting.
“So with the kitchen on the left, you’ll have smooth flow from left-to-right. Seating all across here,” I said with a grand sweep of my arms. “Then they’ll break up a little more, cluster a little more, with crescent seating around tables for meetings or other intimate gatherings. Then, as we move further right, we get into entertainment. We’ll have a small stage, with the option to expand it. That way you can have single singers or two pieces, or you can bring in a whole swing band, dancers, and the whole shebang. The mood and feeling of the room will match the stage, lighting, and ambiance.”
Losing myself in the thrill of design was easy. Raph did it a moment ago, and I was swept under. My passion bubbled as the two of us walked through the naked space.
Relief washed over me when I realized I could, in fact, focus on the task even when alongside such a gorgeous man. It was my dream job, and I was good at it. I fell into a groove and set my mind free. Derrick never gave me that chance, and flexing my creative muscles was liberating. That liberation could carry me through all the checkpoints. Probably.
The sound of the original hardwood flooring on the second floor and the echo of our footsteps, the dimly lit atmosphere, the potential to create this exclusive lounge full of indulgence and class… the vision was piecing together. What Raph threw into motion, I added finer details to and fleshed out further. We were proving to be a good team.
The up-and-coming town of Shoreview had become my home only because Design Everything was there, and that was the job I scored out of college. If I hadn’t gotten in, I would have stayed at the sign shop making awful money since there was no way I could go back home to my mother. Shoreview wasn’t perfect, but definitely had its perks. Especially now.
I had told myself that if I was close to New York City, I would visit. That didn’t happen, but this week was full of lots of new things. And hey, maybe Shell would want to go up to the city with me and scope out Experience’s flagship location. I could get a lot of ideas that way for the final presentation.
All the fine details for this project needed to be included in my presentation, including a rough material cost checklist. What better way to know for sure what I should include than to see it in person? I made a mental note to ask Shell as soon as I could.
I was lost in thought and didn’t notice Raph approach. His earthy masculine scent gave him away. It was like standing by a waterfall deep in the woods, away from everyone and everything. Earthy, woody, fresh, and closely intimate. I turned toward him, and his eyes darkened as our gazes locked. My breath caught in my throat. Raph moved into my personal space. I could feel his hot breath on my cheeks.
“I…” I tried to spit out the words, to tell him we shouldn’t do whatever we were about to. I tried, but Raph’s mouth came down hard, fast, devouring. His tongue tangled with mine while his hands held the side of my face, preventing me from pulling back, not that I would dare.
I didn’t challenge the advance; I couldn’t even try. I knew I should have protested, but wasn’t strong enough. Raph was the living, breathing representation of Mystery Guy, and there wasn’t enough willpower in the world to keep me from succumbing to his potent allure.
Every sexual fantasy I had ever dreamt up starred this man, and I was unable to turn away my deepest darkest fantasies; I was only human. Raph swept me closer and tipped my head back, demanding access to the sensitive column of my neck. He laid a line of kisses from my ear to my collarbone that set me on fire and tore a strangled mewl from my throat.
The longer we carried on, the more the heat built between us. I wanted so badly to feel this man surround me, take me. I reached my hand between us and brushed my fingers over the erection he was fostering none-too-subtly. The guttural noise that strained its way out of him let me know everything I needed to.
“I think we’re done here for today,” Raph ground out, his mouth less than an inch from mine.