Luna of Light

Gaia My phone buzzed in my backpack as I punched the 26 button on the elevator. “I know, I’m late!” I breathed, mashing the button as if that would make the elevator move faster. Finally, the doors slid open, and I stepped out into the busy lobby on the top floor of my father’s marketing empire. Mariah, my father’s receptionist looked up as I rushed off of the elevator, hanging up the phone as my phone stopped vibrating simultaneously. “Gaia-” She started, her voice disapproving. “I know, I know!” I held up a hand to stop her. “Where is he?” “In his office! You’re lucky his four-thirty is running late, too! Hurry up!” She looked pointedly at my cheer uniform and I exhaled in exasperation. I had forgotten to change. “s**t, thanks Mariah, I’ve been here since three!” I dashed down the hall, barely hearing the sarcastic ‘uh-huh’ she threw after me. I skidded behind my desk, just outside the doors to my father’s office, which were, mercifully, closed. Through the windows into the office, I could see he was on the phone, turned away from me to look out his floor-to-ceiling view of the city skyline. I yanked open the cabinet behind the desk, pulling out a short, tight leather skirt and a white, billow sleeved- blouse. I stepped behind the open cabinet door and hastily shoved my spanx down, yanked the leather skirt up over my hips and shoved my cheer skirt to the floor. I pulled my cheer top over my head and threw on the blouse, tucking it into the skirt before zipping it up. I threw my cheer uniform and backpack into the cabinet and looked at my reflection in the mirror I had mounted in there. My curly sand colored hair was a wild, wind-blown nest that fell to my ribs, and my tan skin was red from running, making my freckles stand out. My green eyes were bright with the excitement, and rimmed with smudges of black from my mascara. I rummaged in my bag for a brush and a hair elastic, quickly tugging the tangle out of my locks, French braiding the top of my hair down the center of my head and pulling all off it up into a high ponytail. I fished out a makeup wipe and swiped the smudges from under my eyes, then put on some lip gloss. Popping a piece of gum in my mouth, I winked at my reflection, closing the cabinet and sliding into my desk seat, powering on my computer and clicking onto my email. As usual, my inbox was overflowing with messages, indirectly for my father or from within the company. I began sifting through them, eyeing my father’s door. The phone on my desk began to ring and I snatched it up automatically. “Mr. James’ office.” I answered brightly. “Gaia, Mr. James’ four-thirty is on his way up.” Mariah informed me. “Great, thanks!” I hit the end button, and mashed the intercom button for my father’s office. “Yes?” My father’s low, calm voice came through the ear-piece. He sounded preoccupied. It must be a busy day. “Hi Daddy!” I said cheerily. I heard him chuckle. “Hi Princess. Funny, I walked by your desk a half hour ago and it was empty.” “Huh! That is funny, isn’t it?” “Mm-hmm.” I could hear the indulgent smile in his voice. “What do you need, Gaia?” “Your four-thirty is on the way up, sir.” “About damn time. Grab us some drinks, will you? An assortment, I’ve never met them before, so I’m not sure what they’d like.” “Right away, sir. Anything else?” “Yes. You’re still wearing your cheer shoes.” I dropped my gaze down to my feet, which were indeed clad in my white cheer shoes. I looked up at his office window to see him grinning at me through the glass. My cheeks heated and I cleared my throat. “Right. Yes, sir.” I hung up and quickly changed out my shoes for a pair of nude pumps I had under my desk, before I got up and headed for the kitchen. I grabbed a tray and placed on it four bottles of sparkling water from the fridge, as I wasn’t sure exactly how many people my father would be meeting. I was, of course, grateful to him for hiring me as his PA. Well, his junior PA. Alright, his intern. I wasn’t exactly getting paid for this. Not that I needed to. My dad’s billion-dollar marketing company meant that he was loaded, which meant I had always had pretty much anything I wanted. He frequently reminded me that it was his money and not mine, and that he wanted me to go to school, and find my own career, as opposed to just living off of his wealth. But my dad worked hard to give me the awesome life I had. I turned eighteen at midnight tomorrow. I was a senior in high school, who drove an Audi, and went to a different party every weekend. I had standing appointments with my hair stylist, nail tech, esthetician, and masseuse, and any of them would gladly bump an appointment for me if I asked. The shoes on my feet were Jimmy Choo’s, and my Fendi necklace matched my diamond earrings. Truthfully, I had zero interest in marketing. I much preferred cheerleading. And architecture. My dad had basically kept me here to pad my college applications and keep tabs on me between the hours of 4 and 8 PM. Not that I didn’t find whatever time I needed for…well, whatever I needed. Plus, I had acceptances from the top schools in the country. I filled a carafe with fresh coffee and another with hot water, then added mugs, a small box of teas, and pots of cream and sugar to the tray. I picked it up expertly and, with a practiced stride that was a perfect combination of careful and confident, carried it back to my desk. Through the window of my father’s office I could see that his guests had arrived, two large men who sat on the leather couch across from my father’s armchair. I could only see their backs from here. I balance the tray on my hip and knocked on the door. “Enter.” My father called. I turned the knob and walked in backwards with the tray. “Ah, lovely, thank you.” I smiled graciously, avoiding drawing attention to myself. Sometimes my father would take a moment to introduce me to associates, if the mood was right. Some of his associates I knew as well as family. But most of the time, I remained almost invisible, pleasant and helpful, but not distracting from whatever matter they were discussing. It was a business meeting, after all. I was struck by the amazing smell in the room as I entered. One of the men was wearing an incredible cologne, it was deep and woodsy and sweet, like maple. I set the tray on top of my father’s bar as he addressed the two men. “Can I offer you a refreshment?” “I’ll just take a water, please.” I made note without turning around, and opened a botte of water, emptying it’s contents into a glass with a slice of lemon. “Excellent. And Mr. Vargas?” “Water is fine.” I dropped my ice tongs with a loud clatter. God, his voice is sexy… my face flaming, I quickly picked up the tongs again, and finished preparing the waters. I picked up one cold glass in each hand and turned towards the men. “Here you are, gentle…” I froze, my words dying on my lips. Both of my father’s guests were incredibly handsome. The one on the far side of the couch had fiery red hair, and a mischievous expression. But I was absolutely floored by the man closest to me. As I looked at him, he raised his head and met my eyes. My lips parted in shock and his dark blue eyes darted down, tracking the movement. He had silvery gray hair, although he didn’t even look older than my father. His broad shoulders and muscled chest were barely contained by his charcoal business suit. His eyes narrowed slightly and slid slowly up and down my body, darkening with clear and apparent lust. I felt like jelly. My father cleared his throat pointedly. I jumped, and my left hand lost grip on the condensation coated glass. Before I could even jump back to avoid being doused, he had moved. The gray haired man now stood less than a foot away, so close that I could feel the radiating warmth of his body rolling over me. He towered above me, so tall that I had to crane my head back to look up at him. It was him with the delicious, smoky maple smell, that made my mouth water. Inadvertently, I found myself leaning towards him, as if his sapphire eyes were hypnotizing me. All at one, he got a very faraway look in his eyes and then his expression hardened and he stepped back from me. I nearly stumbled, like a spell had been lifted. “Thank you.” He said, his voice low and coarse. I didn’t know if I was breathing. With one last look at my lips, he moved back, with what looked like great difficulty, and resumed his seat, sipping from the water glass. I blinked about a hundred times, coming back down to Earth. I glanced at my father who was looking at me like I had lost my mind. I flushed and quickly moved forward, placing the other water on the coffee table in front of the red-haired man, careful not to look up at blue-eyes, not even daring to breathe. The red haired man snickered. I straightened with as much dignity as I could possibly conjure, inclined my head at all three men and retreated from the room at just below breakneck speed. I didn’t stop at my desk. I continued on to the bathroom where I locked myself in a stall, leaning back against the door. I felt dazed. What’s wrong with you, Gaia? I was not the type to be affected like that by a guy. Especially not one of my dad’s associates! I had no shortage of boys chasing me at school. In fact, I was late today because I had gotten distracted making out with Jake Ferris after cheer practice. And yet, I had never seen a man as absolutely, oh-my-God gorgeous as the man in my father’s office. Pull it together, girl! I was sure I was going to hear about this from my father after his meeting. Embarrassed, I stepped out of the stall, examined my reflection in the mirror and returned to my desk, my heart still racing. I sat down and resumed going through my emails, trying everything in my power not to look at my father’s office, just to catch a glimpse of the back of his head. Fortunately, the phone rang, and it was my father’s main PA Vanessa, with a list of tasks she needed me to take on. I began dutifully scribbling the details in my notebook and became so engrossed with that that I actually did manage to forget about blue-eyes. I had just hung up and was searching the Gucci website for some ties Vanessa needed ordered for some gifts, when my father’s office door swung open. Habit kicked in, and I shot to my feet. The red-haired man exited first, still smirking at me. He even winked, looking like at any moment he might start laughing. After him came blue eyes. My heart started hammering again. He slowed as he approached me, eyes drinking me in as if I were water in a desert. “Excuse me…miss?” He murmured, his questioning voice low and intimate. “Gaia…” His eyes sparkled. “Gaia.” He said my name like he was savoring something delicious. I had never liked my name more. “We were told you could give us the information for our accommodations this evening.” “I-I…Yes, I…can…” I breathed lamely. Jesus, he was beautiful. This close, I noticed he had a small beauty mark just below the left corner of his mouth, near hidden amongst his silver stubble. I wanted to kiss that beauty mark. He wore no tie, his white button down unbuttoned to his collarbones, I could see a gold necklace with a black stone resting on his upper chest. I wanted to ask about it, but some semblance of sense reminded me that that would be wildly inappropriate right now. I forced myself to back away from him and slipped behind my desk again. My father stepped close, resting a hand on my shoulder as I scrolled in my email inbox for the message from Vanessa. I hit print on the confirmation, and slipped the sheets into a black file folder, emblazoned with the James Global Marketing logo. “Here you are Mr. Vargas, sir…” “Please, call me Dawson.” “…Yes sir…” His eyes seemed to darken and he licked his lips. I felt light headed. “Vargas, we’ll talk more tomorrow.” My father extended a hand to usher the men towards the lobby. He glanced at me over his shoulder. “I’d like a moment when I return.” He nodded towards his office. Fuck. “Yes, sir.” I muttered, disheartened. I swear, a funeral dirge started in my mind. As he headed down the hall, Dawson glanced over his shoulder at me one last time, the corner of his mouth lifting in a sexy smirk that showed off his dimples. My heart thundered in my chest. Holy hell. I stumbled into my father’s office and settled on the couch that the two men had vacated, trying to get myself together. I could still smell his amazing, spicy sweet scent. I noticed his glass still half full on the coffee table, and impulsively I grabbed it, draining it in one gulp. My father closed his office door sharply, making me jump as he entered. “Gaia…what the hell?” He rested on hand on his hip, running the other through his short, brown hair. He had undone his tie on the way back in, and his jacket was now unbuttoned. He looked stressed. “What was that?” My face flamed. “I’m sorry Daddy…” “That was an important meeting, and you almost dropped a drink, bumbling around like an i***t! I’d expect that from a newbie, but you’re been around this business since you were nine!” “I know, I just got a bit distracted…” “With that boy?” My eyes snapped to his. Dawson Vargas was hardly a boy. And I hadn’t realized I was being that obvious. “What?” “Ferris.” He snapped. “His father and I golf together, he mentioned seeing you sneaking out of his son’s bedroom a few nights ago?” If I had been blushing before, I was burgundy now. I hadn’t realized anyone had seen me. “Oh, that…” “Yeah, that! I take it that’s why you were late today?” “No! Well, not entirely…” “Gaia Aurora James. I love having you close to me, but I cannot have you embarrassing me in front of important meetings! Do I need to relocate you to the mail room?” “No!” “I’ve given you a lot of freedom.” He paced as he spoke. “Maybe too much. But I do not want to hear about my teenaged daughter sneaking out of boys bedrooms’ in the middle of the night! You’re a James, for God’s sake! We have a reputation to uphold! You’re only seventeen!” “I’ll be eighteen in a few hours!” This seemed to distract him from his tirade. “Yes. Hmm. After all this I have half a mind to cancel your party tonight.” I jumped up at that. The entire senior class was invited to my eighteenth birthday party tomorrow, and the decorators were already decking out the rooftop at the Majesty hotel downtown. “Lucky for you, I’ve already spent a small fortune on the stupid thing.” He muttered under his breath. His eyes found the picture of my mother that hung over the electric fireplace beside the bar. I followed his eyes. I was always in awe of my mother’s beauty. She’d passed away when I was six, but she had been gorgeous. She had dark skin and honey brown eyes that were filled with laughter. Her hair was even curlier than mine, and deep brown. She held herself with poise, but still lit up a room. “I miss her.” I whispered, almost without meaning to. My dad smiled sadly at me and extended an arm for me. I went to him, sliding under his arm and he tucked me in, kissing my forehead. “She would have loved to see you turn eighteen, Princess. She would be so proud of you.” He squeezed me tight before walking back around his desk. “I have to finish up a few things, and then we can go.” I nodded, heading for the door. “Oh, Gaia?” “Yes?” “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Mr. Cole and Mr. Vargas to join us tomorrow night at your party.”