12. "I would rather you stayed out of it like I told you to."
I sat in the living room with the CEO and CFO of a billion dollar firm I'd been eyeing for months. I was hoping to seal this deal which would expand our operations overseas. It was immensely important to me, and I couldn't afford them refusing or changing their mind last minute.
"And if we finalize the merger by the end of this quarter," I said smoothly, "A&S can handle the transition with zero downtime. Our software's been optimized for precisely this kind of scale."
Both the men nodded, one of them scribbling something down in his diary.
I could practically see them all ready to sign the deal.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly.
Until...
The air suddenly seemed to change. The click of heels approaching the living room seemed to alter the whole atmosphere.
I turned my head towards the door and nearly cursed out loud.
Fucking hell.
Aurelia sauntered into the living room in a short black dress, the smooth skin of her legs and the curve of her collarbones gleaming under the chandelier lights.
There was no trace of regret or discomfort on her face as she confidently and elegantly leaned against the doorway, crossing one leg over the other.
The men noticed her immediately.
Jonathan's wide eyes raked her body from head to toe, while Darren sat straighter, eyes so wide like she was an angel descended straight from heaven.
I clenched my jaw so tightly I heard the grind of my own teeth.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Aurelia said sweetly, her voice warm and bright like this was some damn tea party and not a closed-door negotiation. "I just came to return Zayden's book."
Book? What book? I hadn't lent her anything.
Little liar...
I told her to stay in her room.
How naive of me to believe she actually would listen.
She walked farther into the room, hips swaying like she was born to defy me. Then she extended a book towards me which had been plucked from one of the shelves' of my library.
Jonathon immediately stood, a smile on his face like he had been extremely charmed. "Not a problem at all," I narrowed my eyes as he extended his hand towards her. "I'm Jonathan Smith. And you are?"
Her lips curled up into a confident smile as she took his hand. "Aurelia Sinclair. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Smith."
"The pleasure's all mine. Please call me Jonathan." He replied, looking utterly beguiled.
"Oh I'd be honoured... Jonathan." Aurelia replied with a grin.
I clenched my jaw.
Darren followed his CEO's lead, shaking hands with Aurelia. "If I'm not wrong, you're Mr. Sinclair's daughter. The previous co-owner of A&S corporation. Right?"
Aurelia beamed. "Absolutely!"
"Well, you're exactly like I've heard about you. Absolutely gorg—"
"Gentlemen," I cut in sharply, shooting them both warning glances. "Shall we continue?"
Jonathan didn't sit down. His eyes were still on Aurelia. "Actually, this is... interesting timing. We were just talking about the importance of public engagement for this merger. Human appeal, if you will. Seeing a softer, more personable side of the business."
I didn't like where this was going.
Aurelia tilted her head. "I'm very good at making things... appealing."
Darren laughed again. "Clearly."
I saw red.
Every inch of me screamed to walk across the room, take her by the wrist, and drag her out. To tell them she didn't represent my company. That she didn't belong in this room, in that dress, soaking up attention from men. Men who weren't—
God help me.
The moment she strutted in, their mood shifted. They were smiling more, suddenly becoming more relaxed and talkative.
It didn't feel like a serious business deal anymore. The same deal that had me on the edge of my seat. That had me working overtime to create the pitch for.
She settled onto the edge of my armchair like she owned the place, legs crossed, one perfectly arched brow raised in interest as Darren asked her what she thought about the deal and how it could benefit both companies.
My hand twitched on my lap, the heat from her body seemingly seeping under my skin as she sat so close to me. I found my eyes lingering over the hem of her dress, making sure it wouldn't ride up to the point where she would be flashing these men.
And then she answered.
My head snapped up, lips parting as words poured out of her perfectly shaped, red lips.
She actually gave a clever, well-articulated answer. The kind of answer I would have expected from a PR rep. She was playing with them, but she was winning. And they were eating it up.
Within fifteen minutes, they were laughing. Clapping me on the back. Nodding eagerly as I resumed the pitch.
"Zayden," Jonathan said, swirling the last of his drink, "I've got a good feeling about this."
"So do I," Darren agreed. "Send over the paperwork. We're in."
Just like that. Deal secured. Signed, sealed, delivered.
Because of her.
I forced a tight-lipped smile as they stood, shook my hand, and gave Aurelia a little too long of a goodbye.
The moment they were gone, my smile dropped.
Aurelia remained seated, looking smug as ever.
"You wore that on purpose." I said, my voice low and tight.
She batted her lashes innocently. "Wore what?"
"That dress. That smirk. That performance."
Her lips curved. "Would you rather I let the deal fall through?"
"I would rather you stayed out of it like I told you to."
"You're welcome, by the way," she said sweetly, standing and smoothing her dress as she faced me. "That was a big deal, wasn't it? You should be thanking me."
"You think I need to rely on you to close deals?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"I think you did rely on me. And it worked." She replied victoriously.
I took a step closer, towering over her now. "Don't push your luck, Sinclair."
She tilted her head, unbothered. "I didn't push anything, Zayden. I walked in. You're the one who looked like he was ready to rip someone's throat out, when I actually did you a favour."
I did. And still did.
Because she had no idea how badly I'd wanted to throw those two men out of the house when they looked at her the way they did.
I was so close to reconsidering everything.
Dropping this deal that would've expanded my business to such an extent that I wouldn't have had to worry about money for many years to come even if I stopped working the next day. Then punching those men in the face.
She was a walking disaster. A storm I couldn't contain. And yet somehow, she'd just helped me seal one of the most important partnerships of the year.
She moved to leave, brushing past me, and our arms touched.
Just barely.
But it sent heat shooting through my chest like a lightning strike.
Then she suddenly stopped and turned towards me.
My heart stood still in my chest at her next move.
She trailed a finger over the back of my hand, sending jolts of electricity though my whole body. "Loosen up, Zayden. I don't want you hurting your jaw with how much you clench it."
Then she walked away like a storm.
One thing was crystal clear. This girl was going to drive me to the brink of insanity.