Ricky stared at her, ignoring the hand she extended. For all he knew she would be twenty two! Wasn't she supposed to be a college student or anything other than what she had come to mean to his company; a terror?
How had she managed to pull the stunt that had kept him awake at night thinking about? He felt ashamed for grovelling all those while to personally write and send those mails to her.
For all he knew, J. K. Raymonds was only a woman, regardless of the business look she had, and he was going to get her to partner with his corporation, using everything possible.
Everything...
* * *
"So, what is it you want exactly, Mr. Mears?" Jade asked as soon as she strode with the confidence of a peacock into her office, where Ricky had been directed to wait till she was through with her meetings.
Now, amusement made her twitch her lips as she watched his fingers twitch in anger and obvious impatience. The wine he had been offered was left untouched, his stubborn jaw set in annoyance.
"What do I want? You've kept me away from my office for twenty minutes and you..."
"Twenty-two actually" Jade cut in, removing her navy blue jacket and arranging it in a hanger beside her office bathroom. For some reason, she was enjoying the look of irritation in his sharp dark blue eyes.
"What?" Ricky asked, confusion and anger were reflected in his narrowed deep sea blue eyes. What the fuck did she mean after keeping him waiting?
"You said I have kept you away from your office for twenty minutes. I calculated the time by my watch. It's twenty-two. A CEO should at least be able to calculate properly, or does he leave that to his lowly employees?"
Ricky frowned, the power of speech completely eluding him. He was dumbstruck as he silently watched her make herself comfortable on her glass desk without a hint of regard to his presence.
Never had he been this insulted, especially by a woman. No one had succeeded in infuriating and yet turning him on at the same time, and not once had he been made to wait for anything.
The day seemed to open his mind to possibilities he had never considered real in his life time. Here was a female who not only had the upper hand while dealing with him, but whose hostility and lack of acknowledgment of his maleness surprised him.
Deciding that he'd taken enough of her ignoring him, he stood and slammed his both palms on the table, making a loud noise which sent her eyes flying up to his. Now he had her attention. Trying to control his breathing, he began, in a clearly unprofessional loud voice.
"I've had enough of this."
"Of what?" Her voice was cool, nothing warm that made one feel comfortable, and yet nothing cold that sent people running.
She showed no emotion in her voice, as though she were merely robotic and didn't consider him worthy to be in her office. It infuriated him more, that well controlled attitude that made the person on the receiving end feel like an immature kid acting out of impulse.
"Wow. So now we are playing dumb, aren't we?" He smirked sardonically, a slight upturning of lips that didn't meet his eyes. Jade waved the thought that quickly crossed her mind away; she didn't want to imagine how beautiful his eyes would be if his smile were sincere.
Jade walked from her desk to stand in front of him, leaning against the desk with her arms crossed under her breasts.
All the while unconsciously making him wonder what it would feel like to have those heels click calculatingly towards him. He hated that she affected him strongly both emotionally and sexually; he hadn't wanted to wring a neck and also make wild love to its owner at the same time.
All of this, coupled with his inward impression that the brain behind the whole work was female infuriated him. He made a mental note to get a woman that night, he needed a release from the frustration which came from one woman he had only met minutes before.
Being this close to him, Jade was making him aware of the intoxicating feminine perfume she wore and the fact that her height on heels was almost to his level.
Her presence for some reason made him feel nervous, which was quite all new to him. Perhaps he had drunk too much wine the night before, he thought, which was the only logical explanation he could give to the way he suddenly wished to avoid and yet drown in her soft brown orbs.
"Mr. Mears." Her voice was low now, drawing him back to the pressing issue that had driven him here.
Sighing, she continued. "I am tired. I have a meeting with investors in five minutes. Therefore, I have no ounce of strength to argue with you. I clearly asked you what you wanted as soon as I came in, you just didn't want to reply. What then is the complaint for?"
Heaving another sigh, she concluded before Ricky could get an opportunity to reply.
"Fix an appointment with my secretary, you can have one employee come by when I have time within this week. My secretary will see you out."
Before he could get the chance to say, "To hell with you," which was exactly what was in his mind, she gathered her jacket and walked out, leaving him standing like a fool in her office. Cold sweat poured from his face, and irritation claimed his thoughts.
The urge to punch the first thing he could get his hands on drove him strongly, and dark angry thoughts kept swimming in his head without sinking deep.
He didn't know how much time passed with him simply standing and thinking of a strategy he would employ to get back at her and steal the deal from her, but he was surprised when his personal Assistant strode into the office, her expression baffled.
"Erhm, Sir. You have a meeting with the investors from Hungary. They are threatening to go back if you are not in the conference hall in twenty minutes."
"So? They're threatening me now?" Ricky's frustration ran through every word he spoke, his teeth clenching in evident anger.
Ginger had no idea of what to say in answer to his question. It wasn't as though she hadn't informed him beforehand of the meeting. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly had transpired in the office they were currently in to piss him off, but whatever it was had gotten to him deeply.
Although he had never been the polite cheerful boss in the months she had worked for him, she had never seen him this enraged before either.
Perhaps it had to do with the woman wearing a smug expression who had walked past her just as she was about to find her boss herself, full of worry that he had spent more time than required.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Move it then." Ginger blinked at the high level of anger in Ricky's voice, suddenly wondering if he hadn't been the one wasting time all along. But instead of snapping back at him as she wished to, she planted that professional smile she had learnt to wear since she met Ricky and followed him out.
"What do you mean you have a condition before investing in our business?" The chairman of the board of directors asked, a frown marring his forehead in form of folded flesh that came together to form a wrinkle. At the head of the U-shaped table Ricky sat, with Ginger beside him taking notes and wondering just when the meeting would end. She thought they had gone through this before, meeting the terms and conditions of their foreign investors. The meeting was supposed to consist of shaking hands and signing documents. But now, disappointment had her sighing beneath her breath at the way they were slyly stalling. "We got a report that your company has been losing deals of late. Or isn't that true?" The cranky looking old man in loose slacks and jacket so large Ginger thought it was hand me down asked, adjusting his tie. Ginger wondered exactly what he was adjusting. The tie had been undone even before he came in with the two other younger men. Ricky heaved a sigh then, wonderin
"Miss Raymonds, you have a call on line two." Annabelle, Jade's secretary and executive assistant informed her over the intercom, shuffling of papers sounding in the background. "From?" Jade asked, tapping her platinum black pen on the desk and searching for files with the other hand, the telephone was cradled between her ear and shoulders. "Mr. Freeman." He was a potential investor who always found a way of making his demands and terms sly. She didn't intend to deal with him first thing in the morning. "Hold the call, and put him through line three in ten minutes. I'm trying to contact Chloe here." She dialled again, wondering why she couldn't get through to her younger sister. Had Chloe Raymonds blocked her number? No way. She hit the dial button again, waiting. "Okay ma'am" Annabelle replied, and disconnected the intercom to do as she asked. Jade dropped the pen on the table in frustration, wondering where she had dropped the document she had been looking for since morning
"Alright, thank you Mr. Freeman, bye." Jade dropped the receiver, reclining back in the executive seat to stare at the most recent picture in her office with pride, a gigantic portrait of her in a business suit. Who would have thought she could achieve this within three years? She wondered, closing her eyes to inhale breaths of satisfaction. When she had decided to take over the company from the claws of her father whose existence she didn't even want to think about, started working as a model to generate funds while working as a secretary, she hadn't imagined that she would soar this high. The call had gone well, and if Mr. Freeman didn't change his mind again, she would be embarking on another huge project soon with the money she would generate from him. Recalling how far she had come in the business world while maintaining anonymity from the press and the previous day's events involving a certain young man, she chuckled quietly. The look of astonishment on Ricky's face at the r
The infuriating woman was running late. Ricky checked the time again by his watch, tapping his fingers on the glass table as he wondered how the investors would react the moment they arrived and realised that Jade wasn't present after all. And for Pete's sake, could the members of the board stop infuriating him further with their endless questions? "Why isn't she here already?" "You 're sure she's still coming?" "Can't you contact her office?" "Are you sure the intern you sent did his job right?" There went the complaints from the members of board, ten minutes to the time stipulated for the arrival of the investors without Ms. Raymonds either making herself present for the meeting or sending a message ahead. Their tone held disapproval, and he knew they were disappointed at him for handing the project over to an intern. Although he pretended as though he didn't care, sipping at his glass of water and scrolling through his phone without saying a word, he did regret not g
"Alright, shall we begin the meeting please?" The old man Ricky found cranky said loudly, impatience dripping from his tone. Ricky shook his head, wondering if he had been imagining the same man talk in a sing-song voice to the female CEO just few moments ago. Standing, Ginger picked a lightpen and walked to the middle of the conference room to begin the presentation of the intended project. The lights were switched off, casting the large room into a dimly-lit serious atmosphere with the projector being the only source of light. Ginger's loud voice echoed in the room, every attention focused on her British accent. It was well-detailed, and even Ricky who wasn't easily pleased had to admit to himself that she had made adequate preparations. Minutes later, after hands had been clapped to applaud Ginger for the efficiently done presentation and lights restored to the room, it was indicated that it was time for questions. Jade had been flipping through the pages of the document before
It was one emotion he wasn't used to, yet he wallowed in it. Ricky Mears was restless. He felt guilt haunt him like a horrid picture, eating him up till he spent his time wondering how best to apologise without making a fool of himself. As soon as she had left the buildings the day before, the investors themselves felt tired of going to and fro their country, and signed the deal, although drafting it in two different contracts, one merging with Raymonds and another only his corporation. But he intended to convince J.K. to still agree to merge with his corporation, using the redrafting of allocation of shares as a strategy. Problem was, he doubted if she would listen to him if he showed up in her company. If the previous day's event hadn't taken place, he would have been sure she would cast that robotic polite smile at him and politely ask him to get out of his office for the sake of professionalism. But after the previous day, he discovered she had fire in her, one that had virt
Why was he here anyway? She wondered again, suddenly conscious of the house Somto always kept clean. Had she remembered to clean it today? Had Susan left Esmeralda's toys lying around the house? She waited for him to come into view, holding Esmeralda tightly like a shield against the arrogant man. The child took that as an opportunity to pinch Jade's legs, making her wiggle, but she wasn't about to let her leave her laps- bad timing, Mr. Mears, she muttered to herself. "Ms. Raymonds." Ricky began, sitting down before she could acknowledge his greeting- if that curt mentioning if her name was a greeting anyway. Arrogant man, Jade thought, but she still smiled and replied. "Welcome Mr. Mears, to what do I owe this visit?"Ricky suddenly wanted to take that child from her arms and demand she tells him whom the father was and why she was giving him that programmed robotic smile instead o
Monday the twenty sixth carried with it a promise of a good week, beginning with snow flakes beautifying the streets, to Esmeralda who for the first time didn't complain about Jade's choice of clothes for a cold winter morning, but behaved herself quite well for a five year old.Perhaps it was because Jade had scolded her for what she had done to Ricky the previous weekend, or that she wanted to fully participate in Halloween the next week, but whatever was the reason, Jade was more than happy not to go through minutes of trying to make her shower. She was inwardly grateful to the little girl for unknowingly helping her make it early for the meeting she had by eight. Now, stepping out of the navy blue car and muttering thanks to Luke, her chauffeur who opened and held the car door, she took in a deep breath, staring at the tall buildings which bore the words "Mears Corporation" at the centre.Since she said yes to the merge,