CHAPTER 10

      Annalise stepped out of the elevator and was met with a cheerful hello from Tara, the agency’s receptionist and Annalise’s closest friend at the agency. Tara was the best woman for this job that Annalise had ever seen. She was quite the organizer and had a memory like a steel trap.

          But more importantly, Tara knew everything about everyone at "S&W Advertising". There wasn’t a piece of juicy gossip floating around that Tara didn’t know about, and she didn’t mind sharing it over a cup of coffee or a piece of brownie.

          For Annalise who was the new kid in town, Tara was the best ally possible inside the agency. Never again would she be caught off guard like she had been in her last job in San Francisco.

“Good morning, Tara,” Annalise returned as she stopped in front of Tara’s desk. “Are there messages for me?”

“Not a single one, at least for now,” she replied to Annalise in a neutral tone.

          Tara’s eyes were twinkling, and that got Annalise curious. Tara leaned forward.

“But I have the latest rumors about Elaine and David…” she whispered conspiratorially.

“Our bosses?” Annalise asked frowning.

          Elaine’s marriage was over and the whole agency knew about it by now. But even so, her boss wasn’t the type to indulge in a torrid office affair. Not this quick after calling the quits with her ex-husband and definitely, not with her newest business partner, the agency’s CFO.

          Annalise felt compelled to warn Elaine about the unpleasant consequences that such a rumor might have for the future of the agency, especially now when she was trying to bring Hamilton’s company in. But in the end, it was just… a rumor. Besides, Elaine might not appreciate Annalise opening this subject.

“Nah, I think you’re wrong about it,” Annalise said.

“He spends a lot of time in Elaine’s office… Way too much, if you ask me. And the door is always closed…” Tara added. “The other day, I entered Elaine’s office to give her a file she’d asked for, and… the way David was looking at her and the sexual tension I felt… Girl… It was so obvious they were having a different kind of meeting than the one you and I think…”

“Tara, you are impossible! Besides the sexual tension, which I’m absolutely sure is just a figment of your imagination, everything you just described is quite normal. They are our bosses… They are running things around here, so they need to meet often,” Annalise pointed out.

“Anna, I’m not imagining. Other people noticed it too. Since Elaine divorced her husband and started working alongside David, he is much more present in her office or around her. Okay, Elaine is not twenty anymore, but hell, she’s still a catch and I think the divorce gave David the green light to pursue her. I’m pretty sure he’d always had a thing for Elaine.”

          Annalise gripped her briefcase a little tighter. Hearing Tara’s words, she understood that it wouldn’t do her any good to get involved in this private matter. Elaine and David were both consenting adults and whatever was happening between them was their affair only. She just hoped Elaine wouldn’t get hurt by the idle gossip.

“Listen, Tara,” Annalise began as she remembered why she had stopped, to begin with, “I’m expecting two important phone calls: one from Lance Hamilton’s office and one from John Beckett. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing or who I’m with… You make sure I get these calls.”

“Okay, sweetie, don’t worry!” Tara reassured Annalise.

          But, as Annalise walked away, Tara’s eyes widened.

“Wait! What?! As in John Beckett, the sexiest soccer player in the entire Universe? That John Beckett? Is he going to be our newest client? If so, how come you know him?”

          In response to Tara’s countless questions, Annalise smiled and kept walking toward her little office. Normally, she would stop in the coffee room for some small talk with her colleagues, or just to say ‘hi’ and get a feel for what the day’s events were, but this morning she was already running late, thanks to a breakfast meeting going well into the brunch hour.

          She needed to play catch-up on phone messages and e-mails before a full afternoon of client calls and a staff meeting to close out the day. After a few hours into her workday, her interoffice intercom buzzed and she heard Tara’s voice.  

“'Anna, Mr. Hamilton is on line two.'”

“Mr. Hamilton himself or his private assistant?” Annalise asked quite perplexed.

“'Mr. Lance Hamilton.'”

“Alright… Put him through, please. Thank you, Tara,” she said crisply.

          Hearing his name, Annalise felt her entire body trembling. She shook her head. What did she have to be nervous about? As soon as the phone rang, Annalise picked it up.

“Annalise Walsh.”

“'Hello, Annalise! How are you?'”

          Lance’s voice sent a bolt of awareness through her body. Would she ever stop acting like a teenager on hormones every time he would say her name? It was ridiculous. It was totally unprofessional.

“I’m good, Lance. And you?”

“'I’m pretty swamped. The day is quite hectic, but I have some free time and I would like for you to meet me for lunch today. That is if you don’t have something else already planned…'”

          There was a note of confidence in Lance’s voice. Oh, that man… He was as shrewd as a fox… Lance knew damn well she wouldn’t say no to him. Hastily, Annalise checked her wristwatch.

“Sure… What time?”

“'Now.'”

          The answer felt like a fist in her gut. Was it Friday already and she felt to notice? Annalise shook her head laughing internally while sheer panic got a hold on her. Now? She wasn’t prepared for a ‘now’ encounter. Surely, Lance didn’t want to reschedule their informal pitch session from Friday to now…

“I thought we had a business meeting on Friday?” she added trying to stall as her brain scrambled to catch up.

“'I would like to discuss Friday today since there has been a change of plans.'”

          Her heart sank. There was no way she could have her act together right now. There was too much information she still had to collect in order to have the perfect material for her winning pitch.  

“Listen, at this point, I only have one hour at my disposal,” he continued. “Your office is near mine. Shall we meet in a restaurant nearby? Our choices are Italian, Japanese, or Thai.”

“I’m up for anything,” Annalise said faintly.

          She propped the phone between her shoulder and her ear and began frantically digging for her notes on his account. She stuffed everything into a folder and reached for her work bag.

“'Great! I say let’s have some Italian food… I’ll meet you in the plaza in… Hmm… Ten minutes? I’m already out of my office. I presume that you know how to get to the bistro…'”

“Sure, I will be there in ten minutes…”

          Lance hung up and for a moment, Annalise stood there like an idiot with the phone still stuck to her ear. Then she slammed it down and took in a deep breath.

“Okay, Anna… You got this, girl! You could do this in your sleep! Go there and hit him hard!” she encouraged herself.

          Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Annalise jogged out of her office and down the hallway. She passed David White who held up a finger and opened his mouth to say something to her.

“Please, David, not now! Whatever it is, I’m sure it could wait! I promise I’ll talk to you later!” Annalise called as she hustled by. “I’m extremely late for a very important lunch meeting.”

          She didn’t even look to see his reaction. She ran past Tara and yelled as she punched the button for the elevator.

“If Elaine asks about me, please tell her that I’m having lunch with Mr. Lance Hamilton. Just tell her that Friday is now and that I’ll be back this afternoon. Wish me luck!”

          The elevator opened and Annalise entered quickly. As she turned around, she saw Tara’s look of puzzlement just as the doors slid shut again. When she reached the lobby, Annalise stopped in the bathroom long enough to check her appearance.

“I’m okay…” she whispered.

          Yes, she was okay… for a work lunch. She wouldn’t stop traffic for sure, but at least, she didn’t look as drained as she felt. The heels she had chosen to complete her outfit were fabulous, but they were hurting like hell. Her tennis shoes would’ve been perfect right now, but they would’ve been too flashy for her work suit. Even if Lance would’ve appreciated them since it was his brand she was liking lately.

“Stop being such a woos!” she scolded herself. “You have to walk for five minutes… Just five minutes! So, stop whining and act like these heels were made especially for you!” Annalise added and exited the bathroom and the building.

          When she crossed the street to the next block, she realized she never had gotten where they were supposed to meet. Italian, Lance said, but... what Italian? There were three Italian restaurants, one Japanese, one Thai, one Mexican, and a lot of Americans…

“Well done, Anna! You could’ve asked the name… but no! Well, good luck finding it in time! You’ll get to this lunch late and you know Lance hates people being late,” she said looking around with a preoccupied expression.

          Her gaze scanned the umbrellas scattered along some cafes on the plaza. She couldn’t see him anywhere. Her heart almost stopped beating when she heard Lance’s voice calling her name. It was the second time in almost ten minutes that this was happening.

          Annalise saw him in the middle of the plaza. The moment their eyes locked, the air got sucked right out of her lungs. Lance stood in the sunlight, one hand shoved into the pocket of his trousers, the other holding his cell phone.

          There was a single thought that came to her mind when Annalise saw him there…

          ‘Take me, Lance! Take me right here… right now… I'm yours!’