Capture My Heart

Chapter 2

“Huh, what?” Raina is left gaping after the arrogant man who just left after announcing that he will pick her up at 7.

“What just happened?” She asked Yasmine who was looking almost as shocked as her.

“You are going to dinner tonight with that handsome hunk of a man” Yasmine replied winking at her. “How I wish I were in charge of the deal right now. He is even better looking in person right?” Yasmine wondered if it was still possible to pull Raina off this case and lead it herself. After all who can resist Christos Vallis?

“No he is not. He is an arrogant and cocky bastard.” Raina replied thinking about when he shook her hand.

She could not believe the arrogance of that man. And how could she be so affected by his touch, his presence. She could still fell the tingling on her skin where he touched her. She unconsciously touched the spot where he rubbed his thumb.

‘Why am I feeling like this? Even Danny doesn’t affect me this much.’ Raina wondered. The thought of Danny filled her heart with shame. How can she feel like this about someone who isn’t her Danny? They have been together for 3 years now. She shouldn’t be thinking about someone else.

“He is a hot, arrogant and cocky bastard.” Yasmine replies to her with a wink, emphasizing on the word hot.

Raina laughs at her and goes back to her office to finish her pending work, as now she would need to leave early to get ready for the dinner with Christos.

“I heard that you are going to dinner with the handsome hunk who was here today.” Lillian came into her office a few minutes after she came back from meeting Christos Vallis.

“Wow. Gossip travels fast here.” She replies to her friend not wanting to talk about dreaded dinner.

“Jessica is so jealous of you right now. With the way she was talking about the man today, you would have thought she was getting married to him.” Lillian continued. “I think she is still upset that you are heading the case for Vallis-Pierro industries instead of her. You should have seen her face when she heard that you are going to dinner tonight with him.”

“I don’t want to gossip about Jessica. She is always upset with me about something. If it was not this case she would have been mad about something else. I have a lot of pending work to finish right now, so I can be on time for the dinner. How about you order me some sandwiches for lunch, and I will call you tomorrow to tell you all about the dinner.” She asked her friend, not want to be a part of the office gossip.

“You got it. I will speak to you tomorrow. Have fun tonight.” Lillian said laughing before she left to get on with her task.

Finishing all her work for the day, Raina reached home around 5 pm. After taking a relaxing shower she called Raven to come help her pick out a dress to wear for the dinner.

“So why exactly are you going to dinner with this guy?” Raven asks while going through her clothes throwing all the ones she didn’t like on her bed in a pile.

“Because he is the only person who can save our company and according to Yasmine we have to obey his every whim until he signs the contract.” she replied while applying some light makeup.

“Uh huh. So where is he taking you?”

“I have no idea. He left quickly after saying that he will pick me up at 7. So what should I wear? Knowing him he will probably take me to dinner at a fancy restaurant.”

“Wear this” she said handing me a one shoulder knee length chiffon cocktail dress with ruffle flowers on the neckline. She paired it with a skin colored high-heeled shoe, embellished with Swarovski crystals that she borrowed from Raven, and was applying some perfume when she heard the doorbell ring. She quickly grabbed her purse and went to answer the door.

She was surprised to see a chauffeur instead of Christos Vallis standing at her door.

“Good evening ma’am. I will be your driver tonight. If you would just follow me to the car, Mr. Vallis is waiting for you at the restaurant.” Raina nodded following him quietly to the limo outside.

‘The guy has too much money. No wonder he is so arrogant’ Raina thought as she settled comfortably in the car.

The first thing she saw when she stepped out of the limo was the beautiful fountain in front of the elegant and expensive looking restaurant. The path to the restaurant was sided by oak trees on both sides. The trees were covered in fairy light and the atmosphere looked magical. The building itself looked like part of the surroundings. It looked like it was made of woods and there were high windows all around. As she stood there admiring the amazing building, she was shocked out of her mind when she felt someone wrap their arms around her waist.

 “Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you” Mr. Vallis said, still not removing his arm from her waist. She could feel the light tingles on her skin where he was touching her and quickly stepped away from him.

“Shall we go in and discuss our deal?” Raina asked giving him a stern look indicating that she is only here for business purposes.

“Why don’t we enjoy our dinner first Ms. Grayson” he asks leading her into the hotel. “After all it’s not every day that I get to dine with a beautiful woman such as you.”

Raina couldn’t help but blush a little at his compliment.

‘Don’t fall for it Raina. He a huge womanizer. He probably says this to every woman that he meets.’ She mentally chides herself and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at the thought. It also didn’t help that she somehow forgot about Danny every time Christos Vallis was near her.

Raina didn’t reply to him as he led her towards their table. The restaurant was filled with the cream of the society. Men in expensive looking tuxedos and the women dripping in jewelry. Raina felt a little under dressed to be there, and it didn’t help that everyone was looking at her, wondering who the mysterious woman beside Christos Vallis is.

Raina silently followed Christos to the table he had reserved for them. He led them into one of the closed private dining rooms at the back. The room was covered in floor to ceiling windows on three sides, and the view was mesmerizing. There was a small lake outside and Raina could clearly see the moon’s reflection on the water. He pulled out the chair for her, and had a seat once she was comfortable. 

“I booked a private room so that we will get some privacy to discuss the deal.” Mr. Vallis said when he noticed her looking around.

“I didn’t see the lake when we came in. it looks amazing.” Raina couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene outside the windows.

“The lake is on the other side of the building, so it is not visible from the entrance. This whole building was designed to fit in with the surroundings, to become a part of nature. After all, people do occasionally need a break from the city life. This is one of the best investments I made.” Christos felt proud that she approved of the place.

“You mean you own this place?” Raina asked surprised.

A waiter appeared with a two glasses of wine before he could reply to her. He handed them a menu and Raina quickly analyzed it.

“What do you suggest?” she asked looking at the waiter.

“The steak here is amazing. You should try that.” Christos relied before the waiter could say anything.

Christos placed an order for some entrées and two medium rare steaks as a main once Raina nodded in approval to his suggestion. The waiter left once their order was placed and Christos took a sip of wine analyzing the woman in front of him. She was nothing like how he expected her to be. 

“Do you not like wine?” he asked when he saw that she hasn’t touched her glass.

“No. I would prefer not to drink while I am supposed to be working.” she told him before she started talking about their proposal. They chatted lightly about her company and she answered all his questions while they had dinner. By the time desert arrived they were finished and she couldn’t wait to go home and get away from the intimidating man.

“I have decided to go through this deal with your company, so congratulations Ms. Grayson. I will come by your office next Monday to sign the deal.” He told her.

“Thank you Mr. Vallis. I am sure you will not regret this decision.” She gave him a small smile

“Well than let’s have a toast to celebrate. After all you are no longer working now that the deal is finalized.” he said raising his glass.

Raina raises her glass to his and they drink the wine. She could feel his gaze burning through her and suddenly felt more nervous and conscious of the man sitting across her. Both of them silently started eating their desserts, Raina stealing glances at Christos. By the time they finished their desserts Raina was feeling very anxious and drowsy. Her vision blurred a little and she was feeling drunk, although she just had one glass of wine.

The waiter returned and Christos paid the bill. Raina quickly got up so that they can leave as soon as possible, but before she could even take two steps, he pulled her back by the elbow, and she collided with his chest. Raina turned around angrily and that was when she felt his lips on hers.

Christos felt her still in his arms when his lips connected with hers. She stood like a statue while he kissed her, and after a few moments she responded. He felt her wrap her arms around him and he couldn’t believe that she was kissing him back. From his side he saw a bright flash of the camera from where Xander was standing and he smiled slightly into the kiss.

‘Mission accomplished’ He thought to himself just as he felt her pull away from him. Suddenly he felt a sharp stinging pain on his cheeks. It took him a few moments to realize that she slapped him.

“How dare you? Who told you that you can kiss me?” she shouted while glaring at him with anger burning in her eyes.

‘So my little angel has a fiery spirit huh? I am going to have fun trying to tame her.’ He thought to himself and couldn’t help but smirk at her.

Xander’s plan worked well. It took him a lot of effort to not laugh when Xander came to serve them dressed as a waiter. He spiked Raina’s drink with something to make her drunk and he was a little worried when she initially refused to drink the wine.

“Are you smiling? You arrogant bastard.” Raina shouted some more before trying to hit him again and stumbling due to the effects of the drug.

“I am sorry Ms. Grayson. I just couldn’t help myself. It won’t happen again. Let me just drop you home. You don’t look that well.” Christos tried to sound apologetic.

“No! I am not going -” she stumbled again before she could finish speaking and he held her to prevent her from falling.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted hitting him once again before storming of towards the entrance.

“Come on. I am really sorry. Let me just drop you home” he told her leading her towards the car. She didn’t protest as she had no awareness of what is going on due to the effects on the drug. After making sure she was seated properly with the seat belt on Christos drove towards his apartment. He could see Xander following their car at a distance.

He took a deep breath after he parked his car outside the apartment complex, to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. He got out of the car and walked towards the passenger seat, getting Raina out of the car. She looked barely conscious as he put his arms around her and led her towards the building, while making sure that both of them were facing Xander, who stood at a distance taking more photographs.

Christos could feel the glances from the people in the lobby staring at him as he led the drunken, now unconscious girl towards the elevator. A couple of people seemed concerned on seeing her condition but no one dared to question the great Christos Vallis. Once the elevator doors opened Christos lifted Raina into his arms, bridal style and carried her in.

He lived in the penthouse apartment of the building. The door to the elevator opened and he placed his thumb on the biometric reader to unlock his apartment doors. Christos always used the latest technology to protect all his residences and offices. Being in the position he was, he could not afford to take any risks with his and his family’s security.

Once they were inside his apartment he carried Raina into his bedroom and gently put her down on the bed. He removed her shoes and tucked her under the blankets before grabbing a pillow and making his way to the couch in the living room.  

After settling down on the couch for the night, he called Xander.

“Did you get the pictures we need?” he asked his friend.

“Yes. The pictures are perfect. Is she okay?” he felt guilty for putting the girl through all this, but it was necessary.

“Yeah. She is sleeping but I reckon she is going to have a massive hangover tomorrow. Good night” Christos hung up before he could reply.

‘Tomorrow is going to be a long day’ he thought as he felt myself drifting off.