Chapter 4: Green eyes

Interesting. .

That suggested someone important.

Or someone who thought he was important.

"What about you?"

"I work for a hotel company."

"Doing what?"

"Administrative work."

There was a brief pause before he responded.

"You sound smarter than that."

Charlotte felt herself smile.

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

The compliment shouldn't have affected her.

Yet somehow it did.

Perhaps because it didn't sound rehearsed or flirtatious. It sounded honest.

The conversation continued effortlessly after that. Minutes blended together until Charlotte lost track of time entirely. They talked about work, ambitions, travel, and the goals they rarely shared with other people. Before she realized it, she was discussing her dream of one day managing a luxury resort of her own.

The man listened.

Actually listened.

That alone made him different from most people she had met.

At one point their hands accidentally brushed across the table. Charlotte immediately pulled back, embarrassed by the contact, but the reaction felt silly almost as soon as it happened.

"Sorry," the man said softly.

"No, that was my fault."

For reasons she couldn't explain, neither moved very far away afterward. Their hands remained close enough that she could feel his presence on the other side of the table. The proximity created a strange warmth in her chest that made no logical sense.

The warmth lingering in her chest made no sense. She didn't know his name, his age, or even what he looked like, yet she found herself wondering about all three.

"Can I ask you something?"

The man's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"Anything."

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before giving in to her curiosity.

"What do you look like?"

A laugh escaped him.

"Tall."

She rolled her eyes.

"That's not an answer."

"It's technically an answer."

"It's a terrible answer."

His laugh deepened.

"Fine. Dark hair."

Charlotte smiled.

"See? That wasn't so difficult."

"What about you?"

She considered the question for a second.

"Brown hair."

"That's all?"

"Green eyes."

Something in his expression—or perhaps just the brief pause that followed—made her smile widen.

"I like green eyes."

She couldn't see him, which somehow made her curiosity worse. The more they talked, the more she found herself wondering about the face attached to that voice.

"What do you look like?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

The man laughed immediately.

"Tall."

Charlotte groaned.

"You're impossible."

"That's a compliment where I come from."

"No, it's not."

His laughter filled the room again.

"Dark hair."

"There. Was that so hard?"

"You're surprisingly demanding for someone on a blind date."

Charlotte smiled.

"What about your eyes?"

"Nice try."

She laughed.

"Fine. Then what do you want to know about me?"

"What color are your eyes?"

"Green."

A brief silence followed.

Then he said quietly:

"I like green eyes."

For reasons she couldn't explain, the simple comment sent a small flutter through her stomach.

Charlotte considered the question for a moment.

"Brown hair."

The man laughed softly.

"That's all?"

A smile tugged at her lips.

"Green eyes."

For a brief second, silence settled between them. Then she heard the faint amusement in his voice.

"I like green eyes."

The simple comment sent an unexpected flutter through her stomach. It was ridiculous, really. She didn't know his name, couldn't see his face, and would probably never meet him again after tonight. Yet somehow she found herself smiling.

Before she could think of a response, a soft bell chimed somewhere in the room.

Both of them straightened slightly.

"The session is ending," he said.

A surprising wave of disappointment washed over Charlotte.

Already?

An hour had somehow disappeared without her noticing. She wasn't ready for the conversation to end, and judging by the hesitation in his voice, neither was he.

"I enjoyed this."

The confession slipped out before she could stop it.

"So did I."

The sincerity in his response made her smile. For a moment, neither moved. It felt as though both of them were reluctant to break whatever strange connection had formed between two complete strangers sitting in a dark room.

Then the door opened.

A staff member stepped inside.

"The reveal will begin now."

Charlotte's pulse immediately quickened.

This was it.

The moment they finally saw each other.

She reached for the blindfold while, across the table, her match did the same.

"Three."

Her fingers tightened around the silk fabric.

"Two."

The room suddenly felt much warmer.

"One."

Charlotte pulled the blindfold away.

Then froze.

Every ounce of color drained from her face.

Across the table sat Ethan Calloway.

Her boss.

Her CEO.

The man whose calendar she managed every day, whose meetings she organized, and whose coffee order she could recite from memory without thinking about it.

For several seconds neither spoke.

Neither moved.

Shock seemed to hold them completely still.

Charlotte wasn't entirely sure who looked more horrified.

Her.

Or him.

"Ethan?"

The word escaped before she could stop it.

His eyes widened.

"Charlotte?"

Oh God.

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too hot.

Too embarrassing.

Every conversation from the last hour replayed through her mind in brutal detail. Every laugh. Every smile. Every compliment. Every moment she'd spent feeling comfortable with a complete stranger who had turned out to be the last person she expected.

She wanted the floor to open beneath her and swallow her whole.

Immediately.

Neither seemed capable of forming a coherent sentence.

Finally, Ethan rubbed a hand across his jaw and let out a slow breath.

"This is..."

"A disaster?"

His strained laugh answered before his words did.

"That was exactly the word I was about to use."

Charlotte stood so quickly that her chair nearly tipped over behind her.

"I should go."

"Charlotte—"

"I'll see you Monday."

Her voice cracked slightly.

Wonderful.

As if the situation wasn't humiliating enough already.

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her purse, turned toward the door, and practically fled from the room.

Only after reaching the street did she finally stop.

Her heart was still hammering against her ribs as she stood beneath the Manhattan night sky trying to process what had just happened.

Of all the people in New York.

Millions of people.

Thousands of eligible men.

And somehow fate had seated her across from Ethan Calloway.

The one man she absolutely should not be attracted to.

The one man she absolutely could not date.

The one man she would have to face at work in less than twelve hours.

Charlotte groaned and covered her face with both hands.

Tomorrow was going to be a nightmare.

Several floors above Manhattan, Ethan Calloway remained standing inside the private room long after she'd left. His eyes lingered on the closed door while a realization slowly settled over him.

For the first time since receiving his grandfather's impossible ultimatum, he had met a woman he genuinely wanted to see again.

And she was the one woman he probably shouldn't.