1. Their First Meeting

ALICE RILEY

"This is important. All I need is just ten minutes of Mr. Scott. I'm sure he wouldn't want to cancel the appointment now, especially after I have made it here." I persuaded the receptionist to get me the meeting with the CEO of Scott Group, Mr. Vivian Scott, who had canceled the meeting at the last minute due to an emergency.

Had I not been an intern at Lexis Consultants, the legal consultant firm of Scott Group, I would have created a scene for not honoring my time, I'm sure. But I had to keep my cool. My career was important to me. I was furious inside but managed to hide it behind my fake smile.

"I am going to check again, Miss Riley. Please be seated." She answered politely.

I slowly inched towards the couch fixed in the middle of the room and sat comfortably, throwing my handbag and the file on the seat next to me. Not having anything else to do, I pulled my phone out of the handbag and started browsing through my emails.

A few minutes into my waiting, I started losing my patience again. I thought of punching Mr. Scott in his face, making his nose bleed, and that eased my mood. If my boss hadn't ordered to get all the documents signed by Mr. Scott by tonight, I wouldn't have cared to wait for another second in his building.

Visibly looking irritated, I stared at the front desk lady. Walking towards me, she said, "Yes, he will see you in ten minutes. You could wait for him at the conference hall, fifteenth floor."

She handed a visitor's badge and temporary access card and gestured towards the lift.

"Thank You," as I said, a winning smile landed on my face, taking over the irritation. I rushed to the lift and kept that smile alive even as I stumbled into the lift with that file falling off my hand. Finding my composure, I clutched onto my handbag, picked up the file from the floor, and pressed the button.

In the blink of an eye, I was on the fifteenth floor of the building, and the door opened. I walked out of the lift and looked around for the conference room. From afar, I could read a nameplate that said CONFERENCE ROOM, and I rushed. As I reached, I searched for the door of that glass room, but it took me a while to figure out the entry and the access system.

Using my temporary access card, I opened the door and peeped inside. I froze, not knowing how to react to the unexpected sight. A super-hot, handsome guy was inside, standing only in his grey suit pants and white undershirt. His oval-shaped face with a square jawline, chiseled body, and worked-out biceps gave away the vibe of a sexy model, giving a pose for an innerwear brand.

My mouth opened without my control, and I exclaimed, "Hot! Super Hot!" only to realize I had said it aloud, making him smirk. I flustered.

"Miss, you are in the wrong room," he smiled, not even embarrassed for standing shirtless in his office cabin.

"Oh, I am sorry. I mistook it for the conference room," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment with a fake smile.

"That entry is further to the end, Miss."

"Thank you," I immediately spun on my heels and exited. But I couldn't stop feeling ashamed. How could I confuse a conference room with a private cabin? I had made myself look like an idiot! That too in front of a super-handsome man. Could I have had a worse moment than this?

Whoever he was, I didn't have to see him again. As soon as I get the signature of Mr. Scott on the documents, I will leave and probably never come back to this building, I thought as I walked inside the conference room, comforting my mind.

VIVIAN SCOTT

I couldn't stop smiling at the different expressions that went through that pretty face as it peeped inside through the gap the nontransparent glass door created when it was pushed open. She wasn't just pretty; she was gorgeous. Breathtaking! I hadn't seen a more beautiful face in the long past.

I knew how good I looked; it never was less than a pleasure to get complimented for the physique I inherited from my father. Like him, I was six feet tall with an athletic body. But today, seeing a beautiful woman unknowingly adore my body gave me an adrenaline rush. I so badly wanted to tease her and watch her reaction! But then, I wouldn't let any of those emotions come up on my face. I was that bastard who could hide any emotions, under any circumstances, at ease unless I wanted it to be shown.

Wasn't she the one who insisted on meeting me despite I canceled the appointment? She must be strong-headed, I thought. I was in no mood to attend to her, but my front desk officer informed me that she was persistent. True that I had given her my appointment, but sometimes emergencies disturb the schedule. Today was one such day. But now, I couldn't complain anymore.

I wore my shirt, necktie, and blazer and kept a straight face as I headed to the conference room. As I walked inside, she lifted her face and opened her mouth to greet me. The next moment, I saw her going numb. I silently enjoyed the horrified look on that pretty face.

"Good morning, Miss-"

"-Alice Riley, it's Alice Riley," she said in a low voice as if she packed her confidence and dropped it somewhere.

I took a moment to appreciate her beauty as she stood up, pushing her chair back. Even in that simple black skirt and pink blouse, her tall and slender body looked sexy as hell. That shoulder-length golden hair complimented her round face as it fell loose on her shoulder.

Gazing at her red, fuller lips, I quipped, "So, Ms. Riley, tell me."

I wanted to ask her the reason for her adamant behavior, too, but suddenly my phone rang before she could answer me. It was a call from my mother. She had made more than ten phone calls already. It was because of her I had to cancel all my meetings today. Of course, she was expecting me home to discuss an emergency issue, and I had to take her call and assure her of my availability.

"Excuse me for a minute," I said as I walked out to answer the phone call.