Chapter 5 Theo
Theo
Shooting back the last of my whisky I put my glass back on the bar and nodded at the bar tender, turning to face the room. Normally the music and the bodies didn’t irritate me too much, but tonight was a different story.
I’m sure it had nothing to do with the redhead who I couldn’t get out of my fucking head.
I had made it to my meeting on time but in the end it didn’t matter.
I hadn’t really paid much attention. The rest of the day after that lunch was pretty much a crap shoot honestly.
Why I thought coming out tonight would help, I had no idea.
I could feel myself getting more agitated by the minute, annoyed about the day and annoyed that I was so fixated on a woman who I had one measly lunch with.
She rambled when she was nervous, smiled freely and didn’t back down to me when I pushed. Which was new for me.
I watched and listened to her instead of answering emails like I pretended to.
She was nice to the waiters, which said something about a person, at least that’s what my mum would always say on the rare occasion we went out for dinner.
Quinn smiled every time someone would come to clear a plate or fill up her water.
Not once did they go unnoticed by her, getting a bright thank you and a sunshiny smile that had a few standing there, mesmerized. I even had to clear my throat to get one of them to stop staring at her, she didn’t seem to notice.
Which was irritating, she should be more aware of her surroundings. She was basically out with strangers after all.
But it was also charming.
There was something about the sound of her voice, how she talked with her hands the more animated she got about a topic, or how she tilted her head back and laughed when one of the men said something stupid.
Then there was the lingering scent of vanilla and jasmine that clung to her, it really suited her. But I think there might have been some kind of addictive quality in the stuff because I’d never been one to notice scents, but this went straight to my head, and I wanted to be surrounded by it.
“Hey handsome.”
I suppressed my eyeroll and looked at the women who had slinked up beside me. I could smell the alcohol on her, her friends were nearby watching with excited looks. She had straight blonde hair, a tight short black dress. Honestly couldn’t have picked her out of a line up. I had zero interest.
“Hello.” Even with my brisk tone the woman’s eyes lit up. I was used to it.
Being six-three means I always get attention. Between my height, muscles, tattoos, dark hair, and blue-grey eyes, I never had a problem finding a woman when I wanted one.
“Can I buy you a drink?” She licked her lips and ran a finger down my arm, which I leaned away from. “Or we could get out of here and go have some fun.”
It wouldn’t be abnormal for me to pick up a woman here, take her to my apartment and kick her out as soon as we both got off. But tonight, that wasn’t appealing at all, and I was getting a little disgusted with myself for being so caught up in a woman I had one lunch with.
But I already knew I wouldn’t take the blonde home. I was in a piss poor mood and not up for company.
What the fuck was my problem? Maybe I was just tired.
After I answered the call from my father, I ignored any ringing until I was sure that Dustin had it under control and stayed in a mood the rest of the day. The lunch hadn’t been what I expected. And I’d just gotten back from London. That’s all it was.
“I’m on my way out. Have a nice night.” I didn’t look back at her, walking to the front doors and taking a full breath of fresh air as I stepped out of the club.
I didn’t bother calling Arthur since I was within walking distance, plus the man was already home and I wasn’t going to call him for a short trip.
Ten minutes later I was walking in the door, throwing my keys and wallet on the front table as I went to my bar, pouring myself another drink.
Quinn had flat out rejected me and it didn’t help my annoyance tonight to think that she was out with someone else. It’s not something I had a reason to be pissed about, never something I had been before.
I was a possessive man but not over women. No reason to care when the sex was done and you never saw her again. Yet here I was with my hands clenched on my drink, something very close to jealousy growing in my chest.
The image of her in a sexy dress laughing at a man had fire burning through me. Especially because her bright smile was so enchanting, the idea that someone else was getting to experience that right now was pissing me off.
It was late, but I was too wound up to sleep so I changed, heading to the gym I had set up in one of the rooms in my apartment. I spent a good hour and a half exhausting myself before showering and crawling in bed.
I was not a stalker.
This didn’t count since I already knew where she worked… right?
I didn’t follow her here or wait around a bush or track her phone.
I’d slept like shit, a certain redhead wouldn’t get out of my head. They were only slightly sexual dreams but half the time I was just watching her laugh.
Fucking distracting.
I’d gotten up early and had time to hatch a plan while I ran on the treadmill. I was a focused businessman, you didn’t find the success I had without being that way. People had called me ruthless before and I was, when I was determined.
And I got clarity on my early morning run.
Which was why I was currently standing in the lobby of her office, having just convinced the front desk to call her and tell her that her coffee meeting was waiting.
I’d managed to avoid going into the office this morning, which meant that I hadn’t seen any of the guys.
Which was good, because I’m sure they were going to give me shit for yesterday.
I adjusted my watch, pulled the sleeves of my black suit down and then saw movement. My dreams didn’t do this woman justice.
Today she was in a pair of black dress pants that stopped at her ankle, a pair of white runners, a white T-shirt and a black blazer.
The black made the red of her hair stand out.
She didn’t bother with much makeup which wasn’t surprising since she was fucking gorgeous without it.
I liked being able to see her cheeks flush.
She walked up to me cautiously, looking at me with a frown on her face. “Knight?” She was clearly confused as to why I was here.
Honestly, that made two of us.
“Theo,” I corrected. Everyone in my life called me Knight, I didn’t want that from her.
Why? No fucking clue.
Maybe this was the start of a midlife crisis, even though I wasn’t in the middle of my life. I should book an appointment with a doctor or therapist.
“We didn’t have a meeting?” she questioned, tilting her head.
I grabbed her elbow and gently moved her away from the reception desk and listening ears. “Thought you might be open to going for a coffee?”
I timed it correctly. It was ten am and I was hoping that this was when she would be ready for another.
“I can’t just… leave…” She looked over her shoulder with a frown on her face.
“Why not? Is Richard here?” I already knew the answer, thanks to the chatty receptionist.
“Well no,” she said with an eyeroll, like your boss not being there was normal. “But—”
“I will have you back in an hour.”
“Forty-five minutes,” she threw back. I suppressed a smile, not only because she was going to come with me but also because she was negotiating with me. People didn’t do that, well at least no one outside of my inner circle. “And we are getting our coffees in to-go cups.”
“Deal.” I was about to put my hand on her back, but she took a step away from me.
“I just need to go grab my purse." I already saw her slip her phone in her back pocket when she walked up.
“Come on, Love, you don’t need anything.” I pushed her out the door despite her frown.
The nickname had slipped out, I’d never used it on anyone before but she radiated warmth and love; within a moment of meeting her, I knew it suited her. Watching how she interacted with Oli and Noah, listening intently and asking them questions because she was genuinely curious.
“Is this your move?” she asked as we made it to the street, waiting at the light to cross to the coffee shop on the other side. I made sure as we hit the other side that she walked on the inside. “Show up at people’s places of work when they reject you and force them to have coffee with you?”
I shook my head as we got to the shop. “Considering I don’t get rejected, no, this isn’t my move.” Her laugh filled me with pride. It sounded better than it did in my dreams.
I held the door open for her, loving the way she brushed against my chest as she passed.
“I’m sure the accent wins you a lot of points, huh?” she asked as we joined the short line.
“Since I come from a place where almost everyone sounds like me. I don’t think it’s the accent.” I surprised myself with how forward I was being. I normally didn’t talk this much since people annoy me. She only annoyed me because she had so much of my attention.
We got up to the till and I watched her smile warmly at the barista behind the counter.
“I’ll have a small latte please.”
“Large,” I corrected. Assuming she was only ordering a small because she wasn’t paying for it. Even if she did want a small, she could throw out anything she didn’t drink. “And a large Americano please.”
The man behind the counter turned the screen for me to pay and I reached in my pocket for my wallet. As I looked down to grab my black card, I heard a ping.
“Drinks will be on your left.” I looked up confused at the barista, seeing the approved message on the system.
When my eyes slid over to Quinn, she was grinning widely at me, wiggling her phone up in front of me.
“Cards on the phone.” She smirked and then laughed at the shock on my face.
“Receipt?” the man asked.