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I caught myself gawking and reined myself in, grateful for my sunglasses hiding my appalling behavior. I removed them and slid them into my breast pocket before making deliberate eye contact. God, she was the most interesting thing to come into the room this morning, even if the interest had nothing to do with Design Everything. I sat back down in the cheap office chair and turned to face her.
The woman’s plump, pink lips parted. Those eyes... they were the same color as the Atlantic Ocean, a moody grey with hints of blue and green. And wide. So, so wide. There was something mysterious about her; I couldn’t rip away my gaze. She felt eerily familiar.
She was gorgeous.
I was speechless, and she had coffee.
Chapter Three
Lia
“Ah, there you are, Amelia. What kept you?” Derrick turned up the authoritative tone and motioned me forward. Perspiration trickled from his temple toward his ticking jaw. The faintest glint of crazy sparkled in his beady eyes.
Somehow, I managed to get the coffee tray onto the table without spilling anything. The sexual pull Mr. Teresse had overwhelmed my senses. I could feel him looking me up and down even before he lifted his sunglasses. It sent curls of heat spiraling through me, and my knees threatened to give out.
Mr. Teresse’s immaculate, well-tailored charcoal suit hugged his tapered frame with precision I’d never seen. Broad shouldered. Slim. Well-put-together. Cheeks hollowed beneath high cheekbones above a square, oh so masculine jaw. Dark brown curls flopped onto his forehead, lending him a softening boyishness he needed for the sake of humanity. I could hardly think straight for his perfection.
How would his stubble feel, scratching the delicate skin of my breasts, my belly? How would it be to have those full lips latched onto my neck? Would he be gentle with me, or more demanding?
Would I be able to keep myself from salivating right now?
I wouldn’t look him in the eyes. I couldn’t, or he would know how affected I was. I could feel the heat of it on my cheeks.
“Would you enjoy coffee, Mr. Teresse?” Derrick picked up a cup after adding an unhealthy amount of cream from the pitcher.
“No. Miss, are you a designer here?” Mr. Teresse turned his attention to me, snubbing Derrick.
Fear shot through me at Derrick’s glowering, warning down-turned mouth. Throwing caution to the wind, I mustered my courage and opened my mouth, willing the words to come. I straightened my spine and looked at Mr. Teresse with purposeful determination.
“I am, actually. Yes. I work with some of our online clients. All to Derrick’s specifications, of course.”
I glanced at Derrick again, then down to the floor with flaming cheeks. This was way outside protocol. I only hoped the casual conversation wouldn’t cost me my job.
“Ah.”
The disappointment was unmistakable.
My nerves gained their ground quickly, threatening and pulling me back. Ordinarily, business situations didn’t faze me, but there was something about this man that knocked me off my game. The thing was, I had something I could show him. All I needed to do was get my throat working and push the words free.
Easier said than done.
But this beautiful man’s disappointment bothered me enough to take a chance. He wanted something from me, and I needed to know if I had it. In my infinite boredom with the lackluster workload I received, I developed a habit of putting together a pitch for every new client who walked into Design Everything. They were great additions to my portfolio even if they never saw the light of day.
I slid a lock of wayward hair behind my ear and cleared my throat. Mr. Teresse’s attention wandered back to me, assessing.
“Actually, I have a design concept for Experience. It’s not as polished as Derrick’s presentation, but I could show it to you if you’re looking for some options.”
I dared to look up from the floor, and my heart leapt into my mouth when my eyes met Mr. Teresse’s for the second time.
He had two different eyes. One the same color as my own, the other one hazel. I had only seen one other person who looked like that… The air between us sizzles as our gazes remained locked.
“Yes, I’d love to see something else. Can you arrange this, please?”
Mr. Teresse turned back to a shaking, red in the face Derrick, but the words came from underwater.
Was I imagining things? This had to be a hallucination brought on by my time in the shower this morning. Maybe not enough coffee. Yeah, that had to be it. My heart remembered to beat and did so in overdrive.
Too much stimulus all at one time left me woozy. I gulped in a ragged breath. Mystery Guy, in the conference room. Oh, and this presentation could take my career from banal to meaningful in one fell swoop. No big deal.
