His to take

4. Meet and Greet

I think the fates are very funny and very mean. That was the only way this coincidence would be happening. I mean what were the odds of Nathaniel Jones coming into a restaurant just as I was leaving it. And what were the odds of him not paying attention the same way I was not. And what were the odds that he would be wearing a pure white t-shirt? I am screwed.

“I am so sorry” I say dabbing at his shirt even though I was sure I was making it worse

“What am I supposed to do with…” He started to say his voice silent but deep. When he stopped and grabbed my hand, I looked up at him “You?” He asked and I laughed nervously

“Oh, it’s you. I did not think I would see you again. Such a coincidence” I gasped in pretense. I seriously deserved an Oscar for my acting skills

“Would you not have punched me if you knew I would see you again?” He asked and I laughed again but he obviously did not think it was funny as his eyes narrowed at me “What is funny?”

“Nothing” I answered quickly “I am sorry about your shirt. What can I do?” I asked before my brain recalibrated and I realized he had also bumped into me. He was also not paying attention. We were mutually responsible. I would have brought that to his notice if he was not my boss but life was not fair “I could pay for the laundry?” I offered and he snickered

“Like I would need your money” He huffed arrogantly “I do not think you know who I am”

On the contrary, I thought “Who are you?” I asked sweetly and he shrugged then came into the restaurant pulling me along when a couple wanted to come in

“Does not matter. I have been hoping to see you again” He said and I raised a brow

“You have?” I asked

“Yes” He replied “I am starving. Come” He ordered and continued to pull me along towards a table

Come?, I mused the word over in my mind. The arrogant son of a b***h. Who did he think he was to tell me to come? If he were not my boss I would have hit him over the head to recalibrate his brain.

“Sit” He ordered pulling out my chair. I could not decide if it was meant to be a gentlemanly gesture or a show of his power over me but I kept quiet and did as I was told. If I got him to like me, on the off chance that I got caught, he would not fire me. That was how it worked right?

“You want me to buy you a meal?” I asked and his forehead creased gently

“Why would I want that?” He asked

“For your shirt” I say and he looks down as if he had completely forgotten about it. “No. I am not here to talk about the shirt”

“Then what do you want to talk about?” I ask looking up at him since he was still standing

“You” He says flippantly pulling out his phone from goodness knows where to type into it

“Me?” I ask and he looked at me sharply, annoyed

“Is it fun for you when I have to confirm every statement?”

“Well, if you were not springing things on me out of the blue, I would not be constantly asking you to clarify” I spat at him unable to control myself. Somebody cut off my tongue, please.

“That’s it” He smirked “You yelled at me like this that day. I was wondering if I got the wrong person” He stated

“You are annoying that’s why I yell at you” I stated back and he shrugged “Why are you still standing?”

“I am waiting for someone. I need a fresh shirt since you decided to ruin this one for me” He explains and I shrugged

“You should have paid attention to where you were going” I stated drawing the remains of my drink into my mouth with the straw. I need to learn not to voice out all my thoughts. It always landed me in trouble

“Me? You were holding a weapon, you should have been the one paying attention”

“I just looked away for a second” I told him and he sighed

“Well, a second is all it takes for an accident to happen” He retorted and I huffed sitting back in my chair

“Excuse me” he says and leaves the table to go towards the door. Really? The jerk was going to leave me here after dragging me back in? Was he never thought proper manners? I thought and was making to stand when I saw a man in a suit meet him by the door and hand him a bag with the Ralph Lauren label. It was probably his bodyguard, I don’t know why he would want to walk around with a bodyguard though. I don’t think anyone wants to kill him. He came in again and disappeared towards the direction of the bathroom. When he came out, my mouth watered, he was wearing a black long-sleeved t-shirt that fit him so well, it seemed like a part of his skin. He had rolled the sleeved up to his elbow and his hair was a sexy mess, probably from pulling his shirt off and on. Nobody deserved to look this good. His eyes strayed to mine and I looked away quickly. He did not need the ego boost.

He was back at the table a two minutes later and he had barely settled in his seat before speaking “I saw you were checking me out. See anything you like?” He asked his smirk back on his face

“I admit that you are attractive but you are not my type” I said even though it was clearly a lie and he raised a brow

“Sweetheart, I am everybody’s type” He claimed

“Not mine” Liar, liar, pants on fire, Do pants on fire get soaked because I think I feel moisture from when I saw him earlier. He was hot, hot. “What did you want to see me again for?”

“At the wedding…” The waiter interrupted and took our order.

“Just any type of pasta you have” I ordered and he nodded as he jotted down the order

“I will have the same” Nathaniel ordered and I glared at him even though I had no reason to. I think he did that just to spite me. “And a bottle of wine”

“Alright sir, would you like to see our wine menu?” The waiter asked

“No. Surprise me” Nathaniel smiled lightly and then waved the waiter off. He seemed pleasant with the waiter. Why was he so rude towards me?

“I do not want wine” I declared and he shrugged

“Then don’t drink it” He stated like it was a perfect solution but before I could answer, my phone buzzed and I remembered it had been ringing. I fished it out of my purse and found a text from Elizabeth.

I have a meeting to attend. Do not bother about the cappuccino. See you later. You do not have to wake up,

Who uses perfect punctuation and formal sentences when texting their younger siblings? Elizabeth, that’s who. I typed back quickly

Kk see u 2nyt, ;-)

“Boyfriend?” Nathaniel asked when I dropped my phone

“No” I answered simply

“Sister?” He asked again and my eyes snapped to his

“How did you know I had a sister? Do you have someone follow me? A private investigator? What…?”

“Whoa, slow your roll” He raised a hand in surrender “You said it at the wedding” He explained and I nodded then swallowed

“Right” I suddenly felt a twinge of regret for what I did but when I saw Ren’s face in my mind’s eye, it fled “What makes you assume it is not someone from work?”

“You were smiling. No one smiles when work calls”

“Not even you?”

“Why would I be different?” He asked and I shrugged.

Perhaps because you deal with millions of dollars. I thought but did not say anything.

“At the wedding you said Ren ruined your sister’s life. Is that true?” He asked

“Why do you want to know?” I asked back “Who is he to you?”

“That is none of your business” He snapped making me jolt then breathed deeply “I did not mean to scare you. It is complicated” He explained “Just, is it true?”

“Yes” I answered after a moment’s hesitation and he breathed out like he had been holding his breath for a long time

“Can you tell me everything that happened in detail?” He asked and it was my turn to frown

“Why?” I asked but the server came then and put the plate of food in front of us. It smelled divine. Perhaps because I was starving. My mouth watered. The waiter had barely left before I started eating “I am starving” I tell him by way of explanation

“Me too” He replies and digs in “Not bad” He was referring to the food

“Not bad” I agreed

“I am Nathan by the way” He says and I nod

“Nate?” I ask and he shrugs

“If you want”

“Is your full name Nathaniel or just Nathan?”

“Depends on who you ask” He smirks again. I would have thought he was incapable of smiling if I had not seen him smile before.

“Right” I continue my meal

“That’s it?”

“What else?” I ask and he blinks taken aback

“What is your name?”

“Susan Anthony” I answer and it takes him a minute before he laughs

“Of all the popular figures to pick, you pick a feminist?” He asks and I shrug

“I am surprised you know her” I say

“I am full of surprises. You don’t want to tell me your name?” He asks and I nod in agreement “Why not?”

“Do I need a reason?”

“Yes”

“No”

“Fine. Back to what is important. What did Ren do to your sister? What you said at the wedding was too chaotic”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Call it curiosity” He says

“My sister’s tragedy is not something I put up for amusement” I tell him and he shakes his head vigorously

“I did not mean it to be amusing” He stated seriously before his features relaxed and he added “But what you did at the wedding was amusing. If you did not mean it to amuse, you failed”

What a d**k. I thought as I glare up at him. My appetite was gone now. I pushed my plate away and looked up at him “You might have found it amusing but what that jerk did to my sister was horrible and I am sure the poor girl that almost married him would not have fared better. I saved her as well even though that was not my primary purpose. I know you would not understand but please refrain from calling her situation amusing” I pull out a wad of cash and dropped it on the table “This meal is on me. Sorry about your shirt” I say and walk away. I half expected him to come after him but with the way he looked, he probably wouldn’t. That was for the best.

As I got into my car, I breathed deeply and placed my head on the steering. I just blew my chance at having a reconciliation with him. Well, f**k it. If he ever found me out and fired me that was his problem. I did not care. I would find another job. I have a freaking masters.