An Unlikely Encounter

Nora's P.O.V 

*Dear Miss Nora Roberts, we are happy to inform you that you passed the interview to be the personal assistant to the CEO of Lockhart's industry. You are obliged to start work on monday by 8:00am. We look forward to working with you*

For the fifth time that day, I read out the email I had been waiting for. Two weeks ago, I sat for an interview in Lockhart's industry for the position of the personal assistant. I never thought I'd get it.

I only applied there because my best friends Stacey and James kept pushing me to try. It had always been my dream to be an architect, and what better way to fuel that dream than working as a P.A. to the CEO of the best architectural company?

Enough about my dreams, it was time to celebrate. My friends had texted me to meet them at Clyde's bar to celebrate my big news.

In less than ten minutes, I was on the road. My driving mirror was hanging down as I applied lipstick. I averted my gaze from the road to the mirror hanging in front of me. A terrible mistake, if I had ever made one, and surely I had. I heard a crashing sound. My car came to a halt as it collided with another car.

I looked up. Bewilderment engulfed me as I saw the car I had just bumped into. It was a Rolls Royce Boat Tail, worth more than $30 million dollars. Even with my new monthly salary, I couldn't possibly afford it.

I took a deep breath and got out of my car, with my head hung low. I prepared myself to do the only thing I could afford to do.

Apologize.

As soon as I was out of my car, the door to the Rolls Royce slid open. A man dressed in an expensive suit and sunglasses stepped out. He took a look at the damaged rear of his car and then turned to me. Taking off his glasses, he covered the distance between us. He looked oddly familiar. 

"Is there something wrong with your eyes or your brain? How can you drive so carelessly?" The words of the handsome man didn't match his looks, he looked heavenly but sounded devilishly rude. 

I folded my arms above my chest, a habit I had formed to feel confident 

"Look, I'm sorry I bumped into your car, but aren't you being a little too rude?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed 

"The heck I'm being rude. Do you know who I am?" 

"I don't know, and I don't care. You shouldn't be so condescending no matter who you are."

"I don't need a lecture from you. You are obviously a no-brainer who lacks the basic driving skills. How did you even get a driver's license?"

"I got one legally, something I can't say for you. You probably paid someone to hand one to you."

He waved a dismissive hand in my face 

"I don't have time for this. You need to pay for the damages you caused." He gestured towards the rear end of his car

I finally took a good look to assess the damage I had caused. My eyes went wide at the state of it, how did my little car do this?

"How much is it?" I asked him with a shaky voice 

He stared at the car and looked up 

"I don't know, but it could be around a million dollars."

"That's too much" I spat out

"You should have thought of that before driving carelessly." He pointed out with a mean stare 

Thinking fast, I searched through my purse and brought out my old business card that had a number I was no longer using.

"Here's my business card, call me when you confirm the price for repairs. I'm really sorry about this"

Without giving him a second glance, I climbed into my car and drove off. The guilt of giving him a fake number was eating me up but I knew I couldn't afford to fix his car. It was the only thing for me to do besides I knew I was never going to see him again. 

"What took you so long?" My friend Stacey asked as she pulled me into the bar to go meet James, our other friend. 

"I had a little accident on the way" I say giving James a side hug as Stacey and I take seats beside him on the stools in front of the bartender station

"An accident?" James asked, his green eyes etched with concern 

"I bumped into someone's car and totally ruined his bumper. It looked horrible"

Stacey turned to me with a surprised look 

"Did you pay for it?"

I laughed at her question 

"With what money? The car was a Rolls Royce Boat Tail. I gave him a fake number and ran away from there" I admitted with a mischievous grin. The three of us burst into a fit of laughter, the sound echoing in the bar. 

Once the laughter subsided, James chimed in, his tone slightly admonishing. "Now, that's not a nice thing to do," he commented

I gently stroked his arm 

"I know but he was very rude so he kind of deserved it"

Stacey turned to me with a cheeky look

"Was he handsome?"

Was the stranger from earlier handsome? He was but 

"That is not important" I pointed out and gestured towards the bartender to get us a drink 

"All I'm hearing is that he is handsome" Stacey said 

"I came here to drink not to talk about a stranger, handsome or not"

"Okay cheers to that" James stated and passed us drinks 

Somehow, we ended up on the dance floor, drinks in hand, immersed in the pulsating rhythm. We moved and grooved, letting the music guide our steps. Laughter and joy filled the air as we danced and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest.

Despite the temptation to continue dancing, I had to leave 

"Guys I have to wake up early tomorrow, for the new job" 

"Okay bye" 

"Yeah see you later"

"Bye guys"

I smiled as I made my way through the crowd, lost in my thoughts, I accidentally bumped into someone, causing their drink to spill all over them. To my surprise, it was the same guy from earlier, the one whose car I had collided with. What kind of coincidence was this?

"You!" he exclaimed with an angry expression. "What's wrong with you? Are you stalking me?"

I stood there in silence, gazing at him. Despite his rude manners, I couldn't help but notice his striking beauty, his piercing blue eyes, and his dazzling brown hair that looked so neatly combed. How could someone look so good and yet have such a bad attitude? Shaking myself out of my daze, I quickly collected my thoughts.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, feeling flustered. Without giving him a chance to respond, I hastily made my way out of the club. Thankfully, it seemed like he hadn't called the number I had given him.

******

The next day I woke up as early as I'd planned to and got ready for my new job. Butterflies erupted in my belly as I drove to work. It was my first day l, I was excited. 

As I stepped through the doors of the

office, ready to embark on my first day, my enthusiasm was suddenly reduced. 

In front of me was…