3

Vivian got the glasses of water and approached Scott McCall for the second time that night. She tried to put herself in check, but it was difficult not to react to him on so many different levels. The man had an imposing presence. 

Obviously, the years had not just been kind to him, they had treated him with the deference usually only given to the chosen few. He was incredibly handsome and good looking, and judging by how confident he was,he knew it too. His body was lean and lithe, his skin kissed with the faintest tan. His wavy hair was black and thick and his dark eyes were narrowed and watchful. He looked—not exactly unfriendly, but he didn't look like someone who played a lot either. His eyes were the blackest she had ever seen, and his lips looked hardened as if he pissed just by being in the ballroom. 

Vivian tried not to focus on his hard, muscular body or finely shaped jaw. He had a certain cool distance and carried about him the unmistakable aura of a man with power radiating from every part of his body. Her heart thundered beneath the silk of her shirt as she approached him, but the voice of reason began to clamor in her head. None of that stuff she was thinking about mattered, she told herself. 

"Hello, sir. Here is your water, sir," she said when she got to him. She tried to smile at him… just a friendly smile, she thought. And maybe it wouldn't be so hard to say what she wanted to say. She stood there, silently praying that he would return the smile, but he didn't.

She had this issue whenever she was nervous. She would end up saying more than necessary and over explaining, and it was happening now. "I…I ermmm… I decided to bring you both still and sparkling, sir" she explained, unable to stop herself. 

Scott McCall lifted an eyebrow as he stared at her, making her wonder what he was thinking, before he took one of the glasses from the tray. She couldn't blame him. Even she suspected that she was beginning to look crazy with all her rambling and lingering. 

"Thank you" He said as he nodded, and then turned his back on her and walked away. Vivian stood there, staring at him as he walked away with her heart full of frustration and regret. She had failed and lost her chance to speak to him. But what had she expected? She asked herself. That he would engage her in some kind of small-talk which would provide the perfect opportunity for her to tell him that she wanted a position in his company? Did she really think that in this room, filled with so many sophisticated and important people, he'd stop just to have a conversation with a waitress? Clearly she had not thought this through at all. 

Vivian bit her lower lip. This was a fairytale, and fairy tales never worked out the way you wanted them to, and all you'd end up doing was hurting yourself. 

Should she just give up, Vivian wondered. The stubborn part of her didn't want to. She had to try again even if she knew that it'd make her look a bit creepy. At this point, she didn't care anymore. She was just going to have to choose her moment carefully—because she wasn’t leaving this building without Scott McCall hearing what she had to say. 

—-------------------

“You are drunk, Elizabeth” Scott said as he and Elizabeth stumbled up to his hotel room. Well, Elizabeth was the one stumbling while he helped her up the stairs. "Let me take you to your room" 

"Ohhh…. No, I don't want that" Elizabeth protested. "Why don't we go to your room instead. I don't want to be alone tonight, Scott. And why did we even book two rooms? It sucks that we are not staying together." 

They stopped in front of Scott's room and Scott cupped her cheek so she'd look at him. "I told you I need to attend to some work stuff. I just need some time alone so I can concentrate."

Scott hoped Elizabeth would just listen and leave. He did have some work to attend to, but he also wasn't in the mood to spend the night with her. The hours with her at the ball were already enough for him. 

"Okay, let me just come in so we can have a glass of wine or two before I leave" Elizabeth said. "It's the least you can do since you're chasing me away tonight." 

Scott was about to ask her if she didn't have enough to drink at the bar, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. If a glass of wine was all he needed to get rid of her for the night, then so be it. 

He slipped his key card in the lock and flung the door open. They both walked inside, but neither of them expected to see a waitress standing in the middle of the room. Elizabeth gasped as she stared from Scott to the waitress and then back to Scott. 

If Scott McCall was surprised to see her in his room, he barely showed it, Vivian thought as she watched him slip his hands in his pockets and stared at her with little or no expression on his face.

His date on the other hand, looked as if she wanted to murder someone, and Vivian thought that the lady looked like someone who would actually kill her if she got the chance. 

"Who the hell is this and what is going on here?" she asked Scott, who didn't even look in her direction or make any effort to answer her question. His eyes seemed glued on Vivian and he seemed to recognize her from the ballroom. That was a good thing, right? Vivian thought. 

"What do you want?" he asked simply. 

Vivian looked up at him, her voice low and trembling. "I'm…I'm sorry I came up to your room like this, but I just… I needed to talk to you." She stammered. She glanced over at the woman who still had hand wrapped around his arm. She was still glaring at her. "Alone… I mean… if you'd allow me to" 

"Who the hell is this?" the woman snapped again.